← Back to sermon library

good morning to everyone welcome to free grace Baptist Church for any visitors out there this morning it's a joy to have you with us for worship if you have any questions after the service please feel free to to approach us and everyone else it's also a joy to see you again it's good to be back in the house of the Lord for the worship of our triune God just a couple announcements before we begin worship this morning first there we would like to announce that the Hutchings applied for membership which is excellent that's good too that's good to hear we fill the ANA Justin Miranda and raylene all applying for membership so it's been a joy to have you in our church to get to know you and if you haven't talked to them talk to them and welcome them they're American but that's okay we we love our American brothers we love our brothers and sisters everywhere that they are and secondly so yes please rejoice in that news it's always good when we have those who have been with us for a while seeking membership in the local church so do speak with them no Wednesday night Bible study for the next step for the next three Wednesdays so just a note regarding that pastor Butler will be traveling to to take in my Kirkpatrick's graduation as well as visit some people that he knows down south there so thirdly actually there's three announcements the they're still we still have a frying pan and a pot and other kitchenware up there and a pair of outdoor gloves that are resting on the countertop so the second week in a row this is the last week if there if you don't pick those up someone else will be cooking with them and and storing broccoli in them so please if those are yours I do pick them up and and take them home or if you intend to leave them at and gift them to someone else that's great we'll do that for you well let's begin our worship then let's turn now to those things sacred as we open up the word of God our call to worship will be a reading of Psalm 93 if you'll turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 93 Psalm 93 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God the Lord reigns he is clothed with majesty the Lord is clothed he has girded himself with strength surely the world is established so that it cannot be moved your throne is established from of old you are from everlasting the floods have lifted up Oh Lord the floods have lifted up their voice the floods lift up their waves the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters than the mighty waves of the sea your testimonies are very sure holiness adorns your house Oh Lord forever amen well let's stand in sing our first hymn we'll actually be in the red Trinity Salter if you see that in front of you we're going to sing Psalm 24 that's Psalm 24 let's stand and sing together [Music] let's go to our great God in prayer let us pray our righteous and Heavenly Father we come to you now in this Lord's Day Sabbath rejoicing that you have given us a new day wherein we draw the breath that you provide and have being as you sustain us and we rejoice in the beauty as we can cast our eyes upon the beauty of your creation we know that you are creator of heaven and earth and that you uphold and sustain all things and that you are also blessed Redeemer and we do pray that you would help us now Father Son and Holy Spirit that we would praise you or right we thank you that we have the Liberty and the freedom to gather in this place to bring praises unto our God and we do pray that you would help us now to hallow your name we thank you that we can come as the saints of Christ unhindered by the outside world unlike so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world in those nations of much persecution we can come in and we're not impeded by the government we're not impeded by those of our own countrymen but we can gather in freedom and we pray that we would each and every one count this a high honor that we can come into this place to worship Father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray again that by your spirit Lord God you would give us that measure whereby we properly and joyfully and earnestly hallow your name that you might receive all honor and praise we thank you that we can reflect with great joy upon the gospel of Jesus Christ our blessed Savior we rejoice in those biblical truths that you did send him forth in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons once again we rehearse those words of the Apostle Paul this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to say and truly we rejoice gathering together as those who do so in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and by your spirit knowing that we have not been saved by D of righteousness which we have done but much rather according to your mercy you saved us we know that that comes by virtue of the perfect doing the perfect dying and the powerful and Victoria's rising again of the Son of God and we rejoice in the gospel we thank you that he perfectly obeyed your law in the stead of all those who believe in his most precious name we thank you that he died upon Calvary's cross providing not a not an atonement of maybe or perhaps but that's so dying upon Calvary's cross he perfectly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number all those who believe in his name we thank you Lord God that he rose again in power and in great victory on the third day that he ascended to your right hand we rejoice in that blessed truth that he ever lives now to make intercession for all of his people we thank you as well that he rules and reigns over all of his enemies that he does as well subdue the hearts of his elect bringing them forth and you were appointed and accepted time to life and light in his name we thank you for victorious and saving grace and we do pray that you would help us now as we continue in worship to rightly give you praise for these things we do pray Lord God that you would be with those in our midst who suffer physically with disease and illness and injury once again as we do pray every week that you would just bless them Lord that you would strengthen them it you would just tend to their bodies that you would knit together the various wounds of their physical body and just caused them to know healing and to know strength and we would ask Lord God that in the inner man even in the midst of affliction even in the midst of disease and injury and all of these things that you would uplift them that you would comfort them knowing that you are a God who is near and not far off we do pray Lord God that you would be their God of comfort be their God of strength and give them much help in the midst of suffering we do pray for any who are unable to join us due to travel that you would watch over them we would pray Lord God for those in our midst to a pregnant mothers in our midst that you would strengthen them and help them the babies in their wombs Lord that you would guard and protect we do pray for all those with child that in time you would bring those babies forth well and Lord God that you would cause mother and father to rejoice and we do pray each and every time we come to pray for these things Lord God we pray that in in due time as well they would come forth in new birth that you would by Sovereign Grace bring all sinners young and old because it is possible only with you to life in light in Jesus Christ the Lord we pray that our young children at an early age would would own our God and would name the name of our Redeemer so we do pray for victorious grace through the proclamation by the proclamation of the gospel today that you would conquer hearts as we read in your word you are the one who removes hearts of stone replacing them with hearts of flesh we you alone Lord God are the one who puts your spirits within those whom you have given new hearts that they might walk after your statutes we do pray that you would send your spirit forth today the Dead sinners would be made alive in Christ by your grace and for your glory we know that this is impossible with men but with you our Lord God all things are possible we would ask then unto that end Lord that you would strengthen the preaching of your word today we pray for pastor Butler as he comes up here to proclaim your truth and we would ask again that you would help him in the pulpit that you would sustain him The ministers walking up and entering into pulpits and each and every one of your churches around the world do not rest upon their own strength and intelligence they do rest upon the aid that Father Son and Holy Spirit give they rest upon the a that the triune God gives and so we do pray that you would provide that you would empower your minister of the gospel to proclaim with great accuracy with precision with clarity and with great joy and ernest the things of your revealed truth we do pray Lord God for each and every one of us who are gathered here this morning that for your people you would strengthen them and feed them by your word and by your spirit we pray that we would be instructed that we would be equipped that we would be given all that we need in order to praise our Christ to rejoice in our God and to go into this upcoming work to can week to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of our calling by grace we pray as well that the preaching of your word being attended by the spirit this morning would be unto the salvation of sinners we know that those that all who are brought forth Lord God are brought forth by the word of truth not by corruptible seed but incorruptible and we do pray for the power of the Spirit unto that end today that sinners would be brought forth from deadness and sin to life and light in Christ Jesus the Lord that whether young or old those who entered in these two doors outside of Christ would leave singing along with the rest of his Saints hallelujah what a savior we would pray again Lord God finally for those who rule over us as we're as we are entreated in the scriptures to pray for kings and those who are in authority we pray for the rulers of the land not only our nation but the United States and nations all around the world Lord God that you would cause those who rule over us to do so in righteousness and in equity and in truth we pray that you would cast down those who would seek to to propagate wickedness as your word says Lord you you raised up kings you raise up princes and you can cause them to stumble like drunken men so we do pray for those who are propagating wickedness and seeking to suppress your truth and and cast down cast down virt virtually are to hold is good we do pray that you would deal with them we pray that you would just tend to them we pray that you would even save many we know that the gospel goes forth and it goes forth to every tribe and tongue and people and nation and it is the case that even those who are rulers and in positions of authority can be brought forth from deadness and sin to life in Christ so do save Lord God but ultimately we do pray that your name would be vindicated in all the earth those who are seeking to persecute your people to cast down your word and your truth and to exercise not righteousness in justice but in justice we do pray that you would vindicate your name in all the earth that your gospel would go forth victorious and that you would by your spirit and for your Glory's sake bring forth sinners to annul Jesus Christ our Lord we do pray then now in his name that all that we do this day would be to the praise of Father Son and spirit we pray that our Lord Jesus Christ would be exalted upon the praises of this gathered assembly we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord amen let's stand and sing again this time if you'll stand with me we're going to sing hymn number 400 that's him 400 let's all stand and sing together [Music] you [Music] [Music] just be seated can turn your Bibles with me to mark five mark chapter five as we continue to read through the New Testament we'll pick up reading at verse 21 we read from verse 1 to verse 20 last Lord's Day that occasion where the man demon-possessed is by the power of the Incarnate Christ brought to that place where he is seated and clothed and in his right mind and he goes about speaking about all the things that Jesus had done for him in all marveled so we pick up in verse 21 once again just as Psalm 93 was this is the word of the living and true God now when Jesus had crossed over again to by boat to the other side a great multitude gathered to him and he was by the sea and behold one of the rulers of the synagogue came gyruss by name and when he saw him he fell at his feet and begged him earnestly saying my little daughter lies at the point of death come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed and she will live so Jesus went with him and a great multitude followed him and thronged him and a now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things for many physicians she had spent all that she had and was no better but rather grew worse when she heard about Jesus she came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment before she said if only I may touch his clothes I shall be made well immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction and Jesus immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him turned around in the crowd and said who touched my clothes but his disciples said to him you see the multitude thronging you and you say who touched me and he looked around to see her who had done not had done this thing but the woman fearing and trembling knowing what had happened to her came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth and he said to her daughter your faith has made you well go in peace and be healed of your affliction while he was still speaking some came the ruler of the synagogue's house who said your daughter is dead why trouble the teacher any further as soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken he said to the ruler of the synagogue do not be afraid only believe and he permitted no one to follow him except Peter James and John the brother of James then he who to the then he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly when he came in he said to them why make this commotion and weep this child is not dead but sleeping and they ridiculed him but when he had put them all outside he took the father and mother of the child and those who were with him and entered where the child was lying then he took the child by the hand and said to her telleth Okuma which has translated little girl I say to you arise immediately the girl arose and walked for she was 12 years of age and they were overcome with great amazement but he commanded them strictly that no one should know it and said that something should be given her to eat Amen well we continue to see the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and and hopefully as we as we read passages like this in the New Testament were confronted wholesomely with a number of things we see continually the Gospel writers highlighting that this is the Christ the Son of the Living God the prophets of the Old Covenant of the Old Testament had promised that this one would come but the Spirit of the Lord would be upon him and that he would be bring healing and salvation to his people and we have mark here rehearsing this blessed occasion where the Lord Christ where the Incarnate son of God brings forth one from deadness to life the beautiful story that we have here this language little girl I say to you arise wonderful thing that mother and father would have observed here this Christ this Promised One the son of the Living God bringing forth their lost one back to life you know hopefully we don't we don't diminish the reality of physically bringing one dead back to physical life when we draw this connection this language is the same language that we have in salvation little girl I say to you arise whether you're a little girl here this morning a little boy and an older lady an older man whatever it is Christ speaks in the gospel he brings a message of life he brings a message of everlasting life and when he speaks to our soul in that glorious divine power of effectual calling it is as if he says to us I say to you arise wonderful occasion where he brings where he speaks to Lazarus dead in the tomb the the stench of death enveloping that that one in the in the darkness and the coldness of the tomb no life in him he speaks Lazarus come forth and Lazarus comes forth by the word of power if you're here this morning you have confidence in this self same Christ who speaks to Souls I say to you arise the power of God the power of our Christ to bring forth dead sinners to life the call goes out the the clarion call of the gospel believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved if you're here this morning and you're outside of this one who with great power brings the dead to life believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for these words of our Savior we thank you for this account of mark and we rejoice in your gospel and in the power of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray yet again as we continue in worship that we would earnestly and joyfully reflect upon and praise you for the salvation by such a glorious God and the perfection of the saving work of Jesus Christ our Redeemer might we continue in prayer might you keep us by your spirit attentive might we have ears to hear and hearts to receive what the Spirit has for his church this morning we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen let's stand and sing then our final him before the preaching of the word is 531 you'll stand with me Singh 5:31 [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6 we will return to our consecutive exposition of Matthew's Gospel in a few weeks time but this morning we're going to look at Matthew chapter 6 specifically verses 5 to 13 Matthew 6 beginning in verse 5 and when you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they will be heard for their many words therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask him in this manner therefore pray our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for this day we thank you that the heavens declare your glory and your majesty the the creation itself reflects the the splendor of our great God and how we praise you not only for your work of creation look for your sovereignty in upholding all things by the word of your power we praise you for Providence that you govern all your creatures and all their action and on the Sabbath day we certainly reflect upon the the greatness of the work of redemption we thank you Lord God most high for so great a salvation we thank you for Sovereign Grace and for the the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and applying these things secured by Christ to the elect we would pray today that you would cause us to worship you in spirit and truth cause us to receive with thanksgiving your word and to that end we pray for the ministry in the aid of your Holy Spirit we ask that he would guide us and lead us and affect us with your truth and cause us to genuine genuinely seek you in the private place and as well our Father forgive us now for our sins and our transgressions wash us in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's in his most blessed name that we pray amen well this morning's message is a bit of a New Testament application with reference to our Bible study on Wednesday night for those who were not present on Wednesday night we were in first Kings chapter 18 and essentially what we have in 1st Kings chapter 18 is a contest at Carmel and essentially what happens is that a hab becomes the king of the northern tribes in Israel and Ahab commits idolatry rebellion against the living in the true God he does this in the first place by marrying Jezebel he goes and he worships BHEL along with Jezebel and then he ups the ante even more and builds a temple and an altar to Bale right there in Israel now God's answer to this is to dispatch elijah elijah the tishbite arrives on the scene unannounced unexpected and essentially puts his finger into the face of a abbe and says there will be droughts there will be drought in the Land of Israel now that's bad news for a app because bail is the god of the storm and if the god of the storm can't bring rain then it shows him to be the loser that he is and so then we see this three year period God then announces to Elijah that he's going to end the drought and so Elijah comes back to Ahab and essentially tells him that but then says we need to have this contest at Carmel because God knows the hearts of people they would in the long run ascribe the rain to bail and God doesn't want that to happen so God has Elijah orchestrate this contest and essentially what Elijah says to the false prophets of bale is that you're to take a bollock you are to put it on the altar put no fire on it and under it and then call upon your gods and have him come and consume that sacrifice by fire now the false prophets of bale try they try with all their might they try very hard they try all day long but there's no answer there's no voice no one pays attention why because there's no bail he's a fake he's a fraud he is a Idol of fiction of man's imaginations now of course Elijah prepares a Bullock and he not only puts it on the altar but he douses it in water now kids you know that water doesn't burn does it so I just stacking the deck against the God of Israel to highlight the fact that when this sacrifice is consumed by fire it was indeed the God of Israel so he douses the sacrifice he douses the altar he even makes a pit around the altar and fills that with water Elijah doesn't pray all day he doesn't dance around the altar he doesn't cut himself and bleed upon himself he simply utters a prayer acknowledging God's glory acknowledging the fact that he wants to be validated as a prophet not because he had esteem issues but because he wanted Israel to know that he was the Messenger of God and he wanted the well-being of Israel so after that short prayer covered in about a verse and a half in first Kings 18 guess what Yahweh does he sends fire down and consumes the sacrifice he consumes the altar and the fire even licks up the water that is in the trench around that particular offering so that's the scene that's the stage upon which I want to consider this New Testament application of that Old Testament see because you see the profits of bail thought that they could manipulate their God they thought that they could coerce their God they thought that they could make their God function make their God act make their God perform and as I read Matthew chapter 6 and our Lord's instruction with reference to prayer he is cautioning his disciples against that sort of praying he is cautioning his disciples against the sort of prayer that thinks that God is our servant that thinks God is domesticated that God works for us and that if we do enough if we pray enough if we engage enough then we'll get the blessings that we want from God Jesus tells us God already knows what you need before you ask now notice Jesus doesn't conclude therefore don't pray Jesus isn't a hyper-calvinist the fact that God knows what we are or what we have need of before we ask is the foundation upon which we do pray but Jesus cautions here are very similar to the sort of practice that we see in 1st Kings 18 and I suspect it's the same sort of thing that we see practiced in the church today not just by the Benny Hinn's and the Kenneth Copeland's and the Joel Osteen's and those who think that God is akin to a genie in a bottle we just say the right things we do the right things we rub the bottle and out pops the genie armed with all the wishes to satisfy our every desire it's not just in those contexts that men abuse the the grace of God it can be in reform can be in evangelical circles if I do this enough then God will bless if I pray enough then God will bless and I'm not discouraging you from praying certainly not discouraging you from reading the Bible not discouraging you from attending the attending church what are you doing in order in order to get are we on a mercenary mission and our service to God do we treat him like the genie in the bottle do we treat them like a four-leaf over is he just a holy horseshoe to make our lives a little bit better is that the way that we approach the God of heaven and earth to sort of frame our thoughts a little bit more I know this is a longer introduction than normal but I certainly wanted to set the stage with reference to first Kings eighteen but J Gresham machen made this observation many years ago he says we value God solely for the things he can do now he's not saying this is right and this is good and this is the way we ought to be he's making a comment considering the times in which he lived we value God solely for the things he can do we make of him a mere means to an ulterior end and God refuses to be treated so he said God's not just your servant to make your life better that's not just your helper to make your husband a more domicile being now that's not just your help or to make your wife more submissive to you or to help take care of your kids he goes on God refuses to be treated so such a religion always fails in the hour of need if we have regarded religion merely as a means of getting things even lofty and unselfish things then when the things that have been gotten are destroyed our faith will fail you see brethren were not to put our trust in or our satisfaction and the things that God gives the message of the Bible is that our satisfaction is in God so if I give my kid a gift I don't want him to worship the gift I don't want him to worship me but I certainly want him to appreciate me the gift is a means by which he ought to come and love to me that sounds really bad and really mercenary but you get the point Christians oftentimes are more caught up in the gift than the giver and I think that this is what matron is saying he says when the things that have got that have been gotten are destroyed our faith will fail when loved ones are taken away when disappointment comes and failure when noble ambitions all said it not then we turn away from God we have tried religion we say we have tried prayer and it has failed of course it has failed God is not content to be an instrument in our hand or a servant at our beck and call he is not content to minister to the worldly needs of those who care not a bit for him has it ever dawned on us that God is valuable for his own sake that justice personal communion is the mightiest or the highest thing that we can know on earth so personal communion with God is the sublime as tight of all if we value God for his own sake then the loss of other things will draw us closer to him we shall then have recourse to him in time of trouble as to the shadow of a great rock in a weary land so I think that sets the stage go back to Matthew chapter 6 and let us consider what our Lord says and how there are indeed parallels between the practice condemned here and those false prophets of bail first of all note the assumption of our Lord in this section essentially what we have here in Chapter 6 is an emphasis on true religion or acts of piety or religious observance he deals with almsgiving and then he deals with prayer and then he deals with fasting and it's very intriguing that in the midst of all of this dealing on almsgiving on praying and on fasting there is no imperative there is no command Christ does not command his disciples I I command you hereby to give alms I command you hereby to pray I command you hereby to fast he doesn't command but rather assumes that this is indeed the practice of God's people those who have been saved by grace are not going to be cheapskates they're not going to be stingy they're not going to be a Bernese or Scrooged they're going to be those who are benevolent and kind and gracious to their neighbors by the same token those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus are not going to be strangers to the prayer closet they're not going to be strangers to corporate prayer they're not going to be strangers to family prayer Jesus assumes that the people of God pray Jesus assumes that when you are saved by grace through faith in Christ when you have been conquered by the God of absolute sovereignty when you have seen Christ is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand Christ assumes that you'll pray Christ assumes that you'll breathe Christ assumes that you will spend time in the presence of God most high and you see it here notice in verse five and when you pray verse six but you when you pray verse seven and when you pray now I meet with people at times and I've seen it my own life where we're not always as fervent in the private place as we ought to be fact you'll meet a person you'll ask them how their soul is and they'll say well I'm struggling in terms of private prayer been well said that if you want to humble a Christian ask them about their prayer lives I mean now there are some terrible specimens out there that will say yeah it's going great I just love God and I'm always in his presence and we just commune one to another that's not the common report among God's people but if you want to humble a Christian ask them about his prayer life perhaps this morning you've fallen into a rut perhaps this morning your closet could testify it's not as familiar with you as it once was well you know what the answer is don't sit around and be miserable repent you realize that often times in Christianity there are simple responses to problems simple responses to problems we don't always pursue it that way well I need to go sit on top of mount sham for 40 days and 40 nights and I need to pray and fast to consider why I'm not praying and fasting how about you just pray and fast no man sham needed somebody says all I'm having difficulty getting up early in the morning put the alarm clock on the other side of the room why do we complicate life so much more than it has to be if you are prayer less this morning the answer is to start praying if Christ assumes that you pray and you have gone through a season in your life presently where you're not praying confess it to God forsake it and you will find mercy according to proverbs 28:13 get up tomorrow and pray don't end the day today without prayer if Christ assumes it brethren then we ought to be practicing it if we're not practicing it then start practicing it you get that sort of result oh I'm just a miserable wretch and I'm a terrible human being and I need to do this and not the other well instead of whining about it go do that go do what you're supposed to do pastor Albert and Martin is right Protestants have an evangelical penance of their own it's not papist we don't go say 10 Hail Marys and our Father in order to pay our penance but we have to feel bad before we'll ever get right with God we can't just trust in the blood of Jesus Christ his son forgetting us or cleansing us from all sin we have to feel bad to show God that we mean business I'm not suggesting there's no feeling bad connected to our sinfulness but there's no requirement that three hours of feeling bad is the penants do in order to start feeling good again repent young people if you have fallen into prayer last nass repent stop prayerlessness and start prayer full Ness not just young people old people whoever we all have struggles in these areas but the bottom line is that Christ assumes that men pray notice secondly the caution concerning motivation he says do not be like the hypocrites verse five when you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites this indicates that not just genuine believers pray all kinds of people out there that pray Jesus calls them hypocrites those who do not have a relationship with the father those who are not connected to God through Christ the Lord those who have not believed the gospel so there is a form of hypocritical prayer and you can tell hypocritical prayer as Jesus describes it here because he highlights their particular issue verse five he says for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by man it's not necessarily wrong to stand in a synagogue any more than it would be wrong to stand in a church and pray we are told corporately to pray first Timothy 2 chapter chapter 2 verse 1 what does Paul say first of all I exhort that prayer supplications intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all man Paul assumes the church will be a praying body it's not necessarily wrong to love prayer Jesus just said that these people love prayer that's great would that we'd have more people that love prayer that love to commune with God in the private place but the end of the verse highlights the particular abuse they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men this is the problem of hypocritical prayer they'd rather be seen by men than heard by God you see why Jesus condemns this practice don't you when you seek out the Lord in prayer is it to show how that a prayer you are is it to demonstrate your capability at the throne of grace are you are you advertising to others just how how noble holy and pious you are this is the vibe that Jesus presents and this is the thing that he condemns there is a kind of a person that loves to stand on the street there is a kind of person that loves to stand in the synagogue and pray beautiful prayers in order to be seen by man it really is a pathetic and a disgusting approach to prayer if your desire in your goal is to APRA to gain approval from men Jesus says you will be rewarded if the end game in your prayer life is to impress somebody you will indeed get what you're after men are easily impressed somebody stands on a street corner stands in a synagogue and they pray long flowery prayers we're just foolish enough to say wow did you hear that man pray Wow did you did you hear the the eloquence with which he he addressed God well Jesus saying he's not addressing God he's essentially and ultimately addressing you and this is the point notice don't be like these hypocrites they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men notice assuredly I say to you they have their reward so what's the motivation in the hypocrites heart it's not God it's not him hearing us it's not his praise his glory is honor his worship it's probably more of our self exaltation our self-righteousness the display of our excellence and our goodness so that others can approve of that that's wretched that's the very antithesis to the gospel of grace a self righteous approach at the throne of grace is it is a direct assault upon the throne of grace we don't come to the throne of grace invoking or pleading rather our merits and our goodness do we we come to the throne of grace employing the mercy of God through Jesus Christ that's not what makes these men tick this is what Jesus prohibits in terms of his disciples don't be like the hypocrites and as Christ is often want to do he not only gives us this prohibition he not only gives us this caution but notice he specifies a remedy in verse six but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will openly reward you the hypocrite seeks an audience with men so conversely the true believer seeks an audience with God right God alone again this doesn't argue against corporate prayer next time we gather for prayer up there on a Wednesday night or on a Sunday morning don't say or don't invoke Matthew 6 and say well I'm just not going to pray because Jesus condemns that I can only pray in my closet that's not the point of the passage you might survey your life that the inner room of the secret room that Jesus is talking about was most likely a storage closet in a home that could be secured now don't go home and say well you know in the absence of a storage closet that can be secured I guess I'm not going to have secret prayer we're all wise enough to know that the answer isn't don't pray because you don't have a closet which we live in Canada everybody's got more closets and they know what to do with you especially cannot find this you can't weasel out of this but I don't have any closet we all have closets now admittedly most of us as men get that much of it while wives get that much of it but we all have closets what's Christ's point if the hypocrite courts the favor of men the true believer seeks the face of God alone he doesn't do it in order to impress men he doesn't do it in order to impress those closest to him he doesn't do it so that biographers will write glowing stories about it my son josh is reading Jake John G Payton and those of you have read it have that that blessed image a picture of John G Peyton's father John G Peyton's father had a secret place in the family home and John G says when father went into that place or when our father went in there you didn't mess with it he was with God in that place and that made an impression upon John G now the father didn't go in there to make an impression upon John G the father went in there to commune with his God that's the point of our Savior but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place you see prayer is probably the largest expression of faith in the Christian life I don't if that's actually the case but in my mind it's certainly one of the largest expressions of faith in in the life of faith right because when we go into that secret place we believe God is there not like some you know Buddhist religion where he's on a shelf and we put bananas down there and you know candles and all that we know he's there because God has spirit doesn't have a body like man God is omnipresent so faith drives us into that place knowing that God is indeed there and not only is he there but he hears and don't you love the assurance from our Savior and let this serve as an enticement to bring you back to the closet Jesus doesn't say he's there only if you feel like it he's there only if you have the best time a prayer ever he's there if you pray past 35 seconds he's there he hears the prayers of his people differ considered what makes good prayer you'll hear this at times that was a good prayer meeting why was it a good prayer meeting but you say I had a good time of Prayer this morning why was it a good time of prayer this morning I think at times we associate it with our feelings well my heart really seemed to be in it I really felt the nearness of God see what Christ says in verse 6 takes that whole feeling element out I'm not suggesting there's never to be feeling I'm not suggesting we can't be warmed in a corporate prayer meeting I'm not suggesting that the private place ought not to promote some sense of the peace of God but those things notwithstanding true prayer happens true prayer happens because God is in the secret place and God hears when you pray now perhaps you've had this tension in your life before you know you should pray you think about praying it's time to pray but you feel like you should check email to see if there's not any new prayer requests you feel like you should go downstairs and check with your wife is there anything I can pray for you about there is this sense that Romans 7 sense when I try or attempt to do good things I I find the supposing principle there I think at times we fear private prayer because we fear that we're not going to get the feeling we fear that we're not going to have the experience we fear that we're not going to come out of the closet ready to conquer the world brethren let that never keep you from prayer because God is in the private place and God hears you even if it's not attended by fireworks even if it's not attended by feelings even if it's not that kind of prayer that it fills your heart to overflowing the point of the passage is don't be like the hypocrite who wants an audience with men but rather seek the face of God alone and be assured that that God is in the secret place and that God hears you and not only does he hear you but he'll reward you openly I don't think that means you'll get everything you asked for in the presence of all the enemies of God so that you can make them spite their religion now I don't think that's it at all the point is is that as we seek the Lord the Lord is indeed in our lives he is present there again not even as we seek Him he's good no matter what saying don't ever seek Him but you know those valleys brethren am I am i speaking anybody who's ever gone through these troubles and looking at Stoics and spartans here no no never me man I just pray everyday there's a lot of us that struggle and there's a lot that have difficulties in the private place at time brethren your performance or rather your status with God does not alter them ultimately depend upon the private place standing with God depends on Calvary standing with God depends on Jesus so our confession takes pains to explicate the doctrine of justification our status with God is secured because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ received by faith alone and the forgiveness of sins wrought out by Christ on the cross in his sufferings and death but if you are absent from the secret place as a justified believer as one who wants to grow in the Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be often in prayer and listen to the Savior in verse 6 but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly now no a second caution the caution concerning manner and this brings us closer to our first Kings 18 passage the caution concerning manner do not be like the heathen the first was the caution concerning motivation don't be like the hypocrite seeking audience with men rather than the favor of God and this second caution concerns manner do not be like the heathen again that assumption is repeated in verse 7 and when you pray notice don't be like the long-winded heathen don't be like the long-winded heathen now this isn't a condemnation of long prayers this isn't even a condemnation of praying the same thing again to condemnation of the practice wherein the worshiper or professed worshiper thinks he can manipulate coerce or control God into providing for him the prophets of bale in 1st Kings chapter 18 did it in a particular way from the morning till the noon they cried out to Bale from the morning till the noon they cried out to Bale then they left about the altar the text is literally limped it's the same word used by Elijah in verse 21 how long will you limp between two options Elisha could be condemning them by way of a upon or a figure of speech essentially asserting that the service of bail is to limp along in life but anyways these false prophets they call upon bail from morning till noon then they they leap about the altar and they continue to cry unto bail I mean it's a pathetic scene actually initially it's foolishness it's almost amusing and I think that Elijah interprets it that way because in verse 27 he comes and mocks that Elijah the Tishbite says to them but where is your God maybe he's meditating maybe he's talking to some of the other gods I always get this vision of a lie you know slapping his knees while he's saying this because this is funny stuff as Matthew Henry says idolatry is wretched wicked and foolish and it's right to scorn it it's right to show it it's right to point out the folly in it and that is what Elijah doesn't verse 27 he even suggests that their God is in the washroom imagine that God is in the washroom he he's busy again I think Elijah's just got a smile on his face he's got tongue in cheek and he's slapping his knees while he's doing it I mean how do you rip on these false prophets in us with a straight face it's kind of when Jesus says to those Pharisees you hypocrites you strain out the camel or you strain out the net and you swallow the camel no one cracked a smile and they heard that no one smiled when they heard that don't you get the image of these Pharisees they're there they're taking pains to sift out the gnat so that it doesn't pollute their wine or their water and yet they're going to drink a cup and swallow a camel that's funny that's funny what was happening there at Carmel as well but they moved from funny or mockable and reproachable to downright frenzy you see when Elijah issues this mockery this challenge they redouble their efforts they actually take knives they take Lance's and they cut themselves they cut their bodies and they bleed all over themselves the idea is simple bail likes blood will give in blood see in a psalm that mocks idolatry psalm 115 we read in verse 8 that those who worship idols will become like that this is how in our where in the the false prophets of bale mirrored reflected imaged their false god bale likes blood will bleed for him so that he'll bring the fire to bear so it moves from folly to perversity it moves from falling to downright frenzy and wickedness what happens after all that they've tried to manipulate they've tried to coerce they have tried to take bails on put it behind his back and make him bring fire down upon their bullet there was no voice no one answered and no one paid attention you see Christ is telling the people of God don't be like the heathen they think they will be heard not because God is omnipresent not because God is omniscient not because God is good not because God is gracious not because God is kind but they think they'll be heard for their many words you see that's a problem brethren and again don't take this as an argument to not pray well Jesus says God already knows what I need before I ask and he's not into these long prayers so I just won't pray no that's the wrong conclusion to make vain repetitions that doesn't mean you husband's ought not to pray for your wives every day doesn't mean that you eyes ought not to pray for your husbands every day doesn't mean that you parents ought not to pray for your children every day doesn't mean that you children ought not to pray for your parents every day that's not a vain repetition a vain repetition is what happened to us when we're in papist school and we went into the confessional box and they said here's your punishment go say ten Hail Marys and in our father imagined punishing kids by telling them to pray let's associate punishment and prayer that's wise that'll endear them to the cross that'll make them holy happy and and well-adjusted you see the whole papist system is founded upon on a reputation even with this prayer this model prayer that Jesus gives he didn't intend it to be vainly repeated as if it was some formula to manipulate coerce or make the God function it's not a formula to make God act their heads given to the people of God to make us think and to express ourselves in a particular way at the throne of grace don't just recite the Lord's Prayer pray the Lord's Prayer be concerned for the glory of God's name our Father who art in heaven hallowed be your name does that find expression in your prayer closet be concerned for God's kingdom thy kingdom come Lord we pray that through the preaching of the gospel today the kingdom of Grace would manifest itself and certainly we pray for the kingdom of glory to manifest itself at the end of the age what about God's will does that find expression in your prayer life pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven in your private life among your family members in your church and in this wretched nation because there's no abortion clinics there is no authorized euthanasia and there's certainly no sodomy in the courts of heaven and Christ says were to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven does this find expression in our prayer lives do we ask God for our daily bread do we ask God for our daily forgiveness do we ask God for our daily protection do we recognize the priority established by Christ when you pray don't first come asking for your food when you pray don't first come asking for your forgiveness when you pray don't first come asking for your protection who comes first in the matter of Prayer it's God God's name God's kingdom God's will then your food then your forgiveness then your protection Christ did not give the Lord's Prayer so that we could just rattle it off mindlessly thinking that God would be manipulated into blessing us thinking that God would be coerced into blessing us as if somehow God saying wow they made it through the whole rosary or those Protestants made it through their 40 day prayer vigil well I'm going to reward them with the new building they've been asking for for those forty days brethren God's not bail that's Christ's point he cannot be manipulated he cannot be coerced he cannot be made to act he is not a domesticated God the way Bale was he is not the sort of God that functions for our benefit we often forget this creator creature distinction we often put ourselves on the same level or see them as just a bit more than us God's not man writ large God is God if you think that by your prayers by your attendance upon the means now again don't hear me say don't pray don't attend means you know I have a heart for you to be at church what makes pastors happy show up we don't need parking spots we don't need lunch just show up you want to make your pastor smile show up it's a good thing show up but that's showing up isn't going to secure your benefits with God so hear me today my emphasis on attending to the means of grace is not because that's the way to get things I haven't been transposed with Joel Osteen this morning or Benny Han just with you know small or modest or hair attend to the means of grace brethren but don't attend as if it's bail christ discourages that christ says and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they will be heard for their many words the idea that length will bring the favor of the gods and there's even this idea that rattling through the gods might alert the God in charge of that particular to act on our behalf you got to remember the the pantheon as it were was a bizarre mixture not only in the time of Christ but in the Canaanite deities as well for those who haven't been at the Wednesday night studies remember bail is in charge of rain so you see the direct assault when Elijah comes and says there ain't going to be no don't think that tap has hurt hurts coincidental or wow there was a lucky break that that's what Elijah attack it was to expose the folly of bail ISM in Israel now bail wasn't raining for three years on the earth how do you think bail apologists dealt with that how do they vindicate bail well there was a story that bail would be subject to Mott the god of death and Mark would take bail down into the underworld and at a certain time one of the other goddesses would help would fetch bail out from under the underworld and bring him back so that he could function and produce rain I know that sounds bizarre to us and it sounds odd and it sounds strange but I suspect and their day it probably would have seemed odd bizarre that people worship phones today it's how to worship my phone brethren if there's something more important to you than God probably worship I don't worship for what about money what about work what about legitimate lawful things if they take priority over God that's an idol just like bail just like MA just like a Shura anything that demands total Allegiance and gets and Garner's total allegiance has become our God this is why I just says how long will you falter between two opinions how long will you limp along between two opinions if bail has got and serve him if Yahweh has God and serve Him what's Elijah's emphasis theology matters theology has consequences theology demands allegiance on the part of the theologia disserved how do we miss that how is it that in those days they divided up attention between bail and your way how is it today that we divide up attention between Christ and money Christ and whatever fill-in-the-blank examine your hearts look at look inside and ask the question is there something that that gains my affections and my attention more than God does now I get that we're all on our phones don't go home and throw your phone away not that I think any of us would do that it's amazing how what starts off as a luxury becomes a necessity just in the space of a very short time and they're handy right it's great tax quick no problem brethren if we just looked at society around how long how many times you walk down the street and you just all you see I don't know how people aren't more people aren't hit by cars it's just an amazing thing to me and kids being brought up in a day and age where that's all they know you know once in a while Rebecca and I we're not as old as some but we're older than some will muse on the fact that you know we went through life pretty much without this thing in our pocket now that thing has to go with us everywhere can't go for a walk without my phone because I'm so important it's just a sad indictment upon society it feeds that narcissistic tendencies on going far astray my sermon this morning is not on the horrors of the iPhone or the the Samsung or or the whatever you get the point though what we look at and mock in terms of bail and MOT those persons could probably look at us and say why do you worship that but worst of all why do you worship yourself see one of the Grand Designs of the Christian gospel is stipulated for us in Paul's letter to the Corinthians he says specifically that with reference to the death of Christ the purpose or one of the purposes Paul doesn't always put every purpose in every verse but one of the purposes is that those who live for themselves should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again you see you may not worship your phone you may not worship your money you may not worship BHEL you may not worship Mott but this morning if you were present and you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ I bet you I bet you you worship yourself and the only way to break down that idolatry is through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ it is through the gospel the life the death the resurrection of Jesus all those who by God's grace believe in him will have everlasting life and those who live for themselves will no longer live for themselves what a blessed thing I mean brethren isn't that the worst and the three-fold enemy structure that we have the unholy trinity of the the world the devil and the flesh we could go live on an island and not be affected by the world the devil is not omniscient he's not omnipresent so there might be a Tuesday when he's not bothering us what do we have even through the River Jordan until we get to the gates of Zion I got that pesky flesh we got that remaining corruption we got that Galatians 5:17 reality the flesh lusteth against the spirit the spirit against the flesh these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want the gospel is the power to break that flesh the gospel is the power to stop a man a woman a boy a girl from no longer living for themselves but for him who died for him who is raised for him who is enthroned this is what we were created for you weren't created to play on a phone you weren't created to be whatever it is you're doing now certainly work plumbing luring farming wifing mothering fathering you were created to do all that for the glory of God and insofar as you remain in unbelief and insofar as you reject the gospel you are not doing what you have been created to do you're serving and gratifying your own flesh your own lusts listen to Spurgeon we're going to bring this to a close here in just a moment but listen to Spurgeon concerning this long-winded heathen prayer he says to repeat a form of prayer a very large number of times has always seemed to the ignorantly religious to be a praiseworthy thing but assuredly it is not so it is a mere exercise of memory and of the organs of noise-making and it is absurd to imagine that such a parrot exercise can be pleasing to the Living God the Mahatma tins and Papists keep to this heathenish custom but we must not imitate them so we may not be the prophets of bale cutting our flesh bleeding on ourselves to try to invoke the deity to come and consume our sacrifice by fire but if in our prayer in our reading in our religious observances we are seeking to manipulate God to coerce God to make God function on our behalf in the way that we demand then we have missed the mark by a mile Christ says don't be like the hypocrite don't be like the heathen prayer and saw prayer and the sovereignty of God is underscored just closing in verse 8 therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things that you have need of before you ask him in this manner therefore pray so what does Jesus say it's the sovereignty of God that serves as the foundation and basis for prayer oh how hyper-calvinism abuses this whole idea well God sovereign he knows everything so why pray Jesus says God sovereign he knows everything that's why you pray because you see first and foremost prayer isn't just a means to get what you want so if we put the wrong idea into prayer then it will affect how we pray prayer is commanded by God we should pray because he commands it say well that doesn't seem like a really good reason why we should do something when the judge of all the earth tells you to do something it's a great reason to do it fantastic reason when you fathers assert your authority with you two-year-old if they said well it doesn't seem like a very noble thing for me to pick up my socks because you commanded it you pick up those socks because I commanded it prayer is an act of worship prayer is an act of worship we're told to worship God worship God in spirit and in truth prayer is communion with the triune God directed to the father through the son by the spirit our confession says prayer with Thanksgiving being one part of natural worship is is by God required of all men but that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of the son by the help of the Spirit according to his will with understanding reverence humility fervency faith love and perseverance prayer as said before as an exercise of faith prayer is an exercise of faith you communicate to your children I have faith in the Redeemer brethren let them see you pray not in the manner of the hypocrite that wants to be seen by children but because it is a communication of faith prayer is an expression of our dependence upon God you see the false prophets of Bale assumed Bailes dependence on them if they just did the right things than Bale would do what he's supposed to do that's wrong prayer is an expression of our dependence upon God prayer is a means of conformity to God's will you see if you think prayer is just a means to get stuff from God you have a problem with bail ISM that's your issue this morning prayer is a means of conformity to God's will John Owen says he who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays Ryle says may we resolve that by God's help our heart shall go together with our lips and prayer is a means of expressing our thankfulness to God the whole guilt grace gratitude paradigm we have found out for our lawlessness and our wretchedness before a holy God that's our nope we come by the grace of God to Calvary that's the grace that we receive what's the believers response gratitude where do you express that gratitude in the secret place when you're walking by the wayside when you rise up when you lie down gratitude is expressed through faith I'm sorry through prayer and then prayer is also a blessed thing that I think we oftentimes overlooked now I wouldn't say prayers a means of therapy prayer is the means by which you'll get all your your your emotional needs heal unfortunately that's an abuse because there is a vain truth in there what's Peter tell us reflecting the psalmist cast your care upon God why because he cares for you Luke 18 Jesus told men that they ought not to be anxious they are not to be plagued with exams ayat II but they ought to pray you see what the antidote to anxiety and anxiousness it and insecurity and all those things are in Scripture it's the secret place it's prayer to your heavenly Father Calvin captures all of this and he says believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to him or of exciting him to his duty or urging him as though he were reluctant on the contrary they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him that they may exercise their faith and meditating on his promises that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into his bosom in a word that they may declare that from him alone they hope and expect but for themselves and for others all good things Oh brethren we ought to pray Christ assumes it there are many reasons for it we ought not to pray like the hypocrite we certainly ought not to pray like the heathen we ought not to go to the private place to the church prayer meeting or the family prayers with this idea that if we do enough we say enough or we bleed enough then the God will bless us that's bail ISM and prayer as a subset of worship I would argue that bail ISM pervades modern worship as well frenzied vain repetition and singing persons sometimes say why would you sing the Psalms in your church or why do you sing these old-fashioned hymns why don't you take one of those songs in the modern church that says you know two words and repeats at 25 times that that's got to be the better way when our kids are 2 and they say googoo gaga it's wonderful but when they're 22 if they're still saying googoo gaga we have failed as parents sorry brethren the church needs to be mature and that maturity is reflected in Psalms and hymns maturity is reflected not in a Bayless frenzy but in a mind focused upon Yahweh worship the religion of Yahweh in the Old Covenant was about the word you saw no form but you heard a voice bail was all about the experience bail was all about the pleasure bail was all about the let go and let bail mentality the worship of Yahweh conversely was to love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind to disengage the mind in public worship is to be guilty of bail ISM it is not to obey God in worshiping in spirit and in truth well brethren those are some thoughts from our text let us close in a word of Prayer father we thank you for your word and we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that scripture is so consistent and what we see paraded Mactan full rolled up in folly in first Kings 18 our Lord specifically condemns in the Sermon on the Mount grant us grace to not pray like the hypocrite to not pray like the heathen but to pray to seek you alone to seek your ear to seek your favor and Lord God we just pray that you would bless our church as well we know that corporate prayer is it is an emphasis by the apostle may us may we as a church be a church that is about prayer and bless our families cause them to be rich in prayer as well go with us now we pray through Christ our Lord amen why don't we close by singing the doxology it is in the Trinity hymnal Roman numeral 16 we'll stand and we'll sing the doxology together [Music] the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace amen well please be seated until the music is concluded you