Tabor Baptist Church

• Prayer
• Prayer isn't easy
• It is a spiritual battleground which the devil seeks to resist
• We are to pray secretly
• Fasting
• Not 'if' you fast but 'when' you fast
• Perhaps this is a challenge to Western Christians
• Humility
• Society encourages us to parade ourselves before others
• The challenge is to do our deeds in secret
• Three sections:
• Deeds (v1-4)
• Devotion (v5-15)
• Self-Denial (v16-18)
• Jesus is addressing a tendency in life to be hypocritical
• Don't seek to be like other men
• Live to please your Father in heaven
• Jesus saw the outward acts of men:
• Pray real prayers with heart
• Don't make if known when you are fasting
• Jesus is giving positive teaching against this hypocrisy
• He gives them a wonderful pattern/outline for prayer
• Begin by exalting God
• Pray His kingdom will come, that people will be saved, that His will be done on earth
• Bring your needs before God
• Forgive others and ask for forgiveness
• Isa 58:1 - the hearts of men were not right, they exploited people, they did not act appropriately
• Isa 58:6 - spells out the required attitudes in men and women before God and others
• We must practice what we preach
• If you are going to pray, pray from the heart
• There is no point showing off before others if you are not praying privately
• Jesus repeated certain phrases:
• 'Assuredly, I say to you they have their reward' (v2, 5, 16)
• There is no further reward for those who parade before men
• 'Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly' (v4, 6, 18)
• Honour in this life and the next life

Deeds (v1-4)

• Why are you doing things - what are your motives?
• We shall have no reward if our motives are tainted, if we seek glory from men
• How do we balance this with 5:16 - not to hide our light before men
• As Christians our lives needs to shine
• It is to do with motives - do it for God
• Don't speak about it, just do it - people will see it, their eyes will be turned from you to God
• Prov 22:1 -"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold."
• We should have a good name before our neighbours
• This is more important that riches
• At times we will have a bad name due to bad reports given against us
• Do not let your left hand see what your right hand is giving
• Do not let others know what you are giving
• Do not let others know your deeds
• Example of the missionary lady and giving
• Scripture says we are to be a people zealous for good works
• We are not not to do charitable deeds - it is how we do it
• There are times when it might be appropriate to speak about things we have done
• Paul spoke in 1 Cor 15 about some of the deeds he had done, because it was affecting the ministry and the gospel
• It is the motive about what we say and what we are doing
• God will honour those who honour Him
• What is the reward?
• Intimacy with God
• Rev 14:13 - rewards in heaven
• 1 Cor 3 - rewards for believers

Devotion (v5-15)

• British reserve is perhaps declining
• We are encouraged to express ourselves
• Social media encourages us to promote ourselves
• Pray in secret
• For Jesus it was often outside (alone)
• For most people this will likely be at home
• 1 Pet 3:7 - husband and wife may pray together
• Pray as a family behind closed doors
• Pray at a time that best suits you
• Pray to your Father
• We have a wonderful relationship with our God
• We must not be hypocrites who parade our spirituality yet our own secret prayer life is a mess
• Do not be hypocrites like the Pharisees
• Do not spend hours on your knees in vain repetition or religion
• Do not repeat long form prayers
• If you are stuck for prayer, use the Lord's prayer as an example and guide
• Remember that God will not hear you unless you are right with your fellow man

Fasting (v16-17)

• The disciples were not fasting at this point
• 9:14-15 - people could see the disciples of John fasting and the Pharisees fasting
• There would come a time when they fasted
• When they needed to send out missionaries
• When they set apart elders for the church
• There are times for the church and individuals to fast
• There are times of great evil that need fasting
• 1 Cor 7:5 - husband and wife may abstain from sexual relations in order to fast

Summary

• Deeds: lets others speak about you - do not trumpet yourself
• Devotion: be devoted
• Fasting: do it before God