1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:05,720 Crossway did a survey and found that only 2% of believers 2 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:12,100 were very satisfied with their prayer life, 2%. 3 00:00:13,700 --> 00:00:17,360 2% of believers were very satisfied with their prayer life. 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,600 The overwhelming majority had a moderate 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,080 to low satisfaction rating 6 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:24,940 when it came to their prayer life. 7 00:00:26,100 --> 00:00:29,160 Can anyone in this room, humble enough, 8 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,400 be willing to admit that you would fall somewhere 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,440 between moderate to low satisfaction in your prayer life? 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:36,280 Thank you. 11 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,160 Everyone else must be in the 2%. 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:42,640 We're a lucky church. 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,720 See, we all know that prayer is important, 14 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:49,000 and if you are a believer, 15 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,360 you probably aren't gonna hear anything 16 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,640 that's radically new, like, you know, 17 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,320 like, hey, did you know that Christians 18 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:56,940 are supposed to pray? 19 00:00:56,940 --> 00:01:00,160 And, you know, rock you back on your foot, 20 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,280 you know, like, on your butt, and like, 21 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,840 whoa, look, I didn't know that, I had no idea 22 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,580 Christians were supposed to pray. 23 00:01:06,580 --> 00:01:08,520 We're not gonna be introducing any new concepts. 24 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:09,780 These are things that most of us, 25 00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:11,200 if you've been around the church 26 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,320 or in the faith for any amount of time, 27 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:15,280 you know, if you haven't and you're just exploring, 28 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,440 then we're inviting you into this exploration with us. 29 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,440 But it does seem that there is a subtle 30 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,240 kind of background angst among believers, 31 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,000 among Christians, over the condition of their prayer life. 32 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,200 I would even say that that angst, 33 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:34,920 that background kind of noise, 34 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,060 that feeling of ugh over their prayer life, 35 00:01:38,060 --> 00:01:41,680 is also accompanied with some sort of guilt and shame. 36 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,600 Yeah, I know I should pray more. 37 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,400 Yeah, I know I should be a man or woman of prayer. 38 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,440 And I'll be honest, I'm in the same boat. 39 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,320 I'm learning together with you guys, 40 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,040 if that's you and you have less than a stellar opinion 41 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:03,040 of your prayer life, how it goes, how deep you go with God, 42 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,840 the depth to which your prayer time goes, 43 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,700 the length, how satisfied you are 44 00:02:08,700 --> 00:02:11,320 in your heart in meeting with God, 45 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,800 then you and I are on the same journey together. 46 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,960 Martin Luther, the great reformer, once said, 47 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,340 to be a Christian without prayer is no more possible 48 00:02:22,340 --> 00:02:24,440 than to be alive without breathing. 49 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,040 And I would say that's probably true. 50 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,160 There are a whole lot of Christians 51 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,040 who are gasping for air and who are choking 52 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,060 on their prayerless lives. 53 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,100 So why go to prayer? 54 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,160 Is guilt and shame that we should just try harder 55 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:46,700 and be more spiritual? 56 00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:49,100 Is that the motivation we need to go to prayer more? 57 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:50,400 And I would say no. 58 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,200 No, that's right. 59 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,480 Because the God of the universe and the maker 60 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,880 of all things that are seen and unseen, 61 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,920 he can hear my cry through the noise of the universe 62 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:04,760 and he can help me and he wants to 63 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,680 and he doesn't demand that I come all cleaned up first. 64 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,680 Yes, that is a good reason to go to prayer. 65 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,040 Shame and guilt are not gospel motivators. 66 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:23,040 There's no good news in you should do better, right? 67 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,160 But you know what are good gospel motivators? 68 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:31,680 Beauty and wonder. 69 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,880 When you're caught with something beautiful 70 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,400 or awestruck in wonder, 71 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,520 people do all kinds of crazy things. 72 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,560 No compelling them, they just do what they want. 73 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,160 Compelling them, they just do it. 74 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,920 Beauty and wonder. 75 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:55,920 I want you to listen to this Psalm, Psalm 34 verse 17. 76 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,200 And hear the beauty and the wonder in it. 77 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,640 The righteous cry out and the Lord hears 78 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,560 and rescues them from all their troubles. 79 00:04:06,700 --> 00:04:09,120 The righteous cry out and the Lord hears 80 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:11,640 and rescues them from all their troubles. 81 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,320 But you might say, put the brakes on, there it is. 82 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,600 See, I'm not righteous. 83 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,080 So that verse doesn't apply to me. 84 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:25,080 I'm not righteous, so I can't claim that verse as true. 85 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,800 And right you are on your own, you are not righteous. 86 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,840 But as a believer, Christ is righteous. 87 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:36,000 And if you are in Christ, then you can stand before God 88 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,720 in the same place, in the same standing, 89 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,120 with the same status as Christ himself. 90 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,160 You can approach the throne of grace 91 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,120 with confidence, with boldness, 92 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,480 so that you may receive mercy and find grace 93 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,280 to help you in your time of need. 94 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,180 Are you weary? 95 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,320 Are you burdened? 96 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,440 Are you stressed out? 97 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:00,440 Are you anxious? 98 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:01,280 Are you sick? 99 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:02,440 Are you depressed? 100 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:03,800 Are you hopeless? 101 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,120 Do you feel like a failure? 102 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,000 None of these things would be worthy attitudes 103 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,920 or demeanors to approach a deity, would they? 104 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:15,840 You better bring your best. 105 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,280 You better get all dressed up and look nice before you come. 106 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,920 And I don't wanna hear about any of your problems. 107 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:23,680 I want you to come and honor me. 108 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,900 That's your standard, classic deity. 109 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:30,840 But you know what Jesus says? 110 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:33,600 You know what's so radically different about the gospel? 111 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:35,400 Are you weary? 112 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:36,220 Are you burdened? 113 00:05:36,220 --> 00:05:37,060 Are you stressed out? 114 00:05:37,060 --> 00:05:37,900 Are you anxious? 115 00:05:37,900 --> 00:05:38,720 Are you depressed? 116 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:40,200 Do you feel like a failure? 117 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,220 Jesus says, come to me. 118 00:05:42,220 --> 00:05:44,600 Come to me, all you who are weary. 119 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,440 Come to me, you who are burdened. 120 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,280 Come to me, you who feel like a failure. 121 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,520 And I will give you rest. 122 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,200 C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite authors, 123 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,400 said, I pray because I can't help myself. 124 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,560 I pray because I'm helpless. 125 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,760 I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, 126 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:15,200 waking and sleeping. 127 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,000 It doesn't change God, it changes me. 128 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,360 We're gonna be spending October and November 129 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:28,360 looking at the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter six. 130 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,520 But before we get to the model for prayer 131 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,040 that Jesus lays out for us, we must first examine 132 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:35,880 the heart of Jesus. 133 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:37,840 We must first examine the heart. 134 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,960 And if you've been on this journey with us 135 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,580 through Matthew or you know anything about Matthew, 136 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:47,280 that's where Jesus has been looking a lot. 137 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,520 Is not on the externals, but at the heart of the matter. 138 00:06:52,500 --> 00:06:55,440 Matthew chapter six, beginning in verse five, 139 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,520 Jesus said, whenever you pray, you must not be like 140 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,480 the hypocrites because they pray, they love to pray, 141 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,240 standing in the synagogues and on the street corners 142 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,240 to be seen by people, truly I tell you, 143 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,580 they have their reward. 144 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,000 So Jesus begins by saying, whenever you pray, 145 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:18,760 and then you could stop right there 146 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,940 before that comment is, whenever you pray. 147 00:07:20,940 --> 00:07:24,560 So whatever comes next is for you, the believer, 148 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:29,560 every time you pray, you need to listen to what comes next. 149 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:30,720 What comes next is important. 150 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,380 When we as disciples of Christ get to prayer, 151 00:07:33,380 --> 00:07:35,160 there is a way that is acceptable 152 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,000 and there is a way that is not. 153 00:07:39,100 --> 00:07:43,600 And he says, you must not be like who? 154 00:07:44,940 --> 00:07:46,960 The hypocrites. 155 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:51,640 Hypocrites is this idea of play actors, stage actors. 156 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:53,760 Oftentimes they would put a mask on to take on 157 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,920 this superficial appearance of a thing or a person. 158 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:59,460 Not who they really were, 159 00:07:59,460 --> 00:08:03,600 just who they were pretending to be. 160 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,880 And so he said, you must not be like the hypocrites, 161 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:08,040 they love to pray. 162 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:09,600 Now if you stopped right there, you would say, 163 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,280 well there's nothing wrong with that, loving to pray, 164 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,080 that sounds great. 165 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,280 Oh, they love to pray standing in the synagogues 166 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,160 and on the street corners. 167 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,040 So is Jesus condemning public prayer? 168 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:24,560 No, not at all. 169 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,960 When we see the street corner listed here, 170 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:29,720 I don't know about you, but I often think about that, 171 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,000 obnoxious person preaching on the corner, 172 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,600 torturing everyone who walks by. 173 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,440 But that's not what's in mind here. 174 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,840 Prayer was an integral part of the Jewish way of life. 175 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,840 Praying three times a day was standard. 176 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,040 Reciting the Shema in the evening and the morning 177 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,680 was regular practice. 178 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:53,120 They would do this in the synagogues, 179 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,480 the synagogues were kind of their house of worship, 180 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,160 their place of teaching and study. 181 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,040 And this might take place on a corner of a street. 182 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,080 If a Jewish man was unable to make it to the synagogue 183 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,040 or temple, at the appointed time he might stop and pray. 184 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:10,600 So Jesus was not saying public prayer is the issue, 185 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,240 it's what comes next, right? 186 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,880 It's what comes next, it's not whenever you pray, 187 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:17,120 you must not be like the hypocrites 188 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,660 because they love to pray, standing in the synagogues 189 00:09:19,660 --> 00:09:22,800 and on the street corners to be seen by people. 190 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:26,720 To be seen by people, truly I tell you, 191 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,880 they have their reward. 192 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:33,560 Do you love to be noticed? 193 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,760 Do you love to be admired when you pray? 194 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,440 And some of you, your knee-jerk reaction is no, 195 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:45,880 actually I don't pray out loud 196 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:47,640 because I don't want to sound stupid. 197 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:51,320 I don't want to sound dumb so I just avoid praying. 198 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,080 I don't want to sound dumb so I just avoid 199 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,120 the whole practice all together. 200 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,560 And I would say in some ways you've fallen into 201 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:58,840 the same trap. 202 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,280 The root of pride is thinking more highly of yourself 203 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:06,720 or thinking on worthy thoughts, 204 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,480 that having a higher estimation of yourself 205 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,000 than you ought to have. 206 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,960 And humility isn't thinking less of yourself 207 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,000 but thinking of yourself less. 208 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,400 Not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. 209 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,520 So Jesus is saying that when you pray like the hypocrites, 210 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,520 you're not praying from a radiant, transformed inner life 211 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:30,920 but are instead putting on a mask 212 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,360 and pretending to be something you're not. 213 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,120 And it may or may not put on a great show for everyone else 214 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,960 but it does not impress God. 215 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,960 He isn't impressed with our play acting 216 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,720 as he reads our answers. 217 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,160 As he reads our anxious thoughts. 218 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,480 I wonder if they're impressed yet. 219 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,120 Did I just hear a quiet amen when I was praying? 220 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,720 Oh, oh, someone agrees with me. 221 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,640 Oh, my prayer's starting to connect. 222 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,200 I can feel people go, mm, mm, yeah, yeah, yeah. 223 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:12,280 I gotta get louder. 224 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:19,280 I gotta milk this prayer for all it's got. 225 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:24,280 Luke 18, there's a story of another look at me prayer. 226 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:29,600 A look at me prayer. 227 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,520 Hopefully none of us are look at me prayers 228 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:35,400 but there's an illustration that Jesus used 229 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:36,800 of a Pharisee and a tax collector 230 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,840 and he said this parable. 231 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:41,480 To some who trusted in themselves 232 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,000 that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else. 233 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,360 Two men went up to the temple to pray. 234 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,840 One a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 235 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:51,240 The Pharisee was standing and praying 236 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,000 like this about himself. 237 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,040 Praying like this about himself. 238 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,640 God, I thank you that I'm not like other people, 239 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,000 greedy, unrighteous adulterers 240 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,800 or even like this tax collector over here. 241 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:07,080 I fast twice a week. 242 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,600 I give a tenth of everything I get 243 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,440 but the tax collector standing far off 244 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,440 would not even raise his eyes to heaven 245 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,000 but kept striking his chest and saying, 246 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,360 God have mercy on me, a sinner. 247 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:28,920 I tell you, this one went down to his house justified 248 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:30,720 rather than the other because everyone 249 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,200 who exalts himself will be humbled 250 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,200 but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 251 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:42,200 Jesus in Matthew six is trying to show this very example. 252 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,000 There are two ways that you could approach him. 253 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,000 Look at me, look what I've brought. 254 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,800 Look at my words, the eloquence of my words. 255 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,200 Are you impressed, God? 256 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,200 I must impress you with all that I am and all that I say. 257 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,200 Or there's another way which is the way of the Lord. 258 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,800 Which is the way of the humble man who says, 259 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,920 I am coming and making a request of you 260 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:18,600 that you have no business, you have no business 261 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,800 giving into, you have no business bestowing on me. 262 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,080 I'm coming to you and asking for a sinner 263 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:26,880 that you would show mercy to me. 264 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:33,400 I'm coming, he stands out afar, he won't even go near 265 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:35,800 and he beats his chest. 266 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,080 He won't look up to heaven and says, 267 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,320 have mercy on me, a sinner. 268 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:47,960 And Jesus says, that's the man who walked away justified. 269 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,120 Not the other one. 270 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,240 You don't have to impress, God. 271 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,240 Your prayer isn't acceptable on the basis 272 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,760 of how impressive it is. 273 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,200 Back in Psalm 34, the verse we read, 274 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:09,120 the very next part, after the verse that we read earlier, 275 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,760 says that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted 276 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,280 that he saves the crushed in spirit. 277 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,360 So the Lord hears the righteous man's prayers 278 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,080 and he delivers him from all the trouble 279 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,000 and the very next thing he says 280 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,960 is he's near to the brokenhearted 281 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,320 and he saves the crushed in spirit. 282 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,720 He saves the humble. 283 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,680 That must have something to do with being righteous 284 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,480 in God's eyes as we stand in Christ's righteousness. 285 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,320 But verse six, but when you pray, 286 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,040 go into your private room, shut your door 287 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,880 and pray to your father who is in secret 288 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:52,880 and your father who sees in secret will reward you. 289 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,520 Do the inner work. 290 00:14:57,520 --> 00:14:58,720 Do the inner work. 291 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,720 Prayer is an inside out work, not an outside in. 292 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,160 Prayer is about communion with God, 293 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,640 fellowship, relationship with God. 294 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:16,120 Augustine said that prayer or true prayer 295 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,440 is nothing but love. 296 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,160 True prayer is nothing but love. 297 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,160 In fact, it's in the very language that Jesus said. 298 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,600 He said pray to your father, your father 299 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,360 who sees in secret will reward you. 300 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:36,000 It's that familial relational language, 301 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,040 how we're to relate to God. 302 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,480 Imagine there's two sources of light. 303 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,200 The first is that glow in the dark paint. 304 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,120 For some strange reason in our bathroom at our home, 305 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,080 we moved in and it wasn't until we turned off the lights 306 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:56,360 in the bathroom one evening that we realized 307 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,920 that someone had slathered the entire vanity mirror 308 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,240 surround with glow in the dark paint. 309 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,200 And so it's just like shining off the walls at you 310 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,480 and kind of splotchy looking and we're like, 311 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,160 what on earth? 312 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:12,560 You've probably seen it on a kid's toy 313 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:13,840 or maybe on those little stars 314 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,240 that people will stick on the ceiling. 315 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,240 The paint looks impressive in the dark, 316 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,880 but only for a little while, right? 317 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,400 The glow is entirely dependent on how much external light 318 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:27,360 it has absorbed. 319 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,240 It gets charged by whatever light hits it, 320 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,000 but eventually it fades as it gives off that energy. 321 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,320 Its radiance isn't really from within, 322 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,000 but it's something that's borrowed from another source. 323 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,640 And once that light is gone, the glow quickly diminishes. 324 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,840 It's an external show, it's bright at first 325 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:53,560 and then it fades because it lacks true sustained energy. 326 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,640 On the flip side, imagine a massive power 327 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:02,480 of a nuclear reactor generating light and energy, 328 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,560 not borrowed from an external source, 329 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,040 but releasing the power from within. 330 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,000 This type of energy is continuous and far more powerful 331 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,200 because it comes from deep inside. 332 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,920 It's sustained radiance, a light that doesn't flicker out 333 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,200 when the outside conditions change. 334 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,480 It is consistent and enduring. 335 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,040 And this is the difference between the kind of light 336 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,520 the hypocrites in Matthew six project versus the genuine 337 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,880 light that comes from communion with God. 338 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,800 The hypocrites are like glow in the dark paint, 339 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:39,720 publicly seeking attention and praise for their prayers, 340 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,720 feeding off external validation. 341 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,640 They shine for a moment when the spotlight is on them, 342 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,480 but their light is quickly fades 343 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:50,440 when they are not being seen. 344 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,920 Their prayers are fueled by the attention of others 345 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:56,680 and without the external light, 346 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,320 there is nothing left to sustain them. 347 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:04,840 But in contrast, the kind of inner life of prayer 348 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:09,200 that Jesus calls us into is like that nuclear powered energy. 349 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,360 It's deep and internal and powerful. 350 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,680 True prayer is not about what others see 351 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,120 or about borrowing light from the outside. 352 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:21,480 It's about cultivating an interior life with God. 353 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,640 It's about going into the secret place of your heart 354 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,400 and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within. 355 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,240 This produces a light that spills out naturally 356 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:36,320 even when no one is watching and it's not dependent 357 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,840 on the fleeting praises of others. 358 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:43,840 Some people are bound up like glow in the dark paint. 359 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,720 They only shine when they're praised 360 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:48,080 and it may not be about prayer, 361 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,760 it may be about anything in the Christian walk. 362 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:52,680 Did I do good? 363 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,360 Can you make me shine a little bit more? 364 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:57,440 I'm feeling dim. 365 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,720 The life that Jesus is saying is not outside in, 366 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:02,560 but inside out. 367 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:06,760 It's the life of God at work within the believer 368 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,320 that begins to radiate and this kind of radiance 369 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,200 is fueled by that authentic relationship with God. 370 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,840 It's consistent and sustaining 371 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,440 and a source of life and life change. 372 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,360 Another theologian said that prayer doesn't change God, 373 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:25,680 it changes us. 374 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,360 It deepens our fellowship with the Father 375 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:32,280 and helps us align our desires with his will. 376 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,960 I think that's often missed when we study prayer 377 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:40,960 we think about prayer as me going 378 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,560 to the great piggy bank in the sky 379 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,120 or the big vending machine in the sky 380 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:47,920 and popping my quarters in 381 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,920 and hoping God dispenses the goodies that I want. 382 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,880 But how many of us go to prayer and think and realize 383 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,960 that it's actually about fellowship with the Father 384 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,440 and aligning my will with his. 385 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,320 Aligning my will with his and fellowship with his 386 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:06,760 and fellowship with him. 387 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,480 That's the essence of prayer. 388 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:14,520 As we'll see in when we unfold the Lord's prayer. 389 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,400 And you can see that if that is true, 390 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,680 that it's about fellowship and aligning our desires 391 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,720 with his will, then this is absolutely vital 392 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,920 to the Christian life. 393 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,240 No substitute. 394 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:28,960 How could we even live out the Christian life 395 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,360 without a vibrant radiant life of prayer? 396 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:33,520 Is it even possible? 397 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,040 Martin Luther didn't seem to think so. 398 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:40,240 It's as essential as air is to being alive. 399 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:46,280 Then Jesus gives another example of what kind of prayer 400 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:48,120 is not acceptable to God. 401 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,560 In verse seven he said, when you pray, 402 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,120 don't babble like the Gentiles, 403 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:57,960 since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. 404 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,160 Don't be like them because your Father knows 405 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,680 the things you need before you ask him. 406 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:10,480 Do you babble empty-phrased token prayers? 407 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:12,880 In this passage, if you're not familiar 408 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,160 with the term Gentiles, Gentiles refers 409 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,240 to the pagan, unbelieving nations around Israel. 410 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,240 They didn't pray to their deity 411 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,120 for fellowship with their deity. 412 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,480 They prayed to their deity for favors. 413 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,080 They didn't pray for fellowship to grow 414 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,560 in relationship with Dagon. 415 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,920 They prayed to Dagon to get favors from Dagon, 416 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,200 better crops, prosperity. 417 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,000 They would say these endless mantras and incantations 418 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,400 said in perfect order, you had to say them just right, 419 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,360 and repeated ad nauseum until they could finally 420 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:51,800 get through to their deity. 421 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:54,920 The prayers of the Gentiles. 422 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:59,920 I'll tell you, never have empty-phrased rote prayers 423 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,120 been ever more on display than for some folks 424 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:06,160 before they enjoy a good meal. 425 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,080 I think we need to sprinkle this meal 426 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:15,000 with a little prayer sprinkle to make sure 427 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,840 we don't choke on the chicken, 428 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,640 and to make sure we get another meal after this, right? 429 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,320 Or if you got anyone in your family 430 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:25,120 you go to Thanksgiving pretty soon. 431 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:27,320 Wow, that's crazy, Thanksgiving is pretty soon. 432 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,040 Anyone know, no one who's in here, 433 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,200 but anyone know someone who, every year they try 434 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,840 to make turkey, and every year that turkey is like leather. 435 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,280 It's like, you know, you know what I mean? 436 00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,080 I may have had someone in my family 437 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:45,440 who could not make a turkey. 438 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,120 And so it's like, dear Lord, before I eat this shoe, 439 00:22:50,120 --> 00:22:52,160 please make sure I don't choke on it. 440 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:53,480 I don't choke on it. 441 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,760 Okay, that was a genuine prayer, not an insincere one. 442 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,760 No, but we do these rote prayers. 443 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:09,760 Dear Lord, thank you for this day, 444 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:10,600 and thank you for this food. 445 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:12,120 We pray you bless the door of our bodies in Jesus' name, 446 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:12,960 amen. 447 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:14,400 That's literally my prayer. 448 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,760 Like, again, I'm on this journey with you. 449 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:18,120 I've got it memorized, I've got it down, 450 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:20,720 I know what to pray before a meal. 451 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,200 But that's not fellowship with God. 452 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,000 That's not sitting with the Father and saying, 453 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,360 oh, look at all the blessings you have poured on me. 454 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:31,520 Looking around the table at the people you are with 455 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,880 and seeing them as gifts from God and giving thanks, 456 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,080 boasting in the Lord for all that you have. 457 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,640 It's, dear Lord, thank you for this food. 458 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:42,000 Amen. 459 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:44,080 Let's eat. 460 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:46,680 No fellowship with God. 461 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,600 Or maybe it's in a small group or a Bible study. 462 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,520 Have you ever been in that situation 463 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,280 where there's something in you that said, 464 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:53,240 we should pray? 465 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,080 But you didn't really, like, it wasn't really, 466 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:57,920 there was an impulse, 467 00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:59,560 but it wasn't really an impulse for fellowship. 468 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,040 It was like, somehow we've gotta sprinkle 469 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:05,080 that prayer stuff on this Bible study before we start, 470 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,280 otherwise we're not gonna get anything out of it. 471 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,800 That's praying like the Gentiles. 472 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,840 That's saying your mantra or your incantation 473 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:14,840 in the exact way to hope the deity hears you 474 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:16,400 and hope that he comes through for you, 475 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,120 to give you favor. 476 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:19,840 That's not fellowship. 477 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:21,640 That's not communion. 478 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:22,800 That's not relationship. 479 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,480 Imagine doing that with your spouse. 480 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:35,760 Many times these kind of prayers often flow from a heart 481 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,720 that doesn't fully believe that God is actually listening. 482 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:45,000 If you really believe God is listening and he is near, 483 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,560 would you talk to him that way? 484 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,120 Dear Lord, thank you for this food. 485 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:49,960 Thank you for this time. 486 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:52,400 Pray you bless everybody in Jesus' name, amen. 487 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:54,160 Would you talk to him that way? 488 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,480 Verse eight, your father knows the things you need 489 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,040 before you ask them. 490 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,360 Your father knows your needs. 491 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,840 You're not going to him to inform him of anything. 492 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,080 You're not going to him to inform him of your need. 493 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,760 You're not going to him to tell him about your bad day 494 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:15,600 or your depression, 495 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:17,920 and he's going, thank you so much for telling me. 496 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:18,760 I had no idea. 497 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:21,840 Jeez, that's rough. 498 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,440 No, he already knows. 499 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,320 He already knows, but he wants fellowship with you. 500 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,520 He wants you to tell. 501 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:34,160 He wants you to communicate. 502 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:39,160 He wants you to express how you feel in his presence. 503 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:44,160 And he wants you to learn to process all that 504 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,160 in the right way so that your desires and will 505 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,600 begin to align with his desires and will 506 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,520 so that you can start to see those circumstances and needs 507 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:59,520 in a whole different way, a transformed, radiant way. 508 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,600 The very things that for many people 509 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,280 become the darkness in their life, 510 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,240 the lack of shine in their life. 511 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,800 God, in proper relationship with God, in communion with God, 512 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,840 he can turn those to be the most radiant things 513 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,680 in your life. 514 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,000 The suffering that you went through, 515 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:15,520 the darkness that you went through 516 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,960 can become the brightest light of the gospel, 517 00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:21,680 shining through you as you give glory and honor to God 518 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,600 because you processed it properly in the presence of God 519 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,840 and your desires began to align with his 520 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:28,640 through fellowship and communion with him. 521 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,040 I don't see how a Christian could live without that. 522 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,760 He certainly would be settling for a lesser form. 523 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:39,760 You notice in the Lord's Prayer, we'll get to it 524 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,760 in a little bit, but your will be done comes before give us. 525 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,280 Remember that, your will be done comes before give us. 526 00:26:53,360 --> 00:26:56,360 I think a lot of people struggle with the thought of 527 00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:57,880 am I really being heard? 528 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:00,440 Is God hearing my prayers? 529 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,320 A YouTuber, a YouTuber, a YouTuber, 530 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:10,320 a YouTuber, a sociologist guy wanted to do a study. 531 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,280 He wanted to look at folks who had deconstructing 532 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,320 their faith, who were abandoning the faith 533 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,160 and walking away from Jesus. 534 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,120 And he wanted to see when they went out, 535 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,800 these are particularly YouTubers or celebrities, 536 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,200 when they went out and they did public interviews, 537 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,560 what were the common themes that he could find 538 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:31,840 between most of them, why they were walking away, 539 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:33,400 why they were deconstructing. 540 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,080 And he went into it thinking that the prevailing thought 541 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:37,880 was that they wanted to sin. 542 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,360 They had sins they wanted to do, God wouldn't allow it, 543 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:44,120 they needed to cut God off so they could go do the sinning. 544 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:44,960 Right? 545 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,440 And of course, we don't know the heart, 546 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,440 so we can't know for sure, and people represent 547 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:51,640 all kinds of things with their mouth, 548 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,400 but he did find it very interesting that after 549 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,520 doing the survey of those who had deconstructed, 550 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,920 what he found, the number one reason for them 551 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,520 was that they were deconstructing, leaving the faith 552 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,320 and cutting God off because of unanswered prayers. 553 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,040 For whatever idea or concept of prayer they had, 554 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,000 they had kept a list of all the times that God, 555 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,520 internal list, of all the times that God had not answered 556 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,000 their prayers, and this built up to a point where they said, 557 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,320 I don't have any need for a God who doesn't answer my prayers 558 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:23,680 the way that I want them to. 559 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:27,600 And what you have there is you have a will 560 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,240 that's not being submitted to the Lord 561 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,880 and not conformed to his desires and wills, 562 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,160 and then it's trying to interpret the very work of God 563 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,440 and the hand of God, trying to understand the wisdom 564 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:40,200 of God without the relationship with God, 565 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,640 and there's no way to do that. 566 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,640 You can't process the things you're going through 567 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:46,880 or the pains that you have or the hurts 568 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,080 or the blind spots or the darkness in your life, 569 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,920 be it depression or feeling like a failure, 570 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,840 you can't process those properly unless you have 571 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,040 fellowship with God, and you can't have fellowship 572 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:04,040 with God unless you pray, and you can't pray 573 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,040 like the Gentiles, that's not fellowship, 574 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,480 and you can't pray like the hypocrites, 575 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,280 that's not fellowship, there's a way to pray 576 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:16,800 that draws you in and changes everything. 577 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,280 Gentiles pray to an unknown and unknowable God. 578 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:28,080 Christians pray to a Father. 579 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,640 And Jesus focuses us in on this in this passage here. 580 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:36,920 Timothy Keller once made this observation of this passage, 581 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,360 he said, the litmus test for whether or not 582 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,800 you are a spiritual hypocrite or not, 583 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,960 the litmus test for whether you are a hypocritical Christian, 584 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,480 Jesus does not jump to whether or not 585 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,480 you're sexually promiscuous. 586 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,640 So some of us would go, if you're sexually promiscuous, 587 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:53,560 that means you're a hypocrite, right there, 588 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,480 that's the one, you cross that boundary, 589 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,840 you're definitely a hypocrite. 590 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,640 But Jesus doesn't jump to sexual promiscuity, 591 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,320 he doesn't jump to theft, he doesn't jump to murder, 592 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:06,280 he says the litmus test for whether or not 593 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,680 you're a spiritual hypocrite or not is your prayer life. 594 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:12,640 It's your prayer life. 595 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,920 And he says, because it's the only part of your relationship 596 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,600 with God that is completely private. 597 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,920 Sure, it finds its way out, but it starts here. 598 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:26,720 And I know, that's a heavy word, 599 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:28,680 it was a heavy word for me to hear. 600 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,120 It's like, oh, spiritual hypocrite. 601 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,680 God's inviting us into something else. 602 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,360 He's inviting us into that fellowship and relationship, 603 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,200 and it takes knowing where you're at 604 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,400 for you to be able to begin to know where to go. 605 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,720 For you to be able to begin to know where to go. 606 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:52,760 So how should we pray? 607 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,280 I'm closing with this. 608 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,160 Jesus gives us a model in the Lord's Prayer, 609 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,400 I'll have the worship team come on up while I'm doing this. 610 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,800 Jesus gives us a model in the Lord's Prayer. 611 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:09,200 The Lord's Prayer is a pattern, not a performance. 612 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:10,480 Everyone say pattern. 613 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:11,320 Pattern. 614 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:13,000 Not a performance. 615 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:15,080 This is going to be important. 616 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,760 We're going to say the Lord's Prayer eight times, 617 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,920 we did one today and seven more in the coming weeks, 618 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,880 in order to get that pattern driven into our hearts 619 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:25,400 so we begin to understand it. 620 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,920 But you have to know that it's a pattern, not a performance. 621 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:30,800 The Lord's Prayer could easily become 622 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,440 one of those Gentile prayers. 623 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:35,720 Where if I say the Lord's Prayer and I walk out the door, 624 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:38,120 my day is good, I had my communion with God. 625 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,360 I asked him for his favor to give me the things that I need, 626 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:45,800 and he made me feel better so I don't need God anymore. 627 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,960 The Lord's Prayer is an invitation into a pattern 628 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,800 of thinking and a pattern of relating to God 629 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:51,920 that we all need. 630 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:53,560 It's a pattern, not a performance. 631 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:57,400 And Jesus teaches us that prayer is acceptable to God 632 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,760 when and only when our attitudes, our thoughts, 633 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,200 and our desires expressed fit the pattern. 634 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,440 When our attitudes and our thoughts and our desires 635 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:13,080 expressed fit the pattern, then they're acceptable to the Lord. 636 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,840 There's prayer forms that are not acceptable 637 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:20,680 and there's attitudes and thoughts and desires 638 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:22,240 that can conform to a pattern 639 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,240 that is pleasing and acceptable to God the Father. 640 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,120 The scholar N.T. Wright said, 641 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,160 the point of the Lord's Prayer is not just 642 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:33,520 that we should say it, 643 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,240 but that we should learn it as the language 644 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:38,920 of our heart and life. 645 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:44,640 That's our goal, to learn it as the language 646 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,840 of our heart and life. 647 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,920 We're going to be breaking down this pattern, 648 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:52,880 phrase by phrase, sometimes word by word, 649 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,560 over the next seven weeks. 650 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:57,600 And so I'll close this question. 651 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,440 Are you ready to come to Jesus as the disciples did 652 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:07,000 in the Luke version of the Lord's Prayer, 653 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,520 the disciples come to Jesus and they ask Him something. 654 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,880 They say, Lord, teach us how to pray. 655 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,640 Everyone say, Lord, teach us how to pray. 656 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,120 That's a great prayer. 657 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,880 Lord, teach us how to pray. 658 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:35,600 And the Lord taught them this pattern and model 659 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:37,000 we call the Lord's Prayer.