Intro
This is Dreamwalker1960. As a reminder you can read the transcripts of all my podcasts at dreamwalker1960.com. You can use most podcast platforms if you wish to listen. All you need do is do a search for Dreamwalker1960.
Discussion
Matthew 6:5 – “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
Why start today’s podcast with this verse?
The other day I was walking through a campground and a lady was outside praying. As I passed her site, apparently, she saw me and started to pray loader. In my head I praised God and His Son our Savior Jesus Christ, but I didn’t even look in her direction.
I prayed to God if I should say anything to her about this and the Holy Spirit told me not to say anything to her, but instead to do this podcast. So, here we are.
Now why is it I felt the need to even say anything in the first place?
Partly because of 2 Timothy 4:1-5, but also since this is said in verse six of the sixth chapter of Matthew:
Matthew 6:6 – But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Jesus Christ instructed all who follow Him to pray in private. Not on public display for all the world to see. He also clearly identifies those that do pray in public:
“Don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.”
Those who openly pray for all the world to see them are identified as “hypocrites.”
By who?
Jesus Christ
What does Christ say next:
“I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.”
Now this brings up an important element that needs to be looked at. I once again need to quote from 1 John:
1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
“a craving for everything we see”
1 John 2:16 – For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
“The lust of the eyes”
Lust – G1939 – epithumia – desire, passionate longing, eagerness for, longing
a: longing – a feeling of wanting something or someone very much
eyes – G3788 – ophthalmos – the eye, sight
a: sight – something that is in someone’s view
Simply, it can be said, that it is a great desire to be seen is one of the definitions of this.
Many believe they are right with God if they show all their “great faith.” However, God desires what from us?
Colossians 3:10-17 – Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
What are the fruit we are to seek to bear?
12 – Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Bowels of mercies – G4698, G3628 – tender mercies
Kindness – G5544 – chréstotés – goodness, uprightness, kindness, gentleness
Humbleness of mind – G5012 – tapeinophrosune – humility, lowliness of mind, modesty
a: humility – the quality of not being proud because you are aware of your bad qualities
Meekness – G4236 – praotés – mildness, gentleness, meekness, kindness
a: meekness – the quality of being quiet, gentle, and unwilling to argue or express your opinions
Longsuffering – G3115 – makrothumia – patience, forbearance
a: – forbearance – the quality of being patient and being able to forgive someone or control yourself in a difficult situation
When praying in public the person doing so is not displaying humility nor are they showing a quality of being quiet. So, in essence they are not bearing fruit for the Lord. They are not placing God foremost in their minds.
Instead, they are causing those about them to look at them. To think about them. To center upon them. Simply to glorify themselves and not God. That is why that is all the reward they shall receive, for it is not something stored in heaven but is displayed here in this temporal plain of existence.
This also applies to those that dance about in churches screaming out “halleluiah,” or shouting out in tongues as we are to seek after per 1 Corinthians 14, but in quiet. Those that do any type of ministry that has their name in the title is another example. Because they are seeking the glory, the focus. We are to glorify only one name, only one being, that is Jesus Christ. When this is not done that is all the reward they are going to get, for they are not showing glory to God, but themselves.
For centuries people have behaved in a certain way. They have been taught to seek after things here in this world. As shown in 1 John 2 this is not Biblical. This is the same thing that happened to Israel. Time and again they would drift away from God. Seeking after things of the world, and what happened to them? Time and again they were punished by God for turning away from Him to themselves. Then finally due to their own selfishness and arrogance they crucified the Son of God. Then just over one generation later the nation of Israel was abolished for nearly 1900 years.
More and more of those that profess to being “Christian” behave in a manner that does not truly bear fruit for God. Recently due to the “vid” we witnessed what could be called a great falling away and per many has not rebounded. However, as I have shown in a past podcast (The Biblical teaching of the mask and also what foods to eat) many went about wearing masks, but if they truly put their faith in God, they wouldn’t wear them. The fact that they wear them shows more self-concern and self-glorification then trusting and giving glory to their Creator. Simply those that professed they were “Christian” and wore or keep wearing masks announced to all the world that they are not.
How many of you listening or reading have truly read Matthew chapter 7?
How many truly followed the train of thought Jesus was presenting to us in that chapter?
Let’s look at it:
Matthew 7:12-23 – “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. 21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Now as I have established in the past only those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior can cast out demons as established in Matthew 12:25-30. Consequently, this entire section is Jesus talking about those that at first said they would follow Jesus and so follow the golden rule. They turned from seeking to glorify God to seeking to line their pockets with money as established in 2 Peter 2:1-3. Thus, turning them into Pharisees.
Luke 16:14-15 – Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Therefore, those that seek after the things of the world like wealth comfort and luxuries, as well as wearing masks are seen by God Himself as an abomination.
Think and ponder, for the hourglass is nearly empty till Christ Jesus’ returns.
God Bless
dreamwalker1960 