Boys and girls, in John 1, we read about the Lord Jesus calling his disciples. And they in turn, when they were called by Jesus, such as Philip, with great joy sought to bring others to Christ. And so did Philip go to his dear friend, Nathanael. And we know that Nathanael was very reluctant to believe that they had indeed met the Messiah, for he said, can there any good come out of Nazareth? And then Jesus meets Nathanael. And then Jesus says something very remarkable to this man. He said, Nathanael, I saw you under the fig tree. And that overwhelmed this man, because what was Nathanael doing under that fig tree, in that quiet place, all alone by himself? He was interacting with God. And Jesus saw him. He said, I saw you under the fig tree. And then Nathanael believed at that very moment that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah because he realized that he was omniscient. He was astonished by what he revealed to him. A congregation that teaches us a very important lesson. I wonder if that could be said of us in the week that has transpired. Has God found us in quiet, secret places, seeking His face, calling upon His name? In other words, is our religion not just something that is visible to man, but is our religion something that is known to God and that is visible to God? And so when Nathanael made his confession, confessing that he believed him to be the Messiah indeed, then Jesus said this about Nathanael, "'Behold,' he said, "'a man in whom there is no guile. "'Behold, a man who is not a hypocrite. "'Behold, a man who is upright.'" What a blessing it is when that can be said of us. It's remarkable, behold a man in whom there is no guile. He was a son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And as one commentator said once, and I think very interestingly, it was as if Jesus said, behold an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob. Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile. Congregation. Can that be said of me? Can that be said of you? Are we men and women in whom there is no guile?" Because that was very, very true of the Pharisees. We've seen already in chapter 5 how Christ dismantles the phony theology of the Pharisees, how he exposes and dismantles their corrupt interpretation of the law of God, when they conveniently interpreted the law of God in such a way that behind that facade they could continue to indulge in sin. And Christ ripped away that veneer. by teaching the spirituality of the law. Christ who had said, who made this remarkable opening statement that so stunned his audience, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. But as we saw in chapter 5, Christ used the false teaching, the corrupt teaching of the Pharisees, as a background against which he told the people the correct interpretation of the law. And remember what we have emphasized several times already, that when Jesus preached that sermon, he stood before them not only as a prophet, but he stood before them as the savior of sinners. He stood before them as the one who had come to seek and to save that which is lost. And he knew that the people to whom he was speaking were ignorant of the fact that they were sinners in the sight of God. And that's why he had to give them a correct interpretation of the Word of God. And of course, what makes the Sermon on the Mount so remarkable, congregation, is that it is a sermon uttered by God himself. It is the author of Scripture who in the Sermon on the Mount gives us the correct interpretation of his own Word. And now we come to chapter six. And so, after having exposed the phony theology of the Pharisees, the corrupt interpretation of God's law, Jesus now shifts in chapter 6 to the life of the true Christian. And in this chapter, he's going to focus on two aspects of the life of the Christian. In the first 18 verses, he's focusing on our religious activity. And then in the second half, he is focusing on how we are to live in the midst of this fallen world, a world in which Mammon is the god that is worshiped by this world. In other words, in the second half, Christ in a powerful way. exposes the real nature of materialism, and teaches in the second half of Matthew 6 that though we are in the world, we are not to be of the world, we are not to live according to the agenda of this world, when he tells us in that second half that you cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve the mammon, and you cannot serve the Christ. You either serve the one, or you serve the other. And so today we're going to make a beginning with his exposition of the three essential activities that were so common also in the nation of Israel. Three religious duties. And so Christ is addressing the giving of alms, the giving of gifts to the needy, He is addressing the exercise or the practice of prayer. And thirdly, he's also going to address the practice of fasting. And so, these Religious exercises were also practiced by the Pharisees. And so remarkably, as we will see again, Christ is not denouncing these activities as such. As a matter of fact, he clearly teaches here that these three things, these three aspects, are an essential part of the Christian life. giving of alms, giving of our riches to those that are needy, the calling upon God's name and how we are to pray to God, but also the exercise of fasting as a religious practice by which we seek to draw near to God. And so the three aspects that we're focusing on in verses 1 through 18 is that which pertains to others, almsgiving, that which pertains to God, prayer, and that which pertains to the well-being of our own soul, namely, by means of fasting. But the problem was that the Pharisees, they did all these things, but they did them for the wrong reason. And so, take heed, he says. In other words, beware. And the people needed to hear that because they were so impressed by the Pharisees. Those Pharisees appeared to be so righteous to them. They had viewed them as the ultimate standard of righteousness. Christ says, beware that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them. Otherwise you have no reward of your father, which is in heaven. And at once, Christ here identifies the motive of pharisaical piety. It was to be seen of men. Literally, it says here, their whole purpose was to put on a show. The word that is used in Greek is that, we could put it this way, when they gave alms, and when they prayed, and when they fasted, they were engaged in religious theater. It was a show. They put on a show, and they did it to be seen of men. And so here these Pharisees were going through the motions of religion, and they did it in such a way that it appeared to the ignorant to be very, very impressive. And what Christ does here, He pokes a hole in all of this. And he's saying, all that they do in their almsgiving, and in their praying, and in their fasting, they do it to be seen of men. Christ addresses that again in Matthew 23, in where he gives a devastating indictment of the Pharisees. That chapter where over and over again he says, ye hypocrites, ye hypocrites. So in chapter 23, verse five, we read, but all their works they do for to be seen of men. So all of their religion, all of their religious activities, all of their practices had this one goal, to make an impression on people. And so this phony piety of the Pharisees, was a carefully crafted facade to hide a sinful heart and a sinful life. See, that's what they were, the Pharisees. They were masters at living a double life. They were masters at creating an impression of godliness, while behind that facade, while behind that veneer, they were fully indulging in sin. And in the second half of Matthew 6, Christ is again addressing the materialism of those Pharisees. Because again, because they created the impression that they were God-fearing, while in reality, they were passionately worshiping the mammon and serving the mammon. And I agree with Dr. Lloyd Martin-Jones that he says that's what makes this chapter one of the most unsettling chapters of Scripture, one of the most demanding chapters of Scripture. Because what it confronts us with, congregation, me and you, is with the question, what is your and my religion all about? Are we also very good, perhaps, at putting up an outward front, creating a veneer that looks impressive, but that behind that veneer we are very different people? Also, this passage is one of those mirrors in which we are compelled to look, because sadly, hypocrisy is a pervasive sin in the visible church of Christ. That's what he's talking about. He's not talking about hypocrisy in the world of the ungodly. No, he's talking about the hypocrisy of those who pretend to be godly, who pretend to serve God, but in reality, they do not. And so what we read in Ezekiel 33 verse 31, sadly, is true of so many. Where God says of Ezekiel, they hear thy words, but they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much love, but in their heart goeth after their covetousness. That was the essence of pharisaical religion. They showed love with their mouth, but behind that facade, in their heart, they lusted after the things of this world." Hypocrisy. The word hypocrite is derived from the Greek word which means actor. And in that culture especially, an actor was someone who would carry a mask. Today, acting has become very sophisticated. So today when people act, they are very, very well trained in portraying someone else. But in that culture, they would literally wear a mask. And that mask would somehow portray the person they sought to betray. But behind that mask was really a different person. And that's what a hypocrite is. A hypocrite is someone who is an actor, who is acting a certain way for a certain reason. And again, in light of our text, the Pharisees were hypocrites. because their objective in wearing that religious mask was to be seen of man. And congregation, that's why this is so convicting, because we need to realize that so-called Christian hypocrisy is a very grievous thing. Because what it is, and that's what the religion of the Pharisees was, congregation, it was a caricature of genuine godliness. God only knows, throughout the history of His church, how many people in the world have been turned off by hypocrisy, have been turned off by people who professed to be godly and whose lives contradicted that profession. I realize that ultimately every sinner is responsible for his unbelief and his rejection of the truth, but woe be unto us if we would be the reason. Woe be unto us if as parents we would send a confusing message to our children and our grandchildren. I've said this so often already, congregation, that our children and our grandchildren, When they grow up, they know who we really are. We can't pretend to be somebody in the company of others. We can come here every Lord's Day and put on the proper demeanor, but our children, our grandchildren, our husbands and our wives who live with us daily, they know who we really are and how sad it is. I know that no sinner will ever perish because of someone else's sin, but how sad if the occasion would be that they saw behind that religious veneer, they saw an entirely different person. And what a blessing it is. that in spite of the fact that as parents, and even though if we, by the grace of God, seek to take our tasks seriously, when our children can see, can see that we serve God seven days a week, when they see in our lives that we are as godly at home as we are in the house of God. And so what these Pharisees were after, They were after the praise of men. And so Christ says, 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. That's what Christ means when He says, this is the reward. You see, He says, verily I say unto you, they have their reward. In other words, they're getting exactly what they're looking for. These Pharisees were not looking for God's favor. They were not looking for God's approval. They were looking for human approval. They were looking for the praise of men. And Christ says, They have their reward. They get what they are looking for. But the point is, so it ought not to be. So it ought not to be with us. Because Christ is here not condemning the giving of alms. Because that's why it's important that it says in verse 2 and 3, when thou doest thine alms. So in other words, the doing of alms is entirely proper. But make sure, he says, you don't do it the way the Pharisees do. So there's a difference of opinion among commentators whether they actually blew a physical trumpet or whether Christ was simply using a metaphor, but it doesn't matter. We have the expression that perhaps comes from this passage when somebody is bragging We are saying, well, that person is tooting or blowing his own horn. That's what Christ is saying. If that's your goal, and that was the goal of the Pharisees, they made sure that their almsgiving was very, very visible, that it was very, they made sure they went out of their way that people would notice, that they would see what they were doing. And Christ uses this analogy, most likely, to say it's like blowing the trumpet, making a lot of noise to get attention for what you are doing. And that's the whole goal of this phony religion. The entire goal is to draw attention to ourselves. John 12, verse 43, Jesus says this. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." And congregation, if only true believers would be entirely free from that sin. That's why this is so convicting, because we are always vulnerable to that sin. We always are inclined to adjust our conduct to the kind of company we are in. We all have this innate desire to be approved by others, to be spoken well of by others. And so even as Christians, if by the grace of God we are true believers, In other words, if by the grace of God, that which is seen without is an expression of what lives within, we are vulnerable to that very same temptation. Because you see, this is so consistent with our fallen nature. As I've said many times, that old man in the believer. The flesh of the believer is as corrupt as the flesh of the ungodly. Our old man desires the praise of men. Our old man seeks our own glory. And how necessary it is for us time and again to be convicted of this. Then again, I think of the words of David in Psalm 139, Lord, search my heart. and see if there be any wicked way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting." And so, when we apply this to this passage, Lord, search my heart to see if there's any way that I am guilty of this pharisaical phoniness, whether I'm guilty of portraying something that I really am not. whether I'm guilty of, in my religious activity, in my giving of alms, whether I'm guilty of seeking to secure the favor and the praise of men, or whether I'm doing it for one reason only, and that is to bring glory to Christ. That's why my first point is giving that is not self-serving, giving that is not self-serving, because that's exactly what the giving of the Pharisees was, self-serving, self-seeking. And that's why our giving, secondly, should be generous and anonymous. It should be generous and anonymous. And so verily I say, when thou, verse three, when thou doest alms, let not thy hand know, thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And so, the important distinctive congregation of genuine godliness, that it is self-effacing. The religion of the Pharisees is self-serving, it's self-exalting, it's self-seeking. But the grace of God makes us self-effacing. And so, the mark of true godliness is that in what we do, in what we say, that we seek to draw attention, not to ourselves, but to draw attention to our heavenly Father in heaven. It's remarkable how often Jesus speaks of the fatherhood of God in this chapter. You can check this at home. In verses 1 through 18, he refers to the Father 10 times, and then there are two more references in the remainder of that chapter. And that's what Jesus meant, what we saw earlier in Matthew 5. He says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And so Christ is not teaching here that there is not a visible aspect to Christianity. Yes, there is a visible aspect to Christianity. And Christ is saying in that passage that our godliness should be visible, it should be noticeable, it should be observed by others with whom we interact. But its aim is not to draw attention to ourselves, its aim is to glorify our Father which is in heaven. That's why in the second half of Matthew 25, where we have this remarkable preview of the last judgment, I want you to notice how Christ there focuses on true religion and phony religion. And he says in verse 40, "'For inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.'" And see, that's the proper focus. That's the focus of true godliness. That's the mark of a godly man and a godly woman, a godly person who has but one desire, and that is to bring glory to God, to bring glory to the Christ who has redeemed us, even to the point that we would be willing to sacrifice our name and our reputation for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Proverbs 20, verse 6, we read, most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness, but a faithful man, who can find? That's the question that I have for myself. That's the question I have for you. Are we by the grace beginning to be faithful? Are we, by the grace of God, living God-centered, God-focused, God-glorifying lives? And you see the difference between a Christian and a Pharisee is that the Pharisee is very aware of himself because of the objective that he pursues, but the genuinely godly are often not even aware of what they are doing, of what they are projecting, because they're not preoccupied with themselves. And what a blessing it then is, if we conduct ourselves in such a way, whether we are giving alms, whether we are praying, whether we are fasting, that our focus is on God. So, what does the generosity of the godly look at? Because it's clear from this passage that this is the obligation of the Christian. The Christian is to be a generous person. A Christian is to be moved by those that are in need. A Christian has a sacred obligation to give alms. But you see, for the Christian, that generosity is real. It is a generosity that is born out of love. It is the generosity of someone who is deeply aware that everything he has, everything he owns is God's gracious gift, that God has made us stewards of that which He has bestowed upon us, and that our sacred obligation is that we would give freely of what God has so graciously given unto us. So in Psalm 37 verse 21, this generosity is given as one of the marks of a righteous person. It says in Psalm 37 verse 21, the righteous showeth mercy and giveth. He showeth mercy and giveth. Now, of course, the widow, who threw her might in the chest of the temple, gave a small amount, and yet she gave generously. From the little that she had, she gave generously to the cause of God. And so, obviously, the Christian is to give in proportion to what God has given us. And so, if God has blessed us with much material good, He expects us to give accordingly. And so, this should be the mindset of the Christian. We are called to be generous. We are called to give a generosity that is born of love, and a generosity that reflects God's generosity. That's why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 7 and 8, God loveth a cheerful giver. And then it follows, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you. When you read that following verse, verse 8, in multiple ways it speaks of the abundant nature of the grace of God that He bestows upon us. And so, the argument that Paul is using, because God is so generous in His love towards us, because God showers us with so many blessings, that should compel us to be generous in return. And so, when we give for the right reason, not to secure the praise of men, not to be seen by men as the Pharisees were, but when we give As an expression of love, God delights in that. God loveth the cheerful giver. And of course, the ultimate gift of God is His only begotten Son. That's why in that same chapter, 2 Corinthians 9, He ends with these words, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. In that chapter, he exhorts Christians to be generous, and then he uses as his bottom-line argument, just remember, remember what God has done for you. Oh, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable, for His inexpressible gift. So a generosity that is born of love, a generosity that reflects God's generosity. And so, therefore, a generosity that will be an expression of humility, rather than an expression of pride, which it was for the Pharisees. Matthew 10, verse 8, words that we often repeat here as well, freely he did receive, freely give. And so, all that I am, I owe to thee. All that we have, we owe to God. And it is the calling of the Christian to engage in almsgiving, but to do it with a God-centered focus, with a God-glorifying intent. And therefore, the giving of the godly is a giving that will not be advertised. That's what Jesus says. He says, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. And so the best giving that happens is the giving that's done by godly people in such a way that God is the only one that knows it, that we do it secretly, that we do it anonymously, that we will make sure that in no way do we advertise what we're trying to do. And so a giving that will be known to God only, and a giving that aims for God's glory. Romans 12, verse 8, he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. That means let him do it with uprightness. Let him do it without guile. Let him do it with a pure consciousness. And so again, we see here, that the practice of true godliness, this is one aspect of it. Because actually in the opening verse when it says, take heed that you do not your own before men, the majority of commentators point out that it would have been better to say, take heed that you do not your righteousness before men, so that Christ begins with a general overarching principle. And then he begins to spell it out in detail by talking about almsgiving, prayer, and by fasting. And so to return to this overarching principle, what Christ is saying, that true godliness, including giving, is void of human ambition. Void of human ambition. So we read about Cornelius in Acts 10, verse 2, that he was a devout man. and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people." This is the testimony of Scripture about this man. In other words, his giving alms was an expression of his devoutness, was an expression of his godliness, was evidence that he was a man who feared God. But it was not a man who trumpeted that. Now, this is the witness of the Holy Ghost regarding this man. This is the testimony of this man that is given also to Peter, Peter who was directed by God then to minister to this man. O congregation, what a blessing if that could be said of you and me, that it could be said of you and me that we are devout, fearing God with all our house, with our entire family, and that it would express itself in great generosity to the cause of God. And so Cornelius did not blow a trumpet. He did not blow his own horn. Because Jesus warns us in John 7, verse 18, that he that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory. I find that a very, very convicting verse. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory. And I realize that for those in our midst who desire to fear God, that this is convicting. Who of us would dare to say this morning, and I include myself, who of us would dare to say this morning that we have never been hypocritical in any of our actions? Who of us would dare to say that we've never been guilty of speaking about ourselves perhaps in very pious ways, in very pious terms, but with the intent of drawing attention to ourselves? that we have to put our hand in our own bosom, and we have to take it out leprous. And that's why this aspect of Christian living will only function properly in proportion to our abiding in Christ. When Christ says in John 15, when you abide in me and I in you, you will bring forth much fruit. And the more we abide in Christ by faith, the more we live out of him, the more we walk with him, the more we become like him, and the more we will manifest his character, even in almsgiving, even in these activities that here he addresses. And so, what Jesus is doing here, he is defining true godliness against the background. of the corrupt practices of the Pharisees. And so, by denouncing the phony piety of the Pharisees, he sets before us the very essential components of true godliness. And so, Christian giving is not self-serving. Christian giving is generous and anonymous. And Christian giving is that which is rewarded by our heavenly Father But when thou doest alms, let not thy right hand or thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. Here comes something important. That thine alms may be in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. That expression that God sees in secret, is repeated when he talks about praying, is repeated when he talks about fasting. It is actually stated six times. And so the very fact that Christ says this over and over again highlights a very important truth. And that is this truth, that God sees in secret that God sees us when no one else is watching, that our life, your and my life, is as an open book before God. And there's no one here that would deny that God is omniscient. But congregation, do we live accordingly? Do we live in the awareness? Also, when we are all alone, When no one is watching us, when no one sees us, are we living in the awareness that God sees in secret? And so what Jesus teaches here is that the life of the Christian is a life that he lives in Coram Deo. That's a famous expression that was often used by the Reformers, in Coram Deo. That means literally in the face of God, in the presence of God, before the countenance of God. In other words, the true Christian lives in the awareness that at all times, wherever he is, whether in public or in private, that he is always living in the presence of God, that everything he thinks, everything he says, everything he does, happens in the presence of God, who sees in secret. And see, it is only when that's real, it's only when we embrace that, that we understand the nature of true religion as something that starts in secret, that first of all functions in secret. In other words, a true Christian is as godly when he is alone as when he is in the company of people. And I've said this before, and I'll say it again in the context of this passage. We are what we are, congregation, and that applies to me, too. We are what we are when no one is watching. What are you like? What am I like when we're all alone? But we're not alone, because Christ says, your Father, he sees in secret. He sees that which other people do not see. He sees you at all times. He sees everything about you. He x-rays your and my life completely. He knows what really goes on within us, in the very inner man. That's why in Hebrews 4 verse 13 we have this remarkable statement that highlights this. When the apostle writes in verse 13 of chapter 4, "'Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.'" And so, my dear congregation, I ask you, and I ask myself the question, do we fear God in secret? Do we serve Him when we are all alone? Are we as godly in the privacy of our home, in the privacy of our room, in the privacy of our office, are we as godly as we are in public? Because our Father seeth in secret. And the clear message is, Christ is saying, my father will reward you, not with a reward of merit, but with a gracious reward. He will reward you with his favor. It so pleases my father when you serve him in secret. It so pleases him when you honor him in secret. Joseph was a man like that. We've used this example often. There's an example of a man far away from home, living in that Egyptian context, elevated to a position of power and authority in the house of Potiphar. But he lived in Corindale. And so when Potiphar's wife repeatedly tried to seduce him, He did not yield to that temptation. In plain language, boys and girls, he could have easily gotten away with it. But Joseph was truly a God-fearing man. Joseph understood that God saw him at all times. Joseph was a man who took God seriously, even in that environment. And he says, how can I do this great evil and sin against God? There you see a man. who served God in secret. I've said this before, and this again applies here too. You see, that's the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins. With the wise virgins, there was an aspect to them that was not visible to the naked eye, but it was visible to God. And a true Christian is a man or woman whose Christianity begins in secret. It is a Christianity that is practiced in our closet. We're going to look at our closet in the next passage. And out of that secret walk with God, out of that secret walk with God flows our public conduct. The public walk of the Christian is fueled by what happens in secret. And so the point that Christ is making. If that's how we give alms, we give it anonymously, without drawing any attention to ourselves. But He says, my Father knows who you are and what you are doing. And if you're giving alms not to be seen of men, but if you're giving alms because you fear Him and you honor Him, And you are fulfilling your obligation towards Him, for the God who has so generously loved you. If that's your motive, my Father takes notice of this. And He that sees you doing this in secret, without anybody else knowing about it, He will reward you openly, rewarded by a God. who judges the motives of all our religious activities. That's the point. Congregation, I think I don't have to say much more. I'm hoping that you can make the application for yourself. The God who rewards us is our heavenly Father. And ultimately, He will reward us, even in the last day. When so much in the Christian life goes unnoticed to others, others will never know about it. But it has not gone unnoticed to God. That's the point Christ makes in Matthew 25. He says, what you did when you went to prison. And when you fed such and such a person, you did it unto me. I saw it. I noticed it. And therefore, you may now enter into my presence." And so the godly are described in Psalm 112, verse 9. He has dispersed. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endureth forever. His horn shall be exalted with honor." And then in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 5, Paul talks about the final judgment. He says, therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God. And so, my beloved congregation, I ask myself, and I ask you, What makes you tick? Is your primary concern what man thinks of you? Or is your primary concern what God thinks of you? That's what it means to fear God. Whose approval do we desire? In 2 Corinthians 5 verse 9, Paul writes this, wherefore we labor. that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him." That's what it means to fear God. To fear God means that we take God seriously, that we take His Word seriously, we take His precepts seriously, and that our ultimate desire is His smile rather than the smile of men. And that's the point that Christ is making also in this very practical exhortation. And so may our piety, may our godly walk proceed from a God-fearing heart. May our giving, our giving of alms, may our generosity be an expression of what lives in our hearts. May God keep us from being religious, to talk religious, to be seen and to be praised of man. But may our hearts and may our lives be governed by the fact that our Father sees in secret, knows us in secret. That's why the psalmist says in Psalm 17, verse 3, thou hast proved my heart. Psalm 44 verse 21, "'Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.'" Jeremiah 17 verse 10, "'I, the Lord, search the heart.'" That's why David says, "'Lord, search my heart.'" Search my heart, thou before whom all things are open and naked before thee. Lord, I open my heart to me, search my heart and see whether there be any wicked way within me. And that so by grace, we may live God glorifying and Christ glorifying life. And that we do what we do, not to be seen of men, but that we do it with one desire, and that is to bring glory to the Savior who redeemed us. Amen. Let's pray. Our gracious God, we thank Thee for the privilege we've had to be in Thy house this morning. And Lord, bless this word, this searching word that compels us to take spiritual inventory. O God, we pray that Thou would keep us from religious hypocrisy, that Thou would keep us from the sin of the Pharisees, who did everything not for Thy glory but for their own, to be seen of men, to be praised by men, and that, O Lord, our godliness would be a manifestation of what lives in our hearts. And so we pray, search our heart. Search it today that we would bow our knees and pray David's prayer to see whether there be any wicked way within us and lead us by grace and through Thy Spirit in the way everlasting. Go with us now as we continue also with the instruction of our children. Bless the teachers, bless our children, and gather with us again in this evening hour. We ask it in Jesus' name alone.