1 00:00:02,950 --> 00:00:04,750 As we continue our study of the Sermon 2 00:00:04,750 --> 00:00:14,720 on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. 3 00:00:15,780 --> 00:00:18,320 And today, for the second week in a 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:22,540 row, we study the greatest words on prayer 5 00:00:22,540 --> 00:00:23,640 ever spoken. 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,340 The greatest words on prayer ever spoken. 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,920 We're in Matthew chapter 6, and we're going 8 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,760 to look at verses 5 to 8. 9 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,080 Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 through 8. 10 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,000 Our Lord says, And when thou prayest, thou 11 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,080 shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for 12 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,000 they love to pray standing in the synagogues 13 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,040 and in the corners of the streets, that 14 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,760 they may be seen of men. 15 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,520 Verily I say unto you, they have their 16 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:18,220 reward. 17 00:01:19,900 --> 00:01:24,740 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 18 00:01:24,740 --> 00:01:28,040 closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, 19 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,700 pray to thy Father which is in secret, 20 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:38,380 and thy Father which seeth in secret shall 21 00:01:38,380 --> 00:01:40,740 reward thee openly. 22 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,100 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions 23 00:01:46,100 --> 00:01:50,200 as the heathen do, for they think that 24 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,300 they shall be heard for their much speaking. 25 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,560 Be not ye therefore like unto them, for 26 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,400 your Father knoweth what things ye have need 27 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,980 of, before ye ask him. 28 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:08,120 Amen. 29 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:09,940 Praise God. 30 00:02:12,730 --> 00:02:15,430 The title of our sermon today is The 31 00:02:15,430 --> 00:02:17,990 Secret of Prayer, Part 2. 32 00:02:18,770 --> 00:02:22,010 The Secret of Prayer, Part 2. 33 00:02:22,010 --> 00:02:25,130 We started last week and we said that 34 00:02:25,130 --> 00:02:28,650 the secret of prayer is secret prayer. 35 00:02:29,950 --> 00:02:33,470 The secret to improving your prayer life, the 36 00:02:33,470 --> 00:02:35,550 secret to having a warm and a loving 37 00:02:35,550 --> 00:02:38,630 and a devoted prayer life is secret prayer. 38 00:02:39,610 --> 00:02:42,490 The only thing really that will ever help 39 00:02:42,490 --> 00:02:45,830 us improve our prayer lives is being more 40 00:02:45,830 --> 00:02:49,090 with God in secret, alone. 41 00:02:49,090 --> 00:02:54,220 And last week we covered three things in 42 00:02:54,220 --> 00:02:54,840 verse 6. 43 00:02:54,960 --> 00:03:00,380 We said that prayer is different, prayer is 44 00:03:00,380 --> 00:03:03,820 expected, and prayer is deliberate. 45 00:03:04,580 --> 00:03:06,240 So if you didn't hear last week's sermon, 46 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:09,020 I highly encourage you to go back and 47 00:03:09,020 --> 00:03:09,680 listen to that. 48 00:03:10,340 --> 00:03:11,560 We had three points. 49 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,360 Today I want to give you four more 50 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,960 points from verse 6. 51 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,500 And we're just trying to cover every word 52 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:22,960 in verse 6 because, again, I believe this 53 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,820 is the most crucial, the most searing, the 54 00:03:25,820 --> 00:03:28,600 most beautiful teaching on prayer in the whole 55 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:28,980 Bible. 56 00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:34,000 It's so simple, but our Lord gives us 57 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,740 the very clue and the secret of prayer 58 00:03:36,740 --> 00:03:37,280 right here. 59 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,460 Let's read verse 6 one more time. 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:45,600 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 61 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,480 closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, 62 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,460 pray to thy Father which is in secret, 63 00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:56,180 and thy Father which seeth in secret shall 64 00:03:56,180 --> 00:03:58,300 reward thee openly. 65 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:00,180 That's our verse today. 66 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,660 Matthew chapter 6 and verse 6, and it 67 00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:04,720 is a key verse. 68 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,240 I want to remind you of a quote 69 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,520 from Leonard Ravenhill that I gave you last 70 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:09,900 week. 71 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:15,779 Ravenhill says, no man is greater than his 72 00:04:15,779 --> 00:04:16,399 prayer life. 73 00:04:17,260 --> 00:04:18,760 And I want you all to take that 74 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,620 home with you and think about that. 75 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:25,100 No man, no woman, no human is greater 76 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:26,640 than their prayer lives. 77 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,560 We can do everything in this life. 78 00:04:30,780 --> 00:04:34,460 We can get houses and apartments and barns 79 00:04:34,460 --> 00:04:36,700 and cars and get all that we ever 80 00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:37,080 could. 81 00:04:37,380 --> 00:04:38,880 And we can work as hard as we 82 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:39,380 ever could. 83 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,840 And we can even be manly men and 84 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,480 we can have amazing families and who knows 85 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,700 all the different things we could aspire to 86 00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:47,000 do. 87 00:04:47,660 --> 00:04:50,320 But it remains true that no one is 88 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:51,860 greater than their prayer lives. 89 00:04:51,860 --> 00:04:55,660 If we're not doing all those things, bathed 90 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:58,860 in prayer, having our hearts calmed by the 91 00:04:58,860 --> 00:05:02,340 Lord in prayer, actually engaging with secret friendship 92 00:05:02,340 --> 00:05:05,540 with God in prayer, then all these other 93 00:05:05,540 --> 00:05:08,740 things are just straw and stubble and they 94 00:05:08,740 --> 00:05:10,920 won't last and they won't matter for eternity. 95 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:14,300 So I think it's very true what Ravenhill 96 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:17,120 says, no man is greater than his prayer 97 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:17,400 life. 98 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,500 And I want to say one more thing 99 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:20,980 before we dive into the text. 100 00:05:22,140 --> 00:05:24,080 I've been thinking about how to say this. 101 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,540 Everything in the Sermon on the Mount is 102 00:05:28,540 --> 00:05:29,020 a privilege. 103 00:05:30,580 --> 00:05:33,460 Everything our Lord tells us to do is 104 00:05:33,460 --> 00:05:33,920 a privilege. 105 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,860 And we can so often look at what 106 00:05:36,860 --> 00:05:39,560 he says here and we can say, it's 107 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:40,200 drudgery. 108 00:05:40,820 --> 00:05:42,000 It's a duty. 109 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:44,760 It's too hard. 110 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,220 But I want to tell you all and 111 00:05:48,220 --> 00:05:50,020 I want to remind you and keep reminding 112 00:05:50,020 --> 00:05:51,320 you, it's a privilege. 113 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,160 Christ told us in chapter 5, if you're 114 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,320 dealing with sexual immorality, gouge out your eyes, 115 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:00,640 cut off your hands. 116 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:02,360 And we can look at that and say, 117 00:06:02,500 --> 00:06:03,900 that sounds so extreme. 118 00:06:04,020 --> 00:06:06,880 It sounds like law, but it's actually the 119 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:07,900 law of Christ. 120 00:06:08,220 --> 00:06:09,900 It's actually a privilege. 121 00:06:09,900 --> 00:06:12,820 It's actually something where we should say, whoa, 122 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,420 I get to stop watching porn. 123 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,560 I get to stop engaging in that sin. 124 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,660 I get to do that because Jesus tells 125 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:23,600 me I can do it. 126 00:06:24,460 --> 00:06:27,000 You see, that's seeing it as a privilege 127 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,100 rather than just drudgery or a duty. 128 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,440 I was thinking of like swimming in the 129 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:34,080 summer, right? 130 00:06:34,980 --> 00:06:36,900 Do any of us say, oh, I have 131 00:06:36,900 --> 00:06:38,040 to go swimming today. 132 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:40,120 No. 133 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:43,360 We say, I get to go swimming today, 134 00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:43,780 right? 135 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:47,200 Or meeting a friend at Starbucks or whatever, 136 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:49,100 do we say, oh, man, I got to 137 00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:50,100 meet that friend today. 138 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,060 No, we say, I'm going to meet my 139 00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:53,120 friend, right? 140 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:56,260 And it's the very same way right here 141 00:06:56,260 --> 00:06:56,820 with prayer. 142 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:58,580 This is not drudgery. 143 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:00,560 This is not just a duty that should 144 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:01,280 weigh you down. 145 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:03,560 I pray that every single one of us 146 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:05,200 would say, I get to pray. 147 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,660 And maybe I can only squeeze in a 148 00:07:07,660 --> 00:07:09,480 few minutes right now, but I get to 149 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:09,760 do it. 150 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,440 So I'm going to close my car door 151 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,280 and I'm going to speak to my father. 152 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:15,920 You see what I'm talking about? 153 00:07:17,260 --> 00:07:19,500 Now let's look at our Lord's words here. 154 00:07:20,020 --> 00:07:21,660 We're midway through verse six. 155 00:07:21,740 --> 00:07:23,180 I'm going to give you four points. 156 00:07:23,420 --> 00:07:24,360 Prayer is vocal. 157 00:07:25,220 --> 00:07:26,540 Prayer is childlike. 158 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:28,000 Prayer is intimate. 159 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,500 And prayer is full of expectation. 160 00:07:31,180 --> 00:07:33,100 And these might go by somewhat quickly. 161 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:33,980 So follow me. 162 00:07:33,980 --> 00:07:36,080 Let's hear our Lord speak. 163 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,560 Verse six, but thou, when thou prayest, enter 164 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:40,600 into thy closet. 165 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,440 And when thou hath shut the door, thy 166 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:45,320 door, pray. 167 00:07:45,940 --> 00:07:47,600 Let's start right there today. 168 00:07:48,140 --> 00:07:49,620 That's our fourth point. 169 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:50,740 Pray. 170 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,680 Prayer is vocal. 171 00:07:54,980 --> 00:07:56,660 Because you've got to pray, right? 172 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,180 You have to simply speak. 173 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:01,800 You have to pray. 174 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,200 Or literally in the Greek right here, it's 175 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:04,800 vow. 176 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,180 You have to offer up your vows to 177 00:08:07,180 --> 00:08:07,440 God. 178 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,540 You have to say, Lord, I resolve to 179 00:08:09,540 --> 00:08:10,080 do this. 180 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:11,840 Lord, I want to do this. 181 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,720 Lord, I desire to do this. 182 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,200 But we have to pray. 183 00:08:15,620 --> 00:08:17,760 We have to open our mouths. 184 00:08:18,420 --> 00:08:19,640 And here's the command. 185 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:21,040 I want everybody to get this. 186 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:23,120 You actually have to speak. 187 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,040 You actually want to say things to God. 188 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,159 How many times has anyone here said, I'm 189 00:08:31,159 --> 00:08:31,940 going to try to pray. 190 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:33,919 I'm going to go get a loan. 191 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,419 But then I almost immediately find myself texting 192 00:08:39,419 --> 00:08:40,360 prayer requests. 193 00:08:41,179 --> 00:08:43,400 Or reading a devotional. 194 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,080 Or studying scripture. 195 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:48,900 Or preparing a sermon. 196 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,800 Or listening to a sermon. 197 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:54,240 Or, you see what I'm saying? 198 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,660 And all of a sudden, maybe I put 199 00:08:56,660 --> 00:08:59,840 apart 20 minutes to pray, but I haven't 200 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:00,180 prayed. 201 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:02,260 I'm doing all this other stuff. 202 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:07,200 Our Lord tells us, it's simple. 203 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:09,620 It's your mouth and God. 204 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,380 We've got to spend some time opening up 205 00:09:13,380 --> 00:09:15,580 our mouths before our God. 206 00:09:16,620 --> 00:09:18,860 And I've found at times that sometimes you 207 00:09:18,860 --> 00:09:20,280 have to read less of scripture. 208 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:21,580 You read one verse. 209 00:09:21,580 --> 00:09:24,820 And then stop and talk to God about 210 00:09:24,820 --> 00:09:25,100 it. 211 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,040 So that we're not just in our prayer 212 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,460 time and just studying and reading all my 213 00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:31,460 chapters for the day. 214 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:33,840 Our Lord says here, and we ought to 215 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:35,440 take it to heart, pray. 216 00:09:36,380 --> 00:09:36,780 Pray. 217 00:09:37,580 --> 00:09:38,500 Open your mouth. 218 00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:42,300 Bhaktsingh, who was one of the most amazing 219 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:43,580 Indian evangelists. 220 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:45,880 I think I've told you all about him 221 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:46,180 before. 222 00:09:46,180 --> 00:09:49,800 He brought Bibles into the hands of all 223 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,200 the children who would come hear him preach. 224 00:09:52,340 --> 00:09:53,780 And every time he started to preach, he 225 00:09:53,780 --> 00:09:55,340 would say, where is your sword? 226 00:09:55,380 --> 00:09:57,120 And everybody would have to hold up the 227 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:57,460 Bible. 228 00:09:57,980 --> 00:09:59,500 And then they'd all clap, because they all 229 00:09:59,500 --> 00:10:00,360 had new Bibles. 230 00:10:00,820 --> 00:10:02,900 We all ought to appreciate our Bibles that 231 00:10:02,900 --> 00:10:03,260 much. 232 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:05,940 But Bhaktsingh is his name. 233 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:07,300 And he said this. 234 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,700 There are certain thoughts which we cannot share 235 00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:11,380 with others. 236 00:10:12,140 --> 00:10:14,460 But we can speak to God freely. 237 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:16,800 And tell him every thought. 238 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,040 We can go to him at any time, 239 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:21,080 anywhere. 240 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:22,840 And hear his voice. 241 00:10:23,780 --> 00:10:26,300 My first point is that it's very simple. 242 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,960 We need to go to God and open 243 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:29,500 our mouths. 244 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,680 And I would encourage you that you get 245 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:32,520 vocal about it. 246 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:34,600 Not always just in the mind. 247 00:10:35,100 --> 00:10:37,580 But we open our mouths and we pray. 248 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:39,060 Amen? 249 00:10:39,060 --> 00:10:40,980 Second point. 250 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,020 Let's say fourth, prayer is vocal. 251 00:10:45,420 --> 00:10:48,060 Fifth, prayer is childlike. 252 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:50,000 Look at verse 6. 253 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,400 Pray to thy father. 254 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,300 Prayer is childlike. 255 00:10:58,980 --> 00:11:00,300 Listen, Christians. 256 00:11:00,940 --> 00:11:03,040 If you've been bought by the blood of 257 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,620 Jesus Christ, you've been bought by the blood 258 00:11:05,620 --> 00:11:07,460 of your elder brother. 259 00:11:07,460 --> 00:11:10,460 And now you've been adopted into the family 260 00:11:10,460 --> 00:11:11,140 of God. 261 00:11:11,580 --> 00:11:13,680 And now when we pray, our Lord says, 262 00:11:13,780 --> 00:11:16,680 and makes it so simple, pray to your 263 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:17,560 father. 264 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,320 In these few little words, he's telling us 265 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:23,260 to be childlike. 266 00:11:23,940 --> 00:11:27,100 He's saying, yes, we all have problems with 267 00:11:27,100 --> 00:11:28,080 our earthly fathers. 268 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,440 Yes, our earthly fathers haven't even come close 269 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:33,500 to giving us a model of our father 270 00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:34,420 in heaven, have they? 271 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:37,580 But we speak to our father in heaven. 272 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,520 And you have to be childlike if you 273 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:41,900 want to enter the kingdom of God. 274 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:43,360 Remember when our Lord says that? 275 00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:46,120 When we have to speak to our father. 276 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:51,700 This tiny word here, father, distinguishes Christian prayer 277 00:11:51,700 --> 00:11:54,140 from all other prayer. 278 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:55,500 Did you all know that? 279 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:57,700 Did you all know that no one else 280 00:11:57,700 --> 00:12:01,280 in the world prays and calls God father? 281 00:12:01,900 --> 00:12:04,160 This word, thy father. 282 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,040 Muslims don't speak to their father in heaven. 283 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,480 Mormons don't speak to their father in heaven. 284 00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:11,820 Or if they are, they're speaking to a 285 00:12:11,820 --> 00:12:12,500 false father. 286 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:15,000 All the false religions, they don't speak to 287 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:15,280 their father. 288 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,580 And they don't have intimacy with their father. 289 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:19,840 But we can honestly say, can't we? 290 00:12:20,460 --> 00:12:21,560 He's my father. 291 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:23,820 I'm a child of God. 292 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:26,140 It's so beautiful. 293 00:12:26,140 --> 00:12:29,960 Back in those fellowship conferences, let me tell 294 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,800 you a few little stories about praying to 295 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:32,280 your father. 296 00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:35,400 In those fellowship conferences we used to have 297 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,900 here, people were having a prayer meeting in 298 00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:39,580 the other room. 299 00:12:40,820 --> 00:12:42,540 And there was some people that I was 300 00:12:42,540 --> 00:12:44,400 intimidated by in their prayer lives. 301 00:12:44,740 --> 00:12:45,860 Tim Conway was there. 302 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:46,940 And Mack Tomlinson. 303 00:12:47,380 --> 00:12:48,820 And I was scared of these guys. 304 00:12:49,340 --> 00:12:50,440 And I didn't know how to pray. 305 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:53,240 And after one of those sessions, I went 306 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,700 to Tim Conway and I said, Brother, I'm 307 00:12:55,700 --> 00:12:57,520 just, I'm having the fear of man. 308 00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,460 I don't know how to pray in this 309 00:12:59,460 --> 00:13:00,020 prayer meeting. 310 00:13:00,860 --> 00:13:03,700 And he said, why don't you just say 311 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:04,180 father? 312 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,360 And then you'll have a shoe in the 313 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:07,640 door. 314 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:10,320 You see his point? 315 00:13:10,900 --> 00:13:12,560 What he was saying is, why don't you 316 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:13,240 keep it simple? 317 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:15,480 Why don't you not think about fear of 318 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:15,800 man? 319 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:17,620 Why don't you just say father? 320 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,500 And then you've begun praying and people are 321 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:22,120 going to expect you to keep talking, right? 322 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,560 So then you're part of the prayer session. 323 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:27,820 I exhort you all, just say father. 324 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:30,040 And our prayers can be so simple. 325 00:13:30,180 --> 00:13:31,420 Father, help me. 326 00:13:32,540 --> 00:13:32,860 Amen. 327 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:35,340 Just say father. 328 00:13:38,260 --> 00:13:40,300 Do you all remember that Luther hymn, A 329 00:13:40,300 --> 00:13:42,080 Mighty Fortress is Our God? 330 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,860 Do you remember when Luther writes about Satan? 331 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,620 One little word shall fell him. 332 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,240 Everybody remember that one? 333 00:13:50,460 --> 00:13:53,120 One little word shall fell him. 334 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,480 One little word will take down Satan like 335 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:58,280 an axe takes down a tree. 336 00:13:59,540 --> 00:14:01,780 And I always wonder, what's that one little 337 00:14:01,780 --> 00:14:02,120 word? 338 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:04,520 And it doesn't say in the song. 339 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:05,700 Go back and look at that song. 340 00:14:05,740 --> 00:14:06,460 It doesn't say it. 341 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:07,620 The next verse doesn't say it. 342 00:14:07,620 --> 00:14:09,280 And that word is da da da. 343 00:14:10,100 --> 00:14:12,760 But if you look at Luther's little table 344 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,280 talks with his students, you'll find him obsessing 345 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:17,300 over one word. 346 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,040 And I think he is the theologian of 347 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:20,900 this one word. 348 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:22,940 It's the word father. 349 00:14:23,740 --> 00:14:26,400 I believe in the bottom of my heart 350 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:30,220 that when Luther wrote one little word will 351 00:14:30,220 --> 00:14:32,960 take down Satan, the word he was thinking 352 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,220 of is father. 353 00:14:35,140 --> 00:14:35,680 Father. 354 00:14:37,060 --> 00:14:39,860 And so we can try to cast out 355 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:40,220 demons. 356 00:14:40,420 --> 00:14:41,880 And we can try to do all these 357 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,880 wonderful things in spiritual warfare that we're called 358 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:45,700 to in the scripture. 359 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,500 But one of the most powerful things, the 360 00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:50,200 most powerful thing we can do is just 361 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:50,700 say father. 362 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,840 And in saying that we're reminding ourselves that 363 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:56,720 Christ died for me, that I'm a child 364 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:58,380 of God, that I have a father in 365 00:14:58,380 --> 00:15:00,400 heaven, that these demons can't touch me. 366 00:15:00,580 --> 00:15:02,720 They have no place in me because he's 367 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:04,860 my father and he always hears me. 368 00:15:07,260 --> 00:15:08,380 And I want to tell you one more 369 00:15:08,380 --> 00:15:09,420 story about father. 370 00:15:09,420 --> 00:15:13,900 If you go to Toronto this coming week 371 00:15:13,900 --> 00:15:17,480 and every single week on Wednesday night at 372 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:21,100 630 on Christie Street, in the middle of 373 00:15:21,100 --> 00:15:22,760 that city was the church that I got 374 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:23,340 saved in. 375 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,620 And in every single prayer meeting, I can 376 00:15:27,620 --> 00:15:30,060 tell you without a doubt, you will meet 377 00:15:30,060 --> 00:15:33,780 a little tiny Filipino woman whose name is 378 00:15:33,780 --> 00:15:34,300 Vicenta. 379 00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:37,140 And she's a very, very dear woman. 380 00:15:37,860 --> 00:15:40,400 And every time you hear her start her 381 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:41,940 prayers, she'll say this. 382 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,480 Oh, father, thank you that we can call 383 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:48,100 you father. 384 00:15:50,740 --> 00:15:52,260 Let me just tell you that again. 385 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,220 I want us to all take a field 386 00:15:54,220 --> 00:15:57,720 trip up to Toronto and go there 630 387 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:58,860 to their prayer meeting. 388 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:00,800 And I know you're going to find Vicenta 389 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:02,720 there because at times she'll take the subway 390 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,260 for two hours to get to prayer meeting. 391 00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:07,400 She doesn't let anything stop her. 392 00:16:08,180 --> 00:16:10,500 And then she'll get there and every time 393 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:13,940 she'll say, father, thank you that we can 394 00:16:13,940 --> 00:16:14,900 call you father. 395 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:17,860 And you all might say, is that just 396 00:16:17,860 --> 00:16:21,260 vain repetition like the Pharisees that Jesus describes 397 00:16:21,260 --> 00:16:21,500 here? 398 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:23,180 I tell you, no, it's not. 399 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,060 It's just that every week she would warm 400 00:16:26,060 --> 00:16:29,980 her heart by reminding herself, father, this is 401 00:16:29,980 --> 00:16:31,340 the greatest privilege. 402 00:16:31,780 --> 00:16:33,220 We can call you father. 403 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,400 No matter what our earthly fathers have done 404 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,900 to us, we can call him father. 405 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,320 And one other thing, I was attacked by 406 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,160 Satan for a good two or three years, 407 00:16:48,260 --> 00:16:51,760 I believe, in confusion about who I can 408 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:52,900 call upon in prayer. 409 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:54,640 I don't know if anyone has ever had 410 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,680 this confusion, but I'm going to mention it 411 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:58,140 to you now just in case you have. 412 00:16:58,420 --> 00:17:00,320 I went on for two, three years or 413 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,320 so saying, can I call God father? 414 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:03,599 Can I call him Jesus? 415 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:05,400 Can I speak to the Holy Spirit? 416 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:06,660 What can I do? 417 00:17:06,740 --> 00:17:08,640 And I was getting really confused. 418 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,220 I actually went to our brother, Robert Gray, 419 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:14,020 who should be back next week. 420 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,119 And he said, well, what does Jesus say, 421 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:17,520 Sam? 422 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:19,119 You know how Robert talks like that? 423 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:20,579 Well, what does Jesus say? 424 00:17:21,980 --> 00:17:24,180 Well, what does Jesus say right here? 425 00:17:24,859 --> 00:17:27,820 When you've shut your door, pray to your 426 00:17:27,820 --> 00:17:28,340 father. 427 00:17:28,340 --> 00:17:31,660 So the clearest way to get rid of 428 00:17:31,660 --> 00:17:34,180 that huge demonic hang up in my head, 429 00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:37,830 it was just to say, follow. 430 00:17:39,430 --> 00:17:40,830 Don't have to soup it up. 431 00:17:41,050 --> 00:17:44,310 Oh, God, almighty maker of heaven and father. 432 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:48,720 We've said number four. 433 00:17:48,820 --> 00:17:49,600 Prayer is vocal. 434 00:17:49,780 --> 00:17:50,800 We've said number five. 435 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:52,460 Prayer is childlike. 436 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:53,900 Number six. 437 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:55,300 Prayer is intimate. 438 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:56,780 Let's read our verse again. 439 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,600 Pray to thy father, which is in secret. 440 00:18:01,020 --> 00:18:04,920 And thy father, which seeth in secret, shall 441 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:06,000 reward thee openly. 442 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,360 Just take those few phrases with me. 443 00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:13,640 Pray to thy father, which is in secret, 444 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:15,320 or who is in secret. 445 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,100 And your father, who sees in secret. 446 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,180 I love how Christ's thoughts right here, they 447 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:24,120 just expand. 448 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:26,580 And he seems to get obsessed with this 449 00:18:26,580 --> 00:18:27,000 idea. 450 00:18:27,260 --> 00:18:29,980 Your father, who is in secret, and your 451 00:18:29,980 --> 00:18:32,640 father, who sees in secret. 452 00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:35,820 It's like he's playing an accordion, and he's 453 00:18:35,820 --> 00:18:37,360 opening up the accordion here. 454 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,840 And Christ remembers, oh, the father, he sees 455 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:41,420 in secret. 456 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:43,400 And he hears in secret. 457 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,360 And I want to remind them about how 458 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:47,180 he's going to meet with them in secret. 459 00:18:47,620 --> 00:18:49,380 He's opening that up to us. 460 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,440 Everything in this verse, at this point, backs 461 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:54,620 us up into a corner. 462 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:57,940 And asks us, are you real with God? 463 00:18:58,580 --> 00:19:00,300 Do you meet with him in secret? 464 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:01,500 In secret. 465 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,580 And he lets those waves bathe over us. 466 00:19:04,940 --> 00:19:05,520 In secret. 467 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,280 Do you have vital communion with God in 468 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:09,700 secret? 469 00:19:10,340 --> 00:19:11,040 In private? 470 00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:16,620 And I just want to encourage you all 471 00:19:16,620 --> 00:19:17,060 of this. 472 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:19,640 Step into this reality. 473 00:19:20,460 --> 00:19:22,260 Dive deeper into this reality. 474 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,080 This secret reality with God. 475 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,220 We, Kiara and I and Shiloh, went to 476 00:19:28,220 --> 00:19:30,060 Cousin's Island yesterday. 477 00:19:30,340 --> 00:19:32,320 And just swam on that Cousin's Island beach. 478 00:19:33,020 --> 00:19:34,500 And, you know, it took us about 20 479 00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:36,460 minutes to just dip our feet in the 480 00:19:36,460 --> 00:19:36,700 water. 481 00:19:37,100 --> 00:19:38,260 And to say, oh, it's too cold. 482 00:19:38,580 --> 00:19:39,300 I'm not going further. 483 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:41,240 And then dip our feet in the water 484 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:41,820 a little more. 485 00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:43,520 Oh, maybe I can go a little further. 486 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:45,520 And then dip your leg in it. 487 00:19:45,540 --> 00:19:46,560 Oh, it's way too cold. 488 00:19:46,980 --> 00:19:48,220 And then you come all the way out. 489 00:19:48,220 --> 00:19:51,940 But here Christ is telling us, your father 490 00:19:51,940 --> 00:19:52,680 is in secret. 491 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,420 And your father sees in secret. 492 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:57,640 And he's sort of wooing us to go 493 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:58,800 out into the waves. 494 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:00,420 And dive in. 495 00:20:01,020 --> 00:20:02,280 And meet him in secret. 496 00:20:03,380 --> 00:20:04,980 And, you know, it always happens with Kiara 497 00:20:04,980 --> 00:20:07,920 that after 20 minutes of just dabbling in. 498 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:09,160 She dives in. 499 00:20:09,220 --> 00:20:10,460 And then she just wants to stay the 500 00:20:10,460 --> 00:20:11,040 rest of the day. 501 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,160 That's how it ought to be with our 502 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:13,440 Father. 503 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:14,820 Remember this, Christians. 504 00:20:14,820 --> 00:20:17,580 He wants to meet with you in private, 505 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,420 in secret, when no one else is watching. 506 00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:23,180 And then don't just dabble, but go all 507 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:23,600 the way. 508 00:20:24,340 --> 00:20:25,080 Go meet with him. 509 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,020 Go under a cherry tree this summer. 510 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,120 Go find him for 30 minutes. 511 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:29,820 Do it. 512 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:32,220 Be quiet with him in secret. 513 00:20:32,980 --> 00:20:33,520 I love it. 514 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:34,140 I love it. 515 00:20:35,140 --> 00:20:37,440 Here we learn two attributes of God that 516 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,200 we must believe in when we go to 517 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:39,500 pray. 518 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,140 The attributes are that he's omnipresent. 519 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:43,940 And that he's all attentive. 520 00:20:43,940 --> 00:20:45,300 Just think about it. 521 00:20:45,620 --> 00:20:47,140 He wants to meet with you in secret. 522 00:20:47,620 --> 00:20:49,120 That means he's present everywhere. 523 00:20:49,460 --> 00:20:51,460 And that means that he's ready to hear 524 00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:51,660 you. 525 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,660 He's all attentive to your needs. 526 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:55,680 He's available in secret. 527 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,440 And he's attentive in secret. 528 00:20:58,260 --> 00:20:59,840 And I want us all to consider this 529 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:00,740 just for a moment. 530 00:21:01,700 --> 00:21:04,440 Private prayer is a sign and a privilege 531 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,260 of God's hidden people. 532 00:21:06,860 --> 00:21:08,080 God's secret people. 533 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,580 Have you ever read in Psalm 83 and 534 00:21:11,580 --> 00:21:12,180 verse 3? 535 00:21:12,180 --> 00:21:15,640 God calls us his hidden ones. 536 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:17,120 Anybody ever seen that? 537 00:21:17,820 --> 00:21:19,120 Or his hidden ones. 538 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:20,700 His secret ones. 539 00:21:21,300 --> 00:21:23,460 It says in Colossians 3 and verse 3 540 00:21:23,460 --> 00:21:27,280 that your life has been hid with Christ 541 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:28,060 in God. 542 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,180 You're one of his sweet little hidden ones. 543 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,800 And that means that he wants to meet 544 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:34,780 with you in secret. 545 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,880 Take that title home with you. 546 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:40,020 You're one of God's hidden ones. 547 00:21:40,020 --> 00:21:43,020 His precious private secret ones. 548 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:46,020 Thomas Brooks, an old Puritan, said this. 549 00:21:46,940 --> 00:21:47,140 Listen. 550 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,900 Consider that you only are the Lord's secret 551 00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:52,440 ones. 552 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:53,920 His hidden ones. 553 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,900 And therefore, if you do not apply yourselves 554 00:21:56,900 --> 00:22:00,280 to private prayer and to your secret retirements, 555 00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:02,940 that you may enjoy God in the corner, 556 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:04,740 none will. 557 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:07,200 Did everybody hear that? 558 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:08,720 That's very convicting. 559 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,860 He's saying there are only a few little 560 00:22:11,860 --> 00:22:15,260 secret ones, hidden ones, in this earth. 561 00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:17,320 And it's more and more true by the 562 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:18,640 day if you all haven't noticed. 563 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,300 The highest statistic, I've told you all this, 564 00:22:21,580 --> 00:22:24,100 in Portland, Maine, from Portland to Lewiston right 565 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:26,460 now, is that there are about 8% 566 00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:29,720 of the population is faithful Christians. 567 00:22:30,300 --> 00:22:31,160 8%! 568 00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:33,260 Can you believe that? 569 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:34,520 And think of that. 570 00:22:34,620 --> 00:22:36,160 Those are God's hidden ones. 571 00:22:36,700 --> 00:22:37,760 Those are his remnants. 572 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:39,700 Those are his secret ones. 573 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:41,920 And listen to what Thomas Brooks says here. 574 00:22:42,580 --> 00:22:45,080 If you all, the little 8%, if you 575 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:48,620 all don't go and pray in secret, no 576 00:22:48,620 --> 00:22:49,780 one's going to talk to God. 577 00:22:52,940 --> 00:22:53,820 It's sad, isn't it? 578 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:57,460 So let us take that privilege, that opportunity, 579 00:22:57,900 --> 00:22:58,920 and go meet with him. 580 00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:02,060 Give him the reward of his sufferings. 581 00:23:02,620 --> 00:23:04,860 Give God the reward of his election and 582 00:23:04,860 --> 00:23:05,700 of his salvation. 583 00:23:08,340 --> 00:23:10,180 We've said that prayer is vocal. 584 00:23:10,180 --> 00:23:11,980 Prayer is childlike. 585 00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:14,340 Now I'm telling you, prayer is intimate. 586 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:17,320 Get used to the idea you're one of 587 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:18,360 his secret ones. 588 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:23,080 And finally, prayer is full of expectation. 589 00:23:24,180 --> 00:23:26,120 Prayer is full of expectation. 590 00:23:27,140 --> 00:23:29,260 Read this verse with me one last time. 591 00:23:29,260 --> 00:23:32,780 But thou, verse 6, when thou prayest, enter 592 00:23:32,780 --> 00:23:33,840 into thy closet. 593 00:23:34,180 --> 00:23:36,540 And when thou hast shut thy door, pray 594 00:23:36,540 --> 00:23:39,040 to thy Father which is in secret. 595 00:23:39,540 --> 00:23:43,000 And thy Father which seeth in secret shall 596 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,020 reward thee openly. 597 00:23:47,340 --> 00:23:48,840 That's the final promise. 598 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,080 And I'm telling you that true Christian prayer 599 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:54,120 is full of expectation. 600 00:23:54,820 --> 00:23:56,760 He ends by saying this. 601 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:02,020 Your Father in heaven shall reward you openly. 602 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:06,300 With open hands, manifestly, you'll be able to 603 00:24:06,300 --> 00:24:06,720 see it. 604 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:08,280 He will reward you. 605 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:10,000 I love this. 606 00:24:10,700 --> 00:24:13,620 If we are truly praying Christian prayer, we 607 00:24:13,620 --> 00:24:15,980 must pray with this expectation. 608 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,040 That God's going to come through. 609 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,440 That someday, right now you don't see it, 610 00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:21,680 right? 611 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,520 But someday you're going to see it. 612 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:26,500 And he's going to reward you openly. 613 00:24:26,860 --> 00:24:28,280 And it will be unmistakable. 614 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:30,180 Maybe with a child. 615 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:31,620 Maybe with a gift. 616 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:32,980 Maybe with a blessing. 617 00:24:33,540 --> 00:24:34,560 Maybe with a spouse. 618 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:36,880 Maybe with who knows what it might be. 619 00:24:37,340 --> 00:24:39,160 But the Father is going to reward you 620 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:39,620 openly. 621 00:24:40,540 --> 00:24:41,540 I love that. 622 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,360 Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6 resonates with this. 623 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:49,260 In the writer of Hebrews, Paul says, But 624 00:24:49,260 --> 00:24:52,420 without faith, it is impossible to please him. 625 00:24:52,780 --> 00:24:55,640 For he who comes to God must believe 626 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:56,700 that he is. 627 00:24:57,240 --> 00:24:59,380 Okay, so when you pray, do you believe 628 00:24:59,380 --> 00:24:59,960 that he is? 629 00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:01,980 Do you pray that God exists when you 630 00:25:01,980 --> 00:25:02,200 pray? 631 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:03,560 You better. 632 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:05,040 But secondly, listen. 633 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,100 And that he is a rewarder of those 634 00:25:08,100 --> 00:25:09,760 who diligently seek him. 635 00:25:10,340 --> 00:25:13,320 When you pray and you ask God, Lord, 636 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:14,960 could we merge with that church? 637 00:25:15,380 --> 00:25:16,540 Lord, could that happen? 638 00:25:17,420 --> 00:25:20,280 Do you believe he's a rewarder of those 639 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:21,660 who diligently seek him? 640 00:25:22,180 --> 00:25:23,580 He's going to reward you. 641 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:25,220 He's going to come through for you. 642 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,780 We've got to have that expectation. 643 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:30,000 Let's end with these reflections. 644 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:31,920 How will God reward us? 645 00:25:32,460 --> 00:25:33,880 How will God reward us? 646 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:34,800 Look at verse 6. 647 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,840 He says, What are some of the sweet 648 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,960 rewards that God the Father can give his 649 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:43,360 children? 650 00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:48,580 Well, first, right there in the prayer closet, 651 00:25:48,740 --> 00:25:49,600 he can reward you. 652 00:25:50,260 --> 00:25:52,080 Has anyone ever experienced that? 653 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,980 You take some moments, you meet with God, 654 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,480 and you realize he rewards you right there. 655 00:25:58,220 --> 00:25:59,520 He softens your soul. 656 00:26:00,260 --> 00:26:02,760 He says, as it says in John 14, 657 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,620 God the Father and Jesus come and they 658 00:26:05,620 --> 00:26:06,940 make their abode with you. 659 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,460 And for a few moments you feel, I'm 660 00:26:10,460 --> 00:26:11,060 with God. 661 00:26:11,540 --> 00:26:12,520 God is Emmanuel. 662 00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:14,640 He's here in the room with me. 663 00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:16,880 That's a reward in itself, isn't it? 664 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,060 Secondly, he can reward you by actually answering 665 00:26:21,060 --> 00:26:21,620 your prayer. 666 00:26:22,540 --> 00:26:25,620 Two weeks later, two years later, down the 667 00:26:25,620 --> 00:26:27,000 line, Boom! 668 00:26:27,460 --> 00:26:28,120 You got it. 669 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:29,280 It happens. 670 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,640 He gives you what you asked for. 671 00:26:33,020 --> 00:26:38,500 Thirdly, he can reward you by not answering 672 00:26:38,500 --> 00:26:42,580 your prayer, but by calming your affections and 673 00:26:42,580 --> 00:26:43,900 expanding your heart. 674 00:26:44,580 --> 00:26:46,200 Has anyone ever experienced that? 675 00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:51,860 God might say no, but in doing that, 676 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:52,980 he sculpts you. 677 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:54,760 He warms you. 678 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:56,400 He makes you kinder. 679 00:26:57,100 --> 00:26:58,020 He makes you sweeter. 680 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,060 That's an open reward as well. 681 00:27:01,860 --> 00:27:05,980 And finally, what's the greatest open reward that 682 00:27:05,980 --> 00:27:06,940 God's going to give us? 683 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,760 We spend time being his secret people, talking 684 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,360 to him, closing the door, meeting with him. 685 00:27:15,420 --> 00:27:18,700 What's the final manifest open reward he's going 686 00:27:18,700 --> 00:27:19,300 to give us? 687 00:27:20,780 --> 00:27:21,960 Streets of gold. 688 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:24,380 Perfection. 689 00:27:25,580 --> 00:27:26,060 Glory. 690 00:27:27,180 --> 00:27:29,680 The face of Jesus Christ before us. 691 00:27:30,420 --> 00:27:32,820 The presence of our father himself. 692 00:27:37,170 --> 00:27:39,370 And thy father which seeth in secret shall 693 00:27:39,370 --> 00:27:42,030 reward thee openly on that day. 694 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,660 I told you, put these two sermons together. 695 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,020 Let me just mention these seven categories one 696 00:27:50,020 --> 00:27:50,520 more time. 697 00:27:50,900 --> 00:27:52,860 True Christian prayer is different. 698 00:27:53,980 --> 00:27:54,940 It is expected. 699 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:56,760 It is deliberate. 700 00:27:57,920 --> 00:27:58,780 It is vocal. 701 00:27:59,080 --> 00:27:59,980 This is today's sermon. 702 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:01,600 Childlike. 703 00:28:02,980 --> 00:28:03,380 Intimate. 704 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:05,780 And full of expectation. 705 00:28:07,910 --> 00:28:09,570 And I want to close like I did 706 00:28:09,570 --> 00:28:12,190 last week by abasing myself before you all. 707 00:28:13,870 --> 00:28:15,690 I want to get down on my knees 708 00:28:15,690 --> 00:28:18,830 and beg you all to hear today's sermon. 709 00:28:19,750 --> 00:28:21,270 And I did this last week, so if 710 00:28:21,270 --> 00:28:22,990 you weren't here, I'm begging you all to. 711 00:28:23,830 --> 00:28:26,330 And you might think it's funny, but I 712 00:28:26,330 --> 00:28:27,850 want to beg each and every one of 713 00:28:27,850 --> 00:28:30,570 us to take our prayer lives more seriously. 714 00:28:31,870 --> 00:28:33,590 This is what makes it all matter. 715 00:28:33,590 --> 00:28:35,810 This is what makes our lives prepared for 716 00:28:35,810 --> 00:28:36,130 heaven. 717 00:28:36,270 --> 00:28:37,690 This is what sweetens us. 718 00:28:37,790 --> 00:28:40,490 This is what makes the Christian life worthwhile, 719 00:28:40,710 --> 00:28:41,530 brothers and sisters. 720 00:28:42,810 --> 00:28:45,430 Would you in this next month of August, 721 00:28:46,130 --> 00:28:48,370 would you spend more time with God in 722 00:28:48,370 --> 00:28:49,590 private, in secret? 723 00:28:50,350 --> 00:28:51,270 Close the door? 724 00:28:52,110 --> 00:28:53,210 Give him five minutes? 725 00:28:54,050 --> 00:28:55,630 Give him seven minutes at work? 726 00:28:56,290 --> 00:28:57,330 Would you please? 727 00:28:58,250 --> 00:28:59,450 I'm begging you all. 728 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:07,080 Amen. 729 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:07,860 Let's end there. 730 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:08,580 Let's pray. 731 00:29:10,820 --> 00:29:12,800 Father, we thank you so much for this 732 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:13,700 glorious word. 733 00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:15,980 I thank you for the clarity of our 734 00:29:15,980 --> 00:29:17,240 Lord's words here. 735 00:29:18,220 --> 00:29:19,980 And, Lord, I do ask that we would 736 00:29:19,980 --> 00:29:21,880 all take our prayer lives more seriously. 737 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,460 And as we're talking about, Lord, that we 738 00:29:24,460 --> 00:29:26,300 don't see it as a duty, as a 739 00:29:26,300 --> 00:29:29,600 drudgery before you, but that we see it 740 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,520 as an absolute joy to get along with 741 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,200 God and to know that our Father will 742 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:37,680 reward us openly. 743 00:29:39,420 --> 00:29:41,480 Oh, Lord, help us to take your words 744 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:41,880 to heart. 745 00:29:42,020 --> 00:29:44,200 Not my words, but your words, Lord Jesus. 746 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:46,100 Help us to live. 747 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:49,400 In your name we pray. 748 00:29:50,780 --> 00:29:51,060 Amen.