Title: Give alms in secret / (Matthew 6:1~4)
Content Now we are reading the Sermon on the Mount, the most important teaching of our Lord.
I am studying.
To summarize the studies so far, through the Beatitudes, we can see what kind of person a Christian is.
I thought about it.
First, Christians are poor in spirit, mourners, meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who depend on God for everything in their relationship with God.
And in his relationships with people, he is a merciful person, a pure heart,
He is a peacemaker, and he is persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
For this kind of us, our Lord, you are the salt of the world.
is the light of the world
You said.
In other words, you are the most noble beings in the world, and you are the people you need to be.
By reminding us of the preciousness of our existence, the world is filled with God's love and the word of truth.
He commanded us to carry out our mission to preserve and lead.
And our Lord says in Matthew 5:20
A strong warning against Christians to stand upright.
<I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
I will never go to heaven.>
But we must not misunderstand this.
There is a lesson that points to the need for a Christian's religious zeal to be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees.
no.
It means to serve God rightly and to love our neighbors rightly based on right faith.
Although the scribes and Pharisees had their own zeal,
By not interpreting God's Word correctly, they distorted God's will.
disobeyed God. Therefore our Lord forgives the errors of these men
By correcting it with the right will, the great Charter of Christian Faith and Ethics
You have declared
“I tell you, do not oppose the evil one.”
“I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
“Therefore, be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
The fundamental root of Christian faith is God's absolute love that tolerates even sinners.
The goal of the Christian life is to imitate the perfect love of God.
Now, from Matthew 6, we learn the true principles of faith and life through real life.
Our Lord teaches. Chapter 6 verse 1 is the introduction to the entire content of Chapter 6.
and the Christian life of faith in 6:2-18, and in 6:19
The last verses of verse 34 teach us about the general Christian life in the world
Word.
However, it is important to keep in mind here that the godly life in the church and the service life in the world
It is a fact that there is no need to separate them, and there is no need to separate them.
Because the teaching of the Bible distinguishes the love of God from the love of neighbor.
Because they don't teach.
Love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable relationships.
These two must always be together to better understand the teachings of our Lord.
Our Lord in today's text verse 1
Christians make important statements that guide their faith and ethics.
<Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of men to be seen by them.
Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.>
Our religious motives must, first of all, be in God.
We should be satisfied and thankful for the only thing that gives glory to God.
If we live a life of faith in order to be seen and praised by people, our last is
to be miserable, and to receive no reward from God, our Lord
I warn you.
That is why our Lord is repeatedly emphasizing this point.
In chapter 6 verse 2
<Therefore, when giving alms, hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets
do not blow the trumpet before you as
Truly I say to you, they have already received their reward.>
Also in chapter 6 verse 5
“And when you pray, do not be like hypocrites.
They love to stand in the synagogues and at the mouth of the streets to pray to be seen by men.
Truly I say to you, they have already received their reward.>
In 5:16 it says, “When you fast, you look sad like hypocrites.
do not pay
They disfigure their faces to show men that they are fasting.
Truly I say to you, they have already received their reward.>
How scary is that?
They have already received their reward. The word that I received here means the full amount of compensation
It's a professional commercial term to say you're done.
I mean, there's nothing more to get.
Any action that seeks to be accepted by man will no longer be rewarded by God.
It means you can't get it.
All the good deeds done to be seen by people, even though the great sacrifice of self-giving
It means that all these good deeds have nothing to do with God.
What word of judgment is more terrifying than this?
Therefore, people of faith glorify God only,
You must live your life of faith and serve with a good motive to receive a reward only from God.
will do
What you are trying to show people is already a degenerate act that is far from God's will,
It is like the formal sacrifice of Cain, which God did not accept.
But what about us? Are you glorifying only God?
Are you living your life of faith, relying only on God who sees in secret?
Or are you struggling and trying to get people's glory to be seen by people?
Let's deeply engrave the word of our Lord in our hearts.
<Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of men to be seen by them.
Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.>
Jews believe in the three major acts of religious life, namely, a godly and righteous life.
I have three main ones. The first is almsgiving, the second is prayer, and the third is fasting.
Our Lord also teaches these three things in the Sermon on the Mount,
Today we will only think about salvation.
The people of Israel attached a very sacred meaning to salvation.
That is why the Israelites use the word almsgiving and righteousness as the same word, tzedauah.
In other words, the people of Israel did not give alms to others and live righteously.
accepted as the same concept.
Rather than piling up gold, according to Tobit 1:8, the wisdom document of Israel.
It is better to save; salvation saves from death,
Makes clean from all sins>.
Also, among the rabbinic teachings, it was said, "The one who offers alms is greater than the one who offers all sacrifices."
Relief was considered first of all good deeds.
That is why our Lord is the first to teach about almsgiving,
The question is, what kind of posture will you save? is to do
Although we are giving alms, with what kind of heart and with what motives should we give alms?
This is an important issue. Our Lord is clear on this point.
(Verses 2-4)
<Therefore, when giving alms, hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets
do not blow the trumpet before you as
Truly I say to you, they have already received their reward.
When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving is in secret.
do it. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.>
The first is that when giving alms, you should not try to get people's glory like a hypocrite.
Our Lord says
What is eating out? The outside and inside are different.
but the action is different.
But our Lord hated these hypocrites the most.
He rebuked hypocrites the most.
Dear saints,
Salvation is not about giving things.
It's not about giving material.
Giving my heart.
I am giving myself.
Giving the love deep within myself.
Therefore, the absence of heart, devotion, and love is not salvation.
For the sake of face, to make a name for yourself, the relief you have to do is,
This is not the salvation God wants.
Therefore, we must give with a pure heart.
We must save with a moved heart. We need to give relief without any desire for anything in return.
We must give relief with a willing heart.
We must give salvation through the love of Christ.
We must give relief with the emotion of realizing the grace of God.
This is where the true work of God's love in which grace is graced is revealed.
Second, our Lord teaches that when we give, we must do it in secret.
Because salvation is not meant to be seen by people.
It is to give alms only to glorify God.
Therefore, it must be saved secretly.
And it must be done secretly so as not to damage the character of the person being rescued.
What do people who live in orphanages or disadvantaged facilities hate the most?
It is said to be taking pictures while delivering items.
Once you've saved it, you're done with it. Take a picture and don't be fussy.
Don't forget that this will make your opponent stumble.
You shouldn't be sarcastic while saving. You must not reveal your name.
On the one hand, it is happy and grateful that a person receives help from others, but
On the other hand, it is a burden on the mind.
Personal self-esteem may be hurt.
Therefore, in order to provide relief by considering the emotional aspects of the person being helped,
It must be a secret remedy.
Considering the difficult food problem in North Korea we are facing today from a compatriot's point of view,
I need help.
Relief must not be predicated upon.
But how loud is it in the media today?
So, even if you help, won't you be insulted?
Help a little and not be morally superior.
Once upon a time, a missionary sent to China met a flood on the way back from evangelism and fell into the water.
said to have fallen.
A Chinese man passing by at the same time rescued the missionary from the water.
The missionary is so grateful that he bows loudly and tells him his name.
He said he would remember it for the rest of his life.
Then, does that Chinese person have the name of a good man in the Bible?
He questioned and said he just left.
Do you need to remember names between helpers and helpers?
When relief is done in secret, the recipient feels good,
Glory to God for good works.
Third, true salvation never falls to the ground.
We must believe that God will surely reward us.
In verse 4 of the text
“Let your almsgiving be in secret.
Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.>
Also in verse 6
“When you pray, go into your closet, shut the door, and tell your Father who is in secret.
pray
Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.>
Also in verse 18
<… … Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.>
He has guaranteed three times that his father will pay him back.
That's right.
God rewards us according to all our deeds.
Also in Matthew 10:42
<And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple
Truly I say to you, that man will by no means lose his reward.>
What remains forever in our lives is to give in the name of the Lord.
To be remembered and never forgotten is to give to others with the love of the Lord.
Everything in the world ends with the world. But salvation leads to the kingdom of God.
So the Apostle Paul said to the elders of Ephesus,
“It is more blessed to give than to receive”.
God will surely repay you.