ATTENTION SEEKING
The Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
-{Matthew 6}
-So, for pets we have two cats and one dog. And sometimes they are the neediest things you ever saw. They’re all sweet as can be, but when they want attention...they really want attention. Our dog will come up to you and lean herself against you and look up at you—and yes, puppy dog eyes are real. So you start petting her. But the second you stop petting her, she’ll look up at you with those eyes again. It’s a vicious cycle. But she wants all attention on her.
~One of our cats, Misty, she’s started this thing where every night she jumps on the bed when you’re trying to get ready for bed, and she wants to play, so I have to play with her a while. And then at 4 in the morning she’ll lay on Trish’s head wanting more attention—something Trish really appreciates.
~Then there’s Max, the other cat. You sit at your desk, at your computer, trying to get work done. He’ll come into the office, climb the chair, climb over you, and plop himself on your keyboard. Wanting your attention.
-All this attention seeking, when it’s pets or even kids, it can be cute. When it’s not cute is when those who are older do things to try and get attention on themselves—all eyes on them. Let’s face it—that’s annoying as all get out. And what’s even worse is when Christians do things in order to get all the attention. We don’t do things to call attention to ourselves. Whatever we do, we do it so that people’s eyes fall on Jesus Christ.
-We’ve been doing a study in Matthew and have been in the Sermon on the Mount, and now we move on to the next section of the sermon, and Jesus gives us a general principle and then gives several examples of what He’s talking about, and so today we’ll look at the general principle and the first example. What we learn from our passage is not to do works of righteousness to receive the attention and accolades of man, but so that God alone gets the glory.
1 “Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
-{pray}
-Jesus gives us values of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount. He starts with the Beatitudes, talks about being salt and light, and then He contrasts the righteousness of the Kingdom with that lived by the religious leaders of the day. So, He says:
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
-He goes on to describe what the right righteousness looks like in relation to God’s Word, using the Mosaic law. He uses the formula YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID [followed up with] BUT I SAY TO YOU.… So, it’s not enough to not just murder, but you aren’t supposed to hate in your heart—and He gives several other examples.
-In our passage, Jesus begins a new way of looking at the adage given in 5:20—righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. But this time it has to do with how you practice or live out that righteousness. You are not to practice your righteousness like the scribes and Pharisees. So, what was it that they were doing that we need to avoid? He describes it in 6:1, giving a warning on what not to do, how not to live out your righteousness. Jesus says:
1 “Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
-Don’t do things to get all the attention placed on you—so that people notice you and you’re trying to make yourself look good. Don’t do things so people take notice of YOU rather than noticing the God who used you.
-Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go out of your way to hide every single thing you might do for the Lord. There’s things that you do to serve the Lord, or good works that you do, that you can’t help but be seen. It’s difficult to teach a Bible Study without actually being seen and heard doing it.
-However, there are ways to do it in such a way that does not draw attention to yourself, but to the God you are teaching about. And that’s the point. And Jesus gives examples of what He means, and He begins with the subject of giving to the needy—or, as the KJV calls it, almsgiving. Don’t give to the needy in a way that draws attention to you. So, there are 4 quick lessons tied to this subject of giving that I want to talk about. First, you notice there is:
1) The assumption of giving (v. 2)
1) The assumption of giving (v. 2)
-Jesus begins v. 2 saying WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE POOR. He didn’t say if you do or if you have a chance. There was an assumption that followers of Jesus Christ would give to those in need. Giving to the poor was a command or expectation that has been given throughout Scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments.
-For example:
7 “If there is a needy one among you, one of your brothers, in any of your gates of the towns in your land which Yahweh your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand from your needy brother;
8 but you shall freely open your hand to him and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
-God through the prophet Isaiah was describing what it means for the nation of Israel to be righteous, and He says:
7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the afflicted homeless into the house; When you see the naked, you cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
-When John the Baptist was asked what sort of work should be done as a demonstration of repentance, he said:
11 ... “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”
-And Jesus, when trying to turn our hearts away from worrying, said:
33 “Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-When James taught in his epistle that faith without works is dead, this is the example he gave of dead faith:
15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
-And we see the early church put this into practice as it is described in:
32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, everything was common.
33 And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales
35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
-Our generosity to those in need is a given if our heart has been changed by Jesus Christ. But just as important as the fact of THAT we do it is HOW we do it. So, the second point that Jesus makes on this subject is that He warns against:
2) The hypocrisy when giving (v. 2)
2) The hypocrisy when giving (v. 2)
-Jesus says that when you give:
2 ... do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
-Now, it’s interesting...in v. 1 Jesus says not to do things TO BE NOTICED. The Greek word used there is where we get our word THEATER from. And then in v. 2 Jesus says don’t act like the hypocrites. The word hypocrite referred to an actor playing a part in a play. So, we might could say that Jesus says that when you give to the poor, don’t put on a show that people will watch and focus in on you.
-That’s what the religious leaders of His day were doing. When they did something that was somewhat religious, they made sure that they did it in such a way to be noticed. They wanted all the laypeople to know how religious and righteous they were. They wanted the attention. They wanted all eyes on them. They wanted to receive recognition for what it was that they did.
-And Jesus describes what they did in very showy terms. He describes it as sounding a trumpet in the synagogues and streets. We’re not sure if this was something literal or just very figurative language by Jesus. But just imagine a Pharisee walking down the street with this huge entourage, making all sorts of noise, looking for a poor person to give a little something to, putting on a show for all to see.
-Or, what popped into my head was a parade. Imagine the Pharisee would have a band walking before him, maybe some clowns and jugglers and animals, and he was on a float throwing alms to the poor like candy is thrown from a float. And the people are on the sidelines clapping and cheering him on.
-And that’s what they wanted. They wanted the attention. They wanted the recognition. They wanted people to think they were more religious and righteous than they were. So they made a lot of noise—they sounded a trumpet. It makes you think about the phrase BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET or BLOW YOUR OWN HORN which talks about making sure that your achievements were seen, so you boast and self-promote. I don’t think this verse is the origin of the phrase, I think it comes from the trumpets that would sound the arrival of a king. But it sure fits here. The Pharisees blew their own trumpet so everyone knew what they did.
-Jesus obviously indicates that this is the wrong motive and the wrong way of doing things. They do it to be glorified by men. And Jesus says, in essence, that’s all the reward that they’re going to get. They wanted the accolades and kudos from all the people around them. They might get it, but that’s all they’re going to get. Because they’re sure not going to get anything from God.
-When you act charitably so that people merely think you’re generous or so they think you’re a good Christian, but in your heart it’s all a sham because you like getting attention and the applause and the notoriety that comes with it, then you haven’t really given in a righteous way. God is not going to bless you or recognize you because your heart is not right before Him. You want to be in center ring of the circus and all eyes on you—then that’s all you’re going to get.
-Jesus contrasts such an attitude with something better, when He (thirdly) talks about:
3) The humility in giving (v. 3)
3) The humility in giving (v. 3)
-Jesus says in v. 3:
3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
-It is an interesting metaphor that probably means that what you do in giving is to be private and quiet. As He continues in v. 4 it is to be done in secret. It is not something that you loudly pronounce, even to yourself.
-One commentator thought that the right hand represents me with my good deed; the left represents me with my good opinion about my deed” and I guess you try to separate the two. Another commentator thought that the expression probably refers to the fact that as much as possible a person must keep his voluntary contribution a secret not only to others but even to himself; that is, he should forget about it, instead of saying in his heart, “what a good, man, woman, boy, or girl am I!”
-As John Stott put it: “Christian giving is to be marked by self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness, not by self-congratulation.”
-Maybe another way of putting it is that we aren’t to give in such a way that we get accolades from man; and we aren’t even to give ourselves kudos. We don’t give ourselves the proverbial pat on the back. We don’t think: WOW! I’M REALLY SOMETHING SPECIAL. I’M SO GENEROUS. We don’t think about ourselves at all. We aren’t part of the equation other than being the tool God uses to be a blessing to someone in need.
-We go into this giving thing with the thought that I am a servant of Jesus Christ—I am a tool in His hands. And He will use me for His ministry to meet the need of someone who is in want. You notice that the focus is on Jesus. We don’t even think of ourselves—the left hand not knowing what the right is doing.
-We are humble servants who live righteously and act righteously for the sake and glory of God and the name of Jesus Christ. We want Jesus’ name lifted high. We want Jesus’ gospel to spread. And we take ourselves out of the equation to live the right righteousness that Jesus espouses here in the Sermon on the Mount. As He teaches elsewhere, we die to self, we take up our cross, we follow Him. We don’t do it to glorify ourselves, but we do it for the glory of God.
-This made me think of someone at my previous church. He had this sense (this gift) where he could tell someone might have a need even though they may not have expressed anything. He would pull me to the side, put a folded $100 bill in my hand and tell me to give it to so-and-so and not tell them who gave it to them. He did that I don’t know how many times. He didn’t do it for an atta-boy or even any gratitude. He did it because someone had a need, and he had the means to help with that need.
-That’s it. It’s that simple. And yet, when we give there is something that we receive. Because, fourthly, Jesus talks about:
4) The reward for giving (v. 4)
4) The reward for giving (v. 4)
-Jesus says in v. 4 that when we give in secret, YOUR FATHER WHO SEES WHAT IS DONE IN SECRET WILL REWARD YOU. You do receive a reward. Not the kind of reward that the Pharisees and scribes were looking for. God won’t give you praise from human beings. He won’t give fame and fortune. But He will bless you spiritually and reward you spiritually.
-This is the testimony given throughout Scripture—you might state it that if you are a blessing, you yourself will be blessed. We read things like:
10 “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you send forth your hand to do.
1 How blessed is he who considers the poor; Yahweh will provide him escape in a day of calamity.
2 Yahweh will keep him and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 Yahweh will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.
17 He who is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh, And He will repay him for his bountiful deed.
27 He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
-This principle is even found in the New Testament:
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing.
7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
-Or think of how Jesus describes the day of judgment later in Matthew:
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39 ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
-Some people might think that giving in order to receive a reward is a wrong motive. It is a wrong motive if the reward you want is wrong. If you want the earthly attention, then yes, that is wrong motive. But if you want heavenly reward, that is good motive because what you receive is more of God, more of Christ, more of the Spirit. Who wouldn’t want that?
-I guess the hypocrite wouldn’t want that. But the humble desire to please their master. And the master will reward the faithful servant who doesn’t do their righteousness for the sake of being seen—for the sake of the theatrics—but for the sake of the glory of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
-I’ll close with this:
In ancient Rome, wealthy citizens would make a show of their charity, often commissioning grand statues and monuments in their own honor. One such man, Marcus, dedicated an entire temple to himself for his philanthropic efforts. However, over time, the temple fell into ruins, while the true legacy of love and service lived on quietly in the hearts of those he helped. Christ challenges us to consider whose notice we truly seek—man's or God's. Only what is done in love remains.
-The hypocrite, the actor, the attention-seeker, look for the praise of man, and that is all that they are going to get. Let our giving be such that nobody but God knows what we have done.
-Today might be the day for a heart-check for all of us. What are we seeking when we do our righteousness such as giving.
-We want to be like our God who is generous. He is so generous that He gave His only Son so that sinners like us could be saved, could be part of His Kingdom, could live with Him for eternity. But only those who receive the gift of Jesus Christ receive the blessings of eternal life. Have you believed in Jesus?...
