And I’ve learned over the years that the best answer that God’s ever given me to some of the requests I’ve made to Him has been “no.” I prayed as a young preacher for God to open up a certain door to a certain church that I wanted to go to. You know what He said? He said, “No.” He says, “My child, that place is not the best place for you. I have something better for you.” And, you know, He did. And He answered my prayer; He said “No,” and that was the best answer that could be given. You don’t have to storm the gates of heaven. My friend, God hasn’t gone to bed. The door there is wide open. He says, “Knock … seek … ask.” Take everything to God in prayer.

He gives them here what may sound to you like the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” but I believe that Christ didn’t intend it to become the thing I hear in public service today. It’s not a stilted form. And it’s not for a public service. This was to be spontaneous; it was personal. It’s to be like a conversation. And we just should talk to God. After all, He’s my Father. And I’m His son. He knows me and I don’t think He wants me to put on airs and assume an unnatural voice and try to use some flowery language. I think He just wants me to talk like Vernon McGee talks.

“As he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray.” The reason His disciple wanted to know how to pray was because he saw Christ pray and he heard Him. You see, it was the custom of our Lord to retire alone to pray. That was a habit of His. And this disciple saw Him, evidently overheard Him, and a desire was born in his heart to pray like Christ prayed. And do you know, friends, that the Lord Jesus is right at this moment at God’s right hand, and He’s our Great Intercessor. I think that’s a very appropriate petition for many of us to make. Lord, teach us to pray.

My business is to sow the seed of the Word of God. I interpret that to be the business today of the Christian. Actually, my business is not to harvest—that’s judgment. I’m not to judge anyone. I don’t know your relationship to God. I can’t see your heart. I don’t know what your relationship is. But God sees it; God knows, and He’s the one who will judge. Now my business is to sow the seed—get the Word of God out. I hope that you interpret your business as that, because if you do, you and I are partners in this tremendous enterprise of getting the Word of God out.

Many anthologies of religion give the founders of religion. They put down Buddha, and they put down Mohammad, and then put down Moses, and then they put down Jesus. Now Jesus is not the founder of any religion. That may seem strange to some of you. He didn’t found a religion. He died on the cross for the sins of the world. He’s a Savior. And today, why, you’re not saved by religion. You’re saved by Christ. I remember hearing old Dr. Carrol say, “When I came to Christ, I lost my religion.” And a great many people need to lose their religion and find Christ.

Our Lord said to this old hypocritical Pharisee, this religious ruler—“In the light of heaven and by God’s standards and on the basis of sins forgiven, this woman is 10,000 times better than you are. This woman, a prostitute who has come and asked for forgiveness has been saved. But you, a church member; you who think that you are all right, you’re lost.” I say to you that this is very pertinent for today. “And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” And she didn’t have good works, but she believed in Him. She trusted Him. She asked for forgiveness. My friends, that’s the important thing.

“But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; the ruin of that house was great.” I’ll tell you what this does for me as I read this particular passage here. It reveals to me that I’m a sinner before God. The Lord Jesus in giving this reveals to me that I’m a sinner and that I need a Savior. And there is a rock, though, on which I can build, and that rock is Christ. Paul said, “No other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid,” and that is Jesus Christ.

“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” This is remarkable. He considered it important to pray all night to God. Why? Well, for the very simple reason that He was going to choose these twelve men, and even one of those turned out to be a traitor. And you have here the calling and choosing of the apostles, therefore. And He spent the entire night in prayer before making His choice. God’s men are always chosen. Oh, they’re candidates to be sure, but you remember He said in the Gospel of John, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.”

“And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, What shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” This is a practical message He gave to all these different classes and conditions. My friend, today if you are a printer, you reveal that you’re a Christian by the way you print. If you today are a soldier, you reveal your Christianity by the way you soldier. If you’re a housewife, you reveal your Christianity by the way you’re a housewife. I don’t care what you are, you reveal it because, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

Mary paid a tremendous price to bring the Savior into the world. It was an awful price, to tell the truth, to have to stand beneath the cross of the Lord Jesus and see Him die. The cross of Christ has moved many people. Artists have painted the picture. Songwriters have sung about it. Preachers have talked about it. And there’s a danger of dwelling on the sympathy angle, because He doesn’t want your sympathy. Right here in Luke He’ll tell the women who are weeping, “Weep not for Me. Weep for yourselves.” If you have tears for Jesus, save them and save them for yourself. Not for Him. He doesn’t want your sympathy. He wants your faith.