“Take
heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have
no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1).”
I.
Introduction
a. Covers
four verses
i.
VV 1-4
b.Concerns the topic
of “almsgiving”
c. “alms”
is the Greek word “eleemosune”
i.
It means “ompassionateness, i.e.
(as exercised towards the poor) beneficence, or (concretely) a
benefaction:--alms(-deeds).”
ii.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
defined it as “money, clothes,
food, and other things given to poor people”
1.Emphasis on “poor”
2.If a man can work
and he does not…than he should not eat (2 Thess. 3:10).
II.
V. 1
a. Christ
opens with “take heed”
i.
It is an exclamation
ii.
It is a warning
iii.
In the Greek it literally means
“pay attention”
b.Christ is
concerned with our motives for giving
i.
Christ states that it is our duty
to give to the poor through the phrase “when you give”
ii.
We should give out of compassion
(Matt. 9:36; 14:14)
iii.
It should be our desire to give in
order to give God the glory (Jn. 15:8; Gal. 1:10; Eph. 6:6; 1 Cor. 10:31; Gal.
5:26).
1.A man who performs
an action for the appraisal of man has his reward on the earth (Mt. 6:2)
2.Robert Baker “As I
grow older, I care less what people think about me and more what God thinks of me.”
3.Glorifying
ourselves can bring embarrassment
a. It
will bring us disgrace and punishment (Isa. 14:12-15; Acts 12:23)
iv.
We are to give in secret
III. Hypocrite
a. Thoughout
this entire passage, Christ used the hypocrite as an example
i.
The word hypocrite from the Greek
word “hupokrites”
1.It means “an actor
under an assumed character”
2.The hypocrite
performed on the stage of life openly for all to see and hear
ii.
Do not perform your alms publically
(Mt. 6:4, 6, & 18)
iii.
They hypocrite was always thinking
he was better than everyone else.
b.Sound of trumpets
i.
Some people believe that it was
possible that some of the hypocrites carried trumpets with to sound when they
gave.
ii.
There is evidence that shows that
the priests blew trumpets in the Temple when they collected funds for a special
need
iii.
Also, during Christ’s time, there
was a place in the Temple where people could give and they gave by tossing
their money into one of thirteen trumpet shaped chests which made noise when
the money was given
iv.
It is more likely that, since
Christ was not referring to the Temple, that He was referring to the trumpets
that blew indicating fasts, which included almsgiving
v.
It is still a practice in the East
of derveeshes, religious beggars, carrying horns and blowing them when someone
gives them money
IV.
Do your alms in secret
a. So
secret that your left arm does not know about your right arm
V.
How can we become an alms giver?
a. Pray
that God changes our attitudes/gives us opportunities
b.Fast
c. Determine
to give to the poor (2 Cor. 9:7)
d.
Study the Law of Sowing and Reaping
i.
Chickfila
1.With giving comes
greater responsibility
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