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¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21 ESV)

The context of today’s text not only challenges believers in Christ to not treasure treasures on earth but rather to treasure treasures in heaven. Jesus’ similar statement is also a present active command to His disciples. In contrast to earthly treasures, treasures in heaven are not susceptible to decay or thievery. In other words, treasures in heaven are secure for the believer in Christ.  

“Don’t miss this utterly radical point. It’s the way Jesus thinks and talks all the time. Being heavenly-minded makes a radically loving difference in this world. The people who are most powerfully persuaded that what matters is treasure in heaven, not big accumulations of money here, are the people who will constantly dream of ways to simplify and serve, simplify and serve, simplify and serve. They will give and give and give. And of course, they will work and work and work, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:28: “so that [they] may have something to share with anyone in need,” states Pastor John Piper.

“The connection with worship — in life and on Sundays — is this: Jesus commands us to accumulate treasure in heaven, that is, to maximize our joy in God. He says that the way to do this is to sell and simplify for the sake of others. So He motivates simplicity and service by our desire to maximize our joy in God, which means that all of our use of money becomes a manifestation of how much we delight in God above money and things. And that is worship.”

This is particularly tough concept for many American Christians to consider; let alone practice. There is a strong emphasis for gain and accumulation by many church leaders. In other words, many stress having your best life now by accumulating all the things that money can buy. According to today’s text, we must do all we can to push back against the cultural and worldly norm of materialism.

The treasure you treasure will be conspicuous in your life. It is not sinful to have possessions such a house, car, or clothes. However, it is sinful when these possession possess you and become your purpose for living.

“The “worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word,” Jesus warned (Matt. 13:22). Didn’t Jesus say something about the futility of trying to serve God and mammon? Didn’t Jesus say something about the futility of laying up treasures on earth rather than in heaven? Didn’t Jesus say where our treasure was, there would our hearts be also (Matt. 6:19–24)? Some who “long for it,” for money, the apostle says, “have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:10),” explains Pastor Terry Johnson. .

May each of us take to heart what Jesus taught. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20 ESV)

Do not lay up (θησαυρίζω; theaurizo) is a present active command from God. It means to store up or save up (Luke 12:21; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 12:14; James 5:3; 2 Peter 3:7). In other words, Jesus said “do not treasure.”

What is it that disciples of Jesus Christ are not to treasure? Jesus said “do not treasure treasures (θησαυρός; thesaurus). Jesus used both the verb and noun form of the word. The Greek word thesaurus is where we derive the English word Thesaurus; a reference book, or treasury, of English synonyms.  

The treasures Jesus had in mind belonged to our earthly existence. They are the treasures belonging exclusively to this life on earth. These would include, but not limited to the following: money, possessions, cars, clothes, houses, land and investments. Jesus did not say that possessions were wrong, but to treasure them and to live for them is; because it is a form of idolatry.

The reason to not treasure earthly treasures is two-fold. They decay and they can be stolen. Decay involves consuming insects that eat clothing (βρῶσις; brosis). They destroy (ἀφανίζω; aphanizo) meaning to rust, tarnish and corrode. Treasures can also be stolen by thieves who break into one’s home and take what does not belong to them. Smash and grab is not just a 21^st century social problem.

The primary reason to not treasure earthly treasures is because they detract from an exclusive worship of God. It can occur subtly over a period of time but what we possess can slowly begin to possess us and become a god. This violates the first commandment (Ex. 20:

“The inner essence of worship is treasuring Jesus as infinitely valuable above everything. The outer forms of worship are the acts that show how much we treasure God. Therefore, all of life is meant to be worship because God said whether you eat or drink or whatever you do — all of life — do it all to show how valuable the glory of God is to you (1 Cor. 10:31),” explains Pastor John Piper.

“Money and possessions are a big part of life, and therefore God intends them to be a big part of worship. So the way we worship with our money and our possessions is to get them and use them and lose them in a way that shows how much we treasure Jesus, not money.”

Have a blessed day in the Lord. May each of us as believers strive to love the Lord and people and use things rather than love things and use the Lord and people. It makes a difference.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20 ESV)

“The point is, ladies and gentlemen, greed is good. Greed works, greed is right. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all its forms, greed for life, money, love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind — and greed, mark my words — will save not only Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA…Thank you.” — Gordon Gekko (Wall Street, 1987)

“Another idol has displaced me; and if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come, as I would tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve.”

“What idol has displace you?” he rejoined.

“A golden one”

This is the even-handed dealing of the world,” he said. “There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with severity as the pursuit of wealth!”

“You fear the world too much,” she answered, gently. “All your other hopes have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master-passion, Gain,    engrosses you. Have I not?”

“What then?” he retorted. “Even if I have grown so much wiser, what then? I am not changed toward you.”

She shook her head.

“Am I?”

“Our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor and content to be so, until, in good season, we could improve our worldly fortune by our patient industry. You are changed. When it was made, you were another man.” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

“This deadly plague reigns everywhere throughout the world. Men are grown mad with an insatiable desire of gain.” – John Calvin

⁶ “But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:6–10 ESV)

Much has been written and spoken concerning wealth; not only in secular, but also in sacred writings. What is the biblical perspective concerning the pursuit of material prosperity? For the next several days our study will concern Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 6 on wealth, and anxiety about the lack thereof.

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18 ESV)

“When the heart and mind are deeply exercised upon a serious subject, especially one of a solemn or sorrowful kind, there is a disinclination for the partaking of food. Abstinence therefrom is a natural expression of our unworthiness, of our sense of the comparative worthlessness of earthly things, and our desire to fix our attention upon things above. Fasting, whether total or partial, seems to have been connected with seasons of peculiarly solemn devotion in all ages.”  — A.W. Pink

“It is pleasing to God, only so far as it is directed to another object: to train us to abstinence, to subdue the lust of the flesh, to excite us to earnestness in prayer, and to testify our repentance when we are affected by the view of the tribunal of God.”  — John Calvin

“I have been in that old church in New England where Jonathan Edwards preached his great sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He had a little manuscript which he held up so close to his face that they couldn’t see his countenance. He went on and on. The people in the crowded church were tremendously moved. One man sprang to his feet, rushed down the center aisle and cried, “Mr. Edwards, have mercy!” For three days Edwards had not eaten a mouthful of food; for three nights, he had not closed his eyes in sleep. Over and over again he had been saying to God, “Give me New England! Give me New England!” and when he arose from his knees and made his way into the pulpit, they say he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. They say that before he opened his lips to speak, conviction fell upon his audience.”  — J. Wilbur Chapman

“Scripture records how people fasted to seek God in an intense way, most often conjoined with prolonged prayer, and that fasting was, far from being a mark of empty outward practice, supposed to mark true mourning over loss, true repentance over sin, or true humility in seeking God (Ps. 69:9–12; Is. 58:1–14; Jer. 36:1–9; Jl. 1:13–16; Jl. 2:12–16).” – Harrison Perkins

Soli deo Gloria!  

¹⁶ “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18 ESV)

Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount on three indispensable disciplines for His disciples. These include good works, prayer and thirdly, fasting. What exactly is fasting? What does it mean to fast?

To fast (νηστεύω; nesteuo) literally means to go without food (Matt. 4:2; 6:16, 17; 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33; 18:12; Acts 10:30; 13:2). “Fasting is eating sparingly or abstaining from food altogether, either from necessity or desire. In medical terms, fasting is the detoxification of the body through the restriction of food,” The Tyndale Bible Dictionary explains.

Notice that Jesus said, “And when you fast.”  It was never a question of “if” a believer in Christ fasts. It is only a question of when, or how. While Jesus did not specify the “when” of fasting, He did speak about “how” to fast.

“Let me say something on fasting because many, for want of knowing its usefulness undervalue it necessity, and some reject it as altogether superfluous. While on the other hand, where the use of it is not well understood, it easily degenerates in superstition,” states John Calvin.

“Upon this matter the passing of the centuries has produces little or no improvement, for the very conditions which confronted this eminent reformer (John Calvin) prevail extensively today. If on the one side Romanists have perverted a means unto an end, and have exalted what is exceptional to a principle part of their religious worship, Protestants have gone to the opposite extreme; allowing what was practiced by primitive Christians to sink into general disuse,” explains commentator A. W. Pink.

Jesus said that His disciples should not hypocritically fast, but they should fast. We should not look gloomy or sad, and disfigure our faces. Fasting should not be done in order to be seen by other people. As with good works and prayer, we should secretly fast. No one, but the Lord and other limited exceptions, should know that we are fasting. Fasting concerns having a greater intimacy with the Lord and not for personal praise from other people.

Jesus said that when we fast we should do so in manner that other people do not realize that we are fasting. There should be no disfigurement of our faces and we should be freshly groomed. This way our fasting is not for the purpose of others seeing us fast, but only the heavenly Father. It is this type of disciplined fasting that honors God and that He will honor in response.  

Consider participating in a biblical fast. Involved in this period of time is Bible reading, study, worship and prayer. It is wise to find a secluded place of solitude for your fast. This removes potential, but otherwise appropriate, activities. Have a blessed day, and if applicable to you, a blessed fast.

Soli deo Gloria!   

¹⁶ “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18 ESV)

Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount on three indispensable disciplines for His disciples. These include good works, prayer and thirdly, fasting. What exactly is fasting? What does it mean to fast?

To fast (νηστεύω; nesteuo) literally means to go without food (Matt. 4:2; 6:16, 17; 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33; 18:12; Acts 10:30; 13:2). “Fasting is eating sparingly or abstaining from food altogether, either from necessity or desire. In medical terms, fasting is the detoxification of the body through the restriction of food,” The Tyndale Bible Dictionary explains.

“Spiritual fasting entails setting aside activities as well as reducing the intake of food and replacing these activities with the exercise of prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. The NT word that is translated “fasting” literally means one who has not eaten, one who is empty.”

There are three different types of fasting. First, there is a normal fast. This is when there is no intake of food for a specific period of time. Second, there is partial fasting. This involves a limited intake of food during the fast. Third, there is an absolute fast. This is a total abstinence from food or liquids. The time frame for this type of fast may not be specified.

Some Bible scholars have indicated that for those who cannot abstain from food, such as a diabetic or hypoglycemic, a spiritual fast may suffice. This is where an individual fasts from a pleasurable activity. It could include an abstinence from entertainment, physical intimacy with one’s spouse (I Cor. 7:1-5), or social media.

Notice that Jesus said, “And when you fast.”  It was never a question of “if” a believer in Christ fasts. It is only a question of when, or how. While Jesus did not specify the “when” of fasting, He did speak about “how” to fast.

Jesus said that His disciples should not hypocritically fast. We should not look gloomy or sad, and disfigure our faces. Fasting should not be done in order to be seen by other people. As with good works and prayer, we should secretly fast. No one, but the Lord and other limited exceptions, should know that we are fasting. Fasting concerns having a greater intimacy with the Lord and not for personal praise from other people.

“How often do you think fasting is mentioned in the Bible? By my count, there are some seventy-seven biblical references to fasting. Does that surprise you? Despite so many references, fasting is not a frequent subject in pulpits, publications, and Christian conversation,” states biblical professor Dr. Donald S. Whitney

“In part, this may be due to the fact that, while fasting may be done cooperatively with fellow believers (Acts 13:1-2; 14:23), typically it is private in nature and shouldn’t be evident to others (Matt. 6:16–18). So it’s possible that Christians around us fast more than we realize or hear mentioned.”

Consider participating in a biblical fast. Involved in this period of time is Bible reading, study, worship and prayer. It is wise to find a secluded place of solitude for your fast. This removes potential, but otherwise appropriate, activities. Have a blessed day, and if applicable to you, a blessed fast.

Soli deo Gloria!   

¹⁴ “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14–15 ESV)

Jesus had one more thing to say about prayer before He addressed the subject of fasting. Remember, these instructions and commands were/are for believers in Christ. They are not instructions on how to become converted, or even how to remain converted. Rather, they are evidences that one is converted.

Today’s text refers to forgiveness. To forgive (ἀφίημι; aphiemi) means to dismiss a sinful debt incurred by someone against you. The debt may involve something said or unsaid, done or not done. Forgiveness means to leave the hurt behind and to not harbor bitterness, wrath, anger or evil speaking against someone (Eph. 4:31-32). While we may never forget, God calls us to forgive.

The call to forgive is based upon the prior truth that God has forgiven us. When we choose to not forgive, this affects our intimate fellowship with the Lord. How can we presume that God will forgive us our sins against Him as believers in Christ when we chose to not forgive those who have sinned against us?

“This is not to suggest that God will withdraw justification from those who have already received the free pardon he extends to all believers. Forgiveness in that sense—a permanent and complete acquittal from the guilt and ultimate penalty of sin—belongs to all who are in Christ (cf. John 5:24; Rom. 8:1; Eph. 1:7),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“Yet, Scripture also teaches that God chastens his children who disobey (Heb. 12:5–7). Believers are to confess their sins in order to obtain a day-to-day cleansing (1 John 1:9). This sort of forgiveness is a simple washing from the worldly defilements of sin, not a repeat of the wholesale cleansing from sin’s corruption that comes with justification. It is like a washing of the feet rather than a bath (cf. John 13:10). Forgiveness in this latter sense is what God threatens to withhold from Christians who refuse to forgive others (cf. Matt. 18:23–35).”

Jesus taught that an unforgiving spirit will impact our intimate fellowship with the Lord. We must resolve to never let that happen. We must let go of the hurt we all too often harbor against others. Instead, we are to forgive as the Lord has forgiven us.

Have you asked the Lord to forgive you today? Have you forgiven others? These two disciplines go hand in hand. By doing so, we glorify the Lord. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

“The Lord’s Prayer is comprehensive. It chiders hypocrites whose grand prayers parade their spirituality. It rebukes pagans who repeat the names of the gods, trying to force them to grant favors. As a believer’s prayer, it begins with God’s glory and ends with His generosity.” Daniel M. Doriani; Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church, Clayton, Missouri

“No one can believe how powerful prayer is and what it can effect, except those who have learned it by experience. Whenever I have prayed earnestly, I have been heard and have obtained more than I prayed for. God sometimes delays, but He always comes.” — Martin Luther; 16^th century pastor and theologian.

“Prayer is many things to many people. To the Muslim it is a daily ritual, to the Catholic it is a work that helps merit salvation, and to the evangelical Christian it is often a struggle. Books are written, classes are taught, all with the purpose to teach Christians how to have a better prayer life. That is because if we are honest with ourselves, the majority of us struggle with prayer. We live in a society of instant gratification. Many of us have been socially conditioned to expect to receive whatever we want whenever we want it. I truly believe that this is why prayer is difficult for most of us, because so often we do not see immediate results.” — Kaki Cobb, Ligonier Ministries.

“We see that nothing is set before us as an object of expectation from the Lord which we are not enjoined to ask of Him in prayer, so true it is that prayer digs up those treasures which the Gospel of our Lord discovers to the eye of faith. The necessity and utility of this exercise of prayer no words can sufficiently express.” – — John Calvin, 16^th century pastor and theologian.  

“[Prayer] is one of the greatest and most excellent means of nourishing the new nature, and of causing the soul to flourish and prosper. It is an excellent means of keeping up an acquaintance with God, and of growing in knowledge of God. It is a way to a life of communion with God. It is an excellent means of taking off the heart from the vanities of the world and of causing the mind to be conversant in heaven. It is an excellent preservative from sin and the wiles of the devil, and a powerful antidote against the poison of the old serpent. It is a duty whereby strength is derived from God against the lusts and corruptions of the heart, and the snares of the world.” Jonathan Edwards, 18^th century pastor and theologian.

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV)

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹ Pray then like this: “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 this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it. For the next several days, our attention is occupied with studying and understanding it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer.

The prayer consists of six petitions. The first three focus on the glory of God. The remaining three pertain to our relationship with the One, True, and Glorious God. Its structure is similar to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). The first petition is Hallowed be your name. The second is Your kingdom come. The third is Your will be done. The fourth is Give us this day our daily bread. The fifth is forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. The sixth is “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Not only are believers in Christ to pray that the Lord would not lead us into temptation, but also we are to pray that He would deliver us from evil.

Deliver (ῥύομαι; rhyomai) means to personally rescue ((Matt. 6:13; 27:43; Luke 1:74; Rom. 7:24; 11:26; 2 Cor. 1:10; Col. 1:13; 1Thess. 1:10; 2 Thess. 3:2; 2 Peter 2:7). It is a prayer request believers strongly ask God to do.

What, or from whom, are believers in Christ needing rescue? The text says evil (πονηρός; poneros). This refers to wickedness or worthlessness. The word may also be accurately translated evil one. He is the individual who is possessed by evil and wickedness and seeks to entrap others in the same (Romans 1:18-32).

“We have no way of knowing whether it is ὁ πονηρος [ho ponēros] (the evil one) or το πονηρον [to ponēron] (the evil thing). And if it is masculine, it can either refer to the devil as the Evil One par excellence or the evil man whoever he may be who seeks to do us ill. The word πονηρος [ponēros] has a curious history coming from πονος [ponos] (toil) and πονεω [poneō] (to work). It reflects the idea either that work is bad or that this particular work is bad and so the bad idea drives out the good in work or toil, an example of human depravity surely,” explains A.T. Robertson.

Make your fervent prayer today that the Lord would keep you from trials that could become temptations by the evil one. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!