Pharisees Pray Long, Impressive Prayers in Public
The Pharisees' problem is their pretentious and prayerless public prayers, which are a result of their arrogance and pride.
Zac Poonen delivers a powerful message on the dangers of hypocrisy in prayer, highlighting how those who pray the longest in public are often prayerless in private, resembling the Pharisees condemned by Jesus. He emphasizes the importance of humility and obedience in prayer, cautioning against the arrogance and pride that lead to self-exaltation. Poonen also addresses the issue of sermon length, pointing out that many church leaders preach long, boring sermons in disobedience to the command to prophesy according to the proportion of their faith.
Text
"Woe to you, Pharisees, because for a pretence you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (Matthew 23:14).
I have observed through the years, that those who pray the longest in public are those who are prayerless in private. They are all Pharisees. Next time you hear a man giving a long oration in public prayer, recognise that he is a Pharisee. In a time of public praise, if the leader asks everyone to limit their praising to one or two minutes each, everyone must do that. But Pharisees will not listen or obey. They feel their prayers must be longer than that of others. The only reason for that is their arrogance, their pride and their fantastically high opinion of themselves!
The Bible commands preachers to "prophesy according to the proportion of their faith" (Romans 12:6). That means that the length of our sermons should be proportionate to the maturity of our life. But 90% of the church-leaders I have met preach long, boring sermons and disobey this command every Sunday. Once again, the only reason for such disobedience is their fantastically high opinion of themselves!
Sermon Outline
- The Pharisees' Problem
- Recognising the Pharisees
- The Bible's Command
- The Church Leaders' Disobedience
- 90% of church leaders preach long, boring sermons
- Their disobedience is due to pride and arrogance
Key Quotes
“Those who pray the longest in public are those who are prayerless in private.” — Zac Poonen
“The only reason for such disobedience is their fantastically high opinion of themselves!” — Zac Poonen
“Preach according to the proportion of their faith” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- Be aware of your own pride and arrogance, and make sure your prayers are genuine and not pretentious.
- Preach and teach according to the proportion of your faith, making sure your sermons are proportionate to the maturity of your life.
- Identify and avoid Pharisees in public prayer, and instead strive for humility and obedience to God's commands.