Matthew 6:9-13 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
The Sermon for this week is: Charity That Pleases God - Matthew
6:1-4 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that
they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest
alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret:
and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
INTRODUCTION
1. Are you a charitable person...?
a. If so, are you sure that your charity is pleasing to God?
b. Were you aware that some forms of charity actually displease God?
2. In Jesus’ day, there were religious people who were extremely charitable...
a. The Pharisees, for example, would give ten percent to God - e.g., Luke 18:11-12 - The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the
week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
b. They tithed even the smallest of seeds - Luke 11:42 - But woe unto
you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
-- But as indicated in these two cases, not all charity or giving pleased God
3. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus taught His disciples to have a righteousness which exceeded that
of the Pharisees - Matthew 5:20 - For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
a. Jesus first contrasted the “righteousness of the kingdom” with what the scribes and Pharisees
were teaching
b. He then contrasted what He expected of His disciples with what the scribes and Pharisees were practicing
[In (Matthew 6:1-4 - Take
heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That
thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.), we find the first of several examples concerning the practice of righteousness. In it, we learn about
“Charity That Pleases God.” Note first what Jesus taught about...]
I. THE BASIC PRINCIPLE GOVERNING ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Matthew 6:1 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.)
A. CONCERNING THIS VERSE...
1. Some manuscripts, upon which the KJV and NKJV are based, have the Greek word eleemosunen
a. Translated “alms”, or “charitable deeds”
b. Which would make this verse refer specifically to almsgiving, or charitable deeds
2. Older manuscripts, upon which the ASV and NASV are based, have the Greek word dikaiosunen
a. Translated “righteousness”
b. Which would make verse one speaking in general terms, establishing the principle to be applied to all
acts of righteousness.
-- Textual support seems strongest for dikaiosunen, making verse one an introductory statement
concerning all righteous acts however there are too many cases where a righteous man needs to be seen and heard
especially in helping others that may have fallen or defending those that cannot do for themselves such as women and children
from those that would take from them what little they have, or in the time of battle when a man will make the most charitable
act possible by giving their life to save others. Christ was being specific in what types of charitable deeds should be done
in secret.
B. THE BASIC PRINCIPLE...
1. Stated simply: we are not to do acts of righteousness to be seen of men - Matthew 6:1a - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
a. It is not to completely avoid any practice of righteousness before men - Matthew 5:16
- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.
b. Rather, it is to avoid doing them just to be seen of men
2. Therefore, it is proper to do good works before men...
a. When we are trying to secure praise for God
b. But not when we are trying to secure praise for ourselves!
C. CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING THIS BASIC PRINCIPLE...
1. If, in the innermost being of your heart, you do not mean to please and glorify God, He will not reward
you!
2. What reward you may have (cf. Matthew 6:2 - Therefore when thou
doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward. ; Matthew 6:5 - And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the
hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ;
Matthew 6:16 - Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for
they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.)
will be limited to the praise of men
[Let’s now consider how Jesus applies this to the matter of charitable deeds...]
II. CONCERNING CHARITABLE DEEDS (Matthew 6:2-4 - Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand
doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly.)
A. WHAT NOT TO DO...
1. Don't be like the “hypocrites” (literally, “actors”) - Matthew 6:2a - Therefore when thou doest thine alms,
do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of
men.
a. Who sound trumpets in the synagogues and streets
b. Who are looking to be honored by men
2. “They have their reward” - Matthew 6:2b - Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward.
a. They receive exactly (and only) what they wanted: the praise of men
b. But remember verse one...
1) They have no reward from the Father in heaven
2) Neither in the present or in the future!
B. CHARITY THAT PLEASES GOD...
1. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing - Matthew 6:3 - But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
a. This involves avoiding not only the praise of others, but self praise as well
b. Some thoughts by others on what this metaphor means:
1) “The right [hand], [represents] me with my good deed; the left, me with my good opinion about
my deed.” (Lenski)
2) “The expression probably refers to the fact that as much as possible a person must keep his voluntary
contribution a secret not only to others but even to himself; that is, he should forget about it, instead of saying in his
heart, ‘What a good man,
woman, boy, girl, am I!’” (Hendricksen)
c. How can one develop the ability to give in this way?
1) Perhaps by giving so often it becomes “second nature”
2) So that you do it without much thought (just as with anything you do often)
2. Note: Jesus is not condemning public giving per se - cf. Acts 2:44-45 - And all that believed
were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. ; Acts 4:34-37 - Neither was there any among them that lacked:
for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid
them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he
had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite,
and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and
brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
a. He is condemning the spirit which seeks publicity
b. He is teaching “secret-giving” in the sense of “secret to one's self”
c. “The true Christian cares not how much men hear of his public charities, nor how little they
hear of his private ones.” (Toplady)
C. THE REWARD FOR CHARITY THAT PLEASES GOD...
1. “Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” - Matthew 6:4 - That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
2. The reward may be experienced to some degree in this life - Psalms 41:1-3 - Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve
him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver
him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in
his sickness.
3. Without a doubt it will be experienced on the day of judgment
a. For every secret thing will be made known - Ecclesiastes 12:14 - For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
b. We will experience the benefit of the good we have done - 2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad.
CONCLUSION
1. Christians who have been blessed materially have been given a charge to be
“rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share” - 1 Timothy 6:17-19 - Charge them that are rich
in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all
things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up
in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
2. But if we desire that our charity will indeed store up “a good foundation for the time to come”...
a. We must be sure to practice “Charity That Pleases God”
b. We must learn to give, not to be seen of men, but to glorify God
c. We must learn to give without self-praise for what we are doing
Do our charitable deeds exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day, not only in quantity,
but in the quality of our giving? May the Lord keep us free from the giving of hypocrites!
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16:15-16 - And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Prayer:
Lord I truly thank You for giving me the opportunity to present these words to my brethrens. I pray that You will
give them Your eternal blessings and accept them into Your heart - this I pray
in the name of Thy Son, Jesus, the Messiah, Your only begotten son which Ye sent to save mankind from themselves. Amen
Ephesians
6:23-24 - Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
This sermon is in the Public Domain - Free for all to use with the only requirement:
That it never be used for profit.
