SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Practicing Righteousness
June 30, 2024
Pastor Ethan Hedberg
Scripture: Matthew 6:1-18
Introduction
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Matthew 6:1-18
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him…. 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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Hypocrite. Be yourself before God. Don’t act more righteous than you actually are.
Revelation 3:1
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:15
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.Notes:
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Secret. Worship God in private. Don’t feel the need to prove your faith to others.
Matthew 6:3-4
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret.
Matthew 6:6-8
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen… 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:17-18
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen;
Pastor John Stott
“It is because of human cowardice that made Jesus say, ‘Let your light shine before men’, and because of human vanity which made him tell us to ‘beware of practicing our piety before men’.”
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Reward. God will reward your spiritual devotion. Don’t seek to get rewarded by people.
Matthew 6:18
…and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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Final Reflections
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