We heard Jesus say earlier in His sermon, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Now Jesus is saying that our giving should be done in secret. Jesus is not contradicting Himself, but is addressing a different matter—the matter of the heart. He is addressing hypocrisy and phoniness in regard to righteousness. It is proper to do good works before men when we are trying to secure praise for God, but not when we are trying to secure praise for ourselves. If, in the innermost being of your heart, you do not mean to please and glorify God, your reward will be limited to the praise of men, not of God.
Hypocritical Generosity
June 23, 2019 • Matt Howe
More from
Sermon on the Mount
Narrow V. Wide Path
July 28, 2019 • Matt Howe
In His closing, Jesus is exhorting the people to enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow gate. The gate to heaven is narrow in the sense of having a particular requirement for entrance—faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is found only in the Person of Jesus Christ; He is the only way. The wide gate, which leads to destruction not life, is non-exclusive; it allows for human effort and all other of the world’s religions. Jesus says that the narrow gate will take us through hardships and difficult decisions. Following Jesus requires crucifying our flesh, living by faith, and living a lifestyle separate from the world; it requires that we allow God to reign in our hearts allowing us to do His will and not ours
Judging
July 21, 2019 • Matt Howe
Jesus does not mean that we should never make judgments. Obviously, we make judgments every day. We judge between right and wrong, dangerous choices from safe ones, etc. Jesus is cautioning us not to judge others in a self-righteous, hypocritical way. We shouldn’t be habitually critical of someone when our own sin needs correcting as well. By judging others in an unbiblical and hypocritical way, we pay an enormous price. Ridiculing others exposes us to the righteous judgment of God, and most of us are not really aware that we bring more suffering on ourselves by our complaints against one another. Judging and accusing is what Satan does.
Anxiety
July 14, 2019 • Mark Rowland
We all struggle with worry and anxiety—some with more depth of despair than others. The simple truth is the more we worry, the more we worry. Jesus starts addressing this issue by telling us to not let anxiety about food and clothing distract us from more important things in life. We cannot affect anything by worrying, and it does us no good. Jesus recognizes the very real struggle most of us have with anxiety and worry. He not only encourages us not to be anxious, but He gives us an antidote to the worry, stress, and anxiety that we all face: seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.