Matthew 6 Verses 1 to 8 and 16 to 18 Have You Noticed My Humility

Matthew 6 Verses 1 to 8 and 16 to 18 Have You Noticed My Humility

May 5, 2024, Lesson 5 Sermon on the Mount

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Isaiah 58:1-12 (NKJV) 1 "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. 5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Main Idea:

· Our worship is unacceptable to God when we are seeking the approval of others.

Study Aim:

· To be aware of selfish motives in our public demonstration of worship and charity.

Create Interest:

· Many churchgoing adults take the easy route of church attendance and giving as the extent of their responsibility. They may have ulterior motives for their religious duties, doing the right things for wrong reasons. The biblical view of worship includes not only the outward actions but also inner attitudes and motives. Christians should give, pray, forgive, and fast as acts of thankfulness to God, not to impress others.[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· As the curtain opens on the Matthew 6 section of the Sermon of the Mount, we are confronted with the issue of our motives for our actions and our rewards for service from God or from men.

· To the Jewish people, there were three great deeds of a spiritual life, three great pillars on which the good life was based—alms giving, asking in prayer, and the abstinence of fasting. Jesus directs His focus on these areas, not that these things are bad. No, these are great things to do. The Lord, however, had a problem of the performance of these right actions with the wrong motives.This is what He targets in this first section of Matthew 6.

· He sets His scope on our motives and purpose for service.

o What is the reason behind the spiritual work we do?

o Are we glorifying God or are we seeking the praise of people?

§ The Bible clearly indicates that God is concerned about what is going on in our hearts.

📷 Proverbs 4:23—Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

· The Sermon on the Mount exposes the condition of the heart of the believer.

o We will see that when good things are done with the sole intention of bringing glory to the doer, they lose by far the most important part of their value.

§ The reward for those deeds is squandered.

o If people are not careful, they may be generous, pray, or fast for the wrong reasons, and thus, lose the blessings connected with those activities by exalting themselves. This is what the Lord wants us to avoid. He reveals our wretchedness in order to show our need to depend upon Him and His grace. He wants us to be blessed and used of God in a wonderful way.

· Spiritual growth and victories, however, require discernment and caution. Satan loves to push us off our mountain tops.

o When you start growing spiritually and render great service to Christ with your life, it is very easy to start doing your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them and covet their praise.

o Your motive for service can get distorted and leave you proud, cocky, and depleted of blessings.[2]

Bible Study:

Matthew 6:1 (NKJV) 1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

· The three most prominent religious obligations of Jewish piety were almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The first eighteen verses of chapter 6 deal with these acts of religious devotion. In each case there is a wrong way and a right way.

· The followers of Jesus are to avoid all ostentatious display and to quietly fulfill the obligations in an unobtrusive manner. In carrying out religious duties they are not to make a public display to attract attention to themselves.

o That approach would deprive them of their heavenly reward.

· Some scholars find a contradiction between this charge and the earlier advice (in 5:16) that believers are to let their light shine before others “that they may see your good deeds.”

o The contexts, however, are distinct.

§ In the earlier case, the temptation was to keep one’s religious commitment private in order to avoid persecution;

§ In the latter, the tendency is to call attention to one’s act of devotion for personal gain.

· The biblical doctrine of rewards holds that, since God is absolutely and perfectly just, he must punish evil and reward what is good (cf. Prov. 24:12; 2 Thess. 1:5–10). It need not be thought of in some crassly material way:

o the reward for holiness is holiness itself.[3]

Matthew 6:2-4 (NKJV) 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

· The Pharisees used almsgiving to gain favor with God and attention from men, both of which were wrong motives.

o No amount of giving can purchase salvation; for salvation is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8–9).

o To live for the praise of men is a foolish thing because the glory of man does not last (1 Peter 1:24). It is the glory and praise of God that really counts!

· Our sinful nature is so subtle that it can defile even a good thing like sharing with the poor. If our motive is to get the praise of men, then like the Pharisees, we will call attention to what we are doing.

o But if our motive is to serve God in love and please Him, then we will give our gifts without calling attention to them.

§ As a result, we will grow spiritually; God will be glorified; and others will be helped.

§ But if we give with the wrong motive, we rob ourselves of blessing and reward and rob God of glory, even though the money we share might help a needy person.

· Does this mean that it is wrong to give openly? Must all giving be anonymous?

o Not necessarily, for everyone in the early church knew that Barnabas had given the income from the sale of his land (Acts 4:34–37).

o When the church members laid their money at the Apostles’ feet, it was not done in secret.

§ The difference, of course, was in the motive and manner in which it was done.

📷 A contrast is Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11), who tried to use their gift to make people think they were more spiritual than they really were.[4]

· We have the pattern of this perfect giving in Jesus Christ himself. Paul wrote to his friends at Corinth:

o “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

o Our giving must never be the grim and self-righteous outcome of a sense of duty, still less must it be done to enhance our own glory and prestige among men; it must be the instinctive outflow of the loving heart; we must give to others as Jesus Christ gave himself to us[5]

What are the lasting lessons from Matthew 6:1–4?

· It is not enough to do the right things: we should do the right things for the right reasons.

· Our good deeds should be seen in order to glorify God, not ourselves.

· Don’t give to receive recognition and praise from people.

· Recognition by others is the only reward for those who give so others will see them.

Matthew 6:5-6 (NKJV) 5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

· Many people imagine that Jesus is asking us to do everything with no thought of reward, and are then rather shocked when he repeats, three times, his belief that our heavenly father will repay us (verses 4, 6, 18).

o I would call your attention to the fact that the verses notes refer to giving, praying, and fasting…things designed by God to draw our hearts closer to him….To be more like Christ and truly be the Salt and Lighthe has said “we are”.

· Clearly, Jesus is not so bothered about the notion of disinterested behavior, or ‘altruism’, as we sometimes are. In fact, what He says is far more realistic.

o 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!

o 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. Discuss!

· 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.

· For that reason he gives quite specific instructions about how to be sure of integrity, of the outward appearance being matched by the inner reality.

o When you give money away, do your best simply to forget about it. You may have to record it in your tax return, but even that could suggest a calculating spirit, and the point here is to match the outgoing, spontaneous generosity of God himself. The best way to be sure is for nobody else to know.

· The same applies to prayer. What you are in private is what you really are.

o Go into your inner room and talk to your father. You don’t have to make a song and dance about it, and indeed the fewer people that know you’re doing it the better.

o Nor do you have to go on mouthing pious phrases. You may find there are forms of words which help, as a framework or a starting-point;

§ Jesus is about to give the disciplesthe framework he particularly recommends. But the point is to do business with God, one to one. We will study this in next week’s when we study the Lord’s Prayer.

· 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.[6]

Matthew 6:7-8 (NKJV) 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

· Ostentatious praying, Jesus also indicated, is to be avoided. The hypocrites … love to pray standing in prominent places, that they may be seen of men(Vs.5). They too “have received their reward.” The Master urged the importance of secret prayer (Vs.6). One of the most sacred spots in London is the little room where John Wesley prayed. It has one window and is just off the bedroom in his home on City Road. The spirit of prayer still seems to linger there.

· Vs. 7: Christ warned against the use of vain repetitions in praying. Some people unconsciously repeat names for Deity over and over in public prayer, until it becomes annoying. It is unnecessary repetition.

· Vs. 8: Our Heavenly Father knows that we are speaking to Him, and He knows what we need before we ask him, so we do not need to keep repeating our petitions.[7]

o Prayer that is genuinely offered to God in the secret place of our lives and that becomes a discipline by which we discover what we need which often is not the same as what we want—is a gloriously liberating religious exercise.

o It is prayer to a father, the language of sonship. Jesus is teaching us that we may approach God with the same form of address as belongs to him—the language of a son.

o Paul makes the same point in Romans 8:15: ‘For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ’[8]

What are the lasting lessons of Matthew 6:5–8?

· Don’t pray in order to be praised by people.

· Public prayers should be addressed to God, but the basis for prayer ought to be a regular time alone with God.

· Don’t repeat the same formula over and over, thinking that this will get God’s attention and secure His favor.

· Real prayers are by their nature prayed more than once.

· The fact that God knows our needs is an incentive to pray.[9]

Matthew 6:16-18 (NKJV) 16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who isin the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

· The Pharisees—the ones who blew the trumpet when they gave their gifts and prayed on street corners because they couldn’t wait to get to church—fasted every Monday and Thursday. You could always tell when they were fasting because they walked around with long faces, drawn cheeks, unbrushed teeth, and uncombed hair.

· Jesus said when you fast, comb your hair, wash your face, brush your teeth, and don’t let people know. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

· Fasting is an important discipline often neglected by American Christians. In the Scriptures, we see fasting primarily for two reasons.

· The first is for direction. Both examples in the Old Testament are found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In the New Testament, we see the examples not only in the life of Jesus but also in the Book of Acts. When people desired to know God’s will or direction, they fasted.

o Physiologists tell us when there is no food in the stomach, there is greater blood flow to the brain.

o You can actually think clearer when you’re not digesting burgers and fries. Once you overcome those first pangs of hunger, your thinking processes are more focused and clearer than ever.

§ On the other hand, if you have two Whoppers and a couple of shakes, all you want to do is sleep!

· Second, people fast not only for direction, but for liberation. When you feel oppressed, bound, or hassled by some sin or problem, fasting is a powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal. Why?

o When you say no to your stomach and start praying instead, something dynamic begins to happen.

§ Saying no to your physical appetites helps you say no to the other temptations that hassle you.

§ If you are plagued by temptation, I encourage you to begin to explore the discipline of fasting. When your stomach starts demanding, just say “No,” and start praying.

o You will find a power and a liberty that will help you overcome whatever temptations are seeking to enslave you. There’s real power in fasting.

· If you need direction, if you hunger for liberation, skip lunch, and seek the Lord.[10]

What are the lasting lessons in Matthew 6:16–18?

· Fasting is appropriate for Christians in certain situations.

· When Christians fast or make some sacrifice for God, they should resist the temptation to let others know.[11]

Thoughts to soak as we finish our lesson

· We have already seen that three times in this passage Jesus speaks about reward. The right kind of almsgiving, the right kind of prayer, and the right kind of fasting will all have their reward. Note the following examples.

o He says of those who loyally bear persecution, who suffer insult without bitterness, that their reward will be great in heaven (Matthew 5:12).

o He says that whoever gives to one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple will not lose his reward (Matthew 10:42).

o At least part of the teaching of the parable of the talents is that faithful service will receive its reward (Matthew 25:14–30).

o In the parable of the last judgment the plain teaching is that there is reward and punishment in accordance with our reaction to the needs of our fellowmen (Matthew 25:31–46).

· It is abundantly clear that Jesus did not hesitate to speak in terms of rewards and punishments. And it may well be that we ought to be careful that we do not try to be more spiritual than Jesus was in our thinking about this matter of reward.[12]

[1]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Fall 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 17-20. [2]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2007), 1–2. [3]Robert H. Mounce, Matthew, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 53. [4]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 25. [5]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 191. [6]Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 55–56. [7]Ralph Earle, “The Gospel according to Matthew,” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1964), Mt 6:5–15. [8]Iain D. Campbell, Opening up Matthew, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 48. [9]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Fall 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 22. [10]Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 32–33. [11]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Fall 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 25. [12]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 180.