“Open
Door” Series #3
"ENTERING
THE "PRAYER CLOSET DOOR!"
TEXT:
Matt. 6:5-6,19-21
INTRO:
Jesus
when teaching about prayer invites His disciples not to be concerned about the
public demonstration of prayer ... but to find a place of prayer in a special "closet!"
The
term “prayer
closet” comes from this passage of scripture; but many really don’t
comprehend what it actually means, because they are thinking of a regular
closet, not the “treasure room” which is the literal translation
from the Greek word used.
So,
what was Jesus trying to say here?
PROP.
SENT: The Bible teaches us to have a private
prayer life that is an important part of our relationship with
God.
I. CLOSET LIFE!
Matt.
6:5-6
A. The
Room Matt.
6:6
1. The
Greek word here is “temeion” (tameion)
which literally means "treasure room!"
a. It was a secret room in every home
where the family's treasurers were kept for safety
reasons!
b. It was a secure room designed to
keep safe ones' treasures from thieves!
c. For this reason, it was a room
usually known only to the family members!
2. Here a man would go from time to
time to be around his treasures and contemplate his wealth, it was the room
where security was found!
3. It is this “treasure
room” (KJV calls it a “closet”) that Jesus says we are to enter when
we pray!
4. The concept used in Matt. 6:21 where Jesus talks about “laying up
treasures in Heaven” may play into this “treasure
room” idea!
5. Today in modern Greece, the “temeion” is
the cashier in a store or office.
The word translated "closet" in some translations is still in use
today but means “cashier!”
6. It is ironic that Jesus would
choose this room to be the place or prayer ... or maybe it makes more sense than
it seems!
a. Notice that the Temple of God had a treasure
room! *Neh. 10:38
b. Hezekiah got into trouble because
he took allies into the treasure room in God’s Temple and took pride in how much
he had ... forgetting God in such a room can be easy, unless of course we take God in there with
us because otherwise all we will see is our “treasure.”
c. The Ethiopian Eunuch is described
as the “Treasurer of Candice, Queen of Ethiopia” in
Acts 8:27 ... yet, he is reflecting on God,
not Candice's treasure room ... no wonder God sends Philip to talk to
him!
7. Our treasures need Christ's
presence or we will forget Him!
ILLUS: CITY
TEMPLE IN LONDON ... EMIL METTLE WHO WAS A FRIEND OF ALBERT SCHWEITZER THE GREAT
MEDICAL MISSIONARY AND ACTED AT TIMES AS AN AGENT FOR HIM OWNED A
RESTAURANT. IT WAS HIS PRACTICE NOT
TO CHARGE CHRISTIAN WORKERS WHO ATE THERE.
ONE DAY HOWEVER WHEN THE SECRETARY OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY WAS
PRESENT, HE DID OPEN HIS CASH REGISTER, AND THERE SITTING IN THE TRAY WITH ALL
THE BILLS AND COINS SAT A 6 INCH NAIL.
THE SECRETARY SURPRISED ASKED, "WHAT WAS THAT NAIL DOING THERE?" HE ASKED METTLE. METTLE EXPLAINED, "I KEEP THIS NAIL WITH MY MONEY TO REMIND ME
OF THE PRICE THAT CHRIST PAID FOR MY SALVATION AND WHAT I OWE HIM IN
RETURN!"
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
8. God wants to be invited into our “treasure
room” where we can commune with Him!
a. We should not be uncomfortable with
Jesus' presence among our treasures, unless of course we have improper treasures
stored there, or we are hoarding them and not sharing with God and
man!
b. If He is in our “treasure room”
... we are not nearly as likely to focus on those treasures as we are
to commune with him!
ILLUS: AN
OLD RICH MAN WAS MISERABLE ... SO HE SOUGHT OUT A WISE OLD RABBI FOR
ADVICE. HE TOLD THE RABBI HE WAS
UNHAPPY THOUGH RICH AND HE ASKED WHY?
THE WISE RABBI TOOK HIM BY THE HAND OVER TO A WINDOW AND ASKED HIM WHAT
HE SAW! DOWN BELOW WAS A PARK AND
HE SAID, "I SEE CHILDREN PLAYING AND
FAMILY'S HAVING PICNICS … THERE ARE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!" NEXT HE TOOK HIM BY THE HAND OVER TO A
MIRROR AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE SAW
NOW! THE RICH MAN RESPONDED, "ALL I SEE IS MYSELF
NOW!" THE RABBI EXPLAINED, THE WINDOW AND
THE MIRROR ARE MADE OF THE SAME THING ... GLASS, BUT AS SOON AS YOU ADD A LITTLE
SILVER TO IT ALL YOU CAN SEE IS YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE! THE MAN WAS ALONE WITH HIS TREASURES ...
SOMEONE ELSE NEEDED TO COME INTO THAT TREASURE ROOM OF HIS!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
B. Careful!
1. Focus must go off of treasures to
Christ ... this is why we are told by Jesus to go into this room to pray, to
take the focus off of our treasures and put it on
Christ!
a. In a treasure room a man is focused
on what he had, not on what he didn't have!
b. If he was alone in there with only
his treasures, this is all he thought about!
2. Christ's presence in our treasure room will
guard our hearts against improper attitudes toward earthly
treasures!
ILLUS: LIKE
THE LITTLE BOY NAMED BRIAN WHO WAS AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND WHEN THE TIME CAME TO
SERVE THE CAKE HE BLURTED OUT, "I WANT
THE BIGGEST PIECE!"... THIS BROUGHT MOM'S PRESENCE IN QUICKLY AND SHE
ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE EMBARRASSMENT BY TEACHING BRIAN THIS: "BRIAN, IT IS NOT POLITE TO ASK FOR THE
BIGGEST PIECE OF CAKE." NO
SOONER WAS THIS OVER HOWEVER WHEN BRIAN ASKED LOUDLY, "WELL THEN, HOW DO YOU GET THE BIGGEST
PIECE!"
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. Only mom’s presence could keep the
situation in hand ... hence Jesus' request that we use this room to pray in
rather than just focus on our earthly treasures ... to keep our attitudes in
check with God's presence in the very room that might lead to
pride!
a. Having Christ enter this room by
prayer might also help us realize what treasures need to be cleared
out!
b. This was a real sign of trust to
bring someone else into this room ... it was the secret room after all ... to
invite someone's presence in this room was a display of absolute trust in that
person with all your treasures!
4. All this ties in closely with Matthew
6:19-21 and the idea of “treasure” in verse
21: “for where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also!”
a. In this passage the word “treasure” here relays the idea of laying up
eternal things rather than earthly things.
b. Jesus understood the connection
between our heart and treasures ... that's why He wants entrance to this
room!!!
II. CLOSET LIMITS! Matt.
6:19-21
A. New
Room!
1. Jesus adds something new here ...
move the treasure room or closet to a new location!
a. To
heaven!
b. This way Christ can rule over it,
and we can still come in prayer to visit it ... but here it is safe from
robbers! And since it is in heaven
we must come in a spiritual way to enter into a spiritual
realm!
2. He also instructs us to change the
treasures we store ... from earthly things to heavenly
stuff!
3. This will preserve a "secret
place" from Satan's attempts to break in and steal ... he
won't find
this room or our treasures because he has no access to God’s dwelling
place!
4. Having a new room for treasures and
new treasures will adjust our focus from an earthly one to a heavenly
one!
a. Focus is so important in our
lives!
b. This is why Jesus wanted prayer in
this room in the first place ... to change the focus off of our treasures to
Him!
ILLUS: ALBERT
EINSTEIN NEAR THE END OF HIS LIFE HAD TWO VERY PROMINENT PAINTINGS REMOVED FROM
A VERY PRESTIGIOUS PLACE IN HIS HOME AND REPLACED WITH TWO NEW PAINTINGS VERY
DIFFERENT. THE TWO PROMINENT
PAINTINGS WERE OF VERY SUCCESSFUL SCIENTISTS, NEWTON AND
MAXWELL. WHEN THESE WERE
TAKEN DOWN, THEY WERE REPLACED WITH PAINTINGS OF GANDHI AND
SCHWEITZER. WHEN ASKED WHY
HE DID THIS HE REPLIED, “I THOUGHT THE
TIME HAD COME TO REPLACE THE IMAGE OF SUCCESS WITH THE IMAGE OF SERVICE”
... HE REALIZED NOW HIS FOCUS HAD BEEN WRONG!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
5. Our prayer closet now is
transformed!
B. New
Location! Matt.
6:21
1. Notice too the location changes for
this room -- to heaven!
a. Now when we want to save valuables
and enter our "closet" or “treasure room”
... we go right into God's presence!
b. Instead of us worrying about the
security of all the treasures, God can watch over it all … thus freeing us to
commune with Him fully!
2. Moving treasures to a secret
place in heaven was a brilliant idea to free us to fellowship with Christ
unencumbered by fears and pride!
3. Since our heart seems to always be
focused in the place of our treasures, how much more sense to have those
treasures in heaven anyways so that our heart stays there
too!
4. Someday perhaps this treasure room will
be included in our mansion in Heaven ... still full of those treasures we put
there ... and our full communion with Christ directly in
it!
5. If both our treasures
and treasure room are now in heaven, when we enter it, we come right
into God's domain and Christ meets us there!
a. Since our “heart is where
our treasures are” ... we must be sure to have Christ come into this
room!
b. Now we can enter our "prayer
closet" or “treasure room” ... not only is our heart there
but so is the master!
CONCLUSION: HAVE YOU ENTERED YOUR “PRAYER
CLOSET”
... the “treasure room!” AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, HAS CHRIST BEEN
ALLOWED IN TOO? When you enter your
“treasure
room” are you alone, or do you have company in
there?