Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 101 views

    Bible Bullet - Sermon On The Mount, Pagan Prayer

    Uploaded by

    omni_gaplake
    This document summarizes Jesus' teachings on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. It discusses two types of meaningless prayer that Jesus confronts: 1) Hypocritical and religious prayer done publicly to be seen by others. 2) Pagan prayer that involves repetitive babbling, thinking this will make God listen. Jesus teaches that true prayer should be done privately and with simple and few words, as God already knows what you need before you ask. The purpose of prayer is developing a relationship with God rather than informing him.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Bible Bullet - Sermon On The Mount, Pagan Prayer

    Uploaded by

    omni_gaplake
    101 views1 page
    This document summarizes Jesus' teachings on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. It discusses two types of meaningless prayer that Jesus confronts: 1) Hypocritical and religious prayer done publicly to be seen by others. 2) Pagan prayer that involves repetitive babbling, thinking this will make God listen. Jesus teaches that true prayer should be done privately and with simple and few words, as God already knows what you need before you ask. The purpose of prayer is developing a relationship with God rather than informing him.

    Original Description:

    Matthew 6:5-8

    Original Title

    Bible Bullet - Sermon on the Mount, Pagan Prayer

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This document summarizes Jesus' teachings on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. It discusses two types of meaningless prayer that Jesus confronts: 1) Hypocritical and religious prayer done publicly to be seen by others. 2) Pagan prayer that involves repetitive babbling, thinking this will make God listen. Jesus teaches that true prayer should be done privately and with simple and few words, as God already knows what you need before you ask. The purpose of prayer is developing a relationship with God rather than informing him.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    101 views1 page

    Bible Bullet - Sermon On The Mount, Pagan Prayer

    Uploaded by

    omni_gaplake
    This document summarizes Jesus' teachings on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. It discusses two types of meaningless prayer that Jesus confronts: 1) Hypocritical and religious prayer done publicly to be seen by others. 2) Pagan prayer that involves repetitive babbling, thinking this will make God listen. Jesus teaches that true prayer should be done privately and with simple and few words, as God already knows what you need before you ask. The purpose of prayer is developing a relationship with God rather than informing him.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    Sermon on the Mount Pagan Prayer

    Matthew 6:5-8

    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. (6:5-6)
    Jesus confronts meaningless prayer practice on two fronts religious and pagan
    For the religious people, their hypocrisy is evident because they love to pray standing
    in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men
    Just as with conspicuous giving in seeking reward from men, they are paid in full
    Though Jesus will give an example of how to pray in the presence of others (6:9-15),
    here He instructs the disciples to seclude themselves and pray to the Father privately
    Though the Father is unseen, He sees what is done in secret and will reward you
    The writer of Hebrews reminds us that faith the assurance of what is unseen (11:1)
    Again Jesus emphasizes our motivation are we praying to please God or please men?
    If we pray only when in the presence of others, the answer to this question is obvious
    But there is hope for us when we pray as did David, the man after Gods own heart
    (Psalm 51:10): Create in me a clean heart, O God, a renew a right spirit within me
    The very act of asking God to give you a heart for Himself is movement in the right
    direction, as did he who said to Jesus Lord I believe, but help my unbelief (9:24)
    Jesus contrasts the hypocrite who prays where he will be seen (in the synagogues and
    street corners) with the one praying privately (in your room) only to be seen by God
    So is there a place for public prayer? Jesus provides a model prayer in verses 9-15
    The one offering a public prayer needs to continually ask himself: Am I seeking the
    approval of God or man? Am I addressing God or trying to impress others? Am I more
    concerned about being eloquent and articulate, or moving into the presence of God?

    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. (6:7-8)
    After confronting hypocritically religious prayer, Jesus condemns pagan prayer
    Whether the practice is chanting or babbling, the abundance of words is meaningless
    The liturgical Christian may fall into the trap of feeling confident in reading numerous
    prayers, yet another Christian may feel secure in that he has spent much time in prayer
    Jesus reminds us that the Father knows our needs before we ask, so prayer is not
    providing God with information but a child reaching for his Abba (literally daddy)
    Later in the sermon, Jesus teaches that the Father delights in giving good gifts to His
    children; He says to the disciples: Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give
    him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? (7:9-10)
    Even if a father or mother knows exactly what a child has experienced and is thinking,
    a good parent desires a relationship in which that child can share his heart
    Prayer is not attempting to convince God of anything, but aligning our heart with His

    You might also like