New Testament Lesson
#9 Matthew 6 and 7
Bible Videos
Introduction
There are arguably three versions of this sermon—this one
that we are studying in Matthew 5–7, a very similar discourse called the
“Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6, and that given by the Resurrected Savior to
the Nephites in 3 Nephi 12–14. Harold B. Lee called these teachings, “the
constitution for a perfect life.”[1]
President Monson described them: “Here it was that the greatest person who ever
lived delivered the greatest sermon ever given.”[2]
The themes for this second part of the sermon are: The healing power of
forgiveness; the path to perfection; how to practise charity; how to pray; what
it means to seek first the kingdom of God; righteous judgment; how to petition
the Lord; what is conversion. In other words—what are the basics of
discipleship.
Elder Maxwell taught often about discipleship. Here is one
quote, “The taking of Jesus’ yoke upon us constitutes serious discipleship.
There is no greater calling, no greater challenge, and no greater source of
joy—both proximate joy and ultimate joy—than that which is found in the process
of discipleship. This process brings its own joys and reassurances. We must
not, however, expect the world to understand or to value our discipleship; they
will not. In a way, they may admire us from afar, but they will be puzzled
about the priorities resulting from our devotion. Shouldering the yoke of
discipleship greatly enhances both our adoration and knowledge of Jesus,
because then we experience, firsthand, through our parallel but smaller-scaled
experiences, a small but instructive portion of what the Savior experienced. In
this precious process, the more we do what Jesus did—allow our wills to be
“swallowed up in the will of the Father”—the more we will learn of Jesus (Mosiah 15:7). This emulation directly enhances
our adoration of Jesus.”[3]
Matthew
6
1–4, 16. As far as giving alms (offerings)
is concerned, the only person who should know your level of generosity is the
Bishop during tithing settlement and possibly the IRS! Knowledge of your
service to others may only be between you and the Lord, Elder Oaks said, “Some
may serve for hope of earthly reward. Such a man or woman might serve in Church
positions or in private acts of mercy in an effort to achieve prominence or
cultivate contacts that would increase income or aid in acquiring wealth.
Others might serve in order to obtain worldly honors, prominence, or power. In
contrast, those who serve quietly, even ‘in secret,’ qualify for the Savior’s
promise that ‘thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.’ (3 Ne.
13:18; see also Matt. 6:4.) …‘Charity is the pure love of
Christ.’ (Moro.
7:47.) The Book of
Mormon teaches us that this virtue is ‘the greatest of all.’ (Moro. 7:46.) …
If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be accomplished for the love
of God and the love of his children. …I know that God expects us to work
to purify our hearts and our thoughts so that we may serve one another for the
highest and best reason, the pure love of Christ.”[4]
5–15 How should we pray? Elder
Wirthlin taught about vain repetitions, “Our prayers become hollow when we say
similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more
of a recitation than a communication. This is what the Savior described as
‘vain repetitions’ (see Matthew 6:7). … Do your prayers at times sound and feel
the same? Have you ever said a prayer mechanically, the words pouring forth as
though cut from a machine? Do you sometimes bore yourself as you pray? Will
prayers that do not demand much of your thought merit much attention from our
Heavenly Father? When you find yourself getting into a routine with your
prayers, step back and think. Meditate for a while on the things for which you
really are grateful. Look for them. They don’t have to be grand or glorious.
…Think of those things you truly need. Bring your goals and your hopes and your
dreams to the Lord and set them before Him. Heavenly Father wants us to approach
Him and ask for His divine aid.”[5]
We should use the language of prayer—simply put, use thou, thee, thy, and thine instead of you, your, and yours.
See my blogpost, The Language of Prayer, for help with these pronouns and
verbs. This is the significance of “hallowed be thy name.”
Question: what does
the Lord teach us in “The Lord’s Prayer”
·
To pray for the kingdom of God to fill the earth
·
That we depend on God for all that we have and
are: daily bread (see Mosiah 4:11).
·
“And suffer us not to be led into temptation,
but deliver us from evil” (Joseph Smith Translation” see James 1:13).
19–23
If we truly treasure the spiritual
over the material, then our eye will be single. It goes back to praying for our
daily bread—the necessities of life, but also doing all in our power—consecrate
ourselves—to build up the kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion. As
always this comes line upon line, precept upon precept, as with the parable of
the wise steward, we show ourselves to be faithful in small things and then are
given larger tasks, stewardships with the attendant blessings. President Ezra
Taft Benson said, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their
proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the
claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and
the order of our priorities. We should put God ahead of everyone
else in our lives. …We should give God, the father of our spirits, an
exclusive preeminence in our lives. He has a prior parental claim on our
eternal welfare, ahead of all other ties that may bind us here or hereafter.”[6]
24–34
Serving God or mammon: It’s a
question of loyalty, and whereas divided loyalties might be common in the
physical world, in our spiritual life, the division is clear. This might seem
to clash with D&C 82:22, “And now, verily I say unto you, and this is
wisdom, make unto yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, and
they will not destroy you,” but the sense here is to be at peace with them, not
join them. Elder Oaks clarified: “On the subject of public discourse, we should
all follow the gospel teachings to love our neighbor and avoid contention.
Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people,
be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may
disagree, we should not be disagreeable. Our stands and communications on
controversial topics should not be contentious. We should be wise in explaining
and pursuing our positions and in exercising our influence. In doing so, we ask
that others not be offended by our sincere religious beliefs and the free
exercise of our religion. We encourage all of us to practice the Savior’s
Golden Rule: ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them’
(Matthew 7:16).”[7]
Consider the lilies of the field—again this is an
illustration of seeking first the kingdom of God and the law of consecration.
We need to prioritize our needs vs. our wants. What is our desire, our
treasure, where are our hearts?
Matthew 7
The JST for 1–2 says “Judge not
unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment.”
Question: What can we judge righteously? Basically,
we judge situations, not people. For a detailed outline of how and what, see
Dallin H. Oaks, “‘Judge Not’ and Judging,” Ensign,
Aug. 1999, 9–12. This ties in with forgiveness, “Wherefore, I say unto you,
that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his
trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the
greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is
required to forgive all men (D&C 64:9–10). This is inherent in true
discipleship.
The
JST adds context and teaching to the text of the Sermon on the Mount regarding judgment
and the “mote/beam syndrome.” JST 7:4–7 reads, “And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thou beholdest
the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in
thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote
out of thine eye; and canst not behold a beam in thine own eye? And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest
thou the scribes, and the Pharisees, and the priests, and the Levites? They
teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments;
and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin. Go thou and say unto them,
Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the
children of corruption? Say unto them, Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam
out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brother’s eye.
Joseph
Smith taught “That which the world calls righteousness I have not any regard
for. To be righteous is to be just and merciful. If a man fails in kindness,
justice, and mercy, he will be damned.”[8]
JST Matthew 7:14–17: “And then said his disciples unto him, They will say unto us, We
ourselves are righteous, and need not that any man should teach us. God, we
know, heard Moses and some of the prophets; but us he will not hear. And they
will say, We have the law for our salvation, and that is sufficient for us.
Then Jesus answered, and said unto his disciples, Thus shall ye say unto them,
What man among you, having a son, and he shall be standing out, and shall say,
Father, open thy house that I may come in and sup with thee, will not say, Come
in, my son; for mine is thine, and thine is mine?”
A salient change in the JST is for Matthew 7:21–23 “Verily I say unto you, it is not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, that
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
who is in heaven. For the day soon
cometh, that men shall come before me to judgment, to be judged according to
their works. And many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name; and in thy name cast out devils; and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I say,
Ye never knew me; depart from me ye that work iniquity.” Question: How do we know the
Lord? How do we build our house upon
the rock?
[1] Harold B. Lee, Decisions
for Successful Living (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1973), 57.
[2] “The Way Home,” Ensign,
May, 1975, 19.
[3]
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1996/06/becoming-a-disciple?lang=eng.
[4] “Why
Do We Serve?” Ensign, Nov. 1984,
13–15.
[5] “Improving Our Prayers,” Ensign, Mar. 2004, 24, 26.
[6] “The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4–5.
[7] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/loving-others-and-living-with-differences?lang=eng.
[8] Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, (Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book, 1996), 206.
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