11 Our Secret with God

 

We have finished studying Matthew 5 and today we’re going to begin looking at the next chapter. This chapter is famous for containing the Lord’s prayer which we will study in a later study. But let’s begin in verse 1.

Matthew 6:1
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. 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. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

What does the word alms mean?

  • It means good works, acts of pity or compassionateness.
  • Jesus tells us that when we do good works, we don’t need to tell other people about it. When we do it in such a way to be seen of others, Christ says that we don’t have any reward from our Father in heaven.
  • In context what did Jesus just teach us about? The last study?
    • It was being perfect.
  • But what did that mean? It was about loving our enemies.
  • We don’t need to tell the whole world how good a person we are. We don’t need to stand on the sidewalk and display our good works and how much we are helping the poor or the needy.

This was obviously a problem that Jesus needed to address it. What group was actually doing this?

  • Verse 2 tells us that it was the hypocrite that was doing this.
  • And these hypocrites were in the synagogue. They were in church!
  • They wanted men to praise them and think highly of them.
  • Where else do we see Jesus talking about hypocrites in the book of Matthew?
  • Matthew 23:13-15
    13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
  • We see the word hypocrite repeated in every verse. And every time it is group together with another group. Who are they? It is the scribe and Pharisees. The religious leaders of their day.
  • Jesus calls this group a bunch of hypocrites. It was pretentious. They weren’t helping people because they actually cared. They were helping people just so people could think more highly of them and think that they were good people. They were doing all these good works just to be seen and praised of men.
  • But what was their actual condition?
  • Mark 7:5-6
    5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, — Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
  • They said one thing but did another. They were so focused on their forms and their ceremonies, that they put that above caring for people.
  • There was an instance where Jesus healed someone who had not walked for over thirty years. So He told him to pick up his bed and walk and go home. Upon encountering the Pharisees, they were more focused on the fact that he was carrying his bed on the Sabbath than being healed!
  • Their care for people was only just a form like everything else that they followed. But they wanted to let everyone know that they were doing it. Taking it a step further.

Do we actually do that today? Are we like the Pharisees and scribes?

  • Probably more so actually. With Instagram and Facebook and all these social media platforms, we just love to take photos. And not just travelling photos. But we like to tell the whole world about our good works. Show people what we are doing and how good a person we are.
  • Granted not everyone does that. But telling the world about our good works? It certainly is still a problem in our churches today as well.

The important question that we must ask ourselves is this. What is our intention for publicising our good works? Matthew 5 actually talks about our good works that others should see. Yet in Matthew 6 Jesus tells us not to tell anyone.

  • 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.
  • You see! People should be able to see our good works right? And when they see it, the result is that they will glorify our Father in heaven!
  • How about in Matthew 6?
  • 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.
  • The difference between the good works in Matthew 5 versus Matthew 6 is where the glory goes?
  • In Matthew 5, they see our good works and they will glorify our Father in heaven. And in Matthew 6, the reason we want people to see our good works is so that we can have all the glory.
  • Jesus wants all the glory to go to God. If not, it’s better we keep it secret!

Coming back to Matthew 6:

  • Matthew 6:3
    But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
  • What does it mean to not even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing?
  • Don’t even let those that are closest to you know what is being done. They will find out in due time, but we don’t need to go out of our way to let them know about it.

What should we be looking for as reward for our good works here in Matthew 6?

  • Matthew 6:4
    That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
  • We should long for the reward that comes from God and not the praise of men.
  • What is that reward? We actually don’t know. Jesus doesn’t tell us what it is. But yet we are told that God will reward us openly.
  • Does that mean we will become famous or that everyone will know now? Definitely not.
  • That reward may come at the second coming when we get to heaven. Then everyone will definitely know! It may not be now, you see.
  • What is the motive that drives you to do what you do?
  • We must learn to give all the glory back to God.
  • People don’t need to know how much we sacrifice. What time we slept or how little we slept. They don’t need to know how many hours you worked without getting paid or how many people you fed.
  • You see, many of us like words of affirmation. Yes, we do. But if we actually do a good work and we don’t get that affirmation from someone, will you still continue to do it? That begins to show our intentions and motives. Do you still have the drive to do all these good works? Then we begin to understand the stream from which all these good works spring forth. It is for the glory of God or for self exaltation?
  • We don’t actually need all that affirmation because the good work itself should give us all the good emotions and endorphins that make us feel good.
  • Yes, it’s important to know that you’re doing the right thing. But we will know as we see how others react around us by what good works we do for them.

However, Christ is not done yet. He doesn’t just talk about doing good works in private. What else does He speak about?

  • Matthew 6:5-6
    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. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
  • In the same way that we shouldn’t parade all our good works before everyone, Jesus says that we shouldn’t do that with our prayers as well. It’s the same principle.
  • As we don’t talk about our good works to everyone, let’s make sure our prayers are different as well.

Does this mean we should never pray in public? So public prayer at church is wrong? And praying as a group is wrong – in the family, between friends?

  • Of course we know that is not the case.
  • But let’s not pray 1 minute prayers when we come to pray for our food. Sometimes we like to pray for everything – our sins, the condition of this world, our studies or work, and only then the food.
  • When we pray for food, let’s just pray for the food. We don’t need to parade our prayers and make a show of our prayers. Let’s not draw it out in length and let’s not use all our emotion and big words just to pray for food. Just keep it simple and to the point.
  • It’s not a sign of humility to pray long and drawn our prayers.

Jesus also identified the hypocrites in regards to their prayers as well. And we know that the hypocrites are connected to the scribes and Pharisees. How did the Pharisee pray?

  • Luke 18:10-14
    10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 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. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
  • The Pharisee first put down others to make himself feel better. God I’m so glad that I’m not like this person and that person and even this publican.
  • But he didn’t stop. Then he boasted about all his good works.
    • He fasted twice a week.
    • He gave tithes of everything that he had.
  • He was doing all these things to be seen of men that they might think that he was very pious and very holy.
  • Yet Jesus said that the Pharisee did not go down to his house justified.
  • He tried to take the glory of God to himself. He thought that his works merited him something. He thought that his works was what made him holy.
  • All the publican did was prayed that God would be merciful to him a sinner. When we pray, let’s pray for ourselves and the help that we need from God. Let’s not compare ourselves to others. We don’t need to parade our good works. That only becomes a necessity when inside our heart is empty.
  • Matthew 23:27
    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
  • The scribes and Pharisees liked to beautify the outside not realising that their hearts were all corrupt, it was full of dead men’s bones, all unclean.
  • God looks on the heart. We don’t need to make a show of our good works or make long pretentious and open prayers at the street corner. It does not merit us any favour from God at all.

But lastly, coming back to Matthew 6, Jesus taught one more lesson about prayer. Apart from not making a show of prayer, what else did Jesus say?

  • Matthew 6:7
    But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
  • Christ taught to not use vain repetitions.

What does it mean to pray with vain repetition?

  • It means a proverbial stammer, to stutter, to prate (talk) tediously.

So firstly, we must learn to speak properly.

  • We must not stumble over our words. And maybe some of us when first starting out need to write our prayers out so that in our nervousness of praying publicly we aren’t repeating ourselves over and over again.

Secondly, we must learn to pray short and to-the-point prayers.

  • When we pray with vain repetitions, the prayer is repeated so much that it makes the prayer long. Why? Because we are saying things that are not necessary or saying it so many times. Maybe we’re scared that God has not heard so we must repeat it to show how important it is to us.
  • But it is a tedious prayer. It makes people to sigh or get impatient with prayer.

There is one more lesson that Jesus teaches along the same lines of what we have looked at with our good works and public prayers.

  • Matthew 6:16-18
    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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
  • When we fast, we should do it in secret as well. Even though you are hungry and you’re not feeling so good, the stomach is empty and maybe you’re shaking, Jesus says we should wash our faces and make it appear like we are not fasting.
  • We don’t need to tell everyone that we are fasting and staying away from our food. We don’t need to boast about our good works.
  • Let the good works be in secret and let God pour our His blessings on us seeking Him in prayer and fasting, and then it will be obvious to everyone that God is with us. We don’t need to tell people about it. Let it be manifested in the outpouring and blessing of God.
  • That is more obvious than us actually doing the act itself. Why? Because the scribes and Pharisees had no power and blessing from God. They had all the outward forms and telling everyone about it, but it was obvious that the power of the Holy Spirit was not with them.
  • It is possible to do all these works for the wrong reason. Yes, praying and fasting and all the good works, it can be done with a wrong motive.

Today God wants us to be lights of the world. He wants us to pray. He wants us to fast. He wants us to do all these good works so that ultimately people will be led back to glorify our Father in heaven, that we will give all the glory back to God.

Let us learn to do these things in secret. Let us come back to God in our personal devotions. And as we learn to walk with Him in the closet, there will accompany a power that cannot be fabricated by human means. It will be obvious to all around us that God is with us. Why? Not because we’ve told everyone about what we’ve been doing, but because we have been spending that time with Him in secret.

Just like the disciples and the 120 in the upper room in the book of Acts. They were fasting and praying. And after 10 days, God poured out His Spirit in such a mighty way that the fruits were obvious that God was with them. Three thousand were baptised in one day!

May the power of God accompany each of us today as we spend more time with Him in secret. Let’s keep walking with God every moment of every day.

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