Matthew 6 teaches about the life of faith that should characterize a true follower of God. In this chapter, Jesus stresses the importance of proper motives about giving, prayer, and fasting; three common and legitimate ways to practice righteousness which can become easily compromised due to personal desire for recognition and the praise of others. Our responsibility is to please an audience of One. In verses 1 and 2, the Lord Jesus teaches that we are not to do any charitable work in order to receive accolades from people. This does not impress God and is soon forgotten. The Pharisees were guilty of wanting everyone to observe their "charitable" and "loving" deeds by calling attention to themselves. Trumpets were blown and the act was announced to the public. All of this was for show and not to present the love of God. Verses 3 and 4 state that true charity and acts of compassion are to be done in secret with no attention or focus upon us. It is to be done for the glory of God alone so as to please Him. Our rewards will be proclaimed by Him.
In verses 6-15, Jesus instructed us on the proper motives and structure for effective prayer. Two comparisons of prayer are presented: the self-centered prayers of the Pharisees (Luke 18:9-14) and the God-centered prayers of the common people. Look first at the Pharisees. They tended to pray in public, drawing attention to themselves as examples of "piety". Jesus said that the only reward they would receive would be temporary, worldly praise and nothing more. The Pharisees were also known to engage in repetitive prayers, saying the same things over and over in a rote form of religious practice void of any true devotion or love towards God. They thought that if these prayers were not given on a constant basis, then God would refuse to listen to them. This form of "prayer" was founded on fear and uncertainty, not faith.
Now look at the standards by which God defines authentic prayer and worship. First, personal communion with God is to be a private affair. Save for the High Priestly prayer given by Jesus in John 17 and references to being in prayer all night with the Father as recorded by Luke, we do not have any other record of Jesus' time of prayer as it was a personal and intimate time with the Father, and that should be our pattern as well. When we pray, we need to be away from peers or crowds if possible as this is personal time between you and the Holy, Omnipotent, and All Sustaining Creator of the universe who will reward us openly before others (2 Corinthians 5:10) for what we do in private. Second, we are to be confident in the fact that God knows what we need. He does not ignore nor forget about us. Jesus was preparing His listeners to address God as their Father and not some distant being that was akin to the pagan deities which defined the cultures of Greece and Rome.
Verses 6-9 describe the pattern by which we can boldly and confidently approach the LORD (Hebrews 4:14-16). The focus is upon God the Father who dwells in heaven. He is to be praised as holy, just, and personal, and to be approached as a loving Father towards His children. God is never distant nor unapproachable. He is always there to love and care for those who trust in Him. Verse 10 says that we are to seek what pleases the Father, discern what His will and direction is for our lives, and for the progression of His divine plan both here and in the kingdom of heaven. Verse 11 teaches that we are to ask God for what we need each day. We are to bring our concerns to Him and to trust that He will meet our needs, receiving glory and praise for it all. In verse 12, Jesus teaches that we need to ask the Father to grant us forgiveness as we forgive others. We are to forgive our adversaries with the same attitude that God forgives us. True forgiveness holds no grudges nor harbors memories of the past and has a short memory. There is no good in holding on to that which cannot be changed. No one can go back in time to rectify wrongs. God is in charge of avenging all wrongdoing and will settle all accounts on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25).
Verse 13 shows how we are to avoid those situations of spiritual compromise and inevitable sin. We are to ask God to keep us away from those situations, whatever they may be. We are to ask that we be kept away from the schemes and plans of the devil (evil one). We need constant protection and rescue from God's enemy and the sources of evil that are present in this world. One wrong act or compromising situation can ruin our testimony. No one should ever think that they are immune from the snares of the world. The wreckage of ministries and people begin with the deadliest words to come from the mouth of humanity: "It will never happen to me." This "personal fable" has caused heartache and other consequences to fester throughout history. The "Model Prayer" from the Lord Jesus concludes with verses 14-15, where the issue of forgiveness is emphasized again. We must forgive others of their acts and words if we really confess that our love and service to God is authentic. Harboring a spirit of unforgiveness results in God's unforgiveness of our sins.
May we truly take what the Lord Jesus has taught us to our hearts, minds, and lives. Let our faith be real in these last days before His soon return. Are you ready?
donaldwhitchard@outlook.com
www.realitycityreverend.com
