Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, May 27, 2018 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel Message 14 in Greatest Chapters of The Bible Sermon Series The Sermon On The Mount (Part II) Matthew 6 Last Sunday night I told you that three of the greatest chapters in the Bible are Matthew chapters five......six six...and seven. These three chapters contain Jesus' Sermon on The Mount. Last Lord's Day evening we looked at Matthew chapter five. Tonight, in Part II of The Sermon on The Mount we turn our thoughts to Matthew chapter six. Jesus' teachings in this chapter can be summarized in four simple admonitions. The first admonition is this... I. Don't Be Like The HYPOCRITES (Matthew 6:1-4) 1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 1. In these first four verses Jesus makes it very clear that if we are truly His followers we WILL do good deeds. In verse 2, Jesus says, Therefore, WHEN (not if )...but WHEN you do a charitable deed...
In verse 3 Jesus says, But WHEN you do a charitable deed... Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went about doing good. And as His followers Jesus expects each of us to go about doing good deeds that will benefit others and bless others and help others. EPHESIANS 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 2. But when it comes to doing good deeds, Jesus isn't nearly as concerned with what kind of good deeds we do...or how many good deeds we do...as He is with our MOTIVE or our REASON for doing the good deed. Basically, when it comes to doing our good deeds, we do them for one of two reasons: Either to bring glory and honor to GOD; or to bring glory and honor to ourselves. 3. In the first two verses Jesus uses the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees as an example of how NOT to do our good deeds. 1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Jesus is NOT saying, Don't do your good deeds publicly, He is saying, Don't do your good deeds for publicity. The hypocritical scribes and Pharisees did their good deeds for publicity! Their motive in doing their good deeds' was to be seen! In fact, one of greatest fears of the scribes and Pharisees was that they would do a good deed and no one would see them do it! What benefit is there in doing a good deed if no one sees it or knows about it? That was their fear.
4. To make doubly sure everyone knew they had done a good deed, the scribes and Pharisees would announce it! 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. The image Jesus is conveying here is that of the hypocrite having a coin or an offering in one hand and a trumpet in the other. And as he prepares to do his good deed he sounds the trumpet (toot-toot-too-too-dooh!!!) and when all eyes are on him, he drops his coin in the cup of the poor man. The hypocrites did their good deed...people saw them do their good deed...and that was their reward. They forfeited a far greater, far more valuable reward from GOD for the superficial, temporary praise and recognition of men. 5. Jesus tells us in verse 3 that when we do our good deeds, we should do them in such a quiet, humble way that our left hand doesn't even know that the right hand has done a good deed! And we can take comfort in knowing that even if no one ever sees or ever knows about our good deeds that GOD will see and know, and one day He will greatly reward us for those deeds we did for His honor and glory and not our own. So that's our first admonition, DON'T BE LIKE THE HYPOCRITES. Now here's our second admonition...
II. Don't Forget To PRAY (vs. 5-18) 5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place;and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 1. Just as Jesus expects those of us who are His followers to do good deeds, He also expects us to pray. Notice what Jesus says in verse 5...'And WHEN you pray. Not if you pray but WHEN you pray. He says the same thing down in verse 7. 2. One of our greatest privileges in the Christian life is the privilege of being able to pray to our Heavenly Father any time, any where, at any hour of day or night. And yet prayer is also one of the greatest failures in the lives of many who profess to be Christians. 3. In verses 5-18 Jesus teaches us both, how NOT to pray and how to pray.' (A) HOW NOT TO PRAY (1) Don't use prayer as a means to EXALT yourself. 5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
In the same manner they did their good deeds the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees loved to pray in the most public, most conspicuous places possible, standing in the synagogues, and standing on the street corners for one purpose and one purpose only...to BE SEEN BY MEN. Jesus also addresses the manner in which the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees did their fasting down in vs. 16-18. They prayed and fasted to be SEEN BY MEN! They used prayer and fasting as a means to flaunt their religion and show-off their piety. Jesus tells us they got what they wanted! They got their reward! And their prayers died right on the very spot they prayed them. Listen carefully! If our prayers draw attention to us rather than to GOD, we are NOT praying with the right motive or in the right manner. (2) Don't use VAIN REPETITIONS when you pray. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
What are vain repetitions? Vain repetitions are empty, useless religious cliches that have no meaning and no emotion. To pray the same prayer over and over again virtually word for word with no meaning or feeling is to use vain repetitions. Do you know that when you pray GOD doesn't care how long it is...or how flowery it is...or if you use King James English...or if you use a lot of religious sounding cliches? None of that matters to GOD!!! When we pray, GOD wants us to simply have a heart-to- heart talk with Him. In fact, He would rather we pray a short prayer from the heart than a long,drawn out prayer filled with empty, meaningless words and phrases. But in this 6 th chapter not only does Jesus teach us How NOT to pray...he also teaches us... (B) HOW TO PRAY (1) Prayer should be a private, daily CONVERSATION with God. (v.6) 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place;and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
This is not to say we should never pray in public. We have public prayers every time we have a worship service. But for the most part, Jesus teaches us when we pray we should get off to a quiet, private place where there are no distractions and have a private conversation just between us and God. How important is it that we do this each day? Well let's put it this way: You will see a big difference if you do and you will see a big difference if you don't! It is in our prayer closet that our daily battles are won, our daily needs are met, and our daily walk with GOD grows stronger. It is in our prayer closet that our heart finds peace...our spirit is strengthened...and our mind is cleared of worldly clutter. But to neglect our daily quiet time with the LORD is to invite discouragement...and defeat...and disappointment...and even depression into our lives. (2) Prayer should be focused on GOD not on US. In verses 9-13 Jesus provides us with what we call The LORD'S Prayer or The Model Prayer.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. While many pray this prayer word for word, it was not Jesus' intent that we recite it. His purpose was to give us a guideline to form our own prayers. When Jesus says, In this manner, therefore, pray He is saying, When you pray, pray something along these lines. Our Father in heaven is teaching us whom to address our prayers to the Father. Hallowed be your name is telling us to worship God, and to praise Him for who He is. The phrase your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven is a reminder to us that we are to pray for God s plan in our lives and the world, not our own plan. We are to pray for God s will to be done, not for our desires. We are encouraged to ask God for the things we need in give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors reminds us to confess our sins to God and to turn from them, and also to forgive others as God has forgiven us. The conclusion of the Lord s Prayer, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one is a plea for help in achieving victory over sin and a request for protection from the attacks of the devil. So the first admonition Jesus gives us in this 6 th Chapter of Matthew is: DON'T BE LIKE THE HYPOCRITES. The second admonition He gives us is: DON'T FORGET TO PRAY.
Now the third admonition Jesus gives us is this: III. Don't Obsess Over MONEY And MATERIAL THINGS (vs. 19-24) Jesus talks about this in verses 19-24. Let's just read vs. 19-21 for now. 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 1. Jesus is telling us not to make the acquiring and accumulation of money and material things our top priority in life. 2. Money and material things are temporary treasures...transient treasures...treasures that don't last. Those things are here one moment and gone the next. Money and material things are subject to earthly decay and ruin. Those things can be stolen from us by a thief or taken away from us by a natural disaster...or a major health crisis...or an accident... or a tragedy. There are NO guarantees that what we have today we will still have tomorrow. 3. But Jesus is talking about something far deeper than the temporary, transient nature of money and material things. He is talking about what those things can do to our heart. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:21-24 NKJV)
The heart will pursue what it loves the most. If you have your mind and heart set on money and material things you can't also have your mind and heart set on God. In other words it is impossible to live a double life. It is impossible to have two opposing goals...to gain as much earthly treasure as possible and at the same time gain heavenly treasure. Jesus is telling us we have to choose which one is going to be our master...god or MONEY? This brings us to our fourth and final admonition in this 6 th Chapter of Matthew and that is... IV. Don't WORRY (vs. 25-34) Jesus gives us a lengthy discourse on worrying in verses 25-34. In these verses Jesus teaches us three truths about worry. (A) Worrying is FOOLISH (v.25-26) 25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Jesus gives us three categories of things that we as Christians should NEVER worry about; what we will eat and drink...our bodies...or our clothes. And to each of these Jesus offers a specific response. First of Jesus tells us it is foolish to worry about what we will eat or drink.
Now we have to keep in mind Jesus spoke these words in the context of the first century world He lived in. Food and water were not nearly as accessible and available in Jesus' day as they are in our day and time. They didn't have refrigerators and freezers back then that would allow them to stockpile a lot of food for long periods of time. But let's think of food and drink as representing our most basic needs in life. It is foolish to worry that God will not provide our most basic needs. And to show us how foolish it is Jesus invites us to look out our window each day and see the birds gathering insects and worms to eat. Where did their food come from? It came from GOD! If GOD provides the food and water for the birds of the air each day, isn't it rather foolish for you and me to worry about where our needs are going to come from? (B) Worrying is FUTILE (v.27) 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? This points to the second thing Jesus tells us not to worry about and that is our bodies. Some people, including a lot of Christians worry themselves sick over every ache, and pain, and sniffle as though something serious is wrong with their body. For these kinds of people, every sickness and every injury is a major health crisis.
Jesus is NOT telling us we shouldn't exercise due diligence in looking after our health. What He is saying is that all the worry in the world isn't going to improve the condition of your body...its FUTILE! Its a waste of time. To illustrate just how FUTILE worrying is, Jesus says, Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? In other words, all the worrying in the world isn't going to make you taller. Worrying over your gray hair isn't going to bring back its color. Worrying over your weight isn't going to shed a single pound. Worrying over your wrinkles and age spots isn't going to smooth out your skin. WORRYING IS FUTILE! (C) Worrying is FAITHLESS (v.28,29) 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28,29 NKJV) Jesus presses this point further down in verse 30... 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:30 NKJV) The point Jesus is making here is that worrying is far more than a weakness or a short-coming or a bad habit, worrying is a SIN! It is the sin of FAITHLESSNESS!! It is the sin of DISBELIEVING God's promises and the sin of not TRUSTING in God to provide everything we need. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
C O N C L U S I O N Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b NKJV) In this wonderful 6 th chapter of Matthew Jesus has admonished us to do four things in order that we might enjoy that abundant life He desires for us to have. DON'T BE LIKE THE HYPOCRITES when you do your good deeds! Do your deeds for God's glory and honor, not your own! Do your good deeds for the applause of God rather than the applause of men. DON'T FORGET TO PRAY! Make it a priority each and every day to spend some quiet time alone with God in prayer; and make GOD the focus of your prayer, not yourself. DON'T OBSESS OVER MONEY AND MATERIAL THINGS Its not a sin to have money or material things, but remember they are only temporary treasures that aren't going to last forever! Set your sights on the heavenly treasures! DON'T WORRY Its a FUTILE...FOOLISH...FAITHLESS ACTIVITY that robs our lives of joy and peace and blessings! But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. ----Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)