THE CONDUCT OF TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS -

MATT 6.1-18

People often do good things, not out of a love for God, but to be honored by men. If that is what they do they will only receive the honor of men. So, our motivation should be to honor God and help people, not to receive man’s honor. Then, in this passage, Jesus gives various examples. In alms giving, or donations, we are urged to do this without a lot of fanfare, but rather quietly. Often those who only have a dollar fold it up small so nobody can see, but the person putting in the fifty opens it and spreads it out so everyone can see. That is man’s way. Another example is public prayer. We are not to be showing off our oratorical skills, but praying to God sincerely. It is often better to pray privately. We are also told not to make vain repetition in our prayers--so many churches have proscribed prayer books or recite prayer together out of a book. God would rather have us pray from our heart than to vainly repeat the same prayers each Sabbath.

The Lord’s prayer is a good example. We vainly repeat this prayer each Sabbath in church, but this prayer was really a model for how we are supposed to pray in our own words. This is the basic six point outline of the “Lord’s prayer”:

1. Address our prayers to God the Father. In scripture all prayers are addressed to God the Father. That is the pattern. It is not a sin to pray to Jesus directly, but it is not His model which He gave to us.

2. We should sanctify God, Hollowed be Thy Name, we focus on God’s divine attributes. Things like His mercy, greatness, love.

3. We should be praying for the Kingdom program. Things such as evangelism, maturity of the saints, missions, the church, etc.

4. Pray for our daily needs.

5. Pray for the forgiveness of our sins. When praying if a sin comes to mind we should confess it before the Lord as we pray.

6. Pray for the spiritual warfare, the warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Lord’s prayer is a good form to follow in our quiet time before the Lord.

FIVE LESSONS ON THE PRACTICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. Concerning money, Matt 6.19-24. We should be able to trust the Lord to meet our needs and pay bills and support our families. Mammon is the material aspect of this world. If we serve God, He will bless our finances. We are either serving materialism or the Lord.


2. Concerning anxiety, Matt 6.25-34. We should not be anxious over the basic things we need. God takes care of the birds and the flowers, so we can trust God to provide for: the food on our table, roof over our heads, and clothes for our bodies. This is not absolute, because in times of persecution these things will most likely be withheld from believers. But in normal times God will provide. Persecution is another time when God is preparing us for greater things.


3. Concerning judging, Matt 7.1-6. This issue is not about judging others, but is to be seen in a Pharisaic way. We should not be using man-made standards, but rather God’s standards. We should evaluate ourselves and others in the light of scripture. We, as the household of God, must judge each other and have order in our lives, homes, and churches--there is a standard of righteousness.


4. Concerning prayer, Matt 7.7-11. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. We continue to pray for certain things, like the salvation of our loved ones. Keep it up, be persistent.


5. The core of practice, Matt 7.12. All things that you would have men do to you--you should do to them. This is action you should take even if they don’t do for you! This is a law of love. If we fail toward men, we are failing toward God.

MATT 7.12-8.1 - RIGHTEOUSNESS NEEDED FOR THE KINGDOM (FOUR PAIRS):

1^st Pair: The two ways: There is the wide way which is the Pharisaic way which leads to destruction--because they teach all Jews will share in the kingdom when it comes no matter how they act. The correct way is the narrow way: the standard of righteousness demanded by the Law of Moses, which now includes accepting Jesus as their Messianic King.


2^nd Pair: The two trees. Ultimately, you can’t always tell the righteous from the unrighteous except by their fruits. Fruitless trees--the signs of false prophets. They may say many things but no fruit shows. They enrich themselves. Fruitful trees--those who attain the true righteousness of the Law. They live by the true standard of the Law.


3^rd Pair: The two professions: Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, are believers. These have prophesied, healed, and cast out demons yet He will say to them “I never knew you.” This principle shows that supernatural or miraculous signs are not always of God. Satan can duplicate these things, i.e., Moses and the Egyptian magicians. The test case is: Is what is being said and done scriptural? False teaching does not conform to the word of God. The true teachers are aligning with what is written.


4^th Pair: The two builders. Foundation of sand--Pharisaic interpretation of the laws of righteousness. That foundation will collapse. Foundation of rock--Messiah’s interpretation of the laws of righteousness. The people must now make a choice. Nowhere does Jesus quote other rabbis--He teaches with authority.


The Sermon on the Mount is: The Messiah’s interpretation of the true righteousness of the Law in contradistinction with the Pharisaic interpretation of the righteousness of the Law. It is also the Messiah’s public rejection of the authority of the oral law in Pharisaism. Jesus is fulfilling the Mosaic Law--not the Pharisee’s oral law.

Notes from: The Life of Messiah from a Jewish Perspective by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum