Be real Matthew 6:1-8

Introduction

As we move into chapter 6 Jesus is immediately going to address the difference of truly following God and putting on a show for men.

The Pharisees were notorious for boasting in their religiousness, rather than boasting in God, and Jesus here is going to remind the crowd to be real and not put on a show for those around us.

Tonight we are going to look at how we live and how we pray to bring honor to Him.

Your righteousness vs. 1

Jesus tells them to take heed

The phrase take heed here means use caution, or pay attention.

Jesus was giving them a warning for when they do their alms

The word alms here means their righteous acts.

Jesus here introduces this section of the sermon by telling us that doing the right thing for the wrong reason doesn’t bring us a reward in heaven.

As we look over the next couple weeks, we will see Jesus address our giving, our praying and our fasting

One commentator wrote this “A great deal of religion amounts to nothing more than rearranging religious “ashes” to impress the world with one’s supposed humility and devotion. The problem, of course, is that the humility is a sham and the devotion is to self, not to God. Such religion is nothing more than a game of pretense, a game at which the scribes and pharisees of Jesus’ day were masters at.”

The concern Jesus has here is not about when we give, pray and fast but why, and that is what Jesus will speak about.

Your giving vs. 2-4

In verse 2 the thought of alms is almsgiving which means giving money food or other help to the poor.

Jesus tells them when they give to the poor they don’t need a trumpeter to announce their giving.

Its obvious from verse 2 that the Hypocrites in the synagogues were giving for their own glory rather than the glory of the one who blessed them enough to give.

They were announcing it for all to hear so that they could receive the glory of men. May I remind us all this evening that we don’t need the glory of men to validate what we are doing, but God glorifies those who give for the right reason.

The Pharisees were so concerned about mans approval they stopped seeking Gods approval, which is why when Jesus came and called them out for this, their reaction wasn’t to get right, it was to kill him.

Jesus ends verse 2 by telling the crowd that verily or truly they have their reward.

Their reward when they do it for mans is approval is an earthly reward that won’t last, but when they do it for the right reason, which is to honor God their reward is in heaven!

Remember, we honor God and worship him through our giving. We must do it, not so we look at our bank statement and say wow look how much money I gave to the church or to the poor, but rather that we would look at that and thank God for how he has blessed us enough to give.

Acts 4:36 “36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,”

Acts 5:1–11 KJV 1900

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

In verse 3 and 4, Jesus tells the crowd that their giving should be done in secret

Notice verse three says that your left hand shouldn’t even know what your right hand does.

Our motivation to give to the poor matters, if we are doing it for self, then its wrong, if we are doing it so men will glorify us, its wrong, but if we are doing it to honor God, then we are doing it for the right reason

I’m not here to preach a health and wealth prosperity Gospel, but look at verse 4

If we give for the right reason, God will reward us openly.

Does that mean that he will make us the richest man on earth? No, but God will take care of us, and through that He will be glorified.

Your praying vs. 5-8

When you pray:

Don’t be like the hypocrites

They love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets

That they may be seen of men.

Maybe today we don’t stand on the street corners, but when we pray we shouldn’t be doing it to impress men

When we pray, we shouldn’t be showing off our knowledge and our vocabulary for men, and again Jesus tells us if we pray like this we have our reward, which again is the applause of men.

When you pray;

Enter into a closet

And when you have shut the door, pray to the father in secret

Here Jesus is telling them our private prayer time is important.

Our relationship with God is often strengthened through our private prayer life.

How is your private prayer life?

We sing song’s like sweet hour of prayer when in reality it should be sweet minute of prayer.

We should strive for an intimate prayer life, which Christ will reward us for in public

When you pray

Don’t use vain repetition as the heathen do

They think they will be heard for their much speaking

Don’t be like them because God knows what we need before we even ask him.

Conclusion

Why are we giving?

Why are we praying?