We've been looking at piety for the last couple of weeks. In the first week I told you how to define piety. Piety is about knowing Jesus and working hard to follow Him. In that first week I also told you that if we are going to achieve the goals that Jesus has for our church then piety is a necessary ingredient. Last week I followed that up with a sermon on the Bible as one of the tools that the Spirit uses to develop piety. This week we're going to look at another tool that the Spirit uses. Today, we look at prayer. We're going to look at prayer with a very basic question in mind: Why? Why pray? Let's see how the Spirit will encourage us in our prayers this morning.
Our starting point is a phrase that Jesus repeats. The phrase is, 'When you pray...' He says this three times in our text. 'And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.' 'But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door...' 'And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do...' I think that it's pretty clear from this that Jesus assumes that we are going to pray. He says 'when' not 'if'. With that assumption in mind, He guides us into the right way to pray. That's the point of this part of Scripture. Jesus is teaching His disciples - the original group as well as all of us sitting here - how to pray. And He does this because He assumes that we will pray.
Let's take the next step by asking a question. Why is it that Jesus assumes such a thing? Let's start with what is not a reason He assumes this: it's a rule for those who want to be Christians. Jesus is the anointed of God. He's gathering followers and so, it just stands to reason that He must indoctrinate them in how to be a part of His group. So He says, 'Here are the rules. My followers will keep these rules if they expect to be one of mine. Keep the rules or else. ' Right? Wrong! Rule-keeping in order to be part of the group is something that religious people do, but not Christians, not people who love Jesus. Every religion boils down to keeping a list of rules. Being a Christian boils down to knowing a Person. If you can keep this straight it will make a huge difference in following Jesus. The evil one persists in pushing you to be religious, to think in terms of rules. Don't be fooled by him. Being a Christian is about a Person and not about rules.
Jesus' assumption about your prayer life isn't based on some idea about rules. No, instead it's based on who God is. '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.' I'm pretty sure that for the disciples, the notion of calling God 'Father' was another one of Jesus' surprises. When He said, 'Now this is how I want you to pray, “Our Father...” ' it probably blew them away. 'Far too familiar!' But that's what He said. And that's why He makes the assumption that He does. We pray because God is our Father in heaven.
Let's look at that more closely. There are those who have had a great father and a great relationship with their father. But as you know, there are many who have not had a great father. It's hard for them to be encouraged by the idea that God is their Father. Part of the work of redeeming this world includes redeeming and restoring the idea of 'father'.
The Bible, however, is clear about what it means for God to be a Father. Here are some examples.
'The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.' [Psalm 103]
What images do you see here? What impressions does this make? This is what I see. My Father is infinitely patient. He is never exasperated with me, regardless of how stupid I've been. He is gentle, not just with an affectionate touch, but also with words that encourage, that heal my wounds, words that give wise direction. My Father forgives me freely. He will never throw my past foolishness back at me. And He understands my severe which are so very great. This is what I see here about God, my Father.
Then there's this.
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. [Psalm 18]
What a picture! David is in trouble. He cries out. And what is the response? It's almost violent. God comes to deliver this one in whom He delights. He is like an enraged parent rushing to the defense of one of his children. That is so comforting to me because I know where I live. I live in a world filled with evil people and evil spirits. But when they come to attack my soul, one cry, and my Father rushes to my rescue.
One more.
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. ... How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. [Hosea 11]
These are God's words to a rebellious Israel. A very rebellious. But what do you see? Here is deep love and affection. God is so concerned for this errant child of His that He is all twisted up inside. Israel needs to be disciplined, and yet there is such sorrow at the thought. This is a father's love.
The God whom Jesus reveals is a Father, a great Father. Your Father.
There is more to Jesus' description of God here. He is our Father who is in heaven. This isn't just to make sure that you know which God Jesus is talking about, 'You know, the one in heaven?' Something else is going on here. Heaven is the one place where there is no debate about Who has the power around here. Our God is the God of heaven, the God who rules over all with power.
Nebuchadnezzar understood this.
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" [Daniel 4]
Did you catch it? When our God acts there is no one who can stop Him, no one who says, 'Hey, wait a minute!' He is the God who has power, and He isn't afraid to use it for the sake of His children. Do you see why Jesus included this little phrase, 'who is in heaven'?
Jesus has come so that this God could be your Father. That's the Gospel. We know this is true, but it is more profound than any of us can understand. Consider this. We all start out as children of the devil. He is our father and we are his sons and daughters. And left to ourselves, we would remain his children not just for time but for eternity, suffering the same eternal fate as he. But Jesus has changed that. He abducted us from Satan's household so that we might be adopted into the family of God. Satan was your father. He hated you and abused you. He relished the idea of your suffering. Jesus rescued you from that. And now you have a new Father. Now you have a Father who cares for you, a Father who loves you deeply. Now God is your Father. And this explains why Jesus just assumes, 'When you pray...'
Today is a very important day for Johnny. He's just a little tyke but today - no more training wheels! Dad wasn't so sure that little Johnny is quite ready - he's just a little tyke - but Johnny was oh so persuasive. And so, there they are, Johnny and his Dad, at the school parking lot. Johnny is pedaling away with Dad alongside, holding onto the seat of the bike. 'Let go, Dad. I can do it. Let go! - Please!!' Dad lets go. Johnny pedals harder, wobbles a bit and crashes into a heap. His hands and knees are cut and bleeding - not terribly, but enough. And so, what does little Johnny do? He cries. Now, you know that little kids have different kinds of cries. There's the 'I'm overtired' cry and the 'I am so angry' cry. This is the 'I'm hurt. Help me!' cry. And little Johnny's expectation is that Dad will rush over, pick him up and make it all better. And that's exactly what Dad does. So, what do you think? Was this crying something that Johnny had to be taught? Did Johnny even pause to consider how to respond? No. He just knows: Dad is near. He loves me a lot. He's going to take care me. And little Johnny knows this because - well, that's his Dad.
Your life is filled with bike crashes of different sorts. Most of them are not life and death crises, though some of them are. And what is the natural response of the Christian to these crashes. You cry out to your Father. It's the natural response of someone who knows: Dad is near. He loves me a lot. He's going to take care me. Jesus assumes that you are going to pray because He assumes that your natural response to bike crashes is crying out to your Father. We start out praying after the bike crashes occur. But with time and some maturing we learn to also pray before they happen. Prayer is the natural response of a Christian to his God, the natural response of a Christian to his Father in heaven.
So, do you see why I say that if a Christian isn't praying the problem is not that he's broken some rule. The problem is something quite different. The problem is that he isn't believing the Gospel as well as he might. The Gospel says that God is your Father. The Gospel teaches you to say: Dad is near. He loves me a lot. He's going to take care of me. A Christian who isn't believing this, isn't enjoying the Gospel as much as he might. It's not that he's consciously rejected this fact. It's just that it isn't a part of his soul yet like Johnny's simple assumption about his Dad. Instead of making Johnny's assumption, this Christian assumes something very different.
So, let me ask you: Do you believe that God is your Father in heaven? I think you'll find the answer to that question by answering this question: Do you pray? Do you just know: your Father in heaven loves you deeply, that He can deal with anything? Do you pray, especially about the little things? I stress the little things because we all pray about the big things. Someone's in the hospital, and we all know to pray. But what about the little things? Do you find yourself praying through the day about the little things? I think that most of you can answer with a clear, 'Yes, I do believe that God is my Father, and my prayers are the proof of that.' You share little Johnny's assumption. And that is so very good. You should be greatly encouraged by that. The Spirit has been at work in your life and that's something to give thanks for.
It is my desire that what I have preached to you this morning would help you to do what you're doing - to pray, that it would help you to understand a bit better what this thing prayer is and that it would give you another glimpse into the unexplored wonders of a Gospel that teaches us that the God of heaven is our loving Father.
And that leads to our last question. 'How do I grow in this area? How can my prayer life improve some more?' The answer to that is not complicated at all. It's not a matter of renewed resolve to keep some rule. The answer is believing the Gospel - that Gospel which tells us that the God of heaven is our Father. We're back again to the work of the Spirit. When the Spirit wants us to take the next stop in believing this Gospel, He'll point out our sin, in some specific way, so that we can repent of that sin and believe a little more what it means that God is our Father in heaven. That's always the answer: the Spirit guiding us into a greater belief and enjoyment of the Gospel. So, let me repeat what I've said before. Put yourself in the place where the Spirit does His work. And as He does that work of change in your hearts, you will grow in our piety. You'll get to know Jesus better. You'll grow in following Him. And you'll make progress toward the goals that He has for you, as individuals and as a church.
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