Bible Study For You

KINGDOM LIFE – THE SERMON THE MOUNT – LESSON 9

REWARDS IN GIVING, PRAYER AND FASTING

            Summary - Moving into the first half of chapter 6 in Matthew’s gospel, continuing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, our study questions looked at the Lord’s admonitions regarding the intentions of the heart when we give, when we pray, and when we fast.  Our works of righteousness are not for the purpose of graining praise. The amount of the gift, the eloquence of the prayer, or the severity of the fast is not the issue, but the attitude of the heart. The best known passage in Matthew 6:1-18 is what is commonly referred to as ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ where Jesus gave us a pattern of prayer by which we can express our own personal praises, petitions, and thanks to God.

            Motives in giving - The Lord makes it clear that giving to the poor with incorrect motives may bring praise in the world, but no heavenly rewards. He gave instructions to prevent our tumbling into the pit of sinful pride.  The heart that gives, whether pure or contaminated by a desire for personal recognition, will be judged accordingly. Scripture is clear. God hates pride. Therefore, Jesus tells us not to let our left hand know what the right is doing, lest we become overcome with conceit. Our acts of benevolence should be so secret that we don’t even remember doing them. When we give in secret we will be rewarded by the one who sees the secrets of the heart. Rather than privately rehearsing our goodness to ourselves to feel puffed up, or even bragging in feigned humility to someone else, we must remember how small our works are in comparison to the ‘work’ which Christ did on the cross for us.

            Motives in Prayer - In regard to prayer, there is emphasis on the intimate and secret relationship we can have with our Father in heaven. There are two general setting in which we pray; private and corporate. In either case, we are not to babble, repeating memorized prayers over and over. When we are praying we have an audience with God, a personal appointment with Him.  Our attention needs to be on Him and not on whether others are listening in, approving of what we say. When we are alone, going through the motions of prayer can easily replace speaking from the depths of our heart. Often we are either praying to other people or to ourselves rather than to God the Father. (And we must beware of giving God directions on how to answer us!) The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful prayer, but to just pray it over and over without understanding or applying it can be meaningless. Some Christian groups teach the continual repetition of certain prayers, but it seems clear that Jesus is warning against that practice. We will know when we are praying with a sincere heart if His presence becomes more real and vivid with each word of praise, worship, petition and thanksgiving.   

            Contrasts in prayer - Jesus gave an example, contrasting the prayers of a Pharisee and a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:11-14, EVS).  There are four glaring flaws in the Pharisee’s prayer.  

            (1) He was arrogant. He thought that he was better than other men. Such thinking is always a mistake, and scripture tells us to always think of others more highly than ourselves. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”( Romans 12:3, ESV).

            (2) He was self-righteous. Because he was not a robber, evildoer or an adulterer he thought he was exempt from being a sinner. The Pharisee mentioned specific sins which are outward manifestations of law-breaking, but he didn’t take into account the conceit and pride in his own heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17, ESV).

            (3) The Pharisee assumed he was superior. He judged the tax collector as inferior to him. Only God can judge the motives of a man’s heart. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (Samuel 16:7, ESV).

            (4) Lastly, this man was legalistic. He equated tithing and keeping the letter of the law as a pass to win special favor with God. He missed the spirit of the law entirely. The Lord says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6, (ESV). Jesus, when asked which the greatest commandment was of the Law, answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

            Humility in prayer – As we approach the throne of grace in prayer we must first of all humbly admit our own sinfulness, and then be willing to accept His marvelous grace. The humble tax collector in Jesus’ illustration was not concerned with how he measured up in comparison with other people, but rather

how he measured up to a holy God. He was aware of his need for mercy and grace which only the God of heaven could supply. Desiring to please others is good unless the motive is actually to please ourselves. Self is the problem with most of our sinful motivations, but self dies hard.

            The Lord’s Prayer - We must not slight the importance of this model prayer given by our Lord. Time was spent in the questions last week looking at each phrase and aspect on this most revered and often memorized portion of scripture. Volumes have been written about this prayer, and more will be written, for it is rich in the basics and the depths of our prayer life with the Father. Prayer is what changes things and changes us, for it is our daily communion with the One who created us, loves us and wants the best for us. It is also the avenue to blessing Him, for it is His work in us that brings Him the glory He is worthy to receive. It is not my purpose, and not within my ability, to write a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer, but rather to encourage you and remind you of the importance of daily coming to the throne room with praise, thanksgiving, confession, repentance and acceptance of the gracious bounty offered there. In the story of Esther, the narrative tells of a time when a young Jewish girl was challenged to bring her petitions for her people to the king of her country. She knew of the danger, for it was law that if the king was unreceptive to any uninvited petitioner, and if he did not extend his golden scepter, death would result. She was so committed to her people that she was willing to risk death, and said, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Stop and consider how blessed we are. In a symbolic sense, Christ Jesus is our golden scepter, standing forever between us and a holy God, held out and graciously inviting us to approach His throne with our worship and petitions.

            A pattern for prayer - As implied above, Jesus gave a kind of pattern for us to use in our prayer life.  It includes acknowledging God’s holiness, His sovereignty, and His provision, along with pleas for pardon and protection for each of His beloved children. Other patterns of prayer have been widely employed to assist the believer in communication with the Lord. ACTS is one many, and is an acronym for “adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.” In  Larry Crabb’s book, ‘The Papa Prayer’,  he uses the acronym PAPA, standing for ‘presenting yourself to God where you are’, ‘apprehending what God is like in all His majesty,’ ‘purging self from sin through confession, repentance and receiving forgiveness’, and ‘approaching the throne of God with our needs and supplications for others.’ ¹ Whatever pattern you choose for your personal time of talking to God, it should include the elements like those mentioned here. If you have no set way of praying, why not take this opportunity to develop or adopt one, and use it as a daily guide when you come to the Lord to praise, worship, confess and receive His grace.

            Forgiveness required – Jesus gives us a serious warning at the end of The Lord’s Prayer. “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 6:1-15). A casual reading of these verses, without considering Matthew 6:12; “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (emphasis added) might lead you to the error of believing that our position with God is based on what we do rather than what Jesus has already done. That is wrong thinking! The Bible Knowledge Commentary says: “Human forgiveness is not the basis if divine forgiveness, but it is evidence of a life lived on the principle of divine grace."²   Never lose sight of how much you have been forgiven, and you will forgive others and thank the Lord for His ongoing mercy and grace. If you find there is an area of un-forgiveness in your heart, seek the Lord in prayer, and stay in prayer until He grants you the power and the desire to release the hold it has on you.

            Fasting - The discipline of fasting is largely neglected among many believers today. The reference here probably speaks of abstaining from food for a predetermined period of time. Some Christians fast during the Lenten season in preparation for the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord. Fasting is representative of a sacrificial offering of a personal pleasure. Some people fast from all recreation for a time, or from certain foods or meals. The purpose of fasting is to secretly offer ourselves to God as a means to know Him better. The hunger pangs or missed pleasure can act as a reminder for us to focus on worshiping God and making that worship the focal point of our lives. The 58^th chapter of Isaiah contains warnings against fasting for appearances, or to gain some special blessings from God. The Lord accused His people of inconsistent and contentious behavior during their fasting instead of godly humility. Once again, Jesus stresses our secret relationship with God, for it is unlike any other relationships we can ever experience. We must take an active part in our walk with the Lord through personal and secret sacrifice in identification with Christ’s sacrifice for us.