So I rode my bicycle for a year in 2010 from Canada to Columbia. And as part of that journey, I discovered that basically a billion people in the world didn't have access to clean drinking water. So I began this journey and did some higher level education and then on a series of trips with my friends in the last six years. That's all led us to this spot now we've become very interested in small scale decentralized desalinization projects. It's really the future.
Hi everyone, I'm stoked again that you could be with us for today's Meet Your Talk. It's my passion to help you understand every word of God that's in the word of God. God has so many amazing things that he wants to teach us and encourage us with every single day. I thank you for being with us today. Now, our objective is simple. It's disciples making disciples who plant churches that plant churches. We want to see a grassroots revolution all over the world.
Matthew 6 verses 1 and 2 says that otherwise you have no reward from your father in heaven. Talking about good deeds. Now charitable deeds is actually the word righteousness. Jesus tells us not to do righteous things for the sake of display or image, you know, to be seen by them. Jesus has just clearly shown God's righteous standards. Perhaps he anticipated the thought wouldn't everybody be impressed if I was like that. So here Jesus addressed the danger of cultivating an image of righteousness.
It's almost impossible to do spiritual things in front of others without thinking what their opinion is of us as we do those things and how they're thinking better or worse than what we're doing as we do it. Now this does not contradict his previous command to let your light shine before men. Matthew 5. So what's going on here? Now although Christians are to be seen doing good works, they must not do good works simply to be seen. It has to do with intention.
Otherwise you have no reward from your father in heaven. The idea is when we do righteous deeds for the attention and applause of men or people, their attention and applause is our reward. It's much better to receive our reward from God in heaven. Now there are some who say all that's important is the doing of the good deed. How is it much less than doing it?
Well it is true that in some cases it would be better to do the right thing in the wrong way or out of the wrong motive than to do the wrong thing. But Jesus's point is clear. God cares about how we do our good works and with what motive we do them. Jesus begins to deal with three spiritual disciplines, giving, fasting and prayer.
Now in verses two and four it says, Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory for men, assuredly I say to you they have their reward. And when you do a charitable deed, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be done in secret. And your father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly.
Now when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet. It was a custom for some in Jesus's day to draw attention to their giving so they would be known as generous. Now today people don't sound a judgment when they give to a project, but they still know how to call attention to their giving. Now these aren't good examples. There aren't good examples in ancient literature of people actually announcing their giving with the sound of a trumpet.
It may be what Jesus had in mind was the gifts given during the feast times, which were signaled by the blast of a trumpet. Yet the idea of doing charitable giving was deeply established in that time. Now such performers were rightly called hypocrites. They were actors acting the part of a pious holy people when they're not. It was not having a standard that makes someone a hypocrite. It is falsely claiming to live by that standard when in fact you do not.
Or when you have a double standard that makes only one person a hypocrite. D.A. Carson said about this in Older Greek, hypocrites was an actor, but by the first century the term came to be used for those who played roles and they saw the world as their stage. And others said these are religious actors still and they draw good houses. That still happens today.
Jesus tells the one who gives so we can hear the applause of others that he should enjoy the applause because that will be all the reward that they receive. There'll be no reward in heaven for the one who did it for the motive of an earthly reward. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Instead, our giving is to be, if it were possible, hidden from ourselves.
Though we can't really be ignorant about our own giving, we can deny ourselves and any self-indulgent congratulations. Charles Spurgeon said, keep the things so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy. Let God be present and you'll have enough of an audience. That your charitable deed may be in secret. If someone finds out that we have given something, do we automatically lose our reward? Well, the issue isn't really a matter of motive.
If we give our own glory, it doesn't matter if no one finds out and we will still have no reward from God. But if we give it for God's glory, it doesn't matter who finds out because our reward will remain because we gave it for the right reason. Now, our father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Jesus pointed out the great value of doing good deeds for the glory of God. It is much better to receive our return from God who rewards much more generously and much more openly than men do.
Adam Clark, a Bible commentator said, God does see in secret. He should remember the eyes of the Lord upon us and that he not only sees the act, but also every motive that led to it. Now, we should not miss the strength of the promise that these things done the right way will certainly be rewarded. We can be sure of that even when it doesn't feel like it.
Now, verses five and six, But when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues on the corners of the streets. That they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you shut the door, pray to your father who's in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites.
Jesus assumed that his disciples would give. So he told them the right way to give. He also assumed that his disciples pray. So we showed him the right way to pray that they shouldn't pray in the same manner as the hypocrites. The religious leaders who did it in public for people's recognition and out on the street corners so everyone would see them and talk about how holy and awesome they are. The motive was wrong. They were using prayer as a way to become popular.
That is so crazy. God wants us to do it in private so that he can reward not just our motive, but then answer our prayer. Now, these hypocrites prayed not to be heard by God, but to be seen by men. This is a common fault in public prayer. When people pray to impress or teach others instead of genuinely pouring out their hearts before God, such prayers are actually an insult to God.
When we mouth towards God while really trying to impress other people, when we use God merely as a tool to impress others. Now, they have their reward. Again, those praying to be seen of men have their reward, but they should enjoy it in full because that's all they're going to receive. There's no reward in heaven for such prayers. But you, when you pray, go into your room, rather meet with God in your room or your closet. The idea is of a private place where we can impress no one except God.
I love to pray in my garage. I go back and forth and pace in that thing all the time. That is, quote, my room that I go into and I talk about God, about my life and everything that I'm facing. I encourage you to find a place that works for you. Jesus certainly didn't prohibit public prayer, but our prayer should always be directed to God and not towards men.
Verses seven and eight. But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they'll be heard by their many words. Therefore, don't be like them, for your father knows the things that you need before you even ask. Now, when you pray, don't use vain repetitions. The right kind of prayer doesn't use vain repetitions, which is any and all prayer, which is mostly words and no meaning, all lips and no mind or heart.
A certain rabbi said, whoever is long in prayer is heard. Another saying has it, whenever the righteous make their prayer long, their prayer is heard. We can pray too long, but to the wrong God. Look at First Kings 18, the prophets of Baal cried out, oh, Baal, answer us. They were praying to the wrong person. They weren't even praying to God. They were praying to a false God. Or in Ephesians, great as the Artemis of the Ephesians, for two hours they were praying.
God isn't impressed by how long you pray or by how loud you are. He could care less. He cares about your intent and your motive and your sincerity and what you're asking for. Instead, we should follow the Council of Ecclesiastes five, where it says God is in heaven and you're on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. Charles Spurgeon said, Christian prayers are measured by weight, not by length. Many of the most prevailing prayers have been as short as they were strong.
Wow. It literally means here to keep on babbling. That may have been an accurate sense of ancient Greek word, battleo geo, which literally means babbling. It has the sense of blah, blah, blah. Your father knows the things that you need before you even ask, so you don't have to go blah, blah, blah to him. We don't pray to tell God things he didn't know before we told him.
We pray to commune with him and appeal to a loving God who wants to bring us every need, wants us to bring our every need and worry before him. Now, in the following verses, Jesus begins a memorable explanation of the right way to pray with the words, in this manner, therefore pray. Jesus then gave his disciples a model for prayer, prayer marked by a close relationship, reverence, submission, trust and dependence.
Now, Luke 11 has much of the same material, and it's reasonable to believe that this was not the only time that Jesus taught his disciples about praying, probably taught several different times. D.A. Carson says, in contrast with loud ostentation prayer or thoughtless prayer, Jesus gave his disciples a model, but it's the only model. This is not how or not what. This is exactly how we're to pray. Now, here's the model prayer. He says, Our Father, who art 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 forgive those who debt against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Now, the right kind of prayer comes to God as a father in heaven. It rightly recognizes whom we pray to, coming with a privileged title that demonstrates a privileged relationship.
It was very unusual for the Jews of that day to call God father because it was considered too intimate, too close of a family name. It is true that God is the mighty sovereign of the universe who created, governs and will judge all things. But he is also to us a father. He is our father, but he is our father in heaven. Now, when we say in heaven, we remember God's holiness and glory. He is our father, but our father in heaven. Now, this is a prayer focused on community.
Jesus said, Our Father and not my father. The whole prayer is social. The singular pronoun is absent. We enter into the presence of the father and then pray as one in a great family. Now, there's no evidence of anyone before Jesus using this term to address God. Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The right kind of prayer has a passion for God's glory. His name, His kingdom have the top priority.
Everyone wants to guard their name and their reputation and their followers. But we must resist the tendency to protect and promote ourselves first and instead promote God and His name and His kingdom. Jesus wanted us to pray with the desire that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, there's no disobedience, no obstacles to God's will. On earth, there is disobedience and at least apparent obstacles to His will.
The citizens of Jesus' kingdom will want to see His will be done on earth as freely as it's done in heaven. Now, a man could say, your will be done in different ways and moods. He may say it with fatalism and resentment. You do your will and there's nothing I can do about it anyway. Your will wins, but I don't like it. Or he might say it with a perfect heart of love and trust. Do your will because I know it's the best. Change me where I don't understand or accept your will.
One might rightly wonder why God wants us to pray that His will would be done as if we were not able to, as if He were not able to accomplish it Himself. Well, God's more than able to do His will without our prayer or cooperation, yet He invites us to participate our prayers, our heart, our actions on seeing His will done on earth. God gets the glory and we get the joy.
Now, give us to stay our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. The right kind of prayer will freely bring its own needs to God. Now, this will include needs for daily provision, forgiveness, strength in the face of temptation.
Now, when Jesus spoke of bread, He meant real bread as in the sense of daily provisions, like God provide food for my family and for me to eat and live like food and water and housing, the basic essential needs of man. Well, some people thought that bread referred to communion or the Lord's Supper. Some have thought it referred to Jesus Himself as the bread of life. Others have thought it speaks of the Word of God as our daily bread.
Calvin rightly said of these interpretations that they fail to see God's interest in everyday things. He said, this is absurd. God does care about everyday things and we should pray about it. So sin is represented here under the notion of a debt as our sins are many. They are called here debts. God made that He might live to His glory and gave Him a law to walk by. And if He does any, God contracts a debt with divine justice.
You see, temptation literally means a test, not always a solicitation to do evil. God has promised to keep us from all testing that is greater than what we can handle, according to Corinthians 10. Now while God doesn't tempt men to do evil, He does allow His children to pass through periods of testing. But disciples are aware of their weaknesses and we shouldn't desire not to be tested. We should pray to be spared the exposure to situations where we're vulnerable to temptation.
Now if we truly pray, lead us not into temptation, it will be lived out in several ways. That will mean that we never boast in our own strength. It will mean that we never desire trials. It would mean that we never go into temptation. It would mean that we never lead others into temptation. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. The right kind of prayer praises God and credits to Him the kingdom and the power and the glory.
Now there is some dispute as to whether this doxology or the end of this is for us today and of course it is. God wants us to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I want to encourage you to pray this in your life and make it a part of you pray. There's not a week that goes by that I don't pray the Lord's prayer in my life. It's that powerful and it's that effective and it brings that much clarity into our hearts and into our minds and into our souls.
Now this wraps up our time together looking at the first part of Matthew chapter 6. Now tomorrow we're going to look at the second part and every time I finish one of my talks I love to have a chance to pray with you. Maybe you've never prayed before. Prayer is just talking to God, it's asking for His help. Sometimes we have things we need to change, sometimes we have things we need to do differently because God's word will speak to us. Why don't we just pray together right now?
Why don't we just say, hey God, would you help me today? Would you help me to follow you? Would you help me to live for you? Would you help me to quit doing those things that I need to? Would you help me to be full of your Holy Spirit? I ask you for these things. Have a beautiful day. Thank you for your time. We would love to partner with you. Prayer is a global problem, it's going to take as many partners as we can to help solve this problem. We'd love for you to partner with us.
You can go to our website at www.oceanwater.com. That's O-C-N-W-T-R dot com. We'd love that. Thanks.