1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,960 It's another great day to be gathered in the Lord's house 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:09,560 together. So thank you guys for being 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:11,360 here. If you have your Bible, you can 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,360 open it to Matthew chapter 6. That's where we'll begin this 5 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,040 morning. We'll be in six verses, 5 6 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,400 through 15 today. So if you're visiting today, 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,640 we're continuing in a sermon series that we began several 8 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,200 weeks ago in which we've called the King and his Kingdom. 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:31,840 It's a study of the book of Matthew. 10 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,840 And so Matthew 6, five through 15 is our text this morning. 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,320 Now we're in the middle of the sermon on the mounts, right? 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,320 This is Jesus's teaching, and what he's doing is he's showing 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,320 his disciples, teaching his disciples and those who have 14 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,920 gathered around what it looks like to live under his gracious 15 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,200 rule. All right, He's not merely 16 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:55,520 concerned. One of the things he's going to 17 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,760 show us throughout the sermon is he's not merely concerned with 18 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,480 outward morality, all right? Some of those things we deeply 19 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,040 concern ourselves with is how do I look outwardly? 20 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,440 Do I appear righteous? Do I appear religious? 21 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,120 Right. But he's, he's not concerned 22 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,160 about outward morality. He's not concerned about your 23 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,320 religious appearance. He's not even concerned about 24 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:21,200 external conformity, right? Again, do I, do I go to church? 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,600 Do I sing the songs? Do I pray the prayers, do I 26 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,240 participate? Do I identify myself as a 27 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,240 Christian or as someone who believes in God? 28 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:33,480 Those outward, those external conformities are not what's most 29 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,400 important to Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, right? 30 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,240 What he is after, He's made that very clear so far. 31 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,240 He is after the heart, right? He's after the heart of the man. 32 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,080 He's after the heart of the woman, right? 33 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,360 He's describing in the Sermon on the Mount the kind of 34 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:56,360 righteousness that belongs to those who belong to the Kingdom 35 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,920 of heaven, right? He's describing the 36 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:03,560 righteousness of his people. And so as we come to chapter 6, 37 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,840 Jesus turns now to acts of devotion, right? 38 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,039 He we're going to see today, we're going to look at prayer, 39 00:02:11,039 --> 00:02:14,120 but in these acts of devotion, we'll see giving prayer, 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:19,800 fasting. And in each case he is warning 41 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,440 very, very bluntly. He's warning about the danger of 42 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,880 hypocrisy. All right? 43 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:34,040 He shows us that it's possible to do religious things while 44 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,320 having a heart that is actually far from God. 45 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,080 It's possible to do things for the praise of men rather than 46 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,000 for the glory of the Lord. And so in our passage today, 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,960 we're focusing on prayer and on Easter, right? 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:55,960 That that idea of prayer and the teaching on prayer here could 49 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,920 hardly be more fitting. But because the resurrection of 50 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,840 Jesus Christ is not merely proof that he conquered death, it is 51 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:06,200 that. But it's not merely that. 52 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,560 It's not only that. It's the triumphant declaration 53 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:14,760 that Christ's saving work has been accepted and his sin, and 54 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,480 our sin has been paid for, that righteousness has been secured, 55 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:24,720 and that through Christ sinners may be brought near to God. 56 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,120 Amen. That's why we can sing a song so 57 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,360 loudly. I know that my Redeemer. 58 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,160 Lives. It's redeemed us. 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:40,240 And so prayer is the privilege of those who have been welcomed 60 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,480 into fellowship with the Father through the Son. 61 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,880 It's a privilege of ours that the risen Christ opens the way 62 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,560 to the Father. And so because he lives, because 63 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:58,040 Christ lives, you and I may come, Amen, when they come. 64 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:00,560 So with that in mind, would you please stand and honor the 65 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,640 reading of God's Word? If you're able, we're going to 66 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,240 read Matthew 6 again, verses 5 through 15. 67 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,560 That's Christ speaking, Christ says. 68 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:15,440 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they 69 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,200 love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street 70 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,160 corners that they may be seen by others. 71 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,920 Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 72 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:31,960 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door, and pray 73 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,480 to your Father who is in secrets, and your Father who 74 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:40,680 sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap 75 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,520 up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they 76 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,040 will be heard for their many words. 77 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,640 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need 78 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,720 before you ask him. Pray to Him like this. 79 00:04:55,760 --> 00:05:01,520 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come, 80 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,160 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 81 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,280 Give us this day Our Daily Bread, and forgive us our debts, 82 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,440 as we also have forgiven our debtors. 83 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,920 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 84 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,680 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father 85 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,240 will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others 86 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,960 their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your 87 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,880 trespasses. This is the word of the Lord. 88 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:34,080 Thank you be to God. Let's pray. 89 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:39,880 Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of prayer, God. 90 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:44,680 We thank you that because Christ died and rose again, we have 91 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,880 been welcomed. We have been reconciled to you. 92 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:53,640 Oh God. Many of us in here have the 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:58,720 story of redemption as our own, that we were once far from you, 94 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:04,320 we were once rebels to your cause, and yet in your grace and 95 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,160 your mercy, your love, you have brought us near through Christ. 96 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,320 And so, Father, we, it is a joy to join with the Saints this 97 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,200 morning, to worship your great name, to exalt your name above 98 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,720 all. And Father, we ask that you 99 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,440 would help us as we walk through the sermon today, that you would 100 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:28,920 help us not be like hypocrites, not not be the kind of people 101 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,920 who want to practice righteousness that we may be 102 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,680 seen, but rather. Help us to be sincere in our 103 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:40,400 devotion to You, O Lord, would you make us holy where we are 104 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,960 not holy? Would you call us to repentance 105 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:48,600 where we need to repent? God, would you save anyone here 106 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,720 today who does not know you? Lord, we pray that your word 107 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,760 would go forth, that it would bear good fruit in our hearts 108 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,080 today. Would you do this by your 109 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,240 spirits? It's in the name of Christ I 110 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:00,520 pray. Amen. 111 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:02,520 Amen. You may be seated. 112 00:07:09,230 --> 00:07:13,070 So growing up in the Bible Belt, living in the Bible Belt, you 113 00:07:13,070 --> 00:07:15,270 know some of these things to be true, right? 114 00:07:15,270 --> 00:07:22,520 Like there is a kind of religion that looks alive, but it's 115 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,640 actually dead, right? It it says the right words. 116 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,600 It, it knows the right moments. It, it can perform in public, 117 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:33,640 right? It can show up in public worship 118 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,400 and and look like all the other worshippers. 119 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,400 It can impress a crowd, right? Others around you may say it's a 120 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:45,880 really good person. It can even sound spiritual. 121 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,240 It can know the jargon and the lingo, but but it has no real 122 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,280 communion with God. The heart is wayward. 123 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,240 It's desperately seeking its own way. 124 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,960 And Jesus is exposing that kind of religious practice. 125 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:09,040 In this text today, He shows us that prayer is not to be used as 126 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,280 a stage for human applause. We don't pray before others. 127 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,600 We don't stand on the street corners and utter our prayers. 128 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:18,480 We don't stand in church and utter our prayers that others 129 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,840 might see us right. He shows us also that prayer is 130 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:27,840 not a string of empty words designed to impress, right. 131 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:29,720 We're not. We're not just muttering a bunch 132 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,919 of things to the Lord trying to impress those around us. 133 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:37,679 What Christ shows us here is that prayer is communion with 134 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,360 God. It's fellowship with. 135 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:44,039 God. Prayer is the language of 136 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,440 children who have been welcomed by grace. 137 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:52,840 It's the way we relate to God. And so if Christ were still in 138 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:57,360 the grave, then there would be no welcome into the Father's 139 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,480 presence, right? We would still stand on our own. 140 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,440 We would stand on our own unrighteousness. 141 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,840 We would stand apart from God, far from Him, unsaved, 142 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:13,120 unredeemed, unreconciled. If Christ had not risen, there 143 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,240 would be no access to the Lord. There would be no peace. 144 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:19,320 There would be no reconciliation, no confidence to 145 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:27,240 draw near, as Hebrews says. But that's not the case, is it? 146 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:33,280 Christ has risen. That the tomb is empty, the 147 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:38,240 sacrifice has been accepted, the Son has conquered death. 148 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:43,240 And now all who trust in Christ may come to the Father. 149 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,760 They're welcome to him. And that's the heart of this 150 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,440 passage. That's the heart of Easter 151 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:51,840 celebrations, right? That. 152 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,640 And so here's kind of the the main point of the passage this 153 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,120 morning. If you're taking notes, you can 154 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,680 write this down. It's in your worship. 155 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:01,800 God is a fill in the blank. If you want to take it there, 156 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:05,880 you can. The risen Christ opens the way 157 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:10,360 to the Father, teaching his people to pray with sincerity, 158 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,840 Kingdom focus, and forgiving hearts. 159 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,920 The risen Christ opens the way to the Father teaching His 160 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,240 people to pray with sincerity, Kingdom focus, and forgiving 161 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:28,120 hearts. And we're going to see this 162 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:35,520 movement in three parts. So #1 pray to the Father not for 163 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,680 the praise of men. Pray to the Father not for the 164 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:42,240 praise of men. Jesus begins this passage with 165 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,000 this warning. And when you pray, you must not 166 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,960 be like the hypocrites. Now, now, immediately we should 167 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:55,760 notice not the word hypocrites, but the word win, right? 168 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,240 Hypocrites probably jumps off the page, but you should see the 169 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:04,400 word when when you pray. He does not say if you pray. 170 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,240 Jesus is assuming here that his people will be the kind of 171 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:14,840 people who pray, right, who practice prayer, right? 172 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,080 He says when you pray. So prayer is not optional for 173 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,840 the disciple. It's not optional for the 174 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,680 Christian life. It's not an extra thing for 175 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:28,160 those who are especially mature, those prayer warriors, as you 176 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:30,720 may have heard them called at some point in your life. 177 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,840 Prayer is not even reserved only for pastors or missionaries or 178 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:39,040 those especially disciplined believers. 179 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:44,400 Prayer is basic to the life of a disciple, right? 180 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,320 It's an invitation for. US. 181 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,480 But it's also a. Command when you pray. 182 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,280 So to belong to Christ is to be taught to pray. 183 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,880 It's to learn to pray, it's to have a life of prayer. 184 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:03,680 But but Jesus is concerned not only that his people pray, but 185 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:06,200 that they pray rightly. There is a right way to pray. 186 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:07,840 There's a wrong way to pray, right? 187 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,160 He, he says you must not be like the hypocrites when you pray. 188 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,040 So the issue here is not public prayer itself. 189 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,280 It's we know that the Bible contains public prayers. 190 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,480 Jesus himself prayed publicly, right? 191 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,760 We see public prayers throughout the Scriptures. 192 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,360 We've experienced public prayers throughout our lives. 193 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:31,280 If you've been in church. So the problem is not where they 194 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,480 are praying. The problem is why they are 195 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,640 praying, right? The the the hypocrites were 196 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,440 those who love to stand in the way of the largest crowds. 197 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,200 They they love to pray in the synagogues and on the street 198 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,320 corners. Their their audience was not 199 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:51,920 God. Their audience was man. 200 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:57,960 Now, you may already know this, but if you don't hear something 201 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,560 to know the word hypocrite originally refers to someone 202 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:06,480 who's an actor, right? It it's someone particularly 203 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:07,800 who's. Wearing a mask all. 204 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,040 Right. Somebody who's put on a mask, 205 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,280 you may think of theater, right? And having to wear a mask or 206 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,280 wear certain makeup to make you look a certain way. 207 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,360 That's the idea of a hypocrite. It's not who you are, but you're 208 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,200 made to look that way. And in hypocrisy, what we're 209 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,880 doing is we're showing that it's not really who we are inside, 210 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,960 but outwardly we're trying to appear a certain way, right? 211 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:37,560 We're playing a role, and that's exactly what these men were 212 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,440 guilty of doing. They were performing their 213 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:45,120 spirituality to be seen. They were acting out devotion. 214 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,840 They weren't truly devoted, right? 215 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,480 They were putting on a public show of godliness. 216 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,960 And so prayer had become religious theater for them. 217 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,320 And so Jesus says something very sobering about that. 218 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:08,080 He says, truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 219 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:13,600 So in other words, the applause of man, the people who look at 220 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,000 them and say, look how spiritual they are, look how religious 221 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,680 they are, look how dutiful they are, that that was all they were 222 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:25,320 ever going to get right. They, they wanted to be seen. 223 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,600 And so they were seen. They they wanted the admiration 224 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:35,320 and they probably received admiration, but but that was the 225 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:40,520 full extent of their reward. And when the God of heaven and 226 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:46,240 earth offers to you heaven and earth and all that's therein in 227 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:53,200 Christ, why would we settle merely for the applause of man? 228 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:00,240 CS Lewis would say that's like eating mud plot mud pies. 229 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,080 It's like playing with mud pies when you're offered a holiday. 230 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:10,080 At the sea. And so they may gain the praise 231 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,240 of men, but they do not have the reward of the Father. 232 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,400 And so that's a frightening thing for us to consider, But 233 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:23,080 because it means you can do what appears to be a godly act, right 234 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:29,320 and still have no pleasure from God in it because the heart was 235 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:35,440 aimed the wrong direction. Then Jesus gives this contrast 236 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,880 in verse 6. He says, but when you pray, go 237 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:42,840 into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is 238 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:47,120 in secret. Now Jesus is not laying an 239 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,400 absolute law that all prayer must happen in private and 240 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,840 indoors. Rather, he's teaching that real 241 00:15:55,840 --> 00:16:00,280 prayer is concerned with God, not display right, that the 242 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,280 point is secrets. The point is sincerity, the 243 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:10,680 point is godwardness, right? So shut the door, strip away the 244 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,480 audience, remove the platform, come before God himself. 245 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:20,880 And when Jesus says pray to your Father who is in secret and your 246 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,840 Father who sees in secret will reward you, well, that little 247 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:31,120 phrase, your father should be full of comfort for us, right? 248 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,080 Brothers and sisters, this is not natural language for 249 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:38,880 sinners, right? By nature God is our creator, 250 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,920 and by nature God is our judge. But because of our sin, we are 251 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:50,320 estranged from him. We're estranged because we are 252 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:55,640 rebels, not sons, right? We are guilty of sin, and so we 253 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,640 are not welcome. Sin has separated us from God. 254 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:06,240 Our guilt cries out against us. Our consciences condemn us. 255 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:10,200 Our mouths ought to be stopped before the holy throne. 256 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:19,319 And yet Jesus says. Your Father, Your father. 257 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:26,440 Now how can that be? That's only because of Christ. 258 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,800 You see Jesus Christ live the righteous life that we have not 259 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:33,880 lived. He died the death that we 260 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,880 deserve to die. He bore the wrath of God against 261 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:41,520 sin in the place of sinners, and on the third day he rose from 262 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:46,120 the dead in power and victory. And so his resurrection declares 263 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,040 that the payment for sin has been fully accepted. 264 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:57,360 The debt has been cancelled, but the curse has been broken. 265 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,640 That the risen Christ opens the way to the Father. 266 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,960 And So what that means is that those of you who are in Christ, 267 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,520 you are Christians. You're believers in the Lord 268 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,680 Jesus Christ. You've repented of your sins and 269 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,080 placed your faith in Him, and you're you're walking with the 270 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:18,920 Lord. What this means for you is that 271 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:25,840 you don't come to the Father as a stranger seeking an audience. 272 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:35,760 You you do not pray as a condemned criminal trying to 273 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:42,000 talk your way into mercy. You did not even pray as an 274 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,600 orphan, right? Hoping that someone might hear 275 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,760 you, Someone might recognize. You. 276 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:56,160 Christians pray as a child, a child who's been brought near 277 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,720 through the blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, a 278 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,080 child who is now a son. And we cry ABBA. 279 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:07,120 Father Hebrews says that we have confidence to enter the holy 280 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:12,440 places by the blood of Jesus. Paul says that through Christ we 281 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:17,680 have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now 282 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,360 stand. And in Galatians, Paul says 283 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:27,440 again that we are sons, but God has sent his Spirit, sorry, the 284 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:32,480 Spirit of his Son, into our hearts, crying ABBA Father. 285 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:38,880 So prayer is a resurrection grounded privilege. 286 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,280 Then Jesus offers another warning in verse 7. 287 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:51,160 And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles 288 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:57,440 do. Of the Gentiles were godless 289 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,200 people, I shouldn't necessarily say they were godless. 290 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,080 They had many gods was the problem. 291 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:06,120 But they did not know the true God. 292 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,440 And some of the Gentiles would call out to their God. 293 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,640 They would use as many words as they could. 294 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:15,040 They thought that their God would hear them for their many 295 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,960 words. They they treated prayer as if 296 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:23,120 it were a magical formula. They they thought quantity. 297 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:29,320 Would produce power. They thought repetition created 298 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,040 effectiveness. We'll just say the same thing 299 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,160 over and over and over, and this will make it effective. 300 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:41,080 You see, they thought they could manipulate their gods somehow 301 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:46,680 into action. But the true and living God is 302 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,560 not like a dead Pagan God. Amen. 303 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:59,320 Our God is not ignorant. Our God is not distant from us. 304 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:05,600 He's not reluctant to hear you. He's not moved by verbal 305 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:10,400 manipulation either. And so Jesus says, do not be 306 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:12,880 like them. And then he says, for your 307 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,840 Father knows what you need before you ask him. 308 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,280 And that might make some of you think, well, why pray? 309 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,000 Well, Christ says when you pray, don't think you would say when 310 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,120 you pray and then later say, the Father knows what you need 311 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,440 before you ask as a reason not to pray. 312 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:38,160 All right, so we understand, we should pray. 313 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:42,480 We understand that this phrase here, that the Father knows what 314 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,400 you need before you ask Him, cannot make, cannot be making 315 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:51,600 prayer unnecessary. But what it does is it makes 316 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:56,880 prayer glorious. It makes it glorious, it makes 317 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:01,720 it high, it makes it unlike any other thing on earth that we can 318 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,640 do. You see, prayer is not about 319 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,160 informing God of what He does not know. 320 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:13,600 He knows all things. Prayer is not about convincing 321 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,680 God to care for you. He sent his son to die for you 322 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:19,200 because of his great love for you. 323 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,480 Prayer is not about. Pressuring God to listen as if 324 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:30,000 he's busy with other knees. No, God is omnipotence. 325 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:32,800 He's all powerful. He's sovereign. 326 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:39,120 He's not distracted. He's not away on a vacation. 327 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:48,960 Prayer is becoming the child who draws near to the Father, who 328 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,560 already knows, who already sees, who already cares, who already. 329 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:57,040 Invites us to come as a. Father if you are a father. 330 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:04,360 Is it not one of the most humbling, beautiful things when 331 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:11,600 your child comes to you in need of something, knowing that you 332 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:18,680 can provide it is. It's a humbling thing. 333 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:22,000 It's a it's a precious thing to know that your child loves you 334 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:28,160 enough, trust you enough, knows that you care enough to want to 335 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,960 hear their need, that you might answer it. 336 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,280 And so you might. See why John Calvin called 337 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:41,960 prayer the chief exercise of faith and prayer. 338 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,440 We're not performing for men. We are depending on God. 339 00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:49,760 We, we are expressing trust in our Father through the son. 340 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:52,960 And that means that prayer must never become a matter of 341 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,680 religious image management, right? 342 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,520 We, we, we must not use prayer to look spiritual. 343 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:04,280 We, we must not use prayer to cultivate a reputation. 344 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:06,560 I'll ask brother so and so to pray. 345 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:15,800 He he does really great. You and I as Christians must not 346 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:22,360 measure prayerfulness by eloquence or Polish or length. 347 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:30,240 Some of the most genuine prayers on earth are tearful, broken, 348 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:36,240 and simple. Let you into my life for just a 349 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:42,400 second. After Winnie passed in 2022, I 350 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:47,680 was just. Grief stricken my my heart ached 351 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:53,240 in a way that I had never felt. I felt I, I, I knew an ache in 352 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:57,600 my chest that I thought would never leave me. 353 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:06,040 And and and there would be times in the weeks after, months after 354 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:08,120 where that. Ache would go. 355 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,240 Away. And then it would rush on in a 356 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:18,600 moment. It's a thought, a missing you 357 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:25,040 kind of thing, replaying the images and the events of what 358 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:33,640 happened that night. And I remember in those moments 359 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,320 that. All I could get out. 360 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:43,080 Was Lord help me. Through tears, through 361 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,480 brokenness, through pain, it was all I could muster, Lord. 362 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:52,600 Help me. You want to know how helpful my 363 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,680 conscience was in that moment, how helpful all my knowledge of 364 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:59,400 prayer was in that moment. It was not helpful at all. 365 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:06,600 The enemy came to me and accused me in those prayers that those 366 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,560 aren't good enough. That's not deep enough, that's 367 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,400 not strong enough, it's not wordy enough. 368 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,840 How's that going to help you? That led me into a study of 369 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:21,280 prayer in the Scriptures. Where are all the times we see 370 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,800 men praying to God? Lord, help me. 371 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:30,640 Or something similar. It's a lot. 372 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,360 I found great comfort in that. It was all I could muster, 373 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:43,920 right? So it's about the heart that the 374 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:48,840 Father is not impressed by polished phrases if the heart is 375 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:53,240 cold, right? He, he delights in truth, in the 376 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:59,040 inward being. And so when you pray, you have 377 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,800 to consider, who is my audience? Who am I talking to? 378 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:06,280 Even even in public prayer? Are you speaking to God or are 379 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,160 you speaking to the room right? Even in private prayer? 380 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:14,560 Are you sincere from the hearts or are you merely going through 381 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:19,360 the motions right? Are are your prayers living 382 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:22,880 communion with the Lord or are they dead religious habits? 383 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:31,000 We can press that even further and, and we should, right? 384 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,720 Some believers struggle to pray, not because they do not know 385 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,720 they should, but because they feel unworthy to come to God, 386 00:27:44,220 --> 00:27:47,860 right? They know their sin, they know 387 00:27:47,860 --> 00:27:51,420 their offenses against the Lord. They feel the dullness of their 388 00:27:51,420 --> 00:27:53,180 hearts. They see their own 389 00:27:53,180 --> 00:27:58,020 inconsistencies, and so they shrink. 390 00:27:58,060 --> 00:28:04,240 Back. From God the enemy is accusing 391 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:10,880 them as well, is he not? And so I want to speak to you. 392 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:12,560 If that's you, I want you to know this. 393 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:17,960 You're welcome with the Father does not rest on the strength of 394 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:23,840 your prayer life. It doesn't rest on the words 395 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,440 that you mutter doesn't rest on how often you pray. 396 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,520 It doesn't rest on any of those things. 397 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:34,040 Your performance at all, right, you're welcome to the Father, 398 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:38,760 rest only on the work of the risen Christ. 399 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,240 The same Savior who died for sinners now lives for sinners. 400 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:49,480 The same one who opened the way to God has not now closed it 401 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:58,720 against weak Saints, right? So we come to the Father through 402 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:04,040 Christ. He's the one mediator between 403 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:10,160 God and man. And if you do not know Christ 404 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,880 today, then I want you to understand this your your 405 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,120 greatest need is not to learn a better prayer technique. 406 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,440 I've not come to show you 3 steps on how to pray better. 407 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:25,080 Not at all. And the Lord didn't have you 408 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,040 here this morning to hear how you might pray better either 409 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:34,280 your your greatest need is not mere religious words or works 410 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:38,400 it. It's not even to show up at 411 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,920 church on Easter. I do not mean that offensively. 412 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,240 I'm glad you're here. Right, your your greatest need 413 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:53,520 is reconciliation with God, and that reconciliation is found 414 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,720 only in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. 415 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,000 Apart from him. If you are apart from Christ, 416 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,000 then God is your judge, He is not your Father. 417 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:11,120 But in Christ God becomes your Father. 418 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:14,800 So I urge you today to flee to Christ. 419 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,120 So Jesus teaches us to reject prayer for the praise of men, 420 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:28,120 but then he teaches us what prayer should seek point #2 pray 421 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:32,440 for the Father's glory, rule, and care. 422 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:37,600 Pray for the Father's glory, rule, and care. 423 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,800 Jesus says in verse 9. Pray then like this. 424 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:47,480 That. That means that he's not merely 425 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:52,880 giving us words to recite. He's giving us a pattern for 426 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:58,240 shaping our prayers. I want you to know there's 427 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,240 nothing wrong with praying these exact words, right? 428 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:06,080 The Church has rightly treasured the Lord's Prayer for centuries. 429 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,440 But Jesus is teaching us more than a formula. 430 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:15,200 He's giving us a model. He's providing A framework for 431 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,840 how to pray. He's giving, giving us a set of 432 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:22,400 Kingdom priorities. And notice where the prayer 433 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,280 begins. Our Father in heaven, hallowed 434 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:33,680 be your name. What a beautiful opening. 435 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:38,960 He is our Father. What does it mean that he's our 436 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:40,960 father? Well, one, it's, it's a personal 437 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:45,960 declaration. It's a covenantal declaration 438 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,360 that he's the God of covenant. He's faithful always. 439 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,800 He never leaves, He never forsakes. 440 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,480 When you say our Father, you're declaring that he is near to 441 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:57,400 you. When you say our Father, you're 442 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,320 declaring He's compassionate, that he's attentive. 443 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:10,240 And so we start with our Father, and then we say in heaven. 444 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,880 In heaven, think about what it means for God to be in heaven. 445 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:23,040 It means that he's holy, He's high and lifted up. 446 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,520 He's exalted. He's sovereign over the affairs 447 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:29,680 of the world. He's the creator of heaven and 448 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,440 earth. He's perfect. 449 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:36,560 He's transcendent, meaning he's outside space and time. 450 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:45,120 He's infinitely above us. And so biblical prayer, what 451 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:48,280 Christ is teaching is that biblical prayer holds both those 452 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:58,360 things together. Intimacy without irreverence and 453 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:03,880 reverence without distance. He's not a buddy in the sky. 454 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,400 He's not your homeboy. Maybe you grew up in the air 455 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:10,360 where that shirt was famous, right? 456 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:23,000 He's not the big man upstairs. He's not a cold Force that's far 457 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:26,960 away like something off Star Wars. 458 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,840 Right. He's our Father in heaven, our 459 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:37,320 Father in heaven. And then the first request comes 460 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,640 to us this way. Hallowed be your name. 461 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,560 Our Father in heaven. We've said some things about 462 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:46,680 you. We have this personal 463 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,640 relationship to you, but you're in heaven. 464 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,080 You're transcendent, yet you're intimate. 465 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,800 Hallowed be your name. That simply just means Father. 466 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:03,320 Let your name be regarded as holy, let let it be revered, let 467 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,720 it be honored, let it be worshipped among the nations. 468 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,920 Let your character, your glory, Your words, Your majesty be 469 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:15,159 treasured and displayed in all the earth and in all my life. 470 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:22,560 Hallowed be your name. Jesus teaches us that true 471 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,280 prayer begins with God our Father in heaven. 472 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:30,239 Hallowed be your name before our needs, before our daily 473 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:34,440 concerns, before our burdens, before any of those things. 474 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:43,760 Prayer begins with the glory of God, and it must You tell me 475 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:50,080 what will silence your anxiety, like seeing that God is glorious 476 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:54,360 and powerful and sovereign. And all his work. 477 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:03,920 So we come to the Lord, His name, His honor, His worship, 478 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,680 and then comes the second request, Your Kingdom come, your 479 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,000 will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 480 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,760 Again, you must notice how God centered this is your Kingdom, 481 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:21,160 your will, right? And Jesus is teaching us to seek 482 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:24,440 the Father's glory, to seek the Father's reign, to seek the 483 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:29,080 Father's will. And so this line shines with 484 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:33,160 particular brightness if you look at it closely, Right? 485 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,600 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the triumphant declaration 486 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:42,080 that the Kingdom of God has broken into history in power, 487 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,800 that the King who was crucified is now risen. 488 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:51,720 Death has not defeated him. The grave could not hold him. 489 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,880 Satan had not overcome him, though he thought he did. 490 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:56,560 Christ won. Amen. 491 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:03,960 So when you pray your Kingdom come, you're not uttering some 492 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:09,040 wishful language here. You're not just wishing your 493 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:11,160 Kingdom would come. You're not looking at the world 494 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:15,000 and all of its problems and saying, Oh Lord, your Kingdom 495 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:22,840 come like some hopeful wish. Now you're making a declaration. 496 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,920 You're you're praying in line with a Kingdom that has already 497 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,480 been inaugurated through the life and death and resurrection 498 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:34,280 of Jesus Christ. And that Kingdom will one day be 499 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,760 consummated when he returns in all his. 500 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:41,280 Glory. When you pray your Kingdom come, 501 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:44,560 you're praying for the spread of the gospel that we go forth to 502 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,920 the ends of the earth, that if it save those in your household 503 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,600 and those in the households hundreds of thousands of miles 504 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:56,400 away. We're praying for the salvation 505 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,080 of sinners. We're praying for the growth of 506 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:03,760 Christ Church. We're praying for holiness in 507 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,920 our own lives. Your Kingdom come in my heart, 508 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,280 right? We're praying for the day when 509 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:14,200 every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus 510 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:19,520 Christ is Lord. And when you pray, your will be 511 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,320 done. It's not like you're asking God 512 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:27,760 to accomplish his plans out there over there somewhere, 513 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,840 right? Oh, we're praying your will be 514 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:34,320 done. What? 515 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:39,240 We're asking God to bend our hearts into submission to His 516 00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:43,040 will. Your will be done in my life. 517 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:51,000 Sometimes we go to God in prayer, as though he's Santa 518 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:56,320 Claus, and then if we'll ask nice things of him, he'll grant 519 00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,800 them to us. Sometimes we'll go to him like 520 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,680 we might have gone to our parents when we sought something 521 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:05,560 we really wanted. And we thought if we just said 522 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:08,320 it the right way, if we said it the nice way, if that didn't 523 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:10,400 work, we might try some manipulation. 524 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:13,560 OK, if you'll get this for me, I'll clean my room. 525 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,280 It's like, well, you should already be cleaning your room. 526 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:23,720 All right. No, prayer is not mainly a way 527 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:26,280 of pulling God down into our agenda. 528 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:34,160 It's one of God's means for bowing our hearts beneath His. 529 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,000 It's where we take what we're. Learning in the Word of God, and 530 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,080 we bring it to the Lord in prayer. 531 00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:47,120 And He bends our will to His. He bends our desires to His, not 532 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:53,160 the other way around. And so some of you don't pray 533 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:58,600 much because when you've prayed, God is not answered. 534 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:03,200 In the book of James we have an answer for that. 535 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,960 James says you ask and do not receive because you ask with 536 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:15,960 selfish ambition in your heart. Just like your child, you will 537 00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:19,520 say no sometimes. Because it's good for them, it's 538 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:23,840 better. For them, all right. 539 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,400 We also see in James that you have not because you asked not, 540 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,000 so we should be asking. I wish we should. 541 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,640 Trust that the Lord is going to bend our will to His, and so 542 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:42,080 therefore we say, your will be done, your will be done. 543 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:46,080 Morton Lowe Jones pointed out that this prayer is not first 544 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:49,480 about us, but about God and His. Glory. 545 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:55,720 Jesus teaches us to start where our our hearts often do not 546 00:39:55,720 --> 00:39:58,360 start. Our natural instinct is to begin 547 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:02,000 with ourselves. Our problems, our schedules, our 548 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:05,840 anxieties, our plans, our desires, our. 549 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:11,560 So on and so forth. But Jesus in this prayer lifts 550 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:16,640 our eyes far above this world, far above our own anxieties, far 551 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:20,160 above our own cares and our own problems, far above those 552 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:23,600 things. And he draws us back to the 553 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:25,720 Father. We begin with the Father's name. 554 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:29,920 We look to the Father's Kingdom. We desire the Father's will. 555 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:38,240 Then in verse 11, Jesus says, give us this day, Our Daily 556 00:40:38,240 --> 00:40:42,760 Bread. Now the prayer turns to our 557 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:46,520 needs. But even here you're remaining 558 00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:48,360 in a posture of dependence. Aren't you? 559 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:52,680 Our Father in heaven, give us today Our Daily Bread 560 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:58,040 dependence. Daily bread speaks of ordinary 561 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:02,760 needs, daily provisions, the necessities of life, food, work, 562 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:08,880 strength, help, provision, wisdom, endurance, Jesus. 563 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,360 Teaches us to live one day at a time under the Father's care. 564 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,200 If you're unsure about that, just hold on for a couple more 565 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:20,800 weeks and he'll make it really clear for you later in Matthew 566 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:24,680 6. He does not train us to be 567 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,200 self-sufficient. He he's training us to be 568 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:30,120 dependent. He does not train us to live 569 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:34,120 anxiously in the future, Rather he trains us to live trustingly 570 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:38,480 in the Presence. He teaches us to ask for today's 571 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:44,160 bread today, not tomorrow's bread, today's bread today. 572 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:47,240 And so this is humbling. Prayer. 573 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:51,560 It teaches us that we are not self-made people, we are not 574 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:54,440 independent creatures though we might think we are. 575 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,360 We are upheld every day by the hand of God. 576 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:02,680 Every meal, every breath, every sunrise, every bit of strength, 577 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:06,560 every answered need comes from the good Father's hand. 578 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:14,240 And that too is resurrection grounded, the Father who did not 579 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:15,600 spare his own Son. But. 580 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:19,760 Gave him up for all. Will also with Him graciously 581 00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:22,560 give us all things that we truly need. 582 00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:28,320 So the empty tomb tells us that the Father is for his people in. 583 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:29,720 Christ. He's for you. 584 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:36,640 Then in verse 12, Jesus says and forgive us our debts as we also 585 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:40,520 have forgiven our debtors. So sin is pictured here as a 586 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:44,240 debt we owe, a debt that we cannot pay. 587 00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:47,840 We've violated God's law. We have fallen short of his 588 00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:50,080 glory. We have accumulated a record of 589 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:53,520 guilt that no amount of moral effort could erase. 590 00:42:55,720 --> 00:42:57,920 And yet the Christian is taught to pray. 591 00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:01,360 Forgive. Us Why? 592 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,280 Because forgiveness is only found in. 593 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:10,240 Christ at the Cross. He bore your debts. 594 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:16,640 He bore your transgressions. At the resurrection, Christ 595 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:20,800 stands vindicated, and all who are united to Him are declared 596 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,360 righteous. The same Christ who died for our 597 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:28,920 sins was raised for our justification that that means 598 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:32,920 the believer lives in a continual posture of confession 599 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:36,880 and cleansing, not because Christ's work is insufficient, 600 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:41,840 but because our fellowship with the Father is real and our need 601 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,800 for ongoing cleansing in the Christian life is real. 602 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:54,000 Then Jesus says and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 603 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:58,120 from evil. It's just a confession of 604 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:02,440 weakness. The prayer is a whole confession 605 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:05,720 of weakness. It's a confession that we're not 606 00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:09,480 strong enough in ourselves. Lead us not into temptation. 607 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:13,600 Deliver us from evil. It's a mission that we need the 608 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:18,160 Father to preserve us, to guard us, to keep us, to rescue us. 609 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:22,360 You're not asking that because you think you're strong. 610 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,440 You're asking that because you know you're weak. 611 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:30,960 You know your vulnerabilities, you know your sins. 612 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,760 You know your temptations. You know your failings. 613 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:37,320 You know the malice of the evil and against you. 614 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:42,760 And so we cry out to God for preserving grace. 615 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:48,160 How different is this whole thing from self confident 616 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:52,040 religion? How different from the man who 617 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:57,280 thinks he can stand on his own. Jesus is teaching us here to 618 00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:00,880 pray as needy children, dependent in every way on the 619 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:04,120 Father's glory and on His rule and on his care. 620 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:11,600 Brothers and sisters, I bag you to let this pattern of praying 621 00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,920 reshape the way you approach God in prayer. 622 00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:20,920 How often do your prayers begin and end with yourself? 623 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:27,560 How often are your prayers dominated by immediate 624 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:31,560 discomforts and personal preferences or earthly concerns? 625 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,840 You see, Jesus is teaching us to pray bigger than that. 626 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,200 He teaches us to pray Godward prayers. 627 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,240 Father, let your name be hallowed in me. 628 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,200 Father, to advance your Kingdom in this world. 629 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:49,960 Father, bend my heart to your will. 630 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:52,720 Father, provide what I need today. 631 00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:56,120 Father, forgive my sin. Father, keep me from temptation. 632 00:45:56,240 --> 00:46:00,280 Father, deliver me from evil. That's Kingdom prayer. 633 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,880 What confidence do we have to pray this way? 634 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:09,680 If you haven't seen it yet, hopefully you'll see it now. 635 00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:14,520 The the one who is teaching you to pray this way is not dead. 636 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:17,920 He he, he is risen. He's alive. 637 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:24,040 He reigns, He intercedes always. He has all authority in heaven 638 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:27,560 and on earth. So when you pray, you're not 639 00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:32,560 praying into the dark. The enemy would want you to 640 00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:35,000 think that your prayers might rise to the ceiling and then 641 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:39,680 fall down. And when you pray, you're 642 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:41,920 praying through the Son who lives forever. 643 00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:47,040 But Jesus isn't done. Having included forgiveness in 644 00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:54,240 the prayer, He now presses that issue with particular force #3 645 00:46:54,240 --> 00:46:57,640 pray as those changed by the Father's forgiveness, verses 14 646 00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:01,120 and 15. In these verses, Jesus is 647 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:04,560 circling back to one part of the prayer and he expands it. 648 00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:09,360 He says, For if you forgive others their trespasses, your 649 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,400 heavenly Father will also forgive you. 650 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:14,960 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will 651 00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:17,400 your Father forgive your trespasses. 652 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:22,520 If you're reading along in your daily Bible reading and you come 653 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:27,920 to that those verses and you do not drop your pen or your pencil 654 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:31,640 or you do not stop in your tracks, then you should check 655 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:41,040 your heartbeat because that's really strong language and it 656 00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:47,840 should arrest our attention. And so we, we ought to 657 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:51,960 understand this carefully. One, Jesus is not teaching 658 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:54,920 salvation by works here. He he never did. 659 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,440 He's not starting now. He's not saying that you're 660 00:47:58,440 --> 00:48:01,800 going to earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others, that the 661 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:04,800 whole testimony of Scriptures, that our forgiveness rests 662 00:48:04,960 --> 00:48:08,400 entirely upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ. 663 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:13,200 Yet we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption 664 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:15,960 that is in Christ Jesus, full stop. 665 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:19,800 Amen. So what is Jesus saying that 666 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:24,080 He's saying that a forgiven heart becomes a forgiving heart. 667 00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:29,640 Those who have truly received the mercy of God are changed by 668 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:34,800 the mercy of God. Refusal then to forgive others 669 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:40,160 reveals a heart that is not rightly grasped, the forgiveness 670 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:44,840 it claims to have received. And that's the point of what 671 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:48,440 Jesus is saying. If someone says I have been 672 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:53,920 forgiven an infinite debt by a holy God, and yet clings 673 00:48:54,120 --> 00:49:01,280 bitterly to the sins of others, cherishes resentments, nourishes 674 00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:07,600 grudges, refuses mercy, then there is a deep contradiction 675 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:11,000 there. Something's terribly wrong. 676 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:15,080 This is exactly what Jesus is going to later teach in the 677 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:18,040 parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. 678 00:49:19,920 --> 00:49:24,320 There we have a man forgiven an enormous debt who refuses to 679 00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:27,240 forgive a much smaller one that's owed to him. 680 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:33,080 And the point becomes plain. Those who are overwhelmed by 681 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:36,080 grace ought to become gracious people. 682 00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:41,600 I also want to be clear on this line. 683 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:46,360 Forgiveness does not mean pretending sin was no big deal, 684 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:50,640 right? It does not mean denying real 685 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:53,640 pain. It does not mean erasing all 686 00:49:53,640 --> 00:49:56,520 consequences. It does not mean automatic 687 00:49:56,520 --> 00:50:01,080 restoration of trust and every circumstance right. 688 00:50:01,080 --> 00:50:03,680 There may still be a need for boundaries and wisdom and 689 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:07,800 repentance and in some cases a long road to healing. 690 00:50:10,360 --> 00:50:13,680 But what it does mean is that the Christian cannot cherish an 691 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:17,240 unforgiving spirit. You cannot adore that 692 00:50:17,240 --> 00:50:19,240 unforgiving spirit in your heart. 693 00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:23,680 We cannot clean the bitterness and walk in fellowship with the. 694 00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:27,480 God of all grace. We cannot praise the one who 695 00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:30,760 cancelled our debt while refusing to release others from 696 00:50:30,760 --> 00:50:33,800 theirs. We cannot celebrate the 697 00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,480 resurrection and remain content to live in the tomb of 698 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:42,720 resentment ourselves. So why should we forgive? 699 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:45,840 Because in Christ we've been forgiven. 700 00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:49,200 At the cross, our sins were paid for. 701 00:50:49,640 --> 00:50:52,480 At the empty tomb, Christ victory over sin and death was 702 00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:56,680 publicly declared. The resurrection is God's Amen 703 00:50:56,680 --> 00:50:58,680 to the saving. Work of his son. 704 00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:04,080 So when Jesus calls you to forgive, He's not demanding that 705 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:06,720 we produce mercy out of thin air. 706 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:12,360 He's calling us to live out the mercy that you have received 707 00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:15,200 from Him. He's calling you to walk in the 708 00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:19,440 power of His own grace. Paul writes clearly about this 709 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,280 in Ephesians 4. He says be kind to one another, 710 00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:26,960 tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave 711 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,000 you. In Colossians 3 says something 712 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,920 very similar. As the Lord has forgiven you, so 713 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:38,080 you must also forgive. That means the measure and the 714 00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:42,520 motive of our forgiveness are not first about the offenders 715 00:51:44,280 --> 00:51:52,880 deserving this. It is the graciousness of God in 716 00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:56,040 Christ that is the measure and the motive. 717 00:51:58,400 --> 00:52:03,360 Now that's difficult. In some cases it's painfully 718 00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:08,680 difficult. Some of you have been deeply 719 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:15,640 sinned against the the. Wound is not small, the offence 720 00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:21,960 is not a light offence, and so the pain is real, it's deep, and 721 00:52:21,960 --> 00:52:26,440 Jesus is not minimizing that. But he does call his people to 722 00:52:26,440 --> 00:52:32,040 be marked by the same grace by which they have been saved, the 723 00:52:32,040 --> 00:52:35,360 resurrection. Then one of the truths that we 724 00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:38,240 see about the resurrection is that it means that bitterness 725 00:52:38,440 --> 00:52:43,520 does not have to reign over us. Sin does not have to reign any 726 00:52:43,520 --> 00:52:47,880 longer in our mortal bodies. The risen Christ can soften what 727 00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:51,040 has become hard. He can heal what has been 728 00:52:51,040 --> 00:52:53,920 poisoned. He can teach wounded hearts to 729 00:52:53,920 --> 00:53:00,320 forgive others. So let me ask you plainly, just 730 00:53:00,320 --> 00:53:02,440 to make Easter especially uncomfortable. 731 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:09,240 Is there someone you refuse to? Forgive. 732 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:17,200 Is there a trespass against you that you keep rehearsing in your 733 00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:25,340 mind and in your heart? Is there a a wound? 734 00:53:27,740 --> 00:53:34,140 You keep poking it. Is there a grievance that you 735 00:53:34,140 --> 00:53:37,340 have allowed to settle in and define you? 736 00:53:40,220 --> 00:53:44,360 Have you become a collector of wrongs rather than a dispenser 737 00:53:44,360 --> 00:53:50,320 of grace? Jesus is pressing on that today. 738 00:53:52,640 --> 00:53:54,720 He's not calling you to call evil good. 739 00:53:54,720 --> 00:53:59,560 Please don't misunderstand him. He's not calling you to approve 740 00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,160 of sin. He's not even calling you to 741 00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:05,800 ignore justice. But He is calling you to 742 00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:09,560 surrender bitterness. He's calling you to release 743 00:54:09,560 --> 00:54:11,800 vengeance into. God's hands. 744 00:54:12,440 --> 00:54:15,760 He's calling you to be a person who is shaped by mercy. 745 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:22,760 Now here's the really tough part of all of this. 746 00:54:27,240 --> 00:54:31,280 Perhaps the reason that some believers are spiritually cold 747 00:54:32,240 --> 00:54:39,040 or prayerless or joyless or restless is that they're. 748 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,800 Trying to live in communion with the Father while cherishing a 749 00:54:42,800 --> 00:54:45,600 spirit that is altogether unlike his own grace. 750 00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:52,000 You see, forgiven people forgive. 751 00:54:53,400 --> 00:55:00,240 If you're a believer, you should take your bitterness to the 752 00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:04,880 risen Christ. Bring your grudges to the One 753 00:55:04,880 --> 00:55:09,600 who left the grave behind. Ask Him to make your heart soft 754 00:55:09,720 --> 00:55:12,120 again. Ask Him to make you tender 755 00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:14,320 again. Ask Him to help you forgive as 756 00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:19,720 you have been forgiven. And if you're not a Christian, 757 00:55:22,080 --> 00:55:25,360 and the deepest issue, though it's a deep issue, but the 758 00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:27,640 deepest issue for you is not whether you have forgiven 759 00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:30,640 others. The deepest issue is whether you 760 00:55:30,640 --> 00:55:35,400 have been forgiven by God. Your sins stand against you. 761 00:55:35,560 --> 00:55:38,640 Your guilt is real. Your dead is more than you can 762 00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:44,640 bear. But Christ died for sinners, and 763 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:48,360 he rose again, and all who will repent of their sins and cast 764 00:55:48,360 --> 00:55:53,240 their belief on Him will be fully and freely forgiven. 765 00:55:56,240 --> 00:55:59,160 So as we come to the end of this passage, Jesus has shown us what 766 00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:03,840 prayer really is. It's not performance. 767 00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:06,760 It's not religious theater. It's not empty repetition. 768 00:56:07,320 --> 00:56:10,840 It's not an attempt to impress man or manipulate God. 769 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:17,280 Prayer is the privilege of those whom the risen Christ has 770 00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:22,120 brought near to the Father. The risen Christ opens the way 771 00:56:22,120 --> 00:56:24,560 to the Father, and He teaches His people to pray with 772 00:56:24,560 --> 00:56:28,280 sincerity and Kingdom focus and forgiving hearts. 773 00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:32,080 So what should you do in response? 774 00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:37,600 Number one, pray sincerely. Pray sincerely. 775 00:56:38,520 --> 00:56:41,720 Reject the temptation to perform your prayers. 776 00:56:42,560 --> 00:56:45,840 Refuse dead religious showmanship. 777 00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:51,400 Come honestly before the Father through the risen Christ. 778 00:56:53,280 --> 00:56:55,960 Secondly, pray with Kingdom focus. 779 00:56:58,920 --> 00:57:03,520 Seek the Father's name, Seek the Father's Kingdom, Seek the 780 00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:06,400 Father's will. Bring him your daily needs. 781 00:57:06,560 --> 00:57:08,280 Bring him your daily temptations. 782 00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:11,440 Bring him your daily burdens, Bring him your sins. 783 00:57:13,040 --> 00:57:18,520 Seek the Father. Pray with Kingdom focus and #3 784 00:57:18,520 --> 00:57:24,680 pray as those changed by grace. Do not cling to bitterness while 785 00:57:24,680 --> 00:57:29,040 claiming the mercy of God. Live as one who has been 786 00:57:29,040 --> 00:57:36,000 forgiven by the crucified and risen Lord this day and one more 787 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:37,840 time. If you do not know Christ this 788 00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:39,520 morning I want you to hear the good news. 789 00:57:41,680 --> 00:57:46,240 The way to God is open, but only through Jesus Christ. 790 00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:51,120 You cannot come by your moral efforts, you cannot come by more 791 00:57:51,120 --> 00:57:55,560 religious language, you cannot come by sincerity alone. 792 00:57:56,760 --> 00:58:00,240 You must come through the cross of the crucified and risen 793 00:58:00,440 --> 00:58:04,400 Savior. Turn from your sin. 794 00:58:05,520 --> 00:58:09,520 Trust in Christ. And you will find. 795 00:58:10,160 --> 00:58:14,440 That the God. Who was once your judge becomes 796 00:58:14,440 --> 00:58:20,160 your Father. Because Christ is risen, sinners 797 00:58:20,160 --> 00:58:23,840 can draw near. Because Christ is risen, prayer 798 00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:26,880 is possible. Because Christ has risen, 799 00:58:26,880 --> 00:58:30,720 forgiveness is offered. Because Christ has risen, the 800 00:58:30,720 --> 00:58:33,920 children of God may come home to the Father. 801 00:58:34,360 --> 00:58:34,800 Amen. Amen. 802 00:58:36,120 --> 00:58:38,680 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you 803 00:58:40,840 --> 00:58:42,720 for the word that. You have given us today. 804 00:58:44,560 --> 00:58:46,600 We thank you, Lord, for the words of your son. 805 00:58:48,280 --> 00:58:51,600 We exalt Him this morning, high and lifted up. 806 00:58:54,200 --> 00:58:57,120 He is the only one who can save us from our sins. 807 00:58:57,840 --> 00:59:01,000 He's the only One who's opened the way to you, to where we are 808 00:59:01,000 --> 00:59:08,640 now told in Hebrews 4 to come boldly before Your throne, that 809 00:59:08,640 --> 00:59:12,240 we might find mercy and grace in our time of need. 810 00:59:13,640 --> 00:59:16,760 He is the one in Hebrew seven who is able to save to the 811 00:59:16,760 --> 00:59:21,280 uttermost all of those who draw near to the Father through Him. 812 00:59:23,720 --> 00:59:28,520 He is the one in first John two who is called an advocate for 813 00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:33,560 sinners. He is the one who Paul calls a 814 00:59:33,560 --> 00:59:40,120 mediator between God and man and Father. 815 00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:43,320 I just ask that you would help. The truths that we've seen in 816 00:59:43,320 --> 00:59:46,040 the passage today sink deep into our hearts. 817 00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:55,440 May this not be simply an Easter Sunday where we pass into church 818 00:59:55,440 --> 01:00:00,160 and pass back out, having not been affected by Your Word, by 819 01:00:00,160 --> 01:00:06,040 your Spirit. So God, I pray that you would 820 01:00:06,040 --> 01:00:13,680 continue your kind, gracious work of transforming our hearts 821 01:00:13,680 --> 01:00:17,240 and our minds to love and to know You more fully. 822 01:00:21,280 --> 01:00:24,320 May you increase our dependence upon You. 823 01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:27,640 Forgive us, Lord of our independence. 824 01:00:30,720 --> 01:00:33,200 And Father, I pray for those who may not know you. 825 01:00:35,480 --> 01:00:39,440 I ask humbly that you would save them from their sins. 826 01:00:40,840 --> 01:00:45,400 I asked You would call them to yourself, You withdraw them and 827 01:00:45,400 --> 01:00:48,280 that nothing would hinder them from coming to Christ today. 828 01:00:49,920 --> 01:00:53,600 May they repent of their sins. May they place their faith in 829 01:00:53,600 --> 01:00:56,400 Christ today. May they call upon the name of 830 01:00:56,400 --> 01:00:58,360 the Lord and be saved this morning. 831 01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:05,640 I'm going to give you a moment. Now they're in your seat. 832 01:01:07,440 --> 01:01:11,760 Just a time of reflection. To think on the text, to think 833 01:01:11,760 --> 01:01:13,760 on the sermon, to think on your. Life. 834 01:01:14,360 --> 01:01:17,800 Not the life of that person next to you or somewhere in your 835 01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:21,640 life, but on your heart, your mind, your spirit, your 836 01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:25,880 devotion. If you need to repent of some 837 01:01:25,880 --> 01:01:28,000 things today, take this time to do so. 838 01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:33,320 If you need to confess some things today, do that. 839 01:01:34,320 --> 01:01:36,720 If there's something in the text that you have not seen that you 840 01:01:36,720 --> 01:01:40,000 need to believe today, would you respond in belief this morning? 841 01:02:20,080 --> 01:02:23,880 Heavenly Father, we confess with the Apostle Paul today that it 842 01:02:23,880 --> 01:02:27,280 is your kindness that leads us to repentance. 843 01:02:32,280 --> 01:02:37,040 God, we thank you that you are ever faithful, that you're 844 01:02:37,040 --> 01:02:40,880 abounding and steadfast. Love that you're good to every 845 01:02:40,880 --> 01:02:49,560 generation. God, would you help us to live a 846 01:02:49,560 --> 01:02:54,400 Godward life, a life that honors you, that glorifies your great 847 01:02:54,400 --> 01:03:00,560 name. Help us to do so as men and 848 01:03:00,560 --> 01:03:03,640 women and boys and girls in the the state of life that you've 849 01:03:03,640 --> 01:03:08,120 placed us in. Husbands and fathers, wives and 850 01:03:08,120 --> 01:03:13,100 mothers, children, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, Co 851 01:03:13,100 --> 01:03:20,320 workers, members of your church or whatever. 852 01:03:21,360 --> 01:03:23,400 Remember The thing is that you've given us. 853 01:03:26,200 --> 01:03:30,480 Would you help us to walk with integrity, to honor you in those 854 01:03:30,480 --> 01:03:36,800 things that your name might be glorified, that your Kingdom 855 01:03:36,800 --> 01:03:41,440 might come, that your will may be done on this earth and in our 856 01:03:41,440 --> 01:03:46,600 lives? We thank you for your, your 857 01:03:46,600 --> 01:03:50,840 kindness and your love and your mercy, Your grace toward us. 858 01:03:53,160 --> 01:03:54,720 It's in the name of Christ we pray. 859 01:03:55,280 --> 01:03:55,680 Amen.