Jesus' Secret Service

Matthew 6:1–4 NLT

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Introduction: Our mission statement as a Church says we will serve in Christ’s name. This actually is an expression of the first part of our mission statement - “Building Disciples” who will then serve in Christ’s name. But then we come to this passage and we have a few problems. How do we do that while keeping it a secret? And Second how does this Secret Service help us grow closer to Jesus?

6 - The Problem of Serving.

The Challenge of Doing things in Secret.

Once I was fasting. Our Youth Group was doing a fast/service day. My Cindy and I had to go to an event at our Alma Mater (GCU) and there were snacks or a meal, and everyone kept asking me, Aren't you going to eat something. - The challenge of graciously saying, "No."

Human Nature: We struggle to do things if we don’t see an example of it. - Including the Kingdom.

Finney - Plants who would come forward to lead people to Christ. - Manipulation vs. authenticity.

The Basis of our Missional Community - Intergenerational - Modeling service - Discipleship is more caught than taught.

Illustrate by Jesus the paradox - Serve in Secret vs. let your light shine before men so they may see your good works, and praise your Father in Heaven -

Hebrews 10:24 tells us, let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

How do we resolve this seeming controdiction. What Jesus really is saying is....

7 - Secret Service is the Spice of Life.

Context: - The Sermon on the Mount, He just got done talking about following the law is a matter of the heart.

The structure of each spiritual practice is the same.

Do not do ________ to wow people.

Otherwise you will not receive a reward from the Father.

Therefore do not ________ in __________ way like the hypocrites do.

in order to receive praise by people.

Because they have their full reward by the praise of people.

In Contrast do ______________ instead.

So that __________ is done in secret.

And the result will be the Father who sees you in secret will reward you.

1. Jesus plainly communicates that the Pharisees go through the motions of religion, but with no real relationship with God. Why is Jesus bringing this up? Because motivations of service are important to him! “Who am I serving?”

- Jesus actually models this service to us.

Jesus Kept telling everyone he healed, not to tell anyone about it, and there were times he healed in crowds so everyone knew about it, but the news could not be contained, and Jesus would be honest about it when people confronted Him.

The Chosen to tell anyone, yet everyone knows when they show up. So Jesus says, well I can't hide it any longer.

1. Jesus calls his disciples to exercise their righteousness (Matthew 6:1) in such a way that emphasizes what God has done and continues to do. The temptation to perform or impress others will exist, no matter the situation.

Craig Keener explains, “Jesus reminds us that true piety means impressing God alone—living our lives in the recognition that God knows every thought and deed, and it is his approval alone that matters. Matthew again praises the meek, whose only hope is in God, not in others’ opinions of them. Those of us who are ‘religious professionals,’ making our living from public ministry, should take special heed: if we value the approval or pay of our congregations more than what God has called us to do, we will have no reward left when we stand before him” (Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Matthew 6:1, Logos).

- Jesus reminds his disciples that all acts of service begins in private but naturally flow out into the world because they cannot remain contained.

As we serve, the Holy Spirit will continue to work within us to bring to the forefront what God finds in our hearts that needs transformation.

N.T. Wright says, “If we struggle to clear our hearts of any desire to do something, so that we are acting from totally pure motives, we will always find a little corner of desire somewhere—even the desire to behave altruistically! Then, instead of looking away from ourselves and towards God, we find ourselves focusing back on ourselves again, wanting to please not God but our own ideal of lofty, disinterested action. Jesus, instead, wants us to be so eager to love and please God that we will do everything we should do for his eyes alone. Other eyes will be watching from time to time, and it’s very easy, particularly for clergy and others who are involved professionally with leading worship, to ‘perform’ for them rather than for God alone” (N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–15 [London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004], 55, Logos).

There is no contradiction here. Service begins in the secret place. Our Heart, Our Motivation, Our desire to love Jesus and Please the Father. Our giving and service then flows from that and it will be unmistakeable to the world when our motives are focused on the Love of Jesus. - This is ultimately going to draw us closer to Jesus in our service, where as self-serving service will get in the way.

Right hand and left hand - The best I believe Jesus is saying here with some humor - Is that we are called to serve also not to pat our self on the back either - All is for Jesus.

1. Jesus’ reward was satisfying the Father’s call to loving communion, as well as serving a world that felt the weight of sin and destruction. The reward is connected to God’s good pleasure, not a defined result. Wright says, “Jesus doesn’t say what kind of reward we should expect. That, too, is part of the point. Simply knowing God better is reward enough; but there may be other things as well. You never know till you try. What is clear is that he is inviting his followers to a life in which inside and outside match perfectly, because both are focused on the God who sees in secret” (Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1, 56).

Why we do Holy Ghost Stories? Why we Call them Holy Ghost Stories?

I have prayed with people to be Healed. Sometimes they are healed right away, sometimes not. When someone is healed the focus can easily be on me. You have the gift of healing. - The reminder is, No, God healed you, I had the privilege of having a front row seat. - I know it is God, because it does not happen every time, and Because that is what Scripture teaches.

Preacher who talked about his Father giving up alcoholism, and giving his life to christ - Preacher was praying for him at the same moment. - He said, “I did that.” Oh, oh, oh, No you didn’t, Jesus did that. He invited you to participate.

Sienfeld episode - "What You Don't Want to Wear the Ribbon?" - Same scenario for me at NDCHealth.

Reward:

"He who does not tooteth his own horn, that horn goeth untooteth." - Richard Koerselman.

Guy who had millions. His tax advisor told him he had to give 100’s of thousands away to benefit his tax situation - The only people who knew about it were those he gave grants to. He told us, You have no idea how much Joy the Lord gives me, and what a privilage it is to give to His Kingdom.

Now we are all making the comparison - but we don’t need that much money to serve.

Application Point:

(1) Give, (2) Give purely, and (3) Give purely to glorify God and motivate others. - https://www.taylor.edu/news/letting-your-left-hand-know-what-your-right-hand-is-doing#:~:text=He%20says%20that%20we%20should,treatment%20because%20of%20our%20giving.

And God will bless you today and into eternity.

8 - Actions to Serve in Christ’s Name.

Describe the Spiritual Practice of Secrecy from Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline."

The time I secretly cleaned the Youth Room.

What if you did this for your spouse, and they did not notice, but they noticed that you left the lights on in the basement or something? The Joy I experienced....There is risk and there is growth opportunity. It is not about the praise of others, but the Praise of God.

Practicing Secrecy is not meant to be an all the time thing, that is impossible, but doing it from time to time can help us get our motivation in alignment.

Try it this week: Plan some acts of service for someone or someones, and don’t let anyone know about it. Just give it up to God.

Conclusion: