The Reward of Secret Piety

The recurring thought in the next few sections of the Sermon on the Mount is a contrast between genuine righteousness lived before God, and the hypocrite, the pretender.

That’s what hypocrite mean’s by the way.

Your favorite actor or actress, HYPOCRITE!

A hypocrite is a stage player.

Doesn’t that make perfect sense though?

Now, let’s remember that this short section we’re studying today is connected to larger body of Christ’s teaching.

Looking back at chapter 5:13-16 you’ll remember he began talking about the effect that Christians are supposed to have in the world.

Chapter 6:1 is an antithesis of 5:15.

What pleases Christ is a life that others CAN see, but as a result, be pointed to God the Father through the gospel and glorify Him.

What does not please Christ is when Christians live just to please themselves, or when their acts of righteousness like prayer, fasting, generosity, etc…are simply a means to gratify the flesh that deeply desires the praises of others.

And because this is so common of a sin among us, Jesus teaches with a warning…Beware.

This Greek word means - to take heed to one’s self. But in some contexts it can be used to portray addiction.

Jesus is telling us to tune in to our sinful tendencies in this area, to turn our minds here and be so watchful that it’s like you’re addicted to it.

We’re not just turning our minds there for the sake of awareness. Jesus also gives a way of escape in this passage.

The warning is first…let’s be sure to hear it again from Jesus...

Don’t do what you do as a Christian in order to be seen by others, for then you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.

It needs to be pointed out at this point that in order for this to really mean something…in order for this to even work as a warning, there’s something that this text is asking us to believe. Do you see what that is?

God has rewards to give, and God’s rewards are greater than any other.

Can we just let that settle there for a minute?

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We know that salvation is not a reward for good deeds. For it’s not by the good deeds that we have done or not done, but the merits of Christ alone, and faith in the work of the cross that brings salvation.

But, church, understand that there are rewards, gifts, promises, good and gracious things dispensed from the Father in Heaven.

The problem that is common to all of us is there are others who give rewards too. And that’s what this text presents…the tension that exists between the flesh that desires the rewards of the world, and the spirit of a person that is satisfied in the way of God’s Kingdom.

I want to be a child of my Father who loves His rewards.

That one phrase should mean something to all if us who believe… “for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven”

May it not be...

A child cut off from the reward of a Father is a disgrace. But we do it to ourselves when we ignore our Master, Jesus, because he’s telling us plainly…You will have no reward.

What’s the actual sin?

Giving to the poor in order to be seen

I would even be comfortable saying that it would include any sort of giving in order to be seen by others.

Why does doing these cause us to lose the reward from our Father?

Look at the end of v2…They have received their reward.

When did they receive their reward? As soon as your flesh was gratified by someone else seeing what you did, and they gave you praise for it.

See, it’s not wrong to want to be rewarded. Rewards are build into the Kingdom system that God has established. We see it in Paul’s teaching to the Corinthian church, when he instructed them to take care how they build on the foundation of of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Clearly the most important thing to understand is that before you build you need a foundation. It’s as though we, as Christians, have been commissioned to build our Kingdom houses out of good materials that last, but the foundation must be laid first, and that’s the cement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So if you’re listening to this and you’re thinking you can just start earning rewards by being secretive with your giving to the poor, you’re sorely wrong. You need to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus.

I’d rather a person die in Christ, sins forgiven, reconciled to the Father, eternally secure in God forever and ever, than to have anyone thinking about what they can do to please God. The most pleasing thing you can do in the eyes of God is love the Son of God, and surrender your life to His will.

God is Supreme, and He himself is the reward, but the issue is that our hearts crave the temporary and the immediate pleasures of sin.

How often do you fail to believe that if nobody saw your good deed, that your Father, who is everywhere, has seen it, will see it, and because He is good He will reward you.

In Matthew 6, Jesus is telling us what some of this good material is.

It’s doing good to others for the purpose that it glorifies God for His children to do so.

The Pharisees and Scribes were really caught up on this one, along with fasting and praying…which is why He addresses all three of these back to back.

Jesus expands the warning more by giving us an example of a hypocrite.

v2 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.

The hypocrites of Jesus day were those scribes and pharisees who’s self piety was more important to them than the actual will of God.

Remember, this is a heart issue. It’s not that it’s sinful if someone sees you give. The hypocrisy was in pretending to be something that you’re not. The Jewish leaders would display their giving, sounding trumpets, not giving glory to God, but so that they could be known as generous.

Jesus said, they have recieved their reward.

The word means…paid in full.

What reward? That’s it. The fact that they saw you. You wanted praise, you got it, and now it’s over.

And because this is an issue of the heart, someone can give to their church, to the poor, or to some cause, and if it is for the glory of God, the whole world could find out, and you’d keep your reward in Heaven.

On the same token, if you give or do anything for your your own glory and praise, even if no one finds out, your self praise becomes the replacement for the Father’s reward.

So, we know how we’re not to behave in regards to the discipline of giving…which by the way, is a discipline that all Christians need to steward.

Notice Jesus says…when you give.

It is an assumption that Christians will be givers. And we should be, even just by the fact that our nature has been made new, and by God’s Grace we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Is Christ a giver? Can you out-give God?

No, but whatever you give, whenever you give, and to whomever you give, do it for the glory of God!

The fact that people sometimes do this in hypocritical ways is not a good reason to refrain from them entirely. it’s one of the most common excuses for not being involved with the church. Even Christians complain about the hypocrisy that’s in the church, usually misunderstanding what it means.

A hypocrite is not a Christian who sins.

A hypocrite is a person who wears mask to fool others, and to say, because of this I am closer to God than you are.

This can actually go both ways, you know.

Sometimes the mask is piety. Sometimes the mask is false humility.

One says, I’m holy because I do all of this good.

Another says, I’m so transparent that my sin and dirt is known to all, and because of this I’m holier than those other Christians.

Both of these are unpleasing to the Lord because they both reject the gospel that saves a person based neither on their personal piety, nor based in their weakness, but on the merits of Christ alone who takes both weak and strong and makes us obedient to Christ.

If you are struggle with sin, and yet you come to church and lift your hands in worship, put money in the box, speak about your charities, your memorization of Scripture, your connection with God, and in your private life you do not honor God, then you are a hypocrite.

If you live a life of spiritual weakness, avoiding fellowship, avoiding the word, shirking Christian disciplines, always struggling with sin, and yet you think…at least I’m not pretending like those people are…then your mask is false humility and you need to repent too.

But the Word of God is a help to us this morning, to reveal to us the way of Christ, the better way, revealing the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.

v3 and 4 “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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Be a giver, be generous in this life…that much us clear…but do not do it to be seen by men.

In fact, Jesus instructs a sort of sneaky operation here. It’s not so much that we all need to be going about in covert operations to give to those in need (although that’s pretty fun too), but the way in which we live our lives unto God, and with his glory in our mind, should be so ingrained in us that it becomes second nature.

The right hand doing the good, and the left had unaware, because you’re not doing it to be seen, but to do good for others, and be seen by your Father in Heaven.

Notice this final thing...

Everyone’s doing things to be seen. Being seen isn’t the sin. The sin is in the prideful and self-seeking heart.

Our Father in Heaven is omniscient, and he sees all…and His reward is better than what you can offer yourself, or what anyone else can give. The praise of men is temporary. God’s reward is eternal.

God, himself, is the reward dear brothers and sisters.

We will dwell with Him, he will distribute rewards, the day will disclose what sort of works we have done, whether for our glory or for His. It’s okay to live for reward…just be sure to live for the eternal rewards that our Father in heaven will give to those who diligently seek Him.

Confess to Him what you need to change. Repent of vainglory. Take off the masks. Let’s be a generous family of Christians, giving and sharing abundantly, letting our lights shine however we might…but never let your devotion to God be a means of getting praise from others. Let’s be devoted to His glory because of what He has done for us through the gift of His Son Jesus.