SERMON ON THE MOUNT - PART THREE

 SECTION VII

OUR SECRET LIFE WITH GOD

 

Starting in the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus turns to the subject of our personal devotion to God.  He addresses three main areas: our charitable giving, our prayer life, and fasting.  Jesus then speaks at length about laying up treasures in heaven rather than upon earth, and trusting our heavenly Father for all of our daily needs.  The Lord puts an emphasis on the idea that all of these things should be done secretly, not openly for others to see.  When we boast of our dedication and service to God, or openly display our devotion and liberality so that others will see and admire us, we have received all the reward that we will ever get for those things.  Someone might say, “I don’t do those things for any rewards,” but I’m sure there is some satisfaction to the fleshly man when people praise us and notice the good that we do.  This is a twisty branch of pride that we all should avoid.  It is enough that our Lord warns us about it several times in this chapter alone.  Most wouldn’t think twice about trying to lay up a retirement savings to help out in their “golden” years.  Why not lay up an account in heaven?

 

ALMSGIVING

 

“Take heed that ye do not your alms [charitable giving] before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1).

 

“Therefore when thou doest thine alms [charitable giving], do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:2-4).

 

Notice that Jesus doesn’t get into the weeds on the subject of giving.  He doesn’t debate the pros and cons of tithing, or who most deserves to receive our gifts.  He simply says, “…WHEN thou doest thine alms”.  To the Lord, the two things that were critical about giving were, 1) that we do it, and, 2) that we do it secretly.  

 

Apparently, many of the wealthy Jews in Jesus’ time made quite a spectacle out of giving.  Can you imagine walking to church with your offering and having someone go before you blowing a trumpet to get everyone’s attention?  Oh, the lengths to which people will go to display their “goodness.”  Generally speaking, people take pleasure when attention is drawn to their good works; but we must protect ourselves against such temptation.  The Lord tells us not to let our left hand know what the right hand is doing.  In other words, guard your good works closely and deliberately!

 

PRAYER

 

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matthew 6:5).

 

As with giving, the Lord’s expectation was that His disciples would be a praying people: “…WHEN thou prayest.”  Most of our praying should be when we are alone.  There is no reason (other than trying to be a spectacle) for us to air our personal prayers in public.  The Lord directs us, instead, to enter into a private space when we pray, and shut the door.  We will see power, discernment, and blessing come out of such times for the Lord Himself will reward us openly.  (Verse 6).

 

When we are in the Church and offering corporate prayer as a congregation, we should not seek preeminence, or try to be heard over others, but simply and humbly offer our petitions to the Father of spirits along with the Body of Christ.

 

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:7, 8).  God is not deaf.  He hears us the first time we pray.  Repeating phrases over and over is not going to accelerate God’s answer.  He knows our needs before we even ask Him. 

 

“After this manner therefore pray ye…” (Matthew 6:9).

 

After the Lord gave a few instructions about how they shouldn’t pray, He then gave His disciples a pattern of how they should pray.  We call it the Lord’s Prayer, but perhaps it should more fittingly be called the Disciple’s Prayer.  We are taught to memorize and recite this prayer on special occasions and solemn events, but we may be missing the point of it.  Jesus said, “AFTER THIS MANNER therefore pray ye…” It was intended to be a template for the types of things for which we should pray.  To repeat this or any other prayer over and over defeats the whole goal of intimacy and openness with the Father.  Ideally, our prayers should be natural and honest; simple and conversational. 

 

Let’s take a look at this prayer and see how we can apply its concepts to our prayers:

 

“Our Father…” Of all the ways that we can address Almighty God, "Father" is the one that I believe pleases Him the most.  We might address Him as "Creator of the universe," "Judge of all the earth," or just simply "Lord"; but the title of "Father" speaks of kinship and intimacy, and then of authority and security.  He wants us to approach Him as children would approach a loving father.  If we could only keep this image in mind every time that we come before Him in prayer, it would change the confidence with which we approach the throne of God.  Knowing that we are secure in His love, even as our own children are secure in our love, gives us a basis of acceptance and allows us to trust that He will answer according to what He deems best for us.  We can be assured that He is always looking out for our best interests according to His perfect will.  Our Father loves us and will not cast us away.

 

Some have grown up without good parental role models, and they may struggle with the concept of a loving parent at first.  The more they come to know God in this way, the more they come to understand what the perfect parent/child relationship can be.  They can then come to truly rest in His love and not doubt His acceptance.  God is not like any earthly father that we have known.  They all have failed and been imperfect in some way or another.  God, however, is the perfect father because He is our father Who inhabits heaven.

 

 

“…which art in heaven…”  Because God inhabits heaven, He is not affected by all of the distractions and pressures that this world places on earthly fathers.  His is the ideal vantage point from which to watch over our lives.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9).

 

Our heavenly Father sees every trial and every obstacle that enters our life; and, like a wise master refiner, He regulates how much heat we must endure.  What often seems counter-productive from our perspective makes perfect sense when viewed from God's great master plan.  Like fine embroidery, the underside (which is all we can see now) is just a tangle of threads that don’t always appear to have any discernable pattern.  The upper side (which God sees) is a beautiful work of art which the Master Designer is creating. 

 

God's throne is in heaven, and it is not subject to change as are worldly kingdoms and earthly thrones.  His authority and His reign are forever.  Though other kingdoms dissolve and pass out of remembrance, Our Father's kingdom has always been, and will always be.  It is there that our real home is.  He is preparing a place there for us.

 

“Hallowed be Thy name.”  I must remember that God is holy, and the name of Jesus Christ is exalted above every name in the universe.  At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow, and every tongue must confess that He is Lord.  The powers of darkness tremble at the name of Jesus and must flee from the power of His Presence. 

 

God’s name is holy, and He delights in our praise.  We must, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4).  We find that when we magnify the name of the Lord through praise, our problems and concerns become smaller in comparison.  Our prayers should always begin and end with expressions of our praise and gratitude for Who God is, and what He has done for us.  As we do this, we find ourselves ushered into His very presence. 

 

“Thy kingdom come.”  As Christians, we must come to recognize that there are two opposing forces on earth: the kingdoms of this world, and the Kingdom of God.  The kingdoms of the world encompass everything that we see with our natural eyes.  God’s Kingdom is unseen by the naked eye, but is discernable through all of the acts of God and by His Holy Spirit.  Jesus told Nicodemus that it was like the wind.  You cannot see it with the eyes, but you can hear it, and you can see the effects that it has on the things that it blows on.  All of the ways in which the Spirit of God moves in the world are evidence of its reality.  As the Apostle Paul expressed it, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18).  It is essential that when we pray, we have a clear vision of God’s purpose in the earth.  It is not to promote the things of the world which will all one day be destroyed.  It is, instead, to promote God’s Kingdom which will endure forever. 

 

“Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”  We must come to the place where we desire God’s kingdom to be established on earth and His will to be accomplished here just as surely and unquestioningly as it is in heaven.  The Jewish nation was looking for their Messiah to come and establish an earthly kingdom that would crush all of the enemies of Judaism under its feet.  Jesus was not at all what they were hoping for.  He was meek and lowly, and not interested at the time in setting up some earthly throne except in the hearts of men.  Many today want to see an earthly kingdom that is established on Christian principles.  They call America a Christian nation; but, realizing that it is not living up to Christian principles, they labor to make it so.  Such labors are doomed to be unfruitful, however.  God desires for us to be totally committed to what He wants, and not what we want.  America will never be a truly Christian nation.  Neither will any other nation on earth.  The only truly righteous nation is the kingdom of God, which is an invisible kingdom for now, and whose citizens are those who have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The citizens of that kingdom are scattered all over the world and in every nation.  God has his people in communist countries, radical Islamic republics, dictatorships, Hindu lands, and all others.  Our labors for God must be based on establishing His kingdom, and not ours.  “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:2-4).

 

Likewise, we must not work to establish our own will, or the will of any man, but God's alone.  We must not go about trying to complete our own agenda, no matter how well-intentioned it may be, and ignoring altogether what our Father's will is.  When we pray, therefore, we must always lay aside our will in favor of His, and always acknowledge the importance of establishing His kingdom and not our own or some other earthly kingdom. 

 

“Give us this day our daily bread.”  Our Father will meet our every need.  We do not have to worry and fret about where our next meal is coming from or how our needs will be met in the future.  Our prayer should be always for our daily bread.  We expend too much energy in fretting about the future when Jesus said that tomorrow would take care of itself.  "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:25).  If our heavenly Father cares so for sparrows and lilies of the field, how much more will He also take care of our needs?

 

It is even more essential that we seek the Lord daily for our spiritual bread.  When the Israelites hungered in the wilderness, God sent them heavenly manna to satisfy them.  Every morning it appeared on the ground.  All they needed to do was go out and collect it.  Any that was left over could not be kept and used for the next day, though, because it rotted.  It was good for that day only.  So, also, is the Word of God.  It must be something that we seek for daily.  It must be fresh and alive, and it can only be so as we seek Him in the now.  Man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth.  Our outward man can be fat and satisfied while our inner man is starving to death.  This should not be!  God has provided us with a spiritual feast if we will only receive it!

 

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  How wise of our heavenly Father to link our receiving mercy for our sins with our willingness to forgive others for theirs.  We are often very harsh and unbending in our judgments of others.  We are quick to hold others to task for their shortcomings, even to the point of harboring bitterness and resentment against them for years.  It can seethe up to the point that it poisons all other relationships.  We certainly expect forgiveness from our Father in heaven, yet often we are not willing to deal with the unforgiveness that is in our own hearts.  Jesus made it very plain that these two principles were closely aligned.  He taught His disciples that, "When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25, 26).

 

Jesus set no limits on how deep our forgiveness must reach.  As He was teaching on these things, Peter wanted some clarification on just what Jesus was expecting.  Perhaps He was looking for some loopholes much like we often do.  "Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?   Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21, 22).  Jesus then illustrated His teaching with the parable of the unjust steward who, though he had been forgiven a great debt by his master, went out and exacted cruelty on another who owed him.  Jesus finished His parable by saying, "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses." (Matthew 18:35).is His

 

“And lead us not into temptation…”  The scripture tells us that every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed, but that God is faithful and will provide a way of escape that he might be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Temptation is one way in which the impurities in our character are revealed.  Once they surface we can recognize them for what they are and truly repent, bringing them to God so that He can replace them with His righteousness.  We must learn to be vigilant and circumspect at all times, however, so that we do not fall into needless temptations.  Praying that we not be led into temptation helps us to focus our attention on what is going on around us so that we can avoid certain pitfalls.  Jesus told His disciples to, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41).  As strong and determined as we feel in the spirit, it doesn’t take long for us to discover that we still have to contend with a flesh and blood body that is very weak indeed. 

 

“…but deliver us from evil…”  Every day we are subject to being tempted; and so, every day we should be praying that we not be led away by our own lusts.  Our enemy is very subtle in his tactics.  He will not attack us head on if he can sneak up on us and ambush us when we least expect it.  This is why we are admonished to be sober and vigilant.  Our adversary is like a roaring lion that is always walking around looking for his next meal. 

 

Some Bible translations say, "deliver us from the evil one."  Satan is that evil one.  He seeks to steal from us, kill us spiritually, and destroy us utterly; but we must remember that he is a defeated foe.  When our Lord died and was resurrected, He won the victory over the Devil.  Now, though he fights fiercely to avoid it, our enemy is merely playing out his time until the final judgment when he will be cast into the lake of fire and destroyed.  Until then, he busies himself with trying to convince the saints of God that they are losers.  Well, it just ain't so! 

 

We must be aware of the spiritual warfare that is raging around us, and we must be praying for our Father's protection and strength.  We must never let down our guard.  "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12).  Therefore, we need to pray for His might and power to keep and sustain us in the fight.     

 

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.”  This is simply an acknowledgment of God's glory.  We should never seek any of the glory for ourselves, for it is God Who possesses all wisdom, and power, and glory.  It is His kingdom, and He sits and reigns over all the heavens and the earth.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.  God will not stop until all His enemies are under His feet, and His kingdom is established on earth just as surely as it is in heaven.  Amen!

 

FASTING

 

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matthew 6:16).

 

Once again, there is an expectation that among Christians there will be fasting: “WHEN ye fast.”  Elsewhere, in Mark 2:20, the Lord states that the children of the bride chamber (Christians in general) would be in the habit of fasting after the bridegroom (Jesus Himself) is taken from them.  The Lord doesn’t address here the particulars of fasting: “When shall I fast, and how long shall I fast for?” He is only concerned that we do it privately.  “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:17, 18).  As in the previous two sections about giving and praying, the Lord wants to make sure that we have the opportunity to add to our account in heaven by not seeking recognition now.  On his podcast, Ask Pastor John, John Piper has this to say of this section of the Sermon on the Mount:

 

“Jesus says in all three cases of praise-craving, ‘They have received their reward.’  Well, what is the point of saying that?  I think there are two points of saying that.  One, you lose something great, and you gain something pitiful.  What do you gain?  You gain the praise of man.  You want it?  You get it.  That’s it.  And the connotation is that what you gain is pitiful.  It is like a drug.  It gives a buzz, and then it is gone; you have got to have another fix.  You are always insecure.  You are always needy for other people’s praise in order for you to be happy or to feel secure.  You are never satisfied.  And so when He says, ‘You have your reward,' He means it is a lousy reward.  You are settling for such a little reward.”

 

TREASURES IN HEAVEN

 

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

 

In this passage, Jesus reveals the real reason for accumulating treasures in heaven rather than on earth: it is because wherever our treasure is, our heart will be there with it.  The accumulation of praise and recognition on earth can be just as addictive as the accumulation of wealth.  It will steal our hearts and keep us focused on what we have in this world and not on God’s Kingdom.  Paul taught Timothy that the love of money is the root of all evil, but the love of men’s regard can be a snare that is equally deadly.  Referring to all of his education, position, and pedigree that he had before he knew Christ, the Apostle Paul said, “I count it all dung.”  (Philippians 3:7, 8).  Rather than placing his confidence in anything that he had done in the flesh, Paul said, “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).  This is what Jesus was directing His listeners to do.  Not to build their hope of the future on past successes, nor to be hindered by past failures.  The need we all have is to continually press forward, determined to go deeper in Christ and reach for the prize that awaits us in heaven.  If we fall, we must accept our chastisement and learn our lesson so that we can overcome the next time.

 

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [healthy, steady, focused on one object] thy whole body shall be full of light.  But if thine eye be evil [diseased, wavering, blurry] thy whole body shall be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22, 23). 

 

Jesus used the eye as an example of what He wanted to get across to His disciples regarding treasures in heaven.  Like a lamp that lights our way in the darkness and lets us see which way to go, our eyes (if they are healthy and functioning properly), illuminate our path and guide our bodies.  If our eyes are diseased in some way that prevents us from seeing clearly, it affects our whole body because we can’t move about freely.  Have you ever experienced double vision?  Your eyes are trying to focus on two things at the same time and not able see either one clearly.  All you can do is sit down and hope that the condition passes momentarily.  This was Jesus’ point.  If we have our eyes on two goals, we won’t be able to achieve either one effectively.  We must make up our minds whether to focus on heaven or to focus on this life only.  There is no compromising - we must keep our eyes on the prize. 

 

Jesus strengthens this lesson when He says, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon [riches, earthly treasure].” (Matthew 6:24).  The Lord does not say that it will be difficult to serve two masters - He says you cannot do it!  Our devotion to one or the other will sooner or later be called into question, and our allegiance will be compromised.  The lesson is quite clear in this chapter.  We must cast our hearts and minds on the reward that we have been promised in heaven and turn our backs on the lust for wealth and recognition.

 

SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25).

 

Taking no thought for our life is a lesson that most of us learn by degrees.  We humans naturally attend to the basic elements of survival first; and then, when we feel secure, loved, and fulfilled we will turn to the things of the spirit.  Jesus turns all of that on its head and teaches that we should not be so preoccupied with things – even necessary things.  Our heavenly Father loves His children and will care for and provide for them just like any good, earthly father would do.  Jesus said, “…a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15).  Too many people live lives that are only occupied with making money and building bigger barns to hold their stuff.  The Lord is trying to show us that our lives are meant for much more than that. 

 

Jesus goes on to explain that the birds do not plant or harvest crops, and they don’t stockpile food in barns; but their heavenly Father provides for them every day.  Aren’t we more important to Him?  The lilies of the field, also, don’t grow, spin, or weave fabric; but even King Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t dressed as finely as them.  Jesus says, “…shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26-32).

 

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  (Matthew 6:33).  This is the most important takeaway of chapter 6: always put God first, and God will take care of everything else.  It must not go unnoticed, however, that seeking the righteousness of Christ is given equal weight with seeking the Kingdom of Heaven.  In all of His Sermon it is evident that the Lord is preparing a holy people to inhabit a holy place.

 

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34).  The Lord has freed us from the worries and anxieties that accompany modern life.  He directs us to take no thought for tomorrow – literally, don’t think about it at all.  We can cast all our cares on Him knowing that He cares for us and will work out the details of our lives if we let Him.  Many allow stress to rule their lives and steal their sleep, but Christ has promised to replace our heavy burdens with a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.    He has promised His beloved rest if we take His yoke upon us.  “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).  The secret is to deal with what each day brings to us and not get bogged down in “what ifs” about tomorrow.  We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but God does, so let us rest in Him.