The Sermon on the Mount – Session 5

Hidden Righteousness

Reading: Matthew 6: 1-18

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

Sermon on the Mount Handout – Session 5

 

Lesson Notes

Introduction

When last we met, we read in Matthew 5: 48 that we must be perfect as God is perfect. The problem with being perfect is we often want everyone to know we’re perfect – leading to an entirely different kind of sinful behavior. It’s very easy for us to fall into – the public appearance of being super spiritual.

Bonhoeffer said, “We are therefore confronted with a paradox. Our activity must be visible, but never be done for the sake of making it visible. ‘Let your light so shine before men’ (5.16) and yet: Take care that you hide it! There is a pointed contrast between chapters 5 and 6. That which is visible must also be hidden. The awareness on which Jesus insists is intended to prevent us from reflecting on our extraordinary position.”

Tonight we look at 3 key acts of traditional Jewish piety – almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

Giving to the Poor (Matthew 6: 1-4)

• Verse 1 – Key verse for this whole new section – when you do good, who is your audience? Is it God or others?
  • We must choose! We really can’t seek the applause of both.
  • If we’re doing things for the applause of others – that’s all the reward we’ll ever get -> none from God!
  • Bonhoeffer, “The disciples are told that they  can possess the ‘extraordinary’ only so long as they are reflective: they must beware how they use it, and never fulfill it simply for its own sake, or for the sake of ostentation. The better righteousness  of the disciples must have a motive which lies beyond itself. Of course it has to be visible, but they must take care that it does not become visible simply for the sake of becoming visible.”
  • Once again, as throughout the Sermon, our heart is far more important than our mere actions
  • Good deeds done for bad motives won’t be rewarded by God
• Verse 2 – Hypocrites – actors wearing masks in a play
  • When giving to the needy don’t alert the world as other “good” people do
  • Hypocritical generosity isn’t actually generous – you’re looking to get paid with applause and gratitude
  • If people applaud and that was your desire, that’s all the reward you’ll get
• Verse 3 – Literally be so sneaky that you don’t even make a big deal of it to yourself!
  • By focusing so clearly on Christ that you don’t really notice your own obedience.
  • Bonhoeffer, “We are to hide it from ourselves. Our task is simply to keep on following, looking only to our Leader who goes on before, taking no notice of ourselves or of what we are doing.”
  • Bonhoeffer, “All that the follower of Jesus has to do is to make sure that his obedience, following and love are entirely spontaneous and unpremeditated. If you do good, you must not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, you must be quite unconscious of it. Otherwise you are simply displaying your own virtue and not that which has its source in Jesus Christ.”
• Verse 4 – A repeated principle – act in secret so our Father  who sees in secret will reward you
  • Never doubt that God knows the good things you are doing!
  • So don’t mind if others never know! This is honestly very hard for us
  • Bonhoeffer, “If the ‘extraordinary’ were important for its own sake, we should, like fanatics, be relying on our own fleshly strength and power, whereas the disciple of Jesus acts simply in obedience to his Lord. That is, he regards the ‘extraordinary’ as the natural fruit of obedience.”
  • As followers of Christ, God’s approval, reward, and blessing is all we should seek for our good deeds
    • That doesn’t come naturally
    • But if we can get to this point, it frees us up for powerful ministry!

Prayer (Matthew 6: 5-15)

• Verse 5 – the same principle applies to prayer – we aren’t to be putting on a show like an actor in a play
  • That happens – in churches, Bible studies, over dinner, etc.
  • It isn’t about the form of the prayer, it’s about the heart behind it – is your heart genuinely seeking God or are you desiring to be seen as a super-spiritual person
• Verse 6 – doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever pray in public – Jesus clearly did, as did the church in Acts
  • Even the Lord’s Prayer is written to be prayed with others
  • It’s about the heart of prayer – even when we pray in public, are we praying as if we have an audience of one?
• Verse 7 – there’s no need to be repetitive, showy, dramatic
  • Verse 8 – we’re just talking to our Father, He loves us, He knows us and what we need
  • Bonhoeffer, “We are privileged to know that he knows our needs before we ask him. This is what gives Christian prayer its boundless confidence and its joyous certainty. It matters little what form of prayer we adopt or how many words we use, what matters is the faith which lays hold on God and touches the heart of the Father who knew us long before we came to him. Genuine prayer is never ‘good works,’ an exercise or a pious attitude, but it is always the prayer of a child to a Father. Hence it is never given to self-display, whether before God, ourselves, or other people.”
  • As a father, I don’t need my kids asking repetitively and loudly, I just want them to ask. And God is a much better father than I am.
  • Do we really think that the way to get God to hear us and care is to use a lot of words?
  • We’re called to pray persistently, but it doesn’t have to be a big show each time
  • I’m reminded of 1 Kings 18: 20-38
• Verses 9-13 – The Lord’s Prayer
  • Much can and has been said about this model prayer for disciples. Just a few simple observations…
  • It’s a model, not a mandate or a mantra – it teaches how to pray, but doesn’t specify what to pray
    • In keeping with the previous verses, if we do pray it – whether it’s occasionally, weekly, daily, or multiple times a day – mean it!
    • Think about it, put your heart into it
  • Note the plurals – “our Father”, “give us” – we’re meant to pray in community.
  • Directed to God in heaven, “Our Father” – a unique relationship we enjoy through Christ – this was n ot the standard form of address in 1st century Judaism
  • Focuses on God first before focusing on ourselves and our needs
  • That His name, fame, and reputation would be held as holy throughout the world
  • That His kingdom would come – increasingly now and ultimately completed at Christ’s return
  • That God’s will would be done here on Earth and that God’s people would do His will – learning to let go of our will
  • Only then turning to ourselves
    • Bonhoeffer, “God’s name, God’s kingdom, God’s will must be the primary object of Christian prayer. Of course it is not as if God needed our prayers, but they are a means by which the disciples become partakers in the heavenly treasure for which they pray. Furthermore, God uses their prayers to hasten the coming of the End.”
    • Note – daily provision, not a stockpile – pray daily
    • Physical need – the bread for that day
    • Spiritual need from yesterday – daily forgiveness of sins – as we’ve forgiven others!!!
    • Bonhoeffer, “Every day Christ’s followers must acknowledge and bewail their guilt. Living as they do in fellowship with Him, they ought to be sinless, but in practice their lfie is marred daily with all manner of unbelief, sloth in prayer, lack of bodily discipline, self-indulgence of every kind, envy, hatred, and ambition.”
    • Spiritual need for today – protection from even being in a place of temptation and protection from the devil
• Verses 14-15 – The importance of forgiveness
  • We MUST forgive others or God won’t forgive us
  • How does that work if we’re saved by grace through faith?
  • Saving faith understands that we’re deeply sinful and regularly need God’s forgiveness
    • It understands that we can’t save ourselves by being very good people
    • It’s spiritual poverty – the entry criteria for the kingdom of heaven
  • What if you can’t forgive or don’t want to?
    • Jesus taught a great deal about this and it’s very hard
    • If we can’t forgive the comparatively small earthly offenses done against us, why should we expect God to forgive us the sins we’ve committed against His righteous and hallowed name?

Fasting (Matthew 6: 16-18)

• Fasting was commanded by the Law for certain annual festivals.
• It was supplemented by personal fasting on a regular basis by Pharisees and others
• Self-discipline had turned into self-righteousness by the 1st century
  • Rather than fasting to humble and control the flesh and devote all to God, people made a show of fasting
  • By not caring for personal hygiene, ashes on forehead, etc.
• Verse 16 – “When you fast” – not a command, it’s an assumption that we will
  • Few of us do – it’s been awhile for me – we’ll talk about this in the spring
  • But don’t do it in a way that tells the world, “hey I’m fasting”
  • Fasting is intended as a way to draw nearer to God, but if we’re doing it to look super-spiritual to others, we’re pulling away from God and focused on others
• Verse 17 – so look fabulous when you fast – happy, healthy, hearty, not mopey
• Verse 18 – once again – God sees and rewards!
• Taken altogether, verses 1-18 tell us that the righteousness of Matthew 5 must be done in a way that doesn’t turn into ostentatious self-righteousness