Matthew 6:1-18 | "Our Father in Heaven"

I. Reading of Scripture

Matthew 6:1 ESV

1 “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.

This is God’s Word, Amen.

Pray

II. Introduction | Matthew 6:1

A. Introduction to Theme

Jesus has spoken about “righteousness” repeatedly in The Sermon on the Mount.

He first said:

Matthew 5:6 ESV

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Again, he said:

Matthew 5:10 ESV

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And more recently:

Matthew 5:20 ESV

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus does not speak about the kingdom of heaven without speaking about righteousness repeatedly.

What is righteousness, and why does Jesus speak so much about it?

Righteousness is a characteristic of a person who does what is right.

That Jesus speaks so often about righteousness is evidence that it is not natural to us.

Much of the turmoil and division and fighting in the world proves that not everyone has the same view of what is right.

Righteousness that belongs to the world is subjective righteousness. It is influenced by opinions of others or personal feelings or whoever will pay the most.

But the righteousness that is from God is different.

Righteousness that belongs to the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom we belong to now, and the kingdom that is coming, is not subject to the opinions of others. God defines what is right. God is righteousness.

We not only need God’s righteousness, we have received God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

So,

The more Jesus speaks about righteousness, the more realize we need Him!

Jesus makes it possible for us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to endure suffering for righteousness’ sake, and to have a surpassing righteousness so that we might enter into the kingdom of heaven.

And because we ARE righteous, we PRACTICE righteousness.

Because we belong to Christ and His Kingdom, we are ambassadors for Christ in the world doing kingdom things — righteous works.

B. Introduction to Text

And this brings us to Matthew 6:1.

Jesus is not speaking to the crowds, although they are listening in.

He is speaking to his disciples — His followers. He is speaking to those to whom these kingdom things belong.

And once again, Jesus speaks about righteousness. Not to say “go acquire it” for you are they who already have it!

Instead, Jesus speaks about what to do with the righteousness they have already been given, because what we DO with what we have been GIVEN matters.

Matthew 6:1 ESV

1 “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.

Take note of the word “righteousness” and take note of the word “reward.”

Both of these words are misunderstood without God. Both of these words are subjective without God.

Meaning, without God defining what is right, we don’t know what righteousness is!

Without God defining a reward, we are inclined to be short-sighted, and seek after lesser, insignificant and temporary rewards.

How does God define righteousness and reward? With Himself.

God is our righteousness, and God is our reward.

If we miss that, we miss the teaching of Jesus: We miss the Heavenly Father.

What Jesus is teaching is meant to reveal the righteousness and reward of our Heavenly Father.

And so this text is given to Jesus’ followers, and is given to us, not in the form of a promise or a prohibition. It is a warning!

Whenever you study the Scriptures or read the Scriptures, it is important to take the tone of the Scriptures.

If the Scriptures are praising in Doxology, we don’t need to mourn as we read them. If the Scriptures are rebuking and correcting we don’t need to laugh.

When the Scriptures are speaking simply to children, we may need to sit down and speak gently on the level of the children. When the Scriptures warn, we need to become serious.

This is a serious warning. The first word is not “Blessed” it is “Beware!”

This is the first time this word appears in Matthew, and in our New Testaments, and it is spoken by Jesus Himself.

BEWARE! — Pay attention. Be on guard. Be alert. Be concerned (LN/BDAG). There is a danger here!

Matthew 6:1 ESV

1 “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.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people.”

That word “practice” is the word for “do.”

If we are made righteous, we will do righteousness.

What does it mean to practice your righteousness? I suggest that this is another way of speaking about “love” —

The context in which Jesus said:

Matthew 5:48 ESV

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

By doing things like loving your enemies, and praying for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44).

Practicing righteousness is another way of demonstrating love. And love is demonstrated in observable ways.

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This act of God’s love was the manifestation of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Romans 3:21-22, 25).

And so God gives us righteousness, and makes us righteous to demonstrate His righteousness as witnesses in the world.

Notice that Jesus does not say “Do not practice your righteousness before other people” because there will be times when we will.

Jesus instead warns that we be very careful whenever we do for this reason:

Matthew 6:1 ESV

1 “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.

“in order to be seen by them.”

That is motivation. That is intent. That is a matter of the heart — what makes us tick. Why we do what we do.

Be warned! — When we practice our righteousness before other people, this temptation is there. This stumbling block is there! Something will shift.

And we will be tempted to practice our righteousness not because it is the right thing to do, or the loving thing to do, or God’s desire for us, but we will practice our righteousness TO BE SEEN not by God, but by THEM.

It’s not whether or not people will see us — it’s whether we are motivated by them seeing us.

The construction of this warning is not meant to diminish the omniscience of God who sees all — God does see all we do!

But the way this warning comes to us, we can think of it this way — if we practice our righteousness to be seen by others, then that is a righteousness that God doesn’t see.

God only looks upon the righteousness that is true righteousness — that is not limited to the superficial act alone, but the righteousness that goes deeper. That surpasses the act alone. The righteous act that is done for the right reasons.

Isn’t this what Jesus has been teaching us in our relationships with others?

It’s not that we don’t murder, it’s that we go to the beginning of murder which is anger, and we don’t be angry. For anger has the same end as murder.

Lust as the same end as adultery.

We think about the beginning and the end of what we do. What begins in us and through us, will reach an eternal end with another. So we act in such a way that promotes not eternal destruction, but eternal reconciliation with God and man.

In the same way, the righteousness we practice must begin and end with our Heavenly Father.

It must be a work that the Father gives us to do, and it must be a work that has as its end the reward of the Father — not the reward of men.

May we never let the opinions of others motivate or direct our activities of worship. What is done before others in the name of God must be done unto God.

III. Exposition

A. Matthew 6:2-6 | Exhortation

So Jesus gives this first exhortation:

Matthew 6:2 ESV

2 “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.

The follower of Jesus is contrasted with the hypocrite.

The hypocrite is the play-actor. The performer. The “pretender” — pretending to be something other than what they are (LN).

Don’t be like them — for you are not like them. It’s not who you are! Who I have made you to be!

What work of righteousness do both perform?

Giving to the needy. Charitable giving. Mercy giving.

This is an act of righteousness. This is a work of love. Having the means given by God to meet the need of the poor, and showing mercy for that person’s need, because that is what God did for us.

Out of his abundant love for the world, He gave His only Son for those who were in need as sinners and could give nothing back to God in return (Jn 3:16).

Out of our love, we give in the same way, and this is a good thing!

Until the end changes. Until the end result is no longer the meeting of that persons need, so that they may glorify God — but instead the end changes for selfish gain. So that the giver might be seen and praised by others.

How horrendous! What a selfish and sinful thing! To rob an act of righteousness from its godly purpose and glory so that it might glorify one’s self instead.

And this happens “in the synagogues and in the streets.” In the churches and in the public square.

We are not immune from hypocrisy by coming into the Sanctuary of God. In fact, many hypocrites start and thrive in the secrecy of the Sanctuary. It is a tragic sin that doesn’t fool God.

If it is praise of men you desire, Jesus says — you have it. Congratulations. You have received your reward. But it is not the reward of the Father.

Matthew 6:3 ESV

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

Matthew 6:4 ESV

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

Your Father — sees in secret.

Some use secrecy as a blanket to cover up all kinds of disobedience and sin because you think no one sees.

God sees. And one day, all will see.

Matthew 10:26 ESV

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Jesus not only reveals to us the Father, but He reveals to us the motivations of our heart and makes visible what is seen by the Father.

What God sees, God rewards, and it is those acts of righteousness done not for self-glory and praise, but for God’s glory and praise that are rewarded!

Why are we not effective witnesses for Jesus in the world? Why do we not see more people come to faith? It is either because we are practicing our righteousness at all, we are not giving to the needy at all, we are not witnessing at all — or if we are, we are witnessing for self glory and not God’s glory.

He must increase! We must decrease.

We must lay down all pride and get ourselves out of the way so that God can receive all glory and honor and praise that belongs to Him!

Giving to the needy is an act of love toward God and others, the embodiment of the first and second commandments.

Hypocrisy, on the other hand, is the embodiment of a love for self over a love for others — selfishness. And hypocrites are not of, and do not belong to, the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus then turns to the central subject and act of righteousness that reveals the heart like no other, and the Father like no other — prayer.

Prayer is that one sacred act between you and God — and even that, has been cheapened by those who seek to exploit it for public praise and selfish gain.

Matthew 6:5 ESV

5 “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

6 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.

Our prayers can benefit others. It’s not that we need not pray out loud with others. In fact, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray with an example here. Parents and grandparents can teach their children how to pray by praying out loud with them.

But the prayers God sees are not the ones prayed to be seen by others.

Notice Jesus’ interesting use of words. He doesn’t say “Your Father hears in secret.” But “Your Father sees” in secret.

This is about the posture and place of our prayers — and most importantly, the posture of our heart in praying.

B. Matthew 6:7-8 | Logion on Prayer

Matthew 6:7 ESV

7 “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

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

“Empty phrases” is a way of saying "repetitious babble” (LEB).

We pray fervently, but that doesn’t mean we repeat the same prayer over and over in hopes that God or some other god may hear us and answer.

No! Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. You don’t have to explain your need to your Father. He knows!

So the motivation of our praying matters too. Jesus reveals the Father’s knowledge of our needs to remove for us any motivation of praying that limits the Father or promotes ourselves before others.

Our prayers need not be shows before others, for they represent sincere communion with God.

At the dinner table or at night, we give our children an opportunity to voice a prayer.

My son has started to pray more and this is what he says: “Dear God, I pray that you have a good day.”

I want to stop him, and correct him, and tell him that he doesn’t need to wish that God will have a good day — for God is good, and works all things for good!

But I don’t intervene. Because he is not praying for me. I am not his audience. God is. That is sincere prayer. And God knows what the motivation of my son’s heart.

And God knows the motivation of our hearts because He loves us.

So Jesus gives words to pray — not to a single person, but to the group of believers. This is a collective, group prayer! And every phrase that is given centers our motivation away from ourselves and upon our Father .

C. Matthew 6:9-13 | The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9 ESV

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

Matthew 6:10 ESV

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

Matthew 6:11 ESV

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

Matthew 6:12 ESV

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

Matthew 6:13 ESV

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

This is the centerpiece of The Sermon on the Mount.

The words “Our Father” immediately turn our attention away from self and upon God.

And by the way — it is to “Our Father” that our prayers are to be addressed. We do not pray to Jesus, we pray in Jesus’ name. We do not pray to the Holy Spirit. We pray in the Spirit, to the Father.

We then set His name apart as holy and pray for his kingdom to come.

What does it mean for God’s kingdom to come? It means for God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

This is why obedience is so important.

Where is God’s will done? Wherever God’s people obey Him.

What did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane? Was it a selfish prayer? “Keep me from the cross?”

No — but “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done.” And Jesus obeyed that will, to the glory of the Father in heaven.

To pray for daily bread certainly reminds us of the manna God provided for his people in the wilderness. What was needed day by day. This prayer forces our dependance upon God for every need.

“Forgive us our debts.”

Every time we sin, we are in debt to God.

Sin is faithlessness. And so we live by faith only as a people forgiven by the Father, who alone forgives sin.

“Lead us not into temptation” — We do not know the way we should go. Only God can deliver us from evil.

We pray this prayer together, not individually, because this is the kind of prayer that honors God publicly, the kind that declares that we are nothing apart from Him!

It is not possible to truly pray this prayer as a hypocrite.

D. Matthew 6:14-15 | Logion on Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14 ESV

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

Matthew 6:15 ESV

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

Why does Jesus pick up and expand this theme of forgiveness?

Because it is when we remember that God has forgiven us, that we remember we are indebted to Him and have no reason to boast in ourselves before others.

Forgiveness is an act of righteousness that we have been shown, and that we can show others, that keeps us humble.

And if we do not forgive others, the Father will not forgive us.

This cannot be stressed enough — forgiveness is one of the most needed acts by God’s people today.

Do not harbor any unforgiveness in your heart. For if you pray to God, and have not forgiven your brother or your neighbor, then you are a hypocrite too.

E. Matthew 6:16-18 | Exhortation on Fasting

Matthew 6:16 ESV

16 “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.

Matthew 6:17 ESV

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

Matthew 6:18 ESV

18 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.

Fasting is not as popular today. Few of us fast — and we probably should more often.

Fasting in the Bible is going without food for a time, depriving the body of a need for a season to focus more fully upon the Lord in prayer. Fasting intensifies our prayers.

Like giving and praying, the hypocrites made a show of fasting to be seen by others, and in doing so rob the act itself of all its power.

Be careful Church! Every act of righteousness we perform, every act of worship we perform, we must be careful to do before the Lord.

This is why when we gather together for worship, we seek to worship as a congregation. We do not highlight in this place your individual worship. That’s for your secret place.

But when we gather here, we worship together with songs sung together. We give together. We pray together. We hear together. We respond together. We send out together.

So that we might not become pretenders putting on a show.

IV. Conclusion

This is what a Church Father wrote whose name remains anonymous:

“You who have offered nothing to God, what do you expect to receive from God? Everything done on account of God is given to God and received by God. But what is done to be seen by others is poured into the wind....

What is human praise but the sound of the whistling winds? … Those who act on account of others, to be praised by them, have wasted their energy. What sort of wisdom is it to put on a show and to prepare empty speeches?

Those who do so scorn the treasure of God waiting in eternity in heaven, preferring fleeting human words. It is better to do nothing than to act to be seen.

For those who do nothing, even if they do not enter heaven, at least squander nothing on earth. But those who act to be seen by others not only fail to enter heaven but also earn pitiably little on earth”

- Anonymous, Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 13

(ACC, 124).

A. Gospel Proclamation

Jesus gives us a warning — a warning for our worship.

And it is all based upon the Father with this resounding revelation:

Our Heavenly Father is NOT a hypocrite!

When Our Father said he would send a Savior, He did.

When Our Father said He would make a way, He did.

When Our Father said he would give, He gave.

Everything Our Father said He would do, He did, and is doing —

And how do we know this?

By looking at Christ.

When Jesus died for our sins, he was performing an act of righteousness by obeying the will of His Father — on earth.

When Jesus was buried in the tomb, he was performing an act of righteousness by obeying the will of His Father — on earth.

When Jesus was raised again to life, he was performing an act of righteousness by obeying the will of His Father - on earth.

Jesus is proof that Our Father is the true God. The Spirit of God is proof that Our Father is the true God!

So that we might be as those who pray, “Our Father — “ and ask for what is happening and will happen — that His kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

B. Exhortation

As we obey the teachings of Christ, we are showing that God reigns on earth as He reigns in our hearts, and we bring glory not to ourselves, but to Our Father in Heaven.