Embracing the Unseen: Prayer and Spiritual Authenticity

 

Summary

In our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we explore the profound teachings of Jesus, who emphasizes the importance of aligning our lives with God's unseen kingdom. The challenges and difficulties of this world are temporary, but God's presence is eternal and paramount. In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses the temptation to define ourselves by others' perceptions, offering the liberating practice of secrecy in our spiritual disciplines. This practice allows us to engage in activities like giving, fasting, and prayer without seeking external validation, thus freeing us from the addiction to approval.

Focusing on prayer, Jesus warns against the hypocrisy of performing for others. He encourages us to pray in secret, where our Father, who is unseen, will reward us. This concept of the unseen is central to understanding the Kingdom of God. The Greek word "cryptos," meaning hidden, is used to describe both God and the secret acts of devotion. This unseen realm is where true spiritual life occurs, beyond the visible and temporary.

Scripture supports this idea, highlighting God's invisible qualities and the unseen nature of creation. Our spiritual lives, like the universe, begin in the unseen realm. Prayer is an invitation to enter this realm, where we connect with God beyond the superficial. It is a struggle in our modern world, where belief in the unseen is challenging, yet wise people have always recognized its reality.

In prayer, we are encouraged to bring our deepest concerns to God, acknowledging our fragile souls. Whether it's financial worries, family issues, or personal struggles, we are invited to share them with God. Brother Lawrence reminds us to turn all our cares over to God, allowing His presence to guide us. As we pray, we should listen for God's guidance, seeking any actions or decisions He may prompt us to take. Finally, we invite God to be with us throughout the day, recognizing His presence in creation and in each person we encounter.

Key Takeaways:

1. The unseen realm of God's kingdom is more significant than the visible challenges we face. Aligning our lives with this eternal reality brings true freedom and purpose. [00:46]

2. Jesus teaches the value of secrecy in spiritual practices, freeing us from the need for external validation and allowing us to connect with God authentically. [01:42]

3. Prayer is an invitation to enter the unseen realm, where we can be honest with God about our deepest concerns and struggles, trusting in His presence and guidance. [06:07]

4. Our spiritual lives, like the universe, begin in the unseen realm. Recognizing this truth helps us focus on what truly matters beyond the superficial. [04:47]

5. Bringing our cares to God in prayer allows us to experience His presence and guidance, transforming our worries into opportunities for growth and action. [09:30]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - The Unseen Kingdom
[00:46] - Aligning with God's Presence
[01:01] - The Gift of Secrecy
[01:13] - Avoiding Performance in Prayer
[02:00] - Hypocrisy in Spiritual Practices
[03:10] - The Unseen Father
[03:44] - Scriptural Insights on the Unseen
[04:30] - The Invisible Qualities of God
[05:01] - The Unseen in Creation
[05:28] - The Heart: The Unseen Dimension
[06:07] - Entering the Secret Place
[07:18] - Being with God in Prayer
[08:25] - Bringing Concerns to God
[09:30] - Turning Cares Over to God
[10:42] - Inviting God into Our Day

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 6:5-6
2. Romans 1:20
3. 1 Samuel 16:7

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Observation Questions:

1. In Matthew 6:5-6, what does Jesus say about the way we should pray, and what is the reward for praying in secret? [03:10]

2. How does Romans 1:20 describe God's invisible qualities, and what does this imply about the nature of God's kingdom? [04:30]

3. According to 1 Samuel 16:7, what is the difference between how humans and God perceive individuals? [05:28]

4. What examples did the pastor give of activities that can become performances for others, and how does this relate to the concept of secrecy in spiritual practices? [01:13]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why might Jesus emphasize the importance of secrecy in prayer and other spiritual practices? How does this align with the idea of God's unseen kingdom? [01:42]

2. How does the concept of the unseen realm challenge modern beliefs about reality, and why is it important for spiritual growth? [06:24]

3. What does it mean to align our lives with God's unseen kingdom, and how can this bring freedom and purpose? [00:46]

4. How can understanding God's invisible qualities, as mentioned in Romans 1:20, deepen our relationship with Him and influence our daily lives? [04:30]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own prayer life. Are there ways in which you might be performing for others rather than genuinely connecting with God? How can you create a more private and sincere prayer practice? [02:54]

2. Consider a time when you sought external validation in your spiritual practices. How did it affect your relationship with God, and what steps can you take to focus more on His unseen presence? [01:42]

3. Identify an area in your life where you struggle to believe in the unseen realm of God's kingdom. What practical steps can you take to strengthen your faith in this area? [06:24]

4. Think about a current worry or concern you have. How can you bring this to God in prayer, trusting in His guidance and presence? What might change in your perspective or actions as a result? [09:30]

5. How can you recognize God's presence in the people and creation around you throughout your day? What specific actions can you take to be more aware of His presence? [11:03]

6. Reflect on the idea that our spiritual lives begin in the unseen realm. How can this understanding help you prioritize what truly matters in your life? [04:47]

7. Choose one aspect of your life where you feel the need for external approval. How can you practice secrecy in this area to align more closely with God's unseen kingdom? [01:42]

Devotional

Day 1: The Unseen Kingdom's Eternal Significance
Aligning our lives with God's unseen kingdom offers a profound sense of freedom and purpose. The challenges and difficulties we face in this world are temporary, but God's presence is eternal and paramount. By focusing on the unseen realm of God's kingdom, we can transcend the visible struggles and align ourselves with a reality that is far more significant. This alignment brings true freedom, as it liberates us from the constraints of worldly concerns and allows us to live with a sense of eternal purpose. [00:46]

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, ESV)

Reflection: What is one visible challenge you are currently facing that you can view through the lens of God's eternal kingdom? How might this perspective change your approach to it today?


Day 2: The Liberating Practice of Secrecy
Jesus teaches the value of secrecy in spiritual practices, freeing us from the need for external validation and allowing us to connect with God authentically. In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses the temptation to define ourselves by others' perceptions, offering the liberating practice of secrecy in our spiritual disciplines. This practice allows us to engage in activities like giving, fasting, and prayer without seeking external validation, thus freeing us from the addiction to approval. By practicing secrecy, we can cultivate a more genuine and intimate relationship with God, untainted by the desire for human recognition. [01:42]

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a spiritual practice you engage in regularly. How can you incorporate the practice of secrecy into it this week to deepen your connection with God?


Day 3: Entering the Unseen Realm Through Prayer
Prayer is an invitation to enter the unseen realm, where we can be honest with God about our deepest concerns and struggles, trusting in His presence and guidance. In the unseen realm, true spiritual life occurs beyond the visible and temporary. Prayer invites us to connect with God beyond the superficial, allowing us to bring our deepest concerns to Him. Whether it's financial worries, family issues, or personal struggles, we are encouraged to share them with God, trusting in His presence and guidance. This practice helps us to acknowledge our fragile souls and seek God's wisdom in our lives. [06:07]

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26, ESV)

Reflection: What is one deep concern or struggle you have been hesitant to bring to God in prayer? How can you take a step today to share it with Him, trusting in His guidance?


Day 4: Recognizing the Unseen Beginnings of Spiritual Life
Our spiritual lives, like the universe, begin in the unseen realm. Recognizing this truth helps us focus on what truly matters beyond the superficial. The unseen realm is where true spiritual life occurs, beyond the visible and temporary. Just as the universe began in the unseen, so do our spiritual lives. By acknowledging this, we can focus on what truly matters, moving beyond the superficial aspects of life. This perspective encourages us to invest in our spiritual growth and seek a deeper understanding of God's presence in our lives. [04:47]

"For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:10, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on an area of your spiritual life that feels superficial. How can you begin to explore its unseen depths and invest in its growth this week?


Day 5: Transforming Worries into Opportunities for Growth
Bringing our cares to God in prayer allows us to experience His presence and guidance, transforming our worries into opportunities for growth and action. Brother Lawrence reminds us to turn all our cares over to God, allowing His presence to guide us. As we pray, we should listen for God's guidance, seeking any actions or decisions He may prompt us to take. By doing so, we can transform our worries into opportunities for growth and action, trusting in God's wisdom and presence in our lives. [09:30]

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a specific worry you have been holding onto. How can you turn it over to God today and seek His guidance for any actions you might need to take?

Quotes

"SE we're learning together from the most influential teaching in the history of the human race whatever you think about it the sermon of the mount Jesus the greatest teacher who says that what is insurmountable in this world are not the problems and challenges and difficulties they exist but they are temporary they will one day be redeemed uh it is God and His presence and his kingdom in our midst which is unseen that matters the most and we get to align our lives with it and right now we're looking Matthew 6 about how we're tempted to think who I am is what other people think about me and so Jesus brings this great uh tool of Liber ation of Freedom actually you could do things in secret and he talks about three particular activities uh giving alms later fasting right now we're talking about prayer but if you do them in order for other people to look at you and be impressed by you then you got your reward and you're that much more addicted to it but if you do it in secret you can get a little bit free now these are three particular uh activities that especially in Jesus day when religious devotion was highly esteemed could easily lend them elves to uh things that people would do to impress other people in our day uh lots of other areas involve these kind of activities like my work or how smart do I look to other people or how talented do I look to other people so this gift of secrecy is something that I hope you'll be exploring in lots of different areas of your life but I do want to look now at his comments in particular about prayer um he says in chapter 6: 5 and when you pray do not be like the Hypocrites now this gets inside of all of us all of life including prayer can become a performance to perform means I try to pretend to be something that I'm not and I remember years ago when I first started working at a church there was a woman prayer group at her home and when she would pray she would get this real Pious voice dear Jesus I and then her kid came in and slammed the door if you slam that door one more time I'm going to pray you dear Jesus I love you and it was quite clear there was a kind of performance issue going on where who she was when she was praying particularly in front of other people or thinking about God watching was quite different than when she was just being her and so the invitation here is to move out of the performance realm out of hypocrisy which afflicts us all when you pray don't be like the aites they love to pray standing in the synagogues on the street corners to be seen by others truly I tell you they have received their rewarded ful 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 and what I want to particularly focus on today is that language your father who is unseen or secret the word in the text the Greek word is cryptos we get our word cryptic Kryptonite hidden uh that's the word that's used in both places uh the father is unseen and he sees what is unseen now I want to share a few scriptures with you today to get this distinction real clear in our minds because it is Central to the reality of the Kingdom uh this recurs in these verses in chapter 6 when Jesus talks about giving he says then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you or later on in fasting when you fast just let it be obvious to your father who is unseen and your father who sees what is done in secret in crypto in uh in the realm of the Unseen now a few other passages that talk about this Romans chapter 1 for since the creation of the world's God's invisible qualities is eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen or Romans 11:3 by faith we understand that the Universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible and this is true for God but it's also true for you there is a visible side to you and there is an invisible secret unseen thing it is spiritual it is personal it involves your agency your will and it's what's most important and actually um everything that exists I made Swedish pancakes recently for some people that I love that began with an idea with a choice that was unseen Let There Be pancakes let there be light always when you look around at anything that human beings make what is seen begins with what is unseen in prayer now we are entering into the realm of the Unseen human beings 1 Samuel 16:7 look at the outward appearance we look at what is seen God looks at the heart what's the heart well that's the Unseen dimension of you that matters the most um 1 Corinthians chapter uh 4: 16-18 therefore we don't lose heart outwardly we're wasting away inwardly we being renewed day by day therefore we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen for what is seen and and so you get this string outward wasting seen temporary inward renewed unseen Eternal and then prayer now we enter into that secret unseen realm that matters the most for is often a struggle for us particularly in our day I think because uh we have a harder time than people ever have before believing in the reality of the Unseen but wise people have always understood and is particularly true in scripture um that that which we see was made by that which we do not see particularly God who is unseen so now I want to invite you to pray and when we come to God and pray it's particularly important that we begin with what matters most to us because our souls are pretty fragile things and they just cannot sustain it if I try to be praying about stuff that honestly I just don't care about a lot so here we go I going to invite you now to enter into the secret place and Jesus talks about a room could be a room inside uh I came outside it's early in the morning because in prayer I want to be with God and when I'm with another person often being with their body is good creation is to God something of what bodies are to you and me it is part of how God manifests his will his presence his goodness his Beauty and Jesus would often go outside to pray so uh you might do that but but we do this now in secret when my wife Nancy was a little girl she has such a fierce sense of um Independence autonomy agency she loved to be someplace where nobody knew where she was just be kind of a thr well that's the secret place then now and then I set God before me I asked a 5-year-old friend of mine not too long ago what's bigger the whole universe or God he said God so now prayer is different than worry because in prayer I'm addressing somebody and in worry I'm not so set God before your mind right now our father our heavenly father and then bring to God whatever you're concerned about maybe it's money let God know maybe it's your work tell them maybe it's a family member deep concern over over a child or a spouse where that feels like it's Fallen apart or doesn't exist um friend that you're really concerned for somebody that you have a really hard time getting along with just bring that to God brother Lawrence talks about how in order to live with God's presence it is necessary for us to turn all our cares over to him maybe you feel like a failure you're carrying guilt or regret over something you did yesterday tell him maybe honestly where your mind goes seems kind of superficial you know my appearance or am I successful enough is God's not surprised by that so just let him know now thank God for listening take a moment to see as you have been uh bringing these concerns for God is there any action you feel called to take any thought that God might have sent your way any decision to make any step to take and commit to doing that and now then let's invite God heavenly father would you be with us as we walk through the rest of this day help me to to listen for you in the sound of the birds look for you in the beauty of the earth and especially in your image in each person that I" [00:00:21]

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Transcript
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