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Bible Study WELCOME TO AN IN DEPTH STUDY OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL.

Day 58 Tuesday 6/11/14 Matthew 6:13 Deliverance.

I want to salute all the Vets who served our Country today. Bravo!

Matthew 6:13 "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."

Before we can fully understand the meaning of this verse, we must look at James 1:13 & 14.
James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." We see in this verse that "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone." (NKJV) V.14 instructs us on the verse that we are studying today. This is, in a nutshell, what we should pray for.

To help us understand this passage, lets look at Luke 22:31 & 32.
Luke 22:31 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Satan wanted permission from Jesus to "sift" Simon Peter. This would be a picture of a container in which wheat was placed. Instead of separating the wheat from the chaff, the wheat was complete in itself. Satan's motive was to mingle the good in Peter along with the bad. Satan wanted the bad to come to the top causing him to sin. This is closely related to Job's experience.

1 Peter 1:6,7" Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." This gives us the purpose of temptations that Jesus allows us to pass thru. "the genuineness of your faith." You see, the ultimate test will be the first half of the Tribulation, IMO, because many so called Christians will fall away because they don't have the faith to endure the trials that will come to test them. Some feel that the mark of the beast, 666, will separate many to apostatize.

1 Corinthians 10:12,13 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God may allow us to be tempted, but also gives a way to escape before it destroys our faith us. 2 Peter 2:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." Unfortunately, trials are absolutely important in our lives. Our faith in Jesus has to be tested in order to separate the true from the false. Only the true faithful believer will make it to our reward to be with Jesus for all eternity. It's tough right now, but we are assured by Almighty God that it all will be worth the struggle in the end.

Just before our trail seems like we can't endure it any longer, God stops it cold! The result? We escape, we are delivered! The last statement in V.13 assures us that we live in God's Kingdom and He is in control, so our prayer is "lead me not into the hands of the tempter like you did with Job and Simon Peter, from false prophets and especially my own flesh. Amen & Amen."
 
Day 59 Wednesday 6/12/14 Matthew 6:16-18 Secret Fasting.


Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."


initially, fasting is to go without food for a determined amount of time. The purpose was to pray. For Jewish people, the Law demanded that fasting would occur on the Day of Atonement. (Lev. 16:29-34). There are many times in the life of a Christian when it is necessary to enter into a fast. I Cor. 7 lists an occasion when a marriage has faced a troubling situation. They were to abstain from sex for only a short time. There are many emergency situations in life where fasting presents a very serious time of laying hold of God, so to speak, for His intervention. IMO, there are few who actually fast in our generation, and that is sad. What many people do is to contact their "prayer chain" at church and request prayer. This side steps a personal prayer relationship with our Lord, Who I believe, wants His children to come to Him first.

Many years ago I found in Isaiah what God thinks of some fasting. Isaiah 58:3-12. I suggest that you all read the entire passage. I will post only part of it.
Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am."

Recently, a Staff member brought to his home a homeless man to live. He, the homeless man, later died, but had an exposure to Christianity that he wouldn't have had. That is what God is speaking about.

Again, we see the importance of having a secret life with our Lord. God hates the actions of hypocrites! A hypocrite is a person who is an actor who takes his holy practice before the public for a show drawing attention to himself for the approval of the people. The result is God is robbed of His glory and unable to reward the person with answers to their requests.

God lives in His secret place and demands that certain holy practices, like prayer, fasting, helping others etc. be in secret as well.
 
Day 60 Thursday 10/13/14 Matthew 6:19-21 God's Treasure Map.

Matthew 6:19 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.


This is an interesting subject concerning our possessions. Twice, the statement says "Lay Up For Yourselves". This means to me, an action that is supposed to benefit me. One concerns the life I now live, the other is my life after death. The thought just struck me about witnessing. I think it qualifies to be mentioned in this context. If today I feel the urge to go into the streets for the purpose of speaking to people about Christ Jesus. Lets say that several people make the decision to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Those people will be in heaven, so to speak, and become a treasure in my name. BUT, I turn away from the urge and spend the day making money for a new car, that is not for heaven, but the earth....Sorry for the bunny trail so early in my study.

In the day that Jesus was teaching the masses of folk, I believe that He was trying to impress those folks the value of BALANCE! There has to be certain funds to live and support my family in this life. The mention of moth, rust & thieves causes me to think of my clothing, money, and thieves. In this life I believe in moderation. I know people who live their lives without caring what others think. They drive an ordinary car, have an ordinary Job, and don't have anything around their house that would draw the attention of thieves. Oh yes, their house and property are ordinary.

I understand that in Jesus' day, and even before, the rich had a very expensive wardrobe. When we studied Genesis, and read about the very fine clothes that were given to Joseph by Pharaoh, we can just imagine what a moth could do to extremely expensive clothing. Not long ago, fur coats were a mark of wealth for women of the 40s & 50s. I remember my Mother taking great care of those coats as not to let moth's destroy them or mold. My father in law had a huge coin collection. The term "rust" comes in here with gold and silver. Rust somehow means a "eating into". Back in the early times, Jewish houses were generally built of clay, dried by the sun, or stones, loosely stacked, or small amounts of mortar. I understand that a thief could quite easily tear down a section and gain entrance to those houses. Thus, the reference to, "thieves break through". All these possessions are temporary in this life. Someone remarked at a rich man's funeral, "I wonder how much he left? A remark was EVERYTHING!

Now we come to a BALANCE. How much do we save to enjoy, lets say retirement, and how much do we give to needful situations. I'm talking about a tithe to our church, money to missionaries, the homeless, etc. The text says, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Since we can't take our possessions to heaven when we die, what exactly is treasures in heaven. I go again to Isaiah 58:6-9. "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" And of course our tithe, missionary needs etc. Being a pastor of churches, I was never without opportunities to help people in some way, thus laying up treasure in heaven.

God it seems, looks on the hearts of His children. We cannot hide motives from Him. Our Lord loves a cheerful giver. So many times He calls on us to help someone or to give money to someone in need. He speaks to a listening heart, and hopefully we respond. I mentioned someone on our Staff who brought into his home a homeless man. I don't think I mentioned that he was eating dog food. After staying with him for some time, he passed away. I wonder how many Christians were aware of this mans pathetic situation but did nothing to help. Obviously, that person cheated himself out of a treasure in heaven. And Bravo to our Staff member who helped and thus put some treasure in heaven.

What's the answer? Balance my friend, a balance that would be different for each of us.
 
:thumbsup Well said and great balance
balanceerbord-emoticon.gif
 
Matthew 6:19-21 should be studied in the context of the sin of covetousness, which is "idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). It is one thing to have money to meet one's daily needs (and also plan for retirement and other emergencies). It is quite another things to love money, since it is the love of money (not money as such) which is at the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Abundant wealth can be a blessing in that it can be used freely for the spread of the Gospel as well as to help needy saints and sinners alike. Poverty is not necessarily a virtue either. But the desire to hoard and accumulate wealth for the sake of being wealthy, and to squander money on needless luxuries, is the sin of covetousness. The Pharisees, for all their vaunted piety were generally covetous. And that rich young ruler gave up eternal life for his earthly possessions. We need to examine our motives when we think of money (which in itself is neutral and can indeed be beneficial).
 
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Day 61 Friday 10/14/14 Matthew 6:22,23 A Human Lamp.

Matthew 6:22 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

NOTICE: Something is wrong with CF.net. I have lost Friday's study. I'll post Fridays study all over again.
 
Malachi said:
Matthew 6:19-21 should be studied in the context of the sin of covetousness, which is "idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). It is one thing to have money to meet one's daily needs (and also plan for retirement and other emergencies). It is quite another things to love money, since it is the love of money (not money as such) which is at the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Abundant wealth can be a blessing in that it can be used freely for the spread of the Gospel as well as to help needy saints and sinners alike. Poverty is not necessarily a virtue either. But the desire to hoard and accumulate wealth for the sake of being wealthy, and to squander money on needless luxuries, is the sin of covetousness. The Pharisees, for all their vaunted piety were generally covetous. And that rich young ruler gave up eternal life for his earthly possessions. We need to examine our motives when we think of money (which in itself is neutral and can indeed be beneficial).
Click to expand...
:goodpost
 
The Bible Study Day has been changed because the site had problems and my post for Fridays study was deleted.

Day 61 Saturday 6/15/14 Matthew 6:22,23 A Human Lamp.

Matthew 6:22 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

The key word in this passage is "single". First of all this passage says, The light of the body is the eye. I could say that one of the chief means for information that reaches my mind and heart is the eye. It focuses on everyday things that pertain to my life like conversations, work, play, decisions, opinions, instruction, family life etc. There are two basic responses to the information that is coming to my heart (my whole makeup) and those are godly responses, and ungodly responses.

Next is the statement of Jesus, "if therefore thine eye be single." This key word is vital to my understanding. I mentioned that I will have two responses to what I see. Godly or ungodly. So, what is Jesus saying about my eye being single? If I'm a solid believer in Christ Jesus, my opinion of what I see must be a high opinion.... Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."....Here we have two affections. One is a God life, and the other is an earthly life. If I live by Christian standards, then my life will be characterized by "things which are above" and on the other hand, if my supposed Christian life is worldly, or on the evil things concerning the earth, then my life is characterized by evil. It is either godly, which is above, or evil which is of the world.

Again, we have two focuses. My eye lens will either let in light information or dark information. Am I living the example of Christ likeness? then what I perceive will be "light" or good from God's perspective. If my life is an example of worldliness, then what I perceive will be dark and my life will always be worldly.

This then, is why Jesus instructs us to have a single eye response. Our life cannot be a blend of good and bad, it has to be good or bad. What we perceive thru our eyes depends on whether I have my mind on things above or things below. SINGLE.
 
I don't see jews today doing that with prayer, but yes I can see that in Christendom with tv evangelism.
 
Day 62 Sunday 10/16/14 Matthew 6:24 Which Master?

Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Dr. John MacArthur said "Many of the Pharisees taught that devotion to money and devotion to God were perfectly compatible (Luke 16:14). this went hand-in-hand with the commonly-held notion that earthly riches signified divine blessings. Rich people were therefore regarded as God's favorites. It seems to me that Job's friends had this understanding.

"serve" The word means to belong wholly and be entirely under command to. Again I can see the word "single" being referred to. Hate and love the other. I think the wort "trust" better explains the motive in this passage. Do I trust in money to meet my daily needs? or God? This decision is an unconscious one. I don't think many people ask that question at the grocery store, it is a frame of mind, preset in our heart. This is a difficult subject to distinguish between how much I depend on money, and how much I depend on God.

Money can be an idol of the purest form. It can be an idol master owner, or god of the heart. Again we come to an issue in life that just about could be said about practically everything that life presents to our decision making and that is BALANCE! First of all, verses 25-34 (Mondays Study) covers our responsibility to trust in God for all things that pertain to life and godliness.

All of us need money to survive. Somewhere in our lives we have to make a decision about money matters and God matters. I have said many times, the greatest gift that we can give back to God in appreciation for our Salvation is TRUST! It is what Christ Jesus died for and is a "living sacrifice" to our Heavenly Father. For me it comes down to my daily needs and desires. I have never been a rich man when it comes to money. I am rich in the Lord! My Wife and I have just enough to pay our bills with very little left over. Oh my friends, I would like to come into a bunch of money so that I didn't have to be concerned how I'm going to pay for my electricity bill at the end of the month.

Now a big question comes up for all of us. Does God want us to live paycheck to paycheck? Or does He want us to have a big savings account. Will He be Ok with me playing the Lottery way of getting money? What do you all think of paycheck to paycheck of having an abundance of money so I don't have to be concerned about paying bills?

Hopefully, as a result of our studies of Chapter Six, we will be more mindful of being single minded. We must trust in our Heavenly Father who loves for us to trust & depend upon Him for life and happiness. To love & trust in Him rather than seek fulfillment in worldly pleasures. Our Father longs to see and hear that our fidelity is solely fixed on Him. He will take care of us according to what His will is for our lives, and He is more than adequate for the task.
 
Quick Note: At the end of Chapter 7 I will take a break from these Bible Studies for an undetermined amount of time. I am going to re-model my kitchen and need all the time I can get. Hopefully when the kitchen is finished, I'll resume the studies starting with Chapter 8.
 
Chopper said:
The Bible Study Day has been changed because the site had problems and my post for Fridays study was deleted.

Day 61 Saturday 6/15/14 Matthew 6:22,23 A Human Lamp.

Matthew 6:22 "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

The key word in this passage is "single". First of all this passage says, The light of the body is the eye. I could say that one of the chief means for information that reaches my mind and heart is the eye. It focuses on everyday things that pertain to my life like conversations, work, play, decisions, opinions, instruction, family life etc. There are two basic responses to the information that is coming to my heart (my whole makeup) and those are godly responses, and ungodly responses.

Next is the statement of Jesus, "if therefore thine eye be single." This key word is vital to my understanding. I mentioned that I will have two responses to what I see. Godly or ungodly. So, what is Jesus saying about my eye being single? If I'm a solid believer in Christ Jesus, my opinion of what I see must be a high opinion.... Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."....Here we have two affections. One is a God life, and the other is an earthly life. If I live by Christian standards, then my life will be characterized by "things which are above" and on the other hand, if my supposed Christian life is worldly, or on the evil things concerning the earth, then my life is characterized by evil. It is either godly, which is above, or evil which is of the world.

Again, we have two focuses. My eye lens will either let in light information or dark information. Am I living the example of Christ likeness? then what I perceive will be "light" or good from God's perspective. If my life is an example of worldliness, then what I perceive will be dark and my life will always be worldly.

This then, is why Jesus instructs us to have a single eye response. Our life cannot be a blend of good and bad, it has to be good or bad. What we perceive thru our eyes depends on whether I have my mind on things above or things below. SINGLE.
Click to expand...

Looking at Matt 6:22,23 with Matt 6:24 in mind, leads me to think Jesus is teaching about our perception and value system. With two eyes we can focus on God and be filled with light. Two eyes focused on mammon fills us with a 'light' of great darkness. However if our two eyes don't work as one to focus our attention in one place, but instead try to focus on both God and mammon, then our perception is confused and we can't see anything clearly, just as if we were in the dark.
 
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