Seeing with Clear Eyes (Matthew 6:22-23)

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, NASB95)

Earlier in His Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke about lust and the sin that comes out of our strong desires when we don’t control them and align them properly with God’s will for our lives—doing as would have us walk and think. Here He speaks about our eyes and how so much of what we struggle with is captured through our eyes. 

Last night as I was watching the news there was a lengthy piece on the tactics being used by some drive-through coffee stands in the state of Washington where the baristas are wearing as close to nothing as they legally are allowed. The owner of several of those stands, when asked how her business volume compared to those who were more conservatively dressed, thought for a moment and responded that she thought her volume was 200% of those other operations. While there was one female patron briefly interviewed who said she came because they served a great cup of coffee, I find it hard to imagine that this is the primary reason for many of their patrons and for them doing double the business. While I was pleased to hear that she reported most of her customers to be polite and pleasant, I also heard loud and clear that these stand owners are capitalizing on a well-known truth in marketing which is that sex and sexuality sells.

Every single one of us is different, but there are some general patterns. One of them in particular for men is that they tend to be visually oriented, which proves itself out by the abundance of pornography available and the tenacity of its grasp on the men who view it. Sexual temptation is huge, and allowing our hearts to cater to it by using our eyes is a major problem among men today. But men are not alone in the things that they allow their eyes to watch and then contemplate in their hearts and minds.

James wrote about the potential for destruction that comes with unguarded eyes and hearts. We read, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:14–15, NASB95) This is a picture of a downward spiral that starts when we allow what we see to become captured in our thoughts and pondered in such a way that we then consider what steps we might next take toward personal satisfaction or gratification. This does not mean that every man who goes to one of these stands or looks at woman with admiration or woman who looks admiringly at an item of clothing on the rack in a store or even on another person is going to allow those thoughts to spiral as James spoke. What it does mean is that the opportunity for temptation is there and it must be captured.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB95) The context of this verse is the battles that we engage in, while they may occur in the flesh, are really spiritual in nature. This is true in presenting the gospel and it is also true as we walk according to the truth of the gospel. The flesh is the vessel which presents itself to us as an enemy and it is also the instrument that we ourselves use for righteousness. Paul continues in verse 6 with, “and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:6, NASB95) This was true of the Corinthian church when they purified themselves of their own sinful actions and made themselves ready to purge those who would not do so, and it is true of us when we submit our lives to the obedience of Christ and purify or purge our own lives of those things which do not reflect our new identity in Christ.

Job, in speaking of his effort at moral integrity, said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? And what is the portion of God from above or the heritage of the Almighty from on high? “Is it not calamity to the unjust and disaster to those who work iniquity? Does He not see my ways and number all my steps?” (Job 31:1–4, NASB95) Job understood the power of the eyes to lead to destruction, and as such he made a covenant with himself that he would not permit his eyes to be used for such purposes.

I think we can all probably argue that there is a line between just looking and longing. But for each of us we must also struggle with just how fine that line might be for each of us and take measures to prevent ourselves not only from crossing it but playing with how close we can get to it in our lives. This was the problem of the Pharisees that Jesus spoke to earlier in Matthew 5, when He told over and over of how they had added to the law in order to demonstrate their righteous acts before men.

Joseph has long been an example to me of a man who dealt properly with all sorts of trials in life. While the circumstances of Joseph might have been extreme when Potiphar’s wife pursued him to have sexual relations with her, we all have those things in our lives where what is enticing through our eyes has to be dealt with by our ensuing actions. Scripture records Joseph’s response, “She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.” (Genesis 39:12, NASB95) Joseph knew there was nothing good that would come by him remaining in that situation and he purposed to remove himself from it without delay.

The example of Joseph is a reminder to me that when those red flags (and even yellow ones) go up that I should not ignore the potential storm that might be coming. In some ways and on some days I get deeper into the storm than I should, but I am thankful that God’s Spirit and His Word along with a pattern of practice serve as a continual reminder that it is never too late to board up the windows in order to avoid the fiercest part of the storm.

The other side of Jesus’ words in today’s passage point to the great light inside each of us who have trusted Christ for our salvation, which is Christ in us. We have been made spiritually alive and the Holy Spirit has been given to each of us to reside in us and to do the work of conforming us to the image of Christ and preparing us for service. We are made able to stand victorious when we walk in the light which is Christ.

Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12, NASB95) Later, speaking to His disciples He said, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” (John 9:5, NASB95) And earlier in this sermon which we are looking at He said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;” (Matthew 5:14, NASB95) These verses do not mean the light of Christ has been put out because He is not physically here with us. The truth remains that He is God fully alive sitting at the right hand of the Father with all of His eternal attributes. He was light from before the beginning and He will remain light throughout eternity. Light does not exist apart from God. But in a practical sense, as the God-man Jesus was a very real presence with those He came into contact with, and while He was present with them He was that light that drew people. But now that He has ascended we as Christians are the light of Him that the world sees. How we live our lives before them matters. The things we pursue matter. They matter to God. They matter to our spiritual health, and they matter to a world that needs to see the proof that God is real which is seen in His transforming power in us.

Spiritually, when we give ourselves back to sin we voluntarily submit ourselves to the slavery of that sin (Romans 6). We live as if we no longer hope in God and as if we were once again darkened. This does not mean that we can lose our salvation, but it does mean that the effects of sin are real in our lives. God says to us when we sin, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB95)

But if you have never trusted God for your salvation and you want to taste the freedom that comes from living in His light the answer is really simple. Scripture tells us that you just need to believe that Christ died from our sins and that He rose again just as the Bible says, and then ask believing that He will do what He said which is forgive your sins and give you new life in His Son. It’s that simple. “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Romans 10:9, NASB95)

I pray for each of us that we might see know that light more and more and have the clarity of eyes with which Jesus spoke. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.”

Sermon on the Mount available for download (Matthew 5)

If anyone would like to download my posts on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount go to my "Sermon Links and More" page. So far I have completed Matthew 5, and will add the rest of the chapters when completed. The files are in Word format and has an indexed Table of Contents.

Treasures that Last (Matthew 6:19-21)

“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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21, NASB95)

There are many sayings which I have heard over the years concerning the issue of not being able to take things with us when we die. They include ones such as “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die,” “I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul,” and “naked you came into this world and naked you will leave.” All of these point to a sense of the limited nature of things which we might enjoy or chase after while we live. They point to the futility of storing up things just for the sake of gaining them. Sure, there is the thought of “leaving something for the grandkids,” but sometimes this comes at the expense of having a relationship with them now. The bottom line is that all of these treasures are temporary at best.

I’ve been going through the process of sorting through things in our garage and deciding what is useful or worth keeping and what is not. In the process I’ve found years of stuff that was stored away and subject to “mousing” and because of this has lost all of its value. In some ways this makes the sorting very easy. But as I stand back and look not only at our own collection of stuff and that of our kids, but also my parents’ stuff that wound up in our garage after their passing I can easily become overwhelmed by its sure volume. It is like a huge anchor, and seeking to be moveable I am tackling the task of hauling the anchor and trading it for one that is much smaller.

The amazing thing about all of the stuff is that it is not made up of things that we intentionally chased after, but rather it was things that we accumulated with life. It is that way with so many of the things we treasure. We may not see the pursuit until it shows itself as a looming mountain to be dealt with. As this is true in the physical realm it can also be true in the spiritual and emotional realm. We can chase after recognition and acceptance. We can chase after applause and appreciation. We can chase after promotion and adulation. We can chase after comfort and happiness. We can chase after choices and choosing. We can chase after so much, and in the process find that what we have treasured really doesn’t matter beyond the years of our lives.

Jesus had just finished speaking about a series of ways that people appear to be worshiping God, but in reality they were seeking their own approval by others. He calls them hypocrites or actors. They do it for what they receive in the here and now, and not for what will last. In conjunction with that He spoke of their reward which was received on the spot—a reward which faded when they left the spotlight.

Getting back to that concept of not being able to take things with you, we find in Scripture that this is not entirely true. Sure the boat and the wardrobe will not make the transition beyond this life, but there is something far better awaiting us. For those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation, the Bible tells us that there indeed will be a time when we appear before Christ and we will be evaluated for what we have done here, and that which survives the evaluation will result in great reward. We may not be able to bring the cup of water that we gave another out of compassion, but we will be rewarded for giving that cup.

Jesus said of those surviving the Great Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46) that He was going to separate the sheep from the goats in what some term as the judgment of the nations. The sheep would be put on His right and the goats on His left. As He declared to the sheep their eternal inheritance, He also spoke of how their great compassion evidenced their faith. And following this He sent the goats, whose deeds stood in stark contrast, away to the place prepared for the devil and his angels—the place of eternal fire. While this appears to only pertain to those alive at the end of the Great Tribulation it is instructional to us concerning those things that we do in this life that matter to God. Here is what Jesus said, “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:35–39, NASB95)

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:9–10, NASB95) What we do here does matter to God. Scripture makes this point very clear. It matters to God and He will reward us for what we have done in these bodies which He has given us, and it also matters to others. In Matthew 5:16 we are told by Jesus, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB95)

Memorial services are hard because they are often an intense time when people are focused on a recent loss in their lives of someone they hold dear. In their passing a hole is left into which emotions rush in, and these emotions can frequently be mixed and seemingly overwhelming at time. But when I go to (or even have the honoring of leading) a memorial service of a dear one of God’s who lived his or her life in the way that Jesus encouraged, then I also am encouraged by the impact that God had through them on those they touched. It is these people who are dearly loved and fondly remembered, and it is also these people who I am certain, from God’s Word, find that when the other stuff of their lives is burnt off that they will truly have a very rich reward from our Father in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 3 we read, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:9–15, NASB95)

Jesus said to store up our treasures in heaven. I cannot imagine a greater reward than that which will be given by our God who created us, who sustains us and who by His great love brought us back into a relationship with Him as His grace has been lavished or smothered or abundantly poured upon us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:3–8a, NASB95) 

Fasting Done Right (Matthew 6:16-18)

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18, NASB95)

In these verses Jesus spoke again about another area of our worship where He challenges His hearers to consider their motives. Here we have another instance of worship gone wrong—being done for the recognition of others. This time it is about fasting, or purposely going for a period of time without food. People today do this for any number of reasons. They might fast and give what they would have spent on food in money to a charitable cause. They may have some blood work or some medical procedure in the morning and they are required not to eat for a period of time prior to the appointment. But the fasting of Jesus’ focus was done in order to set aside eating for the purpose of focused worship. The problem is that there were those who emphasized what they had given up so that they might be recognized by others for their actions. When fasting they apparently tried to look more hungry or haggard than they really were just to draw attention to themselves. Jesus said that people who fast in this way receive their reward there on the spot. The adoration and/or sympathetic attention of others would be all they ever got.

There is a classic picture played out with so many variations. It’s the setting where a husband pulls a frozen pie out of its box from the store, carefully hides the box away in the trash, and bakes the pie. Then he spills a little flour on the counter, maybe a little on his shirt and a powdering of his face. As his wife walks into the house she smells the fresh baked pie and walks into the kitchen where she greatly admires him for the loving dessert he had slaved over just for her. In the end it’s generally a commercial for the pie, or whatever product may be the subject and the purpose is to pull the pride and recognition strings of the viewer so that he or she might run out and purchase the product. But the actual picture is of someone pretending to go to great lengths for the admiration of another. It is a picture of sacrificial deception.

Fasting is an act of worship. It is something done demonstrating our waiting and dependence on our powerful God. It is done in times of repentance and mourning as we seek His restoration and His healing, as we might see on a National Day of Prayer. We see that it is linked to prayer over time. It can be done corporately as we see in the Bible, and it can be done individually as we also see, but it is never to be done for show. Like the areas of giving and prayer, fasting as an act of worship is something that we are to do unto God alone. Jesus said that it fasting is to be so private that we are even to take measures to make sure that we look as perky as possible to avoid the attention and even sympathetic sorrow of others. God sees and He knows as these verses again tell us, “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Fasting in the Old Testament is often associated with brokenness and mourning, particularly for Israel and its people. Nehemiah asked a visitor about the Jews who had escaped captivity and about the city of Jerusalem. Scripture records, “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned….” (Nehemiah 1:4–6, NASB95) Nehemiah’s prayer continued to not only show his own remorse but to also confess the sins of His people while he called upon God for forgiveness and restoration. Here we see fasting as a part of Nehemiah showing his great remorse before God. Everything else at that point did not matter. It was all about crying out to God. Mourning with fasting is regularly seen in Scripture, and in many of these instances we find that the fasting continued for days, even leading to weakness as a result.

Fasting is also seen as a part of worship and consecration. In Acts 13 we read, “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark. Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 12:25–13:3, NASB95) After Barnabas and Saul (Paul) had returned from Jerusalem they gathered together with other believers and were sharing together in a time of prayer and fasting when the Holy Spirit spoke to them and set Barnabas and Saul apart for ministry. The passage goes on to tell us that those gathered continued their prayer and fasting, and when the finished they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.

Barnabas and Paul were set aside for ministry by the Holy Spirit in a time of prayer and fasting. Scripture records that this same practice continued as they went out and established churches throughout the various regions. In the next chapter of Acts we read, “After they had preached the gospel to that city [Derbe] and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:21–23, NASB95)

We have the example of the prophetess Anna, in Luke, who as a widow continued until she was 84 worshiping in the temple with prayer and fasting. She was there the day that Jesus was presented in for circumcision on the eighth day. Scripture records her response, “At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38, NASB95) She knew that the Redeemer had come and that the answer to her prayer and the purpose of her fasting was being answered by God.

Even our Lord is seen fasting when He is led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days to be tempted. Being hungry the devil tried to take advantage of Jesus’ weakened condition to which Jesus responded, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”” (Matthew 4:4, NASB95)

While we have this example of Jesus fasting, we also have an accusation by the Pharisees and teachers of the law concerning His disciples’ lack of fasting. Scripture records that the interaction went like this, “And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? “But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”” (Luke 5:33–35, NASB95; also in Matthew and Mark) Jesus told them that those who were fasting were looking to someone. When He was present with His disciples there was no need. But when He left then fasting would again resume. One day we will be united with Him forever. This is our great hope. In the meantime, as we see in the early church, fasting remains as we wait on and call out to our God.

Forgive as Forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15)

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14–15, NASB95)

Forgiveness is an amazing process. As I was reading through the Lord’s Prayer yesterday and I read the words about forgiving others debts, there was this thought that I had to forgive others for things they owed but did not give. It is as if they might owe me honesty and give me lies; or they might owe me help and give me abandonment; or they might owe me loyalty and give me betrayal. The things I got were transgressions against what I thought I was owed, and God expected me to forgive them just as He forgave my transgressions against Him. Think about this—God created us to have a relationship with Himself, and we respond to Him by turning our backs or thumbing our noses in all sorts of ways. Sin entered the world of man because man gave God disobedience and even disrespect. And since that time all of man has sinned and fallen short of His perfect standard.

For that God had no choice as a just and righteous God but to pronounce judgment leading to death and separation. This judgment brought great trials into our world and resulted in the advancement of all kinds of evil. But our God, also being loving and merciful did not leave man to his own ends, but stepped in and offered to him the opportunity for forgiveness and new life. This He did at the greatest of cost by sending His Son to suffer and pay the price for our sins. He redeemed us from our guilty judgment and made us right with His righteousness. This is the most incredible kind of forgiveness, and it was freely given to us at His expense. We owed Him a great debt which we could not pay, and He paid it for us. He did not merely set it aside, but He paid it. His Son took our sins upon Himself and bore them on our behalf.

This morning as I thought on this I was also engaging in a spiritual battle remembering that some time ago I was in the middle of a very intense period of life. Things were going on around me that were understandable but that were not necessarily being handled in the best way not because of malice, but because we don’t always get it right. I was really hurting, and two years ago tomorrow something happened, and I got into my truck and went for a drive. I turned off the radio, and talking to God—even being quite demanding—I asked Him what He was doing and told Him that I needed to hear from Him. It was a time of frustration and tears, and I knew the only one I could turn to in this way was God. He knew my every thought. He knew the words on my tongue before they were ever formed. He knew the intensity of my emotion, and He knew all of these things before there was even one day to my life. Yet He called me as His beloved child and I could come to Him as my Heavenly Father and cry out to Him. The next two weeks continued to hold some of the same frustrating events, but God also in His great compassion heard my prayer and answered, culminating in Robin and I being able to make a very difficult decision with a great deal of peace.

The back side of all of this is that I still had some hurts that I had to continually lay before God and purpose to forgive those who hurt me, even knowing that their hurt was not intentional. I started today’s post by saying that forgiveness is an interesting process. I chose ‘interesting’ because I couldn’t use ‘fun’, because it’s not. I couldn’t use a lot of words because they simply don’t describe what goes on in our hearts. Forgiveness is a process of choosing to set aside the wrongs of others so that we might have a right heart before them and before God. It is a difficult process because we have minds and hearts that don’t easily forget and are even reminded when other infractions occur. And it is sometimes an unrewarded process when the person(s) forgiven don’t see what they were forgiven of or don’t change in their heart attitude toward you. It is a difficult process because sometimes they didn’t even do anything wrong, but we are hurt nonetheless. Forgiveness is a choice we make, and make, and make. Every time these thoughts rise up in our hearts and minds we have to re-engage the process. It is an active one.

God’s forgiveness of us was completed at the cross by His Son. He died once and His death is totally sufficient to cover all sin. The peace that we receive is found in understanding His forgiveness and accepting the gift that He gave us by believing and being saved. It is then that we are made to be at peace with God and we are then called to live at peace with others. This means that we have to practice that same sort of forgiveness that Jesus showed to us. This was not easy for Him. In the garden, as we looked at a few days ago, He came before His Father fully submitted to His will. As He prayed He asked if there might be another way, but even in the asking He never faltered as He went ahead and completed the purpose for which He was sent.

As I have continued to walk in these two years afterward there have been plenty of times when I have had to go before God and re-forgive. When I do this I am always reminded of His great forgiveness of me. Verse 15 says, “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” This verse is not suggesting that God will remove His salvation from those who have believed and called upon His Son and are saved. Forgiveness is a permanent and complete settling of our guilt. As we looked at yesterday we are to confess our sins before God and obtain in a sense a regular cleansing (1 John 1:9). It’s kind of like the car my family was just given. The car is ours. It was fully and freely given to us. But since that time it has gathered some dust, and it is the right thing for me (or my kids) to regularly clean it (don’t take this example too far). In doing this I not only show respect for the gift, but I also honor the giver by demonstrating how I care for what was so freely given. One commentator said, “This sort of forgiveness is a simple washing from the worldly defilements of sin; not a repeat of the wholesale cleansing from sin’s corruption that comes with justification. It is like a washing of the feet rather than a bath (cf. John 13:10). Forgiveness in this latter sense is what God threatens to withhold from Christians who refuse to forgive others.” (MacArthur Study Bible)

Our relationship with God is not compartmentalized. He owns our entirety, and if we are harboring unforgiveness then it will have an impact on our relationship. God instructs us to deal with these things, freely forgiving others just as He in Christ has forgiven us. Having said this, even in our forgiveness we will find that we can’t control the responses of others or even bring about their change or even their acknowledgement of any wrong or hurt. In that sense, we also can bring them to God and uphold them in prayer knowing that His love shown through us will bring glory to His name.

Teach Us To Pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4)

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9–13, NASB95) 

This prayer is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer” which in some ways may be misnamed, not because it isn’t His prayer, but because it is a sample prayer given to us as a model. After speaking to His audience about not making their prayers loud and empty shows given for the recognition they would receive, but quiet and directed prayers to the only true God, Jesus gives them a sample of how they should pray. This prayer is the Lord’s example for us of how we should pray to our Father in heaven.

This is not the only place in Scripture where we have a model given to us. On another occasion His disciples had observed Him in prayer, and after He had finished praying they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Luke 11:2-4 gives us the words of this briefer instructional prayer, words that closely parallel those of Matthew 6, but are not exact. “And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”” (Luke 11:2–4, NASB95)

From these prayers we can be instructed both of the attitude in which to approach our Father, the general content of our prayers, and the realization in their differences that prayer is not a pat set of words to be repeated.

Jesus had just finished telling His listeners that they were to pray to their Father who would hear them not because of their loudness or their abundance of words, but because they came to Him recognizing that He is God. He is the only One we are to pray to. We may like to talk to those who have gone before us, and the Scriptures do seem to indicate that they may very well be witnesses to our actions, but they are not to be the object of our prayers. Jesus, being fully God, knew the reality of God the Father and the ultimate position of God the Father, and He tells us to pray to our Father who is in heaven even pointing to His supremely sovereign high place.

In both prayers we also have the phrase, “hallowed be Your name.” In this Jesus points to God the Father as one who is set apart like no other. As such even His name is to be highly reverenced. In Psalm 8:1 we read, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1, ESV) In this verse we find “Lord” twice, and in most translations the first mention is written in small caps. It is this first “Lord” that is the specific name of God “Yahweh” given to the Jews.

In Exodus 3:13-15, “Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” (Exodus 3:13–15, NASB95)

With the Israelites coming out of captivity God had begun again to speak to His people. When Moses asked God what name He is to give to the people for Him, God responded with the simple and profound words, “I AM.” There is no one else—God is. Then He followed it with, "he Lord [Yhwh or Yahweh], the God [Elohim] of, of, of, of … has sent me to you." He further declared that this is His name forever—His memorial name, and it is this name YHWH of the Father which the Son told the people to set apart as holy and highly respected.

In the words that follow Jesus pointed to the sovereign will of God—that we should be seeking to align ourselves with His good and perfect will. The Bible clearly declares that the plans of God will not be thwarted, and it teaches us that we are to seek His will and follow it in all areas of our lives. As we looked at even yesterday, Jesus the Son on the night He was betrayed re-declared His submission to the will of God the Father. Most of the world does not seek God nor do they know His ways. Jesus tells us that discerning His will is to be a priority in our prayers. David wrote, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” (Psalm 25:4–5, ESV) And Solomon wrote, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear [revere, awe] the LORD and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5–7, NASB95)

Jesus next instructed us to seek God’s provision for our lives with the words, “Give us this day our daily bread.” With this prayer came the recognition that God’s provision is for what we need as we need it. He demonstrated this to the people of Israel when He supplied them with their daily manna. And later in this chapter of Matthew Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34, ESV) As a people we tend to worry about what comes next. Jesus instructs us that what comes today and what comes after today all come through the wise and sovereign hand of God.

The next aspect of this model of prayer has to do with our relationship with God and our relationships with others. All of our sins were forgiven through Jesus’ shed blood for us on the cross, but it does not mean that we ignore God’s will and continue in sin following our salvation. We are to deal with our sins as they come up. We are to admit them to God, thanking Him for His forgiveness and committing before Him to walk right even as He has made us righteous with the righteousness of His Son. In 1 John 1:9 we read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV) Jesus also includes in this model prayer a reminder that we are to live this same way with others, forgiving them just as our Father in heaven has forgiven us. And should we not practice this then we also read in the Bible that when He brings a situation to our minds that we are even to get up from our prayers and deal with the issue with others. Jesus gave us two great commandments: the first is to love God, and the second is to love one another. Both of these are reflected in this instructive portion of Jesus’ prayer.

The next part of the prayer has to do with us walking right before Him and keeping our eyes straight ahead, seeking His help in the continual battle to become distracted with the things and desires of the world. The prayer asks that He not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. In James we read, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:12–17, ESV)

James clearly states that God does not tempt us to evil. In fact, it is contrary to His character to do so. Rather, God is the one who delivers us and makes it such that we can stand and come through these trials or temptations victoriously. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NASB95) In these verses in Matthew, Luke, James and 1 Corinthians the words translated “temptation” and “trials” are the same Greek word and they point to the fact that God is sovereign over these things which are allowed into our lives and He even limits their intensity. Where we struggle is when we take our eyes off of Him in trials and we are tempted to look to ourselves or somewhere else for relief or satisfaction. The Bible makes it clear that God is our protector, sustainer, and our deliverer. It is in Him that we are to trust.

These prayer examples of Jesus are pretty simple, but they cover so much. For a more in depth prayer of His you might want to turn to John 17, and read how our Lord spoke in detail to His Father. This might more appropriately be Our Lord’s Prayer as it is His High Priestly prayer in preparation of His going to the cross and returning to glory with the Father.

It is truly amazing to be able to talk to our God, knowing that He desires to fellowship with us, and that He indeed will hear and answer. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be real.

Our God Hears (Matthew 6:7-8)

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7–8, ESV)

Yesterday we looked as verses in which Jesus spoke to the hypocrisy of the Jews who stood in the temples and in the streets and publicly prayed for the recognition they would receive, not in heaven but here on earth. Today, in the next verses, He spoke also of the emptiness of the prayers of many Gentiles. Jesus pointed specifically to them piling empty phrase upon empty phrase. The words “heap up empty phrases” (English Standard Version) are elsewhere translated “meaningless-” or “vain repetition”, and the Greek word (battologeo) translated these various ways is a compound word comprised of a prefix which is thought by some to have come from Battus, a king of Cyrene who is said to have stuttered. Others point to another Battus, an author of wordy and tedious poems (source: MacArthur Study Bible). In either case the point was slow in coming. The second half of the word is the common Greek word for ‘word’ or ‘saying.’ Put together we get the picture of repetitive speech which is empty. And it is this empty speech that Jesus attributed to the prayer of the Gentiles (non-Jews) who prayed to their many gods, hoping against hope that the abundance of their words would bring a favorable response.

In Psalm 96 we read, “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols…” (see also 1 Chronicles 16:26). The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Their land has also been filled with idols; they worship the work of their hands, that which their fingers have made.” (Isaiah 2:8, NASB95) And the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:4–6, ESV)

Imagine throwing out words to something you or someone else made and expecting results. Sure, there is much deception, and there is hope in that deception that someone or something might hear your pleas and come to your aid. But the reality is that there is no god but God, and Jesus told His hearers that it is futile to speak empty words in order to please God and move Him to action. This is how the Gentiles approach their idols, but the God of all creation is real—He is very real and He hears.

Jesus said, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

My favorite psalm is Psalm 139 where we read, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psalm 139:1–6, NASB95)

Our God knows all about us. He is intimately aware of every detail of our lives. He knows our deepest desires and our greatest needs. And He knows them before the words are ever formed on our tongues. This is truly, as the psalmist said, “too wonderful for me.” It is amazing to know that my God knows me this well and that He expects me to come to Him in prayer. And beyond that He expects me to come to Him in prayer expecting that He will answer.

In James we read, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (KJV) or “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (ESV) Elsewhere we read, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV) and then, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2, ESV)

Today is the 63^rd National Day of Prayer in the United States, and there are many individuals offering up prayers today. Among those prayers I imagine that there are some offered in each of the categories listed by Jesus. But, as followers of Christ and those trusting in the living God we can have great confidence that He hears our prayers and He will answer them. He hears our prayers for our nation and He hears our prayers for our churches, our pastors, our co-workers, and our families. He hears our prayers for our provision and our physical health. He hears our praises and He hears our pleas. Our God hears our prayers and He will answer according to His great and infinite wisdom according to His unlimited power. We can come before Him with this level of confidence, not because of who we are and any clout in this world we may have achieved, but humbly because of who He is and His love for us. This is an amazing comfort and a great assurance that He indeed does have us fully enclosed in His powerful hands and He will act.

In Philippians 4:5 we read, “…The Lord is at hand;” (Philippians 4:5b ESV)