Everyday Ethics For The Exilic Minority: Revisiting Christian Identity Within A Confused World
On Talking to God
Matthew 6:5-15
“Prayer is the air we breathe.”
How not to pray...
1. Don’t pray like a hypocrite (6:5-6)
To be seen
“Prayer is not prayer if it is addressed to anyone else but God.” (Karl Barth)
In the inner locked storeroom
2. Don’t pray like a pagan (6:7-8)
Prayer is offered to us by grace, not on the basis of much work.
Those who don’t know Him, press to be heard by chants and babble because they don’t know Him; those who know Him, know He already knows!
How to pray...
3. To the Father in heaven for His will on earth (6:9-15)—"brief, frequent, intense” (Luther)—patterned (Jesus)
Jesus’ Father, uniquely by nature, shared with us by the grace of adoption!
- Your name (9) – Recognized
- Your kingdom (10)—Reign
- Your will (10)—Realized
- Our bread (11)—Provision/Food
Good government essential instrument for daily bread.
Physical rescue essentially connected to spiritual rescue.
- Our debts (12,14,15)—Pardon/Forgiveness
You can ask the Father to wipe out your debt!
Don’t ask for what you are unwilling to give.
- Our temptations (13)—Protection/Freedom
God leads; Satan tempts. (Matt. 4:1; Jas. 1:13)
“into” vs to
When escorting us through the minefield of temptations, do not let us become attracted to a tempting mine.
Snatch us away from “Temptations House”
The priorities of Jesus in prayer form – ignored by the arrogant who untie their boats from the moorings of God’s truth, pull up the anchor of His hope, and casually shop the marketplace of Satan’s seductive temptations because they are certain they are smarter than an “old-fashioned Jesus”, more enlightened than an ancient wisdom manuscript, and stronger than the Tempter-the landscape is littered with churches and those who have unfastened themselves from the daily protection of Christ, available through prayer and His faithful churches.
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