Monday, November 23, 2020

The Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew - Giving Part 2

 

Text: Matthew 6:1-4 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds 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.”

We have said that chapter 5 dealt with the internal part of the Kingdom and Chapter 6 deals with the external part of the citizen of the Kingdom. Chapter 5 dealt with the righteousness we are to possess as Kingdom citizens, and chapter 6 shows the righteousness we are to practice.

Both emphasize the motive behind our behavior. 

The issues addressed – giving, prayer, fasting, treasures, and trust are all practical considerations. He starts with the emphasis on applying the Kingdom principles to real-life and powerfully applies it in verse 33. We will finish the first of these – giving today by looking at the reward.

Jesus tells us to give our gifts in secret, and God will reward us openly.

Everywhere I look people offer me rewards if I buy this or shop at their store, or buy gas at certain gas stations.  I am rewarded on my credit card if I buy a certain amount using their card. People at the Super Market ask me “Do you have a rewards card?”  How about – “Buy one get one free.”

Now we see that God has a rewards program also. At first glance, somehow that seems wrong to me. Surely heaven is enough reward and besides if all sin is regarded as the same and deserving of hell, how can good deeds then be rated on a scale, and rewarded accordingly, yet Matthew 6:1 says “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, FOR YOU WILL LOSE THE REWARD from your Father in heaven. “

But what was Christ’s view of the reward factor? When Jesus spoke of reward he was definitely not speaking of material rewards.

The first of the Christian rewards is satisfaction. Doing the right things, following Christ, pursuing goodness, seeking after Godliness, whatever else these may or may not bring they will bring satisfaction.

The second reward of Christianity is a paradox because it is more work to do. After a job well done the Christian reward is not rest and comfort and ease, at least not in this life. Instead, it is more work, greater demands, more strenuous endeavors, larger challenges. The rest will come, but as long as we tread this terrestrial ball there is still work to be done. Lives to touch, the sick to heal, souls to be saved.

Our third reward then is a vision of God, that final rest. All of heaven, the streets of gold, the pearl gates, the mansions, the crystal sea all of those things will dim in our eyes when we see God. And we will look forward to see him because through our Christian experience we will have walked with him and talked with him.

There’s a television ad during football games that features an athlete running up the steps of an empty stadium. No one is watching, but he’s really sweating and grinding it out in discipline. The ad points out that he’s going through all that hard work so that he can receive the reward of winning on the weekend.

God asks us to discipline our lives, to deny self and take up the cross so that we can be true disciples of Jesus Christ. 

He promises that, while we’re saved by grace and not works, we are going to be rewarded for our works.

We will be rewarded in Heaven for what we do here, and then when we stand before Jesus, we will be like the twenty-four elders of Revelation 4:10-11 “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, they lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Jesus is helping us to see that God sees everything we do – and the motive for doing it. 

It should cause fear to rise up in our hearts that God is seeing everything – that visible and that invisible that we do.

But it should also excite us to the truth of receiving rewards from Him in Heaven.

So, the Rules of giving: Sincerely and Secretly. 

The Reward of giving: Openly acknowledged by the Father.

That is what it is all about, laying our rewards down at the feet of Jesus, because he deserves the glory and praise for it, because without Him in us, none of us would be good or do good, it is just not in us.

We will start tomorrow considering Jesus and Praying.

 

 

 

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