Sermon on the Mount - in depth

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In Matt chapter 5, 6 and 7 Jesus preached His longest sermon.
It was preached primarily to believers. It is a very radical sermon even by today's standards.
If we say we believe in Jesus... we need to believe in what He said. ...so what did He say here?

In Matt 5, verses 3 through 12 are known as the beatitudes.
Verses 3 through 11 start of with ... "Blessed are ..."
Verse 12 is simply a continuation of verse 11.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean? The word for spirit is pnuema ... a breath, a breeze, a human soul, a human disposition.
This is usually taken to mean those who are humble, contrite, the word for poor here is ptochos ... mendiancy,
beggarly, crouching.

The opposite of proud, the opposite of "take for granted".
We need to remember that we are not worthy that Jesus paid for us. There is nothing we did, or can
do to repay Him for this. We need to be thankful for what He did and never take it for granted.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

The word for mourn here is pentheo, ... to greive, to emotionally hurt, even to wail or cry.

I think many of us (perhaps most of us) have had broken hearts for different reasons.
Broken marriages, broken families, broken relationships, deaths of loved ones, betrayal by
friends and family. Sometimes, despite everything we try to do... life happens. Sometimes
life hurts. But if we have Jesus... we have hope... we have comfort.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

The word for gentle here is praus ... mild, meek, humble.

I think in today's society... many of us have forgotten what it is to be gentle, or meek, or humble.
It's all about me. Me first, me the most, me the foremost... then everything and everyone else.
When we drive, we need to make sure we are ahead of everyone else, when we buy things, we need
to make sure our stuff is newer and better than our neighbors.

We have forgotten how to be gentle. Even the wording used in some of the forums here on TJ
is anything but gentle. Sometimes it is rash and harsh, sometimes emotions enter in and there
is anger because we are offended. So we offend others...

Do we let others in traffic go before us? Do we open doors for others? Do we thank people for
opening doors for us and letting us out into traffic? Or do we just barge out there no matter
whats coming our way? Are we gentle in our actions? In our speech, in our thoughts toward others?
Do we let others in front of us at the check out in the store... or are we in too much of a hurry?
Is it because it's all about me, me me...

Sometimes one of the easiest ways to tell if Jesus is in someones life... is to see if they are gentle.

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:6; says ...

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied ( or filled )

What is our hunger today? Many of us hunger for vengeance, we hunger for a chance to get even.
We hunger for material things, a new house, a new car, a new cell phone, etc...
(There is nothing wrong with having these things, but sometimes the "things" have us, we are slaves to them).

Have you ever really given thought to what hungering for righteousness means? What is righteousness.
The opposite of wrongfulness. The opposite of sin. Jesus talks more about this at the end of chapter
6 when He says... seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.
Is the purpose of our lives to get more "things" and "stuff"... or are we to hunger and thirst for righteousness?
And if we do seek righteousness.... will all those other things be given to us? I have found this to be the case.

We should be hungering... thirsting... for righteousness... not just waiting for it... but going out and looking for it.
Causing it to happen. Clothing the poor, feeding the hungry, forgiving others, giving our money and time where
we can. We should be hungering for righteousness.

The promise attached to this verse is... if we are looking for righteousness... we will be satisfied (filled).

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

The word for merciful here is eleemon ... giving mercy, being compassionate.
It seems many of us are anything but merciful. We like to get even, we like to see them "get theirs".
We like to pay them back with what "they deserve" (often forgetting what we ourselves deserve).
Jesus talks a lot more about this subject as well.... we will be forgiven as we forgive others.
We should treat others the way we want to be treated. There are dozens of verses about this subject.

The promise... and warning ... attached to this verse is... if you are merciful... you will receive mercy.
But if you aren't merciful... you will not. (Jesus says if we don't forgive others, neither will we be forgiven)

... to be continued ...

 

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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

The word for pure here is katharos ....clean, clear, pure

The thought here is be as clear as the water you would like to drink. Be like water that went through a Brita or Pur
water filter. Don't be like muddy water or water with insects and rocks swirling around in it.
Are you pure in heart? I suspect very few of us are. Jeremiah 4:14; talks about removing the wicked thoughts from
our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9; says the heart is deceitful and desperately sick. Most of us have at least some evil
in our hearts. Perhaps lust, or envy, or something... something that keeps our hearts from being pure.

Jesus/the Holy Spirit can help us purify our thoughts. ( Psalms 51:10; )
But it takes effort on our part also. We can't keep looking at pornography, or keep living in sin and expect
that our hearts will magically somehow "just become" pure on it's own.

We should despise sin... we should want to be pure.
I once saw a boy playing frisbee in a park with his father. As he was looking up to the sky to catch the frisbee,
a bird dropped bird manure in his eyes. Yes, it was disgusting.
He immediately forgot about the frisbee and starting running towards his father... he was yelling...
"Daddy, daddy, please get it off me. Get it off me now."
The manure likely wasn't going to kill him. It wasn't life threatening, but he wanted it offf.... NOW!!!
His father eventually got him over to water fountain and they got it cleaned up.

This is how we should be about sin. So many of us have gotten comfortable in our sins.
(Peter says it is dog's "vomit" and a pig's "sty".) A many of us are happy returning to our sins, and living in them
thinking Jesus will forgive them even if they never repent.

We should be running to the Father saying "please, get it off!! Get it off now!!" But alas, many of us are happy
with impure hearts.

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:9; says ...

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace.... it seems there are few things more elusive than peace. It is my opinion that only
Christians who have put their faith in God can really have true peace. It's difficult to give peace to others
if you don't have it yourself.

Sometimes we view being a peacemaker as being likened unto a referee between two people having an
argument or disagreement. There is of course... such thing as a peaceful disagreement. But it seems
more often than not, there is no peace. How many wars have been fought since the dawn of mankind?
How many arguments are in the world everyday? How many lawsuits?

Yet giving peace can be more than this... peace can be comforting those who are worried and anxious.
In today's society there are many who are drawn to conflict. We watch "reality" television so we can watch
the drama of conflict. There are "trolls" on the internet, even here on TJ. These are people who just lurk around
seeing what disagreements they can spark, what unrest and arguments they can start. They are people that
are just looking to start a fight. Sometimes with themselves, but sometimes they just want to start a fight
between two other groups of people.

Are you a fighter? A bickerer? Argumentative? Disagreeable with most?

...or are looking to make peace with others. Not peace to the point of changing your beliefs, but peace
as much as it depends on you. ( Rom 12:18; )
Are you a peacemaker? Are you willing to forgive? Reconcile?

The world needs more of these people.

 

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Matt 5:10; “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Persecution comes at many different levels and forms.
We sometimes view persecution as those who are threatened with their lives and martyred.
But persecution can be legal (the bakery in Oregon comes to mind, the marriage clerk in Kentucky also comes to mind)
These are people who are persecuted because of their religious beliefs.
It's getting more common that people are threatened with lawsuits because of religion in the US now.
People have lost their jobs in spite of the fact that they advertise "equal opportunity" and no discrimination.

Here is the US... we have something called the constitution... it has several "amendments". The very
first of these amendments ... supposedly guarantees freedom of religion. Yet this country also supports
fining and even jail time to those who adhere to specific religious beliefs.

In some countries in the world, specifically a few in the middle east and Africa, people are being killed every
day because of religious beliefs.

Sometimes we view being teased as persecution, it can be... but compared to what some are going through, it is nothing.

The promise attached to this verse is... "their's is the kingdom of heaven".

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:11; “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Matt 5:12; Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The last beatitude is the only one that requires two verses to complete.
This is somewhat controversial because it implies that some will get a greater reward in heaven than others.
Most of us agree works can't save us. But some go so far as to say our works have no value at all.
Yet it seems this is not the case.

In Heb 11:35-38; it talks about those who are persecuted (whipped, imprisoned, sawn in two, etc... ) ...
so that they might obtain a better resurrection. It seems there is value in some of the things we do.

The lyrics of a popular song says ... "thinking there's value in what you do"... yet this is unbiblical. there is value.
In fact Jesus will judge our works.... they may not save us.. but there is definitely value and rewards in them. ( 1 Cor 3:12-15; )

When we are persecuted, teased, ridiculed, insulted and deserted because of our beliefs.. God sees this. There is reward for this.
In fact verse 12 says... your reward is "great"! Not just a small reward... but a great reward.

That finished the beatitudes section of the sermon on the mount.....

... next the salt of the earth... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:13; “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Matt 5:14; “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Matt 5:15; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matt 5:16; 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.

We are supposed to be the salt of the earth. The spice, the difference. There should be something that is different about us.
But even then, some of us lose our "saltiness". Once that happens... we are no longer good for anything.
We are supposed to be the light of the world... we are supposed to let our light shine.
We should be proud to be Christians. We should pray for our meals at restaurants, we should be bold in proclaiming Jesus.
Yet many of us are silent, afraid of offending people.

We are supposed to let our light shine in such a way ... that people can see "our good works".... so that this will glorify
our Father in heaven.

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:17; “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Matt 5:18; For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Matt 5:19; Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 5:20; “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Often you hear people say... Jesus did away with the law. No, the law is still in effect. But we don't have to fulfill it anymore.
We don't have to confess to priests anymore. We don't have to buy animal sacrifices anymore. We don't have to follow
all of the commandments perfectly or die anymore. Jesus was/is the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus is our high priest.
The law will not pass away until the heavens and the earth pass away. Not even one stroke of the law.

Some take verse 19 to mean that even if I don't follow the commandments, or even if I teach others not to follow
them.. I will still get into the kingdom of heaven. I will just be "the least" there. Even if this is true... why would
you want to be the least in the kingdom?

Jesus was somewhat of a legalist at times... this will come up in over 20 places in the sermon on the mount.
Jesus says unless "your" righteousness ( not His ) surpasses that the Pharisee's you will not enter the kingdom.
That scares some people... but it turns out the Pharisee's weren't really all that righteous. They were mostly
hypocrites. Still "your" righteous makes a difference.

 

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Immediately after Jesus mentions that He didn't come to abolish the law, He mentions one of the 10 commandments.

In Matt 5, verses 21 through 26, He talks about murder. He is quoting Exodus 20:13; here.
It's interesting to note here, that even though Jesus mentions other commandments from the old testament
throughout this sermon, they aren't all part of the "ten" commandments. Jesus does mention the commandments
in over 20 places in the New testament. All except one are repeated in the new testament.

But Jesus goes on to say here... even if you just think someone is "good for nothing" ... or you simply think ...
"they are a fool". They are just as guilty as if they murdered someone. They are guilty enough enough to go
into the fiery hell ( verse 22 ). Now I don't know about you, but I have certainly thought that about people.
There is grace and forgiveness for this... but it's not something we should practice on a daily basis.
One thing that some people have brought up here... is that it mentions "your brother" four times in these five
verses. Some take this to mean, it's OK to think that way about non-saved people, but we aren't supposed
to think that way about our "brothers" - (fellow Christians) well.. perhaps.. but is that showing the world love?

Jesus goes on to say... that if you and your "brother" (not necessarily your biological brother) have a difference
between you, you should try to reconcile and make up before coming to the Lord to present an offering.
I wonder how many of us go to worship or go to prayer... while holding a grudge against someone.
It's OK to be angry... but not to hold a grudge against someone until it becomes a point of contention. ( Eph 4:26; )

If you owe someone something, or someone wants to take you to court, try to make friends with them.
He might not take you to court after all. Once the courts have you, it's not even in your "brother's" hands anymore.
The courts will make sure the law is fulfilled.

... to be continued ...

 

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In Matt 5, verses 27 through 30 Jesus talks about adultery.... another one of the ten commandments from Exodus 20
( Exod 20:14; ) Then He makes one of of the most well known and controversial statements in the entire Bible.
If you even look at a woman with lust, you have already committed adultery in your heart. wow.... in today's culture
where sex symbols (of both sexes) are so prevalent, no wonder this is so hard for so many people.

Most television shows, magazines and movies glamorize adultery... there is something about the "forbidden fruit"
that makes us want it more. Now of course... adultery is simply having sexual relations with someone, when one
of you is married to someone else. If you are single, but she is married.. it's still adultery. If you are married, but
she is single, it's still adultery. For the most part, only people who are married (or at least engaged) can commit
adultery. When two people who aren't married to anyone (including each other) have sexual relations,.. it's called
something else.. fornication.

This is a very very serious sin. Sexual sins are different from other sins. ( 1 Cor 6:15-20; )
Jesus goes on to say... if looking at a woman is a problem.. take your eye out. If touching another woman is a problem,
take off your hand. Some people take this as figurative language, but either way, the point here is... this is a serious sin.

Note that an affair of the heart... is just as serious as having a physical relationship with someone. Committing adultery in your heart is just as serious. You may never have sex
with someone else... but if you are lusting for them, if you have given them your heart...
you are just as guilty.

I was watching the Hallmark channel a few weeks ago. It seems like an innocent, family related channel. It has quite a few "romantic" movies on it. Yet I noticed in every single
one of these movies, usually one of the two people is already in a relationship... but
the person they are in a relationship with ... is "wrong for them"... so everyone in the movie
conspires to get them together with the one "who is right for them".

Is it our friends who know this? Or is it God? If you are married... stay married. If you aren't,
get out of any relationships you are in, before starting another one. Don't have sex with
anyone before you are married.

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:31; “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’;
Matt 5:32; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

This controversial passage has been talked about several times here on TJ.
The verse Jesus is thought to be quoting here is Deut 24:1; It isn't one of the "ten" commandments. It certainly isn't a
command to divorce your spouse. However, if you are going to divorce her.... ( God hates divorce - Mal 2:16; )
You need to give her a certificate of divorce. This forces you to acknowledge your decision and part in this matter.

"except for unchastity... or unfaithfulness". In other words your spouse had sexual relations with another person.
In old testament times, you couldn't just say they were unfaithful, you had to prove it. There had to be witnesses
or evidence of some type. There was a test by priests for unfaithfulness. ( Numb 5:20-27; )

We often hear... no one can make you sin.. when you sin, it's because of your own choices. However this is one
of the few places in the Bible where it does say... you can cause someone else to sin. ... You "make" them commit adultery. (verse 32)

The last sentence is probably the most controversial of all. Whoever marries someone who is divorced... is committing adultery.
Wow... I know quite a few Christians this could apply to.

Some people takes all of this in different ways.... ( I don't necessarily agree with all these views)
1. If you were ever married, and got divorced for ANY reason (even if your spouse was unfaithful to you) you
can never get married again.... period. Because if you did, you would be causing someone else to commit adultery.
2. If your spouse committed adultery, you could divorce them, but you can't marry anyone who was ever married
before.
3. If you marry someone who has been divorced... you are currently committing adultery and living in sin unless you divorce them.

Now of course there are verses like 1 Cor 7:39; and Rom 7:2; that say if your spouse dies, you are free to marry again.

1 Cor 7:15; gives a second reason for divorce. But only applies if you are married to a non-believer.

I personally believe we should strive to never get divorced. But I do believe that divorce and re-marriage can be
forgiven. David had an affair with Beth-Sheba, got her pregnant, and even had her husband killed.
She was married before she got with David. This had a lot of consequences (including a dead baby). But eventually
David repented, and King Solomon was a son of this union. It seems David never divorced Bath-Sheba, but
God forgave him. ( He is even called a man after God's own heart - 2000 years later)

One more note about the verse Jesus may be quoting in Duet 24.

Deut 24:1; “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house,
Deut 24:2; and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Deut 24:3; and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,
Deut 24:4; then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

If you're married to someone and get divorced. Then your ex-spouse has sexual relations with someone else while you are apart.
You are not supposed to re-marry them afterwards, This is one of the few sins in the Bible called an abomination (verse 4 ).

... to be continued ..

 

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Matt 5:33; “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
Matt 5:34; But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
Matt 5:35; or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Matt 5:36; Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Matt 5:37; But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

Jesus appears to be quoting Numb 30:2-3; here.

The point here seems to be.. we should not be saying things like "I swear to God, (on my mother's grave) etc..."
"Cross my heart and hope to die". Do you really hope to die if you don't keep the promise?
The last verse sums it up. When you say "yes" mean yes. When you say "no" mean no. Anything else is evil.
( if only a few politicians could take that to heart ).

... to be continued ..

 

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Matt 5:38; “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
Matt 5:39; But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Matt 5:40; If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
Matt 5:41; Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
Matt 5:42; Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Verse 38 above is quoting several old testament scriptures.
( Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21; )

Basically this is the way restitution was done in the old testament. Whatever was taken you, or was
broken by someone else had to be repaid. If you broke your neighbors cart, you had to give him yours.
If you injured your neighbors donkey, you had to give him yours.
Insurance companies were hard to come by in those days. So you had to be responsible with other
people's belongings.

Sometimes people want to sue us. That want to take what is ours, even when there is no moral reason for
them to do so. I think the message Jesus is giving here is... don't get too caught up in "it's my stuff".
We only have what God has given us. We are simply stewards of it. If they want to take your things and
the law lets them do so. Give it to them. God will make sure you both get what you deserve.

If someone needs your help, and they say only for an hour, or only for a couple of days.
I only need you to take me half way there. Offer to to be with them and support them for twice as long.
Offer to take them all the way.

In the area I live in... there quite a few corner beggars. Most of them are holding up signs
that say they are out of work, or God Bless you, or they are a homeless veteran.
One couple simply had a sign asking for "food, weed, or money".

Some are wearing dirty, holey, smelly clothes. Some don't smell too good. Some look hungry.
Others are well dressed, have $150 shoes on their feet, and backpacks with laptops and cell-phones.
I try not to judge who I give money too. I can't say I'm always 100% successful at this. But we need
to be more giving.

I work with a younger guy, he isn't saved. He seems to squander a lot of his money on useless things.
He has had to borrow money from me a couple of times (he hasn't paid me back yet for the last time).
Will I loan him money again... I hope so. Is he "taking advantage" of me? Maybe, but does that really matter?
We need to use discernment. We need to be responsible with our money, but we also need to be giving.

... to be continued ...

 

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Matt 5:43; “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Matt 5:44; But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matt 5:45; so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matt 5:46; For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Matt 5:47; If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Matt 5:48; Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Again Jesus is using several verses from the Old testament... Lev 19:18; says love your neighbor.
Possibly Deut 23:3; Judges 3:28-29; which talks about Ammonites and Moabites,
(however Ruth was a Moabite - Ruth 1:4; )

In any case... we are to love our neighbors...
This phrase really only appears once in the old testament. ( Lev 19:18; )
But is in the new testament over 10 times. ( Matt 5:43; Matt 19:19; Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31;
Mark 12:33; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14; James 2:8; )

When asked what loving your neighbor meant... Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan. ( Luke 10:25-37; )
Jesus said if your following the law (the 10 commandments) then you are loving your neighbor. ( Matt 22:40; )
Paul said the same thing in Rom 13:8-10;

.. "so that you 'may' be sons of God"... Hmmm... if we don't love our neighbors can we still be sons of God?
Jesus goes on to say.. if we only love those who love us... what reward is there for that? Even the
unsaved do that. (tax collectors).

Be perfect... as your heavenly Father is perfect... this final verse offends many people.
It it taken many different ways. Depending on your theology.... Jesus makes you perfect at the
moment of salvation, or we work at becoming perfected (sanctification) over a period of time.
Either way most Christians don't believe we ever truly become "perfect", but we are to strive towards
being as "close to perfect" as possible.

... so ends chapter 5. ... next Matt 6 ...

 

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Matt 6:1; “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Matt 6:2; “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matt 6:3; But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Matt 6:4; so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Jesus mentions "practicing you righteousness". Practicing righteousness isn't a bad thing. However when we
do it to be noticed by others "so they can see what a great person we are". Then we need to beware.
We can lose our reward in heaven for doing this... not necessarily lose our salvation, but lose some of our
heavenly rewards. Jesus says we should give to the poor and the needy (He actually preaches this in several
places, such as the sheep and the goats later in this sermon)... but when you do it. Do it secretly. Don't
tell everyone you're doing it.

... next the Lord's prayer ....

 

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Matt 6:5; "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matt 6:6; "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Matt 6:7; "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

It seems prayers are much like "practicing righteous works", in the sense that we should mostly pray in private.
I have seen people in church, who pray loudly, sometimes very eloquently. Often quoting several scriptures in the midst
of their prayer. There is nothing wrong with praying in public sometimes, but why are you doing it in public? Is it a
necessity, or merely to been seen. I have been in prayer meetings where one individual can pray for 20 or 30 minutes
a single prayer. Often using repetitive language, saying the same phrase 4 or 5 times during the prayer.

Long eloquent prayers are not what God desires. He simply wants you to share your heart. Sharing your heart is not
something that is usually done easily in public in front of strangers (or even friends). So go into private places some times.
Talk to God, share your heart. Confess your sins. Be mad, be angry, cry, do whatever it takes, but it usually doesn't take a lot
of words to share your feelings.

Matt 6:8; "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't ask. It simply means we don't have to tell Him over and over what we need. He knows.
But he still wants us to ask. ( James 4:2; )

Matt 6:9; "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matt 6:10; 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Matt 6:11; 'Give us this day our daily bread.
Matt 6:12; 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matt 6:13; 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'

This is of course most often referred to as the Lord's prayer. This is the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray...

..... out of time... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Matt 6:9; "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

It seems some Christians are confused by this statement. But Jesus said, when you pray... pray to the Father.
We pray "through" Jesus; but we pray "to" the Father.

Jesus talked about the Father over 100 times in the new Testament. Including the epistles, the Father is mentioned over 200 times.
The Father is mentioned over 10 times in the sermon on the mount alone.

Jesus is the "way".... He isn't the destination, He is the way... the way to what? The Father. John 14:6;
Jesus is our mediator... our mediator between what? Us and the Father. 1 Tim 2:5;

Jesus says the Father knows what we need before we even ask Him. ( Matt 6:8; )
Jesus says our Father knows how to give us good things. ( Matt 7:11; )
Jesus says if two agree on earth in what they are asking the Father will do it for them. ( Matt 18:19; )
Jesus says if we ask, the Father will give us the Holy Spirit ( Luke 11:13; )

There are dozens of verses like this. We can (and should) ask for things in Jesus name.... ( John 14:13-14; )
But we should be asking the Father... not Jesus.

We should be living to glorify the Father, not Jesus ( Matt 5:16; Rom 15:6; )
Its the Father who glorifies Jesus... John 8:54; John 17:1; John 17:5;

But aren't doing the same thing when we ask Jesus? No, Jesus is the Son. God is the Father. They are not one being with
three names. They are three entities with the same name. (God).

In the old testament people didn't worship Jesus, or the Son... they didn't even know there was a Jesus. They worshiped the Father.

I always cringe a little when I hear people say... all glory and praise and honor belongs to Jesus. No, some of it belongs to the Father also.

... to be continued ...

 

[RJ]

I always cringe a little when I hear people say... all glory and praise and honor belongs to Jesus. No, some of it belongs to the Father also.

When you pray to Son and you praise the Son, are you not acknowledging and praising the Father as well?
John 10:30
John 17:21
John 17:11
John 1:1

 

[B-A-C]

Matt 6:10; 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

If we look at this verse from back to front, it seems we can determine a few things.
First.... God's will is always done in heaven.
Second..... God's will may not always be done on earth. If it was, there would be no sin.

The third thing here is viewed differently by different people.
In a way.... God's kingdom is already here on earth. As long as Christians are on the earth, part of His kingdom is here.
Many feel that every-time someone gets saved, or every-time we show love, a part of God's kingdom comes to this world.
There are places in the world where thousands of people are getting saved every day. We sometimes forget this when all
we see around us is negativity and bad news.

Another way to look at this... is God's kingdom hasn't taken over the world yet... but it will.
Christ will reign over the earth for thousand years.... with a rod of iron. Christians will reign with Him.
Some believe the events of Revelation have already taken place in the past at some point.
But Christ hasn't ruled over the earth for 1,000 years yet. In fact there has been no 1,000 year period of peace
since the dawn of man. When this happens, His kingdom "will come".

After Jesus reigns over the earth for 1,000 years... there will be a rebellion again, Satan will be released from prison
and there will be another final war between Jesus and Satan. Of course Jesus wins this war also.
Then finally the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven. The Father and Jesus are both there. In fact
Many view this time as the time "your kingdom come" is finally fulfilled. I personally think it's both, present and future.
Jesus rules this kingdom currently, and he will rule it during the millennial reign. One all the enemies of God are conquered,
Jesus gives the kingdom back to the Father. 1 Cor 15:24-27;

Once all of this has been done, Jesus himself submits Himself back under the Father. 1 Cor 15:28;
Some believe this to be the final fulfillment of ... "your kingdom come".

... to be continued ...

 

[Hekuran]

In Matt chapter 5, 6 and 7 Jesus preached His longest sermon.
It was preached primarily to believers. It is a very radical sermon even by today's standards.

Nice selection of posts. You've taken on quite a challenge

I didn't get to the end of the second line of the first post before I found something to comment on. "even by today's standards"??? The sermon on the mount is in a completely different league to anything I have heard in a sermon anywhere today.

Some of that is because of the claims Jesus makes for himself - I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets - but the moral and practical elements also go far beyond the teaching we hear today.