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They turn in your Bibles to Matthew 
chapter six. Matthew chapter six, we remember 
the Lord Jesus is teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 
five. He has said in verse 20 that 
our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes 
and Pharisees, or we will by no means enter the kingdom of 
heaven. He then opens up the Mosaic law. He says that you 
have heard that it was said to those of all, but I say to you, 
and he gives the right and correct and proper interpretation of 
the law. So, at the end of chapter 5, 
or verses 21 to 48 in chapter 5, he deals with our ethical 
relationships, how we conduct ourselves with reference to men 
before God in this lower world. Here in chapter 6, verses 1 to 
18, he takes up religious observance. He takes up those three primary 
duties in religion. And he says that we are to have 
the proper motivation, the proper disposition as we go about these 
tasks or as we go about these privileges of religion. In chapter 
6, verses 1 to 4, he dealt with almsgiving or the giving of charitable 
deeds. We looked at that last Sunday. 
This morning, we're going to take up prayer in verses 5 to 
8. And then he develops that when 
he highlights the manner in which we are to pray. He gives what's 
been commonly called the Lord's Prayer. And then he finishes 
this section on religious observance in verses 16 to 18 with reference 
to fasting. So, that's a brief overview, 
reminder, and introduction as to where we are in the Sermon 
on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel. So, I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 6 at verse 1. Take heed that you do not do 
your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise, 
you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, 
when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before 
you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets. 
that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, 
they have their reward. But when you do a charitable 
deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is 
doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret and your father 
who sees in secret will himself reward you openly. 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. For if you forgive men their 
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if 
you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your 
father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when you fast, do not 
be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigure 
their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, 
I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, 
anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear 
to men to be fasting. But to your father who is in 
the secret place, your father who sees in secret will reward 
you openly. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the scripture. Thank you for the teaching of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And God, give us grace now as 
we approach your word. Give us your Holy Spirit to guide 
us and direct us and lead us. And we just ask that in all of 
this, you would be glorified. Forgive us for all of our sins 
and transgression and help us, God, to to seek that mercy from 
on high, that grace from on high that enables us to live the Christian 
life. And we pray in Christ's holy 
name. Amen. Well, some have recognized here 
that Jesus speaks longer or speaks with more words to the issue 
of prayer, perhaps highlighting the priority of prayer even in 
these sort of religious observances. You've got almsgiving, and that's 
a necessity. We are to give and engage in 
charitable deeds. Fasting, again, is part of religious 
worship. It's a part of humbling ourselves 
before the Lord God Almighty. But he does spend an extended 
amount of time in Matthew 6 verses 5 to 15 on this subject of prayer. Perhaps there's no subject or 
no topic more important for the Christian and for the church 
to consider. Later on, when we look at 1 Timothy 
chapter 2, for instance, when Paul comes and writes to Timothy 
or writes to Timothy so that he may know how he ought to conduct 
himself in the house of God, the first order of business with 
reference to the apostle is prayer. He says, first of all, I exhort 
that prayers, supplications, intercessions, giving of thanks 
be made for all men. The church is to be a praying 
body. The church is to pray corporately. When Jesus calls us to go into 
our secret place, He's not negating the fact that the body of Christ 
will have seasons and sessions of corporate prayer. His emphasis 
or his highlight is rather upon the individual or the disposition 
behind men when they go to seek the Lord God Almighty. The prayer 
is absolutely crucial with reference to our lives as Christians. So 
I want to take up this section under three considerations. We'll 
stop at verse 8. God willing, we'll take up the 
Lord's Prayer in the next few weeks. But first of all, we ought 
to consider the assumption of our Lord. Secondly, the warning 
concerning motivation. The warning concerning motivation, 
he says, do not be like the hypocrites. And then thirdly, there's a warning 
concerning the manner. He says, do not be like the heathen. 
So, in speaking to prayer, Jesus deals with our motivation, what 
lies at the root with reference to our approach to the throne 
of grace, and then he deals with manner. How do we approach God? 
Is it vain repetition? Do we think we can manipulate 
God? Do we think that we can force God's hand? Is that one 
of the purposes in prayer? Jesus says, absolutely not. So 
he speaks to motivation, he speaks to manner, and he does so in 
terms of warning or cautioning the people of God, inhabitants 
of the kingdom of Christ, about not being like hypocrites and 
like heathen. But note first the assumption 
of our Lord, verse 5, and when you pray. Verse six, but you 
when you pray, verse seven, and when you pray, we saw this with 
the charitable deeds as well. Jesus is not commanding. This 
is not an imperative. This is not a statement of something 
you ought to do for a happier, healthier, more fulfilled life. 
Jesus assumes that the people of God will, in fact, be people 
who pray. It is assumed by him. So we see 
later on, heathen and hypocrites pray. So we might say that not 
all that glitters is gold. You've heard that statement before. 
Not all that glitters is gold. Not all people who pray are necessarily 
in a right state before God. But conversely, we do need to 
realize that gold does, in fact, glitter. Gold does shine. Gold does shimmer. A Christian 
will be a man or a woman of prayer. I realize that this is a tough 
section of Scripture. Heard it well said, if you want 
to humble a Christian, ask him or her about their prayer life. 
I mean, you may have your charitable deeds down, you may fast a couple 
of times a week, you may have all those outward things in order, 
but how are you before God in the secret place? If that doesn't 
humble you, then there's something wrong, because there's not a 
one of us who can say, my prayer life is top notch. I have never, 
in my so many years, not so many, many of you have more years, 
as a Christian, met anybody who ever said, I've arrived with 
reference to prayer. I've made it. I've got the most 
fulfilling prayer life of anybody I've ever met in my life. Take 
that attitude, for instance. If that person were to read John 
Wesley, John Wesley said it would be hard to even believe a man 
a Christian if he doesn't spend at least three hours a day in 
prayer. There's always someone out there 
who prays more. There's always someone out there 
who prays longer. And well, as we learn through 
this passage of Scripture, it's not necessarily the quantity 
that matters with the Lord God Almighty. But suffice it to say, 
our Lord does not command, he does not exhort, he does not 
encourage, but rather he assumes that the people of God will be 
a praying people. This is illustrated or evidenced 
in the life of Paul the Apostle. Remember that Saul of Tarsus 
was a man who despised the church. He later describes himself concerning 
zeal, persecuting the church. At the end of the death of Stephen, 
we see that people were entrusting Paul or Saul of Tarsus with their 
garments, with their clothes. They had him watch over them 
while they perhaps freed up their motion so they could stone Stephen 
with big rocks. Well, remember that Stephen says, 
Lord, do not charge them with this sin. A chapter later, we 
see God answers his prayer in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. 
Well, then Ananias is instructed to go and find this Saul of Tarsus. And it's interesting how Jesus 
describes it. He says he's at this place on 
the on the road called straight. And behold, he is praying. Not behold, he is giving alms. 
Not behold, he is fasting. Not behold, he is preaching. 
Not behold, he is having a meeting in his living room, but behold, 
he is praying. Now, certainly, Saul of Tarsus 
is a Pharisee prayed. Certainly, Saul of Tarsus is 
a Pharisee engaged in morning, afternoon and evening prayers. 
But it wasn't until he was converted by God's grace. It wasn't until 
he was conquered on the road to Damascus that his life could 
be summarized this way. Behold, he is praying. Tom Gill 
says, so as he had never prayed before, now he prayed with the 
spirit and with the understanding from a feeling sense of his wants 
for spiritual blessings such as he had no knowledge of nor 
desire after before. God has no stillborn children. Mark this, brethren, God has 
no stillborn children. Now, it's one thing to struggle. 
in your prayer life. It's one thing to want to pray 
more. It's one thing to want to have 
more private or quiet time or to have an actual secret place 
in your house so that you may commune with God. It's one thing 
to struggle about prayerlessness or the desire to be more. But 
if prayer is not a part of your life, If there is not something 
you value, if there is not something important in your life, then 
you need to be saved. You need to believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. You need to be born again, because, 
as Gil says, God has no stillborn children. He goes on to say, 
as soon as any are quickened by his grace, they cry unto him. Prayer is the breath of a regenerate 
man and shows him to be alive. He who before was breathing out 
threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of Christ now breathes 
after communion with Christ and them. Now, notice what I did 
not say. If you don't pray for three hours, 
you're not a Christian. You don't pray for 35 minutes. 
You are not a Christian. Search the scriptures. You don't 
find that sort of an emphasis. You don't find how many times 
or at what seasons of the day you ought to pray. But if prayer 
is unimportant in your life. If you don't agonize that you 
want to pray more or you're not even convicted as you look at 
a passage like this, it is very curious to wonder if the spirit 
of God is at work in your hearts. Behold, he is praying. The assumption of our Lord Jesus 
Christ is that Christians will pray. The assumption of our Lord 
Jesus Christ is that Christians will seek the father. I don't 
think that's a bad assumption. Not that Jesus needs me to agree 
with him. God saved us. God's redeemed 
us. God sent his son and delivered 
him up for us all. God was pleased to bruise him, 
to crush him, putting him to grief. Why? So that we will glorify 
him, that we will enjoy the blessings that he has conferred upon us, 
and that we'll use them. That we'll speak with him. That 
we'll cast our burdens upon him. That we'll call him our friend. 
that will value His company, that we will prize and delight 
in Him. But it's hard to imagine that 
we actually prize and value God if we never spend time with Him, 
if we never want to be in His presence, if we're not praying, 
if we're not seeking the Scripture. Perhaps you've had that in your 
life. Somebody said, you know, I really value you as a friend, 
but I never talk to you, I never write to you, I never call you, 
I never ever think about you. You would probably suspect that 
you're not that high up on the friendship list. Right. And yet we have professing Christians 
who don't speak to God, professing Christians who don't read God's 
word, professing Christians who say, I value God, I prize God, 
I adore God, I worship God, but I just don't want to spend any 
time with God. I don't have the time to spare. 
Luther said when he was especially busy, he increased his prayer 
time to about four hours in the morning. Again, I'm throwing 
out hours. I don't want you to go home today 
and say, God, forgive me, I don't pray for four hours. You should 
never say, God, forgive me, I don't pray for four hours. You should 
say, God, forgive me, I don't pray. And repent if you're a 
child of God. Notice the warning concerning 
motivation. Do not be like the hypocrites. 
Note the issue, verse 5b. And when you pray, you shall 
not be like the hypocrites. Again, remember, these were the 
actors. These were the stage performers that put on a mask 
and appeared to be something that they were not. Jesus says 
in your prayer life, don't appear to be something that you're not. 
Don't engage in things like these men. Note what he says. They 
love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners 
of the streets that they may be seen by men. If Jesus had 
simply said they love to pray, That's a good thing, right? Isn't 
it? They love to pray. I hope in 
your heart of hearts you love to pray. Jesus is not condemning 
the act of prayer. He's not condemning standing. 
Standing is a normal posture to assume in prayer. He's not 
condemning those things. He is condemning the motive behind 
it. They love to look eager. They 
stand in the corners of the streets. Why? Because I'm so earnest to 
pray. I can't wait till I get to the 
synagogue. I'm so much in longing to pray. I can't wait to get 
to the synagogue. That says something about them 
to others. That's their end game. It's what 
they communicate by their actions to others that really matter. 
They love to be on display. They love to parade themselves. They love to be the center of 
attention. You should never come to a corporate 
prayer meeting praying in order to garner the applause of men. And that doesn't mean that any 
man who prays publicly necessarily is courting the applause of men. The church is to pray. Don't 
fault a brother who actually prays. Don't think that this 
brother actually wants the praise of men. You don't know his heart. 
You don't know his motives. You don't know what he's about. 
Jesus is condemning a practice rife in the first century where 
these Pharisees and these scribes and these chief priests and these 
religious leaders who would want to murder a man like Lazarus 
for the crime of having been raised from the dead would stand 
on a street corner so everybody could fawn over them in prayer. That's the problem. It is driven 
not by a desire to be heard from God, but to be seen by men. It's about self-love. It's about 
self-promotion. It's about self-righteousness. 
That's the issue. Their desire is that they may 
be seen by men. And note what Jesus says. Assuredly, 
I say to you, they have their reward. They desire to pray on 
the street corners. They desire to pray in the synagogues. 
Not so God will hear and alleviate the burdens that they bear or 
the burdens of their brethren. Brethren, they do it so they 
can be seen by men. They want men to go home after 
the synagogue meeting and say, didn't you notice Brother Rube, 
what a godly man, what a pious man, what a holy man. Did you 
hear his prayers? Did you see his sincerity? Did 
you see his polish? Did you hear his knowledge of 
the scripture? That's what these men desire. 
They don't desire that God hears their petitions and answers specifically. They desire that over food or 
over dinner, the people from the synagogue will go home and 
talk about them. You see the problem, Jesus says, when you 
pray, don't be like that, don't be a hypocrite, don't engage 
this way. It's interesting what they want 
is to be seen by men. Ironically, this is what they 
get. They have their reward. Just like in almsgiving, they 
give in order to be seen by men, so that men will say, look at 
how good they are in giving these monies to the poor. Well, if 
that's what you're seeking, you can get it. It's easy. If all 
you want in your prayer life is to be approved of by men, 
if all you want in your prayer life is to have your husband 
or wife say, wow, you're a holy, pious man or woman, if all you 
want is for your children to say, my daddy's so serious about 
the things of God. Or if you, as children, say, 
I just want to pray so to keep my parents off my back and so 
that they'll approve of me and not call me a goat or a reprobate 
or preach the gospel to me. If that is your driving motivation, 
Jesus said, it is easy to obtain. You stand on the street corner 
or you pray in the synagogue and your motivation is not the 
glory of God and the good of souls. It's easy. Hypocrites, 
religion is very simple. Hypocrites, religion is very 
attainable, give to be seen, pray to be seen, fast to be seen. If that's all you're seeking, 
you're going to get what you want to see. Spurgeon says we 
are not where God sees when we court publicity and pray to obtain 
credit for our devotion. Same kind of thing with the almsgiving 
they gave to get. What do we call that when we 
go to the store? When we give to get, we call 
that buying something, don't we? I hope that's what you do. I hope you don't just get without 
that first very important step in the transaction. I just get. That's why I wear this big jacket 
with all these pockets. I get lots of stuff. We call it buying. We call it 
a transaction. We call it commerce. The almsgiver 
who does it simply to be seen by men is engaged in a buying 
transaction. His mindset has gone no further 
than the commercial market. He reckons this way. I want praise 
from men. It'll cost me this amount of 
shekels. And if I give that amount of shekels, I'll get praise from 
men. Well, the same thing in prayer. All you want is to be 
seen by men. Brethren, it's easy. Come to 
prayer meeting. Pray. We don't police that. Would to 
the Lord that everybody who attended prayer meeting prayed. You got 
avenues. You got places. You see the motivation 
of the hypocrite here. He wants to appear to be this 
pious, holy, devoted man. And in his heart of hearts, all 
he wants is for men to approve of him. That's what Jesus is 
condemning. If being considered prayerful 
and devoted by men is your desire, it is very easy to attain. If I were to ask you, what's the 
most difficult thing in the Christian life? Some of you would probably 
say being a father, being a mother, being a husband, being a wife. 
And we put a little spin on it, really being a husband to my 
wife. You know, unless I could be married to her. But if, in your heart of hearts, 
With Judgment Day honesty, with that spotlight shone upon you 
and somebody standing there with a rubber hose, what's the most 
difficult thing in the Christian life? To pray. Prayer. Why is that? It's much easier just to cut 
a check, to write a check, to open the wallet, but to get alone 
with God. To get in private with God. That 
says a lot about your priority structure. Quite frankly, not 
all of us always have God at the top of the priority list. 
Jesus provides a remedy, he says, 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. 
The emphasis on exclusion here doesn't mean that if you don't 
have a secret room, you can't pray. Don't anyone go home today 
and say, Honey, I just don't have a locking room where I can 
go to pray, so I can't apply that scripture passage. Probably 
the room in view in first century Palestine was a little storeroom 
that was capable of being locked, probably akin to a broom closet. Does that mean that you can't 
pray on top of a mountain or in a car? That doesn't mean that. The idea is exclusion. The idea 
is audience. The idea is that you're courting 
the favor of God. You're looking for God. You're 
not looking for men. You're not in the synagogues. 
You're not on the corner of the street. You're not parading yourself 
as this holy, prayerful person. If one lacks such a room, you 
can get alone with God in other places as well. The idea is, 
is giving attention and direction and focus wholly and alone to 
him. By all means, when you're walking 
through the neighborhood, you can pray. By all means, when 
you're driving in your car, you can pray. Just don't close your 
eyes. By all means, you can pray. See, the idea here is not, well, 
I've got to carve out a special place in my house. Can't really 
pray until I do that. Don't miss the point. When you 
pray, Jesus says, go into your room. Find a secret place. Find a place where no one else 
is. Do not court the favor of your 
brothers or your sisters. Do not court the favor of your 
fathers and your mothers. Do not court the favor of your 
children, but rather seek the favor of God Most High. It's 
about orientation. It's about focus. It's about 
commitment. It's about exclusion. Putting 
yourself alone with Him. It's nice to get together. with lots of people as husband 
and wife. But there's something unique 
and wonderful about getting along together at times. This is what 
the point of the passage is, 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 here, brethren, 
is where we're getting to the nitty-gritty of it, to the nuts 
and bolts. The act of prayer is an exercise of faith, isn't 
it? See, if my prayer life is only 
concerned with how many people are going to be in the synagogue 
today, or if I posture myself on that street corner, will the 
brethren driving see me? That doesn't take faith, it just 
takes technique. It doesn't take faith, it just 
takes prowess. It doesn't take faith, it just 
takes that sort of parading oneself that's hideous and wicked. But 
to go into the secret place where there are no other people, to 
go into the secret place and to seek God the Lord is an exercise 
of faith, isn't it? Don't you love the way Jesus 
treats this subject? How many times have you said, 
you know, I prayed, I just didn't feel that God was there. Well, 
God's there all right. God is present. See, prayer is 
an exercise in faith. Calvin says as much. I'm going 
to quote him later on. It's an exercise of faith. Somebody 
sees you going into your closet. Not that you should say, hey, 
I'm going into the closet now to pray. But if somebody did, 
what are you going in there for? I'm going in there to seek God. 
What do you mean? God's in there? Yes, God's in 
there. Not in some Buddhist idol sort 
of a way where we put the idol in the closet and then we feed 
it and then we shut the door. No, God is omnipresent. God is 
omniscient. The believer must walk by faith 
nowhere more so than in the prayer closet. See, in corporate prayer we're 
gathered with people that all believe the same sorts of things 
that we do. But in private, alone, You can either A, read the paper, 
or B, look at Facebook, or C, Twitter, or D, play some game, 
or E, eat some food, or F, seek God in prayer. You know, there's 
instantaneous payoff from Twitter and Facebook and food and whatever. It's not instantaneous. It's not a formulaic approach. 
We don't go into the prayer closet and come out blessed. It takes 
faith, doesn't it? Anybody processing? Is this not 
an act of faith? You've got to believe Hebrews 
11, 6, that he is. That's an amazing belief. That 
the God described in the Bible is. It's an amazing belief that 
God has given to us. That faith is not native in man. We reject God. We despise God. We argue against God. We rebel 
against him. We suppress his truth and unrighteousness. The fact that any man, any woman, 
any boy, any girl actually believes that this God is, is an act of 
grace. Believing that he is, we must 
believe as well that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him. We go into that prayer closet by faith. It's an exercise of 
faith. The believer must believe that 
he is, or that God is, and that he not only inhabits eternity, 
but also dwells in the language of the prophet Isaiah, with him 
who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit 
of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 
57, 15. Isn't that a great statement? I, God the Lord, the Holy One 
of Israel inhabit eternity. We can't even begin to get our 
minds wrapped around that. Inhabits eternity. What does 
that mean? He is from everlasting to everlasting. This is our God. Behold your 
God. He inhabits eternity and with 
him who has a contrite and humble spirit in order to revive the 
spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 
And then as well, we need to notice about going into this 
secret place, about going into the closet or going into the 
storeroom or getting alone with God, finding that exclusion from 
the world, from those things which are lawful in and of their 
own place. But we need to realize the believer 
does not enter the closet seeking experience. This is a big killer for prayer. 
I didn't feel better. after I prayed. The believer 
doesn't go into the closet seeking therapy. Prayer works. The believer doesn't go into 
the prayer closet seeking anything other than God. See why faith is required? Here's 
how we judge prayer. Maybe not you guys, but I know 
I have in the past. I have such a good time of prayer 
because I sense the Lord's nearness. Whether I sense the Lord's nearness 
or not, according to Jesus in Matthew 6, the Lord is near. What's a good time of prayer 
for you? I just felt better. Maybe a good 
time of prayer, as far as God is concerned, is that you sought 
him. You didn't feel better, but you 
continued on faithfully. God knows you mean business. 
See, if it's just mercenary, I'm going to go to the closet 
so I can feel better. I'm going to go to the closet 
so I can get experience. I'm going to go to the closet 
so that the Lord will heal me of my infirmities. There's almost 
a transaction feel to it. But if you're going there because 
God is there and you want to lay out your petitions, supplications, 
intercessions, giving of thanks before Him, you want to praise 
Him, you want to exalt in Him, you want to testify of His glory, 
of His majesty, of His excellence, God knows you mean business. How do we judge prayer? Corporate 
prayer. Wow, it just seems so dead and 
so cold. Shame on us. Shame on us. What are we saying? Good times 
of prayer are judged in the eyes of the beholder. Good times of prayer are when 
we pray. So you want the bells and the 
whistles before you pray. You want a guarantee of the bells 
and the whistles before you pray. Jesus says, when you pray, go 
into your room. When you pray, go into secret. 
And when you pray, realize that God is there, realize that God 
sees in secret, and realize ultimately God will reward you openly. You 
see, it's an exercise in faith. If every time we prayed, God 
just flooded us with this feeling and emotion and experience, I 
guarantee our closets would be occupied all the time. So I'm 
back to that whole idea that it's an exercise of faith. You 
need to believe that God is, that He is a rewarder of them 
that diligently seek Him. Maybe not immediately, maybe 
not right now, maybe not tomorrow, but God will indeed reward you 
openly. One day there will be a vindication 
of all of God's elect, God will be glorified, God will be reigning, 
and men who despise will be judged. Do you believe that? We're so 
feeling touchy. It's why the Charismatic and 
the Pentecostal movement makes such an impact on people. Oh, you Reform people, it's all 
dry and cold and orthodoxy. No, we're seeking to employ the 
means that God has given and let Him deal with the effects. 
Let Him deal with flooding our hearts. Let Him deal with all 
of that. We are called to be faithful. We're called to go 
into the secret place. We're called to pray. And then 
we say what the psalmist said in Psalm 160, I love the Lord 
because he's heard the voice of my supplication. I love the 
Lord because he gave me feelings, I love the Lord because he gave 
me emotions, I love the Lord because he gave me mystic rapturous 
excitement, I love the Lord because he heard me. What he chooses 
to do in terms of making me happy or making me warm or making me 
touchy feely is all up to him. He has called me to pray. I'm 
not suggesting that the prayer closet is always this cold, hallowed, 
hard, dry place. If you pray, you know God sees 
in the secret place. You know God is present with 
you. You know that God is there. God 
is nigh. God is to be valued and prized. 
You should come out of the prayer closet with a bit of a skip in 
your step. But if you're just going in there 
to get a skip in your step, You're bypassing the primary emphasis. It's God you seek. Doesn't Jesus 
teach us about worship? God is spirit. He is seeking 
men to worship him in spirit and truth, not in mystical, rapturous 
excitement and joy. Spirit and truth. Our God is 
a rational being. Our God is a level-headed being. Our God calls us to approach 
Him in that manner. He deals with the feelings. He 
deals with the experience. He deals with all that. But far 
too often, we say things like, you know, I've tried the prayer. 
It's hard to pray. It's cold in prayer. I don't 
feel any different. You don't feel any different? 
Search the Scriptures and tell me where that's a prerequisite 
of prayer. And when you pray, Not if you think about how good 
you're going to feel after you pray. If you think about the 
therapy that it's going to bring to your heart, your weary soul. No, just pray. Am I preaching alone here? Has 
anybody ever said, well, you know, I tried praying yesterday 
and it didn't seem like this great experience. So today I'll 
look at Facebook. But I'll look at Christian Facebook. Guys I read say it's tough to 
pray. Guys I've talked to say it's tough to pray. It's an act 
of faith. We must believe that He is, that 
He rewards His people. And we must enter the closet, 
not seeking experience or feelings or a means of therapy. We enter 
the closet to seek the true and living God. Maybe feelings are 
an idol to some of us. Unless God gives me this feeling, 
I'm not going to pray. Or unless I get wowed by my reading 
of the Scripture. Not every time you read the scripture, 
brother, you're going to come out with a five point Spurgeon 
sermon. Just read the scriptures. Just keep reading the scriptures. 
Just read the scriptures every single day and come back to me 
in 10 years and say, you know, I've seen some profit. See, we 
want it right now. If I'm not dazzled with my Bible 
reading, if I'm not walking into the heavenly places in my prayer 
closet, I'm not going to do it. Imagine laying that guilt or 
laying that pressure on your husband or your wife. Unless 
you wow me every night with dinner, sweetie. Unless you take me on 
the best and most exciting dates, baby, I don't want anything to 
do with you. We'd say, that's not very kind. And yet much of 
the Christian church isn't going to pray, isn't going to read 
their Bible unless God performs for them. He's not a monkey on 
a leash. We're not the organ grinder. 
We don't manipulate. It's what the heathen do. See, 
the hypocrites don't care one bit. They just want to be seen 
by men. But notice Jesus' second warning 
here. Don't be like the heathen. Why do you think they're engaged 
in vain babbling? Why do you think they're engaged 
in vain repetition? Probably because they're ignorant 
polytheists and they're going through the whole slew of names 
they know for God, hoping that it'll catch with one of them. 
And then maybe once they've got the attention of a particular 
God, they're going to wear him down. Jesus is not against you 
praying every day for the conversion of your mother. That's not the 
vain repetition that herein condemns. Every single day, if your mother's 
unconverted, you have liberty. Every single day, a few times 
a day, go ahead, pray, God save my mother. That's legit. Jesus is not condemning that. 
He's condemning the approach of the heathen who sought to 
manipulate his God by technique. See, the heathen wants something 
from God, so he views prayer simply as a means to get something 
from God. He's not seeking God. He's not 
seeking to worship. He's not seeking to glorify. 
He's not seeking to honor. He's not seeking to cast himself 
in dependence upon the God. Rather, he's going to babble 
on. He's going to engage in vain, heathenish ramblings, hoping 
that for his many words he will be heard. He's trying to wear 
them down. You ever tell your kids something 
and you say, no, I don't want you to do that. So they keep 
asking you. They keep asking you. They keep asking you. You 
should probably have spanked them on the first keep asking 
you, but sometimes we allow it to go on. What are they doing? 
They're trying to wear you down. They're trying to be heard for 
their many words. They're trying to manipulate 
the situation. They're engaged in technique. Jesus says, don't 
be like that. If prayer is a technique in your 
life to get things from God, you've missed the point. If prayer 
is a technique in your arsenal to get God to perform some of 
these formulaic approaches to all of this, pray this way every 
single day and see if God blesses you. Does Jesus matter anymore 
with that kind of a mindset out there? Pray this prayer every single 
day and see if God will enlarge your territory. It's interesting. We don't pray 
that prayer every single day to be more giving. But we'll 
pray that prayer every day to be enlarged. How many people 
sell books out there, how to pray to be a better giver? A 
lot of books on how to pray to be a better getter. Not a big 
market on praying to be a better giver. See, we're not to be like 
the heathen. We're not to manipulate. We're 
not to employ technique. C.H. Spurgeon said it beautifully. 
He says, to repeat a form of prayer a very large number of 
times. Sorry, I'm laughing. It's just 
funny the way he says this. 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 tends and the papists keep to this heathenish custom, 
but we must not imitate that. We mustn't. Are you going to 
be heard for your many words? God, I gave you a hundred words 
and you've only given me one word worth of blessing. You miss 
the point if you treat the closet in a mathematically formulaic 
way. I put in this effort. God gives 
me this much back. I seek him privately. He warms 
my soul. I do this and he does this. Well, 
what happens when he doesn't do that? We don't pray. Note the application that Jesus 
gives in verse eight, therefore, do not be like them. Don't be 
like them. Don't be like the heathen. It's 
already said, don't be like a hypocrite. Don't stand around parading yourself, 
looking to be seen by men as a prayerful, devoted man or woman. 
Here with the heathen, he says, do not be like them. Do not engage 
in vain repetition. The manner of biblical prayer 
is not length or wordiness, but communion with the father through 
the mediation of the son by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's 
biblical prayer. The triune God has approached 
the fashion and in the manner in which he specifies. Not predicated 
on what we get out of it, but rather what we give to Him in 
terms of worship and praise and adoration. Don't be like the 
heathen. He says, with reference to this 
heathenish experience, you need to realize you don't serve those 
gods. You serve one God, and He knows 
what you need even before you ask Him. Isn't that beautiful? Notice, he doesn't say he knows 
what you need, so don't bother asking. He knows what you need, 
so just shut your mouth. He knows what you need, so don't 
ever petition him. He knows what you need before 
you ask him. Jesus doesn't say don't ask him. Jesus assumes 
you're going to ask. Jesus assumes that you're going 
to prayer, but Jesus never teaches that prayer somehow makes void 
and null the sovereignty of God. You don't manipulate him. You 
don't exercise technique over him. He knows what you need before 
you open your big mouth. Jesus probably has Isaiah 65 
in his mind, it shall come to pass that before they call, I 
will answer and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 
You see what Jesus is doing, he condemns the motivation behind 
the hypocrites, don't be like them, they love the praise of 
men. He's condemning the manner of the heathen. Don't be like 
them. They engage in vain babbling. Think they can control their 
God with their many words and get what they want. No, rather, 
this is the way you are to engage. Go into the secret place and 
do not engage in vain repetition. This sets the stage, then, for 
the manner of prayer, which is the Lord's Prayer. Petitions 
Godward, petitions horizontally, which, as I said, we'll consider 
another time. Suffice it to say, this is how Jesus instructs us 
to prayer. So in this section, we've seen 
the examples of improper prayer. Improper prayer. If you're praying 
to be seen by men, it's wrong. Now, don't take some unbiblical 
conclusions and say, well, I'll never pray around men. The church 
needs men praying. Church needs women praying. Church 
needs people praying. Don't, in light of Matthew 6, 
5 to 8, say, I'm never going to pray in the public prayer 
meeting. So I don't want men to see me. That's not what Jesus 
is talking about. Now, if you come on Sunday morning 
and come on Wednesday night to be seen by men, that's what Jesus 
is condemning. And don't be like the heathen. 
Don't just engage in this rote ritual, this parrot form that 
thinks that they'll be heard for their many words. He says, 
secondly, the believers practice, he assumes that they will pray. 
He encourages us to seek alone time with God. Again, quiet time 
or whatever we want to call it, whatever the church calls it 
and whatever generation she's in, the issue is be with God. Whether that means a storage 
closet in your room, whether it means in your car, whether 
it means on a walk, whether it means on a mountaintop, whether 
it means in the bathroom, pray. I think I've told this story 
before, I think I heard it from Pastor John MacArthur, he was 
with a group of ministers, and they were discussing the best 
posture for prayer. One man says, I love to pray 
when I'm sitting down. It's biblical. David prayed sitting. I love 
to pray when I'm on my knees. Biblical. Excellent. A man says, 
I love to pray standing up. It's good. You can pray standing 
up. I love to pray when I'm laying down. You can pray when you're 
laying down, just not when you're laying on your back and you're 
about to go to sleep. Usually, sleep overtakes that 
desire to pray. One man in the group says, you 
know, the best time of prayer I ever had was when I fell down 
a well and my foot got caught on the rope bucket and I was 
hanging there upside down. Never had a time of prayer like 
that. Jesus isn't specifying all of 
the stuff that we often think in terms of. He says, get alone 
with your God. You've been saved to commune, 
been saved to worship, you've been saved to spend time with 
him, been saved to enter into his presence. Faith is necessary 
for communion with the unseen God. The emphasis on in terms 
of manner, Jesus does not give the Lord's Prayer simply so we 
can recite it. He doesn't want us to engage 
in vain repetition, just in this manner pray. In this way pray, 
according to this pattern pray. Think first of God and then yourself. That's the way you're supposed 
to approach the triune God. And thirdly, with reference to 
this issue of verse 8, Therefore do not be like them, for your 
father knows the things you have need of before you ask him. Ask anybody. They'll say that 
a view of God's sovereignty will kill prayer. Well, if God's already 
sovereign and God knows everything you need, and later on God promises 
that he's going to give you bread and he's going to give you clothing, 
well, why pray? Anybody ever heard that before? Come on. Ever? Why pray if God 
is sovereign? You know, you've heard that statement, 
prayer changes things. It does not change God. The heathen 
tries to change God through his vain repetition. The Christian 
quite enjoys the fact that his God is unchanging. The Christian 
quite enjoys the fact that his God is sovereign. He quite enjoys 
the fact that he's the rock upon which we cast our rope to pull 
ourselves closer. We don't pull the rock to us. 
We want to get near the rock. So why pray? Prayer is commanded 
by God. Now, it's assumed by Jesus here. 
Other places of the scripture, it's commanded. I mean, just 
think about that something. I'm not going to pray. God calls 
you to pray. Pray. God doesn't call you to 
philosophize and say, well, if he's sovereign, he knows what 
I need. No, just pray. I always want to be a philosopher 
in the secret place. Just pray. Prayer is an act of, 
get this now, worship. You realize when you don't pray, 
you're not worshiping God. You're taking something from 
him that is due him. The Proverbs actually say the 
prayer of the upright is his delight. You're upright, not 
because of you, you're upright in Christ. As a result, your 
prayer to God is his delight. Prayer is communion with God. There might be times you go into 
that secret place, you don't even know what to utter. The 
Spirit of God who is there is interceding for you. So if you're 
just groaning, God's receiving your communion. Prayer is an 
exercise of faith. I've already mentioned it. If 
you went into your closet and there was a man and you sat and 
you talked with him, there's no faith there. Is there? I can feel him and I can touch 
him, so I must be able to talk to him. But Jesus highlights 
the secretness of this transaction and the God who is in secret 
will see him secret. He will hear you and reward you 
openly. It is an act of faith. Prayer 
is an expression of our dependence upon God. You go into that closet. What are you saying? You're saying, 
Lord, you are my everything. Lord, you are everything to me 
and in this world. Prayer is a means whereby we 
conform to his will. See, the heathen wants to manipulate 
the gods and make them do what he wants. Prayer, biblically 
envisaged, is us being conformed to the will of God. You see, 
we might need to learn patience, so we're going to have to frequent 
the closet for the next 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes? I realize that's a tough 
one for some of us, but for 20, 30, 50, 60 years. Christian life, if you haven't 
seen it yet, is not a flash in the pan. It's a long-term commitment. It's a long-hauled approach. 
Prayer is a means as well to express our thankfulness to God. Go to the closet and tell them 
how thankful you are you're not in hell. Praise God I get to 
go to the closet. Praise God I'm not in one of 
these countries where there's a madman on the throne and I 
can't name the name of Jesus. Praise God for the liberties 
that he has given us. Praise God for the jobs. Praise 
God for the wives. Praise God for the children. 
Praise God for the health. Praise God for the strength. 
Praise God for the weather. Praise God And then prayer is a place to 
unburden ourselves to one who cares. It's nice to think everybody 
cares about you, isn't it? That's a good thing, especially 
in a family. We should all have that vulnerability 
to know that when I express something, my family cares for me. But you 
know, families engage in oversight. Families are hard-hearted at 
times. People will let you down. I hate to say that. If you haven't 
heard that yet, I'm sorry. I hate to be the bearer of bad 
news here. I hate to break your bubble or 
burst your bubble. It's a hard, cruel world. Sometimes 
God's people, well-meaning brethren, people who should love the Lord 
and serve the Lord and love their brethren and always sympathize 
and always agonize, don't. Sometimes we're just selfish. 
Sometimes we're just busy. Sometimes we're just ignorant. 
Sometimes we're just hard-hearted. Do you know there's one who will 
always let us unburden ourselves to him? It's the one who sees 
in secret. Isn't that beautiful? That's 
not an enticement to pray. I get to go and unburden myself 
to one who Peter says cares for me. I think you're not saying 
that others don't. Everybody should care for each 
other. Great. But nobody cares for you like 
the Lord God Almighty. Nobody cares like Christ. Nobody. You may have the best 
husband, the best wife, the best son, the best daughter, the best 
parent. You may have the best church. You may have the best 
friend. You may have the best whatever. But there is no one 
who cares for you like God Most High. And remember, He's the 
one that inhabits eternity. And yet, He cares for you. Calvin said, Believers do not 
pray. with the view of informing God about things unknown to him 
or of exciting him to do 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 in 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 both for themselves and for others, all good things. When you pray, go into your secret 
place. When you pray, do not be like 
the heathen. When you pray, commune, worship, 
adore, honor, thank, unburden yourself. And yes, let your petitions 
be known to him. That's what prayer ought to look 
like. Well, this morning we have considered 
a lot of things. I hope it's been helpful for 
the Christians in our midst. If you're not a Christian here 
this morning, my encouragement to you is to learn to pray. You say, wait a minute, learn 
to pray? Where does someone learn to pray? 
At the cross. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and you shall be saved. And it will be said of you, as 
it was by Christ to Ananias, Behold, he is praying. You can read books on prayer. 
You can go to conferences on prayer. You can go to seminars 
on prayer. But the place to learn to pray 
is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. to repent from your sin, 
to know the joy of being found in him. And as believers, Matthew 
6 contains a world of information on how to pray. If you're like 
me, you'll say, well, I need to better my prayer life. I should 
read A.W. Pink on prayer. I need to better my prayer life, 
so let me search out the Puritans on prayer. How about this for 
a wacky idea? Just pray. I need to learn how to fish better, 
so I'm going to go read a book. Just throw the worm in the water. You don't need seminars. You 
don't need conferences. You don't need prolonged expositions. Again, Matthew 6, 5 to 8 is radically 
simple. I don't think you learned anything 
here this morning. I don't think you were dazzled 
by anything. I hope you weren't. It's pretty 
cut and dry. Don't be like a hypocrite. Don't 
be like a heathen. Pray. That's what the Christian 
response to Matthew 6, 5 to 8 is. Let us pray. Let us close now 
in prayer. Father, thank you for your word 
and thank you for our Lord's instruction. We just ask God 
in heaven that you would help us to value and to prize and 
to cherish the secret place. Father, forgive us at times when 
we make excuses or when we let busyness crowd out those things 
which are most important, the things of communion and worship 
and adoration and thankfulness and casting ourselves upon you. 
God, give us a revived spirit and a revived desire to engage 
in prayer unto you, our God. Go with us now, Father. Watch 
over us. And we pray these things in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.