Sharing Bread Matthew 6:9-15

SHARING BREAD

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.

Matt 6:9-15 (NIV)

“Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude – an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.”   A. W. Pink

In our verses for today, the Lord Jesus presents us with a model prayer which His disciples are to follow – an example containing elements important for our petitions to include.  Christ rightly begins His pattern of prayer with worship.  Worship, reverence and thanksgiving to the Holy Father are to be the essence of all of our prayers.  It is both fitting and upright to praise the Lord – praising Him in all His perfections.  We do not praise Him because He needs it rather we praise Him because He deserves it – it is well and proper for us to praise Him.  This gives us the correct perspective of both Who He is and who we are.  Certainly we should give God the glory due His Name before we expect to receive His mercy and grace.   Everything is of Him and through Him therefore all must be to Him and for Him.   Just as the Psalmist declares, we are to enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise:

² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.    Psalms 100:2-4 (NIV)

“Be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving to God and for His glory.”  Ignatius of Antioch

 

“There is a danger of forgetting that the Bible reveals not first the love of God, but the intense, blazing holiness of God.”   Oswald Chambers

 

Certainly there is nothing more pleasing and pleasant both to us and to God than for His children to call Him “Abba Father” Who thankfully pities us in our weaknesses and infirmities as well as denies us nothing that is ultimately for our good and His glory.  He is on His throne in heaven and from there maintains a full and crystal clear view of our burdens and needs as well as our weaknesses.  God knows us through and through and is fully aware of the attitudes and thoughts of our hearts.  He is not only willing but He is also able to help us do great and marvelous things - feats too hard for mere flesh to accomplish.  He gladly comes to the aid of those seeking to do right.

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.”  Martin Luther    

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

 

⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. ⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.    Isaiah 64:4-5 (NIV)

 

Next, Jesus tells us to seek God’s will in order that He may be glorified and we may be most satisfied.  The Lord Jesus came to do His Father’s will setting the example for His disciples to follow.  We are to line up our wants with the will of the Fathers.  All requests are to be in subordination and pursuant of His righteousness and glory.    We are to pray that He may rule us in “your will be done” as a demonstration of trust in Him that He has our best interest at heart.  We do well to pray for the knowledge of His will and the ability to obey it – both are necessary for the child of the King.  There is no better place on earth to be than in the center of His will – mature and fully assured.  Our prayers are for earth to be more like heaven by the observance of God’s will.

¹² Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.  He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.     Col 4:12 (NIV)

 

"The only way to end up at the right destination is to choose the right road."   Warren Wiersbe

Our petitions are to be not only for that which is most wholesome – bread - but also for that which is most daily.  We are to speak in a direct and specific manner for the things we both need and desire - always according to His will - and with an expectation to draw from Him upon the unlimited resources of heaven.  We need not worry about tomorrow but day by day depend on His mercies and grace – just like He taught the Israelites in the wilderness with the manna.  The greatest of men are to be indebted to God for the mercy of their daily needs. The Lord also prays to keep us from temptation and to protect us from the evil one – of which we are powerless apart from Christ to defend ourselves.  Lastly, we must pray for our daily pardon.  Our hearts prayer to the Father is to be for the forgiveness of our sins – just as we forgive those who sin against us.  Believer, do not harbor unforgiveness in your hearts if you desire you own forgiveness. 

What I glean from this:

·       God is holy and I am to approach Him with reverence and thanksgiving.

·       God is fully aware of my needs and is willing to help me.

·       The best pace on earth for me to be is in the center of His perfect and pleasing will.

  

 

Sharing Bread Matthew 6:5-8

SHARING BREAD

 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.”

Matt 6:5-8 (NIV)

The pious Pharisees – those who loved demonstrating their supposed righteousness – enjoyed performing their act of public prayer before the eyes of men - and an act it was.  In their long flowing robes with their long flowing religious jargon their prayers were not directed towards God rather towards the ears and eyes of their hearers.  They were famous for their long repetitive phrases in liturgical voices in an effort to draw attention to their religiosity.  It perhaps drew the recognition, attention and applause from man but not from God who directs His gaze to the motive and the heart.  Jesus states in our verses for today they received their reward in full.  Make no mistake about it; God is never into the exaltation of self.  I am reminded in Luke of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’” ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”   Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”    Charles H. Spurgeon

“Tears have a tongue and grammar and language that our Father knows.”   Samuel Rutherford

We are not to trust in ourselves for our own righteousness nor are we to show contempt for others.  This Pharisees’ prayer consisted of telling God how good he was and what a low life the tax collector was.  Jesus states the one justified was the one who was humbly repentant not sanctimoniously smug.  Peter tells us true humility is the proper attire for the child of God:

 

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.   1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV)

“There is no true holiness without humility.”  Thomas Fuller

“Humility is nothing else but a true knowledge and awareness of oneself as one really is.”  The Cloud of Unknowing

Next the Lord Jesus tells us we are to handle prayer privately.  Christians are to be a praying people.  If prayer-less then grace-less.  Prayer is to be a conversation between man and his Maker.  It is to be earnest not trifling, humble and not demanding – vain glory and vain repetition are not acceptable practices for a child of the King.  What passes between God and the deep expression of our own souls must be out of sight and not on stage.  Public places are not proper for earnest private prayer.  Out Father in heaven is ready to hear and answer - ever graciously willing to help and aid us.  He is especially near to those who call upon Him who lift up their soul and pour out their heart.  Children need not make long speeches to their parents when they are in need.  Our simple cry for “Help” is not a bad prayer.  God, who knows and sees all, often gives before we ask and even more than we ask:

²⁴ Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.   Isaiah 65:24 (NIV)

 

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.   Eph 3:20-21 (NIV)

 

Our most powerful intercessions are made with groans that words cannot express:

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.   Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       As a child of the King I am to be humble.

·       God is never into the exaltation of self.

·       God, Who knows and sees all, is more willing to give that we are even willing to ask.

 

 

  

Sharing Bread Matthew 6:1-4

SHARING BREAD

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.”

Matt 6:1-4 (NIV)

Our Lord now begins to warn us in this section of His Sermon on the Mount against hypocrisy and worldly-mindedness – sins that those who profess faith should be ever aware of and most on our guard against.  It was these sins which permeated as yeast in the lives of the Pharisees and of which Jesus spoke so vehemently against.  Giving is a high Christian duty and one we are all called to yet we must be aware of the subtle sin of pride which quietly worms itself into our actions – it is the dead fly that destroys the precious ointment.

I remember praying thirty or so years ago that I would never remember anything I did positive for someone else. I enjoyed doing things incognito.  If something redeeming or edifying flowed from my hands or mouth – something sacrificial or encouraging - it was only because of the Lord Jesus within me and if I pondered prestige for the act or words of piety - thinking I should be honored or repaid in any way - that negated the action in my mind as well as caused me to stumble.  I disliked the thought of “keeping score” and wanted the freedom from myself and others to do or give as the Lord directed.  And He answered my request.  Unwittingly, I seemed to have been fleshing out the precept that our Lord describes here in our verses for today.  We are to live our lives for an audience of One Whose eyes ever range throughout this earth to strengthen those who are fully committed to Him:

⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.   2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)

Giving is also a duty which is accompanied with great reward if not done hypocritically or filled with pride for the world to see and praise.  One can never out-give God – that is a fact.  The promise of Scripture which Jesus states will ever hold true for those who give to please Him rather than man.  Eternal rewards are great – the riches we impart here on earth form the wealth we will always retain:

³⁸ “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38 (NIV)

 

It is certainly true that the Pharisees – the religious in our Lord’s Day – practiced the duty of giving but their motive was not in obedience to God or of love for their fellow man rather it lie in the praise of man and the boasting of their piety.  Their actions were purely for show choosing to give where all could see and praise which was their pay – their inheritance – in full.  Jesus tells us we are to conceal our giving as much as possible – even from ourselves – we are not to dwell on it rather we are to be diligent in keeping our actions concealed and private.  We are to give because it is a good work not to receive a good reputation in man’s eyes or our own.  Pride is an insidious monster that we must ever be aware of.   

 

“He who knows himself best esteems himself least.”    Henry G. Brown

 

“He who stays not in his littleness loses his greatness.”    Francis de Sales

 “Self-conceit and self-delight, the adoring of our own shadow, are branches of pride.”   Matthew Henry   

We find in Scripture honor from Jesus for those who themselves had forgotten their good works and it is certainly higher to be honored by the Master than by man.     

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ 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, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’” ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”   Matt 25:34-40 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

·       Jesus warns me against hypocrisy and worldly-mindedness in my giving.

·       Giving is a high duty accompanied by great heavenly rewards if done to please the Lord and not merely for the praise of man.

·       I am to be on the alert for pride in my life.  It is an insidious monster that will take me down if I am not careful.  

Sharing Bread Matthew 5:43-48

SHARING BREAD

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matt 5:43-48 (NIV)

“Love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ.”    John Newton

God’s love extends to all people and His children are to be a channel through which His love freely flows to others.  We would do well to remember the mercy and love God demonstrated to us while we were yet sinners - without strength, feeble and impious.  Paul tells us in Romans:

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

 

“I love Him because He first loved me.  His goodness and mercy and compassion to me are new every day.  And my assurance is lodged in these aspects of His character.  My trust is in His love for me as His own.  My serenity has as its basis an implicit, unshakable reliance on His ability to do the right thing, the best thing in any given situation.  This to me is the supreme portrait of my Shepherd.  Continually there flows out to me His goodness and His mercy, which even though I do not deserve them, come unremittingly from their source of supply – His own great heart of love.”   Phillip Keller

 

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.   1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)

We are to be bound in love to others - generous in our behavior towards everyone.  We are not to live simply according to our natural affections and inclinations in our spiritual life.  Our likes and dislikes of others must not rule our Christian life.  God has made all people who dwell on the face of this earth of one blood – all are human beings, what more than that are we? 

⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   1 Cor 4:7 (NIV)

 

We are to seek to please our Master and in pleasing Him we love those He came to die for.  Others may spurn our love but Jesus will never spurn it – it is a sweet smelling sacrifice to Him – acceptable and pleasing.  In loving our neighbors we are following in His footsteps.  He is our Supreme example and as His disciples we too are to deliberately identify with God’s interest in others.  John tells us:

 ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   John 13:34-35 (NIV)

 

“Just as God’s goodness and mercy flow to me all the days of my life, so goodness and mercy should follow me, should be left behind me, as a legacy to others, wherever I may go.”   Phillip Keller

Just as God dispenses His gifts of common mercies and goodness as in the sun and the rain on both the just and unjust as an amazing demonstration of His patience and kindness so too we are to do good indiscriminately.  Sometimes the greatest deeds of the kingdom of God are acts of service and kindness done that perhaps others consider meaningless and unworthy of their talents as they carry less recognition and less glory.  As God’s children we are called to live above the ordinary ways of this world – that’s how we bring Jesus to others.  He never blended with the world’s ways and neither should we.  We are to treat each other as we ourselves would want to be treated with kindness and mercy and love.   And only Jesus can make us like Him.

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   1 John 4:7-11 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

·       God loves all people and as His child I am to be a channel of His love to others.

·       By loving others I show myself to be Jesus’ disciple.

·       “Love never fails.”  I Corinthians 13:8A

Sharing Bread Matthew 5:38-42

SHARING BREAD

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Matt 5:38-42 (NIV)

In our verses for today Jesus clearly states we are not to be retaliators of evil.  The Law of retaliation presented in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy was given to protect the innocent and to make sure that the retaliation did not go beyond the offense – the punishment was to fit the crime and not to exceed it.  Scripture states:

You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰ The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹ Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.    Deut 19:19-21 (NIV)

Jesus, however, teaches us we are not to be vengeful – we are to avoid and resist evil as is necessary for our own security but we must not harbor a grudge (unforgiveness) nor avenge ourselves nor seek to get even when wronged.  The rights of those innocent were protected by the Law yet our Lord states the righteous need not necessarily claim their rights.  Indeed, Scripture teaches us we are to repay evil with good.  Paul tells us in Romans:

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.    Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)

 

Forgiveness when wronged demonstrates the divine miracle of grace in one’s life and points to Jesus.  Forgiveness is supernatural and flows against the flesh which is desirous of retaliation.  Forgiveness costs and it is marked by mercy and love - its origins are in God Himself.  We are never more Christ-like than when we forgive when wronged.  Like Jesus, we are to entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly.  Christians are to bear a striking resemblance to their Master.  God sees every slight against His children and it is His to make right.  Furthermore, He does a far better job!  Peter writes of Christ’s example:

 

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.   1 Peter 2:23 (NIV)  

“Make me into a rock which swallows up the waves of wrong in its great caverns and never throws them back to swell the commotion of the angry sea from whence they came.  Ah!  To annihilate wrong in this way – to say, ‘It shall not be wrong against me, so utterly do I forgive it!’”  George MacDonald

“Forgiveness saves us the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.”  Hannah More

Christians are to think kindly, speak kindly and do kindly.  We are to forgive as we have been forgiven.  Those who themselves have experienced the grace of God and are thankful for the forgiveness of the Lord are to be quick to forgive as well.  We are to always love the sinner yet hate the sin which is the downfall of a soul.  If we have been privy to have heard the words of forgiveness spoken to our own hearts we will want others to hear them too.  Returning good for evil is Christ-like.

“Be God-like, then; and in all ways and by all means, so live that all may say of you, ‘You have been with Jesus.’”   Charles H. Spurgeon

⁸ Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.   1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

 

“You never touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.”     Corrie ten Boom

What I glean from this:

·       I am not to be vengeful - it is God’s to avenge.  We are all sinners.  When one sins against another it is really sinning against God.  Remember David’s penitent words to the Lord in Psalm 51 after his fall with Bathsheba:   ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Psalms 51:4 (NIV)

·       Forgiveness when wronged demonstrates grace and points to Jesus.  Forgiveness is more for me than even the one I am forgiving.

·        I am to think kindly, speak kindly, and do kindly.   ¹² Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Col 3:12-14 (NIV)