King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019
Chapters: Matthew 6-7
Message: For The Glory of God
Hello My Friend,
A woman, obsessed with her weight, convinced herself that God only wanted His people to be thin. She would go on these crazy fad diets, like the lemonade diet, and drag her family into it as well. She did lose some weight, then a few months later, gain it all back, and then some. Another woman, obsessed with her worth, convinced herself that buying a $4 skirt at Goodwill was shameful. Let me tell you, the will of God has nothing to do with what we look like, that is, unless we look like His Son. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought 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 meat, and the body than raiment? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” – Matthew 6:25,27,31,33-34.
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” We need some common sense when it comes to the things we want in life. First of all, we are the gender, height, and shape that God made us to be, and therefore, it is no sense in trying to alter our body to be what God never meant it to be. Even if I was nothing, but skin and bones, my body would never be thin, so, I stopped trying to turn my body into something that it would never be, and just take care of what God gave me. And second, everything we do, from the clothes we wear to the food we put in our mouths needs to be done for the glory of God. Think about it, how would it look if we were in a bar, drinking, and smoking? Would that give glory to God? When we put God first, He will give us exactly what we need and then some as we become a reflection of His Son living in us. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10.
The Christian life is not about letting ourselves shine out in the world, it is about letting Christ shine through us. And it is not about giving the largest amounts of money to the church, saying mile long prayers, or twenty-four hour fasts, it is about a relationship with God, one that reflects the life of Christ living in us. The scribes and Pharisees were proud of what they were doing to show their dedication to God and their law, as Jesus continues to speak to the people, He warns them about the dangers of getting caught up in the works of their religion.
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” – Matthew 6:1-2,3,6-8.
“that they may have glory of men.” Alms is tithe. There are a lot of people who give lots of money very openly, making sure everyone sees how generous they are. “that they may be seen of men.” These are the ones who stand up with their hands in the air, shouting out their long prayers, not to get the attention of God, but man. “use not vain repetitions,” These are the ones standing or kneeling three times a day, repeating the same chant over and over again. Jesus is not done, He goes on about fasting, and possessions.
“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. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 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. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 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!” – Matthew 6:16-23.
“but unto thy Father which is in secret:” God wants to give us things, and if we are faithful He will surely take care of us way beyond what we expect. You have seen them, and you know them, the ones who flash their money all around the church, who say the elaborate prayers, and let it be known that they are fasting for days or months. These are not the ones who live the humble and meek Christian life, they are the ones who brag about all they are doing for God in public, and yet in secret are just the opposite. They have their reward right now, and if they continue in their works God will deal with them. This is why salvation is not based on our works, it never has been, our works are a reflection of Christ that lives in us, not a reflection of man. We need not worry about tomorrow because God is already there, live for today, trusting that He will give us everything we need when the time is right, and we will have our reward.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” – Matthew 7:7-14.
“For every one that asketh receiveth;” Part of living the Christian life is having faith that in whatever sensible thing we ask, according to God’s will, we will receive it. Every single time God closes the door on something in our lives He opens another one to something that may lead to what we are asking Him for. Remember, we need common sense in what we are asking, and whatever we ask in His will, He will give it to us, in His time. It is necessary, if we want God’s provisions, that we first be saved, not everyone who says they are a Christian are saved. Jesus stresses the importance of knowing that not everyone who calls Him Lord are saved.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:21-27.
“but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” This topic comes up so much it the church, it means that religion does not get us into heaven, only those that do the will of the Father. What is the will of the Father? Believing in and accepting the simple Gospel of Christ as the only one who can save us. This does not mean that we will never sin again, that we will lose our salvation if we do, or that we will not face consequences for sin, but it does mean that we belong to Jesus and there is nothing that we can do once we are saved to lose that. Praise God! Living the Christian life does not mean we need to be picture perfect, but it does mean that ought to be living our lives, in and out of the Church, in a way that glorifies God at all times. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 15:4-6.
Today’s Prayer: God, You have called us to follow Your will, and when we do, You promise that we will receive all that we ask. The first step to Your will is putting our faith and trust in Your Son alone for our salvation. Everything else comes as we begin to mimic Christ in the works that we do. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your Holy Spirit power to learn, discern, and walk in the ways of Your Son, let us live our lives to please and glorify You alone, and not man. Give us also Your mercies and grace to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Your blessing our lives with even more than we could ever ask for. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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