In this second part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts the temporary, earthly rewards which so often motivate us with the eternal, heavenly rewards we ought to seek. He uses specific examples of service, prayer, and fasting to illustrate how even religious activities can lose their power when performed for the wrong reasons. He promises that if we seek to build God’s kingdom first, God can ensure that our temporal needs are met.
Chapter Outline
- Serve, pray, and fast for the right reasons (v. 1-18)
- Focus on heavenly treasures; keep your eye single (v. 19-24)
- Seek God’s kingdom first (v. 25-34)
My Takeaways
- Strive to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, not just to look like a disciple of Jesus Christ.
- Worldly possessions are temporary, but we can use them to accomplish eternal things.
- We can accomplish far more by letting God govern us than by trying to do it on our own.
- Live in the moment, believing that with God’s help, there will be time to do tomorrow’s work.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Wise motives – 3 Nephi 13:1-18
They Have Their Reward – 3 Nephi 13:2, 5, 16
2 Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will 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…. 5 And when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for…
Alms
Jesus warns us not to “sound a trumpet” when we do good. Rather we should do our alms in secret. We can’t always control the visibility of our service, but we can focus on the service and the recipient rather than how it might be percieved by others.
Hypocrite
A hypocrite is an actor, a person who is making decisions under a false identity. Jesus warned us against hypocrisy in giving, praying, fasting, and judging. We need to focus on real accomplishments, not appearances.
What Can We Learn from the Lord’s Prayer?
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave His disciples an example of a good prayer. “After this manner therefore pray ye,” He said: 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.…
What Are “Vain Repetitions,” and Why Should We Avoid Them?
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior gave the following counsel about prayer: 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,…
❖ Heavenly treasures – 3 Nephi 13:19-24
Mammon
Jesus warned us not to become servants to “mammon” (an Aramaic word meaning money). But He also counseled us to use mammon to bless other people and to build enduring relationships. Temporary possessions can be used to accomplish eternal things.
❖ Seek the kingdom of God – 3 Nephi 13:25-34
What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God?
King Benjamin taught his people an important principle which he learned from an angel: the only way to overcome the unrighteous tendencies of our mortal bodies is to be willing to submit to our Heavenly Father in all things. (See Mosiah 3:19). When Jesus Christ visited the American continent after His death and resurrection, He…
Take No Thought
Jesus taught that we should avoid distractions and focus on the things that matter most. He promised that God will help us meet our needs if we focus on doing His work. Alma and his colleagues did just that, and “the Lord provided for them”
All These Things
Jesus promised that if we put the kingdom of God first, everything else that is needed will fall into place. Elder Uchtdorf explained that we can find more joy when we trust God to help us meet all of the demands on our time.
Behold the Fowls, Consider the Lilies – 3 Nephi 13:28
In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior teaches a principle using two examples from nature: “Behold the fowls of the air” (3 Nephi 13:26, Matthew 6:26). “Consider the lilies of the field” (3 Nephi 13:28, Matthew 6:28). What does He want us to notice about birds and flowers? They don’t perform…
What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Sufficient Is the Day Unto the Evil Thereof?”
In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Matthew, the Savior cautions his disciples against excessive anxiety about the future. You can’t serve both God and mammon, He says. Therefore, if you really trust God, you will focus on the present, with confidence that He will bless you in the future…
Old Testament Foundations
“He Hath Dispersed”
God will never run out of blessings, so why do we cling to the blessings we have already received? There comes a point when we are struggling to retain things we can’t keep, to the detriment of people who need those things right now.
Sweet Is the Work
Based on: Psalm 92 Core message: Simplifying our service will increase our happiness. Related Book of Mormon passage: Alma 29:9
“Thine Is the Kingdom”
Near the end of King David’s life, he called together all the leaders of his people, announced that his son Solomon would be king, and urged them to build the temple under Solomon’s leadership. The people willingly donated the materials required to construct it. While the congregation was still together, David offered a prayer which…
New Testament Parallels
“Be Careful for Nothing”
When Paul told church members in Philippi to “be careful for nothing,” what did he mean? It’s good to be careful, but there comes a point when carefulness begins to tear us apart. The remedy is increased faith, coupled with simplifying our discipleship.
Church History Connections
Noonday
What we see is heavily influenced by who we are. If we are filled with light, we can see more clearly, even in darkness. But if we are filled with darkness, external light may not be very helpful. That is the message of several passages in the book of Isaiah. In chapter 58, for example,…
“All These Things” – 3 Nephi 13:33
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior teaches a critical time-management principle using examples from nature: Birds find food without a lot of advance planning. Flowers look magnificent without focusing excessively on their own appearance. If God feeds and clothes them, then why do we dedicate so much time and energy to things outside…
The Riches of Eternity
There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. Proverbs 13:7 The prophet Jacob counseled his people to prioritize heavenly blessings over earthly ones: “Before ye seek for riches,” he said, “seek ye for the kingdom of God” (Jacob 2:18). The Savior urged us all not to spend time and energy accumulating “treasures upon earth,…
“Thy Kingdom Come”
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior gave us an example of an effective prayer. Today, we refer to it as the Lord’s Prayer. It was recorded by Matthew (Matthew 6:9–13) and by Luke (Luke 11:1–4), with some differences between the two versions. Jesus also delivered this sermon on the American continent, and so…
“If Thine Eye Be Single” – 3 Nephi 13:22
Jesus said, “The light of the body is the eye.” Therefore, He added, “if…thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” But He added this warning: “If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23, 3 Nephi 13:22-23). The Greek word translated as “single” in…
Wealth and Wisdom
In the book Predictably Irrational, Duke University professor Dan Ariely examines a number of situations where monetizing something cheapens it. For example, if you offered to pay your mother-in-law for preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, she would probably be insulted. Some things have intrinsic value which cannot and should not be measured in terms of money.…
Laying Aside the Things of This World
Jesus counseled us not to “lay up” or accumulate earthly treasures. He told Emma Smith to “lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better.” As we set aside things of temporary value, we create space in our lives and in our hearts for things of eternal value.
All Posts Referencing 3 Nephi 13
- More Treasures Than One (10/7/2025)
- “We Ask Thee, Holy Father” (9/30/2025)
- The Savior’s Instructions to Missionaries, Ancient and Modern (8/1/2025)
- Laying Aside the Things of This World (3/22/2025)
- Wealth and Wisdom (2/6/2025)
- A Job Description for Servants of God (1/31/2025)
- Doing Good and Being Good (12/10/2024)
- Quoting from the Sermon on the Mount (10/23/2024)
- The Words We Pray (10/4/2024)
- Treasures, Rewards, and a Singular Focus (10/3/2024)
- The Sealing Power (9/8/2024)
- Take No Thought (7/20/2024)
- James and the Sermon on the Mount (11/16/2023)
- “Be Careful for Nothing” (10/14/2023)
- “He Hath Dispersed” (9/20/2023)
- Mammon (5/6/2023)
- Rich Toward God (5/5/2023)
- Sermonettes on the Mount (5/4/2023)
- The Discussion on the Mount (2/24/2023)
- Alms (2/23/2023)
- Hypocrite (2/22/2023)
- All These Things (2/21/2023)
- “All These Things Will I Give Thee” (2/3/2023)
- Nunc Dimittis (1/12/2023)
- Noonday (10/8/2022)
- Sweet Is the Work (8/18/2022)
- Letting Go (8/3/2022)
- Glory (12/28/2021)
- “All These Things” – 3 Nephi 13:33 (9/22/2021)
- The Riches of Eternity (6/22/2021)
- “Thine Is the Kingdom” (6/16/2021)
- “Thy Kingdom Come” (6/15/2021)
- “A Little Sin” – 2 Nephi 28:8 (2/11/2021)
- “If Thine Eye Be Single” – 3 Nephi 13:22 (1/21/2021)
- Behold the Fowls, Consider the Lilies – 3 Nephi 13:28 (9/24/2020)
- Would God Lead Us Into Temptation? (12/5/2019)
- What Are the Purposes of Fasting? (11/18/2019)
- How Can I Be More Forgiving? (8/7/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God? (7/30/2019)
- What Can We Learn from the Lord’s Prayer? (7/25/2019)
- What Are “Vain Repetitions,” and Why Should We Avoid Them? (6/29/2019)
- What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Sufficient Is the Day Unto the Evil Thereof?” (6/2/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Forgiving Others? (4/27/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Pray in Your Closet? (3/27/2019)
- Why Do the Scriptures Use the Phrase “Your Father, Which,” Instead of “Your Father, Who?” (1/25/2019)
- They Have Their Reward – 3 Nephi 13:2, 5, 16 (12/9/2018)
- The Lord’s Prayer- 3 Nephi 13:9-13 (6/23/2018)
- If Ye Forgive – 3 Nephi 13:14-15 (12/19/2017)
- When Thou Doest Alms – 3 Nephi 13:1-4 (12/18/2017)
- Sufficient Is the Day – 3 Nephi 13:31-34 (9/3/2016)
- That Thine Alms May Be in Secret – 3 Nephi 13:1-4 (8/19/2016)
- Your Father Knoweth What Things Ye Have Need Of – 3 Nephi 13:7-8 (10/17/2015)
- Take Therefore No Thought for the Morrow – 3 Nephi 13:34 (10/17/2015)
- They Have Their Reward – 3 Nephi 13:1-4 (10/14/2015)
- 3 Nephi 13:19-21 Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures Upon Earth (12/5/2014)