Study

Stop, Look & Listen

August 13, 2023 by in Study

Text:

Matthew 6:5:

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 

Theme:

Stop, Look and Listen

 

Introduction:

  • The text comes from the Gospel According to St. Matthew.
    • The Gospel according to St. Matthew, is the first book of the New Testament and of the Gospels of Jesus, the Christ, and the 40th book of the Holy Bible as a whole.
    • Matthew, the disciple of Christ, wrote in more detail of the life of Christ and His ministry than any other Gospel writer even though the book was written over 5-10 years later than the rest of the Gospels.
  • The text specifically refers to Jesus’ teaching on a concept, action and requirement that is fundamental to the Christian life –> PRAYER
    • The disciples saw the walk of the Master and discerned the power of prayer through His example.
    • Jesus taught the disciples to pray as a tool in the maintenance of their existence and faith.
    • Prayer is defined as the soul’s sincere desire for change, unspoken, unuttered.
  • Prayer is a requirement of the believer.
    • Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
    • Psalms 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”
  • Prayer gives the believer access to divine power far beyond what the carnal existence can envision!
    • Matthew 7:7 (Luke 11:9), “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
    • James 4:2, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
  • Prayer is the Key!!!
    • 1 Kings 9:3, “And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
    • Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
  • So, how do we pray? How are we supposed to pray and it be heard??

Body:

  • Our text, Matthew 6:5, gives us three elements of Jesus’ instruction on how to pray:
    • STOP
      • “enter into thy closet”
        • Closet is defined in two ways:
          • As a noun – a small room for privacy
          • As a verb – to shut up in a private room for confidential talk
          • Both definitions realize the important character of PRIVACY in this “room”
          • Where is the “room”?
        • Physical “room” – a location, a place that you cherish for its privacy
          • closet, bedroom, den, bathroom, car, office, park, by a lake, in the woods
        • Metaphysical “room” – a state of being, focused on prayer to God
          • God is being honored and solicited, we are not being praised nor pitied!
        • Get focused on God and not on self or worldly matters!
          • “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – Prayer is commanded to man by the presence of God, Himself, as Creator and Savior of all!  For this reason, Jesus directs us to get into our Christian “closet” which is knowledge of and praise of who God is.
      • “when thou hast shut thy door”
    • If you don’t shut the “door”, you could go right back out into the confusion of the world or self.
    • The door for the child is the eyes – open eyes make a child open to distractions
    • The door for the adult is the mouth – Prayer is the cry of the soul and NOT the mind or mouth.
      • A closed “door” is a prerequisite to effective prayer, NOT an afterthought!
  • LOOK
    • “pray to thy Father which is in secret”
    • Pray to God, NOT to our deeds
      • Not your church attendance, but God’s attendance in our life
      • Not your volunteer work, but God’s volunteering to save our life
    • Pray to God, NOT to our problems
      • Not your troubled family, but the Father who has adopted us
      • Not your unpaid bills, but the Savior who paid the price on Calvary for our sins
    • Pray to God, NOT to our sins
      • Not your mistakes, but the Father who is good and perfect
      • Not your shortcomings, but the Savior in whom all things are possible
    • It’s about GOD, NOT about US!
    • This personal, private, and powerful relationship with God is the path through which prayer flows to God.
      • PERSONAL – Only one participating – As the 23rd Psalm says, “The Lord is MY shepherd”
      • PRIVATE – Only one present – As the boy Samuel said to the Voice in the temple, “Here am I”
      • POWERFUL – Only one provided with power (of God’s presence in Sprit) – As when Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
  • LISTEN
    • “thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly”
    • God hears our prayer through the secrecy of our “closet”
    • As the hymn says, “Remember me, Remember me. Oh, Lord remember me!”
    • God answers our prayer openly
    • God doesn’t deal in covert activity
    • In the Philippian jail, Paul demanded that they be openly released since they were openly convicted.
    • When God answers our prayer, WE KNOW IT! And others should also!
      • If you don’t LISTEN for God’s answer, you won’t hear it!!
        • Psalms 37:7, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him”
        • Wait on God!!!
          • Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

 

Conclusion:

  • In summary, if we pray and pray right, He will hear and answer our prayer!
    • We just have to get on God’s schedule. It is not God getting on our schedule!
      • Our text, Matthew 6:5, expresses how we must give God ALL and not just some of our SELVES…physically, mentally and spiritually!
        • Physically à Our body is committed to the act of prayer!
          • Luke 22:44 gives the example of Jesus when He prayed that the cup of Calvary be passed from Him, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
        • Mentally à We focus on Him and our relationship with Him!
          • Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
        • Spiritually à Submit yourself to Him
          • Psalms 46:10 gives the completeness of our effort in prayer

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

  • BE STILL AND KNOW…that He will hear your faintest cry
  • BE STILL AND KNOW…that He will answer by and by
  • BE STILL AND KNOW…that His eye is on the sparrow
  • BE STILL AND KNOW…that He watches even little ol’ me
  • BE STILL AND KNOW…that GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!!
  • Just STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN!!!

 

#258

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