Preaching on Prayer

Reading: Matthew 5:1-12

 

Oct 2nd the birthday of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. His favorite passage in the Bible was the Sermon on the Mount. A portion of this Sermon (Mt 5:3-10) is engraved in the Gandhi Memorial in the city of Chennai. Reading through the Sermon on the Mount once a month will keep our walk trim before God and man.

 

Matthew 5 through 7 can be actually called a Sermon on Prayer. Here the Lord elaborates more on prayer than any other subject. At the very heart of this passage is a prayer which we call the Lord's Prayer (6:9-13). The priority Christ demands for prayer in our life cannot be over stressed. We shall be meditating on these passages today and the next four days.

 

 Mt 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."

 

Prayer is a great sanctifier. A sinning man stops praying and a praying man stops sinning. The passion for righteousness should outrank our physical hunger and thirst. E.M. Bounds (1835-1913), an Apostle of Prayer, said, "Prayer and a holy life are one. The absence of one is the absence of the other."

 

 Mt 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God."

 

Do not rush into prayer inadvertently. The heart must be quietened and mind calmed to see if there is any wicked way in us. Our prayers should begin with, "Search me, O God!" Hidden and confessed sin weakens prayer. It hides God's face (Isa 59:2). Take time to be holy!

 

 Mt 5:23,24, "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled and then come and offer your gift."

 

Prayer is an altar. Cain must get right with Abel if God should accept his offering. While talking about reconciliation, we are not to find who is on the wrong. The one who comes to the altar should take the initiative to reconcile. A clear conscience means being right with God as well as with man. A. B. Simpson (1843-1919), the Founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, has this observation: "The spirit of prayer is essentially a spirit of love."

Can I know I am saved ?

 

Yes, salvation is both a present reality and a future prospect.  Apostle John writes, “We KNOW that we have passed from death to life” and “We KNOW that we are of God” (1 Jn 3:14; 5:19).

When you receive Christ and believe on Him you are given the authority to become a child of God (Jn 1:12).  You are saved (Acts 16:31).  Your sins are forgiven and you are washed by the blood of Jesus (Rev 1:5).  This assurance is yours by the Holy Spirit.  He bears witness with your Spirit that you are a child of God (Rom 8:16).  For this purpose He primarily employs the written Word of God (Jn 20:31).

There will be certain positive indications when a person is saved. The guilt is gone and there is the joy of salvation.  A new love for God and His Word is born.  Prayer becomes a delight.  A desire to live holy is obvious.  The very outlook on life is changed.  Fellowship with the children of God is pleasant.  A burden for the salvation of others is usually felt.  These things may not manifest to the full measure but as a newborn child you will start growing in these things.

Salvation actually belongs to three tenses.  Salvation past is deliverance from the penalty of sin.  Salvation present is deliverance from the power of sin.  And salvation future is deliverance from the very presence of sin.  Salvation today is not absence of temptations.  Therefore don’t be alarmed at the increasing measure of temptations.  Temptation is not sin, only yielding to temptation is.

The devil is a liar.  Turn a deaf ear to him.  Suppose you fall in a temptation he will immediately whisper that you are no more a child of God.  But remember you don’t lose your son ship if you sin.  Only the fellowship with God is affected.  Confess and be cleansed at once (1 Jn 1:7-9).  You are safe and secure in the hands of God.  No one can snatch you away (Jn 10:28,29).  Rejoice!