Matthew 6
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Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end
Read and summarize
Look for
— Prayers ( Blue )
— Promises ( Green )
— Warnings ( Red )
— Commands ( Purple )
Matthew 5-6 Summary
— Mathew 5, 6 &7 are the Sermon on the Mount
— Jesus is describing what the (coming) Kingdom of God is / will be like
— Higher Law than Moses (Grace vs Law)
— Jesus not presenting the way of salvation; speaking to those already His own
— Deals with the desire of our hearts; looking inside to what we are really like
— Chapter 6 of Matthew deals with the external part of religion (Righteous that we practice)
— “What we are determines what we do.” —> Prods self-examination
THEME:
— The inner motives which govern external acts of righteousness, such as the giving of alms, prayer, fasting;
— the relationship of the subjects of the Kingdom of Heaven to God
In chapter 5 Jesus (The King) speaks of the righteousness which His subjects must possess
— It must be a righteousness to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees
— Comes only through trust in Christ
In chapter 6, Jesus talks about the righteousness that the subjects of the Kingdom are to practice
— The motive is the important thing in what you do for God. Not for third party consumption
— These things are between the soul and God.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
This chapter is divided into two parts:
Our Religious life ( 1- 18 )
— Our religious life, the culture and nurture of the soul — this is divided into 3 sections for our consideration
— Our charity towards others — almsgiving
— Prayer and our relationship to the Father — prayer
— Personal discipline — fasting
— Our piety, our worship, the whole religious aspect of our life, and everything that concerns our relationship to God
— We are reminded that we are journeyman, not of this world; our citizenship is in heaven
Our relationship to life ( 19 - 34 )
— The everyday man who is subjected to “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
— The man who is concerned about food, drink, clothing and shelter
— The man who has a family and children to raise and who, therefore is subject to what is called in Scripture “the cares of this world”
Eight examples:
1. Giving Alms: Vs. 2-3
2. Personal Prayer Vs. 5-8
3. Disciples Prayer Vs. 9-13
4. Forgive Others Vs. 14-15
5. Fasting Vs. 16-18
6. Mammon & generosity Vs. 19-21
7. Personal Focus Vs. 22-23
8. Single hearted devotion Vs. 24
Q: When you do alms, you can lose your reward if you do what ( 6:1-4 )?
Giving without Hypocrisy ( 6:1-4 )
( 6:1-4 ) “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Hypocrisy
— We see hypocrisy all the way from Genesis to Revelation
— The world begins and ends with hypocrisy
— Among the 12 we had hypocrisy (Judas)
— Amos rebuked the Northern Kingdom for their hypocrisy ( Amos 5:21 )
— Isaiah did the same thing to the Southern Kingdom ( Is 1:11 )
— God says, you know, all that I introduced: your religion, your feasts, your moons and sacrifices, and incense, I despise it all
— Why? Because it is all phony
— The word hypocrite has its origins from the Gr. theater, describing a person who wore a mask
— The word used in the NT normally describes an unregenerate person who is self-deceived
—The people described here do things for appearance sake; their actions may be good but their motives are hallow
— Outside of idolatry, the greatest sin of Judah and Israel was hypocrisy
— “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.” ( Is 1:11 )
— Speaking to the Pharisees on one occasion, Jesus said “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” ( Mark 7:6-7 )
— These empty acts are their own reward
— God does not reward men-pleasers ( 5:16 ) because they rob Him of glory
— Jesus rebuked hypocrisy:
— Matthew 6:2, 5, 16
— Matthew 7:15 (wolf in sheep’s clothing)
— Matthew 9 ( a mourner who mourns a death because he is paid )
— Matthew 13 (wheat and tares)
— Matthew 21
— Matthew 23
— Other verses 2 Pet 2:17, 1 Thess 2:5
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
( 6:1 ) “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Principle #1
Principle #1: The delicate nature of the Christian life
— Earlier we read, “Let your life shine before men that they may see your good works,” now we read, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them”
— We are to live in such a way that men look at your life and will glorify God
— But, at the same time, he is not to do things in order to draw attention to himself
Q: Matthew 6:2 in the KJV used the word “alms.” What are alms? Is giving of “alms” a good or bad thing?
( 6:2 KJV ) 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
— See a need and giving is a good thing!
— Internal not external; Secretly vs openly; Glory to God not yourself!
— God will see to reward
Note: When the Pharisees wanted to give something to the poor, it was their custom to go down to a busy street corner in Jerusalem and blow a trumpet. Although the purpose was to call the poor and needy together to receive the gifts, they blew the trumpet so everybody would come running out to see how generously they gave, and that was their reward (“They have their reward”.)
— Their giving was not between themselves and God
— Post it on Facebook!!!!!
— Pharisee.com
— The religious leaders of Jesus day had developed a method of prayer that was very public in order to be seen by the people
— In God's eyes, the adoration they received from the people for this public prayer turned out to be the only reward they would receive
— What it looks like vs what it is. “Worship God in Spirit and in Truth!”
— If you get your reward from the people, God will pass
— If you want your reward from the Father, make it private
Observation
— Jesus hits upon three things that all of us should do: Give, Pray and Fast
— Not if but when
— Give: We are to be a giving people
— Pray: We are to Pray
— The biggest barrier to prayer is self-sufficiency
— If we don’t need something we don’t pray
— Or we don’t believe that it makes a difference
— Fast: To seek intercession as David did when his child was sick
— Carries the idea of abstaining from something and seek the Lord’s will
— Common thread: All of these are to be done in secret
Q: Why do you give ( 6:3 )?
( 6:3 ) But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing
— Charitable deed, piety, righteousness ( better translation )
— Jesus is teaching that our motives for giving to God and to others must be pure
— It is easy to give with mixed emotions; to do something if it will benefit us in return
— But believers should give for the pleasure of giving
— When we give, don’t announce to others in any shape or form what you are doing. That is difficult.
— But this is less obvious: Do not even announce it to yourself
The Practice and Reward of True Giving ( 6:3-4 )
( 6:3-4 ) But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
— It is easier to do what’s right when we gain recognition and praise
— To be sure our motives are not selfish, we should do our good deeds quietly or in secret, with no thought of reward
— The most satisfying giving, and the giving that God blesses, is that which is done and forgotten
— Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas:
— Generosity ( 6:4 )
— Prayer ( 6:6 )
— Fasting ( 6:16, 18 )
— With your next good deed ask yourself, “Would I still do this if no one would ever know I did it?”
— Doesn’t it encourage others if they see us doing these things? Yes
— We so often want the approval of other people
— What clothes do we wear
— Where we live or what car we drive
— Jesus says that it doesn’t matter
— You will never G, F, or P without God seeing it
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Principle #2
Principle #2: The ultimate choice is always the choice between pleasing self and pleasing God
— Again, we are not to do our good deeds before men to be seen by them
— Man by his nature desires the praise of men more than the praise of God
— When we take a hard look at ourselves, we have to realize who we are trying to please: the approval of men and ultimately self-gratification or are we pleasing God?
Going Deeper
Seven principles for non-hypocritical giving
—First, giving from the heart is investing with God ( Lk 6:38; 2 Cor 9:6 )
—Second, genuine giving is sacrificial
—David refused to give to the Lord that which cost him nothing ( 2 Sam 24:24 )
— It is not the size of the gift but the size of the gift compared to your capacity to give. The window gave more to the treasury than those who gave out of their surplus ( 12:41-44 )
— Third, your generosity has nothing to do with how much you have
— The person who is not generous when he is poor will not be generous if he becomes rich
— Fourth, To those who are not faithful with mundane things like money will not be entrusted with things of greater value ( Lk 16:11-12 )
— Fifth, giving is to be personally determined ( 2 Cor 9:7; 2 Cor 8:1-2; Phil 4:15-18 )
— Sixth, We are to give in response to need
— Seventh, giving demonstrates love, not law
— The NT contains no commands for specified amounts we are to give
— What we give is determined by the love of our own hearts and the needs of others
Praying without Hypocrisy ( 6:5-8 )
( 6:5-8 ) “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
— Jesus continues to illustrate His teaching concerning piety or the conduct of the religious life
— In 6:2-4 Jesus exposed their hypocritical giving
— In 6:5-8 He exposes their hypocritical praying
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— This portion of Scripture, is one of the most searching and humbling in the entire realm of Scripture
— We can read these verses in such a was as to miss the entire point, and certainly without coming under condemnation
— The tendency is always is just to regard it as an exposure of the Pharisees, a denunciation of the obvious hypocrite
— But that is to miss the whole point of the teaching, which is our Lord’s devastating exposure of the terrible effects of sin upon the human soul
— Sin, He shows us here, is something which follows us all the way, even into the very presence of God
When we tend to think of sin as we see it in its rags and in the gutters of life. We look at a drunkard, poor fellow, and we say: There is sin; that is sin. But that is not the essence of sin. To have a real picture and a true understanding of it, you must look at some great saint, some unusually devout and devoted man. Look at him there upon his knees in the very presence of God. Even there self is intruding itself, and the temptation is for him to think about himself, to think pleasantly and pleasurably about himself, and really to be worshipping himself rather than God. That, not the other, is the true picture of sin
One more observation
—Before we look at the topic of prayer, one more observation
— Here we see a mighty argument for the NT doctrine about the absolute necessity of being born again, because sin something that is so profound and so vitally a part of us that it even accompanies us into the presence of God
— Here, then, in these instructions about piety and conduct of the religious life, we have implicit this NT doctrine of regeneration and the nature of the new man in Christ
— The Lord uses the term Father
— These are citizens of the Kingdom that the Lord is talking about
— How do you become a child of God today?
— John 1:12 gives us the answer: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power [the authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that [do no more or less than] believe on his name."
— Our Lord even said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (see John 3:3) -- until then, you can't call God your Father. And in the Old Testament you will not find the word Father used in relation to a man with God. The nation Israel as a whole was called by God, "...Israel is my son..." (Exod. 4:22), but not an individual. The Lord Jesus is speaking of a new relationship.
— Christ is telling Christians that they have to be careful in the prayers lest they become guilty of this hypocrisy of the Pharisees
Going Deeper
— None of us can comprehend exactly how prayer functions within the infinite mind of God
— The Calvinistic view emphasizes God’s sovereignty and its extreme application holds that God will according to his perfect will regardless of how we pray or not pray
— Prayer is nothing more than tuning into God’s will
— At the opposite extreme, the Arminian view holds that God’s actions pertaining to us are determined largely on the basis of our prayers
— On the one hand, prayer is seen simply as a way of lining up with God regarding what he has already determined to do
—On the other hand, it is beseeching God to do what He otherwise would not do
— Scripture supports both of those views and holds them, as it were in tension
— The bible is unequivocal about God’s absolute sovereignty; but it is equally unequivocal in declaring that within His sovereignty God calls on His people to beseech Him in prayer
The Audience of Prayer ( 6:5 )
( 6:5 ) And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
— No other nation enjoyed so much direct communication with God
— Of all people they should have known how to pray, but they did not
— One of the faults that crept into Jewish prayer was that they had become ritualized
— The wording and forms of prayer were set and were simply read or repeated from memory with almost no attention to what was said
( 6:5 ) For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets
— They loved to pray in wide open streets and be noticed
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
According to our Lord, the reason for their praying in the street corners is something like this. A man on his way to the temple to pray is anxious to give the impression that he is such a devout soul that he cannot even wait until he gets to the temple. So he stands and prays at the street corner. For the same reason, when he reaches the temple, he goes forward to the most prominent position possible.
— The first problem is this person wants to be known among others as one who prays
— The Lord goes on to show that we should not be interested in ourselves
The True Audience ( 6:6 )
( 6:6 ) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,
— We should not call attention to ourselves when we pray; no one should know that we are in the closet praying
— The emphasis is not on the place but on the attitude of prayer
— Jesus is stressing the single-mindedness of prayer
— The idea is not that there needs to be a separate prayer room
— If there is a private room, use that for prayer
— Try not to make yourself conspicuous
— You need to block out every other concern but God
— Prayer should be marked by sincerity and simplicity:
— Sincerity—Matthew 6:6. Go in and close the door. Your prayer is between you and God.
— Simplicity—Matthew 6:7. Don’t use vain repetition. Tell the Lord what you have on your mind.
Just as we learned in Jesus teaching on charitable giving, our prayers are best offered in secret. Jesus continues to emphasize that the matching of our external actions to internal motives that replicate Gods heart is key in honoring God. Jesus tells us to "go into our closet" and "do not use vain repetitions" as we pray. Entering a closet is fine if you have one, but these ideas are simply reminders that effective prayer is between our individual selves and God, who because He knows all things does not need us to be repetitive with our words. Simple, sincere, quiet prayer from our hearts, no matter where we are, please our Father and better connects us with Him.
False Content: Meaningless Repetition ( 6:7 )
( 6:7 ) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
— Repeating the same words over and over like a magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer
— It is not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests — Jesus encouraged persistent prayer
— But He condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart
— We can never pray too much if our prayers are honest and sincere
— Before you start to pray, make sure you mean what you say
True Content: Sincere Requests ( 6:8 )
( 6:8 ) “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
— Prayer is sharing the needs, burdens, and hunger of our heart before our heavenly father who already knows what we need but who wants us to ask Him
— Prayer is our giving God the opportunity to manifest His power, majesty, love and providence ( cf. John 14:13 )
The Disciple’s Prayer ( 6:9-15 )
— Matthew gives a succinct but comprehensive outline of what true prayer should be
— Jesus did not mean this prayer to be repeated as a prayer
— Matthew says “pray in this way”
— In Luke Jesus taught them how to pray ( Lk 11:1 )
— He just instructed us not to pray with meaningless repetition ( 6:7 )
— On the 6 petitions, 3 are direct to God (verses 9-10)
— 3 are directed toward human needs (verses 11-13)
Looking up vs. Looking Down
A pastor recently opened his sermon on the Lord’s prayer with an illustration. He balanced a pole in the palm of his hand. When he looked down at the palm of his hand, he was unable to balance the pole. But, if he look up he could balance it perfectly. In the same way, we must look up (in prayer) while living here on earth in order to experience a balanced life.
Q: God’s purpose for prayer is go Glorify Himself? How does He do that with prayer?
The Lord’s prayer ( 6:9-13 )
( 6:9-13 ) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Glorify God
— God’ purpose for prayer, the purpose beyond all other purposes is to Glorify Himself
— Prayer is an opportunity for God to manifest His goodness and glory
— Jesus affirmed this when He said, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” ( Jn 14:13, NLT )
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Every prayer recorded in the bible starts with invocation. It does not matter how desperate the circumstance; it does not matter what the particular quandary might be in which those who pray find themselves. Invariably they start with this worship, this adoration, this invocation.
We have a great and wonderful example of this in the ninth chapter of Daniel. There the prophet, in terrible perplexity, prays to God. But he does not start immediately with his petition; he starts by praising God. A perplexed Jeremiah does the same thing. Confronted by the demand that he should buy a plot of land in a seemingly doomed country, Jeremiah could not understand it; it seemed all wrong to him. But he does not rush into the presence of God for this one matter; he starts b y worshipping God. And so you will find it in all the recorded prayers. Indeed, you even get it in the great High-Priestly prayer of our Lord Himself which is recorded in John 17. You remember how Paul put in writing in Philippians. He says, “in nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God” ( Phil 4:6, RV ). That is the order. We must always start with invocation, before we even begin to think of petition; and here it is once and for ever put to us so perfectly in this model prayer
— The first three petitions look up to the Father
— The final four are about living here on earth
( 6:9 ) Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name
Our Father
— This is praying out of a relationship; God is not our boss or task master but our Father
— Jesus probably used the Aramaic Abba which mean Daddy, carried a more intimate and personal connotation
— Being able to pray to God our Father means the end of fear, and it should be a source of Hope
— Praying to the Father should settle the matter of loneliness because He will never leave us or forsake us
— If we use God’s name lightly we are not remembering His holiness
— As a father we know that He loves and will not give us something harmful ( 7:10 )
Heaven
— Pray as if in God’s presence
Hallowed be our Name
— Pray with reverence
— His name is the name to lift high, not our name
— Each of the OT names and titles shows a different facet of His character and will
— Elohim, His “strength” and His “power”
— El Elyon, “possessor of heaven and earth”
— Jehovah - Self existent one, “I am that I am”
— Jehovah-Jireh, “the Lord will provide”
— Jehovah-rapha, “the Lord that healeth”
— Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord our Banner”
— Jehovah-Shalom, “the Lord our peace”
— Jehovah-ra-ah, “the Lord our shepherd”
— Jehovah-shammah, “the Lord is present”
— Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness” and many others
— His name not only tells who He is but what He is like
— His name should be hallowed and we should never speak of Him without the greatest veneration
Jesus’ concern for the Father’s glory
You cannot read the four Gospels without seeing very clearly that that was the consuming passion of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is found perfectly in that great High-Priestly prayer in John 17 when He says, “I have glorified thee on the earth” and “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me”. He was always concerned about the glory of His Father. he said, “I have not come to seek mine own glory but the glory of him that sent me.” There is no real understanding of the earthly life of Christ except in these terms. He knew that glory which ever belongs to the Father, “the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” He had seen that glory and He had shared in it. He was filled with this sense of the glory of God, and His one desire was that mankind might come to know it
If you want … —
— to be Blessed and prosperous
— to know true wisdom in regards to life in this world
— to have peace and joy
The psalmist says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” ( Ps 110:10 )
— This does not mean cowardly, craven fear
— This fear is reverential awe of God’s holiness
— We must say, “Hallowed be thy name” and tell Him that, before mentioning any concern about ourselves or others (even their salvation)
Q: Why don’t men humble themselves before God and pray for His kingdom to come ( 6:10 ) ?
God’s Program ( 6:10a )
( 6:10 ) Your kingdom come.
— Pray for alignment with God’s agenda
— 1/3 of the angels were cast down to the earth; this is their domain; the earth is broken
— Men don’t pray for God’s kingdom because of sin
— They are in another kingdom, a kingdom of darkness and evil
— And that kingdom is opposed to God and His honor
— In a sense, God’s kingdom is already her eon earth
— It reigns in the hearts of all believers
— “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” ( Luke 11:20 )
— And there is a future sense in which the kingdom of God will come to earth
— We should praying that His kingdom come, as Peter says, “ looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” ( 2 Pet 3:12 )
— The Jewish Talmud is right in saying, “That prayer in which the kingdom of God is not named, is no prayer” ( John Broadus, Matthew)
If God is sovereign, why do we pray that His will is done?
God’s Plan ( 6:10b )
( 6:10 ) Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven
— It is absolutely clear from Scripture that God is sovereign and yet not only allows but commands that man exercise his own volition in certain areas
— The very fact that Jesus tells us to pray that His will is done on earth tells us that His is not always done on earth; It is not inevitable; in fact, lack of faithful prayer inhibits His will being done
— When we pray “Your will be done” we are not resigning ourselves to fate, but praying that His perfect purpose will be accomplished
— How does God accomplish His will on earth?
— He does it largely through willing doers of His will on earth
— This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s will, asking Him to guide, lead and give us the means to accomplish His purpose
— Three distinct aspects of God’s will
( 1 ) God’s will of purpose, His ultimate will ( Is 14:24; cf. Jer 51:2; Rom 8:28; Eph 1:9-11 )
— This is the will of God that allows sin to runs its course and Satan to have his way for a season
( 2 ) God’s will of desire ( Lk 13:34; John 5:40; cf 1 Tim 2:4 2 Pet 3:9 )
— This is within his will of purpose and consistent with it
— His will of desire is not always fulfilled
— To pray for God’s will to be done on earth is to pray for Satan’s will to be undone
( 3 ) God’s will of command ( Rom 6:16-18 )
— This will is entirely for His children because only they have the capacity to obey it
God’s Provision ( 6:11 )
( 6:11 ) Give us this day our daily bread
— This is about provision for today; don’t worry about tomorrow
— John Scott has observed that to Martin Luther, “everything necessary for the preservation of this life is bread, including food, a healthy body, good weather, house, home, wife, children, good government and peace”
— The us refers to believers ( 2 Cor 9:10-11 )
— The greatest cause of famine in the world is not agricultural practices, over population, or lack of scientific resources
— These problems only aggravate the basic problem which is spiritual
— Those parts of the world that have no Christian roots place a low value on human life
— The great poverty and starvation in India may be laid at the feet of Hinduism
— In Hinduism to help a person in poverty or sickness is to interfere with his karma and therefore do him spiritual harm
Christ’s Focus ( 6:12 )
( 6:12 ) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
— Forgive me as I forgive others; the bricks that I have put in someone else’s bag; the hurt we have caused others; so we pray for God’s help
— Forgiveness was the focus of what Christ taught
— His sermons, His parables, His private discourses and even His prayers were all filled with lessons about forgiveness
— In fact, this was so much a running motif in Jesus’ sermons and sayings that one would have to be willfully blind to miss the point
— Both the context and cross-reference in Luke 11:4 indicate that the “debts” are spiritual
— “debtors” are those who have committed sins against us
— It is significant that of all the phrases in the Lord’s Prayer, it was this phrase that Christ saw fit to explain in the most detail
God’s Pardon ( 6:12 )
( 6:12 ) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
Debts — ὀφείλημα (opheilēma)
— One of five words used to describe sin ( Hamartia — to miss the mark, Paraptomoa — slipping , falling, carelessness, Parabsis — stepping across the line, Anomia — lawlessness, flagrant )
— opheilēma Refers to moral or spiritual debts
( 6:12 ) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
— Prayer for direction and strength; I can mess this up so many ways!
— God does not tempt us ( Jas 1:13 )
— But God will subject us to trials and trials in and of themselves are neither good nor evil, they simply expose how we react in faith
— Christ was tempted ( Matt 4:3ff ) and yet did not sin
“He was tempted in all points ( or in every respect ) as we are, yet without sin; that is, without falling into sin ( Heb 4:15 )
This word is basically a neutral word, peiraz n, “to tempt”
— The Gr. word connotes trouble or something that something that breaks the peace, comfort, joy and happiness in one’s life
— A temptation (πειρασμοις, peirasmos ) is a temptation or a testing - it could be either one
— But God may expose us to trials that expose us to Satan’s assaults, as in the case of Job and Peter ( Lk 22:31, 32 )
— This part of the Lord’s prayer is our desire to avoid the danger of sin altogether
— God promises us that we will not be subjected to testing beyond what we can endure and He promises as way of escape is which is often endurance ( 1 Co 10:13 )
Arthur Pink
As it is contrary to the holiness of God, sin is a defilement, a dishonor, and a reproach to us as it is a violation of His Law. It is a crime, and as to the guilt which we contact thereby, it is a debt. As creatures we owe a debt of obedience unto our maker and governor, and through failure to render the same on account of our rank disobedience, we have incurred a debt of punishment; and it is for this that we implore a divine pardon.
God’s Protection ( 6:13a )
( 6:13 ) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
— God doesn’t lead us into temptation but sometimes he allows it to test us
— As Christians we should pray to be delivered from these trying times
— All Christians struggle with temptation
— Sometimes it is so subtle we don’t realize it is happening to us
— God has promised he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear ( 1 Cor 10:13 )
— Ask God to help you recognize temptation and the strength to overcome it and choose God’s way instead
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
So that is the order — daily bread; forgiveness of sins; to be kept from anything that may cast me again into sin, to be delivered from everything that is opposed to my higher interests and to my true life. The sum of it all is that ultimately there is nothing in the whole realm of Scripture which so plainly shows us our entire dependence upon God as does this prayer, and especially these three petitions.
God’s Preeminence ( 6:13b )
( 6:13b ) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
—These words are not in the most reliable transcripts
Q: Jesus gives a startling warning about forgiveness. If we refuse to forgive others, God will also refuse to forgive us. Why ( 6:14-15 )?
God’s Postscript ( 6:14-15 )
( 6:14-15 ) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
— Jesus gives a startling warning about forgiveness
— If we don’t forgive others were are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness
— We also forfeit blessings and invite judgement
— It is easy to ask for forgiveness but difficult to grant it to others
— We should ask ourselves, “Have I forgiven others who have wronged me?”
— This has been a hard verse for many commentators
— Some teach that God will withdraw His forgiveness from us
— But not talking about justification but daily, parental forgiveness that we are to seek; the key verse is “Our Father”
— We are to confess our sins daily in order to receive day-to-day cleansing ( 1 Jn 1:9 )
— This is a simple washing from the wordly defilements of sin, not a repeat of the wholesale cleansing we received when we became a believer
— Yet at the same time, the bible teaches that God chastens His children who disobey ( Heb 12:5-7 )
— Jesus is saying, “If you refuse to forgive, your heavenly Father will discipline you severely for your sin of unforgivingness”
— God threatens to withhold this type of daily washing if we withhold forgiveness from others ( cf 18:23-35 )
— The parable of the Unforgiving Servant perfectly illustrates the point
Q: How is the Lord’s prayer a pattern for us to follow ( 6:9-13 )?
— Some have suggested that your prayers follow the ACTS outline
— Adoration; “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name”
— Confession: “forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”
— We all sin daily and need forgiveness
— Thanksgiving: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and glory forever”
— Thank God for working in your life
— Be intentional and thank God for your many blessings
— Supplication: “Give us this day our daily bread”
— Share what is in your heart and ask for God’s guidance
— Pray for the needs of others and come along side them in prayer
— Another helpful acronym is PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield
— Another helpful acronym is “Pppp-rayer”: Plan, Prepare, Places, People
Q: Why, when many of us need to consume less food than we do, ask God to supply our daily bread ( 6:11 )?
— Bread not only represents food but is symbolic of all our physical needs
— This part of the prayer is in the form of a petition, but it is also an affirmation
— Above all it is an affirmation that every good thing we have comes from the gracious hand of God ( Jam 1:17 )
Q: Sum up Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about prayer
Hendriksen
— This prayer is a model of how on how to pray and a pattern for our devotions
— It is short and brief; the Lord condemns the practice of long prayers as being pagan in character ( Mark 12:30; Lk 20:47 )
— Long prayers are not wrong, there are many long prayers in the OT ( 2 Chron 6:14-42; Neh 9; Ps 18, 89, 119 )
— The motive must be kept in mind
— Pagans think that the louder and longer the better ( see priests of Baal, 1 Kin 18:25-29 )
The glory of God is most important
— His name ( first petition, 9b )
— His reign ( second, 10a )
— His will ( third, 10b )
Our
— Bread ( fourth, 11 )
— Debts (fifth, 12 )
— Foe ( sixth, 13 )
Q: How would you feel if your best friend invited you to spend the day with them and then never said a word to you all day?
— This is similar to the Lord being with us but we never say a word to Him
— Prayer is talking to God, it is not vain repetition
— Prayer is simply aligning our will to God; an ongoing conversation that doesn’t need to be lengthy
— We are commanded to pray without ceasing ( Eph 6:18 ); an attitude of God consciousness at all times
— Peter was always falling asleep in prayer meetings. Pray so that you don’t enter into temptations ( Matt 26:41 )
Q: What is a fast besides giving up food (6:16-18 )?
Fasting without Hypocrisy ( 6:16-18 )
( 6:16-18 ) “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
—To Review, this section of the Sermon on Mount is talking about the question of personal righteousness
— Here we are looking at the Christian conduct and it is divided into three parts
— There is that aspect of our lives which we do good to others- almsgiving
— Then, there is the intimate time we spend with God — our prayer life
— And here ( 16-18 ) the question of our personal discipline in our spiritual life - fasting
MacArthur
— Fasting, going without food in order to spend time in prayer is difficult
— It gives us time to pray, teaches self-discipline, reminds us that we can go with less, and helps us appreciate God’s gifts
— Jesus commended acts of self-sacrifice done quietly and sincerely
— He wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for the right reasons, not from selfish desire for praise
— Fasting is also for today:
— privately
— It should be a personal matter between the soul and God
— Physical reward for fasting like the Pharisees (hypocrites); but no spiritual reward unless done as instructed….. not seen by men, seen by God who provides the reward
Going Deeper
— Fasting is mentioned some thirty times in the NT, almost always favorably
— It was inserted four times into the NT where it was not found in the original texts ( Matt 17:21; Mk 9:29; Acts 10:30; 1 Cor 7:5 )
— Proper fasting is a legitimate form of spiritual devotion
— Fasting is an appendage to prayer (cf. Isa 58:8 ) and should be for the purpose of sharing food and clothing
Q: Is it better to be poor or rich? Which is spiritually better ( 6:19-34 )?
Going Deeper
— In these verses ( 25-34) Jesus focuses on the necessities of life: what we drink, eat and wear
— The first passage ( 19-24) is directed at the rich and the second ( 25-34 ) particularly at the poor
— Both being rich and poor have their spiritual problems
— The rich are tempted to trust in their possessions
— The poor are tempted to doubt God’s provision
Treasure in Heaven ( 6:19-24 )
( 6:19-24 ) “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. 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
— Jesus is not advocating poverty as a means of spirituality
— To honestly earn, save, and give is wise and good
— The issue is not specifically wealth but who/ what you serve (worship) or who / what you occupy yourself with
— Jesus is teaching the principle: We become like those we serve & worship
— “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also”: You will become like the gods you worship ( Ps 135:18 )
— It’s easy to see when it’s preoccupation with money, materialism or the accumulation of wealth
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Sin’s Foul Bondage
— But sin blinds us in certain respects and to things that are perfectly obvious
— Paul said, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” ( 2 Cor 4:3-4 )
— And, one of the most obvious statements of this world is that: your treasure cannot follow you to heaven
— Sin also ruins a man; that is the teaching of the bible from beginning to end
— It ruins a man in the sense that, having spent his lifetime in laying up certain things here on earth, he finds himself at the end with nothing
Principle: Be careful who you chose to worship…. Because you will be like them.
( 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.
— To hoard and spend only on ourselves not only is unwise but sinful
— When we hoard our treasures not only can they become a spiritual hindrance but subject to loss through moth, rust and thieves
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” — in other words, He tells us to live in this world, and so to use everything we have, whether our possessions, or gifts, or talents, or propensities, that we shall be laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven
— But the Christian starts by saying, “I am not the possessor of these things; I merely have them on lease, and they do not really belong to me”
— “I cannot take my wealth with me, I cannot take my gifts with me. I am but a custodian of these things”
— And at once the question becomes, How can I use these things to the glory of God?
A Kingdom Economics Echo-cardiogram
Q: How much do you give?
( 6:21 ) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
— The heart!
— And then in 6:24 He talks about the mind — “No man can serve two masters”
— And we should notice the word serve
— These are expressive terms He uses in order to impress upon us the terrible control these things tend to exercise over us
— And it is not only powerful, but subtle; it is the thing that really controls most men’s lives
Q: How much do you share?
A Single Vision ( 6:22-23 )
( 6:22-23 ) “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— The light of the body is, in a sense, the mind, this extraordinary faculty that God gave man
— If, as a result of sin, and because of the control of the heart and lust and passion and desire, this supreme instrument becomes perverted, how great is the darkness!
— Today, man not only believes he is being lead by his mind, but he rejects God
— This is one of the most subtle deeds of Satan; he persuades man that by denying God he is being rational
MacArthur/Sproul
— Jesus is asking the same question with this metaphor as He asked through the metaphor of treasure: what is in your soul?
— If our souls are filled with darkness, how great the darkness
— This is an argument from the lesser to the greater
— If your eye is bad, no light can come in and you are left with darkness because of that malady
— How much worse when the problem is not merely related to external perception, but an internal corruption of one’s whole nature, so that the darkness actually emanates from within and affects one’s whole being
— Jesus was indicting them for their superficial earthly religion that left their hearts dark
Richard France
— Some have called this passage one of the most difficult passages in the gospels
— The eye doesn’t shine light like a lamp, so what does this passage mean?
— This passage is about sharing our stuff; generosity
— In ancient times when eye is combined with something “bad” it implies that this person is stingy
“Do not eat the bread of a miser (bad eye), Nor desire his delicacies;” ( Prov 23:6 )
“A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.” ( Prov 28:22 )
“A miser (bad eye) begrudges bread, and it is lacking at his table.” ( Sirach 14:10 )
— The eye is healthy and this word and it’s related nouns mean generosity, liberality
“that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.” ( 2 Cor 8:2 )
“while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” ( 2 Cor 9:11 )
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” ( James 1:5 )
Paraphrase: The way you view your money is the lamp of the body. So, if you are generous, your whole body will be full of light, but if you are stingy, your whole body will be full of darkness
You can’t have it both ways — A Single Master ( 6:24 )
( 6:24 ) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
— Jesus says we can only have one master
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— The truth of this proposition is obvious: Both make a totalitarian demand upon us
— Earthly treasures demand our entire devotion; they want us to live for them entirely
— Yes, but so does God: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind, and with all thy strength” ( Dt 6:5 )
— Don’t fall into the materialistic trap, because “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil “ ( 1 Tim 6:10 )
— Their desire for money outweighs their commitment to spiritual matters
— Can you honestly say that God, and not money is your master?
— One test is to ask which one occupies more of your thoughts, time and efforts
The man who thinks he is godly because he talks about God, and says he believes in God, and goes to a place of worship occasionally, but is really living for certain earthly things — how great is that man’s darkness! There is a perfect illustration of that in the OT. Study carefully 2 Kings 17:24-41. Here is what we are told. The Assyrians conquered some area; then they took their own people and settled them in that area. These Assyrians of course did not worship God. Then some lions came and destroyed their property. “This,” they said, “has happened to use because we do not worship the God of this particular land. We will get priestly instruction on this.” So they found a priest who instructed them generally in the religion of Israel. And then they thought that all would be well. But this is what Scripture said about them: they “feared the Lord, and served graven images.” … There is nothing in the last analysis that is so insulting to God as to take His name upon us and yet to show clearly that we are serving mammon in some shape or form… It is the greatest insult to God; and how easily and unconsciously we can all become guilty of this
Q: Why is the bible full of this kind of warning? What makes it so necessary for our Lord to warn us about these things?
— Sin has upset the normal balance of man
— God created us body, soul and spirit
— First comes man’s mind (body)
— Second, man’s affections, the heart (soul), the feeling, the sensibility given to man by God
— Thirdly, the will (spirit), the power by which we put into operation that things that we have understood
— Notice how the Lord put it here: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
— He starts with the heart
— Then he goes on to the mind and says, The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
— The heart is first, the mind is second, and the will is third: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
— God intended us to be governed by our mind, heart and will
— Instead, we are governed by the heart, mind and will
— Even non-Christians who attempt to justify themselves intellectually are only attempting to camouflage their desires and lusts
— As the Psalmist puts it perfectly: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” ( Ps 14:1 )
— This is what the unbeliever always says; and he tries to find an intellectual reason to justify it
— It is the heart that covets these worldly things, and the heart in sinful man is so powerful that it governs his mind, his understanding and intellect
Q: What do you worry about most ( 6:25-34 )? Did you ever worry about something and it never happened?
Overcoming Worry ( 6:25-34 )
( 6:25-34 ) “Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
There are many people who may not be guilty of laying up treasures upon earth, but who nevertheless can be very guilty of worldliness, because they are always thinking about these things, being anxious about them and dwelling upon them constantly. . . . To these people the main danger is not the danger of laying up treasures, or worshipping treasures in some shape or form, but the danger of being burdened by these things and being anxious about them.
MacArthur
— Worry is the sin of distrusting the promises and providence of God
— Yet it is a sin that Christians commit more frequently than any other
— Worry is the opposite of contentment which should be our normal state of mind ( Phil 4:11-12; cf. 1 Tim 6:6-8 )
— We should be content because God controls everything
— We should be content because God provides everything; Jehovah-Jireh means “the Lord who provides”
“Be Not Anxious / Do not worry”
— Worry is a sin. It is a form of blasphemy
— It is worry when we say to God, I can take care of this
— Worry is assuming a responsibility that God did not intend for you to have.
— Worry is a trickle of fear that soon cuts a crevice so deep it drains all other thoughts away…
— Don’t worry…. Be happy???? No, don’t worry…. Trust God
— The issue is not to be anxious, it does not say not to think about tomorrow. It is linked to verse before about who is your master; who do you get your provision from? Many mistake this verse and assume that it is not necessary for us to do any planning.
Worry about Food ( 6:26 )
( 6:26 ) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
— Birds are not created in the image of God, yet they do not worry about food
— If God cares for birds, how much more important are you who is created in His image
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— But this is not passive waiting on God
— Birds do not sit on a pole and wait for food to be brought to them
— Our Lord never condemns farmers for ploughing and harrowing and sowing and reaping and gathering into barns
— He never condemns that, for it was God’s command that man should live in that way, by the sweat of his brow
— Paul, by way of the Holy Spirit, said it plainly in 2 Thessalonians: “ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” ( 2 Thes 3:10 )
— Nothing seems to be more natural for man than to worry
— But we are not to worry, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ( Phil 4:6-7 )
— God has given us the gift of life and He will see to it that life is kept going; He is not arguing how it will be done; He is just saying that it will be done
An opposing view or a reality check ?
Does God really provide so bountifully for the birds, which die or are killed in huge numbers every year, often for lack of suitable food, and many of which face the probability of extinction in our shrinking world? Even more pertinently, how are we to maintain the relevance of this teaching to those large numbers of human beings, many of them devout disciples, who simply cannot obtain enough food and die through famine while the affluent part of the world lives in excess? This teaching seems to envisage the world as it should be rather than the world as it is, and while it is true that much of both human and animal suffering can be blamed on human selfishness and greed and our disastrous mismanagement of God’s world, it is not easy to trace a human cause for every famine or disaster, ancient or modern — Richard France
Worry about Longevity ( 6:27 )
( 6:27 ) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
— Worry will not prolong our lives
— But worry might shorten our lives!
Q: If you are man, how many shirts do you own? If you are women, how many dresses? What does Jesus say about worry and clothing ( 6:28-30 )?
Worry about Clothing ( 6:28-30 )
( 6:28-30 ) “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
— Many people have made a God out of fashion
— In Jesus’ day some of the people perhaps only had a single set of clothing to cover their bodies
— Today our worries seldom deal with clothing
— If Jesus told those who had but one simple garment not to worry, what would he say to us?
— To worry about things which we need to survive, Jesus says, is sinful and shows little faith
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Who are these people of little faith? Once more we must remind ourselves that they are Christian people, and only Christian people. Our Lord is not speaking about everybody in the world. The Christian message really has no comfort and consolation to give people who are not Christian. Worlds like these are not addressed to everybody; they are only addressed to those of whom the Beatitudes are true. They are, therefore, addressed to those who are poor in spirit, and those who mourn because of their sense of guilt and of sin, those who have seen themselves as truly lost and helpless in the sight of God, those who are meek and therefore hungering and thirsting after righteousness, realizing that it is only to be obtained in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have faith; the others have no faith at all. So it is spoken of such people only.
— Faith doesn’t just apply to our salvation
— People who believe that become worried and anxious; they don’t seem to have faith with regard to the everyday affairs of live
— Our Lord is concerned about that very thing
— You see that a true faith is a faith that extends to the whole of life — you see it in our Lord Himself and we read it in Hebrews 11
— Little faith does not really take the Scripture as it is and believe it and live by it and apply it
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— Does my Christian faith affect my view of life and control it in all matters?
— When something happens to upset you, do you ask, “Is my reaction essentially different from what it would be if I were not a Christian?”
— Remember what our Lord said earlier in chapter 5: “ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” ( Matt 5:46 )
— The Christian man is one who does more than others
— He is a man who is absolutely different
— And if in every detail of his life this Christianity of his does not come in, he is a very poor Christian, he is a man of little faith
— God uses us to help others and get His resources to those who have less
— Paul collected money to help the poor churches ( cf. Acts 11:27-29; 2 Cor 8:9-15; 1 Tim 6:17-19 )
Worry is unreasonable because of our Faith ( 6:31-33 )
( 6:31-33 ) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
— What is really important to you?
— People, objects, goals and other desires all compete for priority
— Any of these can quickly become more important to you if you don’t actively choose to give God first place in every area of your life
— Memory verse. (Matt 6:33)
— His righteousness (again)
— Put God first….. Added unto you
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— I wonder whether I dare suggest that there is an element of humor introduced at this point
— It seems to me, in effect, that our lord is saying: He has said it twice over, and then has repeated it in various forms
— Do not worry about food and drink and clothing; do not worry about your life in this world; do not worry as to whether God is trying you or not
— And then, as it were, He says: If you want to worry, I will tell you what to worry about
— Worry about your relationship to the Father!
— That is the thing to concentrate on
Worry is unwise because of our Future ( 6:34 )
( 6:34 ) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
— Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, Worrying about tomorrow is time wasted
— When done well, planning can help alleviate worry
— Worries are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God
— Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today
Q: We shouldn’t worry but does that mean we shouldn’t plan for our future (6:34)?
— The need for forecasting:
— Stewardship requirements ( 1 Cor 4:2 )
— Counting the cost ( Lk 14:28 )
Does God Prefer that we are rich or poor?
Does God Prefer that we are rich or poor?
—Before we close chapter 6 a few final thoughts about storing our treasures in heaven and the first Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor” ( Lk 6:20 )
— Is there a connection between spiritual blessings and being poor?
— Does God prefer that we are rich or poor?
— Does Matthew 19 (The Rich Young Ruler) teach that is easier to get into heaven if you are poor?
It all comes from God
— One thing to keep in mind is that God owns everything, we are only stewards
— Whether we are rich or poor, It all comes from God
Agur
— Agur asked to be neither rich or poor
— “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” ( Prov 30:8-9 )
— Agur teaches us something important, since it is clear that his motivation is to honor God
Paul’s Example
— Paul in the NT says that whether we are rich or poor, we are to be content with God’s will for our lives
— “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ( Phil 4:11-13 )
— To Paul it didn’t matter that
—he was confined to an apartment chained to a soldier
— Or living on a sparse diet
— None of this affected his contentment
— He wrote to Timothy “if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” ( 1 Tim 6:8 )
Q: Is there a connection between spiritual blessings and being poor?
— Maybe the poor have an advantage over the rich in that they understand the simple power of the gospel
— They see the effects of sin and the brokenness of the world, the lengths people will go to make money
— They rely on faith for everyday things: clothing, shelter and food and are in constant prayer for these things
Q: Does God prefer that we are rich or poor?
— Reading Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount Luke leaves off “poor in spirit” and simply says poor
— In fact, a running theme in Luke is Jesus’ compassion for the poor, the outcasts, the Gentile, Samaritan, women and children
— In Luke’s telling of the Sermon on the Mount, he records Jesus’ blessings on the poor and woes on the rich in quick succession
— “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” ( Luke 6:20–22, 24–25 )
Q: Does Matthew 19 (The Rich Young Ruler) teach that is easier to get into heaven if you are poor?
— For the gospel to be truly “good news” for the rich there must be bad news and what is “bad” if you have everything?
— We might conclude that it is impossible to get to heaven if you are wealthy
— That was the conclusion of the disciples who asked “Then who can be saved” ( Luke 18:26 )
— Let’s read the story of the rich young ruler record in Matthew 19
The Rich Young Ruler
( 19:16-22 ) Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
— The Rich young Ruler starts off by asking “what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
— Jesus’ teaching about the impossibility of the rich entering the kingdom by their own efforts was a shocking idea to the Jews
— For many centuries the rabbis had taught that accumulation of wealth was a virtue and that it was not only unwise but sinful for a person to give away more than one fifth of what he owned
— He quoted the last five commandments; He then added the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ( Lev 19:18; cf Matt 22:39 )
—Jesus said, If you truly desire eternal life, prove your sincerity by selling your possessions and giving them to the poor
— If he truly lived up to the Mosaic command to love his neighbor as himself, he would be willing to do what Jesus now commanded
— His willingness to obey that command would not merit salvation but it would be evidence that he desired salvation above everything else, as a priceless treasure or a pearl of great value for which no sacrifice could be too great ( 13:44-46 )
— The ultimate test was whether or not the man was willing to obey the Lord; “Trust completely in me” is exactly what the Lord was telling the man when He told him to sell his possessions
— Jesus is not making the case that one must give away everything to merit salvation, but exposing this man’s heart, since he loved his possessions more than his neighbors ( cf Lev 19:19 )
— He refused to obey Christ’s direct command, choosing to server riches rather than obey the Lord
— The issue was to determine if he would submit to the Lord no matter what He asked of him
— He neither acknowledged his sin and repented nor would he submit to the Lord, and both kept him from eternal life
— The Rich Young Ruler had the same Disease as another rich man, Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus
— Matthew doesn’t record the story of Zacchaeus, who was also a tax-collector like Matthew
— Zacchaeus was very wealthy but had the same disease as the Rich young Ruler — the love of money
( Luke 19:1-9 ) Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
— Zacchaeus’ willingness to make restitution was proof of that his conversion was real
— It was the fruit, not the condition, of his salvation
— He is in stark contrast to the rich young ruler
The Lord’s special concern
— Ultimately, Jesus’s special concern for the poor shows their role in the bigger story God is telling.
— Back in Isa. 61:3–4, we see he’s in the business of turning the world’s categories on their heads.
— “To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.” ( Is 61:3-4 )
— Those at the bottom of the present system are precisely the ones that God will use to rebuild what sin has ruined
— The glories of his upside-down kingdom demonstrate His sovereignty over everything
Q: Why does God give us money?
— So that we don’t starve and steal for bread ( like Agur’s prayer)
— That we can bless others in our giving
— That we can be rich in relationships through our giving
— What we have all comes from God and we are caretakers of whatever we receive
— It is more blessed to give than to receive
Final Thoughts
— Interesting to reflect on Jesus’ temptation with Satan
— Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ( Matt 4:8-9 )
— Why did God give Satan all the kingdoms of the world?
— Because they were worthless and of no value compared to knowing and serving the Lord ( Matt 4:10 )
— Think about that when you strive for money and the kingdoms of this world - think of who they belong to now
Summary
— Matthew 6:1-18 can be summarized as
— Alms
— Prayer
— Fasting
— A common theme which is found in Matthew 6:3-4: Do it all in secret
— Whether it is giving to the poor, prayer or fasting, don’t let your left hand know what your right had is doing
— Matthew 6:19-34 is about wealth
— Whether we are rich or poor; God owns it all and it all comes from Him
— God desires that we be content with whatever we have; this should be the goal of every Christian. Reference: Agur (proverbs 30:8-9) and Paul (Phil 4:11-13 )
— Jesus says that the poor are blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 6:20-22)
— Giving out of our blessings to the widows and the poor helps in building God’s kingdom
— Holding onto money hurts many; giving of our money helps many
— Jesus also says that the rich get theirs now and have none in eternity (Luke 6:24-25)
— Jesus example of the rich young ruler teaches us that a man’s heart needs to be focused on Jesus, not material goods. (Matt 19:16-22).
— The story of Zacchaeus shows us that Zacchaeus made Christ his focus and as a result, he made restitution to those he cheated. This was the “fruit” or fruit of his salvation, not the “condition” of his salvation (Luke 19:1-9)
— Bless others with your generosity
Additional Resources
MacArthur, John. Matthew 1-7. Moody Press, 1985.
MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997.
MacArthur, John. How to Pray. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1358
Sermons on the beatitudes: https://www.gty.org/library/topical-series-library/201/the-beatitudes
Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.
Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%206.html
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.
Praying ACTS: https://www.prayerandpossibilities.com/acts-a-guide-to-pray-as-jesus-taught/
Eerdman’s Handbook of World Religions. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.
Does God Prefer we are Rich or Poor? https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-prefer-us-rich-poor/
A Biblical view of Money https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/47-53/the-biblical-view-of-money-part-3
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids:Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1971.