Please take out your copy of God's Word and join me in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6.
Unless the Lord decides to take me home now, we're actually going to preach the beginning of Matthew chapter 6.
! This is a good day.
In today's text, Matthew records Jesus dismantling the hypocrisy of His day.
Hypocrisy is the act of claiming some moral standard or beliefs and then living in contradiction to your claims.
Hypocrisy was not new in Jesus' day.
It has existed since the fall of man.
In Genesis chapter 4, we can observe the very first hypocrite, Cain, who offered insincere worship to God.
And when his hypocrisy was exposed, his true character was revealed in the murder of his brother.
In 2 Samuel chapter 15, Absalom hypocritically vowed allegiance to his father, King David, while all along plotting to overthrow him.
The prophets spoke against the hypocrisy of the nation of Israel.
In Isaiah chapter 1, God is grieved over Israel because their religious devotion is not consistent with their actions.
And in Amos chapter 5, verse 21 through 24, God deals strongly with the hypocrisy of Israel.
Listen to what he says.
Take away from me the noise of your songs.
To the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
You see the disconnect in the people of Israel's worship in that day and their obedience to God.
There was such similar hypocrisy in Jesus' day.
Listen to the very scathing words that Jesus speaks to the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23, verse 27 and 28.
Jesus says,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanliness.
So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
In fact, much of the Sermon on the Mount, where our text for today is found,
is concerned with correcting the gross misunderstanding of the law and subsequent hypocrisy in which Jesus lived.
Recall that one of the major themes of Jesus' sermon is whole person righteousness.
He says astounding things in this sermon in chapter 5 we've looked at so far, like in verse 20.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
And the people in his day would have been absolutely astonished by this.
If the scribes and Pharisees aren't keeping the law well enough, then who possibly can?
And in verse 48 of chapter 5, Jesus said,
You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
You must be holy as God is holy.
And you have to try to imagine Jesus' listeners going,
What?
How is this possible?
How can we be found more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees?
How can we be found perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect?
And so we, with a bigger understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ,
know that we are not and cannot be perfect under our own volition.
But that we can have a righteousness that comes from outside of us.
The perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
If we are found in Christ, we pursue perfection,
being found by God to be perfect.
We are declared righteous in Christ.
We are positionally moved from unrighteous to righteous,
from sinner to saint.
And because of that new identity,
we now pursue this perfection by the power that God provides.
The now and not yet of the Christian life
is a matter for very careful consideration.
Because hypocrisy was not left behind
with the false practitioners of Jesus' day.
There were hypocrites in the early church.
There were hypocrites in the medieval church.
There were hypocrites in the Reformation church.
And there are hypocrites in today's church.
Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4, verse 1 and 2,
that there will be hypocrisy to the end of the age.
Hypocrisy can be practiced by those who are not in the faith,
but act as though they are,
believing that, showing up, doing certain things,
saying certain things, posting certain things,
that they will be found right with God.
Hypocrisy can also be practiced
by those who are in the faith,
but act as though they are not.
So all of us, every one of us,
needs to be warned today
as we take a look at what Jesus has to say
about the hypocrisy of His day and ours.
So our text for this morning is Matthew 6, verses 1-18.
Before I read it, beloved,
let me remind you that this is God's Word to us.
It was written for His glory and our good,
so we would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Begin reading in verse 1.
Jesus says,
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.
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.
But 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.
And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
And when you pray,
you must not be like the hypocrites.
Do 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.
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.
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.
Do not be like them,
for your Father knows what you need
before you ask Him.
Pray then like this,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
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.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
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.
Now, we don't normally deal with
this much text at one time.
There's a lot here.
And there is much to be unpacked
in some coming weeks.
But I want you to see this morning
that the primary exhortation
of this entire text
is found in verse 1.
The driving thing,
the ultimate thing
that Jesus is trying to communicate here
is this idea
of not practicing your righteousness
to be seen by people,
to be praised by people,
because if you do,
then you will have
no reward in heaven.
And he calls this activity
hypocrisy.
Jesus issues a caution
that if the point of our good works
is to be praised by men,
if we are motivated
by what others think of us
rather than what God thinks of us,
then we do not receive
heavenly reward
for our good works.
There is such danger here
as hypocrisy can be so deceptive.
Augustine once wrote,
the love of honor
is the deadly bane
of true piety or holiness.
The vices bring forth evil works,
but this,
this love of honor,
brings forth good works
in an evil way.
So we can be doing
all the right things,
even in our own estimation,
doing them rightly.
People can be praising us
for all of our outward appearance
of holiness,
but we can be altogether
unpleasing to God
in the way we do the things
that we do.
Do you notice that in verse 1
that Jesus is tying obedience
toward God with reward?
He's placing the two things together
side by side.
He's partnering them up.
I am so grateful
to serve a God
that is ever seeking His own glory
and is ever working for my good.
Duty and delight
are not mutually exclusive,
but are intrinsic
for a life well lived.
We as people
just seem so apt
to want to cast off
all authority,
any instruction whatsoever.
We want to be autonomous
in all ways.
And this is never good
for people.
It's good for us to live
under the loving instruction
of our God.
These two things
come together,
duty and delight.
You want to be filled with joy?
Set yourself to obedience
to God.
The 17 verses that follow,
verse 1,
are illustrations
of what Jesus is trying
to teach His listeners.
And with the exception
of verses 9-15,
which we know
is the teaching
on the Lord's Prayer,
and we're going to deal
with that at length
in some coming weeks,
these illustrations
follow a carefully
crafted pattern
as follows.
And I want you to see this,
and I know that I'm saying it
and I'm looking at it.
It's much easier to look at it
than to hear it.
So I'm going to repeat it
a number of times.
But it follows
a six-point pattern.
Okay?
So just listen.
Don't try to write
all this down.
In each of the three illustrations,
Jesus brilliantly
uses the same pattern.
First, the observance.
Second, the prohibition.
Third, the intent.
Fourth, the reward.
Fifth, the better observant.
And sixth, the better reward.
And each of them neatly walk through
this pattern of presentation.
We'll see very particularly momentarily
how this happens.
But before we do that,
I want us to consider
why Jesus uses
the three illustrations
of giving to the needy
or almsgiving,
prayer,
and fasting.
Why do you think
He uses these three?
Do you think
that these three activities
are particularly susceptible
to hypocrisy?
Or that these three activities
are of particular value
in our pursuit
of righteousness?
I don't think
that either
is true.
All three of these things
we'll see
are things that we should be doing
as Christian people,
as disciples of Jesus Christ.
But I don't think
they're particular
for that reason,
for our instruction,
as these are more important
than others.
But these
were the most important acts
of personal piety
for the falsely religious
of Jesus' day.
They elevated these three
in personal piety.
So the scribes
and the Pharisees
would have talked lots
about almsgivings
and prayer
and fasting.
You want to be viewed
as personally pious?
These are the things
that you will pick up.
So Jesus is not so much
building for us
what true religion looks like,
merely these three practices,
but He's dismantling
the hypocrisy
of His day.
He's very poignantly speaking
the hypocrisy
of His day.
So,
we may find
that we are
given to hypocrisy
in these activities.
It's so very possible
to do
the very thing
that people
in Jesus' day
were doing,
but we should not
limit the teaching here
to these activities.
What else
might you do
to seek
the approval
of others?
what might you do
because you want
others
to think
that you are
particularly
holy?
I could list
a slew of things
that could fit
in this
category.
How are your
actions and intentions
inconsistent
with your stated
moral standards
or beliefs?
And I pray for this
for us this morning.
Well,
it's been my prayer for us
across the last couple
of weeks
to this morning
so that we would all
find ourselves
carefully examining
our lives
in the coming moments
and beyond
that God would reveal
any hypocrisy in us
so that we would be
brought
to repentance.
So again,
the exhortation
for us
this morning
from the words
of Jesus.
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.
So let's
look at them
and we'll look at them
in three points
following each
of the examples.
Number one,
do not give
like the hypocrites
but rather look
to heavenly reward.
Let me see this
in verses 2, 3, and 4.
Do not give
like the hypocrites
but rather look
to heavenly reward.
Notice first,
verse 2,
the observance.
Thus,
when you give
to the needy,
thus,
in your alms
giving,
this is practice
that was going on
in their day.
Jesus does not do away
with the practice.
We are also meant
to give to the needy
in our day
but in a particular way.
In Jesus' day,
the giving of alms
had been taken
to extreme measures
in Second Temple Judaism.
In rabbinical teaching,
we can read things
like this.
I quote,
It is better to give
to charity
than to lay up gold.
I think we're on board
so far.
However,
for charity
will save a man
from death.
It will expiate sin
or atone
for sin.
So,
works.
Second Temple Judaism,
the Pharisees were teaching
that giving
would cancel out
sin.
Does that heresy
sound familiar?
As a result,
many in Jesus' time
thought that the rich
were much more likely
to make it to heaven.
And they would make
a big deal,
a big fanfare
out of this giving.
This is why Jesus' statement
in Matthew 19,
verse 24,
was so shocking
to the disciples.
He said there,
I tell you,
it is easier
for a camel
to go through
the eye of a needle
than for a rich person
to enter
the kingdom of God.
That's the context
behind that statement.
And do you recall
the response
of the disciples
in verse 25?
They were greatly
astonished,
Matthew says,
and they asked,
who then can be saved?
If the rich
can't do enough
almsgiving,
then who can?
And Jesus is destroying
this type of thinking,
this earning favor
before God,
thinking apart from
the perfect life,
death,
and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
So,
that is the observance.
That's what they're doing
in this day.
And second,
we see the prohibition.
Jesus says,
sound no trumpet
before you,
as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues
and in the streets.
It would seem
that they held parades
when they were coming
to the temple
to give their money.
People would look at them
and praise them
for their good doing.
And Jesus tells us,
thirdly,
what their intent is.
That they may be praised
by others.
That they would be
seeking the approval
of others.
The building up
of others.
That they would please
praise men.
And what is the reward
for this?
Fourth,
Jesus says,
truly I say to you,
they have received
their reward.
And what is that reward?
The praise of men.
what a paltry reward.
What an insignificant reward.
And it's such a shame
in our culture
that what we seem
to worship most
is celebrity.
Not intelligence.
Not good doing.
There are people
who are famous
for being famous
in our culture.
this is an astonishing
thing.
All of the acclaim.
All of the praise.
You have people
on shows,
talent shows,
weeping.
This is the dream
of my life.
That what?
That for a moment
people would praise me.
That I would be
the next
America's whatever.
insignificant reward.
Paltry
compared to the reward
of heaven.
Who cares
if people like us
if we're not
pleasing God?
So this is a
declaration
of
judgment.
Truly I say to you,
they have received
their reward.
And we'll see
some repetition
of that
very
phrase.
Look then though
at the beginning
of verse 3
at the better
observance.
Jesus says,
but when you give
to the needy.
So give,
and we talked
some weeks ago
about giving
and the necessity
of giving,
so we're not going
to spend a lot
of time on
that very topic.
But we are meant
to give.
We are meant
to recognize
that all good
things come
from God.
When you begin
to realize
that the blessings
that God
has given you
are meant
for you
to turn around
and bless
others
and that
that is good
for you,
that that duty
is married
with delight,
this will be
a turning point
in your life
in America.
When you actually
begin to wrap
your brain
around this fact
that God
doesn't give you
things just
for you,
but for others
which is for
your good.
That you might
gain more
of Him
in the process.
So when you
give to the
needy,
do not let
your left
hand know
what your
right hand
is doing.
And clearly
this is an
exaggeration.
This is not
a possible
act to do.
Jesus is trying
to help us
understand
that this
should so
be done
in a way
that we're
not being
praised
by men.
See if you
can get
the left
hand of your
body to not
know what's
happening
with the
right hand
of your
body.
Jesus is
saying do
it in
that way.
Do it
in a way
that is
fully fixed
on pleasing
the Lord
and not
men.
So that
your giving
may be
in secret.
And then
there's this
better reward.
And your
Father who
sees in
secret
will reward
you.
This is the
reward we
want.
This is what
we're seeking
after.
as followers
of Jesus
Christ.
If that is
an astounding
thing to
you,
but why?
Why would I
seek the
reward of
heaven and
not the
reward of
earth?
Then you
have not
tasted and
seen the
goodness of
God.
If you've
beheld God
in his
glory,
this should
ignite you.
You should
come to
life at the
thought of
heavenly
reward.
At putting
off reward
for now,
for reward
for later,
ought to
make you
go,
yes.
I don't
want to
be found
as these
people.
I don't
want Jesus
to say
of me,
of my
life,
truly I
say to
you,
you've
already
received
your reward.
I want
to lay
it up
for later
because it
is better
later.
He gives
us another
example,
another
illustration.
So secondly,
do not
pray like
the
hypocrites,
but rather
look to
heavenly
reward.
Verses
5 and
8.
And there's
a repetition
in the
pattern here.
So he gives
a couple of
instructions,
but you see
the pattern
once again,
these six
points.
Beginning of
verse 5 and
the beginning
of verse 7.
And when
you pray.
So certainly
not teaching us
not to pray,
but he's
teaching us
to pray
in a very
particular
way.
So first
we see
this observance
and when
you pray.
And then
we see
the prohibition.
How are we
to not
pray then?
We must
not be
like the
hypocrites,
for they
love to
stand and
pray in
the synagogues
and at
the street
corners.
They love
to go out
in the
public
places
seeking
the praise
of men.
This is
what they're
hoping for.
Look at
how holy
I am.
And we're
also not
to heap
up empty
phrases as
the Gentiles
do.
As those
outside
the family
of God,
we're not
to heap
up empty
phrases as
the Gentiles.
And you
can see
the intent
then,
thirdly,
that they
may be
seen by
others,
and the
Gentiles
think that
they will
be heard
for their
many
words.
And the
reward again,
truly I
say to
you,
they have
received
their
reward.
But then
Jesus,
once again,
gives us
a better
observance.
A better
observance.
But when
you
pray,
go into
your room
and shut
the door
and pray
to your
Father
who is
in secret.
We have
been,
by the
sacrificial
work of
Jesus Christ,
who intercedes
for us,
drawn into
a relationship
with God.
Here Jesus
calls him
our
Father.
What a
glorious thing
this is.
At the
almighty of
heaven and
earth,
the one who
spoke all
things into
existence,
will have
a conversation
with us.
This should
be massively
humbling.
And once
again,
if it doesn't
seem massive
to you,
that you
could go
into your
room and
shut the
door and
spend time
with God
in prayer,
then you've
not tasted
and seen
the goodness
of God.
You have
not understood
the vastness
of his
power and
his might.
You have
a small
view of
God.
He's not
just the
guy that
you go
hang out
with.
He's the
God of
the universe
and yet
he's called
our Father.
I love,
and we'll
talk about
next week,
Lord willing,
the opening
of the
Lord's
prayer is
our Father
in Heaven.
Wraps
all that
up together.
Our
Father
in Heaven.
And I
have learned
things about
God's loving
kindness towards
me as a
father in
becoming a
father.
And I can't
help but be
moved when my
kids want to
come and talk
with me in the
way that they
climb up on
my lap and
they sit.
And as an
imperfect
father, a
very imperfect
father, my
attention is
riveted on
them.
God does
this with
us.
So we can
go into our
room and we
can shut the
door and we
can pray to
our Father
who is in
secret.
Does this
mean that we
cannot pray
publicly?
No.
It does not
mean that.
Many have
made that mean
that.
It does not
mean that.
It just
means that we
should be
careful about
the intent
of our
public
prayers.
It's good
for us when
we gather
together.
I would
even suggest
necessary for
us as we
gather together
that we
pray together.
But as
someone comes
to lead us
in public
prayer, we
should be so
careful about
the intent.
Am I
leading us in
prayer because
I want us to
be pleasing to
God as we
pray together
or because I
am concerned
about what
you'll think
of me in
my praying?
We see
public prayer
happening in
the Scripture.
I just want
to give you
one example.
Acts 1
verse 14.
The disciples
are waiting.
Jesus has
said, wait
for me.
Wait for my
power to
come.
And what
do we find
them doing
in an
upper room?
All these
with one
accord were
devoting
themselves to
prayer together
with the
women and
Mary the
mother of
Jesus and
his brothers.
They were
together and
they were
praying together.
People were
praying out
loud together
in this
place and
we should
do the
same.
But we
should be
very careful
the intent
of what we
do when
we pray
publicly.
We also
see in this
better observance
Jesus simply
says, do not
be like them.
And who is
he referring
to?
He's referring
to these
Gentiles,
right, that
heap up
empty phrases,
thinking that
they'll be
heard for
their many
words.
And does
this mean
that we
cannot pray
long?
prayers?
Many will
take the
Lord's
prayer and
recite it.
And I'm
okay with
the recitation
of the
Lord's
prayer.
I don't
think that's
particularly
sinful.
However,
Jesus doesn't
say pray
this.
He says
pray then
like this.
This is a
model for
your praying.
But some
will advocate
the recitation
of this because
it's brief.
We should
keep things
brief because
he says don't
be like the
Gentiles.
Heap up
many words.
So is that
what it
means?
No.
But we
should not
pray long
prayers because
we think that
lengthy prayers
are a mark
of holiness.
Even when I'm
by myself,
right, in that
time of
closed-door
secret prayer,
I should not
think of
myself,
wow, can I
pray?
Look at the
words I can
spill out
before God.
And certainly
in our public
praying together,
we shouldn't
heap up
words and
words upon
words because
people will
think we're
so holy
for how much
we have
to say.
How can I
make this
claim to
counterpoint
what some
would say
here?
Jesus
prayed long
prayers.
Luke 6,
verse 12,
Luke says,
in these days
he went out
to the mountain
to pray,
and all
night he
continued in
prayer to
God.
It would be
very silly to
think that he
recited the
Lord's Prayer
over and
over again.
Many words
poured out
to God in
those times
of prayer
with him.
And then
Jesus says
there will
be a
better reward.
A better
reward.
And your
Father who
sees in
secret will
reward you.
So we're
looking to
the heavenly
reward to
the eternal
reward.
And Jesus
also says,
for your
Father knows
what you
need before
you ask
him.
So it
means reward
for now
as well.
His presence
and his
power in
our lives.
And the
third
illustration.
It says,
do not
fast like
the hypocrites,
but rather
look to
heavenly
reward.
Do not
fast like
the hypocrites.
And I
think we
will spend
some time
on fasting
in some
coming weeks.
But briefly
look again
the observance.
And when
you
fast.
Again in
verse 17,
but when
you
fast.
I think
this is a
practice that
many in
this room
have never
done and
probably
misunderstand.
But the
assumption here
is that we
will.
As we'll be
part of
our
following
of
Jesus
Christ
will be
times of
fasting
in our
lives.
But he
issues a
prohibition.
Do not
look gloomy
like the
hypocrites
for they
disfigure
their faces.
They would
literally put
on makeup
to look
pitiful.
And what
he's saying
to us here
is that you're
not doing
this to be
seen by
others.
I've had
people who
are fasting
tell me
they're
fasting and
then tell me
they probably
shouldn't have
told me that
they were
fasting.
He's also
not prohibiting
that.
Like, oh, I
shouldn't have
said that.
Like, my
fasting is
supposed to be
so secretive
that no one
can possibly
know that
I'm fasting.
No, he's
getting that
intent.
Why are you
doing the
thing that
you're doing?
Right?
Is it for the
praise of
others or
is it to
please God?
So we're
prohibited here
by Jesus to
not look gloomy
like the
hypocrites, for
they disfigure
their faces and
the intent that
their fasting
may be seen
by others.
And once
again, this
repetition, their
reward, truly I
say to you, they
have received
their reward.
But then he
gives to us the
better observance,
but when you
fast, anoint your
head, wash your
face, make
yourself look
nice, presentable
to those around
you, that your
fasting may not be
seen by others,
but by your
father who is
in secret.
And then the
better reward.
And your
father who sees
in secret will
reward you.
So you see how
all of these,
these 17 verses
are aiming us
back at verse
1.
And this
strong warning,
this 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.
So we ought not
give or pray or
fast or do
anything
hypocritically,
seeking the praise
of man, but
should rather do
everything to
please God and
the reward that
is given by him
and found in
him.
I hope that
you will join
me in continued
self-examination
in our devotion
to God for
our good and
his glory as
we work in
this text more
in the following
weeks.
As we look more
at what is the
right way to go
about praying,
I think we'll
spend two or
three weeks there
and how ought
we also
fast.
Let me close
this morning
with a quotation
from Thomas
Brooks who was
a 17th century
Puritan preacher.
It was on your
bulletin the last
two weeks,
but I just didn't
feel like I could
put it on there
one more time.
So if you
happen to have
an old bulletin
you could read
along.
If not,
listen carefully.
He wrote this,
which I love.
Remember this,
that your life
is short,
your duties
many,
your assistance
great,
and your reward
sure.
Therefore,
faint not,
hold on and
hold up in
ways of well-doing,
and heaven
shall make
amends
for all.
Let's pray
together.
Thank you.