The Teachings of Jesus Christ. Pt. 15 The Sermon on the Mount
Our time with our son's family is rapidly coming to a close. We have been having so much fun with them. It has been a blessing watching our grandchildren interacting with their Great Grandmother, who is 87 years young. The 3 of us will be heading back to Ohio on Friday morning.
Here come the Hypocrites
We have all encountered people who are hypocrites. Often when inviting someone to attend our church the common reply is "Churches are full of hypocrites." There is some truth to this statement since every church has people who are born again (the wheat) and people who are lost (the tares).
Since this is a reality of church life today, that is one reason why I emphasize the need for each one of us to have a good testimony. The born again Christian needs to aim for living a consistent Christian life of obedience to the Word of God.
Of course, it is no excuse (before God) for a person to say "I won't go to church because of hypocrites." At the end of the day, each person will die either as a saved believer in Christ or a non-believer without Christ. Living out the gospel can be used of God to show unsaved (non-believers) people that there is a wonderful vibrant life that is available to them through Jesus Christ.
The teaching of Jesus Christ continues in Matthew 6 and in this chapter the word "hypocrite" is used 3 times. A hypocrite is an actor playing a part.
The photo above shows typical masks used in plays. In Greek theater the word hypocrite referred to a mask that had two faces with a different emotion displayed on each side of the mask.
The actor might hold a mask with a smiling face over his or her own face with the mask facing toward the audience when the part being played involved happiness or humor. An angry face would cover the actors face when anger or rage was being depicted.
The word hypocrite in English has come to mean someone who pretends to be someone that they are not. It means those who represent themselves as religious but who are in reality not born again.
Jesus turns from the erroneous teaching of the Pharisees and rabbis to their hypocritical actions.
Hypocrisy in giving alms
Alms refers to anything voluntarily given to relieve the needs of the poor. It could be donations of money, food, clothing or other needed items. The Pharisees gave their alms in a way that called attention to what they were doing.
In our culture we might say that such a person is blowing their own horn. This idiomatic expression means that they are boasting of what they have done. In this case, the Pharisees thought that making a donation to the poor was evidence of being religious.
True alms giving is done quietly, from a heart filled with the love of God and without fanfare. It is done because Christian love and compassion leads us to give to those in need. In contrast to the attention seeking Pharisees, the love motivated giver wants no credit or glory for giving alms.
The hypocrites offering is not recognized by God because they were seeking the praise of men. The gift given in secret by the cheerful giver is recognized by God.
Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Hypocrisy while praying
Jesus pointed out the spiritual bankruptcy of the Pharisee's prayer life. They prayed standing in the synagogues to be noticed. They prayed on street corners so that others would see them praying. Pharisees sought the praise of men and public recognition when they prayed. Such fruitless prayers turn the heavens into brass because their prayers are rejected by God.
A good example of what Jesus is trying to teach us is the prayers of the Pharisees and the publican. The Pharisee was pompous, judgmental and very self righteous. He despised the publican standing next to him and looked on him with contempt.
However, Christ plainly stated that it was the humble publican whose prayers were heard.
Luke 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
When Jesus refers to the hypocrite in the text below He has the Pharisees in mind. The words of their prayers were meaningless and fruitless because the focus was self centered and not God centered.
The Pharisees also used "vain repetitions" in their prayers. This phrase means stuttering or stammering in repetitive sounds. Practically speaking it means saying the same thing over and over again. The motivation is that the Pharisees thought their prayers would be heard because they were extremely verbose.
Jesus tells us to enter into our prayer closet. This is the idea of going into a quiet and private space where there are no distractions and earnestly praying to the Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:5-8 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
The Lord's prayer is a perfect pattern for us
After pointing out the deficiencies in the prayer life of the Pharisees Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. Now, I do not think that Christ is limiting us us to pray only these exact words each time that we pray because our circumstances and needs change over time. He is giving us a heavenly pattern for prayer that we can follow.
If we choose to pray the Lord's Prayer we must always make sure that our heart and mind is engaged as we pray those words.
I was raised in a Lutheran church and we prayed the Lord's Prayer in every service. I was not yet converted but I distinctly recall that once I learned the words of the prayer, I could put my mind on "autopilot" as I prayed. This made it a vain repetition for me.
Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Who is hearing our prayer?
We need to remember the audience of our prayers. Our heavenly Father is! We live in a very profane and unholy culture and it is always right to pray that God's name be hallowed. The word "hallow" means to treat God as sacred and reverent. It means to separate and dedicate it to God.
The Psalmist shows us what it means to hallow our Father in heaven. It is by walking in the ways of Jehovah and staying in the path of His truth. This causes us to fear or reverence His name while we live to glorify the name of Jehovah.
Psalm 86:11-12 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
What is requested in this prayer?
There are 5 distinct requests in the Lord's prayer that we can also pray about.
First, is a prayer for the kingdom of God to come or be established upon the earth. All believers should long for this because we see what a terrible mess the world is in and we know that it will not be set right until Christ Jesus is enthroned.
Second, is a request for the will of God to be done on earth as it is done in heaven. God's will is instantly carried out in heaven. The will of God is always obeyed in heaven. The will of God is loved in heaven. Christ's prayer is that all of the will of God will be instantly obeyed, carried out and loved throughout the world.
The third request is more practical and reminds us it is appropriate to make requests for the basic needs of life such as food, clothing and shelter.
The fourth request is seeking forgiveness of sins because every Christian is a sinner saved by grace. This includes praying for God's help to forgive those who have sinned against us. King Solomon brings this truth out in the Proverbs.
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
The last request is for help to resist temptation and to find the way of escape when we are faced with something that tempts us.
Closing with a doxology
The closing portion of the Lord's prayer contains a doxology of praise to God. It reminds us that our hope is in our Lord. He is the one who has all the kingdom, power, and glory forever.
Points to Ponder...
Here come the Hypocrites
We have all encountered people who are hypocrites. Often when inviting someone to attend our church the common reply is "Churches are full of hypocrites." There is some truth to this statement since every church has people who are born again (the wheat) and people who are lost (the tares).
Since this is a reality of church life today, that is one reason why I emphasize the need for each one of us to have a good testimony. The born again Christian needs to aim for living a consistent Christian life of obedience to the Word of God.
Of course, it is no excuse (before God) for a person to say "I won't go to church because of hypocrites." At the end of the day, each person will die either as a saved believer in Christ or a non-believer without Christ. Living out the gospel can be used of God to show unsaved (non-believers) people that there is a wonderful vibrant life that is available to them through Jesus Christ.
The teaching of Jesus Christ continues in Matthew 6 and in this chapter the word "hypocrite" is used 3 times. A hypocrite is an actor playing a part.
The photo above shows typical masks used in plays. In Greek theater the word hypocrite referred to a mask that had two faces with a different emotion displayed on each side of the mask.
The actor might hold a mask with a smiling face over his or her own face with the mask facing toward the audience when the part being played involved happiness or humor. An angry face would cover the actors face when anger or rage was being depicted.
The word hypocrite in English has come to mean someone who pretends to be someone that they are not. It means those who represent themselves as religious but who are in reality not born again.
Jesus turns from the erroneous teaching of the Pharisees and rabbis to their hypocritical actions.
Hypocrisy in giving alms
Alms refers to anything voluntarily given to relieve the needs of the poor. It could be donations of money, food, clothing or other needed items. The Pharisees gave their alms in a way that called attention to what they were doing.
In our culture we might say that such a person is blowing their own horn. This idiomatic expression means that they are boasting of what they have done. In this case, the Pharisees thought that making a donation to the poor was evidence of being religious.
True alms giving is done quietly, from a heart filled with the love of God and without fanfare. It is done because Christian love and compassion leads us to give to those in need. In contrast to the attention seeking Pharisees, the love motivated giver wants no credit or glory for giving alms.
The hypocrites offering is not recognized by God because they were seeking the praise of men. The gift given in secret by the cheerful giver is recognized by God.
Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Hypocrisy while praying
Jesus pointed out the spiritual bankruptcy of the Pharisee's prayer life. They prayed standing in the synagogues to be noticed. They prayed on street corners so that others would see them praying. Pharisees sought the praise of men and public recognition when they prayed. Such fruitless prayers turn the heavens into brass because their prayers are rejected by God.
A good example of what Jesus is trying to teach us is the prayers of the Pharisees and the publican. The Pharisee was pompous, judgmental and very self righteous. He despised the publican standing next to him and looked on him with contempt.
However, Christ plainly stated that it was the humble publican whose prayers were heard.
Luke 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
When Jesus refers to the hypocrite in the text below He has the Pharisees in mind. The words of their prayers were meaningless and fruitless because the focus was self centered and not God centered.
The Pharisees also used "vain repetitions" in their prayers. This phrase means stuttering or stammering in repetitive sounds. Practically speaking it means saying the same thing over and over again. The motivation is that the Pharisees thought their prayers would be heard because they were extremely verbose.
Jesus tells us to enter into our prayer closet. This is the idea of going into a quiet and private space where there are no distractions and earnestly praying to the Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:5-8 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
The Lord's prayer is a perfect pattern for us
After pointing out the deficiencies in the prayer life of the Pharisees Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. Now, I do not think that Christ is limiting us us to pray only these exact words each time that we pray because our circumstances and needs change over time. He is giving us a heavenly pattern for prayer that we can follow.
If we choose to pray the Lord's Prayer we must always make sure that our heart and mind is engaged as we pray those words.
I was raised in a Lutheran church and we prayed the Lord's Prayer in every service. I was not yet converted but I distinctly recall that once I learned the words of the prayer, I could put my mind on "autopilot" as I prayed. This made it a vain repetition for me.
Matthew 6:9-13 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Who is hearing our prayer?
We need to remember the audience of our prayers. Our heavenly Father is! We live in a very profane and unholy culture and it is always right to pray that God's name be hallowed. The word "hallow" means to treat God as sacred and reverent. It means to separate and dedicate it to God.
The Psalmist shows us what it means to hallow our Father in heaven. It is by walking in the ways of Jehovah and staying in the path of His truth. This causes us to fear or reverence His name while we live to glorify the name of Jehovah.
Psalm 86:11-12 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
What is requested in this prayer?
There are 5 distinct requests in the Lord's prayer that we can also pray about.
First, is a prayer for the kingdom of God to come or be established upon the earth. All believers should long for this because we see what a terrible mess the world is in and we know that it will not be set right until Christ Jesus is enthroned.
Second, is a request for the will of God to be done on earth as it is done in heaven. God's will is instantly carried out in heaven. The will of God is always obeyed in heaven. The will of God is loved in heaven. Christ's prayer is that all of the will of God will be instantly obeyed, carried out and loved throughout the world.
The third request is more practical and reminds us it is appropriate to make requests for the basic needs of life such as food, clothing and shelter.
The fourth request is seeking forgiveness of sins because every Christian is a sinner saved by grace. This includes praying for God's help to forgive those who have sinned against us. King Solomon brings this truth out in the Proverbs.
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
The last request is for help to resist temptation and to find the way of escape when we are faced with something that tempts us.
Closing with a doxology
The closing portion of the Lord's prayer contains a doxology of praise to God. It reminds us that our hope is in our Lord. He is the one who has all the kingdom, power, and glory forever.
Points to Ponder...
- While there may be hypocrites in every church, you and I do not need to be one of them.
- Hypocrisy is someone being a fake, pretending to be religious when that person is really unsaved. It is an affront to Holy God.
- We must avoid drawing any attention to ourselves when we are giving alms, serving the Lord in any way or in praying.
- The Lord's prayer gives us a perfect pattern to follow.
- We must always hallow the Father's name because He is our audience.
- Our prayer requests must reflect our spiritual and physical needs in seeking the glory of God in all of this.
Jesus has much more to say to us about hypocrisy as we move through HIs teaching in Matthew's gospel. We all need to hear what our Saviour is saying so that we can live for His glory and honor.
My prayer is that the Lord will keep bringing these truths home to our hearts so that we can serve Him, love Him, and know Him more and more. I pray that the Lord will help us in our prayer life to follow the pattern from Jesus Christ so that our prayer time is energized and filled with a passion for the Father.
Bob
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