School of the Bible - Sermon on the Mount 5

  • Nick & Deirdre Maritz
  • Feb 24, 2009
  • Series: School of the Bible - Sermon on the Mount

Lesson 5 - Doing Good

Outline:

  • 1. Hypocritical Giving
  • 2. Prayer
  • 3. Fasting
  • 4. Laying up Treasure
  • 5. The Lamp of the Body
  • 6. Serving God or Riches
  • 7. Don't Stress
  • 8. Judging
  • 9. The Golden Rule
  • 10. Ask, Seek, Knock
  • 11. Throwing Pearls to Pigs
  • 12. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
  • 13. Conclusion - Building the House

1. Hypocritical Giving

Matthew 6:1-4

1.1 The sounding of the trumpet was to be taken literally as in the time of Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees sounded a trumpet to demand everyone's attention as they gave away money.

1.2 Jesus calls them hypocrites, the first of four times he uses the word in the Sermon on the Mount. (See Matthew 6:5; 6:16 & 7:5)

1.3 Defining Hypocrisy:

  • 1.3.1 The word hypocrite comes from the word hupokrites, a word used in the Greek theatre.  
  • 1.3.2 Actors would wear masks based on the role played: one has a big smile which represents comedy, and one has a big frown which represented tragedy. The person who spoke from behind the mask was called a hypocrite. 
  • 1.3.3 The word hypocrite literally means "to speak from behind the mask." In other words the person behind the mask is different than the mask, his behaviour is inconsistent with his belief or what he knows to be right.  
  • 1.3.4 Hypocrisy: a simulation of virtue or goodness; a hypocrite is someone who conceals his true feelings, (his action on the outside goes against his conviction); a pretender. 
  • 1.3.5 When someone tries to perform, act holy, do things with the wrong motives it is hypocrisy.

1.4 Aspects of Hypocrisy

  • 1.4.1 Hypocrisy is based on legalism - a striving for false purity. Luke 13:10-17 
  • 1.4.2 Hypocrisy is contagious. Luke 12:1
  • 1.4.3 Hypocrites cannot fool God. Mark 12:15  
  • 1.4.4 Hypocrisy limits effectiveness. Luke 6:42 
  • 1.4.5 Believers are to lay down hypocrisy. 1 Peter 2:1; Romans 12:9 

1.5 Hypocritical giving is therefore giving in order to impress man and will not produce biblical results. God cannot be fooled so it basically is ineffective.

  • 1.5.1 This does not mean that no one should ever see a believer give as he should "let his light shine", it refers to the attitude of the heart.

2. Prayer

Matthew 6:5-9

2.1 Notice they love to pray "standing in the synagogues" and "in the corners of the sheets".

  • 2.1.1 If a person wants maximum exposure, he should stand on the street corners; that's where the two roads cross. That's where they prayed.  
  • 2.1.2 Jesus called them hypocrites because they were not doing it to God, they were doing it unto men.

2.2 How much charismatic prayer is just vain repetition and therefore hypocritical?

Note: The Lord's Prayer will be covered in a course on Prayer.

3. Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18

3.1 Fasting is like prayer, it must come from the heart.

3.2 One should not fast in order to please God, neither does fasting move God.

3.3 However, fasting keeps the flesh in its place and puts us in a position to hear from God.

Most people who think they are fasting are actually on hunger strikes!

Matthew 9:14 

4. Laying up Treasure

Matthew 6:19-21

4.1 Here Jesus is not talking against prosperity - He is contrasting hoarding with wise application of biblical principles.

4.2 Two interesting references He uses are moths and rust:

  • 4.2.1 Moths attack clothing, meaning that believers should not hoard clothing. 
  • 4.2.2 Nor should they store up metal objects like silver and gold as this is where rust corrupts.

Proverbs 6:6-11

4.3 Note that the ant, who is used as an example to follow, "gathers in order to later provide!", meaning that there is a time to store but never a time to hoard!

Luke 1215-21

4.4 Note again the contrast here between hoarding (not being rich toward God) and laying up treasure for himself.

5. The Lamp of the Body

Matthew 6:22

5.1 The eye here speaks of the mind or the thoughts.

5.2 We must be single-minded, having a single purpose! A single purpose of serving God.

5.3 When we have impure thoughts or ulterior motives, then our lights are actually darkness, no matter what we say.

Matthew 23: 1-12

5.4 This is a very serious indictment for leadership - their light was in fact darkness.

Romans 2:17-24

6. Serving God or Riches

Matthew 6:24

6.1 Mammon is the Chaldean god of money.

6.2 Money in itself is not evil, it is when someone serves it that it becomes a problem. Setting our eyes on the Lord alone will mean that money will be there.

Who do you work for? God? Your boss? Money?

A person should not work for money - money should work for him!

James 4:12-5:6; James 2:1-9

7. Don't Stress

Matthew 6:25-34

7.1 In the same way that a resident of Palestine at the time of Jesus would have expected to see lilies in the field, in the same way we expect to see grass in fields so we should expect to have our basic needs met.

  • 7.1.1 We should not worry about them, being as surprised when they are not there as when we wake up and there is no grass!

7.2 Little faith - we need to grow beyond having to believe God for basics - we must grow up in faith.

Philippians 4:6-7