For Show or for Real

Matthew 6:1-18

Flip The Script 06 | Kathy Resler Chambliss | pastor | wyoming campus | first aired on 02.09.20

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. —Matthew 6:1

I. God

A. For show: Giving to be recognized by other people

When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. —Matthew 6:2

B. For real: Giving to seek only the recognition of God

But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. —Matthew 6:3-4

II. God

A. For show: Praying to impress other people or with meaningless repetition

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. —Matthew 6:5

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! —Matthew 6:7-8

B. For real: Praying to know God more deeply through private prayer and through simple and direct words

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. —Matthew 6:6
“Meditation on a passage of Scripture keeps me from being distracted in prayer.” —Tim Keller

III. God

A. For show: Fasting to be admired by other people as a person of great faith

And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. —Matthew 6:16

B. For real: Fasting to keep it between you and God, trusting in His faithfulness

But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. —Matthew 6:17-18

Self-examination questions:

How much do you struggle with seeking public praise for your spiritual habits?
How equipped do you feel to pray meaningful prayers?

Challenge:

Give, pray or fast this week with the motive of giving God the praise and not yourself.

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