The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 6 Part 2 Avoid Hypocrisy When Praying

Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of Pharisees when they prayed.

Matthew 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

Jesus addressed the Pharisees hypocrisy in prayer.

They forgot that prayer is a holy activity not to be taken lightly. 

When a follower of Jesus Christ prays, he or she has come into the presence of God.

Prayer is an intimate time between a redeemed child of God and a gracious heavenly Father.

However, the Pharisees turned it into a way of receiving praise of men instead of praise from God.

The man after God's own heart shows us a right attitude for prayer.

Psalm 55:16-17  As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 17)  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. 

This is a psalm of King David and he spent much time in prayer with Jehovah because he was often attacked by internal and external enemies.

As we read through the Psalms written by David, we quickly see how he poured out all of his troubles and cares to the LORD of glory.

He did not hold back but freely told all his troubles to the LORD, knowing that only God could help him in his hour of need.

Psalm 3:1-4  A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2)  Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. 3)  But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4)  I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 

This text is from when David's son Absalom tried to kill his father and make himself king over Israel.

David had to flee for his life from Jerusalem with only a few faithful friends.

Again David poured out his anguish and burden to the Lord.

David's enemies said God could not help him and they rose up in rebellion against the king.

David brought this issue to the Lord in utter dependency knowing that God alone is his shield and that He will hear his voice cry out.

We see that prayer is pouring out our soul to God, as a free-will offering dedicated to Him. 

Like King David, our prayer must be rooted in an earnest desire to know, love, and serve God alone. 

He that prays to God in this manner will be heard and blessed. 

Prayer is the language of dependence upon our wonderful God.

A Christian who does not pray is living independently of God and this is what led to Adam and Eve to sinning. 

We must have a clear conscience before God and pray with sincerity.

Matthew 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The consistent hypocrisy of Pharisees religious practices ruined the whole purpose of prayer, which is communion with our Father.

Instead, they used prayer as an act to gain the attention of people around them.

To the Pharisees, prayer was a way of making sure that others saw how "religious" they were as they prayed in public places.

Prayer is intended to turn our hearts upward in holy communion with our Father but the Pharisees used it to feed their pride and status.

Prayer became self exalting instead of fostering humility and gratitude because our Father receives us through faith in His Son. 

Judaism made prayer into something that it was not intended to be.

How the scribes and Pharisees postured themselves to be seen praying and the places where they prayed are examples of hypocrisy in prayer.

They loved to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen of men. 

According to the ancient Jewish scholar Maimonides, the Pharisees made standing upright in public a requirement for prayer.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father in His name.

John 16:23-27  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24)  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25)  These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26)  At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27)  For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 

Jesus taught His disciples about prayer and John's record contains more detail.

Who are we praying to? Jesus said we are praying to His Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.

What are we to pray about? Jesus said we can pray to our Father about anything that affects us, our loved ones, our lives.

Later, Peter reminds us that when we pray we can cast all of our cares upon our Father in heaven because He cares for us (See 1 Peter 5:7).

We must pray for that which we know conforms to the will of our Father.

For example, when God teaches us that the love of money is the root of all evil, we should not be asking our Father to make us rich.

When we pray, our inner man will be filled with joy because we pray to our Father who loves us and wants us to have what He knows is best for us.

Jesus showed us the right way to pray to our heavenly Father.

Matthew 6:6  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. 

While Pharisees emphasized praying publicly while standing, Jesus taught us to enter into a closet to pray privately to the Father.

A closet simply means we should find a place that is private so that no one but our Father hears our prayer.

Our culture is always clamoring for our attention and our minds are easily distracted when praying.

The idea of a prayer closet is finding a place when the world can be shut out so that our communion with the Father in prayer is uninterrupted. 

"Pray to thy Father, which is in secret." God is invisible only seen through the eyes of faith and He must be approached with a true heart, in faith and fear, through his Son Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man. 

Our Father, which sees our private prayers takes notice of the secret desires, concerns and requests that we bring to Him.

He will give to us all the good things we pray for that are in accord with His will. 

Jesus taught us not to become mired in repeating certain words of phrases.

Matthew 6:7-8  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8)  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

The word translated "vain repetitions"  is derived from the name of a Greek poet, who wrote long and weary verses that endlessly repeated the same thing. 

A vain repetition is to say the same thing over and over in different words, as though God did not hear at first.

An example of vain repetition is found in 1 Kings 18:26; “They called on Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us!”

Jesus was emphatic in His condemnation of those who use vain repetitions and we must take heed to our Lord's command.

It is not how long we pray but how earnest and sincere our heart is when we pray.

Jesus closed this section of prayer instruction by telling us that our Father already knows what we need before we ever ask Him.

How good it is to know that our Father will hear us when we come to Him in the name of His Son.

How comforting to know that our Father is aware of each of our needs and situations.

May we come humbly to Him in prayer, knowing that we are dependent upon God for everything.

Bob