This is the Adult Sunday School/International Sunday School/Uniform Series Lesson known by some as Praying as God's People aka The Practice of Prayer on Matthew 6:5-15 for 11-20-11

November 20, 2011 Adult Sunday School on Matthew 6:5-15
Let's talk about prayer.

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

Are you a spectacle?  Do you enjoy it when everyone’s eyes are on you?  Well there is one place you shouldn’t be according to the Lord Himself and that is when you go to the Father in prayer.

Now we aren’t talking about ceasing the prayers we do together in our meetings, Sunday School, groups and times of worship.  No, we are talking about when others are going about their lives or their meetings, Sunday School etc. and someone throws what everyone else is doing aside and breaks into a public spectacle of their own prayer. 

You see my suspicions are that just like other instructions we received through the scriptures about worship, when it comes to prayer, our God is one of order and not chaos. 

These instructions won’t matter a great deal to the hypocrite that Christ mentions because it’s usually all about them anyway.  But for those that have kind of grown comfortable in the practice but truly are interested in worshiping Him in spirit and in truth there it is, He doesn’t like it.

So what does He like?  This may sound stupid but it is what came to me and stuck there so here it goes.  He wants you to pray in a way that measures your words almost as if He were someone who didn’t have all the time in the world, though He does.  Imagine that you had the opportunity to talk with the most important man or woman in the world, let’s say the head of your country. Envision that you had something to talk about with them that were of the utmost importance. I am sure you know that a person at this level of power would have a very tight, structured schedule and that your time would be limited.  You would choose your words wisely and I am sure you would treat them with the greatest decorum.

Now this really isn’t the greatest analogy but I am sure you get the point that though God always has time for you He is still this holy God of order that we should approach with the greatest reverent awe.

Christ indicates that we should approach Him thus and after coming to Him in this way acknowledge that no matter what, it is His creation and it is His will that really matters in the end.  Ask Him for what you truly need.  Ask Him for forgiveness never forgetting to do likewise.  And finally ask for His assistance as you walk in this fallen world.

I think that this is a good reminder to us that maybe in our zeal and love for Him we tend to bring Him down to our level and forget that as Isaiah 55:9 tells us the difference between His ways and ours and His thoughts and ours are like the difference between the heavens and earth.  That’s the way we should want Him to be and that’s the way He is.  We just need to act like it.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Stand in Awe of God

 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.  Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.  As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.  When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?  Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

For Discussion:

1.     None of this is said to suggest we pray less just that the Bible indicates there is an orderly way to pray to an awesome God of order.

2.     Do a concordance study of prayer.

3.     Read several scriptures in your group concerning prayer.  Some suggestions: Romans 8:26-27, 2 Chronicles 7:14, James 5:16.

4.     Read and discuss some of David’s prayers in the Psalms.

5.     Not everyone will agree with my view obviously, discuss people’s viewpoints on prayer.

6.     Discuss how we may have inadvertently lowered our prayer standards and what might be done to raise those standards.

7.     Though Christ gives us a pattern here in today’s scripture for prayer, obviously it is not an all-inclusive one.  Clearly there are other things such as thanksgiving that should go into our daily prayers.

Hebrews 5:7

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

11-27-11:  Facing Life without Worry (Don’t Worry About Tomorrow), Matthew 6:25-34

12-4-11:    A Blessing for All Nations (God’s Call to Bless), Genesis 12:1-9

12-11-11:  A Promise to Abraham (A Covenant with God), Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

12-18-11:  The Lord Provides (The Challenge to Commitment), Genesis 22:1-2, 6-14 or 22:1-14

12-25-11:  According to the Promise (Mary’s Song of Praise), Luke 1:46-55 or 1:46-66; 2:1-7

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 11-13-11, Matthew 5:43-48 or 5:38-48 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson this is my commentary.  This week’s lesson is known by some as Loving as God’s People aka Loving Your Enemies.  You will find the 11-06-11 lesson Forgiving as God’s People aka First be Reconciled directly beneath this message and/or on the right side.

Jed

Loving as God’s People

Or

 Loving Your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48 or 5:38-48

International Sunday School Lesson

November 13, 2011

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

Part I 5:38-42

Those of you whose lessons include these verses should have interesting discussions as you all share your thoughts about what you think and what others have thought down through the years about what Jesus was saying here.

Many will say that Jesus overturned what had been a long standing system of justice in an eye for an eye.  While others will say Jesus wasn’t being literal.  What will you say?  I say He was doing both.

Jesus being fully God is not a man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29) and so when we read Him say, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”  Do you think He was changing His mind about murder?  Of course not!

So when we read Him saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”  He wasn’t changing His mind here either.

In 5:28 Jesus said that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery with her in his heart and if their eye has caused them to sin they should gouge it out.  I ask you, how many one eyed men are there in your church?

Should a man commit adultery?  Of course not!  Should they literally chop off their limbs and gouge out their eyes?  Again, of course not, it was the man who sinned and not his part and it is the man who needs to change his behavior.

Likewise, eye for an eye, meaning justice that is fair and equal, is still to be measured out, Christ has not, like a man changed His mind, but rather it is man’s behavior that should change.  Imagine how fewer things would escalate to assaults and lawsuits, war and punishment if the behavior of men towards each other should change.

Part II 5:43-48

Have you ever had an enemy or at least someone who persecuted you?  I am sure if you have lived any part of a worldly life you have had an enemy or two.  And if you have “lived a Godly life in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 3:12 at all you have been persecuted.  So, how’d you do loving and praying for them?

I pray that God showed through your reactions.  That is really what Christ is saying here when He says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Just as God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”, so too are we to react with love towards even those who hate and persecute us.  And because we are heirs with Christ, God as our Father is patiently expecting things from us. “He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish” 2 Peter 3:9

You see if we react the way the world reacts then we are no different from the world.  But if we react as God does with us, with patience, then we are emulating Him.  The world expects us to react as it does when they hate us or persecute us but to react with love and patience is a witness.  The “Lord’s patience means salvation” 2 Peter 3:15 perhaps for those who hate and persecute you.  This is being perfect like the Father.

 

For Discussion:

1.     “To hate your enemy” is not from God but must have been how they had twisted things to do the opposite from love your neighbor.

2.     Proverbs 19:11

3.     Concerning eye for an eye, read Exodus 21, Leviticus 24 and Deuteronomy 19.

4.     Have people discuss occasions when they should have turned the other cheek and did not and occasions when they did.

5.     With regard to verse 42, discuss how we have had a tendency to grow cold towards all those who ask from us.  Is it better to give to someone who does not deserve than to risk not giving to those who truly need?

6.     Discuss that Christmas Day is on a Sunday and that your class is one that will not give up meeting that day!  Your class should be like a family and should meet especially on this day.

Upcoming Adult Sunday School Lessons

11-20-11:  Praying as God’s People, Matthew 6:5-15

11-27-11:  Facing Life Without Worry, Matthew 6:25-34

12-4-11:    A Blessing for All Nations, Genesis 12:1-9

12-11-11:  A Promise to Abraham, Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

12-18-11:  The Lord Provides, Genesis 22:1-2, 6-14

12-25-11:  According to the Promise, Luke 1:46-55

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved