Matthew 6:1-4 “Take heed (beware) that you do not do your charitable deeds (righteousness) before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
As we have been studying for the past couple of weeks, this passage of Scripture reveals that surpassing righteousness is not merely found in our avoidance of sinful actions, but it is found in the motives of our hearts. Jesus begins this passage by saying, “Beware that you do not do your righteousness before men, to be seen by them.” He is saying, “Your worship must be to God and for God, it must be a response to seeing His greatness and receiving His love, it cannot ever be an instrument to get what you want form Him or to have men see you as you want to be seen. Today we will move with Jesus and take the first statement of warning into Jesus’ first announced action of worship: giving. How often do we think of giving as worship? Jesus is defining for us how to “do righteousness” and He begins by teaching us how not to give like hypocrites. Usually when we talk about worship we are talking about raising our hands or not raising our hands when we sing, about hymns or choruses, speaking in tongues in private or in public, loud music or soft music, fast songs or slow songs; Jesus says: “Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be seen by them . . . when you give to the poor do not sound a trumpet like the hypocrites do.” This morning very briefly we are going to attempt to answer three questions that I believe will reveal giving as worship: Why do we give? How do we give? And how is giving rewarded?