Category: Matthew 6

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Luke Luke 12 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Worry

The gospels

This is one of those passages that I know in my head, but I don’t know if it has truly sunk into my heart. In fact, I’m pretty sure it hasn’t.

I know because I still worry about stuff, most recently about my job and my finances.

So when I read this, my mind says, “That makes sense. God takes care of the birds. He takes care of the flowers of the field. Surely he will take care of me.”

And yet, I still find myself worrying about things. How can I save more money? Will I be able to get a better job?

While some things I worry about are to a degree controllable, other things are, at least to some degree, not.

So again, my mind says, “You’ve done what you can. Now leave it in God’s hands. Be at peace.”

But my heart wars against it and continues to worry.

I can just hear Jesus speaking to me, “O you of little faith! The world runs after these things, but don’t you know that your Father cares about you? Don’t you know he’ll take care of your needs?

So take your eyes off these things and put it on him. If you do, if you seek him and his kingdom above all things, he will take care of you.”

To be honest, because I struggle with this so much, all I can think of to do is to pray. Please feel free to join me.

Father, you said that you love me. That you care for me. I do believe it. But Lord increase my faith. I have so little of it, and that’s why I worry so much.

But Lord, you have been faithful to me in the past. I have no real reason to doubt you. Why do I doubt you now?

Lord, help me to get my eyes off of my worries, and on to you, that “all things that surround [may] become shadows in the light of you.”

You are the only true reality. Help me to focus on you. And to trust. In Jesus name, amen.

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Setting our sights

The gospels

I talked briefly yesterday about how if we set our sights on the sins we want to avoid, saying constantly to ourselves “I have to stay away from this,” we are actually more likely to fall to temptation.

A better way to fight temptation is to set our sights on God and follow him.

But this is true not only in temptation. It’s true in every aspect of our lives.

Jesus here talks about where we set our sights in everyday life, saying,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

He then says,

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)

So the question is, “Where are we setting our sights?”

For many people, they set their sights on what is temporary; on money, on things.

But Jesus warns us that these things will not last. That we are to set our hearts on that which is eternal. What is eternal?

Only two things: Our relationship with God, and our relationships with those who put their faith in Jesus.

There is nothing else on this earth that we can take with us into heaven.

And so this is what we need to be setting our sights on here on earth: Developing our relationship with God. Sharing the gospel with those who don’t know Christ. And developing our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

By doing this, we earn for ourselves treasures in heaven. For what greater treasure is there than a relationship with the God who loves us and with those we love?

But so many people, even Christians, set their hearts on money. On the things of this world.

Jesus warns that we can’t do this. God doesn’t accept half-hearted service. Either we serve money or we serve him.

Jesus asks in this passage what kind of eyes we have. Do we have eyes that see things as they really are? Do we have eyes that see what’s truly important?

He says that if we do, our life will be filled with light. We’ll live a life worth living, the kind of life God intended for us. A life centered around relationships.

But if we don’t, our life will be filled with darkness.

We’ll be stumbling around unfulfilled and never knowing why. We’ll constantly be grasping for money and other things that ultimately leave us empty if we make them our life’s pursuit.

And he laments that if what we think is “light” is truly darkness, how great that darkness truly is. So he warns in Luke 11:35,

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

How about you? What are your eyes set on?

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: A daily spiritual battle

The gospels

Every day, we are fighting a spiritual battle. That’s why Jesus instructed us to pray,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13)

We’re living in an evil world, in which the prince of darkness dwells. And he is hostile to us. He will do anything to bring us down from within or without.

From within, he tries to get us to fall to our own sinful nature, to give into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

And so we are to pray that God would lead us. That we would keep our eyes on him, following him, rather than our own sinful nature.

Everyone knows their weak points. And to some degree, it’s good to be aware of them. To avoid doing things that would bring you to the point of temptation.

But if we spend all our time focusing on what we shouldn’t be doing, chances are that the temptation will only grow.

If on the other hand, we keep our eyes on God, we’re much more likely to avoid temptation. It’s not enough to just avoid sin. We need to follow God.

But beyond temptations, Satan wants to hurt us. He will attack us, and many times he’ll use the broken people of this world to hurt us.

Other times, he’ll whisper his lies into our mind, saying things like, “You’re no good. God can’t love you. You messed up too badly this time. He can’t forgive you.”

So Jesus tells us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.”

We are in a war against an enemy that hates us. So let us remember the words of Peter, who said,

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

And let us pray that God in his grace would limit his influence on our lives.

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Not an option

The gospels

This is one of the hardest passages in scripture for many people to deal with. Jesus teaches us to pray,

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:12-15)

Very strong words, and ones that Jesus will expand upon in other passages.

But let’s start with the prayer. “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Many people pray this so often, that they don’t think about what they’re saying. But imagine praying this.

“I’m really angry at my sister. She said something really hurtful, and I can never forgive her. So Lord, please, please, in the same way that I refuse to forgive my sister, don’t forgive any of my sins either.”

That’s essentially what you’re praying when you pray the Lord’s prayer.

You’re saying, “God, inasmuch as I forgive others, forgive me. But if I don’t forgive others, please don’t forgive me.

Inasmuch as I pour out unforgiveness and ‘ungrace’ in the life of those around me, pour out your unforgiveness and ‘ungrace’ in my life.”

In God’s eyes, forgiveness is not an option. You cannot hold on to unforgiveness in your life and expect God’s grace and mercy in yours.

Why? Because God has forgiven you though you didn’t deserve it, and he paid a massive price in order to do it. It cost him the life of his Son.

You could do nothing to earn his forgiveness. You could do nothing to ‘pay back God’ for all the wrongs that you have done. And yet he extended his mercy to you.

Since God did that for us, how can we possibly withhold forgiveness and mercy from others?

To withhold forgiveness from others means that you truly don’t understand God’s forgiveness in your life. It’s to downplay your own sin and to say, “My sin wasn’t so bad; that’s why God could forgive me.”

Your sin was bad enough to separate you from God for all eternity in hell. Your sin was so bad, that it cost Jesus his life on the cross. How then can you say, “My sin wasn’t so bad?”

If you cannot forgive others their sins, then quite simply, you are taking your own sin too lightly.

No Christian who has a strong sense of just how bad his sin is, and how much God has forgiven them can possibly withhold forgiveness from another.

Two things to meditate on.

First, how seriously do you take sin in your life? Do you realize that it was and is serious enough to send you to hell?

Second, if God forgave you for such serious offenses, how can you not forgive those who have committed serious offenses against you?

Is it easy? No. Depending on the level of hurt you experienced, it’s difficult, if not impossible…in your own strength.

But the same mercy and grace that God poured in your life so that you could be forgiven is the same mercy and grace that he will pour in your life so that you can forgive others…if you’re willing to be changed.

Are you? It starts with a prayer.

Lord, I’ve been hurt, and right now, I don’t even have the desire to forgive. But you forgave me though I didn’t deserve it, and you paid a great price so that I could.

Help me to understand that more. Let it sink into my heart and my mind. And give me the desire to forgive. Change me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Praying for our needs

The gospels

One of the most amazing things to me is that the God of this whole universe cares about me, even the simple and perhaps mundane things. Yet he does. And so Jesus tells us to pray,

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Jesus will talk about this in more detail later when he talks about anxiety, but God does care that we have what we need to live. Food. Clothes. A place to stay. Of course, all of these things require money. And to have money, we need a job.

So often we worry about these things. It is, I must admit, something that I’m thinking about constantly as I interview for a new job next week.

But God doesn’t call us to worry about these things. To let these things dominate our mind. Rather, he calls us to pray about them and leave them in his hands, knowing that our heavenly Father loves us and will meet our needs.

How often do we worry about things instead of praying? (I’m speaking to myself too, by the way).

I suppose the big question we need to ask is, “Do I really think my Father really cares about me? That he really will give me all I need?”

Because if we would just realize this, all our worries would shrink and disappear.

How about you? Are you worrying about the circumstances of your life, or are you praying?

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: His Kingdom, His Will

The gospels

I was in a quandary this morning. I was asked in for an interview for a job that would be higher paying and have better benefits than the one I have now. Whether I’ll get it or not, I don’t know.

My current company, however, seemed to be doing whatever they could to prevent me from going to the interview. They denied me a day off, for reasons that were not clear, and so I was trying to find a way to go to the interview without breaking conscience.

In the end, by God’s grace, everything worked out. With the vice-principal’s and head English teacher’s help (I work at a junior high school), I was able to convince my employer to give me a half-day off for which I’m truly grateful.

As for whether I’ll get the job or not, we’ll see.

What does this have to do with this blog? Well, we’re praying, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ll be honest. I was very stressed this morning. I felt like I was being treated “unfairly” as I mentioned several blogs ago. And as I said then, I couldn’t control my circumstances. All I could control was my attitude, and it was difficult.

But in the end, I had to say, “Lord, your will be done.”

I didn’t know what my current employer would say when I went to work this morning, and even now, I don’t know if I can even get this job I’m interviewing for.

But I’m praying, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Your will in heaven is perfectly done. I pray that it would be perfectly done on earth, and especially right now, in this situation.

If you want me to get this job, work everything out. If not, help me to accept your will.”

But another part of this prayer is “Your kingdom come.”

As important as getting this job is to me, my first priority needs to be his kingdom.

Honestly, I feel I can do more for God’s kingdom with this job. I’d have more time to do the things I think God wants me to do, to go along with the better pay and benefits.

I read further than this passage today, I will admit, because I was reading where Jesus was saying not to be anxious about this life.

And the thing that caught my eye was Matthew 6:33, where he says to seek God’s kingdom first. And if we do that, everything will fall in place.

Like I said, I don’t know how things will fall out. But as God gives me grace, my prayer is, “Your kingdom come, your will be done. In my life. And in the world around me.”

Lord, you know my stress. You know my worries. But you are Lord of all. Lord of my employer. More importantly, Lord of me.

Let your will be done. In my job situation. With my future. And let me always keep in focus your kingdom above all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: The one who is worthy of our honor

The gospels

We now hit the second part of the Lord’s prayer, or as some have correctly pointed out, what’s really the “Disciples’ prayer.”

Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed be your name.”

Although I’ve been a Christian a long time, and I kind of like the word “Hallowed” in the Lord’s prayer, it really isn’t a word we use nowadays. I doubt very many people ever use it outside the Lord’s prayer.

What does it mean? Basically it means to recognize and revere something or someone as holy. Which brings up the next question. What does “holy” mean? Essentially, it comes down to his perfection and purity in nature and character. There is no flaw in either.

This is in contrast to us who are far from perfect and far from pure in our nature and character.

So when we look at God in his perfection and purity, we are to stand in awe of that and honor him for who he is.

But to merely stand in awe is not enough. As we admire his perfection and purity, it should also stir something in our hearts that desires to be like him.

Just as a child longs to be like their father or mother, so we should have a heart that desires to be like our Heavenly Father. That strives to be like him. That desires to please him. And that groans at our imperfections and our impurities.

To pray “hallowed be your name,” leaves no room for us to live a life of sin. To say, “Well, God will forgive me for my sin, so I’ll just do my own thing.”

To pray “hallowed be your name,” if you are a true child of God, is to say, “Lord I so stand in awe of you, and I love you so much, that I want to be like you. Help me.”

And he will. God takes great delight when his children imitate him.

And though we may occasionally fall into the muck and mire of our sin (as we inevitably will), he will lift us out of our brokenness, wash us clean with the blood of his Son, take our hand, and lead us forward, teaching us and giving us the power to become more like Him.

How about you? Do you stand in awe of God, and desire to become more like him?

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Our Father

Father and child

I suppose I could breeze through the Lord’s prayer, but I just felt it might be good to take it a line at a time.

In these passages, Jesus teaches us how to address God. In Matthew, he says, “Our Father in heaven.”

In Luke, he simplifies it to “Father.”

Why did Jesus tell us to address God as Father?

I think the reason is because he wanted us to know it was okay to draw close to God.

It is by no means wrong to call God things like, “Sovereign Lord.” It is in fact appropriate, for that is what he is. Peter himself addressed God that way in the book of Acts. (Acts 4:24)

But to call God that does seem to put some distance between you and him. Certainly, a king and his servant have a relationship, but it almost never is a relationship where the servant can ask for the king’s attention at any time.

But a king’s child can. He has access that a mere servant doesn’t have. More than that, he has the confidence that his daddy loves him and delights in him.

Our Father is a great king. He rules in heaven and his dominion extends throughout the universe and beyond.

Yet he always has time for you because he is not simply your king; he is your Father.

The problem that many people have, however, is they can’t truly understand what it means to say God is our Father.

They can’t understand because their own earthly fathers were imperfect. They never listened. They never loved. They never cared. They never provided. They were never there. Or in some cases, were even abusive.

And we take all these negative images of our fathers here on earth and overlay them on God.

But God isn’t our earthly father. He is our Father in heaven. And all the things your earthly father isn’t or wasn’t, God is.

He cares. He listens. He loves. He provides. And he is always there.

What image do you have of God, when you hear “God is our Father?”

Hopefully you have a positive one that allows you to draw near.

But if you have a negative one, understand that God is different from the father you know.

Pray that God would heal you from the hurts your father caused you. Pray that you can forgive your father. And pray that God could reshape your view of what a father is so that you can truly understand who God is.

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Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Empty words

Matthew

Prayer is simple. And yet somehow, it is difficult.

At its base, prayer is simply talking to God, just as you would talk to any other person.

If that’s all prayer is, why is it so difficult sometimes then? I suppose it’s because we don’t get audible answers back. It would be so much easier if we could actually converse with God like Moses did.

But because we don’t, we often wonder, “Is God hearing me? Am I even doing this ‘prayer thing’ right?”

So instead of just talking, we often turn to formulas. We turn the Lord’s prayer found here in Matthew and in Luke 11 into our formula for prayer.

But prayer is not a mere formula nor was it ever meant to be.

When we look at the Lord’s prayer, it gives us an idea of what prayer should look like, and what kinds of things we should be praying about. But it’s not meant to be prayed as a magic formula to get God to hear you.

Too often, though, people take the Lord’s prayer and turn it into a formula. They think that just because they say the words, God will hear them. After all, that’s what Jesus told us to pray, right?

But Jesus tells us here in verses 7-8,

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)

In other words, when you talk to God, talk normally. You don’t need special words. You don’t need to pray using long, flowery speech. None of these things impress God. All he wants to hear from you is your heart.

Sometimes people ask, “If God already knows what I need, if he already knows my thoughts, why pray?”

The best reason I can give is he wants to engage with you.

Sure, he doesn’t have to hear our voice to know what we’re thinking. Sure, he could just give us our needs without our asking.

But by praying, we engage with the living God. And that’s what he wants more than anything else.

But it’s impossible to engage with him if we’re just mindlessly repeating words we’ve memorized.

It’s impossible to engage with him if we’re busy trying to figure out the right formula to get him to answer our prayers.

He hears. More than that he will speak if we will just listen.

So let’s stop the formulas and mindless prayers and simply engage with the living God by telling him our hearts and holding nothing back from him.

How about you? Are you truly engaging God in your prayers? Or are you just saying words?

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Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Why we do what we do

Matthew

The one thing that Jesus often points to throughout this sermon is our hearts. And in this passage, he makes it clear that God not only looks at our actions, but our motivations as well.

He said,

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

He then gives three examples. First, he talks about giving.

In those days, people would basically announce to the world when they were about to give some money to the poor. In full view of everyone, they would show their great “generosity” and “compassion” for the poor.

But Jesus said, “You won’t receive any reward from God for this. You have already received your reward: the admiration of others, and the pride that comes from it.”

Then he talked about prayer, how some people prayed these long, loud prayers, showing just how spiritual they were to those around.

I’m sure there have been times when you have heard prayers and you wondered just who the person was talking to.

Finally, he pointed out how many people look like they’ve been sucking on lemons for a week (loose translation) when they fast to show how spiritual they’ve been.

And Jesus makes it clear: God will not reward any of these things. Rather, he rewards the things done in secret. The things that only he knows about. The things not done for show, but out of our love for him.

It’s very easy to point at others and criticize them, but how about you?

Are you constantly concerned about what others think of you? Are you constantly concerned about how spiritual you appear to others?

Or are you genuine?

You may fool others (although I wouldn’t bet on it), but you can’t fool God. It is not enough to do the right thing. You need to have the right motivation.

What’s the right motivation? Again, your love for God. And your love for others. Nothing else matters.

Notice that both of these things are outwardly focused. When we become inwardly focused, constantly thinking about what others think of us, then all the things we do, no matter how good, become worthless in the eyes of God.

I have to admit: I struggle with this a lot. I constantly have to ask myself, “Who am I trying to please?”

When I speak at church, am I trying to impress people with my spirituality, or am I truly letting God speak through me?

Whenever I do anything for God, whose approval am I trying to win?”

Who are you trying to please? Why are you doing what you’re doing?