The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 6

In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.

Matthew 6:1-34

In Matthew Chapter 6 Jesus continues His “Sermon on the Mount”. Remember that He is pointing to the differences of what the “Pharisees” had been teaching about righteousness and the truth.

Jesus continues the discussion by talking about giving. The Pharisees had turned giving into a spectacle. Something that was done so that everyone could see how much they were giving to God. Unfortunately, they were not giving for the right reasons. We are supposed to give as a response to the love of God. Our giving should always flow out of that love. You should never give because you feel guilted in to it or someone tells you it is your responsibility. Giving is a response, not a responsibility.

Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus then undertakes the subject of prayer. He is again teaching that the most important thing is our relationship with God. Prayer is not a show, it is an amazing gift between us and our creator. In these verses Jesus lays out a beautiful model for prayer; The Lord’s Prayer. These simple verses were not intended to be repeated by rote, but provide a simple model to help guide and direct our prayers. The model provides for a time of worship, remembering that He is God and we are not. It reminds us to petition God for our needs and the needs of others. It keeps the importance of forgiveness, both receiving and extending in our sight, and reminds that we are in a spiritual battle. You should try and take time to pray every day using these verses as your model. You can check out the God’s Daytimer 15 Minutes With God page for more information on the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting is the next topic in the sermon on the mount and again Jesus is pointing out the Pharisaic “righteousness.” that was evident in their giving, praying and now their fasting. The Pharisees fasted so that others would see them and think they were spiritual. Fasting is supposed to emphasize the denial of the flesh, but the Pharisees were glorifying their flesh by drawing attention to themselves.

Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

When we observe the spiritual disciplines, the focus is our relationship with God, they are never to be practiced so that we can appear “holy” to the people around us.

Jesus continues the lesson by pointing out that our attitude toward wealth is another barometer of righteousness. The Pharisees taught that God blessed those He loved materially. Their focus became building great treasures here on earth. Treasures built here however, don’t last.

Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Jesus finishes up this part of the sermon with a truth that all of us need to grasp. When our focus is on God and His Kingdom, we don’t need to worry about the things in life which tend to take so much of our focus. God is in control and we can trust Him with all of our needs.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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