ResponsiveReiding

From Matthew 7:15-2 / Beware of False Prophets. As Jesus nears the end of this momentous sermon,. He must issue a dire warning which is vital in every generation – beware of false prophets.

Now we must note these key things:

1 – In recognizing and avoiding false prophets, the chief issue is not what they might preach or teach – though that is vital too – but Jesus’ focus here is on their fruit. What fruit? Not their signs or miracles. Their character.

A common misunderstanding in this passage, comes from something which in fact does not exist – that there is some sort of generic “tree” (which people are), and that this tree can produce either good fruit or bad or corrupt fruit. But this is not true either to Jesus’ simile nor to the thought. The comparison is between fruit trees, and thorn bushes. It is one of ontology – nature. One would’t expect a pear from a thorn bush under ANY conditions. His point isn’t about what people do or do not do, as much as it is regarding what people are or are not. We need to become new creatures. We come into this world thorn bushes. And we need to be transformed into fruit trees. Something which can only be done by His amazing grace and power. It cannot be done by the reformation of actions.

This is what the following account of coming judgment reveals. So what if they did this or that miracle or great work? Were they His? Were they – are we – other than how we were born. And, as per vs. 23 – what is the nature of their “lawlessness”? Is it not simply that they are not Christ’s servants? That He is not their Lord? They serve self. Not Him, and not the interests of His kingdom.

You will not get sweet things from sour people. They are not showing the fruit of pursuing the kingdom – but of pursuing self and the world. True fruit is in accord with the nature of the tree.

Thorns & Thistles: Can attach themselves to you easily. Always make their presence known. Stimulate action, but not by persuasion to higher things.

Fruit: Nourishes. Refreshes. Sustains life.

2 – Giftedness is not the same as grace. This is truly vital for us to learn. Someone prophesies, and what they say comes to pass. So what? Demons may be genuinely cast out. So what? Mighty works might be done in His name. So what? So they can preach like Spurgeon and sway the masses. So what? None of these say a single thing about the actual spiritual state of the individual.

As Paul would argue later in 2 Cor. 11 – if they do not come in the Spirit of Christ – in His sacrificial love, joy, engendering peace with God and one another, longsuffering, gentleness – especially toward detractors, uprightness in character, faithfulness to the truth, kind and self-controlled – refuse them. If they come in greediness and sensuality – reject them.

3 – When all is said and done, false prophets will inevitably camp on refusing Christ as the true Lord of their lives, so as to live according to their own dreams, visions and new revelations. The WORD, will never be enough. Ultimately they are – lawless. (See 2 Peter and Jude).

Watch out for such. If their character cannot be observed and tested, so as to manifest the character of Christ – look elsewhere. Don’t be fooled by supernatural manifestations. Look for the Spirit of Christ in holiness, humility, and what is best for men’s souls before God.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is here at this moment, guarding His sheep. Protecting us. Warning us. O how we need to listen to Him! Look for His Spirit lived out.

From Matthew 7:13-14 / The Narrow Gate – We must bear in mind that this entire discourse is all about Christ’s Kingdom. When we refer to His Kingdom, not many today consider it in terms of His absolute rulership, His personal dominion.

To recap this Kingdom emphasis, consider: 5:1-12 / The Citizens of the Kingdom; 5:13-16 / The Role of the Citizens of the Kingdom in this present; 5:17-48 / The Character of the Kingdom and its Citizens; 6:1-24 / The Life of Service in the Kingdom; 6:25-34 / The Sufficiency of the Kingdom; 7: 1-5 / The Humility of the Kingdom; 7:6 / The Otherness of the Kingdom; 7:7-12 / The Privilege of the Kingdom; 7:13, 14 / The Entrance to the Kingdom; 7:15-27 / The Integrity of the Kingdom.

And so when we arrive at these 2 verses, we are confronted with something quite counter to the underlying assumption of so much so-called Gospel preaching today: That the way into the Kingdom is broad, and that the life of the Kingdom is easy. In truth, it is narrow and hard.

Verse 13 is a clear is a call to a very narrow focus in life. Believers are to be given over to the kingdom and not be distracted by the rest of life. Only then can you life in peace and joy unencumbered from this world. It is not that we are unmindful of the rest of the World and life around us, it is that we bring everything else into the context of the Kingdom of which we are now a part in Christ. We are Kingdom people now, living in the prospect of Christ’s full Kingdom due to dawn at any time. This colors and informs all we think, feel, say, do and purpose. We are His people, living under His Lordship now, waiting for His return, to serve Him in fidelity until He makes His rule manifest over all the earth.

But more, this very narrow focus is due to the exclusivity of Christ.

One must be in Christ by faith. There is no other entrance to the Kingdom of God but through He who is “The Door.” And the World hates that it is so restrictive. But Christ tells us that it is so. All roads do not lead to God. All religions are not basically the same. There are not many paths to the Kingdom. There is no other name under Heaven, given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). So Jesus Himself tells us in Luke 10:22 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” And then in John 5:22-23 “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” Those who does not honor Jesus Christ as God’s Son, and the one to whom all are accountable, also fail to honor the Father. Period.

Secondly, not only is the gate narrow, the way is hard. American Christianity has not just failed to think of the Christian life as hard, but actually opposes the very notion of it. Our preaching and teaching is all about how to make the walk easier rather than preparing Believers for a “difficult” road. We greatly err here.

In Acts 14, read about Paul and Barnabas, that “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Dying to self is hard. Denying the flesh is hard. Resisting the devil is hard. Holding to a Christianity the World that contradicts and mocks is hard. Challenging sin and prosecuting an ongoing war against its indwelling remnants is hard. Learning to walk in the Spirit is hard. Growing in grace takes effort. The soldier, the athlete and the farmer of 2 Tim. 2 are each noted for the suffering, rigor and sacrifice they involve. Keeping the mind set on spiritual things when all else distracts is hard. Forgiveness can be hard. Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness as our first priority is hard. Fixing our hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ as opposed to earthly joys is hard. The Christian life is complex. Jesus didn’t die to make life easier, but to give an eternal life which far outstrips this one.

And Christ endured all this hardness and more, that He might ransom us from our sin.

From Matthew 7:12 / The Golden Rule – No one argues that this simple statement originated with Jesus. As Don Carson notes, it is found in a variety of contexts and times. He cites a story (legend or not) that the Rabbi Hillel around 20 AD was challenged by a plucky Gentile to summarize the teaching of the Law so succinctly that he could recite it while his interlocutor was standing on one leg. The story goes the Hillel replied: ““What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else. This is the whole law; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it” _{Carson, D. A.. Matthew (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary) (p. 452). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.}  And that is the way we ordinarily read it. Jesus however does not cast it in the negative, but in the positive. His is not simply – don’t do what you wouldn’t want someone else to do – but DO what you WOULD want others to do you.

This is a much higher and narrower call; to truly love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The implication being that we really do love ourselves – at the bottom of everything. Even those who claim to hate themselves show their anger and disappointment in not seeing themselves more favorably; which is what they desperately want.

J.C. Ryle writes insightfully here: “This is a golden rule indeed! It does not merely forbid all petty malice and revenge, all cheating and overreaching. It does much more. It settles a hundred difficult points, which in a world like this are continually arising between man and man. It prevents the necessity of laying down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases. It sweeps the whole debateable ground with one mighty principle. It shows us a balance and measure, by which every one may see at once what is his duty.—Is there a thing we would not like our neighbor to do to us? Then let us always remember, that this is the thing we ought not to do to him. Is there a thing we would like him to do to us? Then this is the very thing we ought to do to him.—How many intricate questions would be decided at once, if this rule were honestly used!” _{Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on Matthew. Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860, p. 66.}

What we can miss in the way Jesus articulates it is how it is meant to establish Believers as grace based, not Law based. We are to be a blessing people, not merely non-retaliatory. For this is the heart of the Father – giving to, providing for and blessing even His enemies. All of which calls us to greater and greater dependence upon the indwelling Spirit of Christ. If we attempt such love out of our own resources, we would quickly find them woefully inadequate.

And what a call this is to go back constantly and plumb the depths of His great love for us, so that we have a bottomless reservoir to draw from. A call to drink deeply and constantly at that fountain. For one who is full finds it easy to give. One who is thirsty themselves will resent giving of what little they perceive they have.

Christian, as Jude had to remind his readers when tested by the influx false teachers and their impact on the local assembly – “keep yourselves in the love of God.” For if we are not constantly refreshed there, not absolutely certain of the depths of His great love for us in Christ, we will either constantly be found trying to earn it somehow, or secretly fret over whether or not it is true, or grow to doubt it altogether and resent its absence. Fix your heart on the Cross. There, is limitless love placarded to all who put their trust in Jesus.

From Matthew 7:7-11 / Ask, Seek & Knock – We are all familiar with this passage. But unfortunately, it seems most often applied with the idea that if I want something from God, I must simply dun Him for it in prayer until I receive it. But I do not believe that is what Jesus is really after here. The context is the key.

Connected with Jesus’ train of thought so far, I cannot help but think this admonition refers especially to coming to know our Father so as to have Him hallowed in our own hearts and minds…etc.. In other words – its main application is in encouraging us to trust that the petitions taught to us in the prayer of 6:9-13 – will indeed be ours if we set ourselves unswervingly upon them.

But why ask (and keep on asking), seek (and keep on seeking), knock (and keep on knocking)? Why the perpetuation of these three? Because we tend to think that God’s graces come to us as a once-for-all bestowment, rather than a continual supply which must be continually looked for in ongoing dependence upon Him.

So for instance, one cannot just ask and seek and knock for deliverance from some sin – thinking all the while that someday (in this life), we’ll just have absolute freedom from that temptation and not have to face it any longer. This is not the reality of the Christian life. I must ask continually, because I will face the same challenge continually. I must seek Him continually because each day brings distractions from Him. I must knock continually because sin closes up my heart and mind and spiritual eyes and ears continually. I must rely on His grace continually that I might experience the ongoing supply of that grace.

We want once-for-all solutions. But the once-for-all, is realizing that He is the once-for-all source and fountain – which must nevertheless be appealed to and relied upon constantly.

And this too, is explained yet more in Luke’s rendition of this portion. For where vs. 11 here says that the Father knows how to give “good things”, Luke 11:13 has it: “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” All the “good things” He desires and delights to give His children, is wrapped up in His giving of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who illumines the person and work of Christ. The Spirit who abides with us and is continually working in us to bring to the image of Christ. The Spirit of holiness and of prayer. The Spirit of Christ.

This dynamic remains the reality regarding every grace from God we desire. Victory over sin, and the receipt and manifestation of every fruit of the Spirit. No one has a “gift” of longsuffering. We can only be sustained in it by the Spirit.

Keep seeking Him Christian. Ask for His name to be hallowed, His kingdom to come and His will to be done in this earth as it is in Heaven. Keep looking to Him and Him alone for your daily bread, the forgiveness of sins, repentance, a forgiving heart and deliverance from the Devil’s schemes. For it all and always rest in Him and Him alone. The best “things” He can possibly give us, are increasing wonders of Himself. What a great and glorious God we serve.

From Matthew 7:1-6 / Judging and Judgment – It used to be that the most quoted verse in the Bible was John 3:16. No more. Today, the most ubiquitous Biblical citation in the culture is: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” As though naming any person’s actions, or anything at all as “wrong” is somehow contradiction the teaching of Scripture. It isn’t.

As is often the case with quote-rs of Scripture, one phrase can be latched on to and absolutized so as to both wrest it out of its immediate context, and distort it from the greater teaching of the Bible as a whole. Nor is this error to be seen only in unbelievers. Sadly, all too often, Christians do it too. We’ll see that in verses 7-11. And in this case, one need only look at vs. 5 where someone is judged a “hypocrite”, and vs. 6 where some are judged to not be worthy of that which is “holy” and “pearls.” Some amount of judging has to be going on there.

The “judgment” being referred to in the entire context refers both to simple determinations (is it better to brush my teeth with toothpaste over dish washing liquid?) – and, as in verse 2 reveals – it may be connected with actually imposing some sort of penalty on others. It is not that we are to be blind to right and wrong, but that we are not to become judge, jury and executioner. Let God carry out the penalties. As individuals, and especially as dealing with other peoples faults and sins, we are not to be spiritual vigilantes. God will take note if we are constantly critical and censorious.

Jesus’ simile of the ship’s mast or telephone pole versus the speck is truly useful. When approaching another brother or sister regarding their sin, take care. If you have done the hard work of taking the log out of your own eye first, then you should have great compassion for the other person. You know how gingerly and carefully it must be done. You know the eye is sensitive and injured easily. You know the stakes are high – that blindness can ensue. Note how the “log” and the “speck” are the very same material. But how that material when clouding our vision, makes it impossible to treat properly what might be a much lesser version of our own sin in others. We do not swash-buckle our way into other people’s faults, failures and sins. (Gal. 6:1)

But then note lastly a judgment which must be made in vs. 6.

No one is being called a dog or a pig. The simile is that we do not put certain things in front of those who can have no appreciation for them. Wisdom is being called for here. Once one becomes a Christian, all manner of family treasures are opened up and distributed. to us But one cannot have – nor appreciate family privileges, until they are indeed part of the family. They can have SOME, but not the most intimate. Do not bestow the treasures or privileges of the kingdom on those still outside of it. What might that look like? 4 examples might help: a. Baptism belongs to those who believe. None other. b. Do not tell those who are walking contrary to the Gospel that it will be well with them, it won’t. c. Do not bring unbelievers to the Lord’s table. d. Do not intimate that those outside of Christ may live in the privileges that belong only to those IN Him.

We must make certain judgments. But we are not to be judgmental. So it is Christ judged us dead in our trespasses and sins, and yet in due time, died for us. He did not disdain or despise us in our sin, but pitied us, and moved Heaven and earth so that we might be reconciled to the Father. That same Spirit is to motivate us toward others.

From Matthew 6:25-34 / Anti-Anxiety Medicine – Some medical conditions are chronic, ongoing. And due to the way sin has impacted our souls, we possess chronic soul maladies as well. And among the most destructive of these, is the scourge of anxiety.

It is true that because we are a soul/body nexus, sometimes feelings of anxiety can be brought on by medications, too much caffeine and a host of other dietary or organic disorders. But then there is the anxiety Christ is addressing in this passage; the nasty trait of not keeping sweeping, controlling spiritual truths as static realities in the mind. A kind of spiritual forgetfulness of the reality of how much God loves His blood-bought sons and daughters. How He truly and constantly cares and provides for them, and want them to live free from certain worries so that they might give themselves over to the contemplation and pursuit of higher, richer, soul nourishing matters.

Jesus’ point here is, that such is God’s care for all of His creatures, that He provides for humblest, frailest and most temporary of all. And how much more then for those who are His by faith. How much more attention He pays to their needs, so that they might give their care to things of higher concern – even the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. All ending with the promise that if you give yourself to this, you need not fret over the other.

I don’t know about you, but I need a daily dose of the medication of this passage each day. Multiple times a day. To force my own mind to reckon with Jesus’ words here. To consciously reject intruding thoughts of concern over life’s basics, if at the same time I give myself over to the seeking of His Lordship in my heart and mind, and dwelling on the righteousness of Christ imputed to me by faith, so that I might also live it out by the power of the Spirit. To take myself in hand at times, and look to the cross, fixing on it as the place where His love for me is so wondrously and incomprehensibly displayed – that if He would do this to secure my soul, then what won’t He do to bring me safely home, and meet my every need along the way?

O me of little faith.

Father forgive me.

Holy Spirit, ever remind me.

From Matthew 6:19-24 / Storing up Treasure – There is much to consider in this matter of storing up treasure in Heaven.

In the first place, we see that “do not lay up” and the following “lay up”, are in the imperative. They are not suggestions, but commands of Christ. They deserve high attention. But I wonder how many of us ever actually think this way consciously?

Secondly, note the contrast – earthly treasures, no matter what they are, physical possessions, money of whatever kind, family, reputation, career, accomplishments, the praise of men, some imagined sense of well-being – all will perish. Only what is stored up in Heaven will remain. How that behooves us to consider what that might be.

Thirdly, whatever we value most, is what we love most – no matter what else we might proclaim. Fourth – what we value and love most, will color all of life. This is the lens through which we see everything.

And lastly, no matter what, we can only have one person or thing which claims our supreme devotion. Why? Because God rightly demands it be Him. So it is the specific “treasures” He refers to in vs. 19, are probably the praises of men – outlined in the 3 examples above. It is earthly treasure in EVERY sense. Whatever I consider valuable within this fallen system – not the least of which is recognition by others. The plural “treasures” in 19, then converts to the single “treasure” of 21 with this result:

I must have 1 treasure –

I must know it is not a part of this earthly and material existence –

I must be applying myself to laying that treasure up in Heaven as my primary pursuit.

What then is the treasure which can be increased in Heaven?

Jonathan Edwards would put it like this: For what can we have there but either more or less of Christ? An increased capacity to know, love, revel in and experience Him. And we can have more or less based on our intentional pursuit. To love Him and grow in love for Him now, will result in my having the joy of Him in greater ways then.

What a glory to look forward to. And why?

Let me give it to you in the words of John Flavel I’ve quoted so often before: “  It is a special consideration to enhance the love of God in giving Christ, that in giving him he gave the richest jewel in his cabinet; a mercy of the greatest worth, and most inestimable value, Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ is: He is the better half of heaven; and so the saints account him, Psal. 73:25. “Whom have I in heaven but thee?” Ten thousand thousand worlds, saith one,* as many worlds as angels can number, and then as a new world of angels can multiply, would not all be the bulk of a balance, to weigh Christ’s excellency, love, and sweetness. O what a fair One! what an only One! what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One, is Christ! Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden of Eden, into one; put all trees, all flowers, all smells, all colours, all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness in one; O what a fair and excellent thing would that be? And yet it should be less to that fair and dearest well-beloved Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole seas, rivers, lakes, and fountains of ten thousand earths. Christ is heaven’s wonder, and earth’s wonder. Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners; and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as his Son was, yet not to account him too good to bestow upon us, what manner of love is this!¹

¹ Flavel, John. The Whole Works of the Reverend John Flavel. W. Baynes and Son; Waugh and Innes; M. Keene, 1820, pp. 67–68.TM

From Matthew 6:14-15 / Forgiveness isn’t a simple matter. Nor is the whole of it unpacked here. But here are some considerations. Note first in context, that this need for forgiveness of others is directly connected to being led out of temptation. For nothing kills the true spirit of prayer than a hard heart toward others while we are seeking God’s tenderheartedness toward us. Such is the heart of hypocrisy. Second, law cannot forgive, law can only mete out justice. At times it may pardon, but it cannot forgive, because forgiveness is personal. By the same token forgiveness does not automatically relieve from penalty. Pardon is unmerited, but may also be personal and/or disinterested personally, yet is linked to the exercise of authority. Thus in true reconciliation all of these elements are needed. Two parties may pardoned one another but still not reconciled. But in forgiveness, personal reconciliation is the goal. And in absolute justice, a declaration of innocence is indispensable. In Christ, all of these are met. He takes our sin and we His righteousness. The Father personally forgives. In His sovereign authority He pardons. And in grace He imputes righteousness that we may be rewarded. Third, we must be aware that God does not forgive at the expense of justice, and thus He does not require us to do more than that and forgive without regard to justice either. When He forgives, He does so on the basis of the atonement made in Christ where justice is meted out in full. So it is, when we forgive, we give up our right to prosecute the matter on our own behalf, surrendering the justice needed into the hands of the Father. We do not deny justice altogether but willingly suffer a particular loss in treating the individual as no longer an offender, while committing justice into the Father’s hands. Yet, while forgiving sets aside any personal vengeance, it does not ignore what might be needed in loving our neighbors as ourselves and protecting them, and, if needed, getting the authorities involved. Forgiveness only has reference to my right and requirement to be made whole in the aftermath of being sinned against. Fourth, note too, that some offenses are purely personal – and others have several dimensions to to them. Some offenses cross over into crimes and are sins against the State or others as well. I have no right to usurp the State’s, nor anyone else’s authority and forgive on either’s behalf. The offender may well still need to face that reality beyond my sphere of forgiveness. Overstating forgiveness is as dangerous as understating it. I must forgive when it is in my power and within my sphere, but I cannot and must not usurp that issue on behalf of any other entity. I can only forgive for myself alone. And I do so, committing it all to the Father’s just disposal. On the cross, Jesus can forgive His tormentors for Himself, but note how He prays that the Father would forgive them. For He cannot overstep in the issue of His Father’s offense. This, He appeals to the Father for. And when we forgive, we do well to follow suit. Fifth, note too how Jesus cannot and will not usurp the Spirit’s own sphere and pretend to forgive blasphemy against Him. Lastly, note how there is a difference between forgiveness in restoring relationship, vs. simple offenses from strangers where there is no relationship to restore. And how it is Christ does all of this in regard to our sins against Him.

From Matthew 6:9-13 / Praying then like this: Recognition and reverence; Looking to the fullness of God’s plans and purposes as the ideal sought; Personal submission to God’s will and the benefit of it as universal; Personal lack and dependency confessed and met in Christ; Personal and corporate guilt – met in Christ; Personal refusal to rely upon self and recognition of self-deceit and and the enemy – to be met in Christ. 1. Recognize who it is you are praying to – Your Father and Christ’s. Revel in the relationship. Let it sink in that Christ’s death has purchased this place for you. The Father will hear you as really as He will Christ Himself. Note that your Heavenly Father offers what earthly Fathers so often fail at: a. Safety. You are always safe with Him as your Father. He will not leave. He is not peevish. You can speak freely, un-guardedly, without any pretense. b. Acceptance. Even when we fail Him, He does not reject us. He receives us. There is no hint of keeping us at arm’s length. He knows our every quirk and oddity and is not put off by it. He delights in His children. c. Approval. Even though He cannot approve of all we do – He approves of us AS His children. He owns us as His – happily so. He encourages us when fall. He is as excited at our successes as we are – more so. This is MY child! “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” – is ours by extension – for we are IN CHRIST. And note how all the pronouns are: Personal, Plural. Note the Position of the One to whom we pray. He is ruling and reigning over all. 2. Revere His glory in your own heart and mind. Nothing more reveals the and mind of Jesus than this petition. And as His slaves – we are to be about His business -engaged in His priorities and pursuits. And this is HIS passion – that the universe would be restored to the place where every sentient being knows, and loves His Father even as He does. This is reconciling all things to God in Christ. As Paul unfolds so powerfully in Romans, it is man not honoring God AS God which is at the very bottom of all human rebellion, sin and the destruction which follows it. Oh for that day when every creature will once again truly honor God as is fitting His glory, and our creation. 3. When we see Him “as He is” we are transformed to be like Him. What a goal! To have our whole beings – and thus the universe – slaves of His love. Governed by grace. 4. Can there be a more glorious existence imaginable than for His will to be absolutely carried out without challenge or opposition of any kind?

5. More of Christ TO us. 6. More of Christ THROUGH us. 7. More of Christ IN us.

Father – I want to know you in such a way – that the preciousness of who you are becomes my all consuming passion: and that others would come to know you as I have. Hallowed be your name. So then – help me find you out! Have first PLACE in my heart – Be my highest PRIORITY. Be my highest PASSION. Be to me all of life’s PROVISION. Let no earthly thing draw me more than you, and no earthly thing frighten me above you. Hallowed be your name.

From Matthew 6:5-8 / Prayer part 1 – From the earliest days of humankind, concourse with God has been a reality. This is true in the first place because “God is a speaking God” as D. A. Carson is wont to say. And as Genesis 2 notes, as soon as God made Adam and placed him in the Garden, “the Lord God commanded the man, saying” (Gen. 2:16). Prayer at its most basic is simply speaking to God. What we pray for and how we pray is as varied as the flowers of the field. But that we are meant to pray, to hold discourse with God is evident. The problem is, sin has horribly impacted the connection. So it is we read the wonder of what Jesus has done in this regard in Eph. 2:18 “through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father”; and Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” Indeed, our text here in Matthew is founded upon the privilege of prayer. And the Father, in His great accommodation to the damage sin has done to us, does not leave us alone with dulled ears that cannot hear His voice correctly – but has written His Word that we might consult it, study it, and hear Him with a clarity we no longer possess the capacity for. But make no mistake, of all Christ has won for us, access to the Father through the Spirit is a benefit that simply cannot be overstated. When Spurgeon was asked which was more important, reading the Bible or prayer, he quipped “which should I chose, inhaling or exhaling? I need both to live.” And so it is. The great subject matters of prayer Jesus Himself introduces in the next section. But in this opening part He emphasizes 4 things: First -our prayers are not to be uttered so as to gain the approval of others. Those who do so, will find the only thing they gain from their prayers is just that – the approval of others. But nothing from the Father. Prayer is not about how we sound to others, but the gasping of “abba, Father” to our Heavenly Father’s ears. Second, private prayer is more important than public prayer. Indeed, if there is no private prayer, public prayer is less than useless; it is only show. For in private, we truly commune one on one, and trust He will answer accordingly. Third, prayer can easily become superstitious – a matter of repeating the same phrases over and over as if repetition magically makes things happen. Nor is it dependent upon physical posture (lying down, sitting, standing, kneeling, prostrate, etc.), or the use of Elizabethan speech patterns as though the use of “thee and thou” are also magic words that unlock prayer’s power. Fourth, prayer is to be entered into in faith – believing, more- KNOWING the Father knows what you need before you even ask Him. Trusting His care for you. Freeing you up to give your attention to His priorities, since He has already taken notice of your before you pray. This is praying in faith. This is praying in the Spirit. “It is clear that he does not pray, who, far from uplifting himself to God, requires that God shall lower Himself to him, and who resorts to prayer not to stir up the man in us to will what God wills, but only to persuade God to will what the man in us wills.” Thomas Aquinas.