Matthew
Sons of the Father in Action
The Kingdom of Heaven is not obtained by actions alone
But by actions that honors the Heavenly Father
To do actions that honor the Father, we need to work behind the scenes
Jesus says don’t let the right hand know what the left hand is doing
Or, let your deeds be done in secret
You and I were not made to live for rewards or recognition
It can be hard not to want instant rewards or recognition
That is why Jesus tells us
Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:4
As you and I play the game of life, fans from both sides are watching
But for the child of God, one stands out more than any other, it is the Father
The Father is at practice, at the game, and at rest,
He is always watching
Giving you everything you need for playing the game of life
You know that win or lose, your Father in Heaven is looking at your character
How you handle the win is no more important than how you handle the loss
It is how you play the game
Sons of the Father in Action
Chapters 3-7…
The Kingdom of Heaven is announced
Jesus, after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness
where He is tempted by the Devil, began to preach the Kingdom.
From that time on Jesus began to preach,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17
Things have changed a lot in my life time.
I remember as a child not wanting
to get my picture taken.
There seemed to be few kids
who wanted to get their picture taken.
Those who did were called “Show Offs”.
Today, even the shy kids are taking selfies.
We have become a world of show offs.
When I was a child, a show off
was considered a negative thing.
But today, we love show offs
and their self-expression.
I love to look through Facebook
and see friends having fun showing off
new things and places.
But when showing off is a cover up
or an expression of pride…
It becomes sad.
Sometimes we try to cover up
who we are with what we want people to see.
Sometimes we find self-esteem
as showing off what we have.
Hear are some show off quotes…
I am young. I better show off what I have now.
I’m not a show off I’m an exhibitionist
The better you feel about yourself the less you need to show off
I don’t use big words to show off because it’s ostentatious
Intelligence is like an underwear.
It is important that you have it but not necessary you show it off
All my life I thought air was free, until I bought a bag of chips
God was showing off when He made you
All of us want to look good and successful,
but many times we show what we do not have.
You and I have had a lot of things in our lives
and most of them have come and gone.
But what we are left with is our character.
Being right is very important to us.
But when we defend ourselves
rather than the truth…
The spot light shifts to the wrong thing.
Some of us are more outgoing than others…
But we all need to focus on what is important.
This is Jesus’ point as He introduces
us again to the Father of Heaven.
Jesus tells us two things about the Father….
Son’s actions are for the Father’s honor
and receive the Father’s reward.
Matthew 6:1-8
Jesus just said a few verses earlier…
Let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
How do we let our light shine
and not be a show off?
The answer is…
Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men,
to be seen by them.
Matthew 6:1
Acts of doing the right things
are not to be a show.
We do the right thing because
it is the right thing.
The way to do the right things
is to do it for God, the Father, to see.
Our reason for doing some things matter.
You can do the right thing
but have the wrong motive.
This was the issue of many
religious people in Jesus’ time.
Their deeds were done to make them
look good and to make others look less spiritual.
Sadly, many of the people did not see
the problem even after Jesus pointed it out.
In the end, they were the ones who condemned Jesus.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not obtained
by actions alone…
But by actions that honors the Heavenly Father.
To do actions that honor the Father,
we need to work behind the scenes.
Jesus says…
Don’t let the right hand know
what the left hand is doing
or let your deeds be done in secret.
You and I were not made to live
for rewards or recognition.
It can be hard not to want
instant rewards or recognition.
That is why Jesus tells us…
Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:4
As you and I play the game of life,
fans from both sides are watching.
But for the child of God,
one stands out more than
any other…
It is the Father.
The Father is there at practice, at the game and at rest.
He is always watching.
Giving you everything you need
for playing the game of life.
You know that win or lose
your Father in Heaven is looking at your character.
How you handle the win
is no more important than
how you handle the loss.
It is how you play the game.
It is the acceptance of the Father
and knowing He wants the very best for us…
That causes us to see Him among
all the fans from both teams.
In 2022, my team lost the Stanley Cup
to the Colorado Avalanche.
As the players were interviewed
and some were asked…
What do you want to do with the cup?
These players have a great fan support
and family members…
They said they could not have done it without.
But what touched me was when a player said…
I want to hand off the cup to my dad,
“I could not have done it without my dad”.
This is how we are to play the game of life.
Win or lose we play for DAD.
Our Father in Heaven will reward us
for what we do in secret.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 6:1-8 NIV
"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.
2 "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. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
