The Sermon on the Mount: Living Without Hypocrisy Pt. 2: Giving

Introduction

Matthew 6:1–4 (ESV)

“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.

“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.

Just like last week with fasting, we see that there is a right way and a wrong way to give.

Jesus is again addressing the practice of the Pharisees in how they would give and make a show of it before others. Others would stand impressed with the Pharisees giving.

Now, Jesus is most likely using hyperbole to describe the practice of the Pharisees, much like we would say something like, “I don’t want to blow my own horn, but...” It’s an expression of bragging.

However, the Pharisees would often make sure others would see what they give and make a huge announcement over it so that people would praise them for their sacrificial giving.

Jesus says, if this is how our hearts give, then we are hypocrites in our giving and we have received all the reward we will ever see.

How Do We Give Without Hypocrisy?

God Owns Everything You Own

First, we have to understand who truly owns our possessions. We try to take credit for giving because we falsely believe that we are the sole owners of what we have to give. And if that were true, we would be able to take credit.

We read throughout the Old Testament:

Psalm 24:1 (ESV)

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

Exodus 19:5 (ESV)

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

Job 41:11 (ESV)

Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.

When we begin to acknowledge and realize that all my possessions are simply things that God is loaning me and allowing me to use for His glory, then I will no longer see giving as something I am doing, but something that God has graciously enabled me to do And that what we have is meant to be stewarded and used for God’s purposes rather than my own.

How many of us here have given our kids some money to place in the offering plate or to take up to place in the salvation army bucket or other charitable giving?

You have allowed your child to be able to give, but they really aren’t giving anything because what they have actually belongs to you. And yet, they are experiencing the joy of giving and being a blessing to others because you have given them the grace to take your money and to give it to someone else.

In the same way, all that we have belongs to God and He is allowing us to take what is His and to give and use it for the good of others.

When we understand that all we have belongs to God, we will not try to receive credit for giving what does not belong to us.

In fact, our right hand will not realize what our left hand is doing because as we give, we acknowledge that it is not I who is giving anything, but that I am the recipient of God’s grace.

Giving is an Act of Worship and Gratitude to Jesus

Giving Should be Loving, Not Legalistic

The problem with the Pharisees in seeking the praise of men was they saw giving as something that earned them a place of honor.

Legalism is the act of trying to earn our position before God and man. It is an effort of seeking to place God in our debt.

we are not giving because God is worth it but rather because we think we are

And because of this, their giving was hypocritical because giving was never meant to be legalistic, but something that flowed out of love for God and for other people.

However, when we give because we love God, we will give out of a sense of worship. Again, we are not giving something to God that He doesn’t already have. We are giving because we know that He already owns it and we know that He deserves all that we give and more. Our giving flows out of a love for Him that says my entire life belongs to Him, which includes all my wealth and possessions.

When you give to someone you love, your perception of giving changes because you no longer see it as a cost, but as a joy and you don’t even really see what you’ve given away.

This is how we can give without our left hand knowing what our right hand is doing. Our giving is so natural we don’t even realize we are doing it.

Giving Is a Result of What Christ Has Done for Us

Giving is an act of worship, and it is also an act of gratitude.

Again, as we grow in our love for God, our love must be based upon the love He has demonstrated to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus, God Himself, took on human flesh. He is the one who owns everything in all creation. And yet, He left His royal throne to take upon the form of a pauper, why? Because of His love for us. He gave everything, including His very life, in order to give us the riches of His glorious grace, so that we could live with Him in heaven.

When we see and reflect upon that kind of love, how can we not truly give out of a grateful heart in response to the amazing grace He has given to us.

Giving Results in Eternal Rewards

We Ought to Work for the Right Rewards

Matthew 6:4 (ESV)

so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

There is a reward for those who give with the right heart.

Jesus Himself said, Luke 6:38

Luke 6:38 (ESV)

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Or Paul in 2 Cor. 9:6-8

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (ESV)

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Or Malachi 3:10

Malachi 3:10 (ESV)

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

We look at these promises and think, “isn’t it mercenary for us to seek a reward when we give?” And yet, God promises rewards to those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)

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.

God promises rewards for those who give. But what rewards is He promising and what rewards are we looking for?

The Wrong Rewards - Praise of Man or More Wealth/Possession

Obviously here in this passage in Matthew, we see that the wrong reward is the praise of men.

But, there is also another reward in which will not really pay off in the end that we often look towards. We read these verses of rewards and think that if I give and sow my seed then God will pay me back much more physically than what I gave.

However, that does not always work that way and I do not believe that we can ever put God in our debt in that way.

What are these passages getting at?

The Right Reward -

The Glory and Presence of Christ

If, we have been giving with the kind of heart that has been transformed by the gospel, then we will have a heart that loves God and desires what He desires.

The whole point of giving is for us to let go of what our hearts are held captive to so they can be free to truly love God the way we were designed to do.

In fact, that is what Malachi is getting at in His passage. The people were facing God’s judgment and departure from them because of their sin. What is the reward for doing what is right and living in obedience?

The exact opposite, which is God’s blessing and presence with His people. The blessing of giving with a right heart is God Himself. And with His presence comes many secondary blessings, but the true blessing is that we get Him.

When we give, we are letting go of the physical things that our hearts are drawn to so we can embrace the One we were created to desire, God Himself.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

When we give with a desire to love God, and if He is the one we delight in, then He is going to give us the desire of our hearts. And if we truly love God, then the thing our hearts most desire is God Himself. What greater reward is there than to give up what is temporary and fading in order to gain the One who is eternally beautiful, gracious, and loving!

The Reward of a Wedding

Not the Wedding Itself

Not the Gifts or the Honeymoon

The Reward is the Spouse