The Sermon on the Mount: Secret Righteousness
Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
We Are going through the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus’s sermon to his followers
Teaching his followers how to live
Beatitudes - ways to live a lifestyle of blessings
Salt And Light, how when we follow Jesus it leads to good change in the world around us
Going Beyond the Law (Old Testament) - How Jesus challenges his followers to live lives that are more righteous than just the Law, and get to the heart of the law.
Today we move into Matthew Chapter 6 and see how Jesus challenges us to not be righteous in front of others.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Now this seems to contradict what was said before:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
So are our good works supposed to be seen, or not?
You got to remember that Jesus is currently talking about being better than the Pharisees
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were the super righteous hyper religious people of the day, they made sure to follow the Old Testament to the Letter, and by doing this they thought they were better than everyone else. So Jesus examines some of their practices that are good, but how they do them is not so good.
“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. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Here he calls the Pharisees Hypocrites, now hypocrite did not have the same meaning then as it does today
We think of a hypocrite as someone who says one thing and does something else
Here the greek word hypocrites refers to a play actor, someone who wears a mask on stage pretending to be someone they are not.
The Pharisees gave to the poor, but when they did they made a big deal out of it, it was only a performance for them, something they did in order to look good before others.
They would show up to a poor person and make a show of giving them food or money
Like Publisher’s Clearing house with their Giant Checks
Jesus says don’t do that! If you give to the poor, don’t make a big deal out of it. Don’t even let your right hand know what your left hand is doing,
How?
By being so generous that you cease to think of it as a big deal. By not thinking about giving.
It should be in secret, and if it is done in secret you will be rewarded.
The Pharisees had their reward, the praise of the people as they announced how much they were giving.
If we give to those in need secretly, our reward is eternal.
Jesus then follows this up with explain the habit of praying:
“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. 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. “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. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The Pharisees performed their prayers, they prayed where everyone could see.
There is nothing wrong with praying in public, but if you are praying in oder to be seen praying then you have recieved your reward.
But there are places where Public Prayer is important, especially if everyone is praying together.
When Persia outlawed prayers to any God except the King, Daniel Opened his window and prayed for all to see - as a challenge to the unjust authorities, he wasn’t seeking a reward.
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Daniel’s prayers had been in private until he challenged the unjust rulers.
He got thrown into the lions den for this.
Jesus says you should do the bulk of your praying in secret, where only God can hear you, because then you aren’t receiving a temporary reward but an eternal one.
Jesus also Speaks about not heaping up empty phrases and words when praying, and church how many times have you seen or heard someone praying going on and on and on, and using big words as they prayed and calling God by all sorts of titles?
Jesus says just pray simply, because God already knows your needs, he just wants you to ask.
And then jesus gives us a pattern for how to pray:
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Address your prayer to God,
honor His name,
seek His will
Seek His kingdom on Earth,
ask for your needs,
ask forgiveness for your sins,
forgive those who have wronged you,
and seek God’s help in your walk with God.
He follows that up with a note on forgiveness:
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Church we need to learn to forgive.
“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 when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Fasting: This is something I feel many of us are not very good at. Fasting is giving up something (usually food) for a time so that you can focus on prayer and intercession and grow closer to God as a result.
Its not supposed to be easy,
The pharisees would make sure everyone knew they were fasting, they would be gloomy, and grumpy, which I get, because they are hungry.
But Jesus says, don’t make a big deal out of fasting, wash your face, put oil (conditioner) in your hair, and go about your day as normal.
BEcause when we fast in secret we are not performers, we are honestly seeking God’s work in our lives.
Church, it comes down to this: Jesus is telling his followers, US, that true righteousness doesn’t need to be performed in public, but if we do it in our private lives without anyone knowing then we are truly seeking to be righteous.
THere was nothing wrong with what the pharisees were doing, it was Why they were doing it.
It’s good to give to the poor
Unless you are only doing it to show others how generous you are
It’s good to pray
Unless you are praying only to impress those around you
It’s good to fast
Unless you are only fasting to show how holy you can be.
If the reward you seek is the admiration of others, then you will only do good works where everyone else can see you
If the reward you seek is to please God, then it doesn’t matter if your good works are on display or in secret, because God will see it either way.
And then people will notice your good works, and glorify your father in heaven.