“God is faithful.”

When my best friend and love of my life marched down the aisle at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, the entire congregation rose to their feet as the pianist played Great Is Thy Faithfulness.  A good friend had written a special arrangement just for the occasion of our wedding.  Tears ran down my face as Tanya walked toward me arm in arm with her father.  The words of the familiar hymn echoed the goodness of God:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.[1]

“God is faithful.”[2] 

No matter what you’re going through, God is there.  Eternally unchanging and forever reliable, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.[3]  In moments of celebration, He celebrates with you.[4]  In the midst of the storm, He is a shelter.[5]  When you weep, He dries your tears.[6]  When you are scared, He holds you close.[7]  God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in time of trouble.[8]    

Yet we struggle.  Jesus didn’t promise His followers a life free from difficulty.  In fact, He promised us trouble.  He said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Even in this trouble filled world, in Christ we have peace.

“God is faithful.”  This is the truth to which we cling in time of trial.  When the winds of testing blow strong, God’s faithfulness is the solid rock upon which we firmly take our stand.  The faithful promise of His presence provides strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.   

In Strength for the Journey, Joseph M. Stowell writes, “Since we rarely know why trouble comes or what God is doing in and through our pain, it is important to have something solid and true to which we can attach our faith.”[9]  When trouble comes, faith holds fast to God’s promises, finds comfort in God’s ways, stands firm upon God’s character. 

In the uncertainty of trial, we may feel as if hanging by a thread, one big wave from being swept away, one strong gust from being caught up into the vortex of the storm.  But faith clings to the hand of God, for faith is a gift from God whereby it is He who clings to us. 

When we can’t seem to get a grip, we can give thanks that we’re held firmly in His grasp.  No one and nothing can remove our hand from His.[10]  No one and nothing can separate us from Him.[11] 

O God, our help in ages past, 
Our hope for years to come, 
Our shelter from the stormy blast, 
And our eternal home.[12]

-----------------------

[1]Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960).
[2] This is the Apostle Paul’s reminder to the church in Corinth.  Paul issued pointed warnings from Israel’s history (God’s judgment upon idolatry and immorality), then he stated, "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).  The word for “temptation” and “tempted” in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is the same word (peirasmós) generally translated “test” in verse 9 (cf. James 1:2, 12).  Depending on the context, the word can refer to trials, tests, and temptations.  God cannot be tempted, but His people can put Him to the test; God does not tempt His people, but He does test them.  The definitions of “tempt” and “test” are different both in source and in nature, but the results of our response to each are much the same.  And in both, God is faithfully present.  His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). 
[3] Deuteronomy 33:27; Hebrews 13:8.
[4] Luke 15:32.
[5] Isaiah 4:6; 25:4.
[6] Psalm 6:8; 30:5b; Matthew 5:4; Revelation 21:4
[7] Joshua 1:5, 9.
[8] Psalm 46:1
[9] Stowell, Joseph M. Strength for the Journey: Day by Day with Jesus (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2002), 186.
[10] John 10:28-30.
[11] Romans 8:38-39.
[12] O God Our Help in Ages Past, Isaac Watts (1719). 

“True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble.” - Thomas à Kempis
 
Have you ever labored long and hard over a puzzle, only to discover near completion that you were missing a piece?  The overall picture has come together beautifully, but as you look at the fruit of your labors, your attention is drawn immediately to the one piece of peculiarity.  Its absence screams for your attention.  A puzzle of a thousand pieces can be ruined by one missing piece.
 
So it is with life.  We lead very full lives, yet something is missing.
 
PEACE  
 
Peace.  Say the word out loud.  Seriously, say it.  “Peace.”  Doesn’t it sound good?  Doesn’t it sound refreshing?  Repeat the word in your mind.  Peace.  Doesn’t it feel good?  Doesn’t it feel like exactly what you need?  We could all use a little more peace in our lives, couldn’t we?
 
Even warriors desire peace.  We all desire peace.  We just have a difficult time finding it.  Perhaps we struggle to even define it, but we all know when peace is missing.  We know we need it, but how do we get it?  How can we find the missing peace?  How can we truly experience peace?
 
We tend to think of peace as an absence of conflict.  If we end all wars, put a stop to violence, and keep people from hate, then the peace will be won.  Conflict cessation may be a form of keeping the peace, but don’t we desire more? 
 
SHALOM

The Hebrew Scriptures speak of peace as shalom – a rich word pregnant with meaning.  It can refer to prosperity and success, completeness and intactness, personal welfare and health, deliverance and salvation, and, of course, the absence of conflict and war.  It is healing.  It is wholeness in place of brokenness. It is the one true God picking up the shattered pieces of wrecked humanity and forming out of them something beautiful, something whole.
 
The New Testament speaks of peace as eiréné (i-ray'-nay).  It can refer to peace, harmony, and concord between governments and individuals.  As it corresponds to the Hebrew shalom, it carries forward the ideas of personal wellbeing and welfare.  Most significantly, peace with God refers to a right relationship with God, the hope of eternal life and the assurance of eternal salvation.  The gracious bestowal of peace with God can be personally experienced only through faith in Jesus Christ as sufficient Savior and risen Lord (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Hell cancelled, Heaven guaranteed – that is the confidence of all who have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). 
 
Further, the reality of peace with God brings to present experience the shalom of God, whereby the Divine Potter picks up the broken pieces of our lives and makes out of them something useful, something beautiful, something glorious.  “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
 
Therein lies the rub.  Perhaps, like me, you know the confidence of forgiveness and the assurance of salvation.  You’ve experienced moments of peace, but they are fleeting.  As Christians, how can we who know the reality of peace with God experientially enjoy the peace of God?   
 
EXPERIENCING PEACE

We know certain practices lead to peace.  Prayer comes first to mind.  God could not be more unambiguous than He is in Ephesians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Are you anxious?  Pray.  Worried?  Give thanks.  When you do, God promises to replace anxiety with peace.  Like a sentinel keeping watch over sleeping soldiers, God's peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus so that you can rest in Him.
 
Likewise, in the search for peace, the daily practice of forgiveness is a given.  So also is kindness.  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).  Of course, experiencing peace in our personal relationships does not depend entirely on us.  After all it takes two to get tangled.  That’s why, in one of the most qualified commands in all of Scripture, the Apostle reminds us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).
 
This much we know.  But in our quest for peace, we have neglected the one practice, the one attitude that lies at the very heart of our pursuit.  Both the living experience of the peace of God and the daily enjoyment of peace with our fellows hinge upon one thing:  The “Secret” Simplicity of Humility.
 
THE "SECRET" SIMPLICITY OF HUMILITY
 
The ancient fathers of our faith and the devotional writers of the Christian era all attest to a simple secret:  Those who experience peace are those who embrace humility. 

I like to define humility as seeing ourselves as God sees us – nothing more and nothing less.  We are created in God’s image.  We are sinners saved by divine grace.  We are new creations in Christ Jesus.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit.  we are completely dependent upon our Father in Heaven.  That’s why we sing, “I need Thee every hour,” and “Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it.”  Humility is a sober self-assessment.  It is seeing ourselves as God sees us, but there is more.
 
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility.  The humiliation of the cross and the exaltation of the crown set the pattern for every Christ-follower (Philippians 2:5-11).  He who was rich for our sake became poor, so that we by His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  Humility is doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  It is prioritizing others above ourselves.  It is considering not only our own interests, but also the interests of others.  It is possessing the attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:1-5). 
 
If humility is the secret of peace, then pride is the thief.  In his inspiring devotional masterpiece The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis writes, “True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble; but the heart of the proud is ever full of pride and jealousy.”[1] 
 
Pride keeps us from prayer.  Pride keeps us from seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt.  It prevents us from offering forgiveness to those who have harmed us.  It is pride that keeps us awake with memories of unfair attacks, unjust words, and thoughts of “If I had only said this or if only I had done that.”  The truly humble do not concern themselves with being misheard, misunderstood or misrepresented. 
 
Slights and tones and sideways glances and dirty looks stick to the heart of pride.  They slide right off the humble.  The humble heart heeds neither disparaging remark nor unjust evaluation. 

Pride plans revenge.  Humility moves along.  The humble leave vengeance in the hands of the Gracious Avenger, confident that He will repay, thankful that He is merciful and forgiving.  The humble respond to attacks by praying for repentance and offering forgiveness.  They offer the benefit of the doubt, refusing to judge motives, remembering, “There - but by the grace of God - go I.”   This is the secret simplicity of humility – the key to discovering the missing peace.
 
The proverb rightly asserts, “A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat” (Proverbs 13:8).  Like the pursuit of riches, pride brings complex rewards.  Humility, like contentment, brings the reward of simplicity.  The humble are the poor in spirit.  They possess the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3).  They know the peace of God.
 
"Do not trust in your own knowledge, nor in the cleverness of any man living, but rather in the grace of God, who aids the humble, and humbles the proud.  Do not boast in your possessions, if you have any, nor of the influence of your friends; but glory in God, who gives all things and desires above all things to give you Himself… Remain humble.  It does you no harm when you esteem all others better than yourself, but it does you great harm when you esteem yourself above others."[2]
 
True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble.  This is the “secret” simplicity of humility. 


[1] A Kempis, Thomas; translated by Leo Sherley-Price (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1952), 35. 

[2] Ibid., 34, 35.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Jesus (Matthew 6:33)

Of all the things running in short supply today, it seems to me “common sense” is most at a premium, because common sense exists in such short supply.  Good sense today is thin on the ground. 
 
In His Sermon on the Mount, King Jesus is laying out the values and behaviors that must characterize authentic Kingdom men and genuine Kingdom women.  Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:25-34 is grounded in exactly what we need – good sense.  To be more specific, in this passage Jesus reorients our thinking along the lines of creation sense, kingdom sense, and common sense – all of which are greatly lacking in our world today. 
 
The Sermon on the Mount is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7.  Today we come to the conclusion of chapter 6.  As with Matthew chapter 5, so with Matthew chapter 6: 
 
For Jesus, matters of the heart
are the heart of the matter.
 
External conformity to the letter of the law won’t cut it.  God wants your heart, your love, all of you – heart, soul, mind and strength.  Religious acts done to be seen and praised by people mean nothing.  We live and serve our loving Father in Heaven.  In our giving, our praying, our fasting – our everything – His smile is all we seek.
 
In Matthew 6 the focus is on the pursuit of True Treasure – Treasure that lasts not just for now, but for all eternity.  What do you think?  Is there such a thing as “Eternity”?  Or is now all we’ve got?   Do we live only for now, or do we live forever?  If we live forever, why are so many of us living only for now?
 
Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Treasures on earth perish, spoil, and fade.  Moths, vermin, and rust devour, and thieves break in and steal.  But treasure in heaven is secure not only for now but forever, for all eternity. 
 
So what do you treasure most?  When Jesus talks about treasure, He’s talking about our day to day pursuits, priorities, and passions.  To what does your mind wander in moments of idleness?  Of what do you speak when work and family responsibilities are completed?  To what well does your heart return time and time again for respite and refreshment?  When all is said and done, will any of it matter?  Will what you’re pursuing today matter tomorrow?  Will it matter 1, 10, 100, 1,000 years from now?  If not, maybe it’s time to stop wasting your time chasing the wind.
 
If the constant killing in the Middle East, the shootings on our streets, the horror that transpired in Paris, the floods and tornadoes down south or the recent downing of the Egypt Air flight confirm one thing, it’s the truth of Ephesians 5:15-16:
 
Ephesians 5:15-16  15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
 
“Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”  Somehow I don’t think most of the ways we fritter away our free time qualify as “making the best use of the time.”  Somehow I don’t think most of the ways we frivolously spend our finances qualify as “laying up treasure in heaven.”  Surely James 5:1-3 applies to American Christians today as much as it applied to any Jewish Christians in the first Century Roman world:
 
James 5:1-3  Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.  2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.  3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
                            
Is that all we’re doing?  Laying up treasure in a world that’s seeing its last days?  Tis the heart of foolishness.
 
In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus presented us with three choices:
1)       Two Treasures:  Treasure on Earth/Treasure in Heaven?
2)       Two Visions:  Things of Earth/Things of Heaven?
3)       Two Masters:  God / Mammon (money, possessions)

In Matthew 6:19-24, the basic choice is between God and material things.
 
In Matthew 6:25-33, the basic choice is between faith and worry.  I wonder, are you weighed down by anxiety, worry, and fear?  How would you like to be unshackled, unburdened, and free?  Six times in today’s passage Jesus uses the word for worry or anxiety.  Three times He commands us not to worry, not to be anxious. 
 
These three commands form the basic the outline of the passage.  The first is tied to an argument from creation, the second to the kingdom, and the third to common sense.  We’re going to invert the order just a bit for the purpose of our study.
 
In these verses, we see that disciples of Jesus live by faith one day at a time.  They are care-free and kingdom focused.
 
1.  Creation Sense:  If your Father cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, how much more must He care for you?
 
Matthew 6:25-30   25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
 
Notice a few underlying truths:
1)       The Creator is a personal God.
2)       The Creator is a providential God.
3)       The Creator cares for His creation.
4)       The Creator is our heavenly Father.
5)       The Creator values humans more than animals (“How much more…?”). 
 
Some people today deny this last point, and we all need to be reminded that God cares more for us than for any other part of His creation.  There are some who care more about the quality of care (or lack thereof) provided for livestock than they care about the lives of unborn babies.  We are created in the image of God.  He declares the man and the woman “very good” (Genesis 1:27).  We have been given charge and dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28), not to abuse it but to subdue as best befits God’s creation design and as best benefits us as the crown of His creation.  The cross of Jesus Christ is the best example and demonstration of God’s great love.  It was for you and me and all of humanity that Christ gave His life so that we might live.  God loves us far more than any other aspect of His glorious creation, and the cross is proof of His great love.
 
When we look at nature, we see how God provides for the animals, in this case, the birds.  It doesn’t generally rain worms from heaven, so birds have to work for their daily provision.  But when they work, they find food.  Our Father is the Creator and sustainer, and He provides.  Generally speaking, when we work we eat (2 Thess. 3:6ff).  We don’t need to worry because God the Creator cares for us, and we can cast all our cares upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  We don’t need to be anxious because God the Creator is our loving Father who makes provision for our needs.  If he cares for the birds of the air, how much more must He care for us?
 
When we look at nature, we see the beauty of the wild flowers in the field.  On a fine summer day, the flowers stand tall in all their colorful, resplendent brilliance.  The Creator’s paint brush draws from a palate the likes of which the wealthiest earthly king has never known in all his finery.  Yet quickly the flowers dry out and, in Jesus’ day, become fuel for oven fires.  If our Creator God cares for the flowers of the field, if our heavenly Father clothes them, how much more must He care for us?  How much more will He provide clothing for us?
 
In our world today and within the heart of each one of us, there’s a great battle being waged between Fear and Faith.  Which dominates your life?  Which do you feed more than the other?
 
I get a kick out of acronyms, and sometimes they are quite instructive.  Consider these acronyms for “fear” and “faith,” each of which is instructive in its own way.
 
FEAR:
False Evidence Appearing Real
False Expectations Appearing Real
Face it. Explore it.  Accept it.  Rise above it.
 
FAITH: 
Firmly And Intimately Trusting Him
Forwarding All Issues To Heaven
Full Assurance In The Heart
Forsaking All I Trust Him
 
Of course, just as fear has many objects, so faith can have many objects.  The only faith that matters is faith in our heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!  Sadly, some have faith in their riches until their fears are realized when their riches fade away.  Some have faith in other people, self, health, beauty, career, the government, possessions, pleasures, education –  you name it – none of it will prove faithful in the end.
 
There is only one who will always prove faithful.  In this life and the next, our loving Father will never let us down!  He has promised to never leave us nor ever forsake us.  The Good Shepherd sticks by the side of His sheep.  Always and forever, His presence is His promise!
 
The command of King Jesus is clear, and it is not optional:  Do not be anxious.  Do not worry.  This doesn’t mean “take no thought,” at least not in how we understand the phrase today.  We’re talking about saying “no” to self-centered, counter-productive worry and anxiety, not legitimate care and concern.
 
The basic difference between sinful worry and God-honoring concern is simple:
Worry immobilizes us to inaction. Concern mobilizes us to action.
 
Philippians 4:10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
 
2 Corinthians 11:28-29  28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
 
Unbiblical worry immobilizes us or prompts us to fear driven actions.  Biblical concern moves us to act in accordance with our faith. 
 
Jesus is not commanding us to be careless, but he is commanding us to be care-free.  Careless disciples are reckless and do great harm to the cause of Christ.  Care-free disciples are not weighed down by the concerns of this world.  They are free to live out kingdom values as they live for Christ the King.
 
 2.  Common Sense:  Worry accomplishes nothing, and the things we worry about may never even come to pass.
 
ESV Matthew 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
(KJV: add one cubit to his stature – 18 inch to height; clearly a metaphor meaning much the same thing in either translation)
 
There are so many things we’re afraid of:
The fear of flying
The fear of heights 
The fear of the dark
The fear of rejection
The fear of intimacy
The fear of failure
The fear of public speaking
The fear of death
 
All of these things are real, and all can be scary.  But when a healthy awareness or concern turns to fretful fear or immobilizing anxiety, Jesus prescribes a little common sense: 
 
Worry accomplishes nothing.
 
Can worry add a foot to your height?  Can worry add an hour to your life? It’s no good to worry.  It’s no good to fret.  It’s no good to be fearful.  It’s no good to be anxious.  Just as “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20) so worry won’t accomplish anything for the kingdom of God.
 
Matthew 6:34  34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
Not only does worry accomplish nothing, the things we worry about may never even come to pass.
 
How many times have you feared and fretted and spent anxious nights tossing and turning in bed worrying about some future event or circumstance that never even happened?  We may not be privy to the future, but our loving heavenly Father is.  The same God who provides for our needs knows what the future holds in store.  We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow!
 
There’s nothing wrong with planning for the future.  It’s foolish not to.
 
Proverbs 6:6-8   6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.  7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.
 
Even ants plan for tomorrow!  As the Life Application Study Bible reminds us, “Planning for tomorrow is time well spent.  Worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.”
 
From creation sense and common sense, Jesus now moves to:
 
3.  Kingdom Sense:  Christ’s disciples are care-free because they are kingdom focused.
 
Matthew 6:31-33   31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
 
Food, clothing, drink – Doesn’t get much more basic than that.  Some of us worry that we might struggle to afford that massive spread of food that has become the traditional American Thanksgiving feast.  Some of us worry that we won’t be able to buy our kids all the toys and electronics they want for Christmas.  Some of us worry about car payments, rent, mortgages, health insurance, college loans and credit card debt. 
 
Jesus boils down the basic needs of body and life to three: food, drink, and clothing.  Paul echoes:
 
1 Timothy 6:8     8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 
 
“Gentiles” in verse 32 is more a religious designation than ethnic discrimination.  As in verse 7, Gentiles pray to impersonal and impetuous gods who are childish and petty and not even real!  We pray to a Father who loves us, a Father who provides for us, a Father who knows what we need before we even ask Him. 
 
While the Gentiles are seeking the things of this world, what does Jesus command His disciples to seek? 
 
Matthew 6:33   33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
 
“Seek First the Kingdom of God”
 
As taught in the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Your Kingdom come.”  We long for the day of Christ’s return and the establishment of His kingdom upon the earth.  We are prepared for His coming, and yet, in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, the emphasis here is on bending the knee and submitting to God’s sovereign rule and reign in the here and now.  First and foremost, we are servants of the King and seekers of the Kingdom.
 
“…and His righteousness”
 
“His righteousness” describes the ethical and behavioral demands of kingdom life.  It’s not speaking of a positional righteousness or legal right standing with God but rather living the kind of life God requires in the present age.  Before even the basic necessities of life, the disciple of Jesus Christ seeks to live rightly in obedience to Christ as King.
 
“And all these things will be added to you.”
 
Our Father will provide what is needed for the mission before us.  Our food is to do the will of Him who sent us.  Our drink is to accomplish His work.  Our clothing is the character of Christ Himself.  Our shelter is the Shadow of the Almighty.
 
Dr. Michael Vanlingham of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago writes, “God so demands His people’s undivided attention that He promises to provide their necessities so that they will not worry about them and can fully concentrate on Him” (Moody Bible Commentary, 1464).
 
Are you living a carefree and kingdom focused life?
 
Disciples of Jesus live by faith one day at a time.  They are free of burdensome cares.  They are single-eyed and focused on the Kingdom of Heaven.  As Coach Taylor would say, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”
 
Summary Review:
 
Disciples of Jesus are driven by creation sense, common sense, and Kingdom sense.
 
1)  Creation Sense:  If our Father cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, how much more must He care for us?
 
2)  Common Sense:  Worry accomplishes nothing, and the things we worry about may never even come to pass.
 
3)  Kingdom Sense:  Christ’s disciples are care-free because they are kingdom focused.
 
 
Conclusion:  “The Holy Spirit called an audible.”
 
The other day, as I was studying this passage and preparing to put thoughts down on paper, the Holy Spirit called an audible.  Do you know what an audible is?  In football, it’s when the quarterback scraps the planned play at the line of scrimmage.  Something about the way he’s reading the opposing defense doesn’t look right – perhaps they’re perfectly positioned and prepared to stop the very play the offense has planned.  So the quarterback will call an audible, and right there, just before the play begins, the plan changes.
 
I had planned on teaching this text under the title “No Worries,” focusing on worry and anxiety as psychological maladies for which our text provides a cure.  If you struggle with worry or anxiety, than this text is for you.  So also is Philippians 4:4-7, which tells us to be anxious about nothing.  That text provides prayer, petition and thanksgiving as the key to conquering anxiety and experiencing the peace of God.
 
But here in Matthew 6, Jesus’ emphasis is different.         These verses help us with our worries, but the anecdote provided here is not so much an elixir for anxiety as it is a cure for distraction.  The worries and anxieties of which Jesus speaks are problems for disciples not just because they produce an unpleasant psychological state, but because they distract us from Kingdom priorities and righteous pursuits. 
 
Matthew 6:25-34 is a simple call to Keep first things first.  Worry is useless, for it is God who will provide what we truly need.  Our focus must be on the mission of God, the call of Christ, the agenda of the kingdom, the paths of righteousness. 
 
First Things First!
 
Matthew 6:33  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
 
We’re far from perfect, but since the time we were both 12 or 13 years of age, my wife Tanya and I have been seeking God’s will for our lives.  Even as young teenagers, we believe that Proverbs 3:5-6 was written for us.
 
Proverbs 3:5-6  5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
 
As we both followed the Lord’s leading, our paths led us to Chicago…
In Chicago, our paths led us to each other…
Our paths led us to Montrose Baptist Church…
And here we are today!
 
Each step was taken in faith.  Each new path meant leaving an old path behind.  I have no idea what tomorrow’s path may hold, but I know my Father is the mapmaker.  Jesus is my guide.  The Spirit is my constant companion.  And all of you are fellow sojourners along the way!
 
So no matter what stage and season of life we may be in, let’s be sure to keep first things first.  Our loving Father in heaven will provide for the daily needs of those who seek Him before anyone or anything else (Yes, God must be our BAE!). 
 
Our calling is to walk by faith one step at a time, care-free and kingdom focused, taking one day at a time.  Unencumbered by the materialistic cares of our prosperity obsessed culture, we are like treasure hunters seeking first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness.  That which we seek, we know we shall find, for He who promised in faithful.
 
We are confident yet not reckless.
We are carefree yet not careless.
We seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
 
Let’s keep second things second so that we can keep first things first.

There is no investment strategy more secure than laying up treasure in Heaven.  There is no greater return on investment than seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven.  Maybe it’s time we diversify our portfolio by dropping the junk stock of earth and going all in with the treasure of Heaven.
 

Peaking Out through the Curtains

The other day, while many were working or resting or enjoying a beautiful Saturday, a less placid scene was unfolding in front of our house.  Neighbors huddled behind locked doors and peaked out through curtains.  A simple fender bender had turned into something more sinister.  A man was beaten and bleeding. 
 
Eventually an ambulance came and the police investigated.  The car belonging to the beaten and bruised young man was towed away.  The neighborhood breathed a sigh of relief, from behind locked doors, peaking out through the curtains.
 
Danger is all around us, but its reality doesn’t often hit home until the danger itself appears near to home.  We read yet another headline of a young life violently ended before it had a chance to begin.  We celebrate all the men and women in blue who serve and protect, then we’re shocked and saddened to hear of one who abused the system, misused his power, and broke the law.  We being to wonder, “Am I truly safe?  Is my family truly safe?”
 
Of course, we worry about so much more: unemployment, the national debt, the stock market, the housing market; Isis, al Qaeda, war, refugees, poverty, hunger, sickness, disease, violence.  We have so much to worry about! 
 
Danger is everywhere.  So what do we do?  We lock our doors.  We peek out through the curtains. 
 
We’re so worried about that which can take our stuff, take our security, take our health, even take our lives.  But Jesus sees things differently.  He says our worry is misplaced.  There are greater concerns.
 
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
 
There are greater concerns than the immediate worries of the here and now.  In Matthew 6:19ff, Jesus tells His followers not to worry about even the basic necessities of life.  God will give us what we truly need.
 
Matthew 6:19-21  19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
Matthew 6:25, 33   25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  … 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 
 
In Jesus’ day, so in our day:  There is something more dangerous than violence lurking in the streets of our city.  Some call it Mammon, some name it Materialism, some worship it as the Almighty Dollar.  Whatever you name it, it can get ahold of you, become your obsession, your driving concern, your ultimate demise.
 
KJV Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
 
Scot McKnight labels this obsession “mammonolatry.”  He writes, “Money has a way of freezing our hands and feet and stiffening our hearts; it has a way of becoming, like Gollum’s ring, something we cannot do without and that becomes the focus of our attention” (Sermon the Mount, 212).
 
Consider your primary pursuits and priorities.  Will what you’re pursuing today matter tomorrow?  How about one, ten, one hundred or one thousand years from now?  One day there will be nothing left in our bank accounts.  Our retirement funds will be no more. Our homes will decay.  Our cars will be nothing but scrap.  Our trophies, awards, diplomas and photo albums will gather dust.
 
Only one life twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last!
 
MATTHEW 6:19-24
 
Matthew chapters 5-7 contain Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in which He lays forth the pursuits and priorities of life in the Kingdom of Heaven.  In Matthew 6, Jesus calls us to pursue true treasure, the kind of treasure which never perishes, spoils, or fades. 
 
Yet many pursue the applause of men more than the applause of the Father in heaven.  Like the Pharisees, some religious people give to charity, pray to God, and fast from food only to be seen by others and praised by them.  Jesus says they have received their reward in full.  He says we should do our religious acts and good deeds in secret, so that our heavenly Father who sees what is done in secret will reward us.
 
Which do you think matters more?  The momentary applause of earth?  Or the eternal applause of heaven?
 
As with Matthew 5, so with Matthew 6:  For Jesus, matters of the heart are the heart of the matter.  Man looks at outward appearances.  God looks at the hearth.
 
In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus turns from kingdom values in our giving, praying, and fasting to kingdom values in the everyday concerns of our lives. 
 
Today we encounter a choice between God and Money.  In our next study we’ll encounter a choice between faith and worry.  Both hinge on the same basic question: 
 
Do we live only for now or do we live forever?
Since we live forever, why are we living only for now?
 
Our text in Matthew 6:19-24 presents us with 3 choices:
​
 
Choice #1:  Two Treasures
 
Matthew 6:19-21  19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
Jesus is talking here about an eternal investment strategy.  If you have enough money to save a little away, you may tune in to financial advisors who wisely counsel us to “diversify our portfolios.”  Don’t go all into one type of stock.  Balance risky stocks with more stable ones, various industry types, domestic and international, and so on.  And don’t go all into stocks; be sure to diversify with bonds.  Some people have enough extra money to diversify with various currency, precious metals like gold, and even fine art and jewelry. 
 
Why do investment advisors counsel investors to diversify?  Because investing money always involves risk!  Risk of what?  Loss!  Anyone remember when the tech bubble burst or the housing market crashed?  Anyone remember 2008?
 
Do you know what the overall risk of loss is for your financial portfolio?  Add it all up: savings, stocks, bonds, precious metals, collectibles, personal property, real estate, homes, automobiles, everything.  Do you know what the overall risk of loss is for the average investor?  The average risk of loss is 100%! 
 
Moths and Vermin devour.  Thieves break in and steal.  Oh, and even if your earthly treasure should be protected from moth, vermin, rust, and thieves, guess what.  You’re going to die one day.  And you can’t take it with you!
 
Don’t be like the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21.  Don’t be the guy who works day and night storing up for a happy retirement, only to wake up one morning on the wrong side of eternity.  Don’t be a rich fool who finds security in fleeting riches.  And while we’re at it, don’t be a poor chump who spends all his energy wishing to be rich in the junk of this world.  Low class, high class, and middle class – none of it matters in the end.  There is no class system in the Kingdom of heaven, where the last shall be first and the first shall be last.
 
KJV Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?         
                                     
Any earthly investment strategy involves a 100% risk of losing it all.  Thank God there’s a better way! 
 
What if I told you I had insider information on an investment strategy that had zero risk of loss?  What if I told you I had an inside track on an investment that would bring returns greater than the human mind can conceive?  Would you believe me?  Of course you would, because Jesus tells us how here in the text.
 
Matthew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
 
Laying up treasure in Heaven means seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  It means giving to the needy, praying to our Father, and fasting from food – not for human recognition, but for the smile of our loving Father in heaven.  It means holding loosely to our riches and being generous with our wealth, because it never belonged to us in the first place.
 
Luke 12:33-34  33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
 
There is no investment more secure than treasure laid up in heaven.  There is no greater return on investment than seeking first the Kingdom of heaven.  Maybe it’s time we diversify our portfolio by dropping the junk stock of earth and going all in with the treasure of heaven!
 
NIV Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
 
Matthew 6:21   21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
The location of our treasure reveals the true orientation of our hearts.  If all we’re worried about is the stuff of this world, our hearts clearly belong to the world and the ruler of this world, Satan.  If we’re concerned about the priorities of Christ’s rule and reign, if we’re seeking His kingdom first, if our treasure is located in heaven, our hearts are there as well.
 
So what will it be?  We can choose between two treasures.  Temporary treasure on Earth?  Eternal treasure in Heaven?  The choice is yours.
 
 
Choice # 2: Two Visions
 
Matthew 6:22-23   22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy [single], your whole body will be full of light,  23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
 
The eye as the light of the body is seen to be the window through which light enters the body and the light by which the body is able to find its way.  The eye and the heart can be parallel or synonymous when speaking of pursuits and priorities, and that seems to be the case in this passage.  It’s not unlike the worship song we so often sing, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.”  Or consider the heart cry of the psalmist:
 
Psalm 38:10  10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes- it also has gone from me.
 
The choice confronting us here is where we will fix our eyes, what will we choose to focus on as of first importance.  If we fix our eyes on the pleasures of this world, we show that the light within us is darkness.  If we fix our eyes on our heavenly Father’s approval, we declare His praises as we show that we have indeed been called out of darkness into his glorious light.
 
Our eyes must be “single,” undivided.  D. A. Carson writes, “Either God is served with single eyed devotion or He is not served at all.”
 
Colossians 3:1-2   If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
 
2 Corinthians 4:18   18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
 
Your physical eyes may not work quite right, but what about your spiritual eyes?  What about the eyes of your heart?  Upon what are they fixed?  Upon what are they focused? 
 
Again, we are confronted with a choice between two options.  You can fix your eyes on the things of earth, or you can fix your eyes on the things of heaven.  The choice is yours, but I urge you: Focus your mind on things above.  Fix your eyes on things that are eternal.  After your final breath, when your heart flat lines, even the FDIC won’t be able to guarantee your earthly deposits.  It’s time to open up a more secure savings account in heaven.  It’s time to start seeking God’s kingdom and righteous first.  It’s time for single eyed devotion.  It’s time to lay up treasures in heaven!
 

Choice # 3: Two Masters
 
Matthew 6:24   24 "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 money.
 
If there was any doubt as to what Jesus was driving at in this passage, verse 24 shows it the door.  The word for “serve” is not a word for voluntary service or employment.  It means slave.  Either we’re a slave to God.  Or we’re a slave to Mamman (money or possessions).          There’s no middle ground.  Michael Vanlangingham writes, “People fix their heart on where their treasure is (19-21); so they fix their eyes on what they desire most (Psalm 119:1, 18). …A misplaced heart and a clouded eye lead to a misaligned will that tries to serve two irreconcilably different masters” (1964).
 
We now see the love of money for what it truly is:  Idolatry.  Idolatry is anything or anyone beside God that comes first in our lives.  First place always belongs to God.  Anything else is idolatry.
 
Exodus 20:3   3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
 
Colossians 3:5  5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
 
1 Timothy 6:6-11  6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,  7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
 
You cannot serve God and money.  Can you honestly say that God, not money, is your master?  Try this simple test:  Which occupies more of your thoughts, time, and efforts?  God?  Or the accumulation and protection of wealth?  Possessions can easily possess us.  It’s God or Money: You can’t serve both!      
 
The truth is, if all we’re doing is amassing worldly wealth, buying nicer homes, trading up for better cars, putting more away for retirement, then all we’re doing is storing up treasure on earth.  Now let’s be clear, the Scripture says we should provide for our families, save up for the future, and not be an undue burden to church or society.  But the line between wise money management and worship of Mammon is a fine one indeed.  Many of us spend more of our week worshiping at the idolatrous alter of earthly materialism than we do worshiping at the feet of our Heavenly Father.  In Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler, we see that an idolatrous perspective of Mammon is a deal breaker when it comes to eternal life (Matthew 19:16-26).
 
So what will it be?  God or money?  God or possessions?  God or material things?  You can’t serve both, so what’s it going to be?  The choice is as basic as heaven and earth – no, heaven and hell.  You can’t serve God and money.
 
Many of us pray for revival, and well we should.  But it’s been said that God’s people shouldn’t pray for revival if they want to hold onto their money!  When the Holy Spirit came upon the First Church in Jerusalem, they freely gave up everything to support each other as each had need!  Check it out in Acts 2:44-47 and Acts 4:34-37.  Don’t pray for revival if you want to hold onto your money.
 
Apparently, the heart and the eyes and the wallet are more closely related than we will ever know.  So we’re confronted with a choice between two masters.  Who will be?  The One True God who Loves You?  Or the the false god Mammon?  You can’t serve both.  You’ve got to choose. 
 
 
THINKING IT THROUGH
 
Matthew 6:21  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
1.       Is your heart in the right place?      
 
Where are your storing up treasure?  Is your eye of your heart single for God?  Or is it divided by the cares and concerns of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth?
 
Even if you’re poor, you’re not off the hook.  Chances are, you spend just as much time thinking about how much you want wealth and riches as rich people do trying to protect and grow their wealth and riches.  Even our dreams condemn us.
 
So who’s it going to be?  You can’t serve both God and money.  As with Joshua and the Israelites, so with us:  We must choose this day whom we are going to serve.  Will we serve the gods of American culture, or will we choose to serve the Lord?
 
The Scripture has a lot to say about the dangers of prosperity and wealth.  It can easily turn aside our hearts and take our eyes off the prize.  I think we too quickly dismiss much of what Jesus and the Apostles have to say about wealth, and I think we do it because we’ve been brainwashed by American culture and the cult of the Almighty Dollar.  But there’s no getting around the fact that following Jesus reorients our entire perspective on worldly wealth.
 
Craig Keener gets it right when he writes,
 
“The issue is not that possessions themselves are bad but that a higher priority demands our resources.  If we value what our Lord values rather than what society values, he demands that we meet the basic needs of people lacking adequate resources before we seek to accumulate possessions beyond our basic needs…We too easily dismiss Jesus’ teaching as Marxism, legalism, or hyperbole…I fear that many of us hear what we want because we have vested interests to guard – interests many Christians value more than they value the agendas of God’s kingdom.  Our eyes are not single.”
 
James 4:13 - 5:3   13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-  14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."  16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.  5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.  2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.  3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
 
Did you hear that?  “You have laid up treasure in the last days.”  “For heirs of the kingdom to hoard riches in the last days is particularly shortsighted” (D.A. Carson).  The end is nearer today than ever before.  Every sunrise brings us one day closer to our Lord’s return – and our evaluation by the Master.  But we go on about our business as if nothing has changed, as if everything will always be exactly as it is today.
 
2.       So we’ve got a few choices to make, don’t we?
 
Treasure on earth or treasure in heaven?
 
Fix our eyes on the things of heaven or fix our eyes on the things of earth?
 
Serve and worship God or serve and worship Mammon?
 
Choose you this day whom you will serve, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

          We continue our series in Matthew chapter 6, the center of Jesus’ great Kingdom Manifesto – the Sermon on the Mount.  This section of Jesus’ sermon focuses on God-given rewards, heavenly treasures, and eternal priorities.
 
          The world defines the basic question of life as: “How can I get what I want, and how can I get it now?”  This world is all about quick fixes.  It’s constantly prescribing us the drug of instant gratification.  It’s also constantly letting us down, because this world can never deliver on its false promises.
 
          Jesus reminds us that what really matters most will matter not just tomorrow or next week, but next 1 year, 10 year, 100 years, 1,000 years from now.  The Question for Us Today:  Are we pursuing what matters most?  Will the plans and priorities and pursuits of today really matter 10, 20 or 30 years from now?  Will they matter 100, 1,000, or 1 Billion years from now?
 
Only one life twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
          So “lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”  Forget about quick fixes and instant gratification!  We’re going to live for eternity, so let’s plan and prioritize with eternity in mind!
 
          When we plan with eternity in mind, we give (Matthew 6:1-4), we pray (Matthew 6:5-15), and we fast (Matthew 6:16-18).  We do so not to be seen by others or impress them with our piety.  We do so to honor our Father in Heaven and receive the rewards that He loves to give His children (see Matthew 5:1-12). 
 
          Let’s turn our attention to the spiritual exercise of fasting.  “And when you fast,” begins Jesus in Matthew 6:16.  What is fasting?  For starters, it’s not doing things faster!  Fasting is going without food and/or water for a set period of time.  It’s a physical exercise usually coupled with the spiritual exercises like the humiliation of penitence and the contrition of confession.  Fasting and prayer go together so often that we may think of religious fasting as going without food in order to spend more focused time in prayer. 
 
          Now, Jesus doesn’t command fasting.  Aren’t you relieved?  I mean, how many of us really fast on any regular basis, right?  I’m glad Jesus lets us off the hook on this one, aren’t you? J  No, Jesus doesn’t command fasting.  He assumes it.  {Baptists be like “What?”} 
 
      Jesus couldn’t be clearer: “When you fast...”  “But wait a minute, what about that time when Jesus was asked why His disciples didn’t fast like other religious folks of their day?”  Good question. Let’s take a look.
 
ESV Matthew 9:14-17   14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"  15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.  16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.  17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
 
          D.A. Carson observes, “Far from banning fasting, Jesus assumes His disciples will fast, even as He assumes they will give alms and pray.  His disciples may not fast at the moment, for the Messianic bridegroom is with them, and it is the time for joy (9:14-17).  But the time will come when they will fast (9:15)." (Matthew, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 175).
 
          Guess what folks: Jesus died and rose and ascended to heaven where He sits at the Father’s right hand.  Now is the time when His disciples will fast.  For instance, the apostles and Christians fasted and prayed in the book of Acts.
 
ESV Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." {Fasting as a component of worship and seeking God’s will} 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.  {Fasting as confirmation of God’s will and seeking God speed for commissioned missionaries}
 
ESV Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. {Fasting seeking God’s confirmation and blessing of new elders of local churches}
 
          The Scripture is clear.  The apostles fasted and prayed.  Jesus doesn’t command fasting.  He assumes it.  The apostles got it.  Do we?  

          Consider further Jesus' fasting in the wilderness alongside the testing of Israel in the wilderness.  Both clue us into the Biblical reasons behind fasting.
 
Matthew 4:1-4  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."  4 But he answered, "It is written, "' Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
 
Deuteronomy 8:2-3  2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.  3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
 
          No matter what misinformation, misconceptions, and misnomers comes to mind when you think of fasting, Jesus fasted, and He assumes His disciples will fast.  Let’s consider what biblical fasting is all about.  Then let’s consider Jesus’ warning concerning fasting in Matthew 6.
 
1.  What is Biblical Fasting?
 
          The Life Application Study Bible defines fasting as “Going without food in order to spend time in prayer.”  This definition is on the right track, but there’s more to fasting than just freeing up meal time for prayer.  Let’s go with a broader definition by Eugene H. Merrell in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology:  Fasting is “abstinence from food and/or drink as an element of private or public religious devotion.”
 
          At its heart, fasting is voluntarily going without food and/or drink for a certain period of time.  Biblical fasting is often a public act engaged in by an entire fellowship, community, or nation of people.  It can also be a private act.  It is always an expression of devotion to God, though, as with any religious act, those who fast are not always sincere.
 
          Using my computer, I searched the entire Bible – both Old and New Testaments – for every occurrence of the words fast, fasts, fasting, and fasted.  I was surprised that Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the one time of the year fasting is commanded in Scripture, did not come up in my search.
 
ESV Leviticus 23:27 "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD....32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath."
 
          “Afflict Yourselves” or “Deny Yourselves” means, among other things, fasting from food.  Jewish people took this command very seriously, so that by the Apostle Paul’s day, Yom Kippur is referred to in Acts 27:9 simply as “The Fast.”
 
          Biblical fasting’s roots in the Day of Atonement clearly brings out the primary purpose of biblical fasting:
 
Biblical fasting is first and foremost an expression of
humble penitence and sorrow for sin.
 
          The truly penitent experience great sorrow for their sin.  They know sin is an affront to the God who created them and chose them.  They confess their sin, and their fasting is a vivid expression of their sorrow, contrition, regret, and repentance.
 
          Along with the expression of humble penitence and sorrow for sin is the plea that God will stay His hand of judgment or relent from sending the punishment He has promised.  A few noteworthy examples include King David (2 Samuel 12:13-23), the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:4-10), and Daniel (Daniel 9:2ff).  Biblical fasting is first and foremost an expression of humble penitence and sorrow for sin.
 
Biblical fasting is also an expression of
humble petition and sincerity in prayer.
         
          Those truly seeking God’s heart, God’s will, and God’s blessing are utterly humble.  As we’ve been learning, prayer is our faith response to the Father’s love.  He knows what we need before we even ask, yet He is pleased to hear our prayers, and we are pleased to spend time with Him in prayer.  As    Chris Tomlin sings, He’s a “good, good Father.”
  
          Biblical fasting is an expression of humble petition and sincerity in prayer to our loving Father.  Fasting and prayer go together like bread & butter, apples & pie, syrup & pancakes! A few biblical examples can be found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, 12;     Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:1-3, 16-17.
 
Biblical fasting is an expression of mourning.
 
          We’ve already considered fasting as mourning for sin or mourning for pending doom.  But fasting was also a way the nation of Israel expressed its sorrow for tragedies and calamities, and loss.
 
ESV Judges 20:26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. (Context: National Morning after civil war with Benjamite tribe leaving tens of thousands dead.)
 
ESV 2 Samuel 1:12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Mourning for the fallen.
 
ESV Nehemiah 1:4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  (Context: mourning and petitioning God because the wall of Jerusalem was broken, the gates burned, and trouble and disgrace had descended upon God’s people.)
 
          Scot McKnight reminds us that biblical fasting is a whole-body response to severe, grievous moments like a death, the threat of war, personal sin, or fear of God’s judgment (Sermon on the Mount, The Story of God Bible Commentary,194).  Fasting is a biblical response to horrors such as 9/11, a hurricane’s devastation, or yet another Chicago weekend full of violence, murder, and mourning.  Biblical fasting is an expression of mourning.
 
Quick Review:  Biblical fasting’s roots in the Day of Atonement clearly bring out three primary purpose of fasting:
 
1)  Biblical fasting is first and foremost an expression of humble penitence and sorrow for sin.
2) Biblical fasting is also an expression of humble petition and sincerity in prayer.
3) Biblical fasting is an expression of mourning.
 
 
2.  There are good, biblical reasons to pursue God by fasting from food, but in
Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus affixes a warning label on the practice of fasting.
 
a.  Warning: Don’t fast like a hypocrite.
 
Matthew 6:16   16 "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.
 
          We know from the story of the self-righteous Pharisee in Luke 18:12 that Pharisees fasted twice a week.  Generally, this fast was from evening meal to evening meal, meaning they would essentially skip the morning and noontime meals.  Some fasts may have been longer than just one day, perhaps much longer.
 
          Jesus says hypocrites go around drawing attention to themselves with gloomy and disfigured faces.  They probably doused themselves in ashes, perhaps covered their head, wore sack cloth, or in some other way drew attention to themselves.  While it is customary to bathe, trim one’s beard, change clothes, put on oil and perhaps some “nice-smellies,” those who were fasting did none of this.  They had bed head, bed beard, bed clothes, bed smells, bed bugs (maybe!), you name it – it was obvious they were neglecting the customary grooming courtesies.
 
What were they doing?  Drawing attention to themselves.
 
Why were they doing it?  To be seen by others.
 
Was it worth it? Absolutely not!
 
Matthew 6:16  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward (in full).
                            
          Like a receipt of sale in which the transaction was complete and no further payment would be given, Jesus confirms that worldly applause is the only reward hypocritical fasting will receive.  God the Father will not reward those who fast to be seen by others.  Jesus’ warning is plain and simple: Don’t waste your time.  Don’t fast like a hypocrite.  In verses 17 and 18, Jesus balances out this warning with a divine directive.
 
     b.  Divine Directive: Do fast like a child of your Heavenly Father (because that’s what you are!).
 
Matthew 6:17-18   17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,  18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.
 
          The Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) fast was described as “afflicting oneself.”  Afflicting oneself meant self-mortification and self-denial.  There was to be no work, no food, no niceties, no sex.  Self-denial was the rule of the day.  Creature comforts and fleshly desires were denied in order to focus on penitence, contrition, and petition for forgiveness.
 
          Jesus says, “When you’re fasting, when you’re abstaining from food to draw close to God, don’t let others know what you’re doing.  Anoint your head and wash your face as you do each morning.  Don’t do any of the things that make it obvious to others that you are fasting.”
 
          Jesus isn’t saying we should be deceptive about our fasting.  He’s just saying we shouldn’t draw attention to it.  As D.A. Carson notes, “Jesus forbids any sign at all that a fast has been undertaken, because the human heart is so mixed in its motives that the desire to seek God will be diluted by the desire for human praise” (Matthew, 175).
 
What should we do when we fast?  “Don’t draw attention to ourselves.”
 
Why should we do it?  “So that our fasting may not be seen by others but by our Father.”
 
Is it worth it?  Absolutely!
 
Matthew 6:18  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
 
          Once again, Jesus gets down to the heart of the matter.  Just like charitable giving and prayer, fasting means nothing if our hearts aren’t in it, if we’re not doing it for the right reasons.  “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
 
Joel 2:12-13   12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;  13 and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”  (Check out Isaiah 58:3-10 for the sort of “Fast” the Lord desires.)
 
CONCLUSION
 
          As with charitable giving and prayer, so with fasting: It must be grounded in and motivated by love for our Heavenly Father and desire for His approval.  In the end, nothing else matters.  Whether it’s giving, prayer, fasting, serving, going to church, visiting the sick, you name it, the solution to hypocrisy is always the same: Relationship.
 
          Hypocrisy is play-acting.  It knows nothing of reality.  It knows nothing of relationship.  Hypocrisy cannot co-exist alongside a real, authentic, genuine, vibrant relationship with Abba Father.  Relationship is the cure to hypocrisy.  When we spotlight our relationship with Father God, hypocrisy exits stage left and love takes center stage.
 
          We have a good, good Father.  In all you do, reach for His reward.  Act for His applause.  Seek His smile.  “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

© 2016, Jason M. Platt, All Rights Reserved

The Lord’s Prayer is not “a prayer for the complacent person satisfied with the treasures of this age.  This is a prayer for the desperate, who recognize that this world is not as it should be and that only God can set things straight.”[1]
 
The Lord’s Prayer, The Pledge of Allegiance, and The Star Spangled Banner – What do they all have in common?  Each one is commonly recited in unison by a gathered group of people, often in a public space like a school, a ballpark, or a church.  They have become icons and monuments of cultural heritage and religious expression.
 
We recite these things because they are important to us, and they keep important truths alive and ever before us.  But something as patriotic as The Pledge of Allegiance can become something American students just rattle off without thinking about those who served and fought and died under the flag and the nation to which they pledge their allegiance.  The Star Spangled Banner is America’s national anthem, but as a youngster I thought the last line was not “the land of the free and the home of the brave” but what often came next: “Play Ball!”
 
The same can be true of our Lord’s Prayer as recorded for us in Matthew chapter 6.  As with many things that have grown common place because of frequent use, the Lord’s Prayer has perhaps lost a bit of its luster for many Christians today.  Each Sunday we stand and rattle off the well-worn words: “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”  But do our heads understand what we are saying?  Do our hearts feel what we are praying?  Do our hands sense the practical implications of what we are praying?  I pray today’s post will help each one of us fully engage head, heart, and hands when we pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
 
Some call it “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Our Father.”  Others correctly call it “The Disciple’s Prayer,” because it is the model prayer Jesus taught His followers.  I prefer to call it “The Kingdom Prayer,” because the petitions of the prayer sum up the cries and desires of those who seek God’s kingdom above all else (cf., Matthew 6:33).
 
Today we’re going to continue taking a closer look at the Kingdom prayer Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew chapter 6.  It is an example prayer on which we can model our prayer life, and it is a prayer we are privileged to recite both in personal devotion and corporate worship.
 
In Matthew 6, Jesus calls His disciples to pursue true treasure, treasure in heaven – treasure that will stand the test of time.  The question is, are you and I pursuing what matters most?
 
Matthew 6:19-21   19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
Especially in the area of our worship, do our pursuits and practices align with God’s plans and God’s priorities?  Specifically, in our giving, our praying, and our fasting, are we seeking the Father’s approval and lasting reward, or are we seeking the world’s approval and fleeting applause?
 
Jesus assumes His disciples will pray.  “When you pray,” He says.  Like Jesus, His disciples will prioritize prayer.  Like Jesus, they will pray.
 
In Matthew 6:5ff, Jesus focuses on how His disciples should pray. 
 
1.        Don’t pray like the hypocritical Pharisees who pray more for human applause than the Father’s approval, for when we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed by our prayers (Matthew 6:5-6). 
 
2.       Don’t pray like the manipulative pagans who think of prayer as a way to convince, coax, or sweet-talk God into giving us what we want, for when we pray to manipulate God, God is unmoved by our prayers (Matthew 6:7-8).
         
3.       Do pray to your Father in Heaven.  When we pray to our Father in heaven, we pray like Jesus taught us to pray (Matthew 6:9-15).  That’s really what distinguishes the prayers of Jesus’ followers from the prayers of hypocrites and pagans.  We pray to our loving, glorious, holy Father in heaven.
 
Prayer is not a means of getting human approval.  It’s not a path to material prosperity.  Prayer is our response to the Father’s love.  Prayer is our expression of trust in the God who knows what we need before we even ask Him.  Prayer is the aligning of our intellect, will, and emotions with the purpose and plan of God and the priorities of His Kingdom.  The Lord’s Prayer is the cry of the heart that seeks God’s will, God’s glory, God’s kingdom above all else. 
 
ESV Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this:
KJV Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
NIV Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
 
Jesus’ model prayer for His disciples consists of an invocation, 6 petitions, and a doxology.   

In the opening invocation, Jesus teaches us how to approach God and He gives us a new way to address God.  In the concluding doxology of praise, we end our prayers focusing not on ourselves and our needs but on God and His Kingdom, His power, His glory.
 
In the 6 petitions of our Lord’s model prayer, the first three focus on God’s preeminence and the second three focus on our personal needs.  God’s glory first; our concerns second.  This is the proper ordering of our priorities and our prayers.  We must be careful not to reverse it.  Those who lay up treasure in Heaven are those who keep God and His glory first and foremost in everything, including their prayers. 
 
In our last post, we considered the Invocation and first three petitions.
 
THE INVOCATION: “Our Father in Heaven”
 
ESV Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven…”
 
Hypocrites pray for others to see them; pagans pray to manipulate uncaring and uninvolved gods and goddesses; we pray to our loving Father!  In Aramaic - the everyday language spoken by Jesus, the word “Father” would have been Abba.  This was the word used by Jewish children – both young and old –  for their earthly Fathers.  It conveys the sense of love, warmth, loyalty and protection between the ultimate Father and His children.  By grace alone, because of Jesus alone, through faith alone, we who were orphans of sin have become adopted as sons and daughters – children of full inheritance who address God as Father.
 
THE PETITIONS:
 
Let us remember that there is a present and future component to these prayers for God’s glory and our good.  While we pray for current kingdom realities, we also look forward to the Kingdom that will come at glorious Day of Christ’s appearing.
 
Let us also remember that these petitions and requests must reflect our heart’s cry, our deepest desires, our highest priorities.  As such, not only will we pray for these things as Jesus taught us, we will also actively, practically participate in God’s purpose and plan to make these petitions a reality.  This means we pray to God to work His will, and we participate in God’s plan to accomplish His will.  In other words, don’t you dare pray for something if you aren’t willing to be used by the Father to help bring it to pass.
 
You’ve probably been involved in a community club or a church meeting where someone has a great idea they would like the group to accept and adopt.  You know how it goes, “We really ought to do this” or “Someone should really do that.”  I’ve learned a simple response: “Good idea!  Go with it.  Now get to work, you’re the first volunteer!” 
 
So in each petition, we will consider the present, future, and practical side of what exactly it is that we are praying for. 
 
The first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer (see previous post) focus on God and the reputation of His name, the expansion of His Kingdom, and the accomplishment of His will.
 
1.       “Hallowed be your name” (6:9). See Previous Post.
2.       “Your kingdom come” (6:10).  See Previous Post.
3.       “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10).  See Previous Post.
 
4.       “Give us this day our daily bread” (6:11).
 
          a.       Present
 
Now we turn from petitions centered on God to petitions centered in our own need.  We begin be beseeching God for “our daily bread.”  “Our” reminds us that we are not only praying for ourselves and our families but for other Christians as well. 
 
Some have thought of this bread as a reference to the bread of the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, but that’s reading our later, more complex understandings into a prayer that Jesus keeps simple.  “Daily Bread” refers to our practical, daily needs, and His disciples would have surely understood it in this simple way.  As we seek the glory of His name, as we proclaim His Kingdom, as we pursue His will, we are asking God to give us what we truly need.
 
Notice: it is today’s bread, today’s needs for which we pray.  We’re not asking for bigger barns and storage lockers and bank vaults and 401(k)’s and pension plans to store up tomorrow’s bread.  We’re simply praying for the basic needs of today – food, shelter, clothing – the simple necessities of life.
 
Proverbs 30:8  give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
 
1 Timothy 6:6-11  6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,  7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
 
“Daily Bread” represents not our 21st Century American wants and wishes (iPad, iPhone 6, Apple Watch…).  The daily bread for which we pray is the necessities of daily life without which we would find it difficult to proclaim the Kingdom and pursue the Father’s will.
 
Matthew 6:24-34  24 "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 money.  25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
          b.      Future (Forward Look)
 
The phrase could also be translated, “Bread for the Day.”  This would give it the meaning, “Give us what we need to sustain us until the Day of the Lord.”  Or it could mean, “Give us what we need to help us carry on even through the Great Day of Tribulation.”  While the primary reference is to daily necessities, this idea of future, spiritual sustenance and perseverance through trial could also be in view.
 
          c.       Practical
 
We should not pray for daily bread if we are not willing to work for it.
 
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12  7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,  8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.  9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.  10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.  11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.  12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
 
We should not pray for others to receive their daily bread if we are not willing to share our bread with them.
 
1 John 3:17-18  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
 
 
5.  “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors” (6:12).
 
          a.       Present
 
Debts are moral debts or burdens that we bear.  They come between us and our Father in heaven.  Without Christ, we are dead in our sin, separated from God, with Hell to pay.  But Christ paid the price for us, and we are made alive in Him, Hell cancelled, heaven guaranteed.
 
Colossians 2:13-14  13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,  14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
 
However, for those who have been saved, there are still consequences for our sin.  The worst consequence is a distance between us and our holy Heavenly Father.  Our sin grieves God, though it does not separate us from Him.
 
Ephesians 4:30   30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  
 
All of us sin every single day.  So confession and the petition for forgiveness must be a regular component of our prayers.
 
          b.      Future (Forward Look)
 
On the Day of Judgment, those who refuse to forgive their debtors show that they themselves have not been forgiven their debts, for anyone who has been forgiven the infinite debt of sin by God will certainly forgive the much lesser debts owed to them.  Jesus couldn’t be more clear:
 
Matthew 6:14-15  14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
 
Jesus makes it clear in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant that those who have been forgiven the infinite debt of sin are those who also forgive the much smaller debts owed them by others (see Matthew 18:21ff).
 
“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Some describe this petition as a contract, but let’s be careful not to lean into a works based righteousness or a works conditioned salvation. 
 
The point is simple: Forgiven people forgive people!
 
Ephesians 4:32   32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 
 
Last August, while visiting Charleston, SC, our family stopped by the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where a gunmen killed 9 people during a prayer service on June 17, 2015.  Outside the church, we saw a large handmade sign, right in front of the church, for all the well-wishers and media to see.  It was a cross.  On the vertical beam of the cross was painted the word “Forgiven.”  On the horizontal beam of the cross was painted the word, “Forgive.”
 
Do you get it?  The vertical beam of the cross says “Forgiven,” because God through Christ has forgiven us.  The horizontal beam of the cross says “Forgive,” because we who have been forgiven by God must therefore forgive our fellow man.  The surviving members of Emanuel A.M.E. church are an inspiring example of the way forgiven people forgive people.
 
          c.       Practical
 
Those who have been forgiven by God will extend that same forgiveness to others.  Jesus’ model prayer makes it clear that we must not pray for God’s forgiveness if we are unwilling to extend that same forgiveness to others.  He couldn’t be more clear: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
 
 
6.  “And lead us not into temptation, but delivers us from evil” (6:13).
 
          a.       Present
 
The word for “temptation” (peirasmos) more generally means “testing” or “trial. 
 
James 1:2  2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…
 
James 1:12  12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
 
We know from James 1:13 that God cannot be tempted, nor does He himself tempt anyone. 
 
James 1:13-15  13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  
 
What, then, is Jesus teaching us to pray?  The footnote in the ESV Study Bible is on the right track: “Allow us to be spared from difficult circumstances that would tempt us to sin.”
 
Trials and testing can prove our faith, help us grow stronger, persevere more faithfully, and mature more fully, but we should not seek them out nor should we pray for them.  Instead, we pray that God will lead us not into testing, lest we fall into temptation and succumb to evil.  However, the hour of testing and temptation will inevitably come. 
 
1 Corinthians 10:12  12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 
 
When testing and temptation do come, we can rejoice in the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:13:
 
1 Corinthians 10:13  13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
 
When temptation does come, we cry out to the Lord for deliverance from the Evil One – Satan Himself.  He is a masquerades as an angel of light, when all the while he is actually a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  Like the thief that raids the sheepfold, Satan comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
 
Don’t forget that Satan is stronger than us.  We don’t want to go up against him in our own strength.  We must put on the armor of God and face Him in the strength of God! (See Ephesians 6:10-18.)  So we pray, “Lead us not into testing/temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
 
          b.      Future (Forward Look)
 
Whether or not we believe Christians will go through the ultimate testing of Great Tribulation, we know from Matthew 24 that the tribulations and testings will get more & more intense as the Day draws near.  More and more will fall away from the faith, revealing themselves to be among the non-elect. We must pray that God will sustain us and help us persevere through even the most severe seasons of testing yet to come.
 
          c.       Practical
 
Let us not pray to be led in paths of righteousness, then purposefully “walk into evil” or purposely put ourselves in harm’s way.  If you’re praying for deliverance from alcohol, don’t spend time with people who drink.
 
If you’re praying for deliverance from sexual temptation, don’t dabble in the sources of that temptation.  In Proverbs 5, the adulterous woman is a picture of folly in general.  We are warned, “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house” (Proverbs 5:8).
 
If you’re praying for victory over greed, don’t hang out with people who do nothing but brag about their wealth.  If you’re praying for victory over gossip, try to avoid people who gossip.  You get the point, right?
 
Don’t pray for victory then walk right into defeat!
 
We do this so often, especially with regard to the movies we watch and the websites we surf.  For men and women in our sex saturated culture, it can be a constant battle to keep lustful thoughts in check when we are constantly bombarded by images and media whose sole intent is to arouse sexual fantasies that derail Kingdom priorities.
 
Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
 
Romans 16:19  I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
 
THE DOXOLOGY:
 
“Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.”
 
If you’re wondering why these words are a footnote in your Bible, I’d be happy to discuss it with you personally.  You can write me at pastorjasonplatt@gmail.com
 
Regardless, this doxology of praise is a fitting conclusion to the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples.  These words are biblically and theologically sound and appear to have their basis in 1 Chronicles 29:11-13:
 
1 Chronicles 29:11-13  11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.  12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
 
Notice again the order of Our Lord’s Model Prayer for all who seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness: We begin by praying for His name, His kingdom, His will, then we pray for our bread, our forgiveness, our deliverance.  We begin by addressing our Father in Heaven, and we conclude by praising Him for His Kingly reign, His omnipotent power, and His infinite glory!
 
This is not “a prayer for the complacent person satisfied with the treasures of this age.  This is a prayer for the desperate, who recognize that this world is not as it should be and that only God can set things straight…The earnest brevity and simplicity of this prayer fits not the cry of the complacent and the self-satisfied, but that of the humble, the lowly, the broken, the desperate.  This is the prayer of those who have nowhere to turn but to God.”[2]
 
Does that describe you?  Desperate, broken, nowhere to turn?  If so, than this is the prayer for you.  I know it’s the prayer for me.
 
Will you join me in praying?
 
As King Jehoshaphat prayed when facing overwhelming odds, so we pray to you, O Lord: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." 
 
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power,


[1] Keener, Craig. Matthew. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 142.

[2] Ibid.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven…”
 
So begins the pray Jesus taught His disciples to pray.  Some call it “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Others correctly call it “The Disciple’s Prayer,” because it is the model prayer Jesus taught His followers.  Still others call it “The Kingdom Prayer,” because the petitions of the prayer sum up the cries and desires of those who seek God’s kingdom above all else.  Some simply call it, “The Our Father.” 
 
“Our Father, who art in Heaven…
 
As with any commonly recited verse or prayer, there are those who do not understand and often misquote it.  Writing to Anne Landers, one parent shares,
 
“When my twin daughters were young, I taught them to say this prayer before going to bed. As I listened outside their door, I could hear them say, "Give us this steak and daily bread, and forgive us our mattresses…”
 
One child was overheard praying, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Harold be thy name…”  Another child recited, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name…”  One little boy in preschool thought the opening line was, “…How didja know my name?”
 
One grown up from Grand Junction, Colorado remembers, “When I was younger, I believed the line was, ‘Lead a snot into temptation.’ I thought I was praying for my little sister to get into trouble.”
 
Now it’s fun to laugh at the misunderstandings of children, but, truth be told, some of us adults frequently rattle off the Lord’s Prayer and recite it with little understanding of what we’re really saying.  Let’s take a closer look at the kingdom prayer Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew chapter 6.
 
It is an example prayer on which we can model our prayer life.  And it is a prayer we are privileged to recite both in personal devotion and corporate worship.  Let’s take a closer look to ensure we really understand what we’re praying when we pray, “Our Father, who art in Heaven.”
 
In Matthew 6, Jesus calls His disciples to pursue true treasure, treasure in heaven – treasure that will stand the test of time.  The question is, are you and I pursuing what matters most?  Are we laying up treasure in heaven?  Especially in the area of our worship and prayer life, do our pursuits and practices align with God’s plans and God’s priorities?
 
As with giving and fasting, so with prayer – Jesus assumes His disciples will pray. 
 
Like Jesus, they will prioritize prayer.  Like Jesus, they will pray.  Disciples of Jesus don’t pray like the hypocritical Pharisees who pray more for human applause than the Father’s approval (Matthew 6:5-6).  When we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed by our prayers.
 
Neither do disciples of Jesus pray like the manipulative pagans who think of prayer as a way to convince, coax, or sweet-talk God into giving us what we want (Matthew 6:7-8).  When we pray to manipulate God, God is unmoved by our prayers.
 
However, when we pray to our Father in Heaven, we pray like Jesus prayed; we pray as Jesus taught us to pray (Matthew 6:9-15).  That’s really what distinguishes the prayers of Jesus’ followers from the prayers of hypocrites and pagans.  We pray to our loving and glorious Father in heaven.  We don’t pray for human applause like the hypocrites.  We don’t pray to bend God’s ear and manipulate Him to do our will like the pagans.
 
No, we pray to our loving Heavenly Father.  His smile is all we seek.  He already knows what we need, and we trust Him wholeheartedly.
 
THE MODEL PRAYER – “Pray then like this” (Matthew 6:9)
 
Jesus’ model prayer for His disciples consists of an invocation, 6 petitions, and a doxology. 
In the opening invocation, Jesus teaches us how to approach God, and He gives us a new way to address God.  In the concluding doxology of praise, we end our prayers focusing not on ourselves and our needs but on God and His Kingdom, His power, His glory. 
 
In the six petitions of our Lord’s model prayer, the first three focus on God’s preeminence and the second three focus on our personal needs.  God’s glory first; our concerns second.  Those who lay up treasure in Heaven are those who keep God and His glory first and foremost in everything, including their prayers.  This is the proper ordering of our priorities and our prayers.  We must be careful not to reverse it.
 
Too often our prayers are nothing but a shopping list of personal wants and wishes.  Yes, our loving Father cares deeply about us, and He wants His children to express their trust in Him by making their needs known.  But His name, His kingdom, His will are the ultimate treasure.  God Himself is our priority, and God Himself should come first in our prayers.
 
THE INVOCATION:  “Our Father in Heaven”
 
“Our Father”
 
Hypocrites pray for others to see them; pagans pray to manipulate uncaring and uninvolved gods and goddesses; we pray to our loving Father!
 
In Aramaic - the everyday language spoken by Jesus – the word “Father” would have been Abba.  This was the word used by Jewish children for their earthly Fathers.  It conveys the sense of love, warmth, loyalty and protection between the ultimate Father and His children.
 
God is our Creator, but our sins separate us from Him.  Through Jesus, we are made right with God and adopted into His forever family.  Through Jesus, we dare even to call ourselves God’s children, daring further to address Him as our Daddy.
 
Galatians 4:4-7  4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"  7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
 
Romans 8:15-17  15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"  16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  17 and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
 
God is not some distant deity.  Through Jesus, we know Him as “Our Father.”  God has blessed my wife Tanya and I with four kids – John, Emily, Kiley and Karli.  I love them more than words could ever say, more than pen could ever tell.  When my son wants to hang out or more girls call me “Daddy,” I’m the proudest papa in the world!  My heart melts when my kids seek me out.  So if I, a frail and failing human father love my kids like that, how much more does our perfect Heavenly Father love His kids!
 
Matthew 7:9-11  9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!                      
 
“Our Father in heaven…”
 
While our Father is immanent, near and approachable, He is also transcendent, resplendent, and excellent, for He is our Father in heaven.  Heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool.  He is sovereign in His rule and reign.  Jesus here “combines fatherly love with heavenly power, and what His love directs, His power is able to perform.”[1]
 
THE PETITIONS:
 
As we come to the petitions of the Lord’s model prayer, remember the order:
God and His glory first; us and our needs second.
 
Let us also remember that there is a present and future component to these prayers for God’s glory and our good.  While we pray for current kingdom realities, we also look forward to the Kingdom that will come at the glorious Day of Christ’s appearing.
 
Let us also remember that these petitions and requests must reflect our heart’s cry, our deepest desires, our highest priorities.  As such, not only will we pray for these things as Jesus taught us, we will also actively, practically participate in God’s purpose and plan to make these petitions a reality.  People used to refer to this as “putting feet to our prayers.”  In other words, don’t pray for something if you aren’t willing to be used by the Father to help bring it to pass.
 
So in each petition, we will consider the present, future, and practical side of what exactly it is that we are praying for.
 
1.  “Hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9)
 
At Present
 
God’s name is the revelation of His character, His will and His ways.  In the OT, His name was the special possession of His people.
 
Exodus 3:13-14  13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"  14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.'"
 
“Hallowed be your name” doesn’t mean that God might become something He is not already.  God is already holy.  We are praying that He be hallowed, that He be regarded as holy.  It means “May God be treated with the highest honor; may He be set apart and holy.”
 
For the Future
 
We are praying that God accomplish His saving acts in the world so that His holiness is on worldwide display and all people regard Him as holy.
 
Philippians 2:9-11  9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
 
In Practice
 
Since God is already holy, “hallowed by your name” does not mean praying God will be something He is not already.  It’s a reference to how people treat God’s name, and that begins with us. 
 
How do we speak God’s name?  Do we take His name in vain?  Is it a term of contempt?  We who bear God’s name, do we drag it through the mud with our words and our actions?  In the way we speak and in the way we live, do we cause God’s name to be set apart and hallowed?
 
Let us not pray “hallowed by your name” if we are unwilling to treat His name as holy and to lead others to do the same.
 
2.  “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10)
 
At Present
 
Just as we are not praying for God’s name to become holy as if it is not already, so we are not praying for the kingdom to come as if it is not already here.
 
Matthew 4:17  17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
 
Luke 17:20-21   20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,  21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
 
The Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of Christ, which He Himself inaugurated during His earthly ministry and which we continue as He rules and reigns in us and through us.  To pray “Your kingdom come” in the here and now is to pray for the spread of the gospel witness, the spread of God’s rule and reign through the good news of Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
 
For the Future
 
We long for the Day of Christ’s return and the establishment of His Kingdom upon the earth.  This is the “present/future” or “now/not yet” reality of Christ’s kingdom.  It is not for us to know “times or seasons” nor the “day or the hour.”  It is for us to pray and to prepare.
 
In Practice
 
We can’t pray “your kingdom come” if we ourselves are not willing to submit to His rule and reign in our everyday lives and everyday affairs.  We can’t pray “your kingdom come” if we ourselves are not seeking His kingdom as our first priority, above all else.  We can’t pray “your kingdom come” if we are not actively spreading His rule and reign through our gospel proclamation and witness.
 
3.  “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10).
 
At Present
 
If “your kingdom come” is a reference to the rule and reign of the Father in everyday, life, than “your will be done” is much the same request.  God’s will is His revealed will, made known to us in the Scriptures and fleshed out for us in the person and work of Christ Himself, who makes the Father known.  Just as God’s will in perfectly known and perfectly followed in heaven, so we pray that it will be perfectly known and perfectly followed here on earth.
 
For the Future
 
“On earth as it is in heaven” reminds us that the future coming of the kingdom will be an earthly reality.  We will not be disembodied spirits for all eternity.  The separation of body from spirit (James 2:26) is a brief, intermediate state.  Resurrection to “everlasting life” or “everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2) is our eternal reality.  The new heavens and the new earth is the eternal reality for which we long and to which we look forward (Revelation 21-22).
 
2 Peter 3:13   13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
 
In Practice
 
We cannot pray “your will be done” if we do not know God’s will or if we are not actively seeking God’s will for our lives.
 
Ephesians 5:17  17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
 
We must know God’s will through God’s Word.  By God’s grace and through the power of His Spirit, we must walk in paths of righteousness and encourage others to do the same.  While we long for the day when all on earth is at it is in heaven, we work to make that a reality in the here and now.
 
“After this manner therefore pray ye”
 
Craig Keener reminds us that this is not “a prayer for the complacent person satisfied with the treasures of this age.  This is a prayer for the desperate, who recognize that this world is not as it should be and that only God can set things straight…The earnest brevity and simplicity of this prayer fits not the cry of the complacent and the self-satisfied, but that of the humble, the lowly, the broken, the desperate.  This is the prayer of those who have nowhere to turn but to God.”[2]
 
Amen.[3]
 
 [1] Stott, John. Sermon on the Mount: 12 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Downers Grove, IL: IVP 2000), 71.

[2] Keener, Craig. Matthew (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997),

[3] In our next study we will consider the concluding petitions of our Lord’s Kingdom prayer as well as the doxology.  

​Tommy, a very bright 5 year old, told his daddy he'd like to have a baby brother and, along with his request, offered to do whatever he could to help. 
 
His dad, a very bright 35 year old, paused for a moment and then replied, "I'll tell you what, Tommy, if you pray every day for two months for a baby brother, I guarantee that God will give you one!" 
       
Tommy responded eagerly to his dad's challenge and went to his bedroom early that night to start praying for a baby brother.  He prayed every night for a whole month, but after that time, he began to get skeptical. He checked around the neighborhood and found out that what he thought was going to happen, had never occurred in the history of the neighborhood. You just don't pray for two months and then, whammo - a new baby brother. So, Tommy quit praying.
 
After another month, Tommy's mother went to the hospital. When she came back home, Tommy's parents called him into the bedroom. He cautiously walked into the room, not expecting to find anything, and there was a little bundle lying right next to his mother.
 
His dad pulled back the blanket and there was - not one baby brother, but two!! His mother had twins!  Tommy's dad looked down at him and said, "Now aren't you glad you prayed?" 
       
Tommy hesitated a little and then looked up at his dad and said, "Yes, but aren't you glad I quit when I did?"
 
Speaking of prayer, have any of you ever called a prayer hot line?  There’s 1-800-NEED-HIM, and I know K-Love, Moody and other radio stations - even many churches - have phone numbers you can call when standing in the need of prayer.
 
The other day I heard that there’s even a 24 hour prayer line now for atheists.  Can you believe it?  Yes, apparently, you dial the number, and the phone just rings and rings and rings.  No one ever picks up!
 
Aren’t you glad our loving Father in Heaven always picks up when we call?  It’s a toll free number.  Just dial J-E-S-U-S, and our Father will answer every single time.
 
Jeremiah 29:12  12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
 
“But,” some might ask, “What good is prayer anyway? With all that’s going on our world today, why take time to pray? 
 
The truth is, many of us are functional atheists when it comes to our prayer lives.  We believe God exists, but we rarely if ever set aside time to meet with Him, speak with Him, listen to Him.  We rarely set aside a few moments to spend quality time with our Heavenly Father in prayer.  While we are Christians by creed, we are functional atheists when it comes to prayer.
 
Late last September, our nation was once again shocked and saddened by another heinous act of violence and murder on a school campus.  My first response – like yours no doubt – was to stop and pray.  My second response was to put a message out to our church family through our Facebook page, encouraging everyone to pray for the victims and their families as well as first responders and all who were responding to the shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College.
 
In times like this, we turn to our leaders for comfort and reassurance.  In his impassioned, televised speech, the President stated, “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough.”  In other words, we’ve got to take action.  We’ve got to make changes to ensure this kind of thing will not happen again.  The President went on to call for action at the local, state, and federal level on so called “common sense gun laws.”  The next day, many newspapers picked up on the headline: “Our thought and prayers are not enough.”
 
I mention his speech not to enter into a debate about so called “gun control,” but because his comments raise a good point.  In times of tragedy and crisis, “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
 
How many times have you needed practical assistance and all someone said was, “Wow – I’m so sorry.  I hope things get better.  I’ll pray about it” – and you were like, “Thanks for prayers, but how about you help do something about it!”? 
 
1 John 3:18  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
 
Why pray when thoughts and prayers are so often not enough? 
 
That’s the practical reason many choose not to pray.  Now let’s consider a theological reason some don’t see the need for prayer.  Bible toting Calvin is sitting in Sunday school class one day, when the subject of prayer comes up.  Various people begin sharing their experiences of answered prayer.  One brave soul admits that sometimes it’s frustrating when God doesn’t answer our prayers when and where and in the way we want Him to.  Others nod their heads in agreement, encouraging him to keep on praying and never give up.
 
Then Calvin clears his throat and says, “To be honest, I have never seen the need for prayer.”  “I mean, God already knows what we need before we ask Him.  And, besides, His will is already fixed.  It’s not like my prayer is going to change God’s mind.  So I just trust God’s will and wait for His providence.  The very idea of prayer seems to contradict a belief in God’s perfect omniscience and loving providence.”
 
So how would you respond to Bible toting Calvin?  He makes a good point, right?  If God is all knowing and if God’s will will be done, what the point of prayer?
 
Some people don’t pray because they don’t really believe in God.  Some people don’t pray because prayer seems impractical in times like these.  Some people don’t pray because God already knows what we need and He’s already planned out what happens next.
 
In Matthew 6, Jesus assumes His disciples will pray.  Whatever their practical or theological considerations might be, followers of Jesus Christ will follow His example in prayer.  Like Jesus, they will prioritize prayer.  Like Jesus, they will pray.
 
In Matthew 6:5ff, Jesus focused on how His disciples should pray.
 
Matthew 6:5-6:
Don’t pray like the hypocritical Pharisees who pray more for human applause than the Father’s approval.  When we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed with our prayers.
 
Matthew 6:7-8:
Don’t pray like the manipulative pagans who think of prayer as a way to convince, coax, or sweet-talk God into giving us what we want.  When we pray to manipulate God, God is unmoved by our prayers.
 
We’ve been asking the question, “Why do we pray?”  Clearly, we don’t pray for religious accolades.  Nor do we pray so that we can get what we want.  So why should we pray?  How should we pray?  What should we pray for?  Let’s take a closer look in Matthew 6.
 
1.  In your praying, do not babble on and on as the pagans do, thinking they can somehow bend the gods to do their will (Matthew 6:7-8).
 
Matthew 6:7   7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
 
Three words in verse 7 require a little closer examination.
 
1) Battalogeo
 
As far as I can tell, this is the first use of this word in all of Greek literature.  It could have been coined by Jesus Himself.  So what does it mean?  It is variously translated by the English versions:  KJV: “use not vain repetitions”  NIV: “do not keep on babbling”  ESV, NRSV: “do not heap up empty phrases”  NAU: “do not use meaningless repetition” (Though remember, not all repetition is bad: Matthew 26:44  44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.) 
 
This word battalogeo appears to be an example of onomatopoeia, a word that sounds like the very thing it is describing.  The old Batman shows used  this quite a bit during fight scenes.  Remember? “POW!” “BAM!” “ZAP!”  We could add “Splat!” and “Whoosh” and “Snap, Crackle, Pop!” to the list.
 
So what does battalogeo battaloge,w mean? It’s a combination words: logeo means “to speak” and batta means, well, “batta” – babble, gibberish, meaningless talk.  "When you pray, don't babble on and on…” (NLT).
 
2)  Ethnikos
 
This word can be translated “pagan,” “heathen,” or “Gentile.”  To Jesus’ Jewish audience, it was a reference to non-Jewish people, members of the Greco-Roman world.  They did not worship the one true God but many gods. 
 
Unlike the one true God who is Holy and Loving and Unchanging, the gods of the Greco-Roman world were capricious and childish and temperamental.  When people prayed to them, they would heap up empty phrases hoping to somehow make their voice heard, to somehow get their attention and plead their case.  They repeated the names of their gods or the same words over and over, thinking this was the way to get the gods’ attention, to get them to do what they wanted. 
 
In their prayers, they would often heap up long lists of the names of the gods so as not to insult them in some way by somehow calling them a name other than the name that particular god preferred on any given day.
 
So, for instance, in one recorded prayer to the goddess Diana, the person praying petitions the goddess to “be a sweet help to the people of Rome,” but he only does so after heaping up a long list of names for Diana concluding, “take whatever name pleases you.”
 
I once had a friend who thought he was more likely to have his prayers answered if He addressed the Lord as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  Some of us repeat the word “Father” or “God” or “Jesus” so many times in our prayers that it too can become meaningless repetition.  Perhaps unknowingly, we, like the pagans of Jesus’ day, think that we can get what we want from God if we just call him by the right name or repeat His name(s) often enough in our prayers.
 
But this isn’t how God works, and this isn’t how prayer works.  God isn’t a genie in a bottle.  He doesn’t grant you three wishes if you rub Him in the right way.  If you think He does, I guarantee you, your prayers are rubbing him the wrong way.
         
3)  Pollulogia
 
Here we have another combination word.  Logia means “words” and polu or poly means ”many.”  Not only do pagans think their prayers will be heard and answered because of heaping up many names and repeating certain phrases like a magical incantation, they also thought the gods would be more likely to respond to long winded prayers than to short prayers.
 
In your praying, do not babble on and on as the pagans do, thinking they can somehow bend the gods to do their will. 
 
How do pagans pray?  Pagan prayers are…
 
1)  Meaningless Babble (Gibberish)
2)  Mechanical Prattle (Right words, Wrong heart)
3)  Magical Manipulation (Thinking if we just say the right prayer in the right way God has to give us what we want.)
4)  Many-Worded Stipulations (Contractual Agreements with God;  “God, if you do this for me, I’ll never” or “I’ll always…”; “God, you owe me…Remember when I…”)
 
Jesus’ point is simple:  Don’t pray like a pagan!
 
(For further study, check out a humorous yet poignant example of pagan prayers verses God glorifying prayers in 1 Kings 18:18ff).
 
2.  Don’t pray like a pagan.  Do pray to your loving Father in heaven.
 
Don’t be like the pagans when you pray.  “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).
 
God is our Father.  He is not a distant, temperamental god living on Mt. Olympus.  He is our Father who lovingly hears and faithfully listens to His children when they pray.  The stress here is on relationship.
 
Imagine you’re out on a date with that special someone.  What if I spoke to my beloved Tanya the way pagans speak to their false gods?  What if you spoke to your loved one that way?  You don’t use mindless repetition or heap up empty phrases when talking to someone you’re close to, someone you love.  So why in the world would you talk to God that way?  He’s your Father who knows you better than you know yourself.  And guess what: He loves you! Prayer is like a date with your loving Father in heaven. 
 
How do we address God in the Lord’s Prayer?  We say, “Our Father, who art in heaven.”  “The idea of praying to God as ‘Our Father’ conveys the authority, warmth, and intimacy of a loving father’s care, while ‘in heaven’ reminds believers of God’s sovereign rule over all things.”[1]
 
I love my kids, and I love it when they come and talk to me.  But if they treated me in conversation the way many of us treat God in prayer, I don’t think I would be pleased to hear them anymore. 
 
Do you love God?  Tell Him!  Do you trust God?  Tell Him!  Do you need God?  Tell Him! 
 
Your heavenly Father loves you dearly, and He wants to spend time with you.  That’s ultimately what prayer is: quality time with your Father.

Matthew 6:8 "[Don’t pray like pagans], for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
 
Your Father knows what you need.  Father God already knows our needs, and He delights to meet them.  Some wonder, then, if God already know what we need, why should Christians pray? 
 
John Stott writes, “Believers do not pray to God to tell Him things He doesn’t know or to motivate Him to keep His promises or to urge Him to do what He really doesn’t want to do at all.  Rather, prayer is for our benefit – to exercise our faith and to cast our worries upon Him.”[2]  Martin Luther reminds us, “By our praying…we are instructing ourselves, not God.”[3]
 
Some of you think that prayer is like holding God’s feet to the fire, kind of like a child who bugs his or her parents over and over again, hoping they’ll eventually wear out with the asking.  If we stay at it long enough, God will eventually give you what you want.  Others think of God like the prophets of Baal thought of him at Mt. Carmel, as if He is perhaps asleep and needs to be awakened. 
 
Some possess a sort of Disney theology that says, “If you only believe” whatever you dream will come true.  Yes, Jesus says belief is the key to unlocking and enjoying the blessings of God’s will.  But we shouldn’t think of belief as wish-fullness or a self-produced certainty that our wants and wishes will be granted.  Belief and faith are gifts from God.  We do not generate belief or faith any more than we generate life from death.  We do not contribute faith to our salvation any more than we contribute good works toward our salvation.  It is God’s work from beginning to ending!
 
Ephesians 2:8-9   8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
 
Belief is a gift from God, not a payment to God.  This is true of salvation, and this is true of prayer.
 
If the fact of God’s sovereign providence discourages you from praying, you really haven’t understood the purpose of prayer.  We don’t pray to get ahold of God or get what we want from God.  We pray because God has already gotten ahold of us.  We pray because God loves us and will give us everything we need.
 
The fact that God knows what we need before we ask Him is not less reason to pray but more reason to pray!  We don’t pray like pagans who anxiously wonder if the gods will hear, let alone answer.  We pray with the confidence that our Father both hears our prayers and delights in our prayers.  Further, we pray with the confidence that our Father not only knows what we will pray but has already answered our prayer!
 
His answer could be “Yes,” “No” or “Not Yet,” but from eternity past God has known what you will pray and how He will answer.  We pray with the confidence that God hears our prayer and will answer our prayers – indeed, He already has!   
 
Prayer is not an option for the true follower of Jesus Christ.  “When you pray…” says Jesus.  When you pray, don’t pray like hypocrites who pray more for the applause of earth than the approval of heaven.  When you pray, don’t pray like pagans who think of the gods as genies that need to be rubbed the right way.
 
Pray to your Father.  Pray to your Father in secret.  Pray to your Father in faith.  He loves you.  He knows you.  He will hear you.  He will answer you.

​Amen.


[1] ESV Study Bible, S.v. “Matthew 6:9” (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011).

[2] Stott, John.  Sermon on the Mount: 12 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 71.

[3] Ibid.

© 2016, Jason M. Platt, All Rights Reserved

​Matthew 6:5-6   5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

One warm Saturday afternoon, a father and son were working in the yard, attempting to clear a stony patch of land in order to prepare it for use as a garden in the spring.  The father stopped his work and stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow.  As he did so, he observed his son a short distance away, struggling in vain to dislodge a heavy stone.  Try as he might, the boy couldn’t budge the stone.  “Are you sure you are using all your strength?” the father asked.

“Yes, I am,” said the exasperated boy.
 
“No, you are not,” replied his father with a smile.  “For you haven’t asked me to help you.”[1]
 
Isn’t that a beautiful picture of prayer?  We struggle and muddle with all our strength, yet we neglect to entreaty the strong arm of the Lord.  Our Father in heaven stands at the ready to help us in our time of need.  In our struggle He reminds us,
 
2 Corinthians 12:9   "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
 
Hebrews 4:16   Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
 
Martin Luther, the great reformer of the 16th Century, once quipped, “I have so much to do that I must spend the first three hours of each day in prayer.”
 
I’ll be the first to admit, at the start of a busy day, seeking a quiet place to spend time in prayer seems counter-intuitive.  But I’ve also discovered that practices which don’t make much sense in the kingdom of this world often make perfect sense in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Prayer is one such practice.
 
What Martin Luther and so many other highly effective Christians have discovered is the power of this great treasure called prayer. 

Today we continue our series on True Treasure: Pursuing What Matters Most.  Are we pursuing what matters most?  Will the plans and pursuits of today matter a year from now?  10 years from now? 100 years from now?  When this life is over and we stand before our Lord and Savior, how will He evaluate the way we have managed our time, our talent, our treasure?  Are we storing up treasure here on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal?  Or are we laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal?
 
Matthew 6:20-21  20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
In the last post, we considered Jesus’ teaching on the treasure of giving.  That we will give of our money and serve with our time is a given.   Jesus assumes His disciples will give their all for others because He himself gave His all for them.  Generosity is not an option.  It’s a given.  How we give is what makes the difference in terms of our treasure (see Matthew 6:2-4).
 
Today we consider Jesus’ teaching on the Treasure of Prayer.  In Part 1, Matthew 6:5-6, Jesus says, “Don’t pray like the pious hypocrites who like to be seen and approved by men.”
 
In Part 2, Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus says, “Don’t pray like the babbling pagans who think they can manipulate God into giving them what they want.”
 
And in Part 3, Matthew 6:9-15, Jesus says, "Pray like this."  He gives His disciples a model prayer to use and to follow.  We call it “The Lord’s Prayer” because it is the prayer our Lord taught us to pray.
 
Today we’re going to focus on Jesus’ teaching concerning prayer that God the Father rewards.

Matthew 6:5-6   5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

When we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed with our prayers.
 
1.  “When you pray…”
 
As with giving, so with prayer.  Jesus doesn’t command us to pray.  He assumes we will pray.  

We should recognize, as Scot McKnight writes, that “Prayer was and is both a spontaneous act and a recitative act.”[2]  For some reason, many in our Baptist or evangelical tradition have come to think that only so called “spontaneous” or “extemporaneous” prayers are really genuine and from the heart.  But Scripture is full of both spontaneous prayers and recited prayers.  The "Israelites recited prayers as a routine form of piety at prescribed hours of prayer” (McKnight), and it is these prayers that Jesus is addressing in the context of Matthew 6.
 
Pious Jews would pray the psalms, the Shema, and the 10 Commandments. (The Shema is what Jesus labels the most important commandment…)  And they would pray at set times during the day.  No matter where they were, no matter what they were doing, no matter whom they were with, they would stop and pray.  When would they pray?
                                     
Psalm 55:17  17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
 
Daniel 6:9-10   Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.  10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
 
Observant Jewish people in Jesus’ day stopped and prayed in the evening before going to bed; they stopped and prayed in the morning after they woke up; and they stopped and prayed at the time of  the afternoon sacrifice, which was roughly 3:00 PM. (aka, the 9th hour)
 
Acts 3:1   Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
 
It was likely these afternoon prayers of which Jesus speaks in here in Matthew 6:5-6.

2.  “…you must not be like the hypocrites.”
 
Jesus is here calling out the Pharisees.  They were well respected by the people for their strict religious observance, pious lives and strict law keeping.  They were very popular with the people, and many looked up to them as examples of how to live for God.  Along with the scribes, Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites in Matthew 23, and it is no doubt the Pharisees He has in mind here in chapter 6.
 
We learned in our last post that religious hypocrites are actors.  As play actors, they perform their religious acts before a human audience, and the applause they receive from people is the only reward they will get.
 
Hypocrites wear masks to hide their real selves.  They are inauthentic and disingenuous.  Hypocrisy is the great downfall of all religious people, and Jesus tells us that we must take care that we do not pray like hypocrites.
                  
 3.  “For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”
 
Jesus is not condemning public prayer, nor is He condemning a certain posture or a certain place for prayer.  Remember how we said observant Jews of Jesus’ day prayed three times a day?  In addition to evening and morning prayers, they would stop wherever they were to pray at the 9th hour, roughly 3 PM, the hour of the afternoon sacrifice.
 
Human nature being what it is, one could deliberately time his schedule and itinerary in such a manner that they would just happen to find themselves at a street corner or other very public place at just the right time.  Then, fully aware that all eyes were on them, they would loudly lift their voices and recite the traditional prayers.
 
Whether in the synagogue or on the street corner, these play actors loved the attention they got.
 
Matthew 23:5  5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”
 
“Phylacteries” are small boxes full of Scripture verses.  They were affixed to the hand or head by a leather strap. These Scriptures were then recited as part of evening and morning prayers.[3]
 
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others,” says Jesus.  They are nothing more than actors on a stage, hypocrites.

4.  “Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.”
 
"Have received their reward” is business terminology for payment in full with no further reward to follow.  When we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed by our prayers.  Perform for human applause, and that’s all you’re going to get!
 
The complement, the “atta-boy,” the affirmation you receive from others may feel good for a few moments, but it probably won’t matter a year from now.  And it certainly won’t matter 10 years from now, let alone 100 years from now.
 
Hypocrites pursue an earthly treasure that will perish, spoil, and fade.  Jesus prescribes a better way.  
 
 5.  “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret.  And your father who sees in secret will reward you.”
 
To combat hypocrisy and prayer merely for public acclaim, Jesus says, “Go into your room and shut the door.”  When we close the door we block out disturbance and distraction, and we also block out the prying eyes of others and the possibility of being seen by them.
 
Just as our motives are purified when we take steps to make sure our giving is secret, so with our prayers.  R.T. France observes, “The essence of prayer is the communion of the disciple with His Father” (Matthew 87).  Shutting the door on the outside world when we pray is a great aid to focus upon the Father.
 
When I want to focus on my heavenly Father, I sit in my special chair and put on noise cancelling headphones.  I often play soft, contemplative music by Paul Cardall or similar artists.  In a busy home of six, the headphones are essential!

I love my wife Tanya, and an expression of my love for her is the priority I place on hearing what she has to say.  If we're riding in the car and the radio is on, I will turn it down so I can hear what she has to say.  If we're sitting on the couch and the television is on, I will mute it or turn it off altogether so I can focus on truly listening to her.  How much more ought we block out distractions when conversing with our Father in Heaven!

Eliminating distractions not only helps us focus on our praying, it helps us focus on the reason for our praying.  We don’t pray to be seen and heard and congratulated by others.  We pray to be seen and heard and comforted by our Heavenly Father.
 
The word for “room” in Matthew 6:6 means an inner or private room, a storeroom (cf. Luke 12:24).    In Matthew 24:26 the same word is translated “inner room” or “secret chamber.”  Perhaps this is why one our church’s preferred daily devotional book is titled “The Secret Place.”  

As the contemporary worship song says,
 
In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret,
in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You,
'cause I want to know You more;
 
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 
This same word for “room” is also translated “storeroom” in Luke 12:24.  One Bible teacher points out that this could be a storeroom where treasures are kept.  Those who seek God in the secret place find heavenly treasure that will never perish, spoil, or fade!
 
These treasures are various manifestations of communion with our Heavenly Father:
 
     - Security in our salvation
     - Peace in the storm
     - Perspective in our pain
 
The treasure of the Father’s smile is all the reward we will ever need.  According to His promise,
He hears our prayer.  According to His will, He answers our prayer.
 
Matthew 7:7-11  7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 

Prayer itself is our treasure, and the Father’s loving provision is our sure reward!
 
When we pray to impress others, God is unimpressed with our prayers.  In our next post, we’ll begin to focus on “how” we pray, but today we focus on the “why” of our prayers.
 
Thought, intent, and motive are key when we pray.  Are we praying to be seen and heard by others?  Or are we praying to be seen and heard by our Father in heaven?
 
Motives are tricky.  So how can we keep our motives in check when we pray?  Jesus’ solution is simple:  Pray in private.  This doesn’t mean we’ll never pray in public.  (18:19-20; 1 Timothy 2;8).  But it does mean the majority of our prayers will be in private.  Remember the "Iceberg Principle."  Like an iceberg, only about 10% of our prayer life should be public and visible to others.  The rest, about 90%, should be private and visible only to our Father in Heaven.  Hypocrites pray in the shallows where all may be seen.  The prayers of God's children are covered in the deep waters of the Father's love.  

The proportion of public prayers to private prayers is a good test of our motives in prayer.  Bible scholar D.A. Carson points out, “The person who prays more in public than in private reveals that he is less interested in God’s approval than in human praise” (Matthew 165).

What about Jesus?  How did He pray?  We never read of Jesus praying in an inner room of the house, but we do read of Jesus seeking lonely and remote places where He could commune with the Father.
 
Mark 1:32-37  32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.  33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.  35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.  36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him,  37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you."
 
Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew (slipped away) to lonely places (wilderness) and prayed.
         
Jesus is one with the Father, and private prayer was always His priority.  How much more ought private prayer be our priority as well?
 
I pray we, like Jesus, will make it our habit to slip away from the busy-ness of life and find a quiet, secret place where we can be alone with our heavenly Father.  For me, I plan quarterly “Father / Son” Retreats where I can get away and spend time conversing with my Father in Heaven.  I prefer leaving the city behind and finding a quiet place in God's beautiful creation, but I've also sought out and discovered beautiful, sacred spaces right here in the midst of a busy urban environment.  On a daily basis, I enjoy brewing a pot of coffee, putting on my noise cancelling headphones, and communing with my Father over morning coffee.
 
So let me ask you.  How is your time with the Father?  I didn't ask how much work you're doing for the Father or even how much you've been studying about the Father.  How is your time with the Father?  Is it often?  Is it private?  Is it focused on Him?  Do you speak at Him or speak to Him?  Is it a loving conversation or a religious formality?  Do you spend time listening to His voice?  There is room both for formal prayers and informal communion as we grow in our relationship with our fearful Lord and loving Father in Heaven.
 
At Montrose Baptist Church, the church I pastor, our number 1 core value is the Priority of Prayer.  I pray the priority of prayer is a practiced reality and not merely words on a page.  Prayer is such a high priority because prayer is such a privilege! 
 
There is no greater comfort than communion with the Father.
There is no greater assurance than time with our Abba.
There is no greater contentment than the warmth of His love.
There is no greater reward than the light of His smile.
 
Matthew 6:6  [So] when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Amen.


[1] Adapted from The Story File by Steve May (2001): pg. 241.

[2] McKnight, Scot. Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 162.

[3]Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. 1993. The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament . InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill.

© 2016, Jason M. Platt, All Rights Reserved

In Matthew 6:1-4, Rabbi Jesus gives clear instruction on how and why His followers should give.  First, let's be clear that Jesus assumes His followers will give.  Now, let's consider what Jesus said about the how and why of our giving:

Matthew 6:1-4  1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

1.    True treasure is bestowed by our Father in heaven (6:1).

Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 

Seek the applause of people, and that’s all you’ll get.  Our Father in heaven will not reward those who seek their glory above His.  However, in Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus reminds us that we are the light of the world, and He implores us saying, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  

Is there a contradiction between Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 5:16?  Of course not! The difference is clear: Whose glory do we seek? God’s or our own?

 John Stott points out that Jesus is addressing different sins in Matthew 5:16 and 6:1, respectively. “It is our human cowardice which made Him say, ‘Let your light shine,’ and it is our human vanity which made Him tell us to beware of practicing our piety before men” to be seen by them."

A.B. Bruce adds, "Show when you’re tempted to hide; Hide when you’re tempted to show.”

What do you suppose Jesus means by “reward” (Matthew 6:1,2,4)?  We know heavenly rewards are worth pursuing, because they will never perish, spoil or fade.  Most importantly, heavenly rewards come from our heavenly Father.  But what are they?

We can be clear what rewards are not: 
 1)    Not works righteousness (grace orientation)
 2)    Not immediate (forward look)
 3)    Not materialistic (other worldly)

So what are they?  What are these promised rewards?
1)    The Blessings of Kingdom Living (Now/Not Yet; See the Beatitudes)
2)    A Favorable Evaluation at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Divine Favor / Applause of Heaven / “Well Done” from Jesus.)
3)    May even include increased responsibility in Christ’s Kingdom Come:

Matthew 20:23   23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

Luke 19:17  17 And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'

Here in Matthew 6:1, Jesus introduces 3 specific acts of piety or religious expression that are very common to Jewish faith and practice:  

-    Giving/Serving the Needy
-    Prayer
-    Fasting

These three acts are also common in the other monotheistic religions, includes Islam and its 5 Pillars.  The holiest day of the Jewish religious calendar is Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).  Consider the following summary from a Jewish website, www.mechon-mamre.org: 

"Tzedakah (charitable giving and service) is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins.  The High Holiday liturgy states that God has inscribed a judgment against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer) and tzedakah can reverse the decree."

I mention this as an illustration of how the three quintessential acts of piety Jesus zeroed in on 2,000 years ago are still the central acts of religious faith and devotion today.  In Matthew 5, Jesus seems to have focused on the scribes and their narrow interpretation of the law.  Boy, did He blast them out of the water!  Now in Matthew 6, Jesus seems to turn to the Pharisees and their public reputation for being pious and righteous.  Matthew 5 concluded with these words:

Matthew 5:48  48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.   
    
The immediate context is love of neighbor – even neighbors that don’t like us, even neighbors that are enemies.  But this call to be perfect – perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect – this applies to all of life.  Perfection may elude us now, but we continue to pursue it.  Like archers taking aim at a bullseye, we take aim at the perfect character of our heavenly Father as revealed to us in the pages of His Word – the Bible.  While we will never hit the bullseye of perfection in this life, aiming at the target, pursuing God’s perfection, will keep our pursuits flying in the right direction.  We pursue His perfection, and this pursuit encourages us to strive harder and harder still.

When Jesus said, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” I bet His disciples thought of three things.

1)    “I’ve got to give more to the poor.”
2)    “I’ve got to pray more to God.”
3)    “I’ve got to fast more from food.”

Jesus considers these pious practices in Matthew 6:1-18.  Let’s take a closer look at the first: Giving (Matthew 6:2-4).

2.    When giving, don’t toot your own horn! (Matthew 6:2-4)

Matthew 6:2-4   2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

a. “When” – Jesus assumes His disciples will give to the poor.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2  Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.  2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 

2 Corinthians 8:7-9   7 But as you excel in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you- see that you excel in this act of grace also.  8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.  9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:12-14   12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.  13 I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness  14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8  6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  7 Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

b.    “Trumpets” – Could refer to a material trumpet of some sort or metaphorical “tooting of one’s own horn.”

Important Contextual Clues point to metaphorical use of "trumpet" (street corners & synagogues not temples).

c.    “Hypocrites” – Two-Faced, Mask Wearing Fakes and Play Actors

Luke 18:9-14   9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'  13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'  14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

d.    “They have received their reward”

Craig S. Keener writes, “Businessmen regularly wrote ‘received their reward in full’ on receipts to indicate that no further payment was required.”  This is the word picture Jesus is painting here in Matthew 6.  These hypocrites have received their reward in the form of human applause, and this is all they will ever get.

 Jesus’s prescription? Secrecy!

e.    “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

The offering plate hit a road block in the fourth pew on the left side last Sunday.  The usher had passed the plate, and the people had passed it down the aisle.  Each one placed his or her offering envelope or cash donation in the plate while simultaneously - in one smooth motion - passing the plate on to the next person.  The pastor liked precision and performance, and he smiled out at the congregation as he watched the tithes being given and the plate being passed – it was a thing of beauty!   But suddenly something caught his eye…what could be going on?  In the fourth pew on the left side, the offering plate had come to a dead stop.  Little Bobby Thornhill was holding
his offering in his right hand but had his left hand tucked behind his back. How could he give his offering and pass the plate with just one hand?  The pastor nervously wiped his forehead and the ushers were beginning to gesture wildly at poor little Bobby.  The offertory was almost completed, and there were 6 pews still waiting for the plate!  The pastor wasn’t sure he could go on with the rest of the service until the situation had been resolved.  Why was little Bobby keeping his left hand hidden behind his back?  Finally, one of the ushers crawled over the people in the pew, took the offering plate, put Bobby’s offering in it, and passed it to the next person.  The plate barely made it to the last person in the last row just as the soloist ended her offertory song.  The pastor wiped his head again and smiled.  “Whew!  That was a close one!”

After the service, he shook little Bobby Thorndale’s hand and said, “Hi Bobby, I couldn’t help but notice a little hiccup this morning with the offering plate.  Can I ask, Why did you keep your left hand behind your back rather than putting your money in and passing the plate like everybody else?  “Gee whiz, Pastor,” Bobby looked up with a mixed expression of guilt and surprise.  “You of all people should know that.  Don’t you remember what Jesus said about givin’?  He said, 'When you’re givin’, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.'”  

Little Bobby was clearly a little confused in His application of Jesus' teaching, but at least he tried!  So how can we make sure our motives are clear when we give and serve?  A couple practical points:

1)    Don’t purposefully call attention to your giving.
2)    Try to the best of your ability to keep your giving a secret.

How can we know if we’ve crossed the line are giving with wrong motives?

Ask yourself: Why am I giving?  What’s in it for me?  Human applause?  Appreciation?  Notoriety? A Thank You Note/Gift?  Your name on a plaque?  A Tax Break?  If you’re giving for any other reason than the love of God and the love of neighbor, don’t stop giving, just ask God to help you give in a way that pleases Him.  Ask Him to help you focus on the one in need and how your gift can glorify God by meeting this human need.  God’s smile, God’s applause, God’s “atta-boy” is what we long for.  His rewards will matter 1,000 years from now.

Scott McKnight identifies 4 Warning Signs that we need to back-off and make our giving more secret.

1)    Do I grumble, inwardly or outwardly, when my actions aren’t noticed or congratulated?  Look out for self-talk like this: "Don’t they know how much I’ve given to this church / how much I’ve done for this church?"
2)    Am I jealous or envious when others get credit and I don’t?
3)    Am I irritated and upset when things don’t go my way? 
4)    Am I always focused on numbers?  How many people came to my Sunday school class?  How many comments and thank-you’s did I get about the great job I did on that project?  How many likes did my FB post get?  An over-preoccupation with numbers could belie an over-preoccupation with the approval of others rather than the glory of God.

A Concluding Caveat:

Whenever I talk about motives, I’m always on my guard, because there’s another voice, a hissing, deceitful voice that starts whispering in my ear.  Satan, the Great Deceiver, says, “You know, you should probably stop giving until you know for sure your motives are 100% pure.”  You heard what Jesus said, ‘You’ll have no reward from your father in heaven.'  “Just stop giving – you know what, stop praying and fasting too – your motives are so impure, why even try?  Am I right?”

Ever hear that lying voice hissing in your ears?  Bring the lies of Satan before the Throne of Grace.  His lies are a burden God can easily bear.  His deceptions are shown for what they are when brought into the light of God's truth as revealed in His Word.  Let’s show Satan the door, shall we?

Perfectionists are paralyzed by the impossibility of ever attaining perfection in this life.  Don’t let fear of tainted motives keep you from giving, prayer, fasting, and obeying the commands of our Lord and Savior.  

What should we do with our hidden motives?
1)    Bring your motives out into the open as you confess your sin. 
2)    Pray for pure motives.
3)    As much as is possible, do your giving/fasting/praying in secret.

I love watching young children play in organized sports or participate in music and drama.  The young shortstop makes a nice play and throws the ball to first in time for the out.  Everyone's cheering, but he's looking into the stands, searching for his father, looking for his smile, longing for his approval.  A young pianist sits down at the piano and performs her piece brilliantly.  She stands up and bows as all at the rehearsal clap in approval.  As she rises, her eyes search the auditorium for her father, looking for his smile, longing for his approval.  

What a beautiful picture of life in the Kingdom of God.  We serve and give and fast and pray.  Many may notice and applaud, but we desire the applause of One. We look for His smile, and we long for His approval.  No other opinion is consequential.  Nothing else matters.  

Kingdom men and Kingdom women follow Jesus by giving to those in need.  They give their money. They share their resources.  They volunteer their time.  They give, and they serve, without concern for who’s watching – save One.  They’re always looking to make sure Father is watching.  And when they do, they sense His smile, and His smile is enough.  They may have little treasure here on earth, but there are mansions full of treasure in heaven.  For in Heaven their Father watches, and their Father’s smile is Treasure True.

© 2016, Jason M. Platt, All Rights Reserved