Matthew 6:1-18

Matthew 6:1-18

“Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness”

Part 5 of Sermon On The Mount Series

July 29, 2007

 

            This summer we are looking at how we can learn to walk like Jesus taught.  

Jesus has taught us how to walk in His ways – how to be His people – how to follow in His footsteps.

We need to look at His words – His teachings – so we can walk as He taught us how to walk.

We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.

We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.

We’re looking this summer at one of the places where Jesus taught us how to walk in His ways.  We’re looking at what is called The Sermon On The Mount – Matthew chapters 5-7.  As we look at these chapters we’ll see how Jesus taught us to walk – so we can learn how to

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught – that’s our theme for the summer.

We’ve already seen how the Sermon On The Mount is an important piece of scripture.  It’s the longest segment of scripture with just the teachings of Jesus – and it’s a piece of scripture where Jesus gives the guidelines for how His followers should live. Matthew places it at an important point in Jesus’ ministry.  As Matthew records the story of Jesus, Jesus has been born – raised in Nazareth – has been baptized by John – has been tempted by Satan in the wilderness – and has now begun His ministry of teaching and healing.  He has begun to attract crowds of people — and has even called some to be disciples. 

But – the crowds – and especially the disciples – must have wondered how they were supposed to live – how they were supposed to act – what they were supposed to do.  The disciples had given up their old lifestyles to follow Jesus – and they were probably wondering how they were supposed to live now that they were following Jesus.

Well – they were about to find out.

As Jesus climbed that mountainside – He began to teach His disciples how He wanted them to live.

And the disciples began their attempt to walk like Jesus taught.

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught

We began in June looking at the first 12 verses of Matthew 5 – what we call The Beattitudes – and we saw how the first step to walking like Jesus taught is walking in  God’s blessings by surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.

That’s the first step. 

We then looked at Matthew 5: 13-16 – and saw how we can be the light of Christ in the world as we live like Jesus lived – or – as I put it — walk like Jesus walked.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk Like Jesus Walked

These are the first 2 steeps we must take.

We then looked at Matthew 5:17-32 – and saw how the third step ion walking like Jesus taught is walking in righteousness.

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Then – last week we added a fourth step as we looked at Matthew 5:33-43 – and saw that – if we are going to walk like Jesus taught – we are going to have to walk in love.
            Walk Like Jesus Taught:

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Today, we are going to add another step as we venture into Matthew 6 – looking at Matthew 6:`1-18 – and see what it might mean to walk in true righteousness.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Listen to God’s word:

Read Scripture

 

 Walk Like Jesus Taught:

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

When we looked at Matthew 5:13-16 we read:

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  

In today’s text, he seems to be telling us to do the opposite:

(v. 4) Give your gifts in secret… (vs. 1-4)  

When you pray, go away by yourselves…and pray to your father secretly… (vs. 5-8)

When you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your father, who knows what you do in secret…(vs. 16-18)

So – you may be wondering:

How can we let our shine before men (as we are commanded to in chapter 5) if, at the same time, we’re supposed to be doing all of our good deeds in secret?

How does that work?  

Well, Jesus is actually talking about two completely different things here. In Matthew 5, Jesus is referring to works of service that benefit others; but here in Matthew 6 he is talking about spiritual devotion that, when done publicly, may tend to glorify ourselves.

Jesus seems to be saying here that our spirituality – the things we do because we are thankful for what God has done for us – needs to be done quietly, without great fanfare, without drawing undo attention to us but giving the glory to God.

A truly righteous, truly spiritual person – Jesus seems to be saying – is one who does things to give glory to God – not bring credit to themselves.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

 

So – what makes for a truly righteous person?

How do we walk in true righteousness?

There are 3 things that we can do as Christians – 3 what we call “disciplines” in the Christian life – that Jesus discusses in this passage – 3 things that God wants us to do  – but He wants us to observe them quietly, without fanfare and without congratulating ourselves. These disciplines are giving, prayer, and fasting. Let’s  closer look at each one so we can have a better understanding of what it means to walk like Jesus taught – to walk in true righteousness.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

First – we have verses 1-4:

1“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

 2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Here Jesus is talking about giving to the poor and needy.

For the first century Jew, charitable giving and righteousness were one and the same. In fact, the same Hebrew word (tzedakah) was used for both almsgiving and righteousness. To be generous was to be righteous; to be righteous was to be generous. Therefore, it became the habit of some to publicize their giving.

For example: In ancient days in the Eastern world, water was so scarce that it had to be bought. When a man wanted to do good, he would purchase water and tell the water carrier to give a drink to all who were thirsty. The water carrier would cry out, “All who are thirsty, come and drink.” As the poor came to receive water, the man who had purchased the water would stand near by and say, “Bless me, who gave you this drink.” Today, thousands of years later, some people are no less subtle in their generosity. When some of the super-rich decide to let go of some of their fortune, they often announce it with press releases and media interviews. And drawing attention to what we give for others is not limited to the very rich.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Jesus is telling us that the purpose of giving is not to build up ourselves, but to build up others. Listen gain to His words…  

(v. 2) So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Have you ever received public recognition for your generosity? It feels good, there’s no question about it. It feels good to hear someone say, “Without you, this never would have been possible.” There is an emotional reward for conspicuous generosity.  But, Jesus says there is an even greater reward for those who give quietly.

(v. 3) When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

It’s a question of who you want to keep the books on your generosity—the world, or God. If you want the world to keep track of your giving, they will reward with a little applause and a little recognition. If you want God to keep track, He will reward you with much, much more.  

Here are three principles of giving that we need to keep in mind.

• You’re never too poor to give . If you’re struggling to get by, and you give to God’s work, or you give to someone who is struggling more than you, other people might not notice, but God will—and he will bless your generosity. You may not have much, but you have something to give.

• Giving is to be sacrificial. There’s no set amount that people have to give in order to be spiritual. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote that the safest rule for giving is to give more than we can spare.  If our lifestyle is identical to others in our same income level, we are probably giving too little.

Lewis wrote:

“If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”

Another way this rule has been expressed is “Give until it hurts.” The problem, however, is that, when it comes to giving, some people have a very low threshold of pain!

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

The next principle for giving is…  

• Giving is to be self-determined .

 I read about a woman who told her pastor:

“I think it’s wrong for someone to live in a $200,000 home. A $100,000 should be sufficient, and the rest could be given to the poor.” Her pastor found that to be an interesting observation, because, based on the neighborhood she lived in, he knew that she probably paid $100,000 for her home. In other words, she seemed to be saying, “Every one who lives better than I do should come down to my level and give away the rest.” But then, those who live in $50,000 homes could say the same about her standard of living. And those who can’t afford to buy a home could say the same thing about the others. The point is this: instead of worrying about how much those who are more affluent than you give, you need to focus on how much you yourself give. There will always be people who are richer than you, but give less than you. Don’t worry about them, just worry about yourself. The Apostle Paul said…

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Giving is a private matter. It’s not for others to judge you or reward you – and it’s not up to you to judge or reward others. It’s between you and God. It’s between them and God.

So – the first discipline Jesus addresses is giving – which we are never too poor to do, should be sacrificial, and is a matter between us and God.

 Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

 

The second spiritual discipline Jesus addresses is prayer.

Jesus said:  

(v. 5) And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corner to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Imagine that you were in a crowded room – maybe in a meeting — when, at a set time, someone drops to his knees and begins praying out loud. This is uncommon today, but in the first century, it wasn’t unusual at all. The Jews had a high standard for ritualized for prayer, and they took it very seriously. In the process, however, many of them missed the point of prayer. The purpose of prayer is not to impress others with your own spirituality; the purpose of prayer is to connect with God. Instead of being a private act of worship, prayer became a public demonstration of piety. Prayer became, in many ways, a performance.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

That attitude has spilled over into the church today. Some people feel awkward about praying out loud, because they feel like their prayers should be profound and eloquent – and they feel they can’t pray profoundly enough or eloquently enough. I read about something that happened to a new Christian who went out to eat with some of his Church friends.  He was asked to bless the meal, and being a new Christian and new to the group, he thought he needed to impress them with his profound spirituality, so he prayed, and he prayed, and he prayed. He thanked God for the flowers and the trees. He thanked God for the missionaries. He thanked God for Noah. He thanked God for everything…almost. When he finally said, “Amen,” one of his new friends added in  “P.S. Lord, bless the food.” He had waxed eloquent about everything except the one thing he was asked to pray about— the meal, and in the process did not impress any of his new friends — but he probably amused them. He was probably not asked to ask the blessing again.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Jesus said that prayer is not about being eloquent, but it’s about sharing privately with God what is in your heart.  

(v. 6) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus goes on to say…

(v. 7) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer is a private matter. If the only time you pray is at church, then you’re missing out on the real purpose of prayer. We pray to connect with God.

In verses 9-13 Jesus teaches a “model” prayer (what we refer to as the “Lord’s Prayer.”) The power of this prayer is not in the words themselves, but in the attitude of the heart that it conveys. This is not a complex prayer, because prayer is not a complex matter. I once attended a weekend seminar that featured hours of teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. While there, it occurred to me that Jesus didn’t take an entire weekend to teach this prayer to his followers; He taught it to them in just a few minutes. You don’t have to go to seminary to learn to pray. No matter who you are or where you are in your spiritual life, you can pray to God.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us how to pray. Here is a five step process Jesus gives us:

• Begin with Praise and Adoration . “Hallowed be thy name.” Jesus prays.  

• Pray for God’s will in your life, and throughout the world .  Jesus prayed: “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done.”

• Pray for your needs and the needs of others. Jesus prayed: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

• Pray for forgiveness of your sins, and the ability to forgive others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”  Jesus prayed.

• Pray for strength to live a holy life. Jesus prayed: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  

 

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Prayer is not a performance.  It’s not a public performance – or a private one.  You don’t impress God with your lofty words; you impress Him with the attitude of your heart. Prayer is a private matter.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

We’ve seen how Jesus addresses the spiritual disciplines of giving and praying.

The third spiritual discipline Jesus mentions in this passage is to…

3. Fast.

We don’t talk a lot about fasting – do we?  We might not — but it is clear that Jesus expected His disciples to do it —  and us to do it. He said, “When you fast…” – not “If you fast..” But again, as with prayer and giving, the purpose of fasting is not to draw attention to yourself  or to impress others. The purpose of fasting is to bring you closer to God. Jesus said:

(v. 16) When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Jesus goes on to say,

(v. 17-18) But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting has it’s benefits:

• Fasting teaches self-discipline. I don’t think I have to convince you that we have a tendency to indulge ourselves with food. Fasting prevents us from becoming slaves to our appetites. It teaches us that – contrary to what we might think — we are not powerless over pizza – or any other food. Fating can help us remember that there are more important things in life than the next meal.  

• Fasting proves that we mean business . In the Old Testament, fasting often accompanied repentance. When David repented of the sin of adultery he had committed with Bethsheba, he demonstrated his repentance through fasting. When Daniel was praying for the forgiveness of the people of Israel, he demonstrated the sincerity of his prayer by fasting. When the people of Ninevah heard Jonah’s preaching, they demonstrated their repentance by fasting. Fasting is an act of sacrifice that says, “Lord, I’m serious about this. I mean business.”

• Fasting helps us straighten out our priorities . When we experience hunger, we become more compassionate toward those who are hungry.

In the Bible, fasting is always linked with prayer. The purpose of fasting is not to hear our stomach growl, it is to give us an opportunity to draw closer to God, to become more holy, more compassionate. It is, like the other disciplines we’ve looked at today, a private matter.  

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Three spiritual disciplines Jesus calls us to practice: giving, praying, and fasting. While I can not say that fasting is for everyone, if it is for you – it is for you to do without making a big deal out of it or drawing attention to yourself – just like giving and praying.

 Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness  

Three times in this passage of Scripture, Jesus says that if you do your spiritual things these things before men, “you have your reward in full.” The purpose of spiritual discipline is not impress the public – or even to impress God.  The purpose is to become closer to God. Giving, praying, and yes, even fasting…these things are not to be made a big deal about – they are not to be performances — but they are to be responses to God for all that God has done for you. 

 Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

 I heard of a man who had a plaque on the wall of his office that said, “When I do something right no one remembers. When I do something wrong, no one forgets.” That is the opposite of how God is. When we do something wrong, if we confess it and ask Him to forgive us He forgives us and forgets about it. When we do something right, he sees us, and he rewards us accordingly. A friend once said to me, “God has your resume on file. He knows what you have done. He knows what you can do.” We don’t have to broadcast every good thing we do. We don’t have to send God our latest press release. When we offer our service to him, without any motive of public recognition, he sees us, and he rewards us.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

So – we now have 5 steps before us for us to walk like Jesus taught.

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Walk in true righteousness

 

Let’s all strive to walk like Jesus taught. 

Let’s all strive to walk in true righteousness.

Give to those in need.

Pray

If you are called to do it – fast.

But do all these things – and all else you do – in a spirit of gratitude and humility – not trying to draw attention to yourself – but giving all the glory and praise to God.

When we do this – we will be learning to:

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In True Righteousness

 

 

Amen.