The Gospel Series Part IX
Continuing our closer look on The Sermon On The Mount.
In the time we live in, it is easy to recognize the uncertainty and chaos which is surrounding us. The same atmosphere was present for the people of Israel during the time Jesus was ministering on Earth. Jesus, in His Sermon, addressed the motivation of a person’s heart.
Matthew 6:16-21 NKJV — “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, “so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
There are many who are so concerned with themselves. They can be so wrapped up in their personal issues, they have the tendency to draw attention to themselves, even during their worship of God. Our motivation for doing righteous acts can be traced directly to our hearts and what drives us. Is humbleness and transparency towards God, so that He may get the glory and praise our intent, or are we doing it for self-glorification and acknowledgement from our peers? The motivation for any spiritual activity should be prompted by our relationship with God. He should be first and central in our hearts and our minds as we go about our service to Him. If we would feed our spirits as much as we feed our flesh, we would be in a better balanced situation. Fasting is an opportunity to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.
Jesus also speaks about “treasure,” but He wasn’t necessarily talking about money, although there are many who perceive this. A career, a home, a car, or anything we may cherish can also be considered a treasure. Jesus wants us to realize that material things are of transitory value while spiritual things are of eternal value. We should not put our trust and security in our earthly possessions, for they’re so easily lost. Instead, we should put our trust in God and believe in Him to provide for all our needs.
Matthew 6:22-24 NKJV — “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Our eyes are the window to our souls. If the glass through which we look is clean, then we see the world as it is. If the glass is distorted or dirty, then our view of the world will be distorted. The view we really should seek is the view God sees. The purpose of prayer and fasting is to be drawn to the Lord. In these latter days, it is extremely important to read the Word of God and follow the Godly principles that are laid within. As followers of Christ we must realize the Light embedded within us, when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, is greater and brighter than any darkness the devil deploys.
Night and day, hot or cold, too many of us like the comfort of living in a gray area. Jesus is telling us, in verse 24, it is important to decide which path we should follow.
“Mammon” originally was a person to whom one entrusted their fortune and material wealth. A banker, a certified accountant or even a conservator are examples of this. The meaning changed to become a trust in the power money provides. One of the pagan gods of Old Testament times was called Mammon. We cannot be devoted to God and be devoted to material things. There isn’t enough time to serve both.
When we choose whom to follow, we have selected the kind of life we desire. Our walk with Jesus may not always be a smooth experience, but it will be the most rewarding. Jesus assures us, in His sermon, if we choose to trust God with our lives, we will never be forgotten and there will be no need to be concerned about tomorrow.
Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV — “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
God is aware of our needs. He wants us to trust Him and put Him first in our lives, rather than worrying about how we’ll provide for our fleshly needs. When the flesh rules over us, it’s a tyrant. It causes us to live in a constant state of lust and frustration. Even if we glut our flesh, it always demands more.
Jesus is telling us to take a good look at ourselves, examine our hearts and be certain our motives are pure. There’s nothing wrong with planning for tomorrow, but today is the time we currently exist in and what we decide today will affect all our tomorrows.
Join us again when we continue our closer look on The Sermon On The Mount in Part X of The Gospel Series.
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