And let us turn in God's Word to Matthew 6. As we continue looking at Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, we need to be reminded that Jesus is teaching us, as He said earlier, that unless, verse 20 of chapter 5, your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. And of course, our righteousness is Christ, And yet at that same time, we are called to live in obedience to God's commandments, in service and glory to His name. Not because we make ourselves more worthy of salvation, not because we get a feather in our cap or something like that to say, look how good I am, but because we are so thankful to the God who has saved us. And so Jesus teaches, and we're going to, I don't know, I think this might be a little odd, We're going to read through what is so well known as the Lord's Prayer. We're not going to concentrate on the Lord's Prayer. We're going to concentrate on the things Jesus is teaching around this. And in coming weeks, we will look specifically at the Lord's Prayer. But we want to look at what Jesus teaches around the Lord's Prayer. He has a theme going on throughout this section. So we will read the first 21 verses of Matthew chapter six. Let us hear together the word of almighty God. Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory for men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret, and your father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask of him. In this manner, therefore, pray, our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in the secret place. And your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Thus far the reading of God's word, may he add his blessing to our consideration this morning. So can you tell me, don't have to say it out loud, but what the theme Jesus is talking about all around here is. We heard it numerous times, didn't we? That word hypocrite. Now what's a hypocrite? A hypocrite at the time was a play actor. If you think about Roman theater, it's not like actors today. They were very familiar, though, with the idea of acting out someone else's part, someone else's life in that culture. Well, what's a hypocrite in Jesus' language here? A hypocrite is someone who acts on the outside like they are a Christian. but in their hearts they don't believe. Jesus uses it regularly about Pharisees, people who want other people to live and they live on the exterior to a very strict code, but their heart really isn't in it. Jesus calls them numerous things. As I said, Jesus has a lot to say about hypocrites. In Matthew 15, 7 through 9, Jesus comments on them reversing God's commandments. He says, hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, these people draw near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. We have to be so careful that we do not teach the commandments of men. Now, many people call us as reformed people very legalistic. And we have to understand that we are called to be obedient to God's commandments. At that same time, others might call us the most libertarian because we have to understand that God does not save us because we are perfect according to his commandments. God saves us. because of the perfection of His Son. So these people were people who did things to be seen by men, Jesus said in Matthew 23 verse 5. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. These were Old Testament requirements, but they made them big so everybody could see. You could identify these people from a distance. But brothers and sisters, Jesus talks to us this morning about using the things of this world as tools to lay up treasures in heaven. The stuff of this earth is here to be used to lay up treasures in heaven. Not for this world. Jesus says at the end, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And we have to, as Christians, be very careful that we don't spend our time trying to lay up treasure for ourselves on this earth. Doesn't mean that we don't save, doesn't mean that we don't plan for retirement and other things, but that has to not be our treasure. Our treasure has to be the eternal salvation which God has given to us. And so the theme that we want to see is God's people use the temporary and loss-prone things of this world to lay up everlasting treasure in heaven. God's people use the temporary and loss-prone things of this world to lay up treasure in heaven. And Jesus points out that we are to do these things to be seen by God. Our charity is to be about being seen by God, not by other people. Our prayers are to be about being heard by God, not by other people. And our fasting, yes, Jesus says, when you fast, is to be seen by God, again, not by other people. And Jesus concludes, that fourth point there is really kind of a bridge into the next point, or the next sermon. And I struggled with this. I felt like preaching the whole thing. There's no way. So we have to make a, and yet Jesus, Jesus gives us a bridge into the next sermon, so we're going to hear about that in the next sermon too. That we focus on laying up eternal treasures in heaven, not temporary ones on this earth. So first of all, charity to be seen by God. Do not do your charitable deeds to be seen by men. Now, if you've heard of this guy called Sanford, I chuckled. He puts his name on everything. I wondered at some point when he was just going to turn it into Sanford, Dakota instead of South Dakota. He was buying everything. To be seen by men! I'm doing this out of charity! What does Jesus say? If you do, you have no reward from your Father in Heaven. If we're doing our charity to be seen by people, Jesus says, that's all you get. Why do I want to do charity to be seen by people then? Oh, well, then they like me. That's nice. He talks about sounding a trumpet. Why would they sound a trumpet? Well, at that time in history, that would be a trumpet to call the poor people over because there's some charity going on over here. You can get your stuff here. Jesus said, don't make people aware. Do it in a hidden manner. This is another theme, right? Your father, who sees in secret, will himself reward you openly. What does he say? What does Jesus say? Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Charity is not about having other people see. Don't let even within your human person, that's impossible of course, but in so far as we can, we make sure that it's not seen. There's a number of things as Christians that we do that are not supposed to be seen by the outside because God's the one that makes them clear. God's the one that makes them powerful. So don't even let your charitable deeds be obvious to yourself. This is something that I have an issue with with our church. We have this at the announcements at the beginning of the service. This morning's broadcast is sponsored by so-and-so. I love the fact that people have been saying anonymous. This isn't about charity. We have a rule within our church bylaws that says we're not allowed to put our names on stuff in the church. I think we need to stop that. I don't think that's a Christian thing, as Jesus says. So we have to be careful. That we do not do our charitable deeds to be seen by other people. Again, Jesus says we are to be praying to be heard by God when we pray. We pray to the God who hears in secret. Do not pray like the hypocrites, Jesus says. Remember the Pharisees, Luke 11, 18. A Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector. Standing in the front of church, look at me. We do not pray to be seen by men. we pray, what does Jesus say? Go into your secret room. When you do to your devotions, go and pray in the secret place. This is an interesting thing about raising children as well. Your children should see that we're doing these things, but they ought not be something that is a big show about it. It is just part of the Christian life. That's something that, you know, was very interesting to, understand about the German-Russian culture. There's a trust in God that they don't wear it on their shirt sleeves. And that's right. We don't need to wear these things on our shirt sleeves. We need to, as Christians, be obedient to God, to be doing these things, but not showing off on them. When you pray, Jesus says, go into your room and pray in the secret place. Who sees there? God does. Now think about this, very interesting. The world and sinners are afraid that God sees what they do in secret. Because God knows my sins. But as a Christian, it's a comfort. God knows what I'm doing in secret. Think about The Old Testament, and as we read through the Bible, and we did this this week, we read through one of those sections that's name, after name, after name, after name, and you're like, oh my word. Why does God put that stuff in there? Because God knows what we're doing by name, by thing, and God cares so much that He puts these guys in the Old Testament in the Bible, and we're like, oh my word, this again? Yes, because God cares about what we do and what we are praying. The charity that we're doing, by the way, just going back to that briefly, that's what the diaconate's about. We're, as a church, called to be ready to give to those who are in need. And so we pray to the God who hears in secret. We don't have to be in church, in the front of church. As a pastor, sometimes I'm embarrassed when I pray up here. Because it's not about me. It's not about how good my prayers are. It's about glory and honor to the almighty God who saves sinners. Notice what Jesus says. Your Father knows the things you need before you even ask. So don't use vain repetitions as the heathen do. Our young guys, as they're reading through the Bible, We just went through this section. And we remember Elijah with the prophets of Baal. In the prophets of Baal we read, They took the bull that was given to them, 1 Kings 18.26, and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, no one answered. They even leaped about on the altar, which they had made. to jump around, to do all sorts of crazy things, to be heard. Our Father in Heaven hears. Your Father knows the things you need before you even ask. A little bit later in this chapter, Jesus says, Matthew 6.32, for after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. And Paul writes in Romans 8, "...Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now he who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." God knows what we need before we ever pray. Well, then why pray? God knows. because we are confessing something in prayer. We are confessing where things come from, that we know who supplies our need. We need to know where these things come from. As the Heidelberg Catechism says, prayer is the chief part of thankfulness, which God requires of us. Prayer isn't a messenger service to God saying, God, you didn't know, but I need X, Y, and Z. And by the way, help Aunt Nellie. He didn't know she was having cancer or something. No. We come before God knowing that He knows better than we do. Yet we come before God saying, I know where these blessings come from. The provision for each and every moment of every day. And so Jesus says in this manner, pray. The Lord's Prayer is a pattern for us. We ought to be praying a prayer like the Lord's Prayer, at least daily, after that pattern, covering more than, God, thank you for this food. That submits ourselves to who God is and to His gifts and direction of our lives. And like I said, we're going to skip over the Lord's Prayer. We'll come back to that. But Jesus comments, His main comment on the Lord's prayer is, for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Those are powerful words, but they're also hard words. Because brothers and sisters, that means we need to forgive too. We need to be ready and willing. They're not my words. These are Jesus' words. That means whatever happened and whatever continues to happen, we are called to forgive. Because God has forgiven us far more than we could ever have wronged us. Because we have wronged God far greater than that. And Jesus goes on then to talk about fasting. And this is a practice that has gone on hard times. Well, we can fast because it's got health benefits, but this fasting for God's stuff, why would we do that? Fasting is a way to say before God, I need these things, I want these things more than I need the food that sustains my physical body. Jesus says, when you fast. Now for the people at Bible times, it was a practice to fast twice a week. Luke 18.12, the Pharisee says, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. We have to understand that our salvation, our eternal position before God is much more important than whether I eat my next meal, than I take my next breath. And brothers and sisters, we have to understand that it is important and a part of the Christian life to fast. Again, I should not know when someone is fasting. We should not have to know. We have to realize that. Fasting doesn't have to only be from food. There's many things, and some people have different situations where they have to be careful about not eating any food or something like that. And for longer fasts, for weeks or even for longer than a month, you don't totally stop eating. But you eat, you know, bland things. Things that are, you know, not as tasty. Because we need to understand what fasting is, that fasting is a way of saying to God, this is more important. My salvation, my thing that I am bringing before your throne of grace is more important than my daily food. Jesus says to the disciples when they ask, how come we couldn't cast this demon out? He says, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. And brothers and sisters, I commend to you the practice of fasting. But then Jesus says, don't go about like the hypocrites, like the play actors. They disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Jesus says, when you fast, anoint your heads, wash your face, do your normal personal hygiene. so that other people don't know. And then, instead of eating, we spend our time in prayer. And again, it says, your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. God knows. Not putting out the sign saying, look at me, I'm fasting. Look at me, I'm praying. Look at me, I'm giving to the poor. but rather fasting to be seen by God. And Jesus, as we said, bridges to the next section as well. We are to focus on laying up treasures in heaven, not treasures on this earth, not people's opinions. Do not lay up temporary treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt, where thieves break in and steal. And stuff on this earth, what happens? That new cell phone, that new toy, whatever it happens to be, what happens to it? Six months, it's not so shiny, not so exciting. But guess what? We can use the things of this world to lay up treasures in heaven. And that's what we're called to do. Paul writes, 1 Timothy 6, 9 and 10, But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. Notice this, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Now, I know people who are very rich. and use it for the service of God. And I know people who don't have two nickels to rub together and spend all their time worrying about money and serving it. And brothers and sisters, it's not about being rich or poor. As the Proverbs write, I believe it's Lemuel at the end, it says, Lord, make me neither rich nor poor. Give me the food that is necessary that I not be rich or not be poor and be covetousness, and not be rich and forget my Creator. And brothers and sisters, that ought to be our prayer, that we would use the things of this world for the service of the eternal glory of God, for the service of laying up treasures in heaven. It's a pretty good trade-off, in my opinion. We can take these dollar bills and this stuff of this earth and trade it in not on a new car that falls apart too, right? But traded in on eternal treasure that doesn't fall apart. There's so many verses we can quote with regard to this, but we are to lay up treasure in heaven where nothing, moth and rust did not destroy where things aren't stolen. Peter puts it this way in 1 Peter 1, 4, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Reserved for us as people. And Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If we're spending our time worrying about piling it up on this earth, what happens to us? Where is our mind? Oh, the stock market went down today. Yeah. But guess what? God's in control. Inflation is up. Oh no. Okay. God takes care of his people. And by the way, when we think about all of these things, whether it be spending our time in prayer, whether it be spending our energy, taking time off of eating, whether it be spending our money in charity, We cannot out-give God. So if we think we don't have enough time, we might want to give some to the service of God. We'll learn how to use it better. If we think we don't have enough money, we might want to start thinking about giving more in service to God and charity and all of these different things. We as human beings get it backwards and upside down. How do we provide. We don't God provides, right? So how do we live in this world? We live using the things of this world to lay up eternal treasure in heaven. They're God's things anyway. And so brothers and sisters, we use this stuff the things God has given to us. In all manner of things, whether it be time, whether it be money, whether it be our energy, so many other things as we go back to what we've already looked at in chapter 5. We use these things for the glory of God. Laying up treasure where it is not going to fall apart. And brothers and sisters, I don't know if you've heard this song. There's a song that I've heard that when those who have served the Lord. Get there. There will be those who say thank you for giving to the Lord. For using the things of this world. To bring the Gospel. To those who need it. Who use the things of this world? To lay up treasure, not here. But eternal in the heavens. in the new heavens and the new earth. What an awesome God that we have that gives us that ability. And brothers and sisters, may we be those who use these things that are going to fall apart anyway for the service of the glory of our great God and Savior. Amen. Let us then bow our heads before the throne of God's grace in prayer, and we will close this prayer together with the Lord's Prayer. Shall we pray? Almighty, gracious, heavenly Father, we thank you that you have been so charitable to us, providing for us in rich abundance so that, as we sang a while ago, that in your providence that you have ordained those things which we desire. You have been so gracious to us in so many ways. We pray, O Lord, help us to always trust and hope in Your provision. We praise You, Lord. We thank You for the fact that even Your Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered when we do not know how to pray as we ought. We thank You that indeed, O Lord, Your Son came into this world, and that He considered Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, that He fasted from the glory which He deserved to come into this world, to give us life, eternal life. What an awesome God You are. We pray, O Lord, that we would serve You, that we would glorify You in everything we say and do and think. We thank You, Lord Jesus, for the debt which You paid, for paying that debt in full. And we pray, Lord, that our lives would show forth our thanksgiving and our praise to You. For we pray these things in Jesus' name, praying as He taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.