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Published: Jan. 19, 2023, 8 a.m.

Welcome to Day 2108 of  Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Sermon on the Mount 6 – A Christian’s Religion: Real or Hypocritical – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 06/20/2021 Sermon on the Mount – A Christian’s Religion: Real or Hypocritical? Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 We are on the sixth week of our series on the Sermon on the Mount. I pray you are learning and enjoying it as much as I am.  We won’t complete this series in eight weeks, but that is ok.  Looking back over the past five weeks, we see that Jesus began his instruction on the mount by revealing the essential elements of Christian character in the beatitudes. Jesus then incorporated those character traits into the metaphors of salt and light, which is the influence for good that Christians will exert in the community if they exhibit this character.   Further, He then described the Christian righteousness or right living, which must exceed the right living of scribes and Pharisees. Right living is accomplished by accepting the full implications of God’s law without dodging anything or setting artificial limits or a list of rules. It is the heart attitude or obedience rather than sacrifice. Christian righteousness is right living, unlimited. These teachings must penetrate our hearts, minds, and motives beyond our actions and words. It must master us even in those hidden, secret places.  So today, as we transition from describing our Christian Character, Chrisitan Influence, and Christian Righteousness through good deeds, which we taught in the seven lessons of Matthew 5, we move to our motive when we perform good deeds. Let’s read  Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, which is found on page 1502 in the pew Bible  

• Giving to the Needy

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Prayer

 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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.

• Fasting

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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.   When we think we may be getting an understanding of right living,...