Matthew 6:16-24: “Jesus States That We Should Never Do Good
Deeds To Be Seen By Men / Jesus Gives Some Requirements For Those Who Would
Seek To Follow Him”
by
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In this
next section of the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus again takes up the theme of doing
deeds in order to be seen of men vs doing them just to please the Father
1.1.1. Before, He had used the example of praying long and
loud in public sight to be seen of men vs praying alone to the Father who sees
in secret, and secondly the sound of the trumpet when giving charitable alms vs
giving alms secretly and selflessly
1.1.2. Here, Jesus uses the example of fasting in order to be
seen of men vs fasting for the purpose of prayer and seeking the Lord privately
and secretly
2.
VS 6:16-18 - “16 “And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy
face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be
seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17
“But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face 18 so that you
may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your
Father who sees in secret will repay you”” - Jesus uses the example of ‘fasting’ to teach further about forsaking
‘hypocrisy’ and ‘making a show of religion’
2.1.
Note first of all
that Jesus does not command us to fast, but rather He gives us guidelines to
follow whenever we should fast
2.2.
Jesus assumed
that we Christians would and should fast, and it is really too bad that there
are not more Christians today who are disciplined in their lives such that they
find times for fasting
2.3.
This is really
the same teaching (but different application) that Jesus already gave in this
sermon concerning the giving of alms and the praying in secret to the Lord
2.4.
There were two
things illustrated here that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were teaching
and doing errantly in the practice of their religion
2.4.1. There was hypocrisy in their deeds
2.4.1.1.Using the example of their fasting, Jesus teaches here
that the Jews would dress and act as if they were fasting, when in fact they
were not
2.4.1.1.1.Even if they did abstain from some or even all food, their hearts were certainly
not in the place they should be when a person fasts.
2.4.1.1.1.1.They were not using the opportunity of fasting to spend
dedicated and focused time in prayer and seeking of the Lord
2.4.2. Their deeds were done in order to be seen of men
2.4.2.1.They were really concerned about appearing before men
to be fasting and thus seeming to be living holy and righteous lives before the
Lord
2.4.2.1.1.They would not wash their faces, or probably bathe or
wash their clothes so that they might look like they were really into this
fasting thing, when in fact they were not
2.5.
Jesus gives His
disciples ‘guidelines’ to follow when they would fast:
2.5.1. They were to anoint their head and wash their face and
appear just as they would on any other day
2.5.2. Their fast was to be something that was just between
them and the Lord, not something that they were to broadcast or go out of their
way to show that they were doing
2.6.
In application of
this teaching, and I believe that this is a principle that Jesus is teaching
here that can be applied in many ways, there are some lessons which we
Christians should learn. We Christians should keep secret between us and the
Lord
2.6.1. The sacrifices we make
2.6.2. The burdens we have to carry
2.6.3. The amount of the load we have to shoulder
2.6.4. Even the great things that the Lord does through us
and our ministries
2.7.
Knowing these
things, still it is so easy for us to suddenly bring up a subject in
conversation with someone that leads us to begin talking about ourselves in an
unappropriate way concerning these areas, so for the Lord’s sake we must be
careful to regulate the things that come out of our mouths
2.8.
Jesus gives a
promise to those who do deeds just to be seen by the Lord in secret:
2.8.1. The Father who sees in secret will reward them
2.9.
Jesus gives a
promise to those who do deeds in order to be seen by men:
2.9.1. There will be no reward for them when and if they get
to heaven, for they already have their reward ‘in full’
3.
INTRO:
3.1.
In these
next verses, Jesus brings up what I believe was one of His favorite topics,
namely, the importance of living for and spending our time and energies with
the things that have eternal value
3.2.
We
Christians sometimes lose our perspective in the midst of life, and we begin to
be concerned too much about the here and now, and there are many things in the
here and now that can bring this about in our lives
4.
VS 6:19-21 - “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also”” - Jesus tells His disciples not to lay up treasures for themselves upon
earth
4.1.
Jesus tells us
why it is foolish to lay up treasures on earth:
4.1.1. Treasures of every type are subject to the natural
corruption and corrosion that occurs to all things upon this earth: moth and rust destroy
4.1.1.1.A person who lives for the things of this world must
continually be concerned to accumulate riches upon this earth since everything
is naturally and continually corrupting all of the time and losing their value
4.1.2. Thieves can break in and steal treasures that we have
worked so hard to accumulate
4.1.2.1.Riches upon this earth require so much of our time and
energy, and yet once accumulated they can in one way or another so easily
depart from us
4.1.2.1.1.Those who build up riches must then spend huge amounts
of time keeping them
4.1.2.2.How often in our day have we heard about men and women
doing desperate things such as, for instance, committing suicide after losing
their wealth
4.1.2.2.1.In the news in the past weeks has been a professional
football player who was arrested for allegedly hiring the contract murder of
his girlfriend who is carrying his baby.
He evidently did this because he felt the woman was gouging him for
money and he didn’t want to have to pay child support for this child for the
rest of his life. Yet, even if this man
did pay out humongous amounts of child support for this child, I’m sure he
would still have made in a year’s time more money than I will ever make in my
life time.
4.1.2.2.2.A year or more back there was a man who traded stock
via the E-trade on the internet, this very risky yet potentially greatly
profitable way to invest money, and when he lost his fortune he loaded his
revolver and went down to the stock broker’s office he had traded through and
began killing everyone he could find
4.1.2.3.You see, these examples show because of the fleeting
nature of riches the futility of living for the goods of this world
4.2.
Jesus teaches us
that whatever it is that we spend our life, time, and resources accumulating or
developing, whatever treasure that may be, that is the thing that also takes
our heart and affections
4.2.1. Where we place our time, energy, and resources is that
which we truly value in our life
4.3.
The positive
statement to be taken here is that we ought to lay for ourselves treasures in
heaven which can never be taken away from us or lose their value
4.3.1. Sometimes God blesses us with things not so that we
will keep them for ourselves but rather give them to meet other’s needs
4.4.
It is worth
prayerfully pondering as to how much God wants us to save and store up the
world’s goods for the future, vs use them with God’s guidance in the here and
now
4.4.1. We must remember that He wants to use us as a channel
of His blessing in the world
4.5.
I was recently
convicted by the Lord during one of our Sunday after church fellowship lunches
that we usually have with our friends at church, about how little of the things
that I shared or was concerned about actually had eternal value
4.5.1. We all should try to use these types of fellowship
times to encourage each other in our walk in the Lord and in spiritual things
4.5.2. My question to you is, ‘What percentage of the things
that you bring up in conversation really has to do with the things that have
eternal importance?’
4.5.3. I don’t mean by saying these things that we are not to
enjoy recreation, having fun, and some of the pleasures that are available to
us, I just think that we should be challenged to put things in perspective and
realize the greater importance of the eternal things
5.
VS 6:22-23 - “22 “The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore
your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 “But if your eye
is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that
is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”” - Jesus teaches His disciples that they are to have a ‘clear’ eye
5.1.
“Clearness” here
refers to single-mindedness or focused attention, and in fact this word
translated here as ‘clear’ can also be translated as ‘single’, as some
translations have rendered it
5.1.1. In order for us to be effective disciples, we must be
single-minded and have our focus intent upon the Lord and following Him in
everything in our lives
5.2.
Jesus says that
if we have a ‘clear’ eye (and are therefore single-minded and focused upon the
Lord and the things of God) that our ‘whole body will be full of light’
5.2.1. This means that we will be a repository of
enlightenment and overflowing life from the Lord
5.3.
The eye that is
bad is the eye that is not clear or focused, but rather one which results from
double-mindedness, or wanting to follow the Lord while also allowing ourselves
to be allured into desiring the world and the things of the world as well
5.4.
Jesus gives the
following warning to the person who is double-minded and thus does not have a
clear eye:
5.4.1. His whole body is full of darkness
5.4.1.1.The compromised life is not one which is partially
enlightened or partially blessed by God
5.4.2. The light this is within him is ‘darkness’
5.4.2.1.The deeds of darkness are the deeds that resemble
those done by the prince of darkness, and thus they include all pride, lust,
and rebellion
5.4.2.2.Satan himself works through the rebellious person,
giving them inspiration and motivation for their evil deeds
5.4.3. It is a ‘great’ darkness that is within him
5.5.
A couple of years
ago after returning from our church plant in Montana (having turned the church
over to another pastor) and returning to Seattle, I have to be honest that I
had a spiritual struggle. This happened
because having had to pastor plus work for those years while planting the
church in
6.
VS 6:24 - “24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and mammon”” - Jesus teaches that it is impossible to have two masters in one’s life
6.1.
Jesus does not
teach that one should not have two masters, but that one cannot have two
masters, it is an impossibility
6.1.1. This is true of slaves in the world today, for no
slave can have two masters, for he is the full-time employee of one master
already. We who are saved are slaves of
Jesus Christ.
6.1.2. When we belong to God, He is wanting to lead us to be
obedient in and led by Him in every area of our life. Therefore, if He is our master we cannot but
be totally committed to Him.
6.2.
It is not clear
here what ‘mammon’ specifically refers to, but some believe it means:
6.2.1. money
6.2.2. wealth
6.2.3. the goods of this world
6.2.4. anything that would take us our attention off of the
Lord
6.3.
If a so-called
Christian begins to also serve the world and the things of this world, Jesus
teaches that eventually he must give himself totally to them and despise the
Lord, or he will begin to increasingly love the world and hate the Lord in
comparison
6.3.1. There is no standing still as a Christian. We are either growing closer to the Lord
being evermore committed and faithful to Him, or we are falling away from the
Lord growing more and more distant to Him and in love with the world.
6.4.
The person will
be most miserable who wants to serve the Lord but also walk in the ways of the
world, for he will have just enough of the world to cause him to be
dissatisfied, and enough of religion to be filled with so much guilt that he
will not be able to enjoy walking in the ways of the world