Jesus Changed Things like a King
Book of Matthew Chapter 6
Last week in Chapter 5 we read of the inward holiness of all those whose home would one day be in Heaven.
These are all those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
We should clearly understand that our journey to Heaven begins when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our heart and begin our walk of sanctification with the Lord.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
To come out from amongst them is to repent!
You see what we do with our Christian life does matter to the Lord.
God expects us to be kind to one another.
God expects us to do good in the world.
God expects us to get personally involved in the goodness we learn from the Lord Jesus Christ.
God expects us to be personal witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact we are not being Christians unless we do these things.
Our fleshy nature must show an inward holiness because we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
All our intentions must be pure!
We must be pure in our giving.
We must be pure in our prayers.
We must be pure in our fasting.
We must be pure in our desires.
We must be pure in our actions while we are barely being seen!
*****Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Most people see the word "alms" as relating to giving, especially the giving of money, but the Greek word "eleemosune" actually means "acts of kindness", "acts of compassion", "acts of righteousness".
Alms giving is doing good toward others without seeking a reward for your actions or drawing any notice to yourself.
Alms giving is a Christian duty and comes second only to witnessing for Christ and living in obedience to the Lord.
In fact living in obedience to the Word of God includes the giving of alms!
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When we accept this as being the truth and it is, then we must be alert to the deception of the giving of alms by those who put on a show as they make a big deal out of the giving of alms as many of the Pharisee and Sadducee did in the time of Jesus.
It happens today when buildings are built, and someone’s name is placed upon it and many such things as this. Pews are in someone’s name.
*****Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
We have not talk about that word "therefore" in a while so let us not forget the meaning of the word.
Therefore means: For that; for that or this reason, referring to something previously stated.
In other words pay close attention to what was said in verse 1 when we read verse 2.
If we broadcast our alms giving, seeking glory for ourselves, then we are hypocrites then what we have done will not get a reward in Heaven.
In fact hypocrites do not even make it to Heaven!
Hypocrite is someone claiming to be Christian in their beliefs, but their actions prove otherwise.
Our Capitol city of our nation, is full of professing hypocrites.
The modern-day, Church is full of professing hypocrites.
Anyone denying the truth of the Scriptures is a hypocrite if they claim to be Christian, meaning like Jesus Christ.
Singers who refuse to sing in Church unless they are guaranteed a certain amount are hypocrites. They know the church uses love offerings as a gift, or alms giving.
Evangelist, who refuse to preach unless they are guaranteed a certain amount, are hypocrites.
Pastors who are called to preach but reject a church because of the salary offered are hypocrites.
Church members who claim Jesus Christ but pick and choose over the Gospel they will commit to are hypocrites.
Those who would rather have a reward here on earth rather than Heaven's Glory are all hypocrites!
Then the Lord Jesus gives us the remedy.
*****Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
The more secretive we are in our charitable giving the better the reward in Heaven!
We know it is impossible that our left hand not to know what our right hand is doing but the Lord is saying no one else needs to know!
Our charitable giving is personal and individual.
Our charitable giving should always be for the promoting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We should not dwell on our giving, if it is not given for the joy of giving it is not given for the right reason.
Once we have given our alms for the right reason then we have placed it in the hands of God, and we should forget about it and allow God to do His work!
*****Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
The only person who knows all "ALL" our secrets is our Heavenly Father. There is nothing we can hide from God!
When we have followed these guidelines in our giving, then the Lord will many times reward us in this life where many will see how God has blessed us.
The truth is a true relationship with the Lord can be seen as coming from the heart and a devotion to God in absolute sincerity.
We cannot increase the size of our Mansion in Heaven.
We cannot increase our wealth in Heaven because wealth has no meaning in Heaven.
We can know that there are rewards other than these things that God has for those who are true to Him!
Any time we appear as a hypocrite we will lose rewards that we could have gained.
A Heavenly reward is out of this world!
We all need some help in our prayer life and there is no such thing as being prayed up!
*****Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Do we pray with a motive?
Prayer is having a conversation with God! Sure there is a place for corporate prayer but if you are like me, much of what I talk to God about is just between He and I!
It is important for good godly men to pray in the Church.
It is important for good godly women to pray in the Church.
It is important for others to pray while we pray.
It is important for our children to hear us pray.
But still, the majority of our prayers should be between us and God and we must always end our prayers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we do not take our prayer life seriously, we certainly become hypocrites.
We do not have to have a reason to begin a conversation with our Heavenly Father!
He always wants to hear from us!
When we are speaking to our Heavenly Father, we can speak to Him about anything and we do not always have to make a request of Him.
This is the prayer the Lord is speaking of here in this passage. One on one prayer with the Living God.
Hypocrites pray to be seen of men.
This does not mean that when we have altar call all those who go to the altar go to be seen of men.
This is a perfect time to pray because it normally takes place at the end of the message that is given to the Preacher.
This is a time when a heart is touched and just wants to talk to the Heavenly Father.
What Jesus describes is something else entirely.
A hypocrite may stand up while the message is still being preached and disturb the message claiming a movement of the Holy Spirit. This is not to say that this could not happen but there must be a movement of the Holy Spirit.
Anytime we draw attention to our conversation with God then we are praying to be seen of men.
God expects us to pray even though He already knows what will happen in our lives.
To pray shows that we trust that God can change the outcome of certain things, which He can.
We must certainly understand, God will never go against His written Word!
There is nothing we can say to God that will make Him change His plan that begin before creation.
The most important thing we can pray for is "forgiveness"!
We hold the most important gift God has given us, which is the freedom to choose!
The most important prayer is to pray for the forgiveness of our sin.
God will not hear any prayer until He has first heard this prayer!
Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Our greatest challenge in our prayer life is to make sure our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers!
This is the right motive for praying!
If our prayers are heard by our Heavenly Father, then we have prayed a good prayer.
We must live our lives so that our prayers are always heard by our Heavenly Father!
We must remember the answer to our prayers comes by the will of God for our lives.
We cannot change God's will for us except by refusing.
When we are praying in public when we should be praying for that public and not for ourselves.
Our prayer life should consist of public prayer, but we must establish all prayers in our closet prayers!
We must be willing to spend some quiet time with the Lord!
We should be willing to go to God at any time and before every situation that affects our lives.
Praying is not to chant over and over!
Our prayers should be in the language that we use every day. God understands every language!
No one language, except foul language, is more important than another!
*****Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Vain repetitions mean at least two things:
1) Saying the same words over and over again as in a chant. These prayers do not come from the heart and God is not listening.
2) Using certain religious words or phrases thinking God hears just because we are using religious talk. Wrong, God hears a one-word prayer if it comes from a sincere heart. Such as "Help".
Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Ecc 5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.
We should never just rattle on without thought of what we are saying! Knowing this we must certainly not ever stop and close out our prayer until we have given God a chance to speak.
After all we are praying to receive and answer most of the time.
It is also OK to pray to God when we are not expecting and answer. We are His child, and every true father likes to speak to his children.
God already knows our needs and He promised to meet our needs.
There are times when we may feel He is not meeting our needs, but our most important task is to be living in the Will of God.
If we are not living in the will of God, then why should He meet our needs?
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Then the Lord says our prayers should be something like this:
*****Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Why can we call the Creator of this world Our Father?
1) With respect to Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, all those who choose to believe the Work of Christ toward our salvation.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
2) Because we are "Born Again" into the family of God and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
3) Because we have received the free gift of "Grace". God's Riches at Christs Expense we can call God our Father.
2Co 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
4) Because we have chosen to live by the Will of God and not our own will, God is then our Father.
Gal 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, "according to the will of God and our Father":
Gal 1:5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
If we do not acknowledge God as our Father, then why would He even listen to us?
A wise earthly father does all he can for his children even if he does not grant all his child's request the child still calls him their father.
We must respect our Heavenly Father as also God with all Power but with all Goodness also!
There is no other way to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father if we do not acknowledge Him and we must reverence Him for who He is, the Almighty Living God!
Then we can proceed with our prayer.
*****Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
The Kingdom of God is greater than all the kingdoms of this world.
1Co_2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
If we cannot believe in a Heavenly Kingdom, then why take the time to pray.
Mar_11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and "shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass"; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Rev_3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev_21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
If we cannot believe these things and have a desire to be with our Heavenly Father in His Kingdom, then we are wasting our time praying to the One True God.
Our Heavenly Father holds power over all His creation, and we need to live according to His will on this earth!
If we cannot do the will of God, we cannot be in the family of God!
Mar_3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
*****Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
We must desire the "mercy" of God!
We must take no thought for tomorrow we need God's mercy day by day!
That daily bread is not just the food we eat but also that Heavenly Manna.
Mat_4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk_4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
We do have a specific need for our sustenance, but we should never be praying for luxuries.
We must include Jesus!
Joh_6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh_6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh_6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh_6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
*****Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
We must understand that sins are debts, shortcomings in our service due to God.
We in debt to duty, worship, and most of all obedience to the Lord.
Obedience is where Adam failed!
We must understand that forgiveness is a favor that comes by God's "Grace" through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our hearts must be free of ill-will toward all others!
We must first be forgiving to those who have sinned against us before we pray for our own forgiveness.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
We must understand that God supplies His "pardon" to us only according to these terms!
Our Heavenly Father promises to pardon us if we are obedient in all these things!
We cannot deal falsely with God and expect answer to our prayers!
*****Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
God will never tempt us Himself!
Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
As Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to face temptation, we will also face temptation, but He will also deliver us out of that temptation.
2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
God will always make a way to escape that temptation! It is the worship of false gods that will cause God to lift His hand of protection away from us!
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who made a way for God to deliver us from temptation.
Gal 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Gal 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
All God requires of us is to pray and to pray for forgiveness!
King Jesus has already solved the sin problem for each believer!
1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
God is in the business of saving souls!
Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
That word "Amen" says we understand what we must do, (our part) and the God promises to do His part.
2Co_1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
However we word our prayers, they need to based, upon these things of this prayer as taught by Jesus Christ our Savior.
Why would He defend us if we reject His teaching!
We must be just as forgiving as we expect our sinless God to be!
*****Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
What is the truth? If we cannot find it in our heart to forgive someone who has done us wrong, then we cannot be saved because our heart is still wicked.
Jer_17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
We cannot say we believe if we do not possess the trait of "mercy"!
Without "mercy" a loving God would have completely destroyed this world.
Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psa 86:16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
God would not be God if, He was not merciful!
How can we expect to be accepted into the family of God if we do not show that same "mercy"?
What will God do to those who refuse to forgive? Listen to what Jesus says.
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
To be forgiven:
1) We must confess our sins.
2) We must have faith in God and believe he is capable of forgiving such unworthy sinners.
3) We must repent, we must turn away from our wickedness, forsake our sins, and turn to God believing in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to save our souls.
4) We must forgive "all" those who wronged us. Hard feelings and anger are sins that must be confessed to show we are sincere in seeking the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father.
When we refuse to forgive then we become a judge of another person's sin:
Luk_6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Without these things we cannot be saved and do not be fooled by naysayers!
God makes a promise to forgive to all those who also are willing to forgive.
We are all still sinners, but those sins will be forgiven upon request.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It all goes back to that forgiving heart that shows "mercy"!
*****Mat 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
We have seen this word "fast" in some of our recent lessons and we can see that Jesus takes for granted that we as Christians will have a time when we need to fast to prove to God, we are serious about some request.
The most dangerous fast is the fast that is wrong!
Fasting as a "hypocrite" is wrong!
Why do we fast?
1) We fast to gain a sense of God's approval and of self-approval. This is wrong!
2) We fast to fulfill some religious act. This is wrong!
3) We fast gain religious recognition. This is wrong!
4) We fast to genuinely meet God for some special purpose. This is the only reason to fast!
Our heart must be pure!
Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; buttheir heart is far from me.
We must desire the knowledge of God!
Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
We must not act super-spiritual!
We must never be over-confident in ourselves, our confidence must be in the Lord.
Our fasting experience is our own and not to be broadcast.
We must never act like we are suffering from our fasting experience.
If we cannot give up a couple of meals for the Lord what does that say about us!
The more secretive we are with our fasting the closer we are to an answer from God!
No one else needs to know about our fasting it is between us and a Holy God.
We must fast to God alone, there is no other reason to fast!!!!!!!
We fast when we are feeling a call from God a call to get alone with God and discuss His calling.
We fast to prove to God He is most important to us.
We fast because our needs come from Him as He promised.
We fast because we are serious in our request.
We fast to break the bondage of our habits.
We fast to remain physically fit to serve the Lord.
We fast because God and God only, has the answers to our request!
Amen
