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Mission 2025: Building Blocks of the Heart 6
Daniel Ottoson // The Heart of Prayer
Intimate communion with our Heavenly Father is the place out of which all of the rest of our spiritual life flows.
“5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 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.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father 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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ”
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father 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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ”
— Matthew 6:5–15
Sermon OutlineI. Jesus and the Heart of Prayer
“15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—”
— Deuteronomy 18:15
“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them,
28 ”And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ”
28 ”And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ”
— Matthew 5:1-2, 7:28-29
“20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 5:20
““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ”
— Matthew 6:1
II. The Heart that Prayer Reveals
“5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them,”
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them,”
— Matthew 6:5,7-8a
“... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...”
— Romans 3:23
III. The Heart of Prayer that Heals
“15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
— Hebrews 4:15
“...the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. ”
— Luke 5:15-16
“21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ”
— 1 Corinthians 11:21-29
Small Group StudyIntroductionConsider one or both of the following quotes.
1. In the introduction to his book A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his prayers (1992) Don Carson evaluates a number of candidates for the most urgent need of the church in our day. Included in his list are: purity, integrity and generosity, evangelism and church planting, disciplined biblical thinking, training and expository preaching. He concludes that while all of these things are important, and that there remain many urgent needs yet unmentioned, “The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.”
Do you agree or disagree and why?
2. In the twentieth chapter of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin says that prayer is “...the chief exercise of faith by which we daily receive God’s benefits.
Discuss.
1. Jesus call to all who would follow him is always “Repent and believe the gospel!” In verses 5-8, Jesus presents prayer as something that reveals pride, apathy and self-righteousness in our hearts. Verses 9-13, along with 14,15 he presents as a response.
How are repentance and belief in the gospel are at work in prayer according to Jesus’ instruction here?
2. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) is arguably Jesus most famous sermon. It’s teachings present a challenging but practical ethic for life in the Kingdom of God that Jesus clearly expects his followers to live by (c.f. 5:3, 7:24-27).
Divide up as many of the following passages as possible between your group members, each person taking one passage to read. Matthew 5:3-10; 5:13-16; 5:17-48 (this passage can be further divided if needed) ; 6:1-4; 6:19-24; 6:25-34; 7:1-6; 7:7-12; 7:15-23.
For each passage, consider what the relationship is, between knowing the God the Father through praying according to Jesus’ instruction in 6:9-15 and living out the commands of the passage.
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book Life Together (1954) “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.”
How would you describe the importance of the relationship between secret and corporate prayer as displayed in Matthew 6:5-15?
1. What do you find most challenging about prayer? Do you struggle more with corporate or private prayer? How can you, as a group, encourage one another in this area?
Take time to pray.2. Take time for silent prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal your own needs for heart transformation.
3. Pray together. Consider praying especially for UCC and it’s ministry for the next five years.
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By United Community ChurchDaniel Ottoson // The Heart of Prayer
Intimate communion with our Heavenly Father is the place out of which all of the rest of our spiritual life flows.
“5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 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.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father 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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ”
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father 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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ”
— Matthew 6:5–15
Sermon OutlineI. Jesus and the Heart of Prayer
“15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—”
— Deuteronomy 18:15
“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them,
28 ”And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ”
28 ”And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ”
— Matthew 5:1-2, 7:28-29
“20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 5:20
““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ”
— Matthew 6:1
II. The Heart that Prayer Reveals
“5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them,”
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them,”
— Matthew 6:5,7-8a
“... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...”
— Romans 3:23
III. The Heart of Prayer that Heals
“15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
— Hebrews 4:15
“...the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. ”
— Luke 5:15-16
“21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ”
— 1 Corinthians 11:21-29
Small Group StudyIntroductionConsider one or both of the following quotes.
1. In the introduction to his book A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his prayers (1992) Don Carson evaluates a number of candidates for the most urgent need of the church in our day. Included in his list are: purity, integrity and generosity, evangelism and church planting, disciplined biblical thinking, training and expository preaching. He concludes that while all of these things are important, and that there remain many urgent needs yet unmentioned, “The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.”
Do you agree or disagree and why?
2. In the twentieth chapter of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin says that prayer is “...the chief exercise of faith by which we daily receive God’s benefits.
Discuss.
1. Jesus call to all who would follow him is always “Repent and believe the gospel!” In verses 5-8, Jesus presents prayer as something that reveals pride, apathy and self-righteousness in our hearts. Verses 9-13, along with 14,15 he presents as a response.
How are repentance and belief in the gospel are at work in prayer according to Jesus’ instruction here?
2. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) is arguably Jesus most famous sermon. It’s teachings present a challenging but practical ethic for life in the Kingdom of God that Jesus clearly expects his followers to live by (c.f. 5:3, 7:24-27).
Divide up as many of the following passages as possible between your group members, each person taking one passage to read. Matthew 5:3-10; 5:13-16; 5:17-48 (this passage can be further divided if needed) ; 6:1-4; 6:19-24; 6:25-34; 7:1-6; 7:7-12; 7:15-23.
For each passage, consider what the relationship is, between knowing the God the Father through praying according to Jesus’ instruction in 6:9-15 and living out the commands of the passage.
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book Life Together (1954) “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.”
How would you describe the importance of the relationship between secret and corporate prayer as displayed in Matthew 6:5-15?
1. What do you find most challenging about prayer? Do you struggle more with corporate or private prayer? How can you, as a group, encourage one another in this area?
Take time to pray.2. Take time for silent prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal your own needs for heart transformation.
3. Pray together. Consider praying especially for UCC and it’s ministry for the next five years.
Back to Bulletin