Sermon On the Mount | Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 | BEING RELIGIOUS OR BEING FREE

I.  Greetings.

 

II.  Introduction:

            Today we wish to see what else Matthew has to say to us about outward religious actions.  We want to talk briefly this morning on two

issues:  being religious and being free.

            Note:  When a child, I often spent the weekend at my grandmother house.  We often were asked to work:  dust the stairs, weed a few

small flower beds (essential work, you know, that had we not done them the entire house would have corroded and the house would have collapsed.  Ha!). 

But we did work, and then in the afternoon we got to go "downtown" (where the department stores were).  We took the bus to downtown.  If we had

worked we got $.50 to spend.

            Q  What was grandmother doing?

               An = Two things:  First, she was teaching us a work ethic.  I do not remember the stairs ever being overly dusty or the weeds

overgrown in the flower beds.  We needed to work more than the work needed to be done.  Second, she was teaching us good behavior had good reward.

            Q  What is the function of rewards?

            An =  Reward shows the will and pleasure of the rewarder.  It indicates what pleases them.  In my grandmother's case what pleased her

was actually very good for us.  What pleased her blessed us.  Not all authorities are that way, but it is that way in God's case.  What pleases God is what

winds up being for our best interests.  With that in mind let us read Matthew 6:1.  Here we have a key insight into how to obtain reward from God.  God

will reward us to let us know what pleases Him, and what pleases God will bless us!

 

III.  Basic Principal:  What God rewards is Hidden Religious Behavior.  Matthew 6:1

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 6:1.

            Q How can we lose our rewards in heaven, or how can we displease God?

               An = By practicing our good deeds before others so that they can see it.  

            Note:  God is warning us against losing our rewards in heaven.  We could do righteousness and yet lose all the reward from doing it.  God

does not wish that for us, and so He warns us.

            RQ Well you might ask, what good deeds and what do you mean practicing our good deeds "before" others.

               Note = Jesus will now follow in Matthew 6:2-18 and give three specific examples of how we are to live a righteous life but not do it as

a "spiritual premadonna".  Oswald Chambers would say, Jesus explains how to be religious without being a "religious prig".  Lets look at His first

example....

 

IV.  Illustrations of the Basic Principle:  Matthew 6:1-4, 16-18

            A.  First Illustration:  Matthew 6:2-4:  Giving to the Needy.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 6:2-4.

            Note:  One of the main ways to be pious in Jesus' day was to give to the poor.  Notice, Jesus assumes His disciples will be giving

for He says:  "When therefore you give to the needy...." and He repeats that phrase in Matthew 6:3.  If we are not giving to the needy then we are not being

properly righteous.  

>>>> Turn to Deuteronomy 15:7-8 and 10-11 and have two different people read these verses...

            Q  What specific blessings attached to helping the poor.            

               An = The Lord will bless us in all your work and all your undertaking.  In others words, your career, will prosper (Deuteronomy 15:10)!

            Note:  However, according to Jesus, we could do it such a way as to lose all of our rewards from God.  Remember, Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus

is going to fulfill, not abolish the Law, He is going to complete it, make it perfect.

            Q Looking back to Matthew 6:2-4, do you see what the key ingredient is for giving to the poor?

               An = Doing it in secret.  Hypocrites, "religious prigs", "spiritual premadonnas" do it for show.  They want an audience.  All through the

Sermon on the Mount, we have and will see that to live out such teaching must be done through faith.  Faith, implies choice....

            Note:  A choice has to be made!!  What type of reward do you want:  God's or man's?

            Q Why does Jesus call those who chose the praise of men hypocrites?

               An = Because they chose the praise of men but "pretended" to be seeking the praise of God.  In short, they were putting on a phony,

unreal mask.  They were lying about their spiritual condition.  

            Q Ever noticed that you are often discouraged when you listen to someone tell you of all their good deeds?  Why is that?

               An = Encourage the group to give careful attention to their answers.  They could learn a lot here that would help them to be sensitive to

those in your group, family or church in the days to come.  Then, when they have given their points add:   

            RQ  Ever notice that some people are religious and being around them is like being in the presence of beauty, and it is an uplift?  

            RQ  Ever noticed that being around some people, who are so "righteous" is a repulsive experience.  

            Note:  It could be that they are pretenders, they are liars, and somehow being around liars who represent the God of truth is repulsive.  

            Q Does this sound harsh?  

               An = If you have ever had to suffer through such things, this is not too harsh.  Also, some of you do not want to have much to do with

religion, and it is not God you are upset with, but "religious pretence".  True religion is refreshing to those seeking truth (and infuriating to those who

hate truth).  True religion gets us to the true God.

>>>> Have someone re-read Matthew 6:3.

            Q  What does this mean to you?

               An = Give and do not let your "right hand know what your left hand is doing".  Some scholars say "left-hand" in Arabic stands for your

best friend.  So your giving should be so secret that even your best friend does not know all that you do (Robert Gundry, p. 102). However, most likely it

means we should give without even being aware of the fact that we are giving.  Matthew is probably the best interpreter of Matthew!  Here is what

Matthew later says on this issue.

>>>> Turn to Matthew and you read to them 25:34-40.    <

go to Ecclesiastes 12.>>

            Note:  Notice that the righteous do not even know they have been doing such great things.

            Note:  Finally, realize that our Lord does see all and that though men do not know what we do, He does!   

>>>> Have someone read Ecclesiastes 12:14.

>>>> Have someone read John 4:24.

            Note:  Give, and keep quiet about it, it could start your worship towards being true worship, from deep within your spirit.  Some of us

today are caught, the beginning or real worship, truly pleasing God may begin not with excessive prayer, church attending, retreats, study, etc., but a

simple act of faith:  give and keep quiet!  We often want to be religious, Jesus wants us to have faith.  It is a choice to have faith, one you can make

right now.  We should be aggressively be about giving to the needy but aggressively be about keeping it secret.

            (There is a wonderful book written on this subject called the Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas, it was a best seller in America for

18 months, and it has a follow-up book called Doctor Hudson's Secret Journal.)            

            B. Second Example of Being Properly Religious:  Prayer,  Matthew 6:5-8.

            Note:  Jesus gives us the second important "pious" act:  that of prayer.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 6:5-6.

            Q Do you see the same pattern here with prayer as found above with the issue the of giving to the needy?

            Note:  Again, Jesus demands His followers make a choice:  whether to be private or public.  Private prayer brings reward from God

public brings reward from men.  

            Q Is Jesus demeaning public prayer?

               An = Absolutely not!!  There are many places where public prayer is encouraged and we have records of some of Jesus' public prayers. 

The issue is ostentatious pretence.  The real issue is whether we pray to be "seen by men" or "seen by God".  We should never be afraid to be seen by men

as those who pray (see Matthew 5:13-16), but we should be those who hid the bulk of our prayer life.  Prayer meetings are fine, but private prayer is

essential.

            Q Why is Jesus so hard on those of us who want a little recognition?  Why is Jesus so hard on us being "appreciated" for the good things

that we do?

               An = The answer is that He loves us.  If we want to "free", if we want to be "real" then do your righteous acts privately and then you

will know who you are!!  You will find out what your real motives are.  You will be righteous because you truly want to please God and for no other

reason!  You do not want to be religious, you want to be real.

            B.  Third Example:  Fasting, Matthew 6:16-18.

>>>>  Have someone read Matthew 6:16-18.

            Q  What is the subject or religious action that these verses speak of?

            Q  What do you think of when you think of fasting?

            Q  Is it a common Christian practice?

            Q  What is it for?

               An = Again, when Jesus speaks of it, He is assuming that His disciples are doing it.  If you have not been involved with fasting, then it

is something you might need to start doing.

            Note:  The act of fasting must again, be done in secret.  You are to pretend, but pretend that you are not in the act of fasting.  Be cheerful,

dress well, put on a show, but not to be a hypocrite, but a true disciple.

            Q  So again, why do it, what is the reason or benefit of such a practice?

               An = Have someone make a list, while answers are being given and when they are through have them read that list back to the people.

            Note:  Surely, there are multiple good reasons for fasting.  It does give many people a read boost health wise, it gives us disciple and self

control, and it seems to aid our praying (Raul Ries once said "There is real power man, in fasting."  He then said nothing more but changed the subject.) 

Let me give you three concepts about fasting in the Bible.

            First, In the Old Testament there are no instruction about "how" or "how long" to do it.  The Old Testament does often tie it to repentance

and certainly to prayer.  But whether you drink juice, or drink just water, or fast from sun up to sun down, or 24 hours, or 72 hours, etc. is never spoken

of.  God has wisely left that up to us.  I know a one individual who fasted till noon everyday for weeks for their child, another man fasted days on end so

God would help his wife become pregnant, another fasted 5 days so his friend would not die of cancer, another fasted one day a week for the health of his

mother.  You make up the rules.

            Second, Oswald Chambers says it is a form of "concentration".  It helps the believer to know what he or she really wants, fasting helps

us concentrate on what is really valuable to us.  It is a choice to prioritize, and of course, that priority show never be shown off, it must be done in

secret.  If you do a group fast with your Bible study or with a group of friends it is not obviously a secret thing, but still a valid form of concentration. 

Your friends will know, but then, at least do not tell others beyond your group.

            Third, keep it secret.  Do it so you know what you really value and you know you want an answer to prayer if you will fast for the

answer.  It lets us know just how much you love someone or want forgiveness, or guidance but keep it secret.  You might need to get quite creative in

hiding it, but hiding it is so important.

            Keeping a secret can be so empowering, so ennobling, so life-changing.  Some of us are so desirous of being considered noble, of being

considered a woman or man of character, or of being regarded as "spiritual".   

            RQ  Would it not make more sense to be such a person rather than be regarded as such?

            You will be different if you follow His advice.  You will please Him, it will bless you!  You will be, and know one will know, but deep down

in the very depth of your being you have made a choice, a choice no one will ever know about, but God will see.  You will be noble, will be a person

of character, a truly spiritual individual. 

            The key is simple, it is handed to you in an earthly and accessible for to everyone, give and fast, but keep it quiet.  Choice to have faith,

choose that it is more important to please God than to show-off before others.