The Sermon on the Mount primarily addresses the issue of righteousness. Jesus speaks of hungering and thirsting for it (Matt. 5:6); He addresses being persecuted for it (Matt. 5:10); seeking it (Matt. 6:33) and making sure you have the right kind of it (Matt. 5:20). What is one of the keys to insuring ‘right righteousness?’ How can know our ‘works’, the things we try to accomplish for other people, are the right kind of works? The answer is in making sure our motives are pure.

Matthew 6:1 (KJV)
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

• “What kind of admonition is this?
• Is this a serious commandment from the lips of Jesus or is it just a casual caution?
• For groundwork sake, it’s important not to plug your definition of New Testament righteousness (that is ‘being able to stand in the presence of God as if you have never sinned’) into these verses or you will miss what is going on here.
• This verse is not referring to positional righteousness but to functional ‘walk it out on planet earth’ righteousness.
• He is talking about spiritual disciplines that come from your position of righteousness.
• Or, saying it another way, ‘the areas of life that you are involved in because you are saved.’
• Jesus gives us three ‘sample’ disciplines.
  • Giving
  • Prayer
  • Fasting
• With the understanding that we are talking personal and devotional disciplines, you can translate this verse like this and not do it any damage…

Matthew 6:1 (KJV)
¹ Take heed that ye do not your alms (righteous actions) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

• Some word definitions will help us further clarify what Jesus is saying in this verse.

The Word ‘Beware’

• The word ‘beware’ is not a casual word.
• It means to be concerned about; pay attention to, heed, be careful of; occupy oneself with
• We can understand the intensity of the word ‘beware’ by looking the company the word it keeps in the New Testament.

Matthew 7:15 (KJV)
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Matthew 10:17 (KJV)
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Mark 12:38 (KJV)
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

Luke 12:1 (KJV)
1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Luke 12:15 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Philippians 3:2 (KJV)
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Colossians 2:8 (KJV)
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

2 Peter 3:17 (KJV)
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

• Beware of…
  • False prophets
  • Religious persecutors and hypocrites
  • Covetousness
  • False teachers
  • Worldly doctrine
  • Wickedness
• So, when Jesus uses the word ‘beware’ here in Matthew 6:1, we should stand up and take notice.
• ‘Beware’ of parading your righteousness. It’s not a good God thing.

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The Word ‘Practicing or Doing your alms’

The word do in the phrase ‘do your alms’ means to do, make; act; to carry out an obligation of a moral or social nature, do, keep, carry out, practice, commit. ¹

• The New Jerusalem Bible and the Revised English Bible translate this word as ‘to parade.’
• By putting this all together Matthew 6:1 now looks like this.

Matthew 6:1 (ESV)
1 “Beware be sure to pay attention to, be very careful, of practicing, parading your righteous(ness) actions before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

• Jesus is talking about parading spiritual actions (giving, prayer, and fasting) in front of other people for the purpose of appearing spiritual.
• In other words, Jesus warns us not to show off our spirituality.
• People should  impressed with Jesus, not with you.
• The Pharisees made this mistake.

Matthew 23:5 (KJV)
⁵ But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

• Matthew 6:1 is about the ‘manner’ and ‘motive’ of spiritual actions.
• It’s about what you do AND why do you it.
• The practice of spiritual disciplines count for nothing if your motive is wrong.
• Prayer is for nothing if you are doing it to be seen.
• Giving amounts to zero if you are doing it to increase your reputation.
• Fasting lays a goose egg if you parade it in front of others.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (KJV)
¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

• This passage in 1 Corinthians 13 also addresses the issue of motive.
• By reading the rest of 1 Corinthians 13, you can see parading rightoesusness is a violation of the love commandment.
• Doing things to be seen is having ‘you’ on your mind.
• Walking in love is having the other person on your mind.
• The spiritual discipline a believer engages in is only ‘righteous’ if the motive is ‘righteous’ also.
• If you maneuver the ‘doing of the discipline’ in such a way that it enhances YOUR reputation, or puts the focus on YOURSELF then your righteous action is no longer righteous.
• As you proceed through Matthew 6, you see Jesus breaking these three ‘sample’ disciplines down.

Righteous Motives and Giving

Matthew 6:2–4 (KJV)
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

•  What is the wrong motive here?
  • ‘That they may be praised by others.’
• Notice what right motive looks like.
  • ‘Do it in secret.’

Righteous Motives and Praying

Matthew 6:5–6 (KJV)
⁵ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

• What is the wrong motive here?
  • Again, ‘that they may be seen by others.’
• Notice again what right motive looks like.
  • ‘Do it in secret.’

Righteous Motives and Fasting

Matthew 6:16–18 (KJV)
¹⁶ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ¹⁷ But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; ¹⁸ That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

• One more time. What is the motive in this third case?
  • For the third time, ‘that they may be seen by others.’
• And for the third time look at what the right motive looks like.
  • ‘Do it in secret.’
• Jesus repeated this entire set three times.
• The bottom line is, we need to keep certain aspects of our spiritual life ‘secret’.
• ‘Secret’ is a tough concept in this ‘the public has the right to know’ society.
• Some portions of our lives should be ‘secret’.
• In order to curb this tendency ‘to be seen’, we must understand what ‘secret’ really means.

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Secret 

•  The word secret means to hide, bury, or keep something hidden.
• It is not a secret because it is completely unknown.
• It’s a secret because it’s known to you and you intentionally chose to bury or hide it.
• This is how you live this portion of your Christian life.
• Successful spiritual disciplines are lived in secret.
• You don’t have to go out and broadcast everything God does with you.
• You don’t have to tell everything you do for Him.
• Asking people ‘how much they study the Bible’ or ‘how much they pray’ is asking the wrong question.
• Are you asking them to dig up their secret?
• Spiritual disciplines are a secret between you and God.
• If you are not praying enough, that’s an issue between you and God not you and others.
• There is an element of Christianity that’s nobody’s business except yours and God.
• After all, what do you suppose ‘secret’ means? It means don’t tell it.
  • Don’t tell how much you pray.
  • Don’t tell how much you study.
  • Don’t tell how much you give.
  • Don’t tell it.
• There are parts of you which are exclusively between you and God.
• Just like there are things between husbands and wives which are exclusive. They should never be told.
• These T.V. talk shows which expose and air out all the dirty laundry are heinous.
• According to Jesus some portions of spiritual life are lived in secret.
• You do not have to have your personal signature on everything God uses you for.
• Quit signing your name to the bottom of stuff in the name of ‘giving God the glory’.

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John 7:18 (KJV)
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

• There are some things you should not tell. Just keep it between you and the Lord.
• Practice serving God without others knowing.
• Serve Him behind the scenes.

Call to Action:

Remember, there is coming a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according (Rom. 2:16). It is good to look at yourself and ask yourself questions about why are you doing what you are doing. Make sure your motives are righteous, true, and pure. Ulterior motives taint your testimony. As much as you can, strip these out of your life. Doing things because you love God and because you love people is a winning combination.

QUESTION: What other areas besides, giving, fasting and praying do you think a believer should address as far as right motives go? Please share your comments on this thought in the comment section below.

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