Oh Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levitam. Shalom, my dear friends. God bless you. We are thankful to the Lord that we are able to study the Gospel of Matthew. And we are going to continue in our study as we are turning to Matthew chapter 6. Hopefully, you have a Bible available. Please open the Word of God to the Gospel of Matthew. And in this portion of the study, we are going to read from verses 1 to 18. And in these verses that belong to the sermon that the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah gave on the mountain, In the Galil in the north of Israel, we will learn from him how he is teaching his disciples and them that follow him concerning the behavior of true righteousness. And so I'm reading verses 1 to verse 18. And so we read, beloved brothers and sisters, verse 1 of Matthew 6. Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, continues and He says, Take heed that ye do not your arms 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 their synagogues and in their streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. He continued to say in verse 3, And when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 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 the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. When thou pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask. After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgave our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites of a said 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 went 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. And so, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, we read in Matthew chapter 6, verses 1 to 18, And we are going to continue to listen to the counsel, to the sermon, to the discourse that the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, gave while he was here on earth some 2,000 years ago. and how He gathered those that followed after Him and gave them instruction as to the right behavior, and the right attitude, and the right manner whereby God's people are called to live here upon the face of this earth. We always must bear in mind that when the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, was here on earth before his death, burial, and resurrection, he was, as John the baptizer saw the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, he presented himself as the King of Israel, the King of the Jews. And just as Yohanan the Matbil, John the Baptizer says in chapter 3 and verse 1, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, so the Lord himself, Jesus the Messiah, he went about and he called all to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We do read in Matthew Chapter 4 and verse 17, "...from that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." We also read in chapter 5 and verse 3, where the Lord Jesus the Messiah presented what is true righteousness, where He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As well in verse 12 of chapter 5, we did read, concerning that kingdom of heaven in verse 10, 11, and 12, where the Lord Jesus the Messiah says in Matthew 5, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You notice again and again in verse 19 and verse 20 of Matthew chapter 5, we do read, Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. He continued in verse 19, But whosoever shall do and teach them that same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. In verse 20 of Matthew chapter 5 we do read, For I say unto you that except your righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, in Hebrew, Malchut HaShamayim, is the kingdom that was promised to the nation of Israel that when the Messiah will come, He will be the one that will reign on David's throne. And he will rule and reign over the kingdom which was promised to David and David's people, the people of Israel. And the kingdom of heaven is where heaven would come down in the person of the Messiah and will rule and reign over this world as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That which is in heaven will be here on earth when the Messiah will rule and reign over this earth here and over the nation of Israel. We do read Even before the Messiah was born, in Luke chapter 1, when the angel said unto Miriam, For thou hast found favored with God, Luke chapter 1 and verse 30, And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Yeshua in Hebrew, Jesus in the Greek. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David. David, Melech Yisrael, David, the King of Israel. Verse 33 says, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, here's again the kingdom, there shall be no end. This is Luke chapter 1, verses 30 to 33. Well, the kingdom was promised, 2 Samuel 7. A king was promised. And Daniel Chapter 2, and Daniel Chapter 4, and we can read throughout the Hebrew Scriptures that there was a promise that the Kingdom will come, and the Messiah will come, and He will be the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, on that very same mountain, giving this first discourse that is found in the Gospel of Matthew, presenting himself as the king of the Jews, the king of Israel. And he's presenting the behavior that will take place when the kingdom of heaven will be established on this earth. He used the word the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew, almost entirely the word the Kingdom of Heaven. There are a few times the usage in Matthew's Gospel, the Kingdom of God, but namely Kingdom of Heaven is used on an ongoing basis. Why? Because the Jewish people, our people, do not use the word for God out of reverence to God, and the word Heaven is replacing the name of God out of reverence to the name of the Lord. And the spiritual leaders of Israel have always taught the importance of not naming the name of the Lord just like this in vain. And therefore, throughout the generation, and you can see it even in the time that the Gospel of Matthew was written, The expression, the Kingdom of Heaven, is mentioned throughout the Gospel, while the other Gospels, the word Kingdom of God is mentioned. A Gospel that was geared to the Romans, or to the Gentile world, and to the Greek world. There, the word, the Kingdom of God is mentioned. But when the Gospel of Matthew was geared for the Jewish people, the expression, the Kingdom of Heaven, Malchut HaShamayim, is mentioned again and again in the Gospel of Matthew. In the previous chapter, in chapter 5, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, was speaking to the multitude and He presented the true righteousness which will take place when the kingdom of heaven will be established here on earth. He showed to the disciples and to those who follow him how the true interpretation of the law is presented. The interpretation of the law by the Lord Jesus the Messiah was different than the interpretation of the law that the Pharisees and the Sadducees presented before the nation. While the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious leaders, interpreted the law, in an outward way, in which when a person falls into sin, into the act of sin, he is guilty. Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, in Matthew chapter 5, and specifically in verses 17 to the end of the chapter, He provided the proper interpretation of the law, that it's not only or merely the outward act that makes one guilty, but it is also, and in reality, it's the inward condition of the heart. And that's why, as we covered in Matthew chapter 5, He gave to the disciples and those that followed Him the examples that are found in the law, in the Torah, Sixth example, thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not divorce. You know, the divorce, the law of the murder, the law of the adultery, the law of divorce, the law of the promises, the oath that one made, the law of retaliation and the law of love. It is much more. than just the external act that makes one guilty, it is when we in our own heart have already committed the sin, when we have murdered or hated someone in our own hearts, committed adultery in our hearts, put away our wives without any cause, and making promises that we don't keep, and retaliation in our own hearts, and ultimately when we do not love from our hearts our neighbors and even our enemies. You can see how in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord is presenting what true righteousness is all about. And we all have to realize that the only way to live in such a way, one needs to have the help of the Spirit of God. And that's why we are so thankful that the Spirit of God, God the Holy Spirit, had come and indwelled those that have trusted in the person of Jesus the Messiah. And that's why Matthew 5.20 is one of the most important verses in the Gospel of Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount. For I said to you that except your righteousness shall exceed, the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no case," notice that, "...ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." One must be born again, born of the Spirit of God. And while we are waiting for the future day when the kingdom of heaven shall be established, when Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, will come at His second coming, Believers in the present age are blessed to be delivered from judgment because we have accepted the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and we belong to the heavenly company, to the church, to the assembly, to the ecclesia, and we are going to be taken to be with the Lord. at the rapture of the church, and we will come with Him at His second coming to rule and to reign over this world as the kingdom of heaven will be established here on earth. So now as we enter into chapter 6, beloved brothers and sisters of the Gospel of Matthew, in this section the Lord Jesus the Messiah, in His sermon, in His discord, He's not only that he reject the interpretation of the Pharisees, how they interpret the law, but he also shows us that he reject the practice. of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and anyone who is just merely a religious person that is not born of the Spirit of God, that is not having the righteousness that is provided by faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. So notice it says in Matthew 6 verse 1, we do read, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord is saying, take heed. that ye do not," notice, now he is speaking about not only what we believe, but how we behave. He's saying this to those that follow him. "...take heed that ye do," notice, "...that ye do not your arms before men to be seen of them." Otherwise you have no reward of your father which is in heaven. So it's not only the righteous understanding of what the law demanded but also righteous deeds and the manner whereby one behave. And so he's saying, you know, he gave here in this verse one, he said, make sure that when you do your righteous acts, the word for alms here is charitable deeds, righteous acts. In the Hebrew word, it says, tzidkatchem, or tzidkotchem. That means to do tzedakah, to do righteous acts, righteous deeds. When you are doing righteous deeds, make sure... He's saying here in this verse 1 of Matthew chapter 6, it comes from the Greek word, alms deeds. Ammosyne, E-L-E-E-M-O-S-Y-N-E. In other words, when you do your righteous deeds, your righteous acts, do not do it before men to be seen of them. Well, if you want to do your alms, your righteous deeds, your tzedakah, don't do it before men to be seen of them. Why? Because if you are going to be doing your righteous act before men, well, you have no reward from your father, which is in heaven. You will get the reward from these men and women and people before whom you are doing your righteous deeds, but you're not going to receive any reward from your father in heaven. from God the Father in heaven, from your father, your Abba in heaven. And then beloved brothers and sisters from verse 2 all the way to verse 18, the Lord Jesus the Messiah is giving once again an example. You remember in chapter 5? He gave these six examples in the interpretation of what is true righteousness. The law of murder, the law of adultery, the law of divorce, the law of oath, the law of retaliation and the law of love. Now in chapter 6 he gives once again three examples in three areas of life. In verses 2, 3 and 4 he gave an example of giving alms. In verses 5 to 15 he gives an example of prayer. And in verses 16 to 18 he gives an example of fasting. Very interesting because in all these three areas we experience in our day-by-day living, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends. And in these areas of life, in our helping and giving and doing our deeds, our righteous deeds, we do here in this world, in the area of prayer, the important part of the life of the believer is to pray, to speak to God, and in the area of fasting, of devotion to God, devotion to the Lord through fasting. These three areas, Jesus the Messiah presents before the disciples and them that followed him, these three examples. So he began in verse one, and he said to them, whenever you do any righteous deed, Any charitable deeds, make sure that you don't do it before men to be seen of men, but do it as unto the Lord, and do it before God, because your Father in heaven, He's the one that will ultimately see, and He does see everything that one is doing. So in verses 2, 3, and 4, is the first example, an example of giving alms. And he's going into these details in verses 2, 3 and 4. So we read in verse 2, Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound the trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets, and it may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when you do his arms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine arms may be in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret, Himself shall reward thee openly. And so he began with the example of giving alms. And you know the word tzedakah in the history of the people of Israel, oftentimes tzedakah, giving alms and helping others, is part and parcel of the life of the Jewish people. It was then and it's still today in so many ways. You will find out that it is something that is done by the Jewish people throughout the ages in giving alms and helping the poor. This is something that was done many Christians in the same way, the believers in the Lord Jesus. Many times giving alms, helping the poor and helping the needy. And in general, in many communities around the world, it became part of the life. And thank God for the help that was given and is still given to many around the world. And the Lord wants the disciples to understand here in these verses that when one does some righteous deeds, some act of charitable deed, when you do it, Don't make a sound of a trumpet, as the hypocrites do. Do it from the bottom of your heart, as unto the Lord, as the benefit of the people to whom you want to help. And don't sound the trumpet before yourself, because this is exactly what the hypocrites do. And in that time, we can see how He is saying in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be receiving glory from men. In other words, what He said, there were those that were doing so in such a way that they were seeking to have others see what they do so they will receive glory from others, from mankind. Well, Yeshua the Messiah says, okay, verily I say unto you, they have their reward. When another man or another person sees the righteous deeds that one does, but he does it with the sound of the shofar, the trumpet, and that he wants to be seen by others, fine. You will receive, he's saying to them, the reward from them, from men, but not from God. Because God wants that the righteous deeds will be done in such a way that it comes out of the abundance of the heart for the glory of God and for the blessing of others, but not for an external appearance before others. In order that one will receive recognition by others. There's a verse in Psalm 112 and verse 9. He had dispersed, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever, his horn shall be exalted with honor. The psalmist praised the Lord, he was praising the Lord. Blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandment. And then he's emphasizing the fact that this person that is praising the Lord, he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart shall be fixed. He will trust in the Lord. His heart is established. He shall not be afraid until he sees his desire upon his enemies. He has dispersed. He has given to the poor his righteousness and doeth not it forever. Why? Because God sees it. His horn shall be exalted with honor. God will honor the one that does righteous acts as unto God and not to be seen of men to exalt oneself. So when the Lord encouraged and instructed the disciples, He gave them these examples. Don't be like the hypocrite who sounds the trumpet. Verily I say unto you, verse 2, at the end they have their reward. Notice that in the next verses. In verse 3, when you do your deeds, your alms, do the giving with a pure motive. When thou doest arm, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. This is an expression of doing it with the right motive. Not to be seen of men, not to be receiving rewards by men, but to do it out of the abundance of your heart with the right and pure motive. In verse 4, Yeshua continued to say, when you do your alms, do the giving privately. God the Father will reward you openly. Verse 4, that thine alms may be in secret, Nobody knows, but notice then, thy father, which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly. What an amazing instruction is this! It is, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, it is a lesson that shows us that the Lord sees everything, He knows everything, and He does reward His people. And He desires that His followers, His disciples, will learn from the Lord Jesus the Messiah himself. So verses 2, 3, and 4 of Matthew chapter 6 is the first example that the Lord Jesus the Messiah gave the disciples concerning the giving of alms. The word here is tzedakah. and tzedakah was part and parcel of the responsibility and the requirement of God for the people of Israel in days of old. It says in Leviticus 19, verses 9 and 10, And when ye reap the harvest of your land, Thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of the field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard. Notice then, Thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord your God, God said to His people. of Israel when he gave Israel the law, the Torah. In chapter 25 of the book of Leviticus, there as well in verse 35 he said, If thy brother be waxen poor and fallen in decay with thee, then Thou shalt relieve him, yea, though he be a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with thee. You see, that was part of the law, the Torah that God had given to Israel. to give alms, to help the poor, to meet the needs of others. But the motive has to be right. And therefore, don't sound the trumpet, the shofar. Do it with the right motive and realize that God the Father will be the one that will reward you openly. Wonderful, wonderful beloved brothers and sisters lesson to learn as we are reading here in Matthew chapter 6 as part of the portion of the sermon on the mountain in the Galilee in the north of Israel. And so the next example is found in Matthew 6 and verses 5 to 15. It's a long portion and the example is in relationship to prayer. Every one of us is exhorted to pray. What is prayer? Prayer is a communication with the Lord, sharing with Him our burden, asking from Him things that are important for us in our life, having fellowship with Him, glorifying Him, thanking Him for who He is and for what He has done for us, and having fellowship, having a communication with our Abba, with our Father, which is in heaven. with the person of our Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. And so in verses 5 to 15, the Lord Jesus the Messiah gives us and gives the disciples the example of prayer and to behave the true behavior of righteousness as it is exemplified in the prayer. The Word of God presents before us a few ways in which we are called to pray. We have a personal prayer found in Matthew 6 and verse 6. We have a family prayer found in 1 Peter 3 and verse 7. We have an assembly, a congregational prayer, found in Matthew 18 and verse 19. And we also have a public prayer in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 8. There are various aspects. of prayer, but also a scripture teaches us to have a personal prayer, a family with our wives and our family prayer, assembly, the collective believers as an assembly, the congregation in prayer, and also there's a public prayer where we pray everywhere here in this world, wherever we have an opportunity to give thanks and to praise and to pray to God. Well, notice the example that we find here in the prayer that the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is teaching His disciples. In verse 5, He is again using the word here, "...when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrite." Notice that it is again He using the word hypocrite, as it was used in verse 2. When you do your alms, don't sound the shofar, the trumpet, before thee, as the hypocrites do. Now when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites. Verse 5, For they love to pray, standing in the synagogue and in the corners of the street, that they may be not a sin of men. Verily I say unto thee, they have their rewards. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, In days of old, of course, we used the word synagogues and the public streets and so on. Today, we have to be using that expression in church or congregational meetings and so on. We have to recognize that when we pray, we are not to be as the hypocrites who love to pray standing so they will be seen by others. Whether it is in a local church group, in a local synagogue, or in the streets, in the public streets, that they may be seen of men. Prayer is important. There is a public prayer. There is a congregational prayer. But the motive behind it should not be just to be seen of men, to be acknowledged by others. But the purpose is to truly communicate with God, whether it is individual prayer, personal prayer for the needs and the desires of the heart of the individual, whether it is with the family. for the blessing of the family, the wife, the husband, the children, whether it is for the assembly, for the church, for the congregation, for the welfare and the blessing of all God's people collectively, or whether it is in the public, wherever we are, at work, at school, at play, wherever we are, for the benefit of the people in general, for salvation, for people to come to glorify God. There are many ways in which one is praying, but the motive behind it ought to be not to be seen of men so one will receive glory to himself. And if one seeks glory to himself, He will receive reward from men, but not from God. That's why in the next verses, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah said, but when you pray, verse six, notice that here's a personal prayer. Enter into your closet. When you had shut the door, pray to thy father, which is in secret, notice. And then the father which seeth in secret, he will reward you openly. When you are praying individually, first of all, before you even go to pray publicly, make sure that you're praying individually as before the Lord, your personal prayer. You enter into your closet, basically what the Lord is saying, do it quietly. Honestly, with your heart as before the Lord who sees everything, you then shut the door, pray unto thy father, not as which is in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret, he shall reward thee openly. Beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, how needful this is in our own life to have a personal prayer, communication with the Lord. And the thought here to go into the closet and shut the door, what basically the Lord means is that do it privately, do it at all times. Many times in the epistles when the apostle Shaul Paul wrote to the believers to whom he is writing, he's always encouraging them to pray. You remember the shortest verses in the Word of God is found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, and there we read in verse 17, pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. In Romans chapter 12, the apostle Shaul Paul did also say to the Roman believers in chapter 12 and verse 12, when he mentioned this to the Roman believers, he said to them, be instant in prayer. Be instant in prayer. Don't stop to pray, he's saying. And you and I need that on an ongoing basis because prayer is essential in the life of God's people. As we read throughout the scripture, in days of old in the history of Israel, and in the days of the church age, believers are called to pray this private and personal prayer that it is essential not to do it in order to be seen of men, but to have communion with God the Father. And indeed, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, prayer is so important because in prayer we communicate with God and we let Him know all that which is in our heart, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you," Peter wrote in 1 Peter chapter 5. God does care, and He wants us to come before Him in prayer, this personal prayer in our life, and how we need it, beloved friends. In our personal life, we need it so much in order to have fellowship with the Lord, to learn from Him, to be occupied with Him, to share with Him our hearts. He already knows everything, but He wants to hear God's people praying. And so as the Lord giving the example of prayer and he says don't be like the hypocrites in verse 5 and then verse 6 he says when you pray enter into your closet when you shut the door pray to the father which which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." How beautiful to see God will reward, God will respond, God will answer in His time and His way to those that pray, that speak with Him. In verse 7, when you pray, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, instruction says, don't use this vain repetition, as He says in verse 7. When you pray, use not vain repetition as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. You see, the Lord is saying, don't make this vain repetition, you know, repeating certain portion or certain text. Just open your heart. And share with the Lord what you have in your heart, the things that you want to share with God the Father, what one has on our heart. Don't use vain repetition. And the word for heathen is the Gentiles. And this time again, to remind you, the Lord is speaking to the Jewish people. And he's speaking of the condition of the spiritual leaders, exposing what was wrong. But he's also mentioning what the Gentile world was doing as well. And he's saying, look at this, you don't be like that. Don't be like the hypocrites. Don't be like the nations, the pagans of the world. You need to have a different behavior in prayer as well. And so in verse 8, he continued to say, when you pray, be not like those that want to be seen. Again, when it comes to the alms, do not be like those who want to be seen that they are giving alms. Here in verse 8 of Matthew 6, Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things for you have a need of before you even ask him. You do not be like others and you and I can apply this to ourselves beloved brothers and sisters we need to learn from this because we know our own hearts by nature we all have this weakness and the lessons are ought to be applied to each and every one of us in our own life. And we ought to be learning from the example that the Lord Jesus the Messiah is giving the disciples here. And so now from verse 9, Onwards, we have the model prayer that the Lord Jesus the Messiah is teaching the disciples and all who follow him to practice. Here's a model prayer. This is not a prayer that one has to repeat, and oftentimes these verses are being used and they are called the Lord's Prayer. But in actuality, the Lord's Prayer is found in John 17, when the Lord prayed to the Father, when Yeshua the Messiah prayed to His Abba, to His Father. Here we have the disciples' prayer, and this disciples' prayer is a model prayer. It is not a prayer to simply be repeated. It contains, beloved brothers and sisters, a pattern in which God's people are called to use this as a pattern. And so verse 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 is a model prayer which the Lord Jesus the Messiah instructed His disciples to learn and to practice in such a manner, in such a way. And so it is prayer that becomes a pattern, a model in which you and I can Learn how to pray as we communicate with our God and our Father. Notice this, we have here these fivefold aspects of the prayer that the Lord is instructing his disciples to pray. So he says in verse 9, after this manner, therefore, pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Notice this, beloved brothers and sisters. It's not wrong to repeat these verses in prayer. But, beloved brothers and sisters, this is, in reality, it is a model prayer. And in these five verses, verse 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, we have the model as how to pray. First of all is to provide adoration to God, verse 9. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. To adore God and to recognize when our heart is filled with Him that He is a holy God, that He is the one that we adore and we praise. That's the example that we have in verse 9, hallowed be thy name. Then in verse 10, it's not only the fact that we adore God, but we also want to consecrate ourselves to God. And so Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, in the prayer, he's instructing the disciples that they are... Ask God the Father to show him that they want to consecrate their life for him. And that's why they use it, your kingdom come. Your will be done to, notice that verse 10, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Not only to adore Him, but to consecrate everything for Him. It is your kingdom that we wish to come. It is your will that we wish to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. And thirdly, is praying for the need that one has. It's not first me, it's first God. First, it is adoring Him. Secondly, is consecrating everything to Him and for Him. And thirdly, The Lord Jesus the Messiah instructs in verse 11 in the pattern of prayer is to ask the Lord for our personal need. Give us this day our daily bread. Provide for us for the needs that we have. You remember what we read? In the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 8, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. In other words, we need to be fed, to be taken care of, to provide for our daily living, but it is as we are occupied with the Lord. And therefore, in this prayer, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is instructing the disciples to pray about their personal needs, but not before we adore the Lord, we desire to consecrate everything for Him. Your kingdom come, your will be done. Then the personal supplication for our personal needs, give us this day our daily bread. And then notice that is interceding on behalf of others and as well interceding on behalf of our own needs and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Notice verse 12, and forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors. Well, this is, again, is a challenging A verse, forgive us our deeds as we forgive others, others their debtors? Well, this is a question that we are challenged with every day. Have we forgiven others? Have we forgiven others perhaps who have wronged us? You see, beloved brothers and sisters, forgiveness, it is something that comes from the Lord. And it is important to forgive one another. This is so important in the life of God's people. We often read in Scripture how important it is to forgive one another. And we are called, as we read in the Epistles, the need to forgive, to forgive one another and to recognize that it is divine to forgive. Even when we were wronged by someone, forgiveness is really something that reminds us again of the forgiveness that we have received, beloved brothers and sisters, from the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who forgave our own sin and sins when He was judged for us on the cross. This is essential. Notice what it says in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 13, Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even notice that as Christ, as the Mashiach forgave you, So also do ye. This is Colossians chapter 3 and verse 13. In Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32 we do read. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as, notice that, as God, for Christ's sake, for the Messiah's sake, has forgiven you. Now notice that Paul used this verse that when we forgive, we ought to remember that we were forgiven by the Lord, by God. So in this prayer, in Matthew chapter 6, we do read that we are called to forgive. We are praying, interceding for others, interceding for ourselves. And therefore, we read in verse 12, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Now, beloved brothers and sisters, you and I are already forgiven once and for all. When we have accepted the Lord Jesus the Messiah today, we are already forgiven. Our sins have been put away once and for all. But when we are living life as believers today, When we sin and when we harbor hatred and when we are not forgiven, we need to realize that we will not enjoy fellowship with the Lord who forgave our own sins. And the great debt that we individually owed Him So when we are not forgiving others, we need to repent of it and go to the throne of grace. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1 and verse 9. How important it is, beloved brothers and sisters. And then finally, to ask the Lord for protection in verse 13, in the example of prayer that Yeshua gave his disciples. It says in verse 13, and lead us not into testing. The word for temptation is to lead us not into testing. God is testing his own people. But deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. In other words, we are tested by God. God never tempts anyone, but He tests His own people. We read in Genesis chapter 22 that God did test Abraham. He didn't tempt him, but he tested him. And God does test each one of us. In James chapter 1 we read in verse 13, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. And when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, when we read here, lead us not into temptation, it is lead us not into testing. Why? Because many times when the Lord tests us, we fail. And there is no testing that is given unto us, but such that is common unto men. God allowed this, but here in this prayer, the requirement in the example that the Lord is asking the disciples or instructing the disciples to pray, lead us not into testing, but deliver us from evil. Because so quickly we are bound to fail. And so, if you remember the apostle Shaul, Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13, there is no temptation or no testing or trial taking you but such as is common unto man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tested or going through the trial above what you are able, but will with the testing, with the trial, also make a way to escape that he may be able to bear it. So the word for testing is here equivalent with the word that God tempt us, but He tests us, He allows us to go through trials, and the trials that the Lord allows us to go through ultimately is leading us and instructing us and helping us in our spiritual growth. The Lord is instructing the disciples to pray and ask the Father, lead us not into trials and into testing, but deliver us from evil. Because we are so liable to go in an evil direction, in an evil way. And so even if the Lord allows us to be tested and go through a trial, it is ultimately for our own good. And the trials of time cause us to stumble and fail. And so the Lord, in His instruction, is giving us this five-fold pattern in the prayer life of the people of God. Verse 9, hello be thy name, adoration. Verse 10, your kingdom come, your will be done, consecration. Verse 11, give us this day our daily bread, supplication. Twelve, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Intercession. And finally, in verse 13, lead us not into testing, but deliver us from evil. This is a prayer for protection. in our prayer to adore our God, to consecrate our life to our God, to supplicate before our God, to intercede before our God and our Father, and to ask for protection before and from our God and our Father. These are the instructions that the Lord Jesus the Messiah gave the disciples in Matthew chapter 6 and verses 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. And so in verse 14, he continues part of the prayer and he's saying, instructing the disciples, for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." And what the Lord Jesus the Messiah's instruction here is that it's not here an issue of the eternal forgiveness of the trespasses that one has committed here. Because the moment a person has accepted the Lord Jesus the Messiah, he or she, Eternally forgiven. Our sins are eternally forgiven. Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, said in John chapter 10, when he gave this instruction at the temple during the Feast of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, he did say, that I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. So the believer is eternally redeemed and forgiven. But in these verses 14 and 15, in connection with the, if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will forgive also you. And he said, if you will not forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will not forgive your trespasses. This is now here in this life. an unforgiving spirit in a person's life, he will cause him not to enjoy full fellowship with God the Father. He will not sense the forgiveness of God the Father presently as he walks here in this world. So, it is important to forgive others their wrongdoing. as we expect others to forgive our wrongdoings. And if we will not have this attitude of heart, we will not receive the forgiveness of God the Father here on earth to enjoy a fellowship with our Abba, with our Father. That's why, again, beloved brothers and sisters, We emphasize the throne of grace. And the throne of grace is where believers come before the Lord and repent and receive the forgiveness from God that they can enjoy in their day-by-day living. If we confess our sins, 1 John 1, 9, He is faithful. God is faithful. He's faithful to whom? He is faithful to His Son, to the Messiah. And because the Messiah paid for our sins, He is faithful just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And so, in the third example now that we have before us, that the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, gave to His disciples, it's not only in relationship to giving alms, Verses 2, 3 and 4, it's not only in relationship to prayer, verses 5 to 15, but now in verses 16 to 18, it is the third example in relationship to fasting. Fasting. Verses 16, 17 and 18. And so he says, Yeshua says, moreover, when you fast, The word for fast comes from the Hebrew word latzum, tzom. The first time the word tzom found in the Hebrew scripture is in Judges chapter 20 and verse 26. We find in Ezra 8 that Ezra fasted. We find in Nehemiah 1 that Nehemiah fasted. We find in Esther chapter 4 that Esther requested fasting. And we find out that fasting is mentioned here in the Gospel of Matthew at least five times throughout the Gospel of Matthew. So here, Yeshua is saying, when you fast, be not once again as the hypocrite. Hypocrite is one that has two faces. One face before the public and another face, is his own personal before God, who knows everything. In verse 4, be not like the hypocrites. In verse 2, be not like the hypocrites. Verse 5, be not like the hypocrites. Now in verse 16, be not like the hypocrites. You know, as the hypocrites of a said countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast." He says, Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. Verse 16, Do not be as those that have two faces, the hypocrites. What they do, they make a sad fast, they disfigure their faces, they want to appear before men that everybody will know that they are fasting. Well, Yeshua is saying they have their reward. Their reward will be from others, but not from God. But then again, in verses 17 and 18, Yeshua is saying, but when you are fasting, anoint thy head, wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast. Don't let others even know it. It's a personal exercise. anoint your head, wash your face, in order that you will not appear unto men as if you are facing them. They will not even know. But you see, he is saying to them, your father, which is in secret, he is the one that sees everything. And thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. It is interesting, beloved brothers and sisters, the instruction that we receive from the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in the sermon that he gave in the Galil upon the mountain, called Sermon on the Mount, the Discourse on the Mount. In Matthew chapter 4 and verse 2 we read, And when he fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, fasted before he was tempted by the devil himself. Here in chapter 6, verses 18 and 19, When thou fast, anoint thine head and wash thy faces. Matthew chapter 6, verses 16, 17 and 18. In Matthew chapter 9 and verses 14 and 15 we read, Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus gave an answer. He said to them, Can the children of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them. Then shall they fast. You see, this is the third time that we have fasting in the Gospel of Matthew mentioned, beloved brothers and sisters. In chapter 15 we read, Matthew chapter 15 and verse 32 we do read, Then Jesus called the disciples unto him and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now for three days and have nothing to eat, and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way." He cared for the ones that didn't have any food, so they had to fast without being without food, beloved brothers and sisters. And in Matthew chapter 17 verse 20, Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief, when he rebuked the demon out of that person, and the disciples ask him, why could not we cast him out? And he's instructing them, he says in verse 20 and 21 of Matthew chapter 17, Yeshua said unto them, because of your unbelief for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto the mountains, remove them, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove. Nothing shall be impossible to you, however, or howbeit. This kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting. What a lesson we learn here from chapter 6 verses 1 to 18, beloved brothers and sisters. The behavior of true righteousness that the Lord Jesus the Messiah taught His disciples and those that follow Him in Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 to 18. Well, God bless you, my dear brothers and sisters and dear friends. Until the next time, We say unto you, Shalom, Shalom. You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitam. Gideon teaches God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0, or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom. StSq2 2.60