July 9, 2017
Sermon on the Mount
Prayer / Fasting
Matthew 6:5-18
This week we’re continuing our series on “The Sermon on the Mount.”
A really incredible thing about the Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus didn't save his heavy hitting and culture shifting commands for a private setting, and he didn’t just save it for people whose hearts he had already won over…
Actually, The Sermon on the Mount wasn't even planned, when Jesus was surrounded by people who needed to hear the truth of who He was, He gathered them together on a hill and he shared the truth with them:
- loud and proud
- out in the open
- with nothing to hide
And that’s what we’re doing in this series… We’re meeting outside, in the open, unashamed of the truth of who God is - wanting desperately to soak up everything we can about who that man is: A God who isn't ashamed of the truth, who has nothing to hide, and who just wants to draw his people back to him.
Prayer
Matthew 5:5-8
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Just like last week, Jesus is getting to the heart of the matter. What is your intention with doing all of these things?
- Don’t pray in order to get attention.
- It shouldn't matter where you are.
- Don’t try to impress God with what you say.
Jesus shows us what it SHOULD sound like when we pray:
Matthew 5:9-15
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Here is how it breaks down:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
“Daddy, you are worthy of me praying to you.”
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
“I want all of you, and you are fully in control of me!”
Give us today our daily bread.
“God, whatever I need to serve you daily, take care of it for me”
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
“God, forgive us for what we’ve done, and as a result of that, we can’t help but forgive others”
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
“help lead me away from sin, and protect me from Satan”
There is a lot of power in fighting temptation, and fighting spiritual battles with prayer and scripture and the more of it that we know, the more that we are equipped to handle life. So a lot of people use things called crafted or scripted prayer as a way to fight back against the enemy and fight temptation in our lives.
Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting is not a thing for just the hyper-spiritual. Jesus is talking to regular people, not just his inner circle of disciples, and not just people who grew up religious, and he starts with: "When you fast."
So what Jesus is telling us is that when we fast, we need to make sure we’re not attracting attention while we’re fasting and trying to look Godly. The heart issue of this is what’s important.
- Why are you fasting?
- Who is it all about?
- What’s the goal?
Communication Card
- I will learn to pray like Jesus prayed, not just focusing on my wants
- I will use crafted prayers to fight through issues in my life
- I will make fasting a part of my lifestyle
