Sermon on the Mount (Part 3): A Sincere Life

Sermon on the Mount (Part 3): A Sincere Life

As we continue our study, we will consider how the life of a disciple is a sincere life. Though the word sincere is not used in the verses we will examine, it is certainly the concept under consideration. One who is sincere is one who says what he genuinely feels or believes and is not dishonest or hypocritical. A disciple of Christ cannot be a hypocrite. Our outward actions must be in harmony with our inward thoughts and motivations. The Pharisees were known for their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:2, 13) and Jesus said our righteousness must exceed theirs (Matthew 5:20). As He explained in these verses, the life of a disciple must be a sincere life.

Warning Against Seeking the Praise of Men

Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).

Why would a person not reveal with sincerity who they are and what they believe? It is because they are concerned with what others think of them. If they believe that others will not like who they genuinely are, they will portray themselves as being something else. Christians cannot be this concerned with what others think of them. Paul told the Corinthians, “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself” (1 Corinthians 4:3). Unfortunately, to many people, it is a matter of extreme importance what others think of them so they mold themselves to fit the expectations of others. As Christians, we must be content with being different from the world (Romans 12:2), even if others speak evil of us because of it (1 Peter 4:4).

Jesus issued a warning: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1). Of course, He had just said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). He did not contradict Himself here. There will be some things that we do that will be noticed by others. There is no way to avoid this; therefore, we are to let our light shine and be good examples to those around us. Jesus’ warning had to do with intent. He warned against practicing righteousness for the purpose of being noticed by men. When our purpose is to please God and bring glory to Him, then it is good for us to engage in good works. When our purpose is simply to be noticed by men, then our good deeds are worthless.

There is an important point in this verse – it is possible to do good and still be lost. Jesus said that some who practiced “righteousness” would “have no reward” from God. Simply performing the outward acts by themselves will not save us. We must obey God “from the heart” (Romans 6:17). In other words, we are to do good because we are motivated to please God and, therefore, want to do whatever He has instructed us to do. Even if no one else sees, God sees what we do. That should be enough for us.

Jesus then cited three examples of activities that could be done either for show or in sincerity. In each of these, we must examine ourselves and make sure we are serving Him in sincerity.

Helping with Sincerity

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:2-4).

Notice the actions of the ones that Jesus identified as hypocrites. They were giving to the poor, but they were drawing as much attention to themselves as possible so that others would see them and notice what they were doing (Matthew 6:2).

It is certainly possible to help the poor this way. When someone gives money to a beggar, whether he does so discreetly or with much fanfare, in the end the beggar still receives some money that can provide him with some temporary help. But as disciples of Christ, we must examine our motives. Is our intention simply to help the poor or is it to be recognized by others as helping the poor?

Jesus said we are to help in secret (Matthew 6:3-4). If no one is aware of what we are doing, that should be perfectly fine with us. We know that God sees and that He will reward us (Matthew 6:4). That ought to be enough for us.

Praying with Sincerity

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:5-8).

Again, notice the actions of the hypocrites. They were praying in a public place at a highly visible location (Matthew 6:5). They used “many words” so that they would be heard by men (Matthew 6:8).

As we noticed with those who would turn helping the poor into a show, it is possible to benefit others when these prayers were offered. If one is leading others in prayer, though his heart may be corrupt, his prayer may benefit those who are sincere that are being led in that prayer. But when praying in public, is our intent to offer prayers and supplications to God or is it to impress others with our eloquence?

Jesus said we are to pray in secret (Matthew 6:6). This does not mean we cannot offer public prayers or pray in a public place. The point is that private prayers should be private. If we do offer a prayer (not leading others in prayer in an assembly that has gathered for that purpose) in a public place (such as praying before a meal in a restaurant), we should do so discreetly and not make a show of it. Others may notice what we are doing, but we are not to pray in such a way as to draw more attention to ourselves. We should be praying to God, not to be noticed by others.

Also, Jesus said that we are to pray with simplicity, rather than using “meaningless repetition” and “many words” (Matthew 6:7). We do not need to try and impress anyone with our eloquence or verbosity. Remember what Jesus said: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Therefore, our prayers do not need to contain many unnecessary words; they just need to be offered in simplicity and sincerity.

Fasting with Sincerity

Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Jesus described the hypocrites as fasting and altering the way they look – putting on a gloomy face and neglecting their appearance – in order to make it obvious to others that they were fasting (Matthew 6:16). In their minds, this was a necessary component to fasting. They wanted others to know what they were doing.

As with helping the poor and praying, it is possible to do some good while fasting in this way. Others could see them fasting, be encouraged by the display, and be motivated to commit more fully to God themselves. However, we again need to examine our motives. Is our intention to fast in order to focus on spiritual things (such as prayer) or is it to draw attention to the show that we are making?

Jesus said that those who fast should do so in a way that their “fasting will not be noticed by men” (Matthew 6:18). Unlike the hypocrites who neglected their appearance, Jesus’ disciples were to “anoint [their] head and wash [their] face” (Matthew 6:17). Fasting is to be done in secret because it is between the one who fasts and God. God is unseen and sees what is unseen. He will reward the faithful, even if others do not notice what they do.

The Model Prayer

Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:9-15).

To go with what Jesus said earlier about not using meaningless repetitions or many words in prayer (Matthew 6:7-8), Jesus gave a model prayer. It is important to note that this is not “The Lord’s Prayer,” though many refer to it as such. The prayer Jesus gave is an example, not a special formula that we are to recite from memory – even in sincerity. But when we consider the prayer that He gave as an example, we see one that is very simple and straightforward. Simple does not mean insincere. Let us notice what Jesus said His disciples should include in their prayers:

  • Pray to praise God – “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). We must always recognize that God is worthy of our praise. The psalmist wrote, “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised” (Psalm 18:3). One of the ways we should express our praise to God is through prayer.
  • Pray for the kingdom – “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Today, our prayer for the kingdom will be worded a little differently than the way it was expressed by Jesus. The reason is because Jesus gave this example at a time in which the kingdom had not yet come; we live in a time in which the kingdom is here. The kingdom, which is the church (Matthew 16:18-19), was established on the day of Pentecost following Jesus’ death (Acts 2:47). Beginning then, and continuing today, all who become Christians are “transferred…to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). But the fact that the kingdom has now come does not mean that we no longer pray for it. Though we will not pray for it to come, we ought to pray for the church that it would grow and accomplish the work that God has given it to do.
  • Pray for God’s will to be done – “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). John assured us that the will of God will be accomplished: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15). Through our faith in God, we should recognize that prayers being answered according to God’s will, rather than our own will, is a benefit for us. Remember what God said through the prophet Isaiah: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
  • Pray for physical needs – “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). James reminded us that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). God is the one who “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). However, this does not mean that we can pray for “our daily bread,” then sit around and wait for God to miraculously give it to us. The Lord expects those who are able to work to do so in order to provide for themselves (2 Thessalonians 3:10). But even when we work to provide for ourselves, the fruit of our labor is “the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:19); so we should pray for these physical needs.
  • Pray for forgiveness – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Disciples have the assurance that when we sin, God will forgive us. John wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). However, we must acknowledge our sin if we hope to be forgiven. John continued, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). We must also be willing to forgive others if we want God to forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15).
  • Pray for guidance – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). After we pray for God not to lead us into temptation, we need to remember what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). God has promised to provide for us a way of escape so that we can overcome temptation; but we must we willing to look for that way of escape, recognize it, and then have the courage and conviction to take it.

This is not an exhaustive list of things that can be included in our prayers. But as we strive to be sincere in our service to God, we should approach Him in prayer with sincerity and pray in the same manner – though not the same words verbatim – as Jesus described here.

Conclusion

Hypocrisy is one of the most common excuses people give for refusing to listen to the truth. They see Christians as hypocrites and want no part of the truth or the church. Sadly, many professed Christians are hypocrites. But those who are truly disciples of Christ must live lives of sincerity – not just to keep from turning people away, but also to please the Lord.


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