Kingdom Living Series

The Audience of ONE

Fettes Park Baptist Church18th May 2014

Alvin Chew

Matthew 6:1-18

Matthew 6:1-4

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others

to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from

your Father in heaven.2 “So when you give to the needy, do

not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the

synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly

I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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.

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward

you.

Matthew 6:5-85 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they

love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street

corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have

received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your

room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward

you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like

pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many

words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you

need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:9-159 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,10 your

kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into

temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not

forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:16-1816 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for

they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly

I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when

you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it

will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to

your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is

done in secret, will reward you.

Background

• The inauguration of the kingdom of God on

earth through the arrival of Jesus.

• The availability of the kingdom life to all

mankind.

• The good life (abundant life) can be

experienced through Jesus (John 10:10).

Two things need to be aware of..

1. The Lure of Religious Honors (Mt 6:1-18)

2. The Lure of Earthly Treasures (Mt 6:19-24)

The Lure of Religious Honor

Jesus used 3 examples in the Jewish Customs:

• Alms-giving (Deut 14:28)

• Praying

• Fasting (Luke 18:12)

Their Model of Religious Piety

Religious Honor is Alluring

• Positions in the Synagogue.

• Religious Titles.

• And other “fringe benefits” that

come along with it.

Desire for Religious Honor Today

• Does it exist in our church

culture today?

Our Fallen Nature is drawn it

• In every human being, there

is an innate desire to want

to be respected, honored

and esteemed by others.

The Aim of this Teaching by Jesus..

• To address this core issue in our inmost

being.

Kingdom Giving (Mt 6:1-4)

Don’t be like..

The Hypocrites: They announce it

with trumpets in the synagogues and on

the streets to be honored by others.

Give in Secret:When you give do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing

If you do you will have no reward from

your Father in Heaven

How? Why?

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1

The Meaning of no reward..

• Refer to our rewards in heaven?

• He probably mean His participation.

Keyword to gain a deeper understanding

• Keyword: Hypocrite

• Context of the word in Greek

means an “actor” or an “actress”.

The Motive of an Actor

• To impress

• To become famous

• For personal gain

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward (from men) in full. (Mt 6:2)

The point is..

• God will not be impressed with our exhibitionism.

• God looks at our heart.

• God judges our inner life, our thoughts and motives

and rewards us accordingly.

When you give..

When you give to the needy, do not let your left

hand know what your right hand is doing, so

that you giving may be in secret and your Father who

sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Teaching the Kingdom Giving Principle

• It’s not about giving in a legalistic sense.

• It’s not the “hows”, but the “whys” – It’s the

motive of Giving.

• Outlaying the principle of the Audience of ONE.

• This is the essence of Kingdom Giving.

Kingdom Giving

Don’t be like..

Pharisees They stand in Synagogues &

Street Corners to be seen

Pray in Secret:Your Father in

Heaven is unseen

Kingdom Praying (Mt 6:5-6)

God is Spirit. We relate to God in our

Spirit

How? Why?

Don’t be like..

Kingdom Praying (Mt 6:7-8)

Pagans They babble with

many words when they pray

Pray intelligibly: Your Father

knows what you need even before

you ask Him

Prayer is not mechanical

utterances. It is an honest & intelligent conversation with

God.

How? Why?

Kingdom praying and its efficacy is entirely a matter of

the innermost heart’s being totally open and honest

before God.

The Essence of Kingdom Praying

Dallas Willard

What it is not saying..

• It is not forbidding us from praying in public.

Don’t be like..

Kingdom Fasting (Mt 6:16-18)

How? Why?

The Hypocrites: Look somber,

disfigure their faces to show people they are fasting.

Fast in Secret:Wash your face,

gel your hair, brush your teeth, don’t let others know that you

are fasting.

You will receive reward from your

Father in Heaven if your fasting is in

secret

Understand Kingdom Fasting

• A fundamental Christian discipline.

• General understanding: Abstinence of food or water for

a period of time.

• Jesus fasted for 40 days – He taught us a great principle

about fasting. (Mt 4:4)

Kingdom Fasting

• Divine sustenance by God. (Deut 8:2-4)

• Feasting on Jesus. (John 6:26-51)

• A spiritual discipline that builds the inner-man.

In a Nutshell

• To be free of control by the opinion of others (in a good

sense).

• Paul used the word “ophthalmodoulian” twice in

Colossians 3:22 & Ephesians 6:6 which means “eye-

service” or to be enslaved by eyes.

In a Nutshell

• The effect of human approval is to push the presence of

God aside as irrelevant and to subject ourselves to the

human kingdom.

• The discipline of secrecy will help us break the grip of

human opinion over our souls and action.

Colossians 3:22-24 (Read together)

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it,

not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor,

but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working

for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that

you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It

is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Ephesians 6:5-7 (Read together)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,

and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on

you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your

heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the

Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will

reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they

are slave or free.