Welcome to Day 2109 of  Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Sermon on the Mount 7 – A Christian’s Prayer: Not Mechanical, But Thoughtful – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 06/27/2021 Sermon on the Mount – A Christian’s Prayer: Not Mechanical, But Thoughtful Matthew 6:7-15  Today’s Scripture is found on page 1504 of the pew Bible. I am displaying two versions of this passage on the overhead.  Read along with me in your pew Bible or on the right-hand column from the overhead. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Hypocrisy is not the only sin to avoid in prayer, so is endless babbling like pagans (Non-Jews).  For they think they will be heard because of their many words. Hypocrisy is the folly of the Pharisees, and repetitive babbling is the folly of the pagans. Hypocrisy is a misuse of the purpose of prayer (diverting it from the glory of God to the glory of self); babbling on is a misuse of the very nature of prayer (degrading it from a real and personal approach to God into a mere repeating of words with no substantive meaning).   Again, we see that the method of Jesus is to paint a vivid contrast between two alternatives to indicate his way more plainly. First, regarding the practice of piety in general, he has contrasted the pharisaic way (flamboyant and selfish) with the Christian way (secret and godly). In particular, now regarding the practice of prayer, he contrasts the pagan way of empty babbling with the Christian way of meaningful communion with God. Jesus is always calling his followers to something higher than the attainments of those around them, whether religious people or secular people. He emphasizes that Christian right living is more excellent (because it’s inward), Christian love broader (because it’s inclusive of enemies), and Christian prayer more profound (because it’s sincere and thoughtful) than anything to be found in the non-Christian community.  Last week we learned about the Pharisee’s way of prayer and its issues. Today let us consider the following:

1. The pagan way of prayer

I am displaying both versions on the overhead as an example of how your Bible study can be more effective.  Comparing...