What
attitude should the Christian have toward those in need? What is the role of prayer in the Christian's
life? This week, as we continue to read
through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we'll find guidance on both of these
topics. Remember Jesus spent all day,
every day with the disciples. He couldn't
just say nice things and then retreat to an ivory tower somewhere; He had to
live out a demonstration of His teachings.
To be Christ-like means that we too must live a life in which we
get our hands dirty in the real messy world.
Week 6 –
Generosity and Prayer
Comparing
your heart and motives to that of Christ is somewhat debilitating and
discouraging. In this week's study,
however, you should have found that living a Christian life is never about
where we have failed in the past but rather how we will succeed
in the present and future.
Comment on your understanding of the Law's role
in helping us become Christ-like.
Comment on how the
Law can become a weapon against you in Spiritual warfare.
Matthew
6:1-15 (NASB)
1 "Beware
of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise
you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward
in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in
secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street
corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their
reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,
close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who
sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 "And when you are praying, do not use
meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be
heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your
Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 "Pray, then, in this way:
'Our
Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 'Give us this day our daily bread.
12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.']
10 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 'Give us this day our daily bread.
12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.']
14 For if you forgive others for their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But
if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your
transgressions.
Discretion
What does this word mean?
Why is it such an important characteristic? Consider a situation when someone is in need
of food. If you were to prance through
the church declaring that you were taking a poor person to get food from
McDonald's or to the grocery store to buy food, who would get glory from
that? As a side note, consider the
negative impact you would be having on the self esteem of the "poor
person". When Jesus instructs us to meet
the needs of others, He tells us to use discretion. The real question for us is "why?" Why are we meeting needs? In the case of the trumpeter who gives, it is
to make his own name famous. We are told
to glorify God. If our goal is really to
honor Christ, then we must be careful to point to Christ. As John the Baptist says, "He must increase,
but I must decrease," John 3:30. Be
generous, meet needs, but be sure to give God the glory for your actions. (See also 2 Corinthians 9:7 and Mark 12:41-44).
Prayer
What is
prayer? What is the purpose of
prayer? Many books and studies have been
devoted to these subjects. Let's
consider a very basic understanding, for our purposes, though. Prayer is communion and communication with
God. The purpose of prayer is to get our
hearts in tune with that of God. Hear
this: prayer is not our attempt to change God or change His mind. While many times we approach prayer with that
attitude, we will be unsuccessful if our goal is to change God since God is
unchanging (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard wrote,
"Prayer doesn't change God, but it does change the one who prays." Even when Jesus prayed in the garden, His
prayer was, "not my will, but Yours be done," Luke 22:42.
Jesus says that we must not concern ourselves with fluff or flowery
language. God doesn't require or need us
to speak in King James' English or Hebrew.
His delight is in our communion with Him. When Jesus prays as an example for us, He
starts off with a simple acknowledgment of Who God is. "Our Father who is in heaven." When you address someone, it is a good
practice to begin by saying their name.
This also implies the reality of who we are. I am not the Father, and I am not in
heaven. God is the Almighty Creator;
while we are the created beings. Then
Jesus praises God, "Holy or honored is Your name." When we recognize who God is and who we are,
the only appropriate response is 'Wow, I am awestruck by God's greatness.' Next Jesus prays, "Let Your will be
done". Why is this important? Isn't God's will always being
accomplished? Praying this effects a
change in my attitude. I have acknowledged
His position, His praise, His power, and now I am
acknowledging His principality.
Next Jesus makes a petition, "Give us this day our daily
bread." Notice that Jesus doesn't pray
for a lifetime supply or life-long security; He only prays for God to supply
our immediate needs. Trust God today and
in each moment. This is not to say we
shouldn't make long-term plans; this implies, however, that we can trust God for
our most basic needs. If God cares about
our simple, fundamental needs, then He also cares about our most significant
needs. After petitioning for needs,
Jesus prays for pardon – forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors. Jesus asks for protection
from spiritual snares. Jesus doesn't
pray for protection from physical harm at this time. In fact, Paul requests prayer specifically
for boldness in the face of persecution (Ephesians 6:18-20). Jesus finishes His prayer with a predication,
"Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen."
Analyzing these P words involved in prayer, what is the primary purpose
of prayer?
God's position
God's praise
God's power
God’s principality
My petition
My pardon
My protection
My predication of God's authority
Prayer is not about me. It's all about God. Even when making my petitions and asking for
my protection, these are really focused on God's purposes and God's plans. Ultimately, prayer still boils down to me
subjecting myself to God's will.
Week 6 Daily Readings
Monday
Read Deuteronomy 26. These are instructions given to the
people of God. They are told to give to
God first. They are also instructed to
take care of foreigners, widows, and orphans.
When you consider your attitude toward giving to God, do you give Him
from the first fruits or do you give Him the leftovers? Think about how you view others in need. What is your response to people in need? Are you typically one who is willing to give
and meet needs or are you reluctant and selfish? Consider what God commands His people to
do. Pray that God will align your
attitude with His heart.
Tuesday
Read Mark 12:13-17. In this passage, Jesus is once again addressing the subject of money
because the Pharisees were trying to trap Him into angering the government or
angering the Jews. His response cuts to
the heart of our problem with devoting not just our money to God but also our
time and other resources. Read Genesis 1:26-27. Now, realizing that God created man (and
woman) in His image, Jesus' words should be much more convicting to you and
me. Are you giving God what is His? He does not desire your money; He wants
you. Give God what belongs to Him. Your every word, your every action, and your
every thought belong to God.
Wednesday
Read Isaiah 6:1-7. When Isaiah sees God, what is his
immediate response? How many (and which)
of the 9 characteristics that Jesus taught are present in Isaiah's
attitude? In reading this passage, do
you catch a glimpse of the greatness of God?
God is the Almighty one. God is
on the eternal throne. There are created
beings in heaven for the sole purpose of praising the name of God. Isaiah recognizes his status in the presence
of the Lord of lords and King of kings.
Who do you think you are?
Thursday
Read 2 Chronicles 6:12-42. This passage is a prayer by King Solomon
dedicating the original temple. He
begins his prayer by recognizing who God is.
He acknowledges promises made by God.
He asks for forgiveness for future sins.
Solomon is using prayer to establish a relationship with God. Have you considered that the God of the
universe wants to hear from you? In
Isaiah, we read about the seraphim who were created solely to praise God’s
name. Why did God create you and
me? For relationship. God loves us and desires that we return His
love in the form of obedience and companionship. When you pray, you are communing with God.
Friday
Read Matthew 26:36-46. This passage is probably very familiar
to you. Jesus is praying in the garden
of Gethsemane. Jesus took friends with
Him to pray. He then limited His group
to a smaller subset. Ultimately, He
wound up praying alone. Jesus was
troubled. He was physically burdened
over His situation. Do you ever feel
that way? When you do feel that way, do
you have friends you can count on to pray with you? Do you have a spiritually mature small group
of trustworthy friends? When you do pray
alone, do you express the desires of your heart and then subject yourself to
God's desires?
