Life That Pleases God

Mikuláš Török, 01.06.2008

Matthew 6:9-34 After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ^6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. ^6:11Give us this day our daily bread. ^6:12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ^6:13And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.^6:14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ^6:15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ^6:16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. ^6:17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; ^6:18that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee. ^6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: ^6:20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ^6:21for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. ^6:22The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ^6:23But 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 the darkness! ^6:24No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ^6:25Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? ^6:26Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ^6:27And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? ^6:28And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ^6:29yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ^6:30But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ^6:31Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ^6:32For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. ^6:33But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ^6:34Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

In the sixth chapter of Matthew’s gospel Jesus at first teaches how to pray (Matt 6.9-34) and then He explains some of the points of this prayer. The biggest part of His words covers teaching about material support (in connection with verse 11). Jesus tells the Jews who have had the Scriptures and hundreds of years of experience with God not to be anxious for their material provision. They should have known that God would always take care of them. Further on, Jesus tells them how God also cares for birds and plants. He takes care of them just because He created them. People could have responded to these words by refusing to hear such an example because they knew their God.Now, He shows them that we do not serve God in order to gain His favor. Gentiles think this way. They worship their gods in order to gain some kind of favor – material support, peace etc. Jesus saw that the Jews who were standing around were thinking in the same way like gentiles. Therefore He gave them the example of birds and plants - to make them see that God’s favor and support are reliable. We can find a similar example in the sixth chapter of John. After Jesus had fed the crowd by miraculous multiplication of bread, the same people went to seek Him again the next day. Jesus told them that they were doing so just because they had eaten before. In this case Jesus puts in contrast seeking of God’s Kingdom and being anxious for material provision or profit. When man isn’t anxious for his means of living, it doesn’t mean he will live in poverty. Jesus didn’t mean that at all. Life in want brings permanent fear of living and mentality of poverty. On the contrary Jesus says that “all of this will be added to you” (Matt 6.33). God always acted this way. In the Old Testament we can also see that God cares for His people. In 5 Moses 28 in the first part of the chapter there is described the blessing that God gives when people obey Him - three quarters of all things are related to material provision.Now, what is seeking of God’s Kingdom? It is seeking of the truth, righteousness, being pleasant to God.In the gospel of John mentioned above (John 6) there were people who seek just their material provision. When Jesus explained that it is about something else, number of people whose way of thinking was like the one of pagans, left Him. Jesus asked then the other disciples if they were going to leave too. They refused to leave saying that He had the words of everlasting life. The disciples didn’t ever lack when Jesus sent them somewhere. It is not easy to communicate the gospel to a man who doesn’t grasp this truth right from the beginning. In Acts 10 we read about a man whom was sent the apostle Peter to in order to tell him about Jesus Christ. Cornelius wasn’t a Jew but messengers told Peter that Cornelius was a righteous and godly man (Acts 10.22). This man knew very well what it had been all about long before Peter had visited him. And God saw to it that he would have heard the gospel and could have received the eternal life. In Luke 12.22-40 there is also teaching about the right approach to material provision. Here we read God’s to those who seek God’s Kingdom in the first place – they are going to have a good life here on the Earth.


Home page New Life Church Tenets of our faith Testimonies Goodwill Services schedule Contact us	Life That Pleases God Mikuláš Török, 01.06.2008 Matthew 6:9-34 After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ^6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. ^6:11Give us this day our daily bread. ^6:12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ^6:13And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.^6:14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ^6:15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ^6:16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. ^6:17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; ^6:18that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee. ^6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: ^6:20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ^6:21for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. ^6:22The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ^6:23But 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 the darkness! ^6:24No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ^6:25Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? ^6:26Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ^6:27And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? ^6:28And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ^6:29yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ^6:30But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ^6:31Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ^6:32For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. ^6:33But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ^6:34Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. In the sixth chapter of Matthew’s gospel Jesus at first teaches how to pray (Matt 6.9-34) and then He explains some of the points of this prayer. The biggest part of His words covers teaching about material support (in connection with verse 11). Jesus tells the Jews who have had the Scriptures and hundreds of years of experience with God not to be anxious for their material provision. They should have known that God would always take care of them. Further on, Jesus tells them how God also cares for birds and plants. He takes care of them just because He created them. People could have responded to these words by refusing to hear such an example because they knew their God.Now, He shows them that we do not serve God in order to gain His favor. Gentiles think this way. They worship their gods in order to gain some kind of favor – material support, peace etc. Jesus saw that the Jews who were standing around were thinking in the same way like gentiles. Therefore He gave them the example of birds and plants - to make them see that God’s favor and support are reliable. We can find a similar example in the sixth chapter of John. After Jesus had fed the crowd by miraculous multiplication of bread, the same people went to seek Him again the next day. Jesus told them that they were doing so just because they had eaten before. In this case Jesus puts in contrast seeking of God’s Kingdom and being anxious for material provision or profit. When man isn’t anxious for his means of living, it doesn’t mean he will live in poverty. Jesus didn’t mean that at all. Life in want brings permanent fear of living and mentality of poverty. On the contrary Jesus says that “all of this will be added to you” (Matt 6.33). God always acted this way. In the Old Testament we can also see that God cares for His people. In 5 Moses 28 in the first part of the chapter there is described the blessing that God gives when people obey Him - three quarters of all things are related to material provision.Now, what is seeking of God’s Kingdom? It is seeking of the truth, righteousness, being pleasant to God.In the gospel of John mentioned above (John 6) there were people who seek just their material provision. When Jesus explained that it is about something else, number of people whose way of thinking was like the one of pagans, left Him. Jesus asked then the other disciples if they were going to leave too. They refused to leave saying that He had the words of everlasting life. The disciples didn’t ever lack when Jesus sent them somewhere. It is not easy to communicate the gospel to a man who doesn’t grasp this truth right from the beginning. In Acts 10 we read about a man whom was sent the apostle Peter to in order to tell him about Jesus Christ. Cornelius wasn’t a Jew but messengers told Peter that Cornelius was a righteous and godly man (Acts 10.22). This man knew very well what it had been all about long before Peter had visited him. And God saw to it that he would have heard the gospel and could have received the eternal life. In Luke 12.22-40 there is also teaching about the right approach to material provision. Here we read God’s to those who seek God’s Kingdom in the first place – they are going to have a good life here on the Earth.	Newsletter subscription If you want to receive regular newsletters, please fill your e-mail address into the following field. You can unsubscribe at any time. Your e-mail address:
	© New Life Church. All rights reserved.