54. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - What is important to God? Part 1

“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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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. (Matthew 6:16-18)

All of these commands, which pull our focus away from self and toward God, promise a reward. We all need motivation, a purpose to work for, and a goal to reach. Our reward is either on earth or in heaven. Therefore, just as salespersons treat their customers in a special way in order to increase sales, so we must have a specific reason for our spiritual activities.

            Why do you read the Bible? Is it to fulfill a religious duty? Do you read it mindlessly, not understanding what you read, or do you have the purpose of trying to understand God’s ways and to learn what He has in mind for you? Do you think of the Father when you read His Word? When you pray, what do you want to accomplish? Do you want God to see that you are religious and are obeying His command to pray? Do you want to be able to tell your friends that you pray because they do it too? What is the purpose of prayer?

Do you pray to get results or a reaction from the living God? What are you living for? Do you live to satisfy your desires and to see how much you can get from this present life? Do you live for the joy of having your family around you and for fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, or are you concerned about eternity?

What does the Lord think of you? What rewards has He set aside for you to receive one day at the judgement seat? What preparations are you making for the next billion-plus years?

            Many Christians believe we must only do our duty because of God’s love for us and because we need to please Him. I think this belief causes passivity and apathy in the church. This mindset says once you have done your love-duty, you’re okay.

The Lord created us and knows exactly what motivates us. Most of us are motivated by incentives. Why would the Kingdom of God be different? Each condition or expectation from God is linked with the promise of a reward. Many religious people will say that Christians should not do good works in exchange for rewards, but if the Lord promised the reward, then what is wrong with that?

The greatest motivation for doing things God’s way is the thrill of experiencing His co-operation in the form of anointing. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” When we act in faith expecting the Lord to work with us, He is pleased by our faith and eagerly co-operates with us. Then we are thrilled by the experience of His anointing. This thrill is sufficient reward but will be followed by an eternal reward as well.

The next two verses of the Sermon on the Mount are integral to our study on fasting. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal,” (Matthew 6:19, 20). With this we can read the following passage: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:26). The former relates to material goods and the latter to relationships that can hinder God’s purposes for us. To be continued

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

53. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Forgiveness, what is in it for you? Part 2

We are busy discussing forgiveness the way Jesus instructed us in His model prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” (Matthew 6:12).

Forgiveness usually is automatic or immediate and usually includes a blessing and forgetting. However, it is easy to say you forgive somebody but later catch yourself speaking negatively about him. You may have forgiven him for what he did, but you still feel bitter toward him. Then the next time the person does the least wrong, your flesh is more than ready to accuse and criticize.

This happens because you have not blessed the person, and you do not trust the Lord to deal with him. Maybe the person will forever irritate you, and you will have to forever forgive and bless him. Why do you think the Lord told us to love and forgive our enemies? We are to use the exact words that Jesus used on the cross as recorded in Luke 23:34: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”

Since the evil one is behind most bad relationships and sin, most humans

do not know what they are doing. Not even Judas knew what he was doing when he betrayed Jesus. Only when the devil released the blinding grip of lies he had on Judas did he realize what had happened. He had remorse and returned the money. We are not to keep anything against anybody, ever.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (KJV).” This passage has much more to it than we may see at face value. We are to confess our sins to each other, which includes anybody in the church of Christ all over the world. Second, the healing can range from curing disease to freeing one from errors and sins to bringing about one’s salvation. Lastly, the prayer must be effectual and fervent and must come from a righteous person, one who has forgiven and who is forgiven, one in right standing with God.

            How often do we pray because we must? When we work, do we

simply want to get the day over with, or do we get satisfaction from the results? Do we work with an I-am-here-because-I-must-be attitude, or are we energetic and enthusiastic about our work?

In the same way, the only prayer that will heal is an energetic, fervent prayer that expects results. Do you remember the widow with the unrighteous judge in Luke 18:1-8? She continued until she got results. How much opportunity is given for such prayer in our church, prayer that includes confession of sin? How much time is spent in your church in public spiritual warfare?

In the NIV, the model prayer ends with “and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.” This is spiritual warfare in its basic form, resisting the activities of evil through the power of God. In the model prayer, Jesus teaches that the devil is a reality and is to be fought. We fight him using the authority of the name of Jesus. We can tell the devil, “The Lord rebuke you,” (Jude 1:9) or “We resist you in the name of Jesus,” (James 4:7) or “Get behind me, Satan, in Jesus’ name,” (Mark 8:33) or simply the words of the model prayer. This also must be fervent and effectual.

Why are we commanded to use the name of Jesus? If you are a civilian, and you jump in front of a speeding car with your hand up, would the driver stop? No, but if a police officer does it, the driver will obey. Why? It is because, in his uniform, he represents the authority of the government. The name of Jesus represents the victory Jesus had over Satan at Calvary. Jesus is now Satan’s boss. Satan has to bow at the mention of Jesus’ name (Philippians 2:10). We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12), and we need to resist them.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matthew 6:13 KJV).

If there is one thing the devil desires passionately to steal from Christians, it is time and energy to pray, because prayer moves the mighty arm of God. That is why the model prayer ends with the above words.  It is a declaration that Almighty God, to Whom the Kingdom with all its power and all its glory belongs, is the One who backs our prayer. If a politician stands up and says certain radical things, which his party instructed him to say, he stands there comforted by the fact that he is backed by his party, especially if the party is the ruling party.

Therefore we declare at the end of our model prayer: “O God You rule over the universe; therefore we know that our prayer is not only backed by You, but that You wait for our prayers as Your mandate to do great and wonderful things.” Bringing Glory to God declares where we stand in the spiritual realm. It shows our faith in the defeat that Jesus brought over Satan, who constantly tries to turn our faith away from God. Satan’s main purpose is to get us discouraged and so lose our faith in God. Therefore, bringing glory to God defeats Satan and pleases the Lord.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

52. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Forgiveness, what is in it for you?

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” (Matthew 6:12). The type of forgiveness we ask for is the same type we give. We will therefore only be forgiven once we have forgiven our debtors and in the way we have forgiven. To emphasize this important condition, Jesus added verses 14 and 15. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14, 15).

This is the model prayer, not the only prayer. We can pray whatever we wish, but our prayers must contain the basic elements of this example. One of the most important elements of prayer is forgiveness. Jesus died specifically to open this door for us. Jesus was dead serious; therefore it would be unwise to live in unforgiveness. Ask any Christian psychologist, and he will tell you that many psychological, as well as physical conditions, have their roots in unforgiveness. I have heard many testimonies in which people forgave others and immediately received healing and deliverance from all kinds of conditions.

We set ourselves a standard concerning forgiveness. In this prayer, we

declare that we want to be forgiven in the same way we forgive others. If we forgive conditionally, refusing to forget wrongs done to us or acting in bitterness, we will receive the same kind of forgiveness. Never forget that Father controls everything in and around us. If we live in forgiveness, we bank forgiveness. Then when we need forgiveness ourselves, we have enough in the “bank” for the Lord to prompt others to forgive us.

Many times, I have forgiven people who owed me, setting them free from their debt. Then I have been forgiven much more. If we have the courage to take God at His word, to believe that His promises are true, and then fulfill the conditions of those promises, we will see them come true. The more we forgive, the more we are forgiven. With forgiveness comes abundant blessing, because then nothing forms a barrier between God and us anymore.

I find it impossible to keep a grudge and therefore have been forgiven much, simply because the Lord is faithful to His Word. Living in automatic forgiveness makes life so much easier because we don’t consider retaliation. An intimate relationship with the Lord is essential in this. Sinful man in himself cannot forgive. If you can say when offended, “The Lord will deal with this person, it is not my problem,” then forgiveness becomes simply passing the offense on to the One who can handle it best.

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear,” (Isaiah 59:1, 2). If we have sin in our hearts, God cannot hear or help us. If we continue to sin without confessing, we are in trouble. However, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But in this model prayer, there is a condition: as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Do you ever feel your prayers get only as far as the ceiling and then evaporate into thin air? We often cry, “God, where are you? Why don’t you help me?”

He often helps us in unexpected ways, but we should look into our attitudes and behaviour toward those who sin against us. In the model prayer, we ask for God’s forgiveness as we have forgiven our debtors. We set the standard for God’s forgiveness. He is very clever. We cannot treat people as we wish and then expect God to have mercy on us. God is prepared to forgive us in the way we already have forgiven our debtors.

Why does God not hear our prayers? Our sin, which is not forgiven, still forms a wall between God and ourselves, because we were not prepared to forgive those who sinned against us - the ones He loves dearly and cares much for.

Who must we forgive? If nobody sins against you or owes you anything, you’re a lucky person. Does somebody persecute you or is nasty to you because you are a fruit-bearing Christian living a godly life? What about your “unrighteous” government and authorities, or the businessman who has cheated you, and what about the terrorists? If we examine our daily lives, we have many to forgive. To be continued...

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.