JSM | Uprightness .12 | True Reward & Devotion

 JSM | Uprightness. 12 | True Reward & Devotion
By Rev. Nicholas Sybrowsky

Invocation:

The Lord’s prayer & some from the heart.

Opening Word & Reading for Worship:

“God Doesn’t Give Half Crowns

A minister in England was preaching to a crowd of people in a street meeting.  A rough man, driving past, shouted, “Well governor, you’ll be getting a half crown for that job.”  Instantly, the minister replied, “No, my man, you are wrong.  The Lord Jesus Christ, my Master, never gives half crowns.  He gives whole crowns to those who serve Him. ~Gospel Herald” (Cite 1)

Results of Pure Religion promote True Righteousness glorifying the Creator & benefiting mankind’s eternal life.

Intro:

Today we pick up where we left off last week at Mt. 6:2 which leads into the true rewards because of true devotion in generosity to the poor.

 Main Text:  Mat 6:2-4 KJV

"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. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [3] But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: [4] That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." ~Mat 6:2-4 (KJV) 

1. True Reward Eternal.

Earthly reward VS. Heavenly Eternal rewards.  True uprightness results in eternal reward.  By grace we receive God’s love and then share this love with others.  Not for fortune & fame here on earth.  Jesus cautions us in verse one to be careful to avoid executing “alms” aka. deeds to “be seen” by others.  

:2 “…Verily I say unto you, They have their reward...”

In my opinion, it’s as if Jesus were telling his disciples to, “Go ahead sound the trumpet whenever you are generous & loving to those in need, you will be rewarded.”  But what is good is earthly reward that is subject to destruction in comparison to heavenly reward that last forever?

Competing for nobility by celebrating publicly can be useful to enhance the awareness of a cause.  It’s important to get the attention of those in need otherwise connection might fail.  When we give, we have proclivity to shower one (the giver) another with praise & honor.  This is what Jesus is pointing out to his disciples.  We must be careful that our motive isn’t to receive honor on earth for our noble actions.  The condition of your heart (Mt. 5:8 pure in heart see God) when practicing the devotional deeds such as generosity to the poor, prayer and fasting must be carefully examined to get the accurate practice of Pure Religion (Jas.1:27) & True Devotion that promotes True Rewards.

2. Material Rich People have quite the obstacle in their abundance of wealth.

How can a Material Rich Person demonstrate their devotion to God?

 According to the Gospel accounts of Apostles Matthew, Mark & Luke after some time with the little children and telling all who could listen Jesus said, 

“…Whosesoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Lk 18:17 KJV) 

And after some time Jesus is inspired to teach.  

“The Rich Young Ruler"  Reading primarily from Mark 10:17-31 KJV:

"And [behold] when he was gone forth into the way, there came one [certain ruler] running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. [Keep them.] And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed [keeping them] from my youth. [What lack I yet?] Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. [If thou wilt be perfect, go.] And [when] he [heard this he] was [very] sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions; [riches in material wealth]. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have [material] riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches [of this world] to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for an [earthly material] rich man [or woman] to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, ~Mar 10:17-31" Mt & Lk bracket inserts by sermon author except "it is" and "that are" (KJV)] Blue Letter Bible.

“When Jesus saw that [the rich young ruler] became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”” ~ Lk 18:23-25 (MEV) [Brackets Sermon Author]

The most common view among Jews even into the NT times was that wealth was a sign of God’s special favor and that poverty was likely a sign of faithlessness & God’s disapproval (See Notes 3 & 4).  This statement [illustrating ease of a camel in the eye of a needle] like many of Jesus’ other remarks about riches & poverty is one of the most shocking that the writers and primary figures in several New Testament letters repeated the perspective in this passage (Cite 3).

Because of the evil & corruption associated with dependence on material possessions, the desire for and pursuit of wealth often lead to spiritual slavery (Cite 3). 

Mt. 6:24 NIV 

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." [Mat 6:24 NIV]

3. Secretive & private generosity promotes eternal reward; True Reward.

One hand and the other.  "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing," [Mat 6:3 NIV]

This is one of those verses that the codification of our Biblical library can trip you up if you’re not careful.  What I mean is that you must listen to the entire context of verses :3 and :4 together.  Sometimes my mind overthinks or gets confused.  Verse 3 by itself seems like an hard to read illustration, but it’s not as complicated as it may seem at times.  

Then after listening to Dr. J Vernon thru the Bible Radio, it’s become more clear to me that this is “biting sarcasm” used by the Lord.  In other words, the two hands ought not talk allowing them to make a scene or else you’ll miss the reward from God.  Verse four helps us understand that we are to give secretly.  

“so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." [Mat 6:4 NIV]

“Don’t reach in your pocket with one hand and wave your other hand in the air to help everyone see how deep you’re reaching into your pocket.” ~ Paraphrase of Dr. J Vernon (5 min audio clip.  To listen here)

4. God see’s everything!

:4 “…and thy Father which seeth in secret himself…”

"Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed." [Psa 17:3 NIV]

"would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?" [Psa 44:21 NIV]

"For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. [2] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. [3] You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ... [12] even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. [Psa 139:1-3, 12 NIV]

"Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD." [Jer 23:24 NIV]

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." [Heb 4:13 NIV]

"I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." [Rev 2:23 NIV]

5. Next Week/Message:  JSM | Uprightness .13 | True Devotion; Prayer & Fasting.

Conclusion:

This solution for the Rich Young Ruler is Philanthropy as indicated by the Lord Jesus Christ in verse(s)(Mt 19:21; Mk 10:21; Lk 18:22).  These days Philanthropist typically are recognized as wealthy people who share their material possessions & wealth with mankind, yet this message from Jesus is a dire warning to them as well.  They must be very careful about the condition of their heart or in the end when they meet the Lord on the day of Judgment, they risk the loss of eternal reward if all they did was share with the poor their riches to be seen & praised here on earth. 

 

The poor and poverty struck folks could very well be more spiritually rich toward God than a wealthy philanthropist.  Some people are in poverty because they share everything with everyone to the degree of suffering.  Only God really knows, but we must be careful to avoid assuming that material wealth equates to spiritually riches toward God.  On the other hand, someone who is recognized as noble and generous publicly doesn’t equate to being spiritually poor toward God either.

What’s important is the condition of our own individual heart.  We must be careful to examine our intentions to align with the perfect will of God and gird our loins with the TRUTH in the purpose of our generous devotions or deeds.

The apostle Paul’s final advice to the troubled church at Corinth said in 2 Co. 13:5,

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” ~2Co 13:5 (NLT)

Exhortation:  :4 “…reward thee openly”

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." [Mat 10:42 NIV]

The 5th Discourse of Jesus on End Times:  

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, [36] I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' [37] "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? [39] When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' [40] "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' [Mat 25:34-40 NIV] (Cite 2)

"and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." [Luk 14:14 NIV]

The resurrection; where you will NOT receive a half crown, but a full crown; the crown of life eternal!

Altar Call to Action/Suggested Response:

Toot your horn to God not man!  Celebrate by praising the Lord and thanking Him in secret & publicly for the ability to be his hands and feet on earth.  Be bold in faith declare and request the crown of eternal life in your coming resurrection!

Prayer & Story. 

 

“When We Haven’t Much to Show 

There is a very human story told of a commercial traveler who presented himself before his chief after finishing his round.  Taking the very small batch of orders in his hand, the manager looked at the man and said, “And is this all you’ve done?”  In reply the man looked steadily at his employer and said, “No, sir, it isn’t all I’ve done, but I’m afraid it is all I can show.”  In our work for God it is often when we toil hardest that we can show the least tangible result.  But if there has been the earnest endeavor to serve Christ, we may be sure that He knows all about it, and will reward us accordingly.  ~United Methodist” (Cite 1)

Benediction:  

"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--" [Jde 1:24 NIV]

Next Week’s/Message:

Credits, Citations & Notes:

1. God Doesn’t Give Half Crowns & When We Haven’t Much to Show:  Knight; 3,000 Illustrations for Christian Service; Eerdmans Pg. 569
2. Jesus’ Discourse on End Times Mt. 24-25.  The Judgment.  "Matthew 25 (KJV) - When the Son of man." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 5 Nov, 2024.
3. Riches & Poverty Article by Donald C. Stamps from Fire Bible.
4. Translations KJV, NIV & NLT (Blue Letter Bible (BLB) Website), MEV (Fire Bible on hand).  Dr. J. Vernon Link BLB.

Notes:

1. See The Reward of Service "Matthew 10 (KJV) - He that receiveth you receiveth." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 5 Nov, 2024.  See also Mar 9:41.
2. See Parable of the Lamp Lk 8:16-18, Mk. 4:21-25
3. The rich man's wealth [is] his strong city: the destruction of the poor [is] their poverty. [Pro 10:15 KJV].  “This proverb describes what appears to be the advantages of riches (cf. 14:20; 19:4) and the disadvantages of poverty (cf. 18:23; 19:4, 7).  On the surface, it may appear that rich people are more successful and secure (See 11:4).  Yet in God’s view, wealth that is gained by dishonest or unfair means is worthless (V. 2).  The NT gives more insight on the condition and destiny of the rich and poor.  “Has god not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” (Jas 2:5; cf. Lk 2:7-12; 4:22).  Like the other OT books, Proverbs must be interpreted in the context of everything God has revealed in the NT through his Son, Jesus (Heb 1:1-3; more about this in article on CHRIST IN THE OT, pg. 480 of the Fire Bible).
4. The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. [Pro 10:22 KJV] Too often people gain material wealth through wickedness, dishonesty and greed, in which case it is not from God (v. 2).  But true riches consist of God’s blessing and the privilege of following his purposes.  Whether we are poor or rich [in material wealth], the Lord’s presence and favor are our greatest wealth.  ~Donald C. Stamps Full Life Study Bible & Fire Bible