Matthew 6-7 Lesson 7

Matthew 6:1-18. Discourse given by Savior on worshipping the Father

1.        Why are we asked by the Savior to do good quietly?  By quietly giving we are doers of the word.  The Savior lived the quiet life of giving.  Let our deeds be discovered accidentally.  Those who need to know about those actions do.  The Father knows them and that is all that matters.  Our service can only be efficacious if accomplished for the love of God and the love of His children.  We should serve for the highest and best reason—the pure love of Christ.

2.       What are alms?  It can mean two things:  “acts of righteousness” and “donations for the poor.”

3.       Why do we perform service?  The Lord gave three examples of service;

a.       Giving to the poor.

b.      Praying.

c.       Fasting.

Think about how Christ performed miraculous healing and what he told the individuals.  He told them often, “Tell no man.”

4.       What are vain repetitions? This is the repetition of words and similar phrases as we pray.  It becomes more of a recitation than a communication.

5.       How do we avoid vain repetitions? Meditate for a while on the things for which we are really grateful.  Think of things you truly need, talk about goals, hopes, and dreams and set these before Him and then ask for divine direction to accomplish those things.  We can continue to ask for the things we believe are right.  The Lord wants us to ask with real intent, in sincerity.  This does not mean they will be answered immediately.  The prayers do not need to be long.  We should just go often to witness to him that we remember him and are willing to take upon us his name, to keep his commandments, and to continue to be righteous.  When we get into trouble, we should go directly to the Lord for help.  It does not have to be flowery.  Speak simply, expressing needs.

6.       Why pray when Father already knows what we need?  It is in prayer that the will of the Father and the will of the child come together in close correspondence with each other.  We are not asking God’s will be changed, but to secure blessings that God is willing to grant to us already, but the blessing does not come without asking for them.  That is the condition upon which answers are granted.  Blessings always require work or effort on our part before we can obtain them.

7.       In verse 9 we are told to pray “after this manner.”  What does this phrase mean?   The pattern is there in the Lord’s Prayer.  We do not need to memorize it and recite it.  Notice the special language of reverence and respect in addressing Heavenly Father.  It is not the same as how we address our friends or family members.  The words of address have been sanctified by use in inspired communications.  They have been recommended and modeled by our prophets and inspired leaders.  These words should be associated with love, respect, reverence, and closeness.

8.       What blessing comes from forgiving others?  We do not need to be a victim twice.  We can forgive and thus be lifted from the role of victim.

9.       It is odd phrasing to say, “And lead us not into temptation.”  Why would the Lord lead us into temptation?  He doesn’t lead us into temptation.  He places us here in a probationary estate where temptation is the order of the day.  We are simply here to overcome the world.  Joseph Smith reworded this to say, “And suffer us not to be led into temptation.”

Matthew 6:19-34.  The Disciples of Christ seek first the Kingdom of God.

1.        What heavenly treasures can we lay up for ourselves?  Where we spend most of our time, money, and thought is where our treasure is.  God wants us to lay up riches of unspeakable joy here and eternal happiness in the hereafter.  We normally think of treasures in terms of temporal treasures—worldly wealth.  Those things are easily lost to thieves, fired, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.  These are okay to pursue but we are warned not to exclude treasures with eternal staying power such as our character, attributes acquired by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, knowledge, faith, good judgment, mercy, and truth, and most important of all, the continuation of the family unit  in the celestial kingdom.

2.       Why does the eye play a key role in the light we possess?    It is interesting to note that the physical body is a receptacle for light.  In fact physicists indicate that every physical object can hold light.  With that in mind we see meaning in D&C 88:67.  “If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light.”

3.       What is mammon?    The Greek word for mammon means riches or money, but also has the connotation of “worldliness.”  We have to have money to sustain life and as such is not evil.  It is the love of money that is the problem.  Notice this is said after we are taught of the importance of where our treasures or loyalties should lie.

4.       To whom was Jesus speaking when he said to take no thought of temporal needs?  Jesus was talking to his disciples as he was asking them to suspend their temporal pursuits to carry the message of the gospel to the world.  When called to do so, we should not have concern about business enterprises or temporal pursuits.

5.       Why should we not worry about tomorrow?  There is enough to worry about today without worrying about tomorrow.  Just get through this day.

Matthew 7:1-6.  Jesus teaches how to judge righteously.

1.        What does it mean to “judge not”?    It should read “judge not unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment.”    There are two kinds of judgment:  final judgments, which we are not to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles.  This is what Dallin Oaks has taught.  He says, “First, a righteous judgment must, by definition, be intermediate.  It will refrain from declaring that a person has been assured of exaltation or from dismissing a person as being irrevocably bound for hell fire.

“Second, a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest.

“Third, to be righteous, an intermediate judgment must be within our stewardship.  We should not presume to exercise and act upon judgments that are outside our personal responsibilities.

“Fourths, we should, if possible, refrain from judging until we have adequate knowledge of the facts.

“A fifth principle of a righteous intermediate judgment is that whenever possible we will refrain from judging people and only judge situations.  We can set and act upon high standards for ourselves or our homes without condemning those who do otherwise.

“Sixth, forgiveness is a companion principle to this commandment.  In modern revelation the Lord has declared, ‘I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.’

“Seventh, a final ingredient or principle of righteous judgment is that it will apply righteous standards.”

2.        What are beams and motes?  A wooden beam is used in house construction, while a mote is any small or insignificant speck or chip.  We should notice the exaggerated contrast to prove a point.

3.       Why must the faithful be cautious as we share gospel truths?  The Lord will not reveal mysteries to scoffers or the unfaithful.  We must exercise faith to have revelations as we cannot understand without enlightenment of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 7:7-11.  Jesus teaches the need to ask, seek, and knock.

1.       What is expected of us if we hope to receive answers and blessings from God?  We are rewarded according to our deeds.  If we want to know precepts, then we must be obedient.  He gives us these things on His time table and we are told the result is JOY!

Matthew 7:12-20.  Jesus warns against false prophets.

1.        Why are we to obey the “Golden Rule”?  There are several reasons.

a.       It is the formula for successful relationships.

b.      To serve others willingly and unselfishly should be one of our greatest virtues.  This is not a choice.  It is an obligation, a sacred command.  How we treat others says much about our discipleship.  We need to treat others as we want to be treated and as the Savior would treat them.

2.       How many will be saved in the celestial kingdom?  Heavenly Father is a successful parent and millions will be saved and exalted.  So why not me and my family members?  It will be up to the choices we make.

3.       What is the meaning of the phrase, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way.”?  Strait and narrow both mean constricted or tight.  The path is not easy.  The path is a challenge, but not so strenuous that it is hopeless to stay on it.

4.       What distinguishes a false prophet from a true prophet? 

·         True prophets

ü  Receive revelations and have visions

ü  Holy Ghost speaks through their mouth

ü  They are legal administrators who are bound and sealed by the priesthood.

ü  Their doctrine is true, sound and in harmony with holy writ.

Matthew 7:21-29.  The Savior teaches obedience.

1.       How do we return to Heavenly Father’s presence?  It is simply by doing His will.  It is not obtained by merely doing good works in the Lord’s name.  We came here to prove our allegiance to and love of Jesus Christ and His Father. Jesus sacrificed all He had, including His life so we could have eternal life with Him and the Father. He has said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  He is asking us to be obedient to what He has said we are to do and to be obedient as He was.

2.       Why would the Savior deny knowing us?  It is because we do not know Him.  It takes one to know one is a phrase used childishly in being insulting and bantering with another child. But it really isn’t childish when we say, “In order for Him to know us, we must first know Him.”

3.        How do we build a life on a sandy foundation?  Howard W. Hunter answered this question well. He said, “Man cannot have a shallow and reckless notion of self-sufficiency, cannot build life on any basis that is just easy and agreeable.  He cannot build life on lip service as His whole moral structure could collapse.”

4.       Verse 28.  Why were people astonished?  Jesus was not teaching His own ideas or interpretations.  He was teaching through spiritual power and the truths of God—pure doctrine of the Father.