Our Father invites us into a more robust relationship with him—we will hear that call over the next two studies.

• We must consider the danger of good works.
  • Chapter 5 warned of the danger of evil works.
  • Chapter 6:1-18 warns of the danger of good works (done with the wrong motivation).
• Musical and organized section:
  • Theme statement about how to practice righteousness (6:1) followed by three illustrations regarding practicing your righteousness before your Father in heaven (6:2-18).
• Our plan:
  • Next week: The Lord’s prayer
  • Today: The three illustrations—giving, prayer, and fasting.

The Theme Statement

1 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.

• Aren’t we supposed to let our light shine before others? (reconciling Matthew 5:16 and 6:1)

• • • 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. (Matt. 5:16)
    • Key phrase in 6:1: In order to be seen by them.
      • Seen: from the root word for “theater.”
      • Hypocrites (3x in passage): stage masks.
      • This is performative godliness/spirituality/religion.

• Key: Do your good works for God’s glory, not your own.

• • • Practice your righteousness for the Father, not for yourself.
    • Show when tempted to hide; hide when tempted to show.
• We have a Father in heaven.
  • 10x mentions of “Father” in Matthew 6:1-18.
    • Note: Others are mentioned 7x in this passage.
  • Throughout the passage, he sees and rewards in secret, signifying a personal, close, transcendent relationship.
  • This is a massive reality made possible by the blood of the Son.

Main Point: The Fatherhood of God is our Controlling Center (6:1)

• He is our true audience, so we don’t need to practice our righteousness in order to be seen by other people.
• He is the One deserving of glory, so we don’t want to steal glory for ourselves.
• He has better rewards, so we live before him to receive the reward that comes from our Father in heaven.

So we resist theatrical religion (performative godliness)—we live for our Father.

Does the desire for rewards sound un-Christian or non-biblical to you?

• 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. (Heb. 11:6)

• A biblical hierarchy of motivation: 

• • 1. Gratitude for Grace (Matthew 20:1–28)
  • 2. Responsive Love (1 John 4:7–21).
  • 3. Emulation of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)
  • 4. Preservation of Joy (Psalm 51:12)
  • 5. Rewards (already, not yet)

Sub-point 1. We Serve Others For Our Father (6:2-4)

Note: Because the Fatherhood of God is our controlling center, we serve others for him, resisting the temptation to serve others for our own praise.

2 “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. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Giving to the poor is heralded all throughout Scripture.

• Mosaic Law:
  • Principles: leave the edge of the crop for the poor and the foreigner (Lev. 19:9-10, Deut. 24:19-21).
  • Tithes: every third year they gave it to the landless temple workers, foreigners, fatherless, and widows (Deut. 14:28-29).
• Psalms/Wisdom Literature: consistently celebrate the generous giver and condemn the one who withholds from the poor (Ps. 112:9; Prov. 19:17, 29:7).
• James: faith is proved dead without it (Jas. 1:27, 2:14-17).

The hypocrites gave in a way that got them attention.

• They sounded a trumpet to alert everyone to their good deed!
  • Graphic hyperbole—they broadcasted their own generosity, tooting their own horn!
• Jesus: their outward religiosity masks their internal drive for glory and personal celebration.

They received their reward.

• They have received their reward: Receipt language—paid in full.
• They were praised by others.
• Today:
  • Social media
  • Strategic generosity designed to amplify reputation
  • Matter of the heart

We should practice secret-service.

• Hyperbole: not even our left hand knows what our right hand is doing!
• No external trumpets, nor internal singing.

What reward do we get from our Father for secretly serving others?

• Greater closeness
  • It is powerful to serve others with, for, and because of the Father.
• Inner transformation
  • Victory: over the power of money / over the power of possessions / over the power of comfort / over the false-security money can provide
  • Deeper compassion for people.
• Future blessings
  • His eternal riches and provision.

Sub-point 2. We Pray to Our Father (6:5-15)

Note: Because the Fatherhood of God is our controlling center, we can pray to him as our Father in heaven, resisting the temptation to pray in ways designed to impress others.

5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For 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. 6 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.

The hypocrites do performative prayer.

• Hilarious: they time their lives so they are in the place of highest visibility at the hour of prayer, all so the maximum number of people hear them.
  • They love for others to notice how spiritual they are.
  • Temptation follows us all the way into our prayer life!
• These hypocrites made it seem like they just couldn’t wait to pray, spontaneously bowing all the time and raising their voices up to God.

Note: Not all public prayer is hypocritical, but some public prayer is.

• Jesus prayed in public.
• Bible: often records public prayers.
• Spurgeon: opening prayer should not exceed 20 minutes!

We should practice secret prayer.

• • Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret:
    • Room: an inner, windowless storeroom was the only lockable additional room in an ancient first-century Palestinian house.
  • Contemporary meaning: have a space to seek the Lord.
    • Jesus’ “room” was often the wilderness or mountaintops (Mark 1:35-37).
    • Warning: the life-is-prayer view is often an excuse for not really praying at all.
      • Example: Just as you need to turn the ignition to drive the car, so you need to set aside a time of prayer to actually pray all day.
      • Could “pray without ceasing” mean that the church—1 Thessalonians was written to a congregation, after all—should never stop our prayer practices and prayer meetings? (1 Thes. 5:17)

• Jesus turns the temple/tabernacle framework upside down—we can go into our own space to meet with God!

What reward do we get from our Father for secretly praying to him?

• Help, encouragement, changed outcomes, heart transformation, reduced anxiety, heavenly focus, deeper dependence on God, spiritual passion, friendship with the living God, and more.

Sub-point 3. We Practice Spiritual Disciplines Before Our Father (6:16-18)

Note: Because the Fatherhood of God is our controlling center, we practice spiritual disciplines before him, resisting the temptation to build our reputation with others as spiritually disciplined people.

16 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. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 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.

Fasting: biblical context

• The Old Testament mandated one nationwide fast each year on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-34, 23:26-32).
• Individuals—Moses, Elijah, David, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah—also fasted for specific reasons.
• What did fasting look like?
  • No food (and often, no water).
  • Often: no shaving, washing, anointing, or intercourse (Lev. 16:29-24, 23:26-32).
  • Synonym: “afflict yourselves” (Lev. 16:29-24, 23:26-32).
• Fasting: Abstinence from an appetite for the purpose of seeking God—often in response to a spiritual emergency, often with a spirit of repentance, and often as a community.

The hypocrites did performative fasting.

• By Jesus’ day:
  • The Pharisees practiced a normal fast for 24-hours twice each week, Mondays and Thursdays.
• Hilarious: they disfigure their faces.

We should practice our spiritual disciplines in secret.

• Disfigure: No advertising allowed.
• Anoint/Wash: In fact, counter-advertising is required!

For various reasons, we don’t talk about fasting all that often in contemporary Christianity.

• Reason 1: Only an annual and occasional practice in the Old Testament.
• Reason 2: Only occasionally appears in the New Testament church (Acts) but is notably absent in the epistles.
• Reason 3: Jesus said things to allow and expect fasting among his church, but still didn’t emphasize it.
  • Jesus: The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast (Matt. 9:15).
• Reason 4: A Protestant overcorrection to ascetic traditions in Roman Catholicism rather than a careful reading of Scripture.
• Conclusion: But just because it isn’t mentioned often and some have overemphasized it doesn’t mean it’s without benefit.

What reward do we get from our Father for secretly practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting?

• 1. Deeper communion and focused prayer (Ezra 8:21-23; Neh. 1:4; Acts 13:2-3; 14:23)
• 2. Humility and repentance (Lev. 16:29-34; Neh. 9:1-2; Daniel 9:3-4; Joel 2:12-13)
• 3. Self-mastery and resistance to temptation (1 Cor. 6:12; 9:27; Gal. 5:16-17)
• Note: Let fasting be a stand in for all spiritual disciplines.

Some counsel on how to fast:

• Do not disregard normal dietary concerns.
• Do not have an unhealthy view of fasting—this is not a health fast or a cleanse.
• Don’t have high expectations during the fast.
• Start small and build up.

Conclusion

• Others / God / Self
• No room for spiritual elitism—all are called into this life.
  • When you give
  • When you pray
  • When you fast
• Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. — Jesus
  • The secret life of faith is a rewarded life by the Father.
  • It is a life won for us by the Father’s only Son—grace makes the way!