In part one of our peer into the Sermon on the Mount (see Defining the Sabbath, the Gathering of the Twelve and the Sermon on the Mount), we listened to Christ preach the Beatitudes – the introduction and summary of the entire sermon.

In part two (see Sermon on the Mount 2), we learned how to apply His preaching for living a godly life, as well as how to remain in godly character by emulating Christ. Contained within those teachings, Jesus ‘evolved’ several Scriptures into their highest meanings (Mt. 5:21 – 45.).

Now, He begins to reveal the ways to please God, by teaching us first, what doesn’t:

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do – blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Mt. 6:1 – 4. NLT

            Jesus tells us to act out our righteousness – performing acts that reflect the transformation of our salvation, based solely from our love for God and from our desire to please Him. We please God when we bring His plan for us, to life. In return, we receive Jehovah’s boundless love and joy.

            These God-inspired motivations stand in stark contrast to ‘pious acts,’ performed by those whose sole purpose is to gain status in the eyes of others. Their rewards consist mostly of a transient bloating of the ego.

“The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7 NLT

         God loves you immeasurably. He wants you to walk in the steps that He prepared for you, so that you thrive in your love relationship with Him. Those ‘steps’ require thoughts and actions that lead to godly living. To most efficiently do this, you must remain in constant contact with Jehovah, through prayer:

Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:17, 18. NLT

            Going back to the Sermon on the Mount, Christ teaches us how to pray:

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Mt. 6:5, 6. NLT

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Mt. 6:7, 8. NLT

            Prayer is a sacred ‘love exchange’ between you and God, not a tool for trying to appear pious in public. (Public prayer has its place, but it is generally rendered for the benefit of others).

         Count on Jesus to leave no stone unturned. He now provides a structural template for effective prayer, (commonly referred as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’):

“Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need, and forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” Mt. 6:9-13. NLT

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Mt. 6:13 NKJV

            Jesus is not telling us that we need to pray this prayer verbatim. Personalize it and apply it to ‘the Lord’s Prayer’s’ structure.

            Thus, Christ’s model shows that our prayers should begin with a preface – a declaration of Whom we are praying to (Jehovah). Note too, in that prayer we can approach God most intimately – as our heavenly Father.

            Follow the preface with offerings of praise for His limitless love, grace, peace, abundance, life, and mercy; and bring Him offerings springing from our recognition of Jehovah’s lordship over all things.

            Next, petition God to bring His Kingdom to earth – which we can also use to remind ourselves of our own role in forwarding the Kingdom, by walking a Christ-like walk. We ask that our hearts are open to His will, and that we may function as God’s hands, to carry it out.

            The next petition is for the food we need, i.e., our physical necessities. Note that throughout thus structure, we are praying for our brothers and sisters as well, not just ourselves. (My personal belief is that in this stage of our prayer, we would also pray about whatever else is on our hearts).

            Continuing, the third petition, is about forgiveness of the sins that we and our brothers and sisters in Christ have committed against God, through confession and repentance, so as to restore our love-connection with Him. In addition, we ask for His help to forgive those who transgress against us – just as Jehovah Himself forgives us.

            The final petition is asking for God’s strength not to give into our flesh, when confronted with temptation that entices us to sin. We are to pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17). Why? Because that’s how often the devil assaults you with temptation.

            Some Bible translations close this prayer with additional praise for our Creator (see Mt. 6:13 NKJV at the end of the prayer).

         Later Jesus will teach us that to have our prayers granted with the greatest certainty, we must seal our prayer in His name:

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Jn. 14:13, 14. NKJV

            Jesus finishes with the structure for prayer, but He adds an admonition related to the third petition, the one concerning forgiveness:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Mt. 6:14, 15. NLT

            Forgiveness is BIG with God.

            Christ then returns to warning us again about making public displays of piousness – in this case, to try to make everyone see what suffering he or she is having, because they are fasting.

Fasting is between you and God as you are trying to heighten your spiritual focus, moving it away from the flesh (Mt. 6:16 – 18.).

         Speaking of spiritual focus, Jesus begins to teach us what to keep it on:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Mt. 6:19 – 21. NLT

            Jesus is not prohibiting the saving of money or of having material possessions. He is saying that these things are only temporal. They require a good and responsible stewardship on our part, but our primary focus should be on things eternal (spiritual). When our focus is on God, His focus is also on us. Christ said 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 [benefitting from God’s precepts].” Mt. 6:22 AMP

            Further driving His point home:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted 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. 6:24 AMP

         And, if you are not serving God, you are serving the devil. There is no in-between. So, it behooves you to choose Jehovah and have faith that He is always working on your behalf, that He has everything handled:

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Mt. 6:25 – 27. NLT

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Mt. 28 – 30. NLT

            In essence, Jesus is saying, ‘Don’t worry, be happy!’ God takes care of our every need, but only after we see to our spiritual needs first:

“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

            The apostle Paul also addresses this:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Rm. 8:28 NLT

            Amen. We will finish the Sermon on the Mount next time…

            Goodnight and God bless.