The Model Prayer from Matthew 6. This message originally delivered June 9, 1996.
The biblical view of things, a deeper knowledge of God brings with it massive improvement in other areas mentioned. Purity, integrity, evangelistic effectiveness, better studies of Scripture, improved private and corporate worship and much more. But if we seek these things, without passionately desiring a deeper knowledge of God, we are selfishly running after God's blessing without running after him. We're even worse than the man who wants his wife's services, someone to come home to someone to cook and clean. So I'm going to sleep with without ever making the effort to really know and love his wife and discover what she wants and needs. We are worse than such a man I say because God is more than a wife, more than the best of lives. He is perfect in his love. He has made us for himself and we are answerable to him. Robert Murray McShane and I've often quoted McShane here said this, what a man is alone on his knees before God that he is and no more. But we have ignored this truism. We have learned to organize build institutions, public books, publish books, insert ourselves into the media, develop evangelistic strategies, and administer discipleship programs, but we have forgotten how to pray. He gives a survey of 50 missionaries going overseas, in which they did a careful study, three of the 50 missionaries regularly had prayer time and private devotions. He says, Let's probe more deeply, where's our delight in praying? Where's our sense that we are meeting with the living God that we are doing business with God that we are interceding with genuine unction before the throne of grace? When was the last time we came away from a period of intercession feeling like Jacob or Moses that we had prevailed with God? How much of our prayed is largely formula Matic, liberally loaded with cliches that remind us uncomfortably of the hypocrites that Jesus rebuked? Granted, most of us know some individuals who are remarkable prayer warriors, it is not nevertheless true that by and large, we are better at organizing than agonizing, better and administering than interceding, better at fellowship and fasting, better entertainment than worship, better theological articulation and spiritual adoration better God help us at preaching than praying. One more thing. Shall we not agree with J i Packer when he writes, I believe that prayer is the measure of the man spiritually in a way that nothing else is. So that how we pray is as important to question as we can ever face, can we profitably meet the other challenges that confront the western church if prayer is ignored? My friends, we've been studying the prayer of Jesus Christ. We've been studying this last Sunday morning, we said this, our Father in heaven. Last Sunday night, we consider this How would it be Thy name, this morning, Thy kingdom come tonight, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It's not just a prayer that we repeat. It's not just something that just comes off of our lips. But it really is instructional from all different angles to increase our faith, and to help us versus I want you to notice quite quickly way of reviewing this and also build our faith, as we understand pray, is letting Jesus teach us how to pray. First thing I want you to notice is what not to do. You're in Matthew chapter six. Look at verse five. He says, they're in verse five. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues, and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. So what not to do, don't be like the hypocrites or pretenders. They love to play to pray in places where people will see them. The word there that may be seen by men actually means to shine. In other words, people will say, wow, look at that guy. And just just imagine you driving to church this morning, and you see me at the corner of 96 in township line, and there I am like this. And your friends that you're taking the church to go, who's that? That's our pastor. Now he's out there, what are you doing? Oh, he's, he's he wants to know, he's praying for the services. See, that's what the Pharisees did. They love to be on the street corners in the synagogues. They love to pray where people could see them. Something else quickly is this. Look at verse seven. Don't keep repeating the same things over and over. Look what it says in verse seven. of chapter six. says, And when you pray, don't keep on babbling. That means don't repeat the same thing over and over like pagans where they think there'll be heard because of their many words. Look at this, friends, a lot of words does not equal good prayer. We got this idea sort of in our hearts, I think because of the fall that somehow we can merit God's favor. If we spent a long season in prayer, you know, I'm gonna tie myself I'm gonna go on and on and therefore I'm somehow worthy of God hearing me. Not so these people pray long, long, wonderful, big public prayers for long times. Jesus says, Don't be like that. Some of the greatest players in the Bible are short prayers. Must remember to think of Nehemiah and even of ours. Lord Jesus. So don't be like the hypocrites in the pagans. Remember you have a father, one of the things they do is try to coerce god. Look down the verse say, here they are doing these long words and all this, but you've got a father and their friends, this is really important to remember that when Jesus Christ teaches on prayer, he emphasizes again and again that we have a father in heaven. Now listen, it's more than just something that is we said last week that we just sort of talk about, it really means something. Or the Fatherhood of God should dominate us, as we call it. Packer last week, he said, you can tell whether or not you've got a good view of the New Testament as to how much you can make of God being your father. And when you go to prayer, you're gonna be praying to your heavenly Father, not some god that's watching us from a distance. But a what a God that is our father that knows us by name, whose children we are, who cares about his children? And even if we as humans know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does the father never know how to listen and care for his own children? So in regards to this, Jesus says this be rather secretive about it. In other words, be the opposite of the hypocrites. Look at verse six, when you pray, go into your closet, shut the door and pray. Now, I was raised in churches, and I think maybe it was even my family in which we often talked about our prayer life. We told people how much we were praying. I think there may be something wrong with that approach. I think maybe I've ruined a lot of sessions with the Lord. Because there seems to be an emphasis here on secrecy and on privacy. Don't Don't be representative. Don't be bragging, telling everybody about your prayer life, do it quietly. And the whole point of the text is they do it to be seen. And then you do it to be seen of your Father who sees you in secret. That's the important thing. Remember, you're praying to your father, look at verse six, verse eight, and verse nine, your father, your father, your father, your father, it dominates the teaching on prayer by Jesus Christ all through the Bible. So don't try to impress anyone but your father. And remember, your prayer is not impersonal and mechanical. If you're praying your father, the pagans, the hypocrites they're saying, you know, over and over with some phrase or some word or they're doing something, that's that that's not talking to a father. Here's a child talking to fathers. It's something that's personal, it's not mechanical. And notice this, your prayers can be free and bold. We talked about the generals of the armies, the general the armies, the colonels, and Lieutenant Colonel's, the majors, and the captains are scared to death. Everyone has their boots polish, because the General of the Armies is coming to inspect the troops. And as he goes down through the troops, at the end, his little three year old daughter goes daddy, and she jumps in his arms, and he holds her and she pulls on his ear. Everyone else is scared to death, but the girl isn't. And the reason is, because we can be free and bold, because we're approaching a heavenly Father that knows us by name, and has given us the right to become the poster child of God. So we need to remember that as we pray, as we keep this in mind, quickly, by way of review, I want you to see this, several things I want you to notice is number one, it is our father, there's to be a sense of family, a corporate outlook. We talked about that more, and you get to if you want that you have to listen to the tape or something from last time. It's father how clear this is emphasized and thought out by Jesus Christ constantly. He's thinking of the Fatherhood of God. And And also he's in heaven. When you talk to somebody on the phone, you say, where are you by the way, and the place where the person is we've seen paintings, I've even got one where the businessman is sitting across looking at Jesus in his desk, and you're having that conversation right across the desk. Well, I'm not too critical of that. And we'll take prayer in any way we can. But to think about somebody sitting across you in prayer is not the right way is the right to address your father who's in heaven. And pour out your burdens and your prayers to him, the one who was in heaven and all through this model prayer, you're you're being drawn to the next world, you're realizing you'll be weaned to constantly go through this prayer. And let me remind you men like Augustine, men like Luther Warren weirs be different guys have said things over the years, and watch this, they cannot wear this prayer out every prayer request you could ever make is found in this model prayer. And there is so much to say to it. So you remember then also quickly, this in regards to the hallowed be your name, the first petition that we started last Sunday night is this May your name be set apart as holy, may you have the preeminence, it's worship, its praise, its adoration. It's the opposite of your fallen state. I will say again, no unbeliever will ever make this prayer. Only a regenerated heart born from above will really care about God's name being set apart as holy. It's the opposite of being a fallen sinful man. It's It's It's evidence of regeneration and proof of the new life in your heart because you say, Oh God, here's my number one request first, that your navy set apart is holy. It's the nearest thing to heaven on earth. And the reason is if you study what's going on in heaven to constantly crying out the holy of the holiness of God has been cried out so that heaven is shaken, and you study it. And truly, if you want to be a true humanist, the truest way to be fully human, is to be a person on earth, reborn from above, given a new heart, who's who takes time on a regular basis to give praise and honor to God. That's a person that is fully human. And my friends, as we talk even about this as we get to Thy Kingdom Come on taking a little bit time to get there, I realized You're getting that too but but hang in there a second, I want you to think of several things concerning this prayer, whole teaching of prayer by Jesus Christ. Number one, there is this tension in this prayer of secrecy, and yet corporate pneus and that is you secretly pray. But when you pray, it's not my father, give me this. It's our father give us this. And so there is the secrecy plus that tension of corporate nests, which is interesting. So there's the personal nature where you're there alone, and yet it's corporate. Secondly, I want you to see that it seems to be a prayer that is made in the morning, some of you say, but I'm just not a morning person. We'll look at verse 11. Give us this day, our daily bread. Now there seems to be an indication that it's a prayer that Jesus Mendes, he's teaching on prayer that this is going to be something he he just is going to say later in this chapter. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Now you know me, I want to make sure you understand this. The last thing we don't want to get it into here as magical formulas. Where you're gonna sit down you're gonna go oh, I'm gonna pray I'm in big trouble. My child just may be hurt badly in this accident. What should I do? Okay, I gotta say our and think through this father heaven. You know, you don't have to do that. If your child is hurting, terrible, actually, you just cried, God help us. I mean, believe me, he will. We don't want to get you bogged down in this. But the general approach to prayer here is to be this our Father in heaven, may your name he said apart as holy, and it seems to be in the morning, Give us this day. The things that we need. Something else, which is of a huge importance is this. This is back to what Jesus said in verses five through eight. Concerning the two people we are not to be like the hypocrite in the pagan. Please notice, friends, if you're afraid one of the biggest things that I hear on a regular basis about church goers, from non church goers is why would I want to go there, the church is full of hypocrites. There's so and so go to your church. Let me tell you something about him. And which I've often said, and you know that I've said this what better place for hypocrite to be than in church? That's what they need to be. But the point I want you to see friends is this. If you want to see that hypocrisy does not become a part of your life, then practice private prayer sort of inverse x. Jesus Christ said this, Christ said the hypocrites love to be seen of men but you by disciples don't do that you pray in secret, shut your door. Don't tell anybody about it and have faith to believe that your father sees you in secret. I would say to you then in regards to this that a sure way to drive hypocrisy from your life is deceit to it that you regularly have secret times of prayer you along with God. It's one thing I pray with my wife. I pray with the staff. I pray with the elders we pray with the deacons We pray all the time and different things but I will tell you, my life is not right. If I am not secretly perceiving God in prayer, there has to be that time where you are set alone time with God. Spurgeon said this. public prayer is no evidence of piety. It is practiced by an abundance of hypocrites. But private prayer is a thing for which the hypocrite has no heart. The hypocrite will not spend time in private prayer. Listen to a John Flavel. The English Puritan in the 17th century said the hypocrite is not for the closet, but the synagogue, just not his meat and drink to retire from the clamor of the world to enjoy God and secret. Jonathan Edwards said this true religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places for Holi meditation and prayer. So it brought in Isaac, and witches more so it brought in Jesus Christ. How often do we read of his retiring into the mountains and solitary places for a holy converse with his father. And rising a great while before day Jesus departed and went to a solitary place and there he prayed. Really, my friends, it's important that we would not have this, this this type of religion in which there's no wind in our sails. Another quote I another English Puritan I didn't call but he talks about so many Christians don't have any wind in their sails. And the reason is they sing everyone else's hymns. They pray everyone else's prayers. They do everything corporately and they do nothing individually. And I'm big on body life and big on corporate this but I also will tell you friends, there must be a time when you personally meet God alone. Even to this, but for a few minutes, remembering that you have a father not coercing him by saying the same things don't give me this document, this document this give me this Play Now I lay me down to sleep. Or just repeating some words over and over. And I'm not trying to poke fun at anybody. But you know, just seeing the same type of prayer again and again and not understanding what it's about. Which which many religions promote this day. That isn't going to help. I remember being in Israel and and being at the Wailing Wall and I'd made a terrible mistake. I was at the Wailing Wall this church sent me over there to do some studies and and when I was at the Wailing Wall, I went up and I looked at the wall and you know, there's all those cracks and all those prayers are stuffed into the wall. And I thought this is interesting that when I reached one and pulled it out, and grabbed it, and I read one I went over and pulled another out and the By the time I did the second one, the the tour guide came reaching over and slapped, what are you doing? You get you get punched this and you can't do that. And that sort of thing that is pretty bogus me to be doing that. I put them back those pairs back into the wall. But what I saw is this I saw Hasidic Jews, long curl sideburns has their standard for the wall and you're sitting there doing this, I can't I wish I could really make it look like they do it. But they're you're really shaken and bobbing and moving before that wall. Have you ever seen that? And so I said, I'm curious, is it I said to the guy, it was his name is a Jewish man. And somebody said to me, what are they doing? He says, well, that I said, what? I thought there was some principle and Leviticus that I had missed. He said, No, no, that's, that's just something they do to help them keep their attention. So here they are, they'll be hoping to keep the tension. And pretty soon I got the feeling that it's sort of that you really got worked into and the more you were doing it, the more fervent you were, as you were really bound all around. You know, we have a tendency to be that way with God. Mechanical, or somehow I gotta, I gotta cry louder. I was with one time with a guy where his girlfriend left him and he asked me to come pray with him. And I'm telling you the pickup truck we're in was shaking. I clearly got the indication when he got done praying, I prayed our Father, please help this man and and help him and was like, well, where's your faith? Because faith is demonstrated by shaking things back and forth. No. We believe that we have a father. And he hears this is not by lots of words, that we beseech Him. Now, with this in mind, I want you to remember quickly the overview of last week, there's an address, and there are six petitions the first three concern God directly His glory, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. The next three man, give us their daily bread, forgive us our debts, as we forgive those indebted to us and our temptations, the little verses that lead us not into temptation to learn from evil. But I want you to see friends that Jesus Christ teaches on prayer and get this, the first three requests have nothing to do with us. And even though by the time you have the address, you're more than halfway through the prayer, and you've not asked for anything for yourself. And that leads us to a very, very important point concerning prayer. It's really great dead center in this passage. And that is, do you have an anthropocentric view of life? Where a man is the center and God is there to revolve around you? Or do you have a God centered view of life, where God is the center, and you're there to revolve around him? Now, my friends, I'm just saying this, honestly, this is just the fact you turn on your Christian television and you watch it 90 to 95% of what comes over the airwaves. And a Christian television is on this side of the ledger. They're telling you how you can get God to bless you. I'll never forget one night watching and I mentioned the pastor, if I can't sleep at night, and I turn on the television, I have to turn off Christian television turn on a secular station to get right with God I mentioned in the past. And the reason somebody doesn't, it just irks me to see such a change. It's one thing if pagans just go ahead and have a view of life, you can accept that. But it's nothing when people in the name of Christ have a man centered view of life, and selfishly say God's out there to run around to meet all my needs all the time. And our country is so full of this, that we don't even begin to understand how much we've dropped down deep of it. Now, my friends, look, what I want you to see is, I turn on the TV and the guy says, Now I want to tell you, I've just written a book in a booklet inspired by the Holy Spirit. And it's called this how you can get anything you want from God. Yes, that's right, my friends, there's 19 principles. And if you follow our 90 principles, anything you've ever wanted, God will give you the guy had enough goal to say in the very next breath. And my dear friends, if you don't send money, this program will not stay on the air. I feel like saying that, sir. Why don't you read your own book? Read your own book. You got your 19 steps you get anything you want from God you want to see on the air? Why are you asking us for money? And the same thing is true here. Now Now listen, this is what it was staggered me and this is what deeply deeply actually hurt me because I've realized how wrong I have been. If we understand what Jesus is saying in this prayer, I've got a question for you. Who should be number one on your prayer list? The answer without hesitation is God. The first person on your prayer list is God as you start your day it's our Father in heaven. Now tell me who are you praying for hallowed be your name? How about this Your kingdom come? How about this Your will be done on earth as the angels delightfully do it and heaven the first prayer start with God are prayers as we approach God is to start with him and to say God with his life as a free you were living for you may your name he set apart his holy May your kingdom be furthered in my life. But your will be done today by me as it's done joyfully in heaven. God's Supreme Purpose for prayer one man writes the purpose beyond all other purposes is to glorify himself. Although nothing benefits a believer more than prayer the purpose and praying must first of all be for the sake of God, not Self. Prayer is, above all an opportunity for God to manifest His goodness and glory. And all saints said true prayer brings the mind to the immediate contemplation of God's character and holds it there until the believers soul is properly impressed. We start our prayers. So many times we've been so wrong. I've done this so many times in my life where I get up and I'm Mike, Mike, I don't really get my candle lit as far as my heart with God and and I'm starting off the day and it's Lord that I got this meeting Lord on prison. I've only got a couple minutes here. Could you help me? What a difference if we would follow what Jesus said, we're approaching our Father, how our faith begins to surge as we realize there's a father that listens and cares. He's in heaven. We're on Earth, things up there. As we contemplate heaven. That's where we're going to be where we are to set our affections on things above. And then as we come to realize that we start to pray before we begin to start laying out all of our things. We say, wait a minute, this isn't this life. This life is not about God running around meeting my needs. This life is about me. They're serving God. What a difference that starts to make. In this second petition, then how would be the name let's focus on it a little bit more. What does it mean your kingdom come? I studied the word kingdom and Matthew is found 54 times it refers to a coming kingdom, a prepared kingdom, a kingdom that is among you presently is theirs. Jesus refers to the kingdom of heaven. This is the kingdom that some won't enter into. Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, I'll say depart from me you workers of iniquity, and they will not enter the kingdom. There's the kingdom that we're to seek first, Seek first the kingdom of God and Matthew, there's the gospel of the kingdom that our Lord preached. There's the kingdom of this world. And there is the kingdom that is being attacked and fought against by wicked men. And so as we pray for His Kingdom, I think it means this means that not as eschatological it has, no doubt, some inference here and that is make make Christ come back and culminate history, may there be a time when he comes in and, and rules. Second thing, which is so important, I think is this is to say this may now in my life and my family's life, and those around me, may his kingdom rule. Look at how much we can get from this kind of thing. Friends, look at this. Talk about our multifaceted relationship with God. We considered Our Father which is the parent child relationship, hallowed be thy name is the deity worshiper relationship. How about this Your kingdom come is the sovereign subject relationship. When we start to pray this, your kingdom come, He is sovereign. We are your subjects. I'm here today to serve you. There's more and more that we'll show you later as we go through this. But every aspect I think of just about every aspect of our relationship with God gets covered as Jesus masterfully tells us stroke after stroke after stroke. This is what needs to be in your mind as you pray. And remember, Jesus never meant for you just to sit there and go, our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done and then be done with your prayers. It's that we might think properly about him and about life and even our faith may surge and Bill How about the attitude seen in prayer? Look at this. Our unselfishness, Father family devotion? How would be thy name, reverence has been displayed. Look at this VI Kingdom Come loyalty. I'm your subject. I'm serving you today. On and on, but I want to make sure that you get this point, friends. Here's the point. The point is in true prayer, taught by Jesus Christ to us, it's about God's glory first and then about our needs. Now, as I said, if you're in, if you're in a crisis, there's question cry out. And that's seen in Scripture again and again. But the focus of the general the engine that runs our prayer life, the daily committed, getting up and seeking God needs to start off with us focusing on him, his name being held his kingdom, His kingdom even further and his will been done. Now friends, I say it again. No, unregenerate will ever pray, sincerely held the his name and no unregenerate will ever pray to bring in his kingdom. No one will do that. Because we wouldn't care about that. And even as Christians, so little of us really care for the true progress of the Gospel for the Lordship of Jesus Christ to rule more and moreover us, for the servants of the King Jesus to serve him more faithfully for the gospel and missions around the world to be furthered. The fact is we study this prayer carefully, and we stop and realize how far off we really are. I want you to stop and think of how practical This prayer is. When you say how would be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Let me ask you something parents that want to pray for your children. Can you tell me what could be more practical than to pray for your wife or for your kids, or for your family, or for your staff or your elders or deacons or Sunday school teachers or Awana workers or members of your church or neighbors? Can you tell me anything that would more appropriate than to pray this? May your name be set apart as holy in my child's life? Lord, may You Do further your cause may your kingdom go farther because of them like the little seed that was planted and just in the little bush that just grows bigger and bigger so May through their life may or may they influence people for Christ. How about this? You got a prayer for your kids how about this May Your will be done in their lives in a way that reflects the joy the and the utter total obedience of heaven will give me better than to pray that he's gonna rain we said we pray Johnny, we get a good grade on this test. Fine. Pray that. Oh, Johnny said get him get over receiver. Fine, pray that. But let's get down to true prayer. Let's get down to where the heart of God is. Tell your friends, bringing in God's rule of sanctification, progressive sanctification, praying for the second coming of Christ that He may come even so come quickly, Lord Jesus, wholehearted service of God's people, or to see the joy instead of always hearing reports of another pastor falling away another marriage breaking up something else have been Oh Lord, what if the saints were together saying oh Lord at College Park, in our lives around the world may Your kingdom come? May you rule is more and more we've even more submissive to you today. It hurts me deeply. To think of how much this prayer has not really been in my heart. Who was really praying for God's rule to be furthered? While we pray for our peace and our contentment and our happiness, we pray for good deals on cars and low mortgage rates. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong and praying for those things. But do we care when people disregard the rule of God of their lives and throw away a marriage? Do we care when people who once said they followed Christ turned away to walk the other direction and no longer care? 1000s will go and listen to prosperity preaching always amazes turn those guys on they got gigantic huge auditorium is packed full of people taking notes. Why? Because I'm gonna learn how God is going to revolve around my life and make me happy and blessed forever and ever. Amen. You almost get the picture, that when you got to heaven, God's gonna put you on the center throne, and you're gonna stand there and he's gonna raise the angels of heaven and they're all gonna sing Thou art worthy. And you stand there going. That's almost the approach that you get if you listen, the very opposite of this. Listen, listen to what one scholar said, Your kingdom come Christians ought not to utter this petition lightly or thoughtlessly. Throughout the centuries, followers of Jesus His sufferings, have suffered savage persecution of prayed this prayer with meaning and fervor. But I suspect that our comfortable pews often mock our sincerity. When we repeat the phrase today, we would have no objection to the Lord's return we think privileged or providing holds off a bit and lets us finish our degree first, or lets us taste a marriage, or gives us time to succeed in business or profession, or grants us the joy of seeing grandchildren. Do we really hunger for the kingdom to come in all at surpassing righteousness? Or do we rather waddle through a swamp of insincerity and unrighteousness. I've mentioned in the past to you friends that if we could darken this room or was pitch dark, there was not one ray of light. And over here, outside of that door was the shining off of the throne room that Isaiah saw the glory of God. And if I could come over here and just crack that door, if you could just see a sliver, just a sliver in glimmer, just for a brief split second of the holiness, the greatness the awesomeness of the Almighty God shining forth in his glory, how our lives would be different. And I will also tell you, for instance, we consider your kingdom come if we could close up the room and over on this door, lid upside was the equal shining brightness if you could, we couldn't equal it but a shining brightness of our own selfishness, and how much time we've spent praying for things that may not be a concern to the heart of God. And instead, we cracked the door when we may be utterly amazed at how selfish we are. I think of David, the man after the heart of God who said this, rivers of water run down my face, because they keep an eye out by law. Jesus looks out over Jerusalem one day and begins to weep. And he says oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How many times I would have gathered you together and taught you like a mother hen does her chicks and kept you under the arms and comforted you with salvation, but you would not come. I just think friends that we think of American Christianity and we think of how can I be happy I think that the songwriter that said this once it was the blessing now it is the Lord. And I'm just calling you as your pastor I'm calling you to consider in your prayer life. First off to make sure you spend time on alone. And second off that you would spend time praying to God for God. And there would be time set aside in your life where you would honestly become more human than you've ever been in your whole life. When you would sit there and say, May you receive honor and glory. Through my life, your kingdom be furthered. May I have opportunities to witness may I show your rule or my life by obedience, even when I don't feel like I'll be where you come and rule me more and more. You see friends, listen, happiness is a byproduct, you start seeking happiness, you'll never have it. Happiness is a byproduct. It comes as a result of seeking something seeking something higher and better. If I were to bring in a famous athlete who had a Christian testimony, say he's going to speak here tonight, the place will be packed. If you go to some I remember I was speak doing a Bible study down to the college I was IUPUI for a few years ago, and for about a couple years, and I think there'd be eight or 10 people would show up than that, say I came in he was going to show a film on the seven headed monster and Revelation and named the countries in the names of the leaders who are going to overthrow the world and the Christ comes back and place was jammed. I think of the missions conference we had last fall. Here's just faithful humble people that have served overseas, like this family, right. He's going overseas to serve the Lord. And we have a kickoff thing we advertise the missions committee is worked out at 75 people show up. You know why? Because secretly in your closet, you have not been praying like Kingdom Come. Father in heaven have great mercy on us. Teach us to pray cause us, Lord to care about what you care about. No wonder we've bewilderingly looked at ourselves in the mirror and said What is wrong with our prayer life? There's something wrong and it is this Lord we have not prayed what's been on your heart. Instead, we have molded prayer into something for ourselves in the name of Your Son Jesus, we beseech you that the work of the Holy Spirit in this room today would continue and you would help us to learn the discipline of prayer and biblical prayer. In Jesus name we pray, amen. Let's stand together and sing Seek ye first the kingdom of God.