And when you worship, do not be as the hypocrites, because they are fond of standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets to worship; thus they appear to men. Truly I say to you that they have been paid in full their reward (Matthew 6:5).
Worship is giving God credit for Who He is and what He has done. Those who desire to display themselves before men make a show of their worship. This is no different than the vain repetition of the Gentiles to their false gods (Matthew 6:7). Jesus instructs the Jews to worship in secret, not for the purpose of making a display before men (Matthew 6:6).
In the Millennial Kingdom, which is the Kingdom of the Heavens, the Father will look after Israel; for this reason they are told not to use a great deal of words or to engage in empty repetition in order to win favor with God and get what they want (Matthew 6:8). Jesus then instructs Israel on how they should address the Father in prayer. Their communication is to start with worship, in which they recognize the Father and acknowledge that He is unique among all others—hallowed be Your Name (Matthew 6:9). Next, their attention should be on the coming kingdom of the Father and on His desirous will being carried out (Matthew 6:10). By this Jesus means the end of the Millennial Kingdom when the kingdom will be handed over to the Father and new heavens and a new earth will be created (1 Corinthians 15:24). From that time on, righteousness will come to rest and will be at ease since there will be no further unrighteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Although righteousness governs in the Millennial Kingdom it is not yet at ease because there are still unrighteous men among the saints (Hebrews 1:8; Matthew 13:41).
Once they have worshipped and brought their thoughts in line with what is going to happen, they are to ask for their daily food (Matthew 6:11). On the other hand, regarding food, Christians are told to make supplication and take it with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4–5). Although this aspect may at first sight appear insignificant, it represents a clear difference in how Christians communicate today with God and how Israel will communicate with God about food during the Millennial Kingdom.
When communicating with God the Father, Jesus tells them to remember the people who are in debt to them and also their debtors. In the same manner that they send away the debt owed to them, they are to ask that their own debt be sent away (Matthew 6:12). How they forgive will be the standard by which they themselves are forgiven (Matthew 6:14–15). They must forgive others for any trespass in the same way in which they themselves wish to be forgiven for their trespasses. The trespass in question is an unlawful act of entering or staying on land or premises without permission; it does not relate to a mental trespass, that is, a decision to violate God’s standards.
Christians are not instructed to forgive because they live by a higher standard; instead, they are told to be gracious toward one another. The word ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) means to send something away; thus, it means to forgive. Christians are commanded to be gracious (χαρίζομαι—charizomai) towards other saints (2 Corinthians 2:10). Since many English translations do not clearly distinguish between forgiveness and being gracious, the idea may at first appear confusing. But if we take the time to look at the meaning of each word in the passages which tell Christians to forgive, we shall see that it is always about being gracious. Christians are indeed told to be gracious even towards themselves (Ephesians 4:32). The standard of grace that applies to a Christian is the same as that of love; Christians are to be gracious in the way that Christ is gracious towards them (Colossians 3:13). Being gracious involves giving a fellow saint a benefit without regard to merit. It does not allow a person who has harmed another to continue that harmful behavior. The saints who continue to sin are to be rejected by the brethren until they have permanently stopped their unrighteous or sinful actions (2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14–15; 1 Corinthians 5:11–13; Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10). With regard to those who are not in the Church, Christians are instructed to let God handle the situation (1 Corinthians 5:12–13; Romans 12:17–19).
After dealing with their debts, Jesus instructs the Israelites to request from God that they may not be led into temptation but rather be delivered from the malignantly evil one (Matthew 6:13). During the Millennial Kingdom, Satan is bound (Revelation 20:2), and the world system is crushed (Psalm 2:8–9). Therefore, Jesus is not referring to deliverance from Satan or his demons; instead, this is deliverance from men who intend to spread their wrongdoings to others. There will still be unrighteous men in the Millennial Kingdom, even though righteousness will be in control. If such men go beyond the boundary and deliberately decide to do something that they know is against God’s standard, they will be judged and thrown into the lake of fire (Matthew 5:29). In the Kingdom of the Son, all those who scandalize and commit lawlessness will be judged (Matthew 13:41–42). Yet not all unrighteousness is scandalous or sinful. Unrighteousness is the broader term; it includes the inward determination to act lawlessly—a trespass, that which is scandalous—something that causes a deep moral offense, and sin, which is an act of lawlessness, together with all that is done in a wrong manner (1 John 5:17). Therefore, if they are persuaded to act in a manner that is wrong, they will be held liable for their actions. Thus, they are to ask the Father not to permit them to be led into temptation.
Compared with how temptation is dealt with in the Millennial Kingdom, nowadays Christians are told to be content even when they suffer various temptations, since the testing of their faith results in patience (James 1:2–3). Christians are not told to ask God to keep them from being tempted. On the other hand, the Christian who endures a temptation by using the appropriate defense against the enemy’s attack will be awarded a victor’s wreath of life for living out the victory he possesses in Christ (James 1:12).
The Sermon on the Mount was delivered to the Israelites regarding the Messiah’s coming Kingdom; it does not relate to Christians in terms of how they should live their lives. Christians have more favorable promises because of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6). The Millennial Kingdom will be a very different kind of situation from the one in which we now live; Satan will be bound, the present world system will be destroyed, and the Jews will have God’s law written on their hearts from birth. If anyone tries to apply any part of the Sermon on the Mount to the Christian life, they will end up with a system of works-based righteousness, which is exactly the opposite of the righteousness which the members of the Church already have through Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). At present the believer lives out from faith, not out from sight (Romans 1:17). Today, belief begins by the Spirit; it is therefore not possible for Christians to be brought to maturity through the works of the flesh (Galatians 3:3). Do not take promises which belong to others and then try to claim them for yourself. This is not living out from faith.
