Matthew 6:1
Let’s read Matthew chapter 6, verses 1-4. "Take heed that you
do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise
you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore
when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I
say unto you, They have their reward. But when you do
alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does. That your alms may
be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
himself shall reward you openly."
In these 4 verses the
word "alms" is used 4 times, once in each verse. It is
interesting to note that in the original Greek text, a different word is used
in verse 1 than is used in the other three verses. Actually
the word in verse 1 literally should be translated “righteous acts” or “good
deeds”. "Take
heed that you do not your good deeds before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you have no reward of your Father who is in heaven." This principle is true for any good deed.
The motive is the key. If you do the right thing but with the wrong motive;
then you are in trouble, the trouble being that you will get no reward for it.
Jesus has talked about rewards before. Again the teaching is very clear: Good works do not
determine if we get to heaven or not, but they are key to determining some of
the things that will happen to us in heaven; and therefore according to Jesus,
they are important. Our eternal destiny involves more than just the question of
us going to heaven or hell. It also involves the question of what our
responsibilities, opportunities, and activities will be once we get to heaven, and
all of this will revolve around what rewards we will earn. Jesus makes it clear
that these rewards will not only be based on what we do, but also why we do it.
In the next several verses of Matthew
chapter 6 Jesus refers to two different actions that are easily corrupted
because they are done with the wrong attitude: giving and praying. In talking
about giving, Jesus refers to the giving of alms. This is giving to the poor.
There is no shame in being poor. Jesus Himself was poor especially during the time
of His 3-year public ministry. With all of the ups and downs of life, any of us
could very easily find ourselves in need. In our society even some very rich
people have lost everything. To have compassion on those that are less
fortunate than ourselves is a part of godliness.
The thing to be careful about in giving,
according to Jesus, is not the amount that you give or the percentage that you
give, but the reason that you give. Absolutely the most important thing about
giving is to make sure that you do not give to be seen of men, or to receive
honor or glory from men. There is nothing wrong with giving anonymously. We
should be careful to not pay attention to the amount of money that is given by
others. Sometimes someone who claims to be a teacher of the Bible will give
honor and praise to those who have given a large sum of money to their
organization. But when Jesus saw the rich casting large sums of money into the
treasury, He disregarded them and gave honor to a poor widow who gave only two
pennies. Something has gone wrong with organized Christianity when some of
these organizations must constantly seek huge sums of money to continue in
business. It was not that way with Jesus and His disciples. The Gospel is free.
If anyone gives the impression that you must pay for the Gospel, it is because
they do not have the real thing. The Gospel is free because it has already been
paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus said, "And when you pray,
you shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Truly I say unto you, They have their reward. But you,
when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray
to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall
reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen
do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not you
therefore like unto them; for your Father knows what things you have need of,
before you ask Him."
In talking about prayer Jesus told us to
not be like the hypocrites and to not be like the heathen. The hypocrites pray
in public, in order to be seen of men. Instead of communicating with God, they
are simply pretending to be religious in order to gain status from men. There
is something about public prayer that lends itself to hypocrisy. Prayer was
meant to be a human being talking with God. A person praying in public must be
careful to forget that other people are listening to him. The one who is
praying must therefore choose words that are meant for God and not for the
people who are listening. Have you ever heard a prayer at the end of a sermon
that was simply an extension of the sermon? It was not a prayer if it was meant
for the people to hear, instead of for Christ to hear.
Jesus said that prayer was meant to be
secret. That way there is no chance that what is being prayed is directed
toward human listeners. I heard of a situation recently from the news media
where at the end of a trial a pastor prayed publicly in the courtroom in front
of the jury and everyone else. After hearing the prayer, the judge ruled that
the prayer was actually a message to the jury against the accused, and
therefore a mistrial was declared by the judge. This was evidently a situation
of a very wise judge and of a preacher who did not pay attention to the
teaching of Jesus about prayer that is recorded here in Matthew chapter 6.
Jesus said that prayer was meant to be in
secret. One benefit of this is that no one can ever tell you that you cannot
pray in a certain situation or circumstance. Because true prayer is secret you
can always pray whenever you want. You can pray at public schools before,
during, and after class. You can pray at football games, in the gym, and in the
cafeteria. You can pray, not only before you eat, but before each bite and
while you are chewing each bite of food. You can pray while you are driving
your car or while you are stopped at a stoplight. You can pray while you are at
work or while you are at home. You can pray standing, sitting, or lying down.
The thing that is important according to Jesus is that your prayers are in
secret and not in public to be seen of men.
Jesus said to not be as the hypocrites when
we pray, and He also said to not be as the heathen when we pray. The heathen are those who are separated from God. They do not know God,
and therefore they do not know or understand what true prayer is. You and I
were also heathen until we were brought into contact with God through the grace
that is in Jesus Christ. The important point to remember according to Jesus is
to not use vain repetitions. Our Father who cares for us knows what we have
need of before we ask. As a matter of fact, most of the things that He gives to
us; that sustains our lives, we do not ask for. For example, we do not pray
before each beat of our heart; that God will allow it to beat one more time.
But each beat of our heart is only with His permission, and when He is finished
with us, it will stop beating, but not until He is finished.
Prayer is when we talk to God. According to
Jesus, it is not simply a session in which we present one request after another.
Although, we certainly are invited to make requests to Him. James said, "You have not
because you ask not." But Jesus
said to make sure that we do not ask repetitively about the same things. God
has a memory that is much better than an elephant. Once we ask Him something,
He is not going to forget that we asked Him.
Sometimes, it is a lack of faith for us to ask Him the same thing over
and over and over again. Ask once, thank Him for taking care of it, and think
of something else to talk with God about.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:8, "your Father knows
what things you have need of before you ask Him."
If you are one of God’s children through Jesus, God is going to take care of
you. You can be sure of that. No matter what happens through a natural
disaster, a personal disaster, or a financial or health problem, God is going
to take care of you. Instead of constantly asking Him for things, spend some
time thanking Him for what He is already planning to do for you.
The Bible says in Matthew chapter 6: 9-13. "After this manner
therefore pray you: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for
ever. Amen."
This passage of scripture is commonly
called the Lord’s prayer. It may be better to call this the disciple’s prayer
instead of the Lord’s prayer because the Lord was telling us how to pray. We do
need to note that He did not tell us to memorize these words and to pray the
exact words, but He said in verse 9: "after this manner pray you." Jesus is not telling us the words to say
repetitively in prayer, but He is telling the ideas and attitudes that should
always be present when we speak to God.
First, Jesus tells us to remember to whom
we are speaking when we pray. We are speaking to "our Father". Your parents did not give you life. God gave you life and
He used your parents to bring you into the world in the circumstances that He
chose for you. He is also your spiritual Father if you have experienced the
spiritual birth through the grace that is in Jesus Christ. Everyone needs a Father, a loving, caring, strong, and wise Father. God can
be your Father; the same spiritual Father that everyone else has, who is a
child of God. Many of the problems of the youth of our day are blamed on the
fact that some of them have to grow up without a father. They can have God as
their Father, who is able to more than compensate for the absence of an earthly
Father.
"Our Father which art in heaven." Actually,
Jesus used the plural for heaven in this verse, and we could translate, "Our Father who is in the heavens." "Heavens" in the plural refers to three different
spheres. The first is the clouds and the rest of the earth’s atmosphere. The
second is that which is beyond the earth’s atmosphere: the rest of the
universe. And the third is the spiritual abode of God: the
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." The name of God is to be reverenced and honored
whenever we think of it and whenever we use it. His name stands for who He is
and what He is: loving, good, kind, compassionate, forgiving, and merciful. The
way that we use His name will show what is in our heart. It may be the greatest
indicator of all of someone’s spiritual condition: how they use God’s name. One
of the Ten Commandments says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
In verse 10 Jesus said that our prayers
should contain the thought: "Thy kingdom come."
We become members of the
Jesus also said in verse 10 to pray, "Thy will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven." Even though we look for, wait for, and hope for the
kingdom of God; we cannot forget that we have responsibilities on the earth
until such time as God chooses to set up His kingdom. And even though we know
that many of the problems of this world will not be resolved until the
Jesus said in verse 11 that we should
also pray, "Give
us this day our daily bread." It
is interesting that in this outline given by Jesus of the important things to
pray about, the only one that is truly material in nature is this acknowledgement
that we depend upon God for our daily bread.
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Copyright; 2007 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved