From the Mouth of the Master- Part 12- Matthew 6:1-4

Introduction

Now Jesus begins to deal with a specific problem among the religious leaders of the day. There was a tendency towards prideful show rather than humble submission to the Lord.

Many were guilty of a desire to be seen of men rather than a desire to please the Lord. Religious activity that is born from a desire to be seen of men is worthless.

Jesus instructed His disciples to be humble and to seek no attention as they carried out their duties to God.

Jesus begins this instruction with the matter of our giving, specifically here the giving to meet the needs of another.

In each of the next three passages , we see the practice of the hypocrites, the practice of the disciple, and the distinction between the two.

Let’s begin with...

The Practice of the Hypocrites (Vs. 2)

The hypocrites were those who pretended to be spiritual, but who were actually carnal.

Their outward actions might lead one to believe that they were following God, but if the motivations of their heart were revealed it would be seen that they were not spiritual at all.

The giving of alms was a common practice of the day and was a means of providing for the poor in society who could not provide for themselves.

The hypocrites gave alms in a very specific manner. As they gave they made sure to draw a great deal of attention to themselves.

Apparently, according to Jesus, some of these hypocrites would even sound a trumpet to be sure that everyone was watching before they contributed to the poor.

The hypocrites wanted to be sure that everyone in the synagogue and the streets were watching as they gave.

The Practice of the Disciple of Christ (Vs. 1 & 3)

Jesus gave instruction to His disciples regarding the manner of their giving. The manner which He prescribes is the opposite of that of the hypocrites.

Jesus begins this passage with a warning that they would no do their alms before men. This simply meant that when the disciple of Christ gave to the poor, he was not to attempt to attract the attention of men.

Jesus continues this theme in verse 3 where He tells His disciples that they are to give in secret, not even allowing their left hand to know what their right hand is doing.

This does not literally mean that we must not know what we are giving but that we should never seek any recognition or attention as we give.

The disciples were not commanded to go to great lengths to conceal their giving but only to avoid the error of the hypocrites in seeking to draw attention to their gifts.

The Distinction

There is a clear and definite distinction between the manner of giving of the hypocrites and that which Jesus commanded of His disciples.

In both instances the poor would be helped by the gifts that were given, but the manner in which they were given has its consequences.

There is a distinction in...

The Attention Sought-

The hypocrites gave not so much to be a blessing to the poor, but much more to gain notoriety for themselves.

The hypocrites wanted everyone to know that they gave and likely even made certain that everyone was aware just how generous a gift they had given.

Illustration- Ananias and Sapphira- gave to receive applause of men. Acts 5:1-11

These were seeking the attention and the applause of men and it was their desire for this recognition which motivated their gift.

The hypocrites giving had little to do with pleasing God and everything to do with gaining prominence and popularity with men.

The disciple on the other hand was to give with no desire for recognition. This was clear evidence that his giving was not motivated by selfish ambition, but rather a sincere desire to please God and to help the poor.

We see this in many causes today when celebrities and wealthy individuals give great sums of money to a cause, they often call a press conference and have videos and images of their gift to make certain that everyone knows how generous they are.

Yet at times there are those who give to the work of God sometimes even in large sums and seek not recognition at all. Example: building projects

When we give to a cause be it a charitable gift or a gift to support the work of the church, our giving should never be motivated by the recognition we may receive.

The disciple of Christ is not concerned with the applause of men, for his only concern is that God would be pleased.

The Reward Gained-

The greatest distinction in these two styles of giving is that one receives temporal rewards while the other receives eternal reward.

Jesus speaks of the giving of the hypocrites and the attention they seek from men and He warns His disciples that to give in this manner is to guarantee that they “have no reward” from the Father in heaven.

The hypocrites who gave purely for the recognition they could receive were rewarded with exactly what they were seeking, the applause of men.

The hypocrites reward was the temporary attention and recognition that they received when they gave, but this was their only reward, for they would receive no reward at all from God for giving so selfishly.

No matter the size of the gift or the amount of good that it would do, the hypocrites only reward was the attention and notoriety they gained.

The disciple who instead gave with no desire for recognition, who was content to know that he had done what was pleasing in God’s sight would receive a heavenly reward from the Father.

Men may never know the extent of the disciple’s giving, but he can be certain that God knows and that He will one day reward Him for His sacrifice.

We must then decide whether it is of greater value to receive recognition from men or rewards from God. This is a simple choice for the disciple of Christ!

Conclusion

Once again we see Jesus’ desire that His disciples would be distinct. The disciple of Christ is to be different so that he may make a difference in this world.

The disciple of Christ is not to be concerned a great deal about what men think him to be, but much more with what God knows him to be.

When we give, what is it that motivates us? Is it a desire for the recognition of men or is it a desire to please God and to receive eternal rewards?

May we never behave like the hypocrites, who in everything seek to appear spiritual, all the while inwardly they are filled with carnality and worldliness.

We must understand that we will not receive recognition (if it is sought out) from men and rewards from God. If we seek recognition, we may receive it, but let us not think that we shall also receive reward from God.

There are many “Christians” today who are doing many things to appear spiritual before men, but inwardly their hearts have not been changed, because they have never believed on Christ.

Some unfortunately have the idea that they may earn their way to heaven by their good works such as their giving to God’s work, but they will ultimately find that their rewards are limited to this life. If today you are hoping that you have done enough to earn entrance to heaven, I have bad news and and good news for you.

The bad news is that you will never “do” enough to earn entrance to heaven. The good news is that Jesus has already done everything that is required! All you must do is give up on doing and instead trust in what Jesus has done!