Hey everybody! Thank you for taking the time to join me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, you can visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Today, we continue Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount! Day 50, Matthew 6:2 — The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 6:2 (NASB1995) “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” Discussion The principal theme of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is our actions and attitudes. It is not our works that make us righteous in God’s sight, but our heart's posture toward Him. God looks beyond our outward appearance and actions and judges our heart and attitudes. The Pharisees esteemed their self-righteousness as good in God’s sight, but they failed in their works because their hearts were far from Him. Jesus rebuked and corrected their way of thinking, providing insight into how God judges one’s works. It is our motivation that God sees, not just what we do. Yesterday, we read Jesus’ teaching about the dangers of works motivated by the acclaim of men (6:1). The Pharisees were self-righteous, taking pride in their outward appearance and actions. They sought the applause of man for their ‘good’ deeds and righteous-looking character. Jesus tells us to beware of because self-glorification is an easy trap to fall into. A prideful trap that leads to condemnation instead of redemption. Today, Jesus continues His teaching of self-righteousness and rebukes hypocrites. The theme in 6:1 covered those motivated by the self-glorification of their works. The theme in 6:2 is about those making a grandiose event of their works. This tooting-of-one’s-horn goes beyond being motivated by the applause of man, as it includes those seeking self-glory and also announcing it most proudly—like someone blazoning a trumpet from a hilltop. Jesus’ example is almsgiving to the poor. This was a common practice by many in biblical times, similar to what we see with folks giving to the homeless. The Pharisees gave to the poor, but deliberately drew attention to themselves, so others would see their ‘good works.’ We spoke about this somewhat in yesterday’s application. Imagine somebody making a scene while giving to the homeless, so crowds see them doing it. Jesus is rebuking the hypocrites who do this. Jesus rebukes those motivated (attitude) by the applause of men (6:1) and the hypocritical works that receive the applause of man (6:2). Those who do such hypocritical works, motivated by the “honor of men” will not be rewarded by God, as Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” God does not reward outward actions, but inward attitudes. God rewards those who earnestly seek to do good. Those who seek no acclaim or praise of any kind. God will judge all our works at the Judgement Seat of Christ one day. Many will go through the fire of this judgment with nothing but burnt tares on the other side because of self-righteousness and impure motives, while the rest will be rewarded for their genuine labor in the LORD. We continue the Sermon on the Mount tomorrow. Application Today’s application is like yesterday's, as the topic is the same. Instead, let’s spend time in self-reflection. Let’s find any time in our lives where we may have sought the acclaim or praise of man for something we did. Why did we do so? Where did that motivation come from? Have we served the LORD from a pure heart since, or has carnal acclaim motivated us more than once? When you see yourself giving to the poor or doing some other work, do you imagine an earthly reward? A promotion? A new opportunity? Do you tell others what you did? Does it excite you to boast about your works? I am sure we have all failed in this area before. If you struggle with being motivated by acclaim, then pray for the LORD to help you be more humble. Do works not to be seen but because you earnestly want to do them. The LORD will reward those who humbly serve Him from a pure heart. He will likewise judge those who serve Him from a prideful heart. May we never seek our own glory or acclaim. May we only seek to glorify Jesus in all that we do. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Tomorrow, we read Matthew 6:3-4. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WRITTEN BY
|