I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      One of the requirements of being a Christian is an open confession of faith in Jesus.

                                                             1.      Notice Romans 10:9-10 – “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

                                                             2.      In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

B.      Being a Christian also requires a life of active profession of faith.

                                                             1.      The difference between a confession and a profession is that a confession is an admission of something (such as the truth about Jesus) whereas a profession is a promotion of something.

                                                             2.      Jesus calls upon Christians to profess their faith in God through righteous lives and good deeds.  Notice Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

C.      Although a Christian’s life is to be one of open confession and profession, some deeds of a Christian should go unnoticed.

                                                             1.      This may seem contradictory at first, but the Lord has explained it so that we can understand.

                                                             2.      Let us consider Christ’s teaching on this matter from the sermon on the mount.

II.      UNSEEN RIGHTEOUSNESS

A.      One of the great themes of Christ’s teachings in the sermon on the mount is that of unseen righteous.

                                                             1.      This theme is set forth in Matthew 6.  Notice verse 1 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

                                                             2.      As we enter a study of this theme, ask yourself a few questions:

a.       What is your motivation for practicing righteousness?  Do you seek the praise of men or a reward from God?

b.       Do you focus on that which is seen or that which is unseen?

c.        Do you ever do good deeds that are unknown to anyone else other than God?

d.       If no one knows when you do good deeds, then do you feel that they are worth doing?

                                                             3.      The lesson of this theme from Matthew 6 is that we should appraise things by their spiritual value.  We should place higher value on those things that are seen by God but unseen by man.

B.      Notice Christ’s instructions regarding unseen things in Matthew 6.

                                                             1.      First, the Lord addressed the issue of charity in verses 2-4.

a.       Alms-giving was the practice of giving money to the poor and needy.

b.       In that day, hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders) sounded trumpets in the synagogues and the streets before they gave alms in order to attract the attention and honor of men.

i.         Jesus said, “They have their reward in full,” meaning that the honor of men is the only reward they will receive for their good deeds.

ii.        Notice that the result for the poor was good, but the arrogant, self-serving attitudes of the hypocrites made their good deeds of no spiritual value to themselves.  God would not reward them.

c.        The correct, spiritual way to practice charity is to do so secretly, for then “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

                                                             2.      Next, He taught on the practice of prayer in verses 5-15.

a.       Again the Lord advises us not to follow the example of the hypocrites, who stood in the synagogues and on the street corners praying in order to be seen by men.

i.         Once again, Jesus said, “They have their reward in full.”  Exhibitions of prayer garner no rewards from God.

ii.        Unlike alms-giving, no one benefits from hypocritical prayer.

b.       The correct, spiritual way to pray is to do so secretly, for then “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

c.        Jesus cited another bad example of prayer in the Gentiles, who used “meaningless repetition” because they thought they would be heard for their many words.

i.         Meaningless repetition makes the whole prayer meaningless.  Such prayer constitutes another example empty exhibition.

ii.        To counteract the Gentiles’ bad example, the Lord gave a model for how to pray in a simple, meaningful way in verses 9-13.  (It is ironic that men have taken the words of Christ’s model prayer and turned them into meaningless repetitions recited in public as “The Lord’s Prayer.”)

                                                             3.      He gave instructions about fasting in verses 16-18.

a.       Fasting is practiced for various purposes (repentance, prayer, mourning, etc.), but it is intended to elevate the spirit over the flesh.

b.       Yet again, the Lord pointed to the hypocrites as bad examples, for they practiced fasting and neglected their appearances in order to seen by men.

i.         Again, Jesus said, “They have their reward in full.”

ii.        No one is benefited by a hypocrite’s superficial show of self-righteousness.

c.        The correct, spiritual way to practice fasting is to keep it secret so that no one except God knows, and He “who sees in secret will repay you.”

                                                             4.      He spoke of the matter of treasure in verses 19-21.

a.       At first, we may think that Jesus moved on to a different theme in these verses, but He did not.  He was still explaining the value of that which is unseen (treasures in heaven) versus that which is seen (treasures upon earth).

b.       We may lay up unseen treasures in heaven by practicing unseen righteousness according to the directions given by Christ in the previous verses.  Each time Christ said the Father will reward us or repay us for secret righteousness, those rewards are laid up in heaven.

c.        Notice that if our hearts are set on the spiritual things of heaven, then our treasures will be there in heaven also.

III.   CLEAR VISION

A.      In this context of seen versus unseen, Christ gave a teaching concerning vision.

                                                             1.      Jesus was still following the theme of unseen righteousness when He taught concerning the eye in Matthew 6:22-24.

a.       The eye in Christ’s teaching represents our perception.  The issue is how we see or understand things.

b.       If our perception (“eye”) is bad, then it ruins everything that we do.

                                                             2.      Consider how we may apply the Lord’s teaching on perception.

a.       Ask yourself: Do you value things strictly on a worldly level or on a spiritual level?  What value has charity, prayer, fasting, etc. to you?

b.       The eye that is clear appraises all things according to their true value in the eyes of God.  We must understand that worldly things have value, but spiritual things have much greater value.

c.        Your perception affects your choices.  What do you value more – treasures in heaven or treasures on earth?  Whom will you choose to serve – God or mammon?

B.      The key to clear spiritual vision is faith.

                                                             1.      If we understand the value of unseen things, then it is through faith, for “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

                                                             2.      Notice that Matthew 6 ends with a discussion of priorities.

a.       The Lord famously said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).

b.       This caps the theme of the whole chapter – put the unseen, spiritual things above those things which are seen.  Do not seek the glory of men, but seek the glory of God.

                                                             3.      Do we have the spiritual vision and faith to trust in an unseen God to do what He has promised?

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      It is interesting to note that the Lord instructs us to keep our good deeds unknown from one another, but we are to confess our sins to one another (Jas. 5:16).  In this way, we keep ourselves humble, spiritual, and in God’s good graces.

B.      How do you practice your righteous?  Is it as the hypocrites who love to be seen?  Is it as the Gentiles who practice vain repetition?  Is it as the Lord directed in spirituality and humility before God?