Message #3 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Jesus' Teaching on Prayer"

by Kaye Johns

Jesus said it must. The admonition was given to His disciples as He taught the fundamentals of the righteous life in His Sermon on the Mount: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 5:20]

Jesus was referring to a disciplined group of religious leaders. The Pharisees prayed, knew Scripture, attended services in the synagogue, tithed and fasted. But their hearts were wrong; they were proud and only going through the motions. They practiced religion, rather than faith. They followed rules, rather than following God. Jesus is saying we must be that disciplined, but with the right motive in our hearts.

This was especially important to our Lord in the area of prayer. As He began His teaching on prayer, He declared: "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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." [Matthew 6:5]

Don’t be proud of your praying, Jesus teaches. Don’t try to impress or mislead others into thinking your prayer life is something more than it is. We must be more righteous than the Pharisees--especially in our prayer life.

Pray with me now -- Father, forbid that any of us would be as proud or misdirected as the Pharisees, especially in prayer--for we ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

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