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.
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