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Matthew 6:1–8 (ESV)
Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV)
What if we applied modern business and productivity strategies to the challenges Jesus presented us in the Sermon on the Mount?
Back in 2023, Lou recommended a book to me that I really enjoyed, Measure What Matters. The subtitle is “How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs.” In this NY Times Bestseller, John Doerr tells the story of several companies and organizations, and how they maximized their effectiveness and success.
The secret is in the title, “Measure What Matters.” These companies achieved their success by knowing and measuring the right things by using OKRs or “Objectives and Key Results.”
Of course, to follow the model of Measure What Matters we would have to break down each OKR into measurable criteria.
You get the idea. By measuring specific behaviors that will lead to the desired objective, you greatly increase the chance that you will attain it.
I hope that you’re becoming more and more uncomfortable with this as a model—not because spiritual disciplines and identifying specific actions or activities is not helpful—but because some key things are missing in this equation.
In truth, this approach is not all that different from the approach the Scribes and Pharisees were taking during Jesus’ day. They added their own rules to God’s laws so that they would be more likely NOT to transgress them.
They, however, were missing some key components of what it took to live a God-honoring and people-loving life.
In Chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount, we have seen that they lacked the connection between their behaviors and their hearts. Their ethics did not go deep enough. Their righteousness was only skin deep.
In Chapter 6, Jesus is going to point out another deficiency in how the Pharisees were approaching their religious duties—their motives. They were doing the right things for the wrong reasons.
As helpful as SMART Goals or OKRs can be for helping us change our behavior or improve our performance, they cannot get deep enough to help us at the level of our motives—why do we do the things we do, and why does that matter?
This morning, in our series, “Living in the Kingdom,” we will be wrestling with the importance of the “why” in three areas of religious observance, giving, praying, and fasting. These were three significant pillars of what it meant to be a faithful Jew in Jesus’ day, and they are important areas of obedience for the Christian as well.
Whether or not we use OKRs or SMART goals to help us, we will find that God looks beyond our productivity gains in our spiritual life, and will reward us based on our why.
Matthew 6:1 (ESV)
Don’t let the Chapter break between 5 and 6 make you think Jesus is starting a completely new idea. He just challenged his disciples to love their enemies and to be perfect as the Father is perfect.
The next words out of his mouth are to be careful not to practice their righteousness with the wrong motives.
Verse 1 does begin with a warning. The ESV “beware” captures that idea well. However, it can be translated as “be careful” or “pay attention” as well, which brings out the intentionality of it. In other words, it’s good to ask yourself why you are doing these good deeds. Is it from a simple desire to obey and glorify God, or are you seeking the praise of men?
Don’t get caught up on the phrase “practicing righteousness.” It simply means to “do” righteousness. I do like the implication of “practicing” righteousness because it indicates we’re trying to get better at our good deeds. But the meaning is really “doing” righteousness.
1 John 2:29 (ESV) — If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Jesus obviously has a few examples of the kinds of religious deeds he has in mind in the chapter—alms, prayer, and fasting.
At first glance it appears that Jesus is contradicting what he said earlier in Chapter 5.
Matthew 5:16 (ESV) — In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
When we look a little deeper, however, we see that Jesus is addressing two very different problems in Chapters 5 and 6.
For there Jesus was concerned with the temptation to hide your discipleship in order to escape persecution (compare 5:10–12), and he took care to command the doing of good deeds for the glory of your Father in heaven. Here he prohibits the doing of good deeds for your own glory.
— Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament, 22.
Are you tempted to hide your light under a bushel, or are you tempted to do your good deeds in order to receive the praise of men? Chapter 5 is also dealing with a more holistic picture of godly character and speech, not specific religious duties. We are not to try to hide the fact that we are Christians, but we also must not seek our own glory for our deeds.
The consequence of desiring the praise of men is that this is the only reward you get. If your idol is the praise of men, then God will answer you according to your idols (Ezekiel 14:4). You may receive the praise of men, but this reward is short-lived and insignificant measured against the praise of God.
Here in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus still speaks of God as their Father, even if they seek the praise of men. But in John’s gospel, speaking to a different crowd, he tells them that this seeking of the glory of man is a stumbling block to the Gospel itself. There, Jesus acknowledges that he himself did not receive glory from people.
John 5:39–44 (ESV) — You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
They were seeking the glory of man, but not seeking the glory that comes from the only true God.
This is an important question for us to ask ourselves: Do I do “fill-in-the-blank-good-deed” for the glory of God, or do I do it for my own glory/reputation/praise?
Maybe you think it’s not biblical to consider rewards in your calculus of religious activities. You should just do it because it’s the right thing to do…on the honor system.
It’s helpful to remember that the Bible does speak of rewards on many occasions.
Matthew 5:12 (ESV) — Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This reward is intended to strengthen us in the midst of persecution.
Matthew 10:42 (ESV) — And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Rewards are not prizes for “best picture,” but a reminder that God notices even the smallest acts of kindness.
2 John 8 (ESV) — Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
Rewards are one of God’s means of grace that help us stay faithful to the end.
And, of course, we have this wonderful verse from Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
The nature of faith itself is connected to our belief that God actually rewards those who seek him.
When we do our good deeds “to be seen by others” we are forsaking the future, lasting, and God-glorifying rewards, and replacing them with a cheap, temporal, plasticky participation trophy. It is more immediate, but this is not a good trade.
One of the joys of being one of your pastors is observing and rejoicing in your many acts of selfless service for King Jesus.
After giving his followers a general warning about how “Their motives matter,” Jesus gives three examples—alms, prayer, and fasting. These three religious practices were significant for the Jews (and also 3 of the 5 pillars of Islam—they add “declaration of faith” and “pilgrimage to Mecca”).
Matthew 6:2–4 (ESV)
God had made provision for the poor among Israel. It was the collective responsibility of the nation to care for its poor. One example is in Leviticus 19.
Leviticus 19:9–10 (ESV) — “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
In this agricultural society, they were to leave some of the produce in the field so that the poor could glean it.
By Jesus’ day, it appears that there were other mechanisms for giving to the poor which could be more public, either in the synagogue or in the street.
Jesus paints an obnoxious and humorous picture of the hypocrites sounding a trumpet before they give alms. We don’t have evidence that this was actually a practice in Jesus’ day. It’s more likely that he is being absurd on purpose to make his point.
Jesus calls these donors hypocrites, which was a term used of actors of that day—it means to wear a mask. How were these alms-givers hypocrites? They were actually giving money to the poor. They weren’t pretending to give.
Leon Morris writes, “These hypocrites were people who acted a concern for the poor whereas their real concern was to establish a reputation for piety” (Morris, Pillar, p. 137).
By seeking the praise of men, they have already received their reward.
If you’re the kind of person that underlines in your Bible, there are several phrases you may want to consider in this chapter.
Why should we pay attention to these phrases? Because they don’t say, “If you give / pray / fast” but “when.”
In other words, Jesus was not contrasting what the Jews did to what he expected his followers to do. The contrast was not in the what but in the why and how.
There was a famous scene in the narrative of Acts regarding giving to the poor. Listen to this amazing testimony from Acts 4.
Acts 4:32 (ESV) — Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Acts 4:34 (ESV) — There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
The newly birthed church is having to learn new ways to care for the poor among them since they are expanding beyond the synagogues and Jewish systems.
Then, in Chapter 5, we get the infamous scene of Ananias and Sapphira, who sold a piece of property, but lied about the amount as they brought some of the proceeds to the Apostles for the needs of the poor. God struck them dead because of their deception, and fear came upon the whole church (v. 11).
Their hunger for the praise of man even led them to lie about their gift.
Jesus does give some positive instruction about “how” we are to give.
Matthew 6:3 (ESV) — But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Just as Jesus was being descriptive with “sounding the trumpet” he is being somewhat absurd here. But, his point is obvious. Don’t draw attention to your gift. Don’t make a show of it. Don’t even ruminate on it so as to congratulate yourself.
I don’t believe the point is that we must not allow anyone, ever, to know of our gifts (or prayers or fasting). The point is that we are not to draw attention to ourselves in order to be praised by men. There are plenty of examples of giving publicly. Acts 4 is an example, as well as the woman who put in her last penny at the temple.
I heard recently of a man who wanted to put this left-hand-right-hand principle into action, so he would reach into his wallet with his eyes closed and pull out some money to put in the offering. He didn’t know if it was a $1 bill or a $100 bill. He’d put this in the offering, not knowing what he gave. This isn’t the point.
The point is that we should give alms in order to help the needy and for God’s glory alone.
This is the giving that God sees.
As many of you know, when you give online to Cornerstone, you have a few options for what your giving goes toward. We encourage giving at least 10% to the general ministry of the church (our church budget).
We also have a giving category for “Alms.” These funds operate a little differently than the General Budget. They are used to meet financial needs of church members. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the church distributed over $41,000 to families within the church with specific financial needs.
Dave Burnett serves tirelessly behind the scenes as the Deacon of Benevolence, seeking to understand the various needs and providing help where we can. He comes alongside the elders to help the church meet these needs.
Our church’s alms ministry is certainly not the only outlet for us to give alms to the poor, but it is one way. Perhaps the Lord might lead you to help assist others who are in financial need within our church through giving to Alms.
Just so you are aware, we also have an “Alms request fund” where members can inform the elders (and Dave Burnett) about specific financial needs you are aware of in the church.
You can find out more about giving alms at cornerstoneapex.org/give.
Now, let us consider the praying that God hears.
Matthew 6:5–8 (ESV)
Jesus gives us two separate contrasts in these four verses, one with the religious hypocrites and one with the Gentiles.
Perhaps no religious duty is as universal across all religions as prayer. Jesus is keen on helping us remember what prayer is and what it is not.
What exactly is Jesus critiquing about the “hypocrites” in verse 5? Notice that they “love to…pray.” That is commendable. They prayed in the synagogue and on the street corners. I don’t think Jesus is saying that these were inappropriate places to pray. We might find their posture of “standing” a little out of the ordinary, but even this is totally acceptable. The Bible encourages many different postures for prayer—kneeling, bowing, prostrate, standing, lifting holy hands.
Again, Jesus points out their wrong motive for their prayer. “They love to stand and pray…that they may be seen by others” (v. 5).
They are doing something commendable, but with the wrong heart. In truth, we might say that they have misunderstood what prayer actually is.
By definition prayer is a private communion with God, not a public manifestation of piety.
— Grant R. Osborne, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary, 232.
There is a danger to public praying. I certainly feel that as a pastor. This is a very convicting passage for me. When we pray publicly we do want to bless those who hear and lead them in prayer to the Sovereign God over all. But, it is certainly a temptation to sound super-spiritual or theologically sophisticated. We strive to have a private prayer life that supersedes our public one. I grew up in a Baptist church where I heard deacons praying in King James English every Sunday, which of course was not the way they talked.
What should we do while someone else is praying publicly? Pray! Remember that God hears. Remember that God is near. Remember that God knows our needs. Praise him. Confess sin. Thank him. Intercede for others.
Remember that praying publicly is part of the Christian life.
Jesus prayed publicly, even with the goal that those around would hear him. But, these prayers were for the glory of God.
The early church gathered for prayer.
Jesus critiqued the hypocrites, but also the Gentiles, who would babble on to get their god’s attention with repeated phrases or ceremonies.
This is not the repetition of the needy Christian who can’t quite find the words and needs the Spirit to intercede for us (Romans 8), but the pagan worshipper who doesn’t really understand the nature of a God who hears.
I love Jesus’ reason for why we don’t need to pray like the Gentiles.
Matthew 6:8 (ESV) — Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This is one of the beauties of Christian prayer. God knows. God sees. God cares. Hear these great truths about God’s nearness to us:
Deuteronomy 4:7 (ESV) — For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
Isaiah 65:24 (ESV) — Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
1 Peter 5:7 (ESV) — casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Psalm 139:1–6 (ESV) — O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
We don’t pray to force God to give us his attention. We pray because he is near, and he delights to give us what we ask.
Next week, Benjamin will be preaching on the Lord’s Prayer in vv. 9-13.
We have an opportunity tonight at 6:30pm to put these verses into practice.
We shouldn’t come in order to be seen by men, or to receive the praise of men. We shouldn’t try to sound more spiritual than the next person, or to use flowery language to get one another’s attention.
But, we should come boldly together to the throne of grace to find help in our time of need. We should come to commune with the God who sees, knows, loves, and answers.
We should come because God rewards those who diligently seek him.
We should strive to be faithful in the areas of giving, prayer, and fasting (Mike will preach about this in a few weeks).
Some of us may even benefit from purposefully measuring and planning ways we need to grow in these areas.
We know, however, that our access to God and salvation does not depend on our Objectives and Key Results or our SMART goals, but on the finished work of Christ. He has fulfilled all righteousness so that we may come to God by faith.
We must not miss the invitation from Jesus to give and pray and fast for the glory of God, the good of others, and for the reward that only He can give.
Here are some other recent messages.
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