WHY DO WE PRAY –

JESUS TYPE PRAYER PART I

From the Heart of God Series

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Jesus exposéd on the internal and external piety

• in civil act – charity Matthew 6:1-4
• in religious act – prayer Matthew 6:5-14

WHY PRAY?

The basis must be more than procedures. Though we live in time and age and in the christian church with established ideas about what prayer is – God is looking a relationship that comes from the heart.

Wrong motive of prayer

Two types of individuals who offer prayer:

(1) The hypocrites – playactor

… “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites… Matthew 6:5

Objective: Praying for show / for others to see

Qualities of those who pray is such a way:

• The premise:
  • they do not have a relationship with God
  • they do not know what God requires
  • they do not know / understand what prayer is
• The demonstration
  • because they are empty on the inside:
    • they pray in public places to be seen by men Matthew 6:5
    • … For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men… Matthew 6:5
      • in synagogues
      • on the corners of the street
    • they prove externally
    • they blabber, verbose Matthew 6:7
    • they pray to prove to others what they do not have
    • they put up a show in their demonstration for others to see
  • these are the so-called professionals with religious attires
• The result:
  • … Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward … Matthew 6:5
  • They have their rewards
    • they achieve what they pursue
    • results that are only earthly, name, fame and recognition

(2) The son / daughter – those who have a relationship with their spiritual Father

Objective: Praying only for their Abba Father to see

Qualities of those who pray is such a way:

• The premise:
  • they have a relationship with God
  • they know what God requires
  • they know / understand what prayer is
• The result:
  • because they are full on the inside:
    • they prove externally
    • they are few in words
    • they pray to prove to others what they do not have
    • they put up a show in their demonstration for others to see
  • these are marked by simplicity of clothing

Principles of genuine prayer as Jesus taught:

The premise Jesus grew up to live in the society and by observance of the custom of the Jews.

• 1. Pray not for show Matthew 6:5
  • from the point of a hypocrite, a playactor
  • a means to an end
  • and they achieve their ends
• 2. Prayer according to Jesus’ meaning Matthew 6:6
  • from the heart of the Father (Son-Father)
    • … pray to your Father … Matthew 6:6
    • to exchange wishes
    • from the point of a son / daughter to qualify to call / address God as a Father
    • from the point of relationship
  • from a secret physical secret place / in isolation
    • …go into your room, and when you have shut your door… Matthew 6:6
  • from a secret place in the spirit / in a secret / private transaction / relationship
  • And Abba Father will reward such prayers
  • and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6
  • Abba Father will reward openly
• 3. The premise of praying is to know the foreknowledge of God
  • ⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8
  • omniscient – all knowing
  • omnipotent – all powerful
  • omnipresent – all present

How do we pray?

• 1. We take God as a despatch personnel
• 2. We approach God with a shopping list
• 3. As a means to an end [the end justifies the means that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of achieving it is acceptable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequentialism]
• An end-in-itself. The word “end” in this phrase has the same meaning as in the phrase “means to an end“. The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/endinitself.shtml

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Word Study: 2

• Matthew 6:5,6,7,8
• English: pray
• 4336. προσεύχομαι proseuchomai
• HELPS Word-studies 4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, “towards, exchange” and 2172/euxomai, “to wish, pray”) – properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith (“divine persuasion“). Accordingly, praying (4336/proseuxomai) is closely inter-connected with 4102 /pístis (“faith”) in the NT. See: Ac 6:5,6,14:22,23; Eph 6:16-18; Col 1:3,4; 2 Thes 3:1,2; Js 5:13-15; Jude 20.
• exchanging wishes

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Word Study: 1Matthew 6:5

• English: the hypocrites
• 5273. ὑποκριτής hupokrités
• Definition: (lit: a stage-player), a hypocrite, dissembler, pretender.

• HELPS Word-studies 5273 hypokritḗs (a masculine noun derived from 5259 /hypó, “under” and 2919 /krínō, “judge”) – properly, a judging under, like a performer acting under a mask (i.e. a theater-actor); (figuratively) a two-faced person; a “hypocrite,” whose profession does not match their practice – i.e. someone who “says one thing but does another.”

• HELPS Word-studies [5273 (hypokritḗs) was commonly used of actors on the Greek stage. When applied in the NT, it refers to a hypocrite.

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The Model Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.^{[a] 7} And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:5-15

G – Abba Father

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