Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Theme: Living rightly or Faking Faith?

Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. 29 Jan 2023.

Ever cooked something that came out perfectly – but then it got spoiled. Our lives can be like that. For once, I do the right thing, but immediately pride comes in and spoils it. Pride turns good motives into bad ones. It is a problem we all face. How may I love God and my neighbour? How can I live rightly?

Living rightly before God and man.

Jesus speaks of practising your righteousness. To be righteous means being right with God and living in the right way with one another - to love both God and neighbour. Righteousness acts as a bookend to Matthew 6, for Jesus begins with

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people

And he ends the chapter with:

Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness…

In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about doing the right thing to one another – our moral behaviour. By doing the right thing, Jesus expects us to go way beyond both the religious people and the godless. For we must obey God’s law from the heart – not just follow the letter of the law like the Pharisees. Also, we must love our enemies – not just our friends as the godless do. Chapter 5 is about true morality – how we act rightly to one another. In chapter 6, Jesus turns to true religion – how we act rightly to God. Again, Jesus marks out Christians as different from both the religious and the godless. So he begins:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them

The key to living rightly is found in the heart. We are to love God from the heart – not go through religious motions to impress others like the Pharisees do. Also, our talk to God is to be sincere – not a meaningless babbling as the pagans do.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Christians are to be different. We should be radically different from both the religious and the godless in how we live before God. Do others see this difference in you?

Showing your good works

Chapter 6 begins with:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them…

But just a few verses before, Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world … let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven, Mt 5:14-16.

Does Jesus contradict himself? He first commands us to show our good works, then he commands us to hide them. Both involve good works seen by others. Jesus is dealing with different sins. In the first case, he is dealing with cowardice, in the second with vanity. We are to “show when tempted to hide” and “hide when tempted to show” (AB Bruce). The problem is that both sins – cowardice and vanity - rob God of his glory.

When we do good works openly, giving the honour to God, men see God’s glory. When we worship in secret, we give God – not self – the glory. We will look at how we are to glorify God in our giving, praying and fasting.

Giving

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.

Jesus expected us to be generous givers. But generosity is not enough. Again, Jesus looks to our motives, to our hearts. In the previous chapter, Jesus warned that anger and lust in the heart were no different from murder and adultery. Now he warns again of the heart when it comes to giving, prayer and fasting. There are three different motives we may have:

a. Giving for the praise of men

It is laughable the picture Jesus paints – the Pharisee dressed in his rich attire, with trumpeters going before him, to announce his generosity to the world as he counts out his silver coins into a special box in the temple. They are hypocrites. In Greek, a hypocrite was an actor playing a part – pretending to be someone else. The Pharisees were pretending to be generous, but they were doing it all for their own benefit: they were making a prudent investment to buy a reputation – like politicians lavishing money on sports clubs to buy votes.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

The praise of men is their full payment, and they will get nothing more until the day of Judgment. Peter Adam is a wise old teacher. He also has a droll sense of humour. The Cathedral in Melbourne was being renovated and they suggested raising funds by putting plaques on each pew with the names of the major donors. They asked Peter about it. He paused then said, I think it would be ok as long as a bible verse follows each name: “They have received their reward”.

b. Giving for praise of self

3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret.

Our hearts are corrupt. The heart will always try and twist a good action towards pride. How can I do a good deed without it turning into pride? It helps to remember scripture and to pray when tempted – as Jesus did. His gift puts our own measly gifts into perspective, when we remember verses like:

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, 1 Cor 6:20.

You were ransomed … with the precious blood of Christ, l Pet 1:18-19.

c. Giving for the praise of God.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

But some say it is wrong to seek any reward – for to be motivated by a reward takes away from simple generosity. There are different kinds of reward. Some rewards follow naturally from a good action. But money is not a natural reward for love – so a man who marries for money is mercenary, but when a man marries for love, then marriage is the natural reward – the fruit of that love. So it is with giving. When we give simply to meet the need of another, there is great satisfaction is seeing the need met. As Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. That is the sort of reward in view here. God’s reward is not necessarily some future gift. Rather, a gift given in love will deepen the sense of love. That is far richer than any shallow praise from men or the conceit that comes with self-congratulation.

Prayer

As with giving, Jesus warns against using prayer to show off our spirituality.

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

When we pray or go to church, we may be tempted to impress others, or even ourselves. This can come out in how we talk about God. God told me to come and see you. I prayed for a car park and God found me one. I felt God’s Spirit telling me I needed to share this message. Why do we talk this way? Is it because you are seeking to praise God – or if we are honest – is it to impress others – to show off how much faith you have? To show that you are one of those special Christians with a hot-line to God?

Jesus is not saying – do not pray in public – for in the next paragraph he teaches us to pray, together, Our Father. Daniel, David, Peter and Jesus all prayed in public. Yes, there are traps for those praying in public – but that is no reason for staying silent. Few people find it easy to start praying in public. I was at a prayer meeting with pastors and of professors of theology. Even those professors found it hard to pray.

God made us all different, and God’s Spirit uses our differences to teach us about himself. We are enriched by the different perspectives that our lay preachers bring. In the same way, we are enriched when we pray with others.

So, there is nothing wrong in public prayer. Nor is there anything wrong in praying prayers that are written out or praying at set times. There is nothing wrong with short prayers or long prayers, simple prayers or complex ones. On the other hand, there is nothing especially spiritual about praying in private, or in praying silently or spontaneous prayers. The point is not how we pray but who we pray to.

How do we overcome our reluctance to pray and our concern at what others think? Focus on who you are praying to. Nothing destroys prayer like side glances at others. Nothing enriches prayer as the awareness that we stand in the presence of God. Remember that we stand before the

King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God…To him …be honor and glory for ever and ever. 1 Tim 1:17

And not only is he the immortal God but he is Abba Father (Mk 14:36, Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15). He doesn’t care how fancy your prayers are. He delights in hearing his children talk to him.

Fasting

As with giving and prayer, fasting can be for the wrong reasons – to get the praise of men or for self-congratulation.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But fasting when it is done for God can bring many benefits.

Why don’t we fast?

People give many excuses – that was just for OT times; or it is something Catholics and Muslims do; or Jesus’s disciples didn’t have to.

Then the disciples of John came to Jesus, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

But Jesus expected his followers to fast. For as with giving and prayer, he did not say, If you fast, but when you fast. Jesus said – a day would come when his disciples will fast.

Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast, Mt 9:14-15.

Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The apostles often fasted in the NT.

What is fasting?

The fasting in scripture is usually complete abstinence from food for a time. But some people cannot manage this for health reasons. The principle behind fasting is denying yourself from things you desire to serve God better. So any self-denial can be a type of fast. Paul suggested married couples might abstain from sex for a short time to pray (1 Cor 7:5). Jesus urged his disciples to overcome their desire for sleep so that they could watch and pray with him (Mt 26:36-45). Fasting is often paired with several things:

a) Fasting and repentance

Often go together. After seeing Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul did not eat or drink for three days (Ac 9:9). When Jonah preached, the city of Nineveh repented and fasted (Jon 3:5-9).

b) Fasting and prayer

Likewise go together, such as when church in Antioch sent out the first missionaries, Paul & Barnabas (Ac 13:1-3). They also fasted and prayed before appointing elders – perhaps we should follow their example (Ac 14:23)? Special projects call for special prayer times, and such times may involve fasting. Just as prayer is best done in private, away from distractions, so fasting can enhance prayer by ignoring the distractions of the appetite.

c) Fasting and self control

Our bodily desires can lead us into temptation and sin. You know the ones – laziness, desiring food or sex or comfort or pleasure. Denying the body is like exercising at the gym. It strengthens our ability to say “No” – to resist temptations. Scripture urges self-control, but such self-control is impossible if we cannot keep our bodily desires in check. The athlete knows this well, enduring many pains to win the prize.

25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Cor 9:24-27.

Paul disciplined his body – he beat it black and blue – but not like a masochist or someone with a mental illness. He disciplined it to subdue it – literally to lead his body like a slave, to master its desires. By controlling the pangs of hunger, he was better able to control the other desires of the body as well. So he could exercise his ministry in the face of overwhelming odds – enduring

Beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger … 2 Cor 6:5. (cf, 2 Cor 4:8,9; 11:27).

d) Fasting and sharing.

Another reason for denying yourself food is so that you have something to share with others. God said,

Is not this the fast that I choose … to share your bread with the hungry, Isa 58:6-7.

And Jesus condemned the rich man who feasted while the beggar starved at his gate, Lk 16:19-31. World Vision’s 40 hour famine can raise awareness and help meet the needs of others.

I suspect most of us have never fasted. And it is not just because we love food.

As evangelicals, we are afraid of being legalistic. It is the same fear that stops many from giving regularly or planning their giving in advance. Or praying at set times.

However, routines are good. Noone would accuse you of legalism for having 3 meals a day at set times. Noone would think it legalistic to have a regular time for going to bed each night. So why is it legalistic to pray at 7am each day, or decide, I’m going to fast on the first Saturday of each month. And on that day, the time normally spent in preparing and eating I’ll spend instead in reading the Bible and prayer. You might even try it with a friend – to keep each other accountable, as you might with physical exercise.

Conclusion

Giving, prayer and fasting – Jesus contrasts false religion with true worship. Jesus warns against doing them

Before men in order to be seen and praised by men.

We have no excuse for religious pride, as Jesus taught:

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Lk 17:7-10.

The hypocrites give, pray and fast to be seen by men. To be seen is θεαθῆναι (theathenai) – they are in a theatre giving a performance. The question is, who is your audience? Is it other people or is it God? You can bluff a human audience, but God sees the heart. He knows your true motivation. Even in your private room, you can become a spectator of your own prayer performance. But God is not impressed by your eloquence – or whether you speak in the tongues of men or of angels - but by your sincerity. The widow put in a mite that was worth so much more than all the showy wealth of the Pharisees (Mk 12:41f). In the same way, a simple prayer, Jesus, I’m sorry. Jesus, you love me. Jesus, I thank you – a simple sincere prayer is often all that is needed.

Jesus, help us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. In your name we ask, Amen.

Source:

· Stott J. R. W. (2020). The message of the Sermon on the Mount: Christian Counter-Culture (Revised). IVP Academic

Series: Matthew

Topics: #Matthew , #Righteousness , #Hypocrisy , #Giving , #Prayer , #Fasting