Matthew
Spiritual Rewards
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:1-8
Our humility opens the door for us to receive
And get the rewards the Father has for us
I have prayed before others, small groups and very large groups
And the A-mens can really make you feel good
But we should always remember
It is not to others we pray, but our Heavenly Father
Jesus is reminding us that everything we do
And every prayer we make is to be focused on Our Father in Heaven
As He teaches us about the Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew
Spiritual Rewards
Chapters 3-7…
The Kingdom of Heaven is announced
Jesus, after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness
where He is tempted by the Devil
began to preach the Kingdom.
From that time on Jesus began to preach,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17
Matthew 6:1-4…
Warns us about seeking earthly rewards,
looking for the honor of men.
Matthew 6:5-8…
Jesus warns us of seeking spiritually
our rewards and honor of men.
So, Jesus says…
“Be Careful” how you give to others
and how you relate to God.
There is a sense of power
we get by who we know.
Name dropping is a way of
trying to impress others.
If you are a citizen of the United States,
you have a President.
If you work for the government,
the President is your boss.
If you are a child of the President,
He is your dad.
Relationships are important.
If you are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven,
you have a God.
If you work for the government,
God is your boss.
If you are a child of God,
He is your Heavenly Father.
Jesus tells us…
Our prayers can reveal the abuse
of our relationship with God.
It is a good thing to want to be spiritual…
But if our attention is focused on those around us
rather than the One we are talking to,
we missed the purpose.
If others are listening to our prayers
there is an additional pressure on us…
Pressure to perform.
Pressure to show others
how spiritual we are.
So, Jesus warns us…
The Kingdom of Heaven, whether it is our deeds
or our prayers are to have an audience of ONE.
We are to be the light of the world…
But we do not do what we do because
Christianity is a spectator sport.
We are the light of the world because
all that we do in word or deed is
to the glory of Our Father in Heaven.
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
One of the biggest problems we have in prayer…
Is telling God what we want.
Preaching sermon prayers.
Giving God direction on how
He should handle a situation.
Do not be like them (that),
for your Father knows what
you need before you ask him.
Your Father knows - is very important…
Respect Him
Before you ask - He knows…
So we should Ask Him
Our humility opens the door for us to receive
and get the reward the Father has for us.
I have prayed before others in small groups
and very large groups and the A-mens
can really make you feel good.
But we should always remember…
It is not to others we pray,
but our Heavenly Father.
Jesus is reminding us that everything we do
and every prayer we make
is to be focused on Our Father in Heaven
as He teaches us about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus will teach us more about prayer
and it’s benefits as we read on in Matthew 6.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:1-8 NIV
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
