The Secret Life
of Successful Christians
Introduction:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 6:1
In chapter 6 of Matthew, Jesus is giving us practical instruction on Christian living. Specifically, He causes us to focus on our motives. Whom, exactly, are we trying to please? It is entirely possible, it seems, to spend a lifetime doing "righteous" things and yet, not be right with God. Jesus tells us to "beware" of the temptation to live for the applause of people. He further tells us, that if that is our motivation, we forfeit any heavenly reward.
PART 3: Practicing Prayer
"In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’" - Matthew 6:9-13 NKJVJesus is giving us a “manner” of prayer, so it is perfectly in order to examine the components of this example.
1. “Pray”. Jesus tells to pray. Pray is not a chant or a recitation. It is a conversation between the petitioner and God.
2. “Our”. The pattern for prayer is not a selfish one.
Our Lord expects that we pray for one another. [see James 5:16, Galatians 6:2]
Our Lord expects us to pray in humility. [Luke 18:10-14]
3. “Father”. It is on the basis of his Fatherhood (and our position as his child) that we petition him at all. We do not come before him on any other basis. The Father/child relationship supersedes other relationships such as Master/servant or Creator/creation.
Benefits of being a child of God.
Inheritance Romans 8:15-17Blessing John 8:18Association John 8:19, 29Instruction John 8:28
Responsibility of being a child of God.
Respect Exodus 20:12Show Affection Deuteronomy 6:5Desire to Please John 8:29Love for fellow children John 17:20, 214. “in heaven.” Here we recognize the Divine Sovereignty of God. Not only is he our Father, he is also God. So, he is both willing (by virtue of Fatherhood) and able (by virtue of Godhood) to fulfill our petitions. Failure to understand our relationship with God weakens our faith and causes us to hesitate in prayer. When we understand this relationship, prayer becomes a reasonable activity.
5. “Hallowed be your name.” The attitude expressed here is, “May you holiness be maintained.” Our approach to our Father is to be one of Humility and gratitude, not arrogance. To approach his throne in any other manner is a blatant violation of his holiness and is an affront to his goodness and mercy.
It is presumptuous on our part, if we approach the throne of a holy God with our petition, if we are living in a state of willful sin. The very first request that we are to make, is for the holiness of his name to be maintained.
6. “Your kingdom come.” When we sincerely yearn for his kingdom, our will aligns with his will. When our will is aligned with God’s will, the possibilities of prayer become extraordinary.
Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God” [Matthew 6:33] and “seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” [Luke 12:31]. If we have no desire to see the advancement of his kingdom, we’re freeloading.
What is the Kingdom of God?While ultimately the Kingdom of God will be manifested in the millennial reign of Christ (and beyond), it began with Christ on earth. The phrase is never used in the Old Testament, but it is found 69 times in the New Testament.
Nature of the Kingdom
Power. "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." - Matthew 12:28 ESV
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." - 1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV
"Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."" - Luke 17:20-21 ESV
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 ESV
"Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." ... Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." - John 3:3, 5 ESV
It is of the heart."For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." - 1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV
"Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."" - Luke 17:20-21 ESV
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 ESV
"Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." ... Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." - John 3:3, 5 ESV
It is of the heart.
It is selective. Sin not only excludes one from heaven, but also from being used by God. [See 1 Corinthians 6:9-12].
7. “Your will be done.” How do you determine what is the will of God?
General Will.Much of God’s will is universal and absolute. For instance:
Salvation. "who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…" - Galatians 1:4 ESV. "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
Living a Holy Life (Sanctification). "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:1-2 ESV "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;" - 1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV
Thanksgiving. "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
Specific will. Most of God’s will for our lives can be found in scripture. Although God’s specific will may vary from individual to individual, it will never violate his universal will. For instance, God will not call you to a sinful lifestyle. Two areas in which we see God reveals his specific will is in:
Calling. "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus…" - 1 Corinthians 1:1a ESV
Suffering. "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." - 1 Peter 4:19 ESV8. “In earth as it is in heaven.” In order to understand this phrase, we need to explore how God’s will is done in heaven.
Heaven is God’s Possession. [Genesis 14:19].He is Absolute [Deuteronomy 4:19]With his omnipotence, he overcomes all enemies. "… "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." - 2 Chronicles 20:6 ESVIn heaven his will is accomplished without exception. In earth, the key to the fulfillment of his will is the surrender of our will.By praying in the Spirit. [Romans 8:26-28].By patient obedience. [Hebrews 10:36].9. “Give us.”
There is nothing wrong with asking for our needs to be met. As children of God, we are not freeloading on God. We approach God on the basis of a child approaching a loving parent. In prayer we acknowledge both our dependence on him, and his (self-imposed) responsibility to provide for our needs.
This is how he tells us to approach him. A friend of mine who spent many years as a missionary to Africa would punish his children if they saw a snake and did not cry out. He expected his children to call out to him if they were in danger. Similarly, God expects that when we are threatened by the enemy, we will cry out to him for help rather than ignoring the threat.
He has made the initial overture by promising to meet needs if we ask.
Rest. [Matthew 11:28]
Wisdom. [James 1:5]
Provision. [Matthew 6:25]
All needs. [Philippians 4:9]
The nature of God is to give. In the KJV the words give, gave and giveth are used 1364 times. God began giving in the first chapter when he gave light. In the last chapter of the Bible we see him giving rewards to men. God’s ultimate gift is found in Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 ESV10. “this day our daily bread.” Our request for provision is to be made on a daily basis.
The nature of God’s gifts are good. [James 1:17]
To maintain a daily dialogue. We don’t know what to ask for beyond that anyway. [Matthew 6:34]
11.“and forgive us our debts.” We stand in the audience of a Holy God. As we recognize this truth, we will ask him to forgive us of sins that we commit even after we have addressed him as “our Father”. [Psalm 51:10-12] It is important for the believer to maintain a consciousness of good and evil, and a spiritual posture of repentance. [Ezekiel 18:26-28].
12. “as we forgive our debtors.” Forgiveness at salvation is dependent on faith and repentance. [Romans 10:13]. After we are saved, we are to request that God forgive us just as we are forgiving those who have wronged us. Our attitude and practice of forgiveness directly affects God’s forgiveness toward us. [Matthew 18:23-35]
13. “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”
God does not try to get us to sin. [James 1:13,14]
God leads us out of temptation by delivering us from evil (or the “evil one”). In this phrase, we are asking our Father to erect boundaries around us and administer discipline to our lives. He accomplishes this by:
Spiritual (angelic) protection.Administering discipline (sometimes in the form of punishment or pain) to correct disobedience.14. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” The closing phrase recognizes:
The kingdom, and all that it entails, belongs to God not us.
The power that answers prayer belongs to God. He does not need our help.
The glory of answered prayer also belongs to God and not to us.
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