CSSA 1-4-10 - JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY

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85. JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY

"Pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly"

Aim

To show how Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

While he was in the mountain with his disciples, Jesus taught them many lessons for daily life. They must be different from other men, showing that they loved God and obeyed Him. Jesus himself had set the example. All his life he had studied the Word of God and every day he prayed to his heavenly Father. This gave him the strength to face all the difficulties that arose as he went about preaching to the people. As we follow his life we shall see how often he prayed to God for help and how much he needed to talk with God in prayer. He also taught his disciples at this time how to pray. By following his example they would draw close to their heavenly Father.

Matthew 6:1-15

BE NOT AS THE HYPOCRITES

Jesus had already shown his disciples that they must not copy the example of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20). Everything they did was for show. They hoped people would see how righteous they were and praise them. "They have their reward", said Jesus (6:2,5). When they gave a gift to the poor, they made sure everyone was watching. When they prayed they did it on the street corner where everyone could see them! Their gifts may have helped the poor, but God was not pleased. People may have heard their prayers, but God did not listen. They would have no reward from Him.

Jesus called them "hypocrites". They pretended to be generous to the poor, but really they wanted the praise of men. They pretended to pray to God, but in their hearts they were thinking of the people who were watching and listening. Jesus did not want his disciples to be like that. It was much better that when they helped the poor only God should know about it. When they prayed, they should go away quietly by themselves where they could not be seen and pray to God in secret. God would hear and reward them openly. What a wonderful reward that will be, when Christ returns and the true disciples are given eternal life in God's kingdom.

AFTER THIS MANNER THEREFORE PRAY YE: Matthew 6:9

When the Scribes and Pharisees prayed, they went on and on. "They think that they shall be heard for their much speaking", Jesus said (v7). Jesus himself sometimes prayed "all night" (Luke 6:12), but what a difference there was. They repeated the same words and phrases over and over again, because they did not know what else to say and their heart was not in it. Jesus, on the other hand, knew his Father well. So he knew how to speak to Him. He was indeed a loving heavenly Father, worthy of all honour and praise, and willing to listen to the prayers of those who loved Him, especially His son.

Jesus knew that his disciples needed special advice on how to pray. God really knows our hearts and knows just what we need before we ask Him, but when we pray we show that we love Him and need His help. So he set before them the way to approach God in prayer, saying, "After this manner therefore pray ye".

"OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN": Matthew 6:9

Jesus told his disciples to think of God as their "Father". We know that our fathers care for us and provide for us every day. They are good and kind, but expect us to be obedient and loving children. God is like that - a loving heavenly Father who cares for all His children.

He guides us, if we listen to His words written in the Bible (Prov. 3:5-6). He protects us, if we trust Him (Psa. 18:1-2; 34:7); He chastens (corrects) us, when we are disobedient (Prov. 3:11-12); He hears us whenever we cry unto Him (Psa. 116:1-2; Matt. 7:7-12).

Many times in the mountain with his disciples, Jesus taught them to think of God as their heavenly Father. "Glorify your Father which is in heaven", he said (5:16); "Love your enemies ... that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (5:44-45, 48); "our Father knoweth what things ye have need of (6:8); "how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (7:11)

Paul teaches us that "there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him" (1 Cor. 8:6). So every disciple must come before Him with the respect and honour due to such a Father, who is the Creator of all things.

"HALLOWED BE THY NAME": Matthew 6:9

"Hallowed" is not a common word today, but it means "holy". God's name, Yahweh, must be very holy to us. It must never be used lightly. People today blaspheme God in their daily conversation and think nothing of it. God knows, however, and He will soon send the Lord Jesus Christ to punish this wicked world. Then everyone will learn to honour God's name and obey Him (Psa. 72:17-19).

"THY KINGDOM COME": Matthew 6:10

That has been the prayer of all the children of God for thousands of years. That is our hope. God promised David that his son (the Lord Jesus Christ) would sit upon his throne in Jerusalem and David would be there to see it (2 Sam. 7:12-16). The first thing Christ will do when he returns is to raise the dead and choose all the righteous and faithful of God's children to reign with him in his kingdom. "The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed", Daniel said (Dan. 2:44). Jesus promised his disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). We too, will be in his kingdom, if we love and obey him now (Matt. 25:34).

"THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN": Matthew 6:10

God's angels, who live in heaven, are His messengers. They carry out perfectly all God's commandments (Psa. 103:20). Very few people on earth know God's commandments and none of us obey them all the time. The day is coming, however, when God will give eternal life to His saints and they shall be "equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:35-36). Then they will reign with Christ as kings and priests on the earth (Rev. 5:10) and begin to teach His laws to all the world. It will take a thousand years to change the whole world into a glorious place again, where all men and women will do God's will and give glory to Him.

"GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD": Matthew 6:11

Food is necessary from day to day. On the third day of creation God made the "herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit" (Gen. 1:11, 29), as food to sustain our bodies. In the wilderness, where no fruit trees grew, God gave Israel manna every day (Exod. 16:14-15) until they entered the Land of Promise (Josh. 5:12). Israel grew tired of manna and complained. They were unthankful, quickly forgetting that without it they would die. God provides everything necessary for us each day - our food, our clothing, our shelter. So let us always remember to thank Him for all His kindness and appreciate what He does for us (Read vv 25-34).

"FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS": Matthew 6:12

The meaning of this verse is found in verses 14-15: "If ye forgive men their trespasses (that is, the things people do or say to harm you), your heavenly Father will also forgive you". Sometimes people do things that annoy us or make us angry and we perhaps feel that we want to pay them back. God is not pleased with that sort of attitude. He wants us to return good for evil (5:44) and to forgive our enemies. If we can learn this now, then as we grow older we will realise that we also are sinners against God and need His forgiveness. Forgiveness of our sins is the wonderful blessing God gives us when we are baptised. If we do not learn to forgive others, then we can never expect God to forgive our sins.

"LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL": Matthew 6:13

Jesus taught his disciples to ask God to guide them during the day, so that they would not be caught up in the evil ways of the world. If we are trying to obey God and we ask His guidance, then we must be careful that we do not seek the company of wicked, godless friends, or go to places where the followers of Jesus would not go. We cannot expect God to "deliver us from evil" if we are foolish like that. When Paul wrote a letter to the young disciple Timothy, he advised him to "flee" from evil things and to keep company with those who love God (2 Tim. 2:22). In this way we will be on our guard against wickedness and keep away from it.

"FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER, AMEN": Matthew 6:13

Jesus finished his prayer with praise to God. He is a living God, who rules now over the kingdom of men, though they do not know it. Soon, He will show His great power when Christ returns. Then all men will bow down before Him and praise His Name (Isa. 45:22-23). If we humble ourselves now before Him, He will give us a place of honour in His Kingdom.

LESSON FOR US

We have seen that there are many lessons for us in this wonderful prayer that the Lord Jesus taught his disciples. Try to memorise this prayer, not so that you can repeat it as a prayer to God, but rather so that you can think about each part of it and learn the lessons it teaches. Remember that God is a loving Father who cares for you and give Him that honour which is due to His holy Name. Soon this prayer will be answered fully when Christ returns to set up God's Kingdom. We will see His will done on earth as it is now done in heaven, when "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

1. Why did Jesus tell his disciples not to copy the Scribes and Pharisees?