Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel Lesson just read, from Matthew 6. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Over and over again God’s Word encourages us to engage in good and decent behavior, and to repent of and cease evil and wicked behavior. Much of our evil and wicked behavior has to do with attitude – being independent, self-willed, stubborn, selfish, easily angered, and proud. This “bad attitude” is then expressed in various behaviors – laziness, disobedience, being uncooperative, lashing out at others with our tongues, and perhaps even with our hands or fists.
- When we are taught that we should work hard and give to the needy, to provide for those in need, or that we should be pious and pray a great deal and to worship all the time, or that we should give generously in our offerings to the Lord, this is difficult for us to digest. We may be able to see the logic and rightness of good behavior, but our inner attitude is directly contrary to such selflessness, generosity, and deference to God.
- However, many of us learn – and often this is taught at church – that we can be praised for such behavior, even respected and exalted, and then we might consider giving some of it a try. And it often works – both at home and in the church – that when we do good things we are praised and appreciated and respected. For some of us, this is motivation enough, and we may even make this a permanent part of our self-image and self-esteem.
- But then we run into these teachings of Jesus found in our Gospel Lesson, and He ruins all of this! He indicates that if our motivation for doing good remains in any respect selfish and hypocritical, then there is absolutely no reward with God. And then when we consider whether a little bit of human praise over the course of this earthly life is really worth the discomfort of disciplining ourselves and overcoming our selfishness, we may be tempted to conclude that it is not!
- And then we are reduced to a simple decision, as to whether our “religious life” and our relationship with God will be one of “GRACE OR HYPOCRISY.” This is a concern not only shared by Jesus, but also all of the prophets and apostles of the Lord. And throughout Holy Scripture we are warned:
I. Let Us Not Receive God’s Grace In Vain
2 Cor. 6:1 “Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
Gal. 3:21,22 “For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
A. For We Were The Sinners, But Christ Knew No Sin
2 Cor. 5:21 “For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin.”
B. He Was Made To Be Sin For Us; We Have Become The Righteousness Of God In Him
2 Cor. 5:21 “For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Statement: So there is no way for us to commend ourselves to God on the basis of our good and decent behavior – all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are called to proper humility and repentance, and to receive the gracious forgiveness and salvation of God in Christ Jesus. Now we may be able to fool and manipulate others, foolish people who have no understanding, no repentance themselves, and no knowledge of the grace of God, but this will do us little good – soon we die and must give an account to God, and He will not be impressed by our works, especially not with those done merely to impress others.
Application: If we try this – and think that what impresses others, perhaps even within the church, and that this will somehow impress God and earn His favor – we are the biggest fools of all! God knows our sin, better even than we do. He knew that we could not save ourselves, so He sent His Son to save us. He knew that the only way to “take away” our sin and guilt was to lay it on Christ, and He knows that the only way in which we can be “righteous” in this life is to have Christ’s righteousness accounted to us. And this is what He has done for us in Christ Jesus. Now, because He has done this for us, and clearly offers this salvation to us, it is the height of ignorance, stubbornness, and rejection of God to live in hypocrisy!
Jesus warns us, and seeks to become our treasure – so that we may rejoice in His salvation and allow His love to transform our hearts and minds. Then our good works will not be done for the hypocritical satisfaction of others and for our own temporary benefit, but will be done out of gratitude and love for God, in deference to Him, seeking only to please Him.
Transition: So Jesus makes clear that:
II. There Is No Room Or Excuse For Hypocrisy
A. It Is Damnable To Elevate Ourselves Above Others So That We May Judge Them To Be Less Than We Are
Text: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father Who is in heaven.”
B. There Is No Excuse For Doing Such “Righteousnesses” – Donations, Prayer, Fasting, And Becoming Successful – Only To Be Seen And Admired By Others
Text: “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. . . . Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing . . . When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the streets corners, that they may be seen by others. . . When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.”
C. Remember: There Is No Real Benefit In Hypocrisy – It Yields A Cheap Reward
Text: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven . . . they have received their reward.”
D. But Living Humbly In God’s Grace, With Our Heart In The Right Place – With Him – Yields Our Father’s Reward
Text: “Your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. . . . so lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Statement: Because of God’s gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness, the salvation which He has provided for us in Christ Jesus, all of His promises to the humble, repentant, and believing, those who cling to and live by His grace alone, are sure and certain. It is to this that He invites all of us – as He also warns us against the absurdity and wickedness of hypocrisy. I’m sure it is also quite clear and apparent to all of you as to which kind of person is the more pleasant sort to be around. It is no different with God; in fact, the hypocritical “public achievers” are even more despicable to Him than they are to us.
Application: So let us heed the teachings of Jesus, the promises of God’s Word and the assurances of His salvation, so that our being and behaving is not motivated by a superficial desire to get others off of our back or to construct a basis for them to praise us, but is rather motivated by our experience of the richness and warmth of His love for us and gratitude for His gracious gift of forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation! Then our interface and relationship with God will be one of integrity, honesty, and deep-seated love – and the treasures we entrust to Him will endure forever.
Conclusion: Some people get stuck in experiences and perceptions of their youth, and never break out of the hypocrisy and superficiality that earned them at least some acceptance, respect, and satisfaction in their younger days. The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day were such.
By His warning, and by His grace, as we hear His Word and repent, and as we live in the warmth of His love, He will enable us to repent also of any and all hypocrisy that may be adhering to our hearts. Then it is certain that by His grace we will have treasures in heaven, fruit that our Father will also reward us for. God grant such genuineness and blessedness to each of us. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.