Contrasts in Prayer | Matthew 6:5-8

Scripture

• Matthew 6:5–8

About this sermon

Introduction: Our Lord has been giving us contrasts between the false righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes, the righteousness that characterizes the people who belong to His kingdom. The righteousness that belongs to the kingdom of heaven is first given as a gift (justification by faith) and then progressively formed in the people who have received that gift. God is at work in their lives forming in them the character of His Son. It is the result of the new birth. In chapter 5, our Lord gave us 6 contrasts that emphasized distortions of righteousness in the form of teaching — “you have heard that it was said… but I say to you.” In chapter 6, He gives us 3 contrasts that emphasize distortions of righteousness in the form religious practice. The three contrasts are applications, illustrations, of a GENERAL WARNING (6:1). HIS DISCIPLES ARE TO BEWARE OF SOMETHING. They are to beware practicing their righteousness to be seen by men. This is the leaven of the Pharisees. ESV Luke 12:1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. We saw how genuine righteousness is concerned about the approval of God. It is not self-exalting; it is God-exalting. It is not aimed at securing the praise of men; it desires the praise that comes from our Father. It is not concerned about a worthless temporal reward; it desires the reward that God gives. Christ applied that warning to the matter of GIVING. And now He applies that warning to the matter of PRAYER. What is the difference between a hypocrite’s prayer life, and that of a genuine believer? I want to stress at the beginning that what we are examining gets to the very question of whether we have eternal life. J.C. Ryle, the famous 19th century Anglican Bishop, in a book entitled “A Call to Prayer” makes this very point. “I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since the Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, and some were unlearned. Some of them were Episcopalians, and some were Christians of other names. Some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians. Some have loved to use liturgy, and some to use none. But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They have all been people of prayer…I say furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A person may preach from false motives. A person may write books and ,make fine speeches and seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas Iscariot. But a person seldom goes into their closet and pours out their soul before God in secret, unless they are in earnest. The Lord himself has set his stamp on prayer as the best proof of conversion. When he sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, he gave him no other evidence of his change of heart than this, "Behold he prays." Acts 9:11.” Here, in our verses, our Lord sets a contrast in prayer before His listeners. This morning we see two contrasts between true and false righteousness in the practice of prayer. DO YOU PRAY? WHAT KIND OF PRAYER LIFE CHARACTERIZES YOU? • A CONTRAST IN WHAT WE DO IN PRAYER (vs.5-6) The first contrast has to do with HOW WE PRAY, AND WHY WE PRAY. I would point out, again, that our Lord is EXHORTING His listeners, IN CONTRAST to the hypocrites. This is not just about whether the Lord has saved us or not. This is also about how we are to live if the Lord HAS saved us. And, once again I would remind us that God doesn’t warn His people about things that pose no danger to us. That is, even after the Lord has saved us, we must beware engaging in that which God has given us to do, in a way that is false. And that includes the matter of prayer. • THE HOW AND WHY OF HYPOCRITICAL PRAYER How do hypocrites pray, and why do they pray? Notice that Jesus said that hypocrites know a kind of DELIGHT in prayer. They LOVE (φιλέω) to stand in public places — synagogues and street corners — in order to be seen by men. The Jewish people had appointed times of prayer. Kent Hughes — “Opportunities for their street corner performances came at the time of the daily afternoon temple sacrifice and during public fasts when the trumpets were blown as a sign that it was time to pray. Wherever a devout man was on the street, he stopped, faced the temple, and prayed. It was a perfect opportunity to let everybody see your stuff. You could time your afternoon stroll so that when the trumpet sounded, you were on a very prominent corner where you could lift your hands and pray for all to hear” R.T. France — “Devout Jews prayed three times a day (Dan 6:10), not necessarily at fixed times (m. Ber. 1:1–2; 4:1), though the ninth hour (3 p.m.) seems to have been normal (Acts 3:1; 10:30).”

Topics

• Prayer