Matthew 6:1-4, “is God’s reward enough?” [listen]

Should the Christian really do “acts of righteousness” with rewards as a motive?

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

^“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Verse 1 – What are “acts of righteousness”?

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Broadly speaking, “Acts of righteousness” are those things that we should be doing because we want to follow God’s heart. Often today these are referred to as “spiritual disciplines” – things like prayer, fasting, giving offerings, meditating on Scripture, acts of service, etc). These are not just things we do as a result of our union with Christ. We also do these things to shape and develop our spiritual growth. Those who embrace Jesus are to live-out and grow in relationship to him. For example:

1 John 3:17-18 – If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Verse 2 – Reward for “acts of righteousness” is based on your motive

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

Jesus uses giving money to the needy as an example. It has been said that long ago in Jewish culture a horn was blown so that the poor could gather to receive the alms that were being given. Some, it would seem, used this horn blowing more to advertise their generosity than to actually help the poor. The reward these people sought after was public recognition. While God can still use the gift for his purposes, the giver will miss any reward from God.

Verses 3 & 4 – How should we give?

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

The more your “acts of righteousness” can be secretive, the better. This is difficult and tests our loyalties. The temptation to elevate self in our good works is ever present. When we insert pride into the utilization of our gifts, the God-designed outcome is tragic. We should receive great joy and soul-fulfillment when God’s gifts to us are used for his glory – we are aligning with God’s cosmic plan! But when pride is part of the equation tragedy will follow. This connects to everyone. If you’re gifted in music, speaking, giving, leading, administration, discernment, etc – it is easy to find fulfillment in man’s approval.

Rewards

There are many references in Scripture about the importance of rewards – here are three:

Matt 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…”

Heb 11:24-26 – By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Some believe that when we do things for God’s approval (reward) we are less than noble and pure in our motives. They say our “acts of righteousness” should flow only from our self-sacrificing sensitivity to need. The problem with this is that it’s simplistic and is not the way a healthy relationship with God actually functions. Biblical thinking is much more dynamic than that. To forget about God’s pleasure and approval in what we do is wrong (God’s pleasure is not a secondary thing). If the Holy Spirit is living in us and has moved us from death to life; the good that we do is not only from our compassion for others, it also comes because we seek to please Jesus.

We are shallow in our thinking if we think our compassion and good deeds can simply flow from our caring disposition. When we meet needs around us it is God’s plan that is unfolding – hopefully through a caring disposition he has developed. God in his great kindness is using us to do his will.

Heb 13:20-21 – May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Thinking that our “acts of righteousness” are our good works will destroy God’s intention. It is God’s name we lift up, not ours. We then, by faith, look for his reward, not man’s.

If your greatest purpose, greatest joy, greatest longing is to make much of Jesus and bring God glory; would you say that when your “acts of righteousness” bring God glory you receive an amazing rewarded? We should long to be rewarded – not because it is a selfish end in itself but because we long for our Father’s smile and blessing when he is lifted up – it’s part of the package.

Scripture often refers to “crowns” as a reward

2 Tim 4:7-8 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

James 1:12 – Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 5:1-4 – To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

So what happens to these crowns?

Rev 4:9 – Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne…

 

Our crowns become an offering to God himself. I want to be able to bring a suitable offering to the one who saved me.

[People of the Kingdom - Part 11 / November 18, 2007]