The Sermon On The Mount Series: Relationship With God

The Sermon On The Mount Series: Relationship With God

Read: Matthew 6:1-4, 16-21 & 24

This post has been divided into the following parts,
    1. Do good to please God [Matthew 6:1-4]
    2. Fasting [Matthew 6:16-18]
    3. Lay up treasures in heaven [Matthew 6:19-21 & 24]

1. Do Good To Please God [Matthew 6:1-4]:-

The first verse says, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Jesus instructs us to be careful when we practice righteousness in front of others. Being careful here means to be alert of our actions and intentions rather than the response of others. There can be two types of intentions,

> God praising, who give all the glory to God and humble themselves before others just like Jesus. Jesus no matter what great miracles He did, humbled himself and gave praises to His Father. [Also see Matthew 5:16]

> Self-praising, in which one gives praise to themself and takes pride, like most of the Pharisees. They took pride in their strict obedience to the law and looked down on others.
Never let the self-praise attitude come to you, it is one of the reasons which lead to the downfall of most people, spiritually. It even over time will take you away from God, that is what happened to the Adversary [Isaiah 14:12-17].

It is important to practice righteousness carefully as the world judges you based on everything you do. There are many ways in which we can show kindness to others, I have listed a few below,

1. Forgiving, it is necessary to forgive others no matter what they had done to us and not holding any grudge against them.

2. Praying, praying for others, and sometimes with others. [James 5:16]

3. Humbling, being humble to everyone. Remember Jesus being a jew went to those people's houses who we considered unclean by His community.

4. Being Kind, being kind, and giving everyone the same respect, irrespective of caste, creed, age, religion, or gender.

5. Generous Help, helping the needy wholeheartedly without any self-praise and also through the wisdom of the Lord.

In the next 3 verses, Jesus gives an example of the hypocrites who give to the needy to be honoured by others, this is an example of self-praise, where even Jesus tells there will be no reward for them in heaven.

And also He instructs us to help the needy and practice righteousness secretly, which shows our no desire for praise or honour but for the glory of God alone.

So in whatever you do, give the glory to the Father so that you never drift away from His grace and also from the inheritance that He promises in the life after [see Ephesians 1:11-14]

2. Fasting [Matthew 6:16-18]:-

Jesus continues to talk about the hypocrites here too saying that when they fast, they look dull and pale to show others that they are fasting. But He instructs us to anoint our head with oil and to wash our faces, which in general means to take care of ourselves so that it is not obvious before others that we are fasting.
Fasting is neither supposed to be God praising or self-praising before others, it is something between you and your Father, and your spiritual life is meant to be a secret.

So to strengthen your relationship with God the Father you must keep your acts confined between Him and yourself.

3. Lay Up Treasures In Heaven [Matthew 6:19-21 & 24]:-

The first verse says not to store up treasures on Earth, not because they are bad but because they have no value and are temporary in nature. For example, the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt used to have so much wealth and they used to force the minorities to build huge buildings for them. But the cruelty and the wealth that they had just stayed on the Earth after they died, some of their wealth was stolen from the pyramids.

Jesus instructs us to lay up treasures in heaven, or which I would like to say is to Invest in His kingdom. Either by helping the needy or using it for the development of His kingdom. Because in the sight of God we are more valuable to Him than anything. Gold, which is one of the most precious things on Earth, is valueless, that is why it is used to make the streets of heaven [Revelation 21:21].

Verse 21 and 24 days, for were our treasures is there our heart will be too and that we cannot serve two masters. These verses according to me cleared the slate that, it doesn't matter if you have treasures on Earth or not, what matters is how you prioritize it. So now it is a question to ask ourselves, who do we serve and who do we despise, or who do we prioritize over the other?

In conclusion, we are to keep our relationship with God strong, secret from the world, and prioritize Him over others, living or non-living after all our Father is a jealous God [Exodus 34:14].

All praises to God, peace be with you! 

Suggested reading:-

For Part 1 - Salt and Light
For Part 2 - Fasting and Prayer