The Way to Give

I want to thank Jimmy for preaching for me while I was gone. I am grateful to leave the pulpit in the hands of a man who loves the Lord and bringing his word to people. Please keep praying for Jimmy and his ministry as they continue to look for God to open doors for ministry in the months ahead.

President Trump has created quite a stir this week with an announcement regarding a popular social media platform called, “Tik Tok”.

For those who aren’t familiar, this is an app that lets you share short videos of yourself or others with your friends. It started with people making their own music videos, but now people use it for all kinds of content. Some of the content is as cringey as a 37 year old pastor using the word “cringey” in a sermon, but some of it is genuinely funny.

President Trump’s plan to ban the app isn’t really the focus of me bringing it up. I am more interested in its popularity.

Last year, there were over 800 million active users on Tik Tok, which is a staggering number of people worldwide.

Why are we so attracted to things like Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Instagram?

That’s a complicated question with multiple answers. However, at some level, it is our desire to be seen, to be noticed, and to be appreciated.

What does that have to do with church today? Because kingdom citizens are called to live their lives for the likes of only one person: God himself.

I am not necessarily saying that we need to ditch every social media platform forever. In fact, Jesus warned us about this thousands of years before social media came about.

However, this morning, as we turn to God’s Word, can I challenge you to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart to help you answer this one question: Why do I do what I do?

Using the specific area of giving to the poor, Jesus is going to challenge us to remember that we don’t do good things just so other people will see how God we are. Instead, we do them because we know God himself sees everything we do, and we trust him to reward us in his time and way.

We will see this in Matthew 6, so turn over there.

We are returning to our study of the Sermon on the Mount.

We have spent a lot of time this year in these incredible chapters (actually, just chapter 5), but there is still a great deal that Jesus has to teach us about what it looks like to live as citizens of his kingdom.

That’s what Matthew 5-7 are all about: who we are supposed to be if we are citizens of the kingdom that recognizes Jesus as our ultimate authority, our King, and our Lord.

To remind you of the setting, Jesus has been preaching, teaching, and healing in various communities. He has started to attract a crowd of followers. Chapter 4 concludes with the reminder that people came from all over the region to hear him speak.

He was talking to rich and to the poor. He was talking to the spiritual leaders and folks who weren’t following God at all.

Through this first chapter, Jesus has emphasized that he is bringing about God’s kingdom on earth in a unique way, and that those who claim to be a part of it are going to be and act differently than those who are not.

Over and over, Jesus has reminded us that what sets kingdom citizens apart is that their hearts have been transformed, so their actions come from a different motivation than even those who may do similar things apart from Christ.

That theme carries into this morning’s passage, so open up to Matthew 6:1-4 today.

Here, Jesus again addresses our motives, starting with the very first verse. Read through it with me.

Before we dive in, let’s address a challenge you might have come up with if you are familiar with this passage.

Think back to Matthew 5:13-16.

In those verses, Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the world, and we are the light of the world that shines like a city on a hill. He said that the way we live is supposed to impact those around us.

But now, he is telling us that we are supposed to give so secretly that our one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing?

To resolve this, go back and look at verse 1 again--“…in front of others to be seen by them.”

Like so many times throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus isn’t speaking necessarily about the publicity of our actions, he is pointing to the purposes in our heart.

The challenge here is one of motivation: is your goal for doing the right thing so that others will see how spiritual you are?

Jesus says effectively, “Then I sure hope they do, because that’s all the good it will do you.”

Instead, Jesus is challenging us to obey with a heart that desires to do what the Father has commanded us. If others see what we do, then we are giving him honor and glory, shining for others to see how awesome he is.

Over the next two weeks, Jesus is going to give examples in two areas where we have a tendency towards outward obedience: giving and prayer.

Let’s look a little closer at what Jesus commands here.

First, let’s look at...

1) The Wrong Way to Give

Look at verse 2 again.

Remember, Jesus was confronting a group of religious leaders known as the Pharisees, who were people who were incredibly good at being outwardly religious, and yet their hearts hadn’t been transformed.

The Pharisees and other hypocrites were notorious for doing what they could to show people how much righteous they were. We’ll see this in even greater detail next week when we look at prayer.

Jesus indicates that when they gave to the poor, they did it in such a way that everyone would know how much they did to help out the less fortunate (bless their hearts).

Can you imagine this picture? Keep in mind that these guys had these fancy robes that they decorated in certain ways to show how righteous they were.

They would come into church and actually have someone blow a trumpet before them so they could get everyone’s attention. You couldn’t let anyone miss how gracious you were being!

Since we have resumed services and been encouraged not to pass things around in church, we have put a box in the Foyer for our offering.

This would be like you cashing your tithes and offerings out in pennies and pouring your big jar of coins in so everyone heard how much you gave.

We may be more subtle about it, but we still do this. It’s in our words, our tone, our heart.

“Boy, I wish we could go out to eat with you, but we gave some money to help out that family in need, and we just can’t give.”

“Sorry, but we can’t get together with you tonight—we are just so exhausted from working on this project at church.”

Maybe we put out a humblebrag on social media, making sure everyone knows just how good we are.

We do it as we seek recognition. We make sure that everyone knows how hard we worked or just how much we gave to the cause of Christ.

Are you guilty of doing it? Do you want recognition, for people to see how great you are, how much you have sacrificed?

I hope they notice, because God sure won’t. Look at what Jesus said…

If you’re going to give so that others will see how great you are, you better hope you get lots of applause, because Jesus said that’s all you get.

Let me remind you: There is not a single thing you have that you haven’t been given by God, and it can be taken from you in a heartbeat.

Although God is specifically addressing stinginess in that passage, do you remember the story of the man who had so much grain he had to build more barns? He was ready to be lazy, and God reminded the man that he ultimately was not in charge…

Luke 12:19–20 CSB

Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

In a similar way, God could demand everything you have in an instant. If he has that much control over what you have, then why do you think you deserve credit when He prompts you to use His resources the way He wants them to be used?

Beware the trap of the hypocrites—Put away the trumpet, guard your heart against the desire for recognition, and follow the instruction God gives in verses three and four…

2) The Right Way to Give

Jesus gives us a clear instruction on how to go about giving the right way: give like a Secret Santa!

Have you ever done a Secret Santa exchange? Not a white elephant deal where everyone picked presents at random, but a gift exchange where you pick a name and secretly buy something for that person?

The best part of that is the joy that you bring to someone, even though they may never find out who gave them the gift.

Our giving to the poor is supposed to be like this.

Notice something interesting, by the way: Jesus doesn’t say, “So if you give to the poor.” Instead, He says, “when…”

Giving is expected for the believer! We should be the most generous people on the face of the planet!

Why? Because the God who created the universe loved us so much to give himself for us on the cross. He gave his life so that we could live and follow him and be with him forever—how can we possibly keep that to ourselves?

We have been given grace, love, forgiveness, and salvation freely; what right do we have to be stingy?!

Remember that giving goes much bigger than just giving money—We give our time, we give our talents, and we give our treasures. Be generous with your time by investing in the lives of those around you; generous with your talents by serving however God has equipped you; and generous with whatever treasure you have by using what He has given you for his glory.

When we give in any of these three areas, though, Jesus places a great emphasis on the private nature of these gifts.

Jesus says that, were it possible, your giving to others should be so private that your left hand doesn’t even know what your right hand is doing.

Give generously and privately what God has given generously to you.

Don’t post it all over Facebook or Instagram or Tik Tok. Instead, trust that you are giving to the God who sees everything that you have done and will do!

We give privately because our job is to point to Him, not us.

I have had the humbling privilege of receiving God’s blessings anonymously through His people. I know I have shared this with some of you, but there was one specific time in seminary where the last bit of money I had needed to go to pay my tuition for the coming semester. My future in-laws had helped buy me a plane ticket home, but I couldn’t buy Christmas presents that year because all my money was going to school.

I went to the mailbox in my apartment one night and pulled out a letter with no return address on it. As I opened it, I found a letter, written in 12 point Times New Roman font—as plain as it could be.

The letter simply read something like, “Dear Sean, A donation of X dollars has been made to your account at Mid-America Seminary. To God be the glory!”

And that was it. It was enough to pay for school and allow me to use the money I had to buy Christmas presents for my family and still have money left over.

Interesting thing: Want to know when I went to buy Christmas presents? The Saturday before I went home for Christmas. Who went with me? The beautiful woman who is now my wife—it was our first date together.

In a way, you could say that the anonymous gift from someone in Memphis helped me not only have the money for Christmas, but also helped me to develop the relationship I have with this incredible woman God gave me for a wife.

I don’t know who that person was, and they may be in heaven today. Whoever they were, I do know, however, that our heavenly Father saw what was done in secret and has rewarded them.

How do I know that God actually sees? Because of what Jesus says, both here and other passages.

He makes this explicitly clear in a series of teachings in Matthew 25 that pertain to the final judgment.

In verses 31-46, he explains that God will separate those who are a part of his kingdom and those who aren’t.

To those who are a part of the kingdom, he will welcome them into the full rest, joy, peace, and provision that the kingdom contains.

When he is explaining that, he says this:

Matthew 25:35–40 CSB

“ ‘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 took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Those acts of services, those gifts we give where no one knows except those involved—those are the very things God rewards.

Our entrance into the kingdom isn’t based off these good works, but giving and living in quiet obedience to the God who sees demonstrate that he has transformed us and that we honor him as king.

You see, when you give so that everyone sees, you have your reward in full, so I hope those likes can fill the ache in your soul. When you give with the intention that no one sees and you don’t care if anyone ever knows, trust that God watches and rewards.

Will you entrust yourself to him? Will you give in such a way that he receives the glory?

If you’re going to give for his reward, you will give in secret.

Be a “Secret Santa” to someone this week. Give your time, taking an hour to go sit out on the porch with one of our older adults who can’t get out much. Give your talents, helping fix something up or baking treats or a meal for someone going through a difficult time. Give your treasures to someone helping others during the challenging economic days we are in.

When you do, don’t post about it on Facebook. Don’t share it in your Snapchat story. Give in secret so that your Father in heaven will be glorified and you will hear that “Well done, good and faithful servant,” that he promises to those who honor him with their lives on earth.