A Greater Righteousness (8)

Announce text: Matthew 6:1-4

Key Text: Matthew 6:1-4

Review

auto-play BP_Cartoon_Oaths-Retaliation-Enemy-Love

We’re moving into the second movement or section in the main body of JESUS’ message in the SOTM. The title for this section is Religious Practices, as we kind of are in keeping the Bible Project’s breakdown of the sermon structure. Remember way back when … during our introduction to the SOTM series, we watched a BP video that did an overview of sermon structure: intro, body, conclusion (“3-parts” cacophony of tie-togethers). The overriding theme of the main body that JESUS is preaching on in the SOTM is also our overarching title: A Greater Righteousness (doing right by GOD & others) . The first movement within this theme of a greater righteousness focused on the Torah & Prophets, and now, JESUS transitions to focus on religious practices.

Before we get started this morning, I want to stress something. You see the quote behind me on the screen. This is a definition for the word working when we’re discussing the CHRISTian lifestyle—religious practices, spiritual disciplines. If you hear me say any derivative of the word working, I want you to think of this definition. I can’t stress this enough. You’ve heard me say before that CHRISTianity is not based on our activity—it’s a relationship with JESUS. So, activities don’t produce the relationship—it’s not an external mechanism to produce faith in our heart. No, CHRISTianity is an encounter with JESUS that transforms the heart to produce in us the desires to become authentic followers of HIM which manifest themselves in activity—those activities we as Nazarenes define as “means of grace.” It’s not an outward-in process, it’s an inward-out process in which HOLY SPIRIT begins the work in transforming us into the Image of CHRIST. Participating in—this is an intentional partnership with HOLY SPIRIT, so that—these activities help us to mature—to grow—in our faith. This is the process of sanctification which leads to entire sanctification—when we become completely committed to CHRIST, and GOD does a special work to remove the desire to sin and empowering us by HIS HOLY SPIRIT for life and service.

Our manual words it this way:

read article 10.1 from the manual

10.1. We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace.

We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the divine impulse to grow in grace as a Christlike disciple. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost.

Participating in the means of grace, especially the fellowship, disciplines, and sacraments of the Church, believers grow in grace and in wholehearted love to God and neighbor.

So, remember this definition. In fact, can we say it together to help reinforce this in our minds?

Working is partnering with GOD, not trying (striving/efforting) to earn HIS Favor.

Ok, so that is our working definition.

pause for a few seconds to scan audience and allow for a natural separation from that background thought to the relational mapping

I think it is the desire of most people to want to help others. There might be limits to what that means, or what it looks like. Those limits might be practical in nature, or it might only be what we’re willing to do, and each context might redefine what those limits are, but I do believe people want to help others—maybe not all people. It just seems like the majority of people I have been around—Christian or not—are willing to help in a given situation … but why?

I mean, what motivates you to be generous with your resources for the sake of someone else? Maybe you hear of a family who is in need in our community—this is rather timely, isn’t it?—so you rush out to get some things to help meet their need. Maybe you love the idea of OCC, so you willingly spend of your resources so that kids living in poverty can experience the joy of CHRISTmas and hear that JESUS loves them. Maybe you’ve become aware of someone who is experiencing financial hardship, so you want to give some of your own money to try to help them through a tough time. Maybe you like to donate to the food pantry—there’s a green bin out in the foyer, if you’d like to contribute. There are countless examples we could give, and no doubt, you’re thinking of some right now. What motivates you to do these things?

One of the most common answers—often times, it seems to the last in a list of things—but one of the most common answers I hear people talk about is it makes them feel good. Right? How many of us like the feeling we get when we do something good to benefit others? Sure. We probably all do.

Jon Ross convo?

Why does this matter, anyway? Who cares? Well, GOD’s Word has something to say about why it does matter, and why it should matter to us.

Announce text again: Matthew 6:1-4

Scripture Reading

Matthew 6:1–4 NASB95

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 “So 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 honored 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.

Prayer for added blessing to the reading of the Word

Message

The title for today’s message is Beyond the Spotlight: The Power of Hidden Generosity.

In our text this morning, we’re going to discover that in this teaching of JESUS, HE emphasizes that GOD's perspective on our generosity differs from societal views. It stresses the notion that generosity is a spiritual discipline that must be cultivated in secrecy to be genuine, thus cultivating a more profound relationship with GOD and leading to true fulfillment.

Try to commit this to memory: the main takeaway for this morning’s message is ...

BIG IDEA:

True generosity flourishes in the shadows, reflected in our motives and actions that honor God, shaping our character and deepening our faith in profound ways, far beyond earthly accolades.

So, as I said earlier, today we will shift to the second movement of the main body of JESUS’ message which focuses on religious practices—and this is why I stressed the working definition in the context of Christian living so much. A religious practice is any regular habit we adopt to nurture a right relationship with GOD and with those around us. It might be attending worship services or a prayer gathering, caring for the needy, or giving generously. Such practices aim to align our hearts with GOD’s heart, and in doing so they improve every relationship in our lives.

In this section of the SOTM, JESUS highlights three practices—generosity to the poor, prayer, and fasting—these were the standard expressions of Jewish devotion in JESUS’ day. So, by using familiar, everyday examples, JESUS makes HIS ethical instruction—everything HE has taught to this point—concrete for HIS listeners.

In Matthew 6:1–4, JESUS addresses generosity to the poor beginning with a ...

1. Caution Against Counterfeit Charity

JESUS begins this section with an opening warning that immediately gets to the root of the issue HE will be addressing in this second movement. In v.1 of our text, we read:

Matthew 6:1 NASB95

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

Right away, JESUS cautions HIS listeners. Beware! JESUS sets the tone for this entire section—not just our text this morning—by warning HIS listeners against impure heart-motives. Or, said another way, HE sets the tone for a heart-focused approach to giving. Note that JESUS is not condemning the religious practice itself. No, what’s HE pushing back on? Practicing righteousness—doing right by GOD & others—for the wrong reasons—to be noticed by others. So, the key issue here is heart-motive.

HE warns against seeking recognition from man rather than from GOD. When we look at the last part of the verse, we see two things emerge from the text:

There is a reward for doing righteousness. The Greek word for reward is misthos (pr. mis-thos), and it means wages or recompense.

Otherwise—means in another way; differently.

“to be noticed by [men]” equates to “no reward with your Father”

thus, the inverse must be true

there is something we can do when living out our righteousness that will earn a reward with our Father

with—emphasizing location of the reward

“lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven”—verse we’ll later in this chapter (vv.19-20)

what is opposite (inverse)?

JESUS will provide examples in the following text

we’ll get to those in a moment

There is a pattern here that we need to recognize

because we will see this pattern repeated throughout this section,

but more importantly, we need to keep this as a reference in our mind for ourselves

pattern is this: righteous acts + heart-motive = reward

action + motive = reward

action always the same, e.g., giving to the poor is independent of the heart motive

reward is determined by the heart motive

We’re going to see this pattern displayed in our text this morning and in the remainder of this second movement of JESUS’ message. The other thing we will notice is that the overarching theme of this second movement is heart-motive. So, JESUS is warning—HE’s cautioning—us about our heart-motive because what underscores why we are doing right by GOD & others will determine whether our generosity is sincere—an honest, a genuine act of love or whether the spiritual value of our generosity has been compromised—undermined.

So, what can you do? Well, by adopting a CHRIST-like focus on GOD's approval, you can embrace a more authentic form of generosity that reflects deep, spiritual motives rather than societal rewards. We’ll see what this looks a little later in our text.

The main point of this verse is that JESUS cautions against doing righteous acts just to be seen by others which transforms generosity into merely a performance.

So, having received a warning about improper heart-motives, JESUS provides an example of what not to do. HE ...

2. Challenge of Public Praise

So, I said remember the word performance because it’s going to come out in this next verse. We’re going to see a familiar term, but it has a little twist to it.

Matthew 6:2 NASB95

2 “So 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 honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Reading this verse, you can see several things HOLY SPIRIT highlighted to me.

Matthew 6:2 NTFE

2 “So when you give money to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet in front of you. That’s what people do when they’re just play-acting, in the synagogues and the streets. They do it so that people will be impressed at them. I’m telling you the truth: they’ve received their reward in full.

Look at how NT Wright translates the word hypocrites from the NASB … people who are play-acting.

The word used by JESUS here is the Greek word hypokritēs (hoo-pa-kree-tace’). This term originally meant “stage actor” or “pretender.” This is where the word actor comes from.

I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV ...

The word describes someone who performs the right outward action—such as giving to those in need—but does so for the wrong motive: to gain public recognition, honor, or status. In an ancient honor-shame culture, public reputation and social standing were the primary currency for influence and success. Performing generous acts in order to be admired meant the only reward received was human approval.

Have you ever … family in need; OCC; financial hardship; food pantry … done this to be seen by others or told others about what you did to receive affirmation?

The problem with such actions is that pride is at the core of heart motive. It isn’t genuine—it’s not a loving act. Our focus is to be honored by man, not by GOD. When we do this with this heart-motive, our reward is temporary—it’s fleeting.

There’s your reward!

JESUS does something kind of hilarious here. HE criticizes the practice of public displays of generosity, comparing them to 'sounding a trumpet.'

briefly discuss trumpet use in festivals

No one sounded a trumpet at the city gate when giving alms to the poor. Imagine Todd then Mark.

That didn’t really happen, and maybe we don’t really do that either … or do we? How many here, if being honest, would admit to seeking validation through Facebook, Instagram, etc. and other forms of public affirmations? Facebook is a big one here ...

JESUS calls us to a counter-cultural humility where our acts of kindness are not about elevating ourselves but serving others quietly, as HE did. We need to remember to always ask the question of why am I doing this before engaging in a righteous act (doing right by GOD & others). What is the motive of our heart? Is it pure? We need to reflect on the purity of our motives and be sure that we seek eternal, not temporal, recognition.

After warning us about our motives and providing an example of what the wrong motives are, JESUS then encourages us in ...

3. Cultivating Concealed Kindness

As we move to v.3, we’re going to see JESUS uses a vivid metaphor to introduce an example of how we should act rightly—how we should do right—continuing in the theme of generosity: giving to the poor.

Matthew 6:3 NASB95

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

The metaphor, “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” calls for giving without calculation or strategy for public recognition—avoiding the “game” of orchestrating generosity. In modern living, the game might include acts to attempt to earn plaques, status, or influence. Instead, JESUS says anonymous or quiet giving protects the heart from self-congratulation and maintains pure motives.

Return to Me - Bob, I suppose your wife told you about our sizeable donation. Strictly anonymous! Later introduced to Charlie, “Did you hear about my sizeable donation?” To which Charlie replies, “The anonymous one! Yes, I have.”

So, JESUS instructs us to give in secret, suggesting that true generosity happens away from the public eye. Clearly, this isn’t always possible. Think about volunteering at Love INC, a shelter, or at the women’s auxiliary in the hospital. Sometimes those acts must be done in the presence of people. When you take food to a member of the church who is shut-in for some reason, it’s kind of hard not to be seen—unless you ding-dong-ditch ‘em, right?

So, this isn’t about you should never be seen doing good things. What HE’s getting at is to keep an eye on your motives, because it can suddenly change from what was supposed to be an expression of doing right by GOD to serving our own selfish purposes. I like the way Jon Collins from the BP says it, “climbing the ladder of public honor and public notoriety in the eyes of other people.”

JESUS challenges us to rethink their approach to giving, encouraging us to reflect GOD's selflessness, just as HE did throughout HIS ministry. This will help to keep our motives pure. Through continuous introspection—asking myself, “Are my motives pure?”—confessing sin when our motives aren’t pure and seeking HIS Wisdom and guidance can help keep our doing right by others as a spontaneous, genuine heart posture in service to GOD's KINGdom.

After this challenge from JESUS, HE then concludes this example by encouraging ...

4. Contentment in God's Commendation

In this next verse, JESUS continues the giving in secrecy theme and provides the reason why. In v.4 we read ...

Matthew 6:4 NASB95

4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

JESUS contrasts the previous way not to do righteousness with the proper motive: doing good to honor GOD, WHO sees what is done in secret. And we see the pattern: action + motive = reward, resurface. When we do right by GOD & others with the proper heart motive, GOD will reward you.

Faithful living should expect blessing and honor from GOD, but the ultimate audience is GOD alone. When the goal is human praise, the reward is received in full here and now; when the goal is to honor GOD, the reward comes from the FATHER.

When you have pure heart motives for meeting the needs of that family in need, you’re giving does not need recognition. Humility is at the core of your heart motive, and the FATHER—WHO is all-knowing, all-present—sees and gives a reward that is eternal—it is in heaven where moth nor rust can destroy it. It is not temporary—fleeting, such as with human applause.

May you and I trust in GOD's perfect awareness of our silent acts of generosity. By embracing CHRIST's example, we find a deeper fulfillment in serving others for GOD's glory, knowing that our true reward lies in an eternal connection with HIM, rather than temporary earthly accolades.

One more thought about heavenly rewards. JESUS tells us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” I think the point of emphasis HE is making is on the doing right by GOD and others—not on the fact we will get a reward. In other words, don’t focus on the reward in heaven—because that can corrupt our heart motive, also. So, let’s focus on glorifying and pleasing the FATHER. Let the rewards in heaven be a by-product of our genuine acts of love and service for HIM.

another thought: not really ours, anyway … rewards = crowns … Rev cast our crowns (rewards) at the feet of JESUS

So, what are our heart motives?

So, pj … What’s the point?

Conclusion

As we close this morning, let’s remember JESUS’ clear warning in Matthew 6:1–4: True generosity flourishes in the shadows. When we give to help a family in need in our community, fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, support someone going through financial hardship, or drop items into the green food pantry bin in the foyer, the real question is not what we give, but why we give.

Are we motivated by the quiet joy of honoring GOD and meeting a real need? Or are we hoping someone will notice, post about it, or think more highly of us? JESUS says if recognition from people is our goal, we have already received our only reward. But when we give quietly—from a pure heart that seeks to please the FATHER who sees in secret—HE promises an eternal reward that nothing can take away.

JESUS HIMSELF is our perfect example. HE gave everything—HIS time, healing, resources, and life—not for applause, but out of pure love and obedience to the FATHER.

So today, I invite each of us to honestly ask:

When I help that family in need, what’s driving me?

When I pack a shoebox for OCC or give to someone facing hardship, am I seeking GOD’s approval or people’s approval?

When I drop items in the food pantry bin, is it truly for GOD’s glory, or for a quiet sense of “Look at what I did”?

Let us commit this week to generosity that flows from a pure heart—giving quietly, sincerely, and for GOD’s glory alone. May our hidden acts of kindness become living reflections of CHRIST’s love, storing up treasures in heaven and deepening our walk with the FATHER WHO sees everything.

Let’s pray.

Closing prayer & benediction: So much of this is tied to our identity—where do we find it, and closely related: value, worth.

Numbers 6:24–26 NASB95

24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’

Scripture records the following words in v.27:

Numbers 6:27 GW

“So whenever they use my name to bless the Israelites, I will bless them.” 

So, receive and go with the blessings of YAHWEH!