Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 6:1-6 ESV
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Key Points
- In the Kingdom of God, doing the right things for the wrong reasons is worthless, but doing the right things for the right reasons is priceless.
- Motivation matters. We’re prone to focus on the what and how of our spiritual lives, but God cares about the why.
- Hypocrisy happens when we are motivated by:
1) Religious reputation rather than total transformation
2) Temporal recognition rather than eternal reward
3) Getting glory from others rather than giving glory to God - Holiness happens when our hearts are transformed by the grace of Jesus, and all we want to do is respond to his love for us.
- The posture of prayer is one of humility, the promise of prayer is God sees, hears, and answers us, and the prize of prayer is Jesus – we get Jesus!
- Prayer becomes idolatry whenever it ceases to be about God and becomes about us.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”
-Matthew 6:9-13 ESV*
*Note: Through the rest of this sermon series, “Patterns of Prayer,” we will be working together as a faith family to memorize and regularly pray the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 three times each day (morning, noon, and night). We invite you to pray with us in Ellis Chapel Monday through Friday from 11am to 1pm through April 15, 2022.
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: Hypocrisy buys into the belief that our performance earns us something. What is something you feel you must do to maintain worth and value before others and/or before God? Why do you think you feel that way?
2: Reflect on the confession, “We are all inflicted and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds they are nothing but filthy rags,” (Isaiah 6:6 NLT). In view of today’s message, how does this confession resonate with you?
3: Read 1 Samuel 16:7 in conjunction with Romans 8:1 and answer the following questions.
· How are you personally encouraged that God looks at your heart, and in Christ Jesus, you are never condemned?
· How do these verses propel you toward prayer?
4: Why do you think praying each day is a valuable rhythm to continually develop in your life? Will you join us as a faith family by committing to pray on your own – in secret – every day until Easter?
5: Examine your own heart. Starting this week, how can you make a habit of continually asking yourself, “Why am I doing this – really?”
6: Pause and ask God to place someone on your heart who you can serve this week. What is a way you can serve that person without anyone knowing but God?
Pray
Lord, we confess we are not only quick to deceive others, but quick to deceive ourselves. We need your rescue. Develop in us a deep desire to honor you in all we do rather than be honored for what we do. Free us from the idolatry of dwelling on what we should not have done. Instead, let us look upon you – and only you. By your power and your grace, may we live our lives in response to what you have already done and won for us.
references
For those interested in further study, our pastors want to share resources that have aided them in their sermon preparation (in conjunction with the Bible and the Holy Spirit):
· The Lord and His Prayer by N.T. Wright
· Living the Lord’s Prayer: The Way of the Disciple by Albert Haase
· Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey
· On Earth as It Is in Heaven: How the Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us to Pray More Effectively by Warren W. Wiersbe
· With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
· The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
· Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey
· The Practice of the Presence of God and the Way of Perfection by Brother Lawrence and Teresa of Avila
· Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster
