When These Secret Things Are Made Public They Lose Their Value

Matthew 6:4 – so that your giving may be in SECRET. Then your Father, who sees what is done in SECRET, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6 – 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.

Matthew 6:18 – so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in SECRET, will reward you.

Matthew chapter six is part of the sermon on the mount by Jesus. In this long sermon recorded by Matthew in his gospel, Jesus clarifies and expounds what God has always expected of His people. Jesus would contrast what religion taught and what God expects.

“You have heard it was said…but I tell you…” There is what people were taught for hundreds of years and there is what God says. There is what people understood to be God’s word and there is what God really expects. We always need to be sure that our beliefs and practices are what God said and not what we have always believed.

For many years people believed that murder is just killing somebody. Jesus came and taught that murder includes hatred. For many years religious teachers taught that adultery was a physical act, but Jesus taught that it includes lust. Therefore use of pornography, masturbation, sex chatting by text or even flirting, even reading erotic stories and watching erotic movies, is all adultery.

The Sermon on the Mount of Blessings by Jesus was completely revolutionary to say the least. It completely upended beliefs and practices of the time. Where people were taught to hate enemies, Jesus commanded them to love their enemies.

In our text today, Jesus emphasized the importance of secrecy of some beliefs and practices. The people had been taught to help the needy publicly in order to make a name for themselves. The people were taught to pray publicly to show how close they were to God. The people had been taught to fast openly to demonstrate their piety to the public.

Jesus taught the people to help the needy secretly. Jesus said that if our aim is to impress the public, it means we are not interested in the needy person but in our public image. Jesus said if our aim is to impress the public, we will impress the public, but God will not bless us. We will get our reward of a good publicity but we will not get God’s blessings.

If our interest is to really help the needy, then there will be no need for pictures and social media posts. Given an option no needy person would be happy to walk around with the whole world knowing that their shoes, clothes, meals, etc., are donations. A child in school may have a lower self esteem if everyone has fees paid by the parent except them who are helped by donors. Jesus said we should help them secretly and God who sees secret things will bless us!

Helping the needy is a secret thing according to Jesus. If you make it public you expose the needy and you lose divine blessings. If you make it public, you will get the public approval but lose divine favors. Yet divine favors are better than public approval. When these secret things are made public they lose their value!

Prayers should be secret. You are talking to God. You can’t be talking to God and trying to impress the public at the same time. Think of a close loved one who calls to speak to you, but the phone is on loud speaker for everyone to listen. As they speak to you, they are also seeking to impress those listening to this conversation. Is this call really about you? Isn’t this publicity stunt just about themselves?

If we pray publicly on prayer items that should be secret, aren’t we seeking to impress the public? Isn’t that prayer just an excuse but the real aim is self promotion? Jesus said, God WILL NOT answer such prayers because you already got the publicity you wanted.

Public worship has acceptable public prayers. Group worship which includes family, prayer band, etc., have group prayers. Most importantly there is personal secret prayer. Personal secret prayers have a greater impact on your faith than any other prayer. However, whichever prayer you make, in public worship or group worship, do not seek to impress the people around you. God can read your motives and WILL NOT answer your prayers nor bless you.

If your prayers and fasting have a component of publicity, God pulls out and refuses to bless us nor answer the prayer. Impressing the public is a form of idolatry. You shall have no other god except God. Once the public is impressed, forget about answers to the prayers and fasting or blessings from God, because you already have the publicity you wanted. Jesus says you already have your reward, expect nothing from God!

Helping the needy is a secret affair. Praying in public worship should be a secret between that congregation and God. Praying in a group should be a secret between that group and God. Personal prayers which are most important, should be between you and God. Do not seek publicity in any of these three categories of prayers. We should and must participate in all three categories of prayer, but never seek publicity. Personal prayer should be so personal that nobody ever knows you even pray.

Announcing your personal or small group fasting will deny you God’s answers and blessings. Even public congregational fasting should be devoid of impressing the public. Anything that seeks to show off, denies us divine blessings.

Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Letting our light shine is a consequence of our private secret relationship with God. I prayed secretly to God about my job interview. When I miss the job, I walk with my head high knowing it is God’s will I miss the job. That walking with my head high is letting my light shine, but the prayer and fasting remains secret.

I am in a good strong relationship with needy people. Publicly everyone sees that I relate well with needy people. Needy people love me and speak well of me. That is letting my light shine. What the public will never know is that I help those needy people. If the needy people will ever give a public testimony, that is their personal choice. If I coarse the needy to make a public testimony, God immediately withdraws His blessings!

Helping the needy is totally secret. Praying and fasting is a secret affair. Keep them secret and God will answer us and bless us beyond our expectations. The blessings of God will be the shining light that will bring glory to God.

Dear God help us keep secret what should be secret. Forgive us for publicity stunts. Answer us and bless us, in Jesus’s name, Amen!

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