Matthew 6 - Continuation of The Sermon on the Mount

Jesus teaches how to pray with a sincere heart and humble manner, He teaches believers should trust in God and not worry about daily needs. Jesus teaches about fasting and giving to the poor in need and warns against stockpiling money and possessions on earth.

 ¹Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired, for then you will lose the reward from the Heavenly Father. (Its hard to keep a good deed secret).

 ²Therefore 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. When you help someone or give a gift to someone, don't shout about it or go around telling everybody what you did calling attention to your act of charity like the hypocrites do. If you do; this is the only reward you will ever get. Some people need everyone to see that they are trying to be a good person. (Complements their insecurity).

 ³But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: When you do a kindness to someone, do it secretly. You don't need to tell everyone to show them how great you are. (Then your just boasting).

 ⁴That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Do your good deeds in secret, then the Heavenly Father who knows all secrets will reward you for your kindness towards others. "Give God the credit, He is the one who gave you the intention and kind heart."

 ⁵And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who pretend piety by praying publicly in front of others where everyone can see you, because that is all the reward you will ever get, and your prayers may not be answered. It may make you feel so holy or religious in front of others, but that is about the extent of it.

 ⁶But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. When you pray, let it be in secret by yourself and pray to the Heavenly Father secretly, and the Heavenly Father who knows your secrets will reward you.

 ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Don't recite the same prayer like the heathen do over and over thinking your prayers will only be answered by repeating them again and again.

 ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Remember, your Heavenly Father knows exactly what you "need" even before you ask Him. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6). Don't worry about things, God takes care of His own. Pray for what you may need and always thank God for everything you have.

 ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Sanctify (bless), His name, and treat Him like He is Holy, for He loves you and is your Heavenly Father. (Psalm 111:9, 115:3, Revelation 4:11).

 ¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom right here on earth. (Revelation 11:15). Its all about God's will being done here on earth, not mans will. (Matthew 7:21, John 6:40, 1 Peter 4:2). Do you think we are all doing God's will here on earth today?

 ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day what we may need. (According to God's will, not ours). "He knows what you need to get through the day." (Its not always about what we want).

 ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. If you want your debts forgiven, you must learn to forgive others that may owe you.

 ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. "The Lord's Prayer." God will always deliver us from evil as stated in (I Corinthians 10:13), and He will never let any temptation come upon us that we cannot handle. He will always show us a way out.

 ¹⁴For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: If you can forgive others who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will then forgive you when you sin against others.

 ¹⁵But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. If you cannot forgive others of their faults, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you either. The word (if) here, makes it conditional.

 ¹⁶Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. If you fast, don't do it publicly like the hypocrites, telling others and looking like you are fasting so others will feel sorry for you. If you do, it will be the only reward you will get. (Secrecy is the key here).

 ¹⁷But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; When you fast, clean yourself up and put on fresh clothing. (You don't need to look the part of one fasting to impress others). "God knows your heart."

 ¹⁸That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Make it so others will not know what you are doing and suspect you are hungry, except the Heavenly Father who knows every secret. Quit trying to please others, but rather please God, and He will reward you.

 ¹⁹Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Treasures: Wealth, credit, deposits. (People are so into the money). Don't let your heart or mind think your salvation depends upon your wealth. "You can't buy your way to heaven." Wealth can bring you more trouble that its worth in this world. Jesus tells us that it is so hard for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:24). A true Christian can be content with having food, clothing, and a roof over their head. (1 Timothy 6:8). Most who are rich in wealth fall into the temptations of this world sooner or later. (1 Timothy 6:9). Why? Because the love of money is the root of all evil, and many have turned from the faith because of it. (1 Timothy 6:10, 1 John 2:15-16).

 ²⁰But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Build your works in Heaven... Your works, good deeds or (righteous acts) if you will, are the only things that will follow you to Heaven. (Revelation 14:13).

 ²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If your treasures are in Heaven your heart will be there too. (Isaiah 33:6). If your treasures are in built up in the world, chances are you will have a worldly heart. (Luke 12:34, 2 Corinthians 4:18).

 ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. If the eye is clear... Your eye is the mirror to the soul. "A clear eye can be a sign of one who has the light in their soul." (Luke 11:34-36).

 ²³But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Some people are just dark and void of God's Word or belief in Him. (Ephesians 4:18). A cloudy eye can be a sign of a possessed person or one in deep spiritual darkness. It is hard to determine how deep their darkness goes.

 ²⁴No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve God and money. (Luke 16:13, 1 Timothy 6:9). Mammon: Strong's G3126 "mammonas" meaning wealth, that is, avarice (intense desire), or defied (acquired with boldness). "Ill gotten gains of the world" by deception or taking advantage of others to better yourself. However, even if you get your money legally, and it is just your main goal to be wealthy (intense desire), you will never be able to serve both masters. (I know many wealthy preachers won't like that statement). "They think they can serve God and money, and its God making them wealthy." God does not care about worldly wealth, He cares about spiritual wealth. (God will always supply you with what you need, not always with what you want or think you deserve). "Trust in the "Living God" who gives us richly all things to enjoy." (1 Timothy 6:17).

 ²⁵Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Don't always worry about things! If you always worry about material things or money, it will take you away from God. Don't miss out on blessings by always worrying, rather trust in the Heavenly Father. The martial artist Bruce Lee once quoted: Life is like a finger pointing to the sky; "don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss out on all the heavenly glory."

 ²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Don't you think your Heavenly Father cares more about you than the birds of the earth? He loves and cares about you as His child.

 ²⁷Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Worrying will not add one day to your life. (actually it might take away from your life).

 ²⁸And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Don't worry about material clothes... God will always supply your needs. It is the Gospel armor that we should be worried about putting on. (Ephesians 6:11-17).

 ²⁹And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Look how God dresses the beautiful flowers of the earth, even Solomon (in all his glory), was not dressed as beautiful as them.

 ³⁰Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Even the beauty of the wildflowers wither away in little time, but your here to stay for a while. Don't worry about it... God always takes care of His own, so have a little faith.

 ³¹Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Here is a more important thought. Remember that the famine in the end times is for hearing the Word of God. (Amos 8:11). Christ is that bread of life that we should be concerned with. (Matthew 4:4). "When your belly is full, make sure your spirit is fed as well."

 ³²(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. This is what the heathen nations seek (unbelievers or heathens). Our Heavenly Father already knows what we need as believers. (Luke 12:30).

 ³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek the Kingdom of God! Live righteously, take action, and seek the "truth of His Word" and make Him first in your life, and He will give you everything you need for peace of mind and happiness in this world.

 ³⁴Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Today's troubles are enough to worry about if your a worrywart. Forget about tomorrow, "take it one day at a time." (Luke 11:3, Hebrews 13:5-6, John 14:27, 16:33).

Keep the faith,
Barton