Sermon on the Mount - The Acts of Faith, Part 1

A. Beyond the Spotlight: The Beauty of Hidden Generosity

1. Prioritize the Purpose

Matthew 6:1 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.

2. Proclaim Humility

Matthew 6:2 ESV

“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.

3. Perform with Privacy

Matthew 6:3 ESV

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Matthew 6:4 ESV

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

B. The Power of Prayer: Aligning Our Heart with Heaven

1. Private Prayer, Public Power

Matthew 6:5 ESV

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Matthew 6:6 ESV

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

2. Purposeful Prayer, Powerful Trust

Matthew 6:7 ESV

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Matthew 6:8 ESV

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

3. Reverent Request, Kingdom Focus

Matthew 6:9 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Matthew 6:10 ESV

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

4. Daily Dependence, Divine Deliverance

Matthew 6:11 ESV

Give us this day our daily bread,

Matthew 6:12 ESV

and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 6:13 ESV

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

5. Forgiving Faith, Reflective Grace

Matthew 6:14 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

Matthew 6:15 ESV

but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

C. The Secret of True Fasting

1. Purposeful Practice

Matthew 6:16 ESV

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

2. Private Devotion

Matthew 6:17 ESV

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

Matthew 6:18 ESV

that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Let’s Bring It Home

1. Testing FOR Learning

2. Testing OF Learning