We are continuing in our sermon series through the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Recall, briefly, where we have been in this series. Beginning with the Beatitudes, we saw what was involved in a right relationship with God…and with others: Poverty of spirit, mourning over sin, mercy and the like. From the Beatitudes, we moved into some of the commands from Jesus, some very touch commands indeed: Being salt and light to the world, taking sin seriously, taking our word seriously and loving our enemies. Today, with the beginning of chapter 6 in Matthew’s gospel, we move into Jesus’ teaching on some basic disciplines of faith—giving, prayer and fasting. You won’t want to miss the Sunday when we look at fasting!

In the "flow" of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus moves us from what the Christian life looks like—taking sin seriously, loving enemies, and the rest—to how we might live that life. We move from the horizontal relationships of the Christian life in how we interact with others, to the vertical relationship of the Christian life; how we interact with God. Today, the issue of giving to the work of the Kingdom (Read Matthew 6:1-4).

When it comes to receiving gifts, I think the Church is at a clear disadvantage compared with other organizations. And that disadvantage comes from this teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. "When you give, do it in secret. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." This teaching appears to prohibit any acknowledgment of one’s giving to the church. It is to be so secret that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing! Meanwhile, other organizations seeking your donations are not so restricted. With acute marketing awareness that all of us like to be recognized and appreciated, other organizations go over the top in recognizing donors…and in keeping in contact with donors. I am sure that you, like me, annually receive mailings from other organizations we’ve supported in the past year listing the various levels of donors: the "Gold Club" donors of $5,000 or more, followed by the list of names; the "Silver Club" of $2,500-$4,999 donors; the "Bronze Club" of $1,000—$2,499 donors and so on. How would you like the church to do something like that? Every year, in an Annual Report, we listed donors of $5,000 or more…perhaps we’d call it the "Paul Club;" the "Peter Club," donors of $2,500-$4,999; the "Matthew Club," donors of $1,000-$2,499, and so on. Would that be a good idea? If we were to do that, surely someone would wonder about such a practice in light of Matthew 6:1-4. Doesn’t Jesus prohibit that type of thing? Yet, there’s that desire in us human beings to be recognized and appreciated. The church is at a disadvantage in receiving gifts from donors.

In addition to the recognition factor, the church is at a disadvantage in connecting with donors over against other organizations in the sheer number of askings. How many mailings do you receive from your alma mater updating you on the latest news and, oh by the way, enclosed is an envelope for your consideration of support? Rather than just a once a year stewardship campaign, perhaps we should include a pledge card in every edition of the Scroll!

Come to think of it, now that I’m on a roll, other organizations are really good about keeping track of where you are. Support an organization one time and their mailings follow you for the rest of your life! I think we should send an annual pledge card to all those members who moved to another state over the past 43 years! I’m getting some really good ideas from this sermon topic!

Yet, amazingly, in spite of all that, in spite of the donor disadvantage churches have in comparison to other organizations, it is the church that has the reputation of "always asking for my money!" A few years ago, I attended a conference at Willow Creek Community Church located in a suburb of Chicago. Bill Hybels is the pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels is also the author of Just Walk Across the Room which we looked at back in January. As you might guess, Willow Creek is very intentional about their outreach to the unchurched in their community. So intentional, in fact, that their Sunday morning services are designated as "seeker services" because they know if the unchurched or non-believers are going to visit a church it will likely be Sunday morning. Willow’s services with a focused emphasis on their members are on Wednesday and Thursday nights! That’s intentional outreach! I attended one of their Sunday morning services while I was there for this conference. In their Sunday morning "seeker services" they avoid many of the things we might typically expect in a "church service" but would be unfamiliar to a seeker. They do take an offering however! But, they introduce the offering by saying something like this, "If you are a guest this morning, this is the one part of the service that is not for you. This is for our members who are here this morning because the members know it is their responsibility to financially support the church." They know that even seekers will have the expectation that the church is going to ask for money! Seekers might not know much about the Bible, or who Jesus is, but they know the church is going to ask for their money! Despite all those disadvantages in comparison to other organizations, that is the church’s reputation. It hardly seems fair.

Yet, there remains the matter of Jesus’ teaching on giving. "Give in secret, so secret that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing." What are we to do with that?

I think that the heart of the matter in this teaching from Jesus is about the state of our heart in the matter of giving. Jesus is digging at our motive in our giving. Is public acclamation the primary motivation for our giving? If so, Jesus says, then we’ve received all the reward we’re going to get when we make a big show of our giving. Jesus calls those who give with such motivation "hypocrites." It is the Greek word hupokrites, which was the word used to describe an actor in a Greek play. Showy givers whose motivation is to receive public acclamation for their generosity are hypocrites, actors putting on a show of faith when what they really seek is the acclaim of others. To be sure, they will get what they seek—the acclaim of others. But, they will miss out on so much more, the acclaim of their Father in heaven.

The motive for appropriate giving must flow out of a relationship with God. We give because we seek to further the work of God’s Kingdom in the world. The most important thing to appropriate givers is not the admiring approval of people around them, it is the approval that comes from God in being a part of the work He seeks to do in the world.

In this teaching on giving, Jesus speaks of a reward that comes from God. He doesn’t identify what that reward is, he doesn’t give details about the reward. But the reward is found in a relationship with God, working with God for His purposes in the world. The apostle Paul also speaks of a reward in giving for this purpose. In one of the classic passages on giving, 2 Corinthians, chapter 9, Paul speaks to the rewards that are the result of appropriate giving—none of which include earning the praise of people. In a list that moves from least to greatest reward, Paul says the result of appropriate giving is:

1) God gives back in return. To those who give for God’s purposes in the world, God gives back in return. Jesus also spoke of this, as told us in Luke’s gospel, "Give and it will be given back to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over," (Luke 6:38). A reward of appropriate giving is God gives back in return. Not necessarily in money, dollar for dollar, as if there was an investment formula to appropriate giving. But God gives back in return—blessings of various kinds, satisfactions in being part of the Kingdom of God and, yes, financial blessings also. It is the least of rewards because it expresses nothing relationally at all—neither horizontally in our relationships with others or vertically in our relationship with God. Consequently, it is the least of motives for appropriate giving, but it is there: God gives back in return.

2) A second reward in appropriate giving is that the needs of brothers and sisters in Christ are met. This is practical, in part, in that appropriate giving meets the basic needs of others—food and shelter for those who lack it. It also meets spiritual needs in providing for ministries and missions in the work of the church in God’s Kingdom. It is a better motive for our giving because it gives expression to our horizontal relationships, meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others. Thus, a second reward, a second motive in appropriate giving is meeting the needs, both physical and spiritual, of others.

3) A third reward in appropriate giving, and the greatest reward and motive for giving is that it results in praise being offered to God. It is the greatest of rewards and motives for giving because it gives expression to our vertical relationship with God. The act of giving is itself an act of praise. Giving to the work of God’s Kingdom in the world gives praise to God. But, more than that, appropriate giving results in praise being offered to God as the work of the Kingdom brings new believers into the Kingdom, an occasion for praise itself as well as their voices are added to those offering praise to God. There is appropriate giving’s highest reward—and its highest motive. Appropriate giving results in God being praised.

So, when we give, we can choose what kind of reward we seek. Notice Jesus doesn’t say that inappropriate giving has no reward. The acclaim of people is inappropriate giving’s reward. Make a public show of your giving, blow your own horn, so to speak, in your giving and you will receive your reward. But it is a vastly inferior reward to that of appropriate giving—giving that is done in secret, humbly given for the work of God’s Kingdom in the world and seeking, therefore, the acclaim of God rather than people.

So, the church may be at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving gifts and acknowledging its givers. But, the church also has a distinct advantage in motivating its givers because its focus is the Kingdom of God. When you give, consider the purpose and motivation for your giving. Is it to receive the acclaim of people around you? If so, then blow your own horn and make a big show of your giving and you’ll receive the acclaim of the people. But that is all you’ll receive. Or, is the purpose and motivation for your giving to further the work of God’s Kingdom in the world and God’s approval is more than enough commendation for you? If so, give quietly and humbly. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. And your Father in heaven, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.