In our last visit to the Sermon on the Mount, we learned about how to effectively evangelize, and about the validity of the Old Testament and the ultimate evolution of the 6th and 7th of the Ten Commandments through Christ. (See We Are Called to be the Light and the Salt of the Earth).
Today, we return to the Sermon, first learning about pleasing God by learning what does not:
“Be [very] careful not to do your good deeds publicly, to be seen by men; otherwise you will have no reward [prepared and awaiting you] with your Father who is in heaven.
“So whenever you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not blow a trumpet before you [to advertise it], as the hypocrites do [like actors acting out a role] in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored and recognized and praised by men.
I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing [give in complete secrecy], so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.” Mt. 6:1 – 4. AMP
Jesus is telling us to act out our righteousness, performing that which reflects our salvation transformation as we seek to show our love for God. We please God when we strive to gratify Him by living out His plans for us.
These same actions are in stark contrast to ‘pious acts’ performed by those whose sole purpose is to elevate their status in the eyes of others. They do not make points with their Creator:
“Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” 1 Sm. 16:7 CSB
To remain in Jehovah’s favor in your love relationship with Him, we must entertain thoughts and perform actions which lead to godly living.
The efficiency of both is highly enhanced when we are in constant contact with Him:
…be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:17, 18. AMP
Jesus stresses the same theme about how to rise above piousness in His Sermon on the Mount:
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” Mt. 6:5 – 8. CSB
Christ goes one better by leaving us a proper template for prayer, (commonly called the ‘Lord’s Prayer):
“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is 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 have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. Mt. 6:9 – 12. AMP
‘And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Mt. 6:13 NLT
‘[For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ Mt. 6:13 AMP
Jesus is not telling us that we need to pray this prayer verbatim. He expects each person to personalize the template with their needs and or the needs of others at any moment in time.
However, His structure to hang all that on is one that is highly beneficial:
Christ’s model begins with a preface – a declaration of Whom we are praying to. Note that ‘Whom’ is God, and that we can approach Him in a most intimate way, as our heavenly Father.
The preface is followed by offerings of praise for His limitless love, grace, peace, abundance, life, and mercy – those offerings born out of our reverence of Jehovah’s lordship over all things, thus hallowing His name.
Next, we are instructed to petition God to bring His Kingdom to earth, which we can also use to meditate upon what our role is in forwarding the Kingdom by walking a Christ-like Walk. We do this by being open to His will, working as God’s hands to carry it out.
‘Give us our daily bread’ is a request for our physical sustenance, as well as for our brothers and sisters in Christ. (In my opinion, this would also be the stage of our prayer where we appeal to our Creator for whatever else is on our hearts.
‘Forgive us our debts’, is also translated as ‘Forgive us our trespasses’ – both petitioning for forgiveness of sins against God and against others. Moreover, we pray that we step up to forgive others who may sin against us, just as Jehovah forgives us.
The final petition is for asking God to strengthen us in the face of temptation that would have us to sin. And we ask for deliverance from Satan because he is the source of all temptation, and he tempts continuously, which is why we are to pray constantly.[1]
Some translations (see Mt. 6:13 AMP) close the prayer with additional praise for our Maker.
Later in Jesus’ ministry, He will teach us that to have our prayers granted with the greatest certainty, we must seal our prayer in His name:
You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! Jn. 14:13, 14. NLT
Jesus completes His prayer template, but He revisits the third petition with an additional admonition regarding forgiveness:
For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses. Mt. 6:14, 15. AMP
Forgiveness is BIG with God. You cannot disregard how many times He has forgiven you for your ignorance regarding sin. But as you gain the knowledge of its pervasiveness and that you yourself are also a purveyor of sin, you must renounce it in yourself instead of judging others for theirs.
We all need compassion for our weaknesses. And when we confess and repent, our Father is benevolently ready to forgive. That is what we must convey to others so that they may position themselves to receive His grace in kind.
Jesus then builds upon strengthening our faith by teaching us where to keep our spiritual focus:
“Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.” Mt. 6:19 – 21. AMP
Christ is not saying that we cannot have material wealth, but to remember that they are only temporal. They do require a spiritual focus that reminds us of God’s largesse, and we must be ever ready to share in our good fortune; but our primary focus is on things in our life that are spiritual (eternal).
When our focus is on God, His focus is on us. Jesus emphasized this:
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].” Mt.6:22 – 24. AMP
If you are not serving God, you are by default serving the devil. There is no in-between. However, if you are faithfully serving Jehovah, you can be rest assured that He is working on your behalf. How do we know? We hear it straight from His Son:
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?” Mt. 6:25 – 27. CSB
Jesus sums up His discourse:
“These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Mt. 6:32, 33. NLT
Amen. We will complete the Sermon on the Mount next time…
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] 1 Thess. 5:17
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