Message Notes

INTRODUCTION

1. The practice of Prayer

2. Prayer is:

a) A privilege

b) It is a special means of communication with God

3. But Prayer became:

a) A ritual

b) A religious practice that to many became routine or worse, meaningless

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM

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.
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.

Matthew 6:5-8

1. The problem of hypocrisy

a) It affected the giving of alms (charitable deeds)

b) It affected prayer too

2. The practice of praying by the hypocrites

a) They appear to love praying

b) They love praying when there is an audience

i) In the synagogues

i) In the street corners

c) They want to be well-regarded by people

d) They have their “reward”

CORRECTING THE PROBLEM

1. What is Prayer?

a) It involves a Father-child relationship

b) It is a child speaking to his Father in heaven

2. First, there must be a Father-child relationship

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:10-13

a) One needs to receive the Lord Jesus as Saviour

b) The believer becomes a child of God

c) This is made possible by the Will of God

3. The Relationship between God the Father and His children

a) All of God’s children have the privilege of prayer

b) Prayer was not meant to be a public performance

4. What NOT to do in prayer

a) We do not recite prayers

b) We do not make vain repetitions

c) We do not need to say “many words”

5. A good practice of Prayer

a) Find a quiet place to pray

b) Pray with confidence to God as Father

c) Pray with a genuine heart of faith

d) Pray, believing that God will hear and that He will answer

CONCLUSION

1. We have the Holy Spirit to help us

15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Romans 8:15-17

a) In our adoption as children of God, the Spirit of God is given to us

b) He confirms that we are children of God

c) We are indeed “heirs of God” and “joint heirs with Christ”

d) We may call God, “Abba, Father”

2. We are assured that God will hear us when we pray

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Jeremiah 33:3