Redemption Church – RedemptionPlano.com

Welcome everyone Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I hope you all know how glad you are here.

Thank you for being in the room.
Thank you for joining us in worship on the livestream.
Thank you for tunning in on YouTube, podcasts, Spotify, or any other way.

 

Can You Keep a Secret?

We are in the 2nd week of our series – Can You Keep a Secret.

In Matthew chapter 6, right in the middle of the sermon on the mount, Jesus talks to us about secrets. 3 times in Matthew 6 Jesus speaks directly about things done in secret.

Last week in the first message of this series we spoke about giving in secret.

Jesus specifically asks us to give in secret, and to avoid the prideful motives of being seen by others. Having this proper motive when we give holds great promise.

Matthew 6:4 …Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Your Father in Heaven, sees what is done in secret.

Can you keep a secret today? Turn with me to Matthew 6 and verse 5.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

Not IF, but WHEN

Earlier in this chapter Jesus says WHEN YOU GIVE and WHEN YOU PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Now Jesus says WHEN YOU PRAY.

Do we treat prayer more like an IF or a WHEN?

There is a great difference in IF and WHEN.

Guys, when your wife says “WHEN you go to the store, remember to pick up a gallon of milk.”  There is some wiggle room. If you are near the store… if you have the time… if you find yourself inside the H.E.B.  …then remember to pick up a gallon of milk.

Guys, when your wife says “WHEN you go to the store…”  You getter go ahead and grab a jacket and get your car keys.

“WHEN” means it is expected.

Jesus still expects Christians to pray.

Prayer should be a part of your daily life.
Prayer should be a part of your problem solving strategies.
Prayer should be a part of your worship.

When we wake up, we should pray.
When we go to bed, we should pray.
We should pray always.

Redemption Church let’s always keep prayer a part of our worship together. Before we dismiss today, let’s talk to God.

Prayer is a WHEN and not an IF.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

Do not be like those who pray to be seen by others.

They are hypocrites and they are found in the synagogue and on the street corners. They like to show up wherever there is an audience.

Jesus says that they have received their reward in full.  There reward is nothing more than being seen by others.

If your only reward is being seen, then that is not worth it. What people are able to give you is selling yourself short.

We care way too much about what other people think.

Matthew 6:6 (NIV) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I have been asked to pray publicly. The Red Truck Café always honors soldiers on veteran’s day and memorial day and they usually call me up to pray for their ceremony.

I am glad to pray for them, but let’s make sure we understand that prayer is not a ceremonial show. In a few verses Jesus publicly prays to show the people how to pray, so if you are asked to pray publicly you should pray and let the light of Jesus shine.

In verse 6 Jesus teaches us to pray in secret unseen places.  “Go into your room, close the door and pray…  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Do you have room for prayer?
 

Jesus says go to your room. Do you have a room for prayer?

There is a movie called “War Room.” It is a Christian film where a real estate agent goes to view a home that has a small room for prayer. The old lady who lives there calls it her war room, the room where she goes to talk to God and fight her battles.

The real estate agent finds this strange, until she has problems in her own life that she can’t fix, and she converts her office into a “war room.”

This concept is more than a movie, it is a call to secret prayer made by Jesus in Matthew 6.

I am not necessarily telling you to convert a room in your house to a prayer room. What I want to tell you is to convert whatever room you are into a prayer room.

Your car makes a great prayer room.
Your bedroom makes a great prayer room.
That supply room in your office makes a great prayer room.
Your lunch table can make a great prayer room.
Wherever you are can become a prayer room.

The Secret Place of Prayer

The secrecy of your prayer goes beyond the physical.

When you pray there is a secret realm where you are seen only by God.

*Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV) Whoever dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

There is a secret place in God.  This is way more secret than closing a door.

Imagine with me that the enemy sets his sights on you. The enemy is ready to kill, steal, and destroy, all he must do is pull the trigger… BUT SUDDENLY the devil can’t find you.

There is a secret place where the enemy can’t find you. Have you been to this place? It is a place of prayer.

If you feel like enemies have been attacking you all week, I think you ought to come dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

Matthew 6:7 (NIV) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

When Jesus tells us to go in secret to pray, He is telling us to not be like the very religious pharisees.  Now Jesus is telling us to not be like the very religious pagans.

Do not babble when you pray.  Do not think that your many words will cause God to hear you.  Do not think that florid King James English will cause God to hear you.

There are religious traditions that tell people to repeat a prayer so many times over and over. Some traditions even have a beaded necklace to help them keep track of how many times they have repeated the prayer.

Even more traditions have prayer books where you can read prayers that other people have prayed.

Be careful that your prayer is not about WORDS, but about your HEART.  You can babble memorized prayers, and these words no longer come from your heart but from a vain tradition of men.

Matthew 6:8 (NIV) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Your Father already knows. So what’s the point of prayer??
Prayer is not about informing God of what you need.

Have you ever said the words… “O I forgot to pray for…”  It is ok. The Father knows what you need.

Instead of making prayer about INFORMING, make prayer about CONFESSING.

Confess your need.
Confess your love.
Confess your sin.

Jesus tells us that WHEN we pray… pray in secret and pray from the heart. Now Jesus shows us how to pray.

Matthew 6:9- (NIV)“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘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 today 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 the evil one.’

Can you keep a Secret?

As our worship team comes to lead us in a time of worship and prayer, I want you to prepare to do something in secret.

Let’s repent to God.

• An IF WE PRAY attitude rather than a WHEN WE PRAY dedication.
• Sin
• A lack of love
• Focused on words rather than connecting your heart.

 

Let’s pray, not to be seen by people… but to disappear off of the enemies radar and to appear in the secret place of the most high.

 

You who have had a hard week.  What you really need is to dwell in the secret place.  That place is here.