The Birthday Boy

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we are going to look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a story…

There once was a boy who got up to go to school one morning. He took a shower, ate his breakfast and grabbed his brown bag lunch. It was a beautiful spring morning as he got onto the bus and sat down in the back seat.

It was a pretty normal day at school, and nothing really out of the norm other than the fact that today was kind of special, because today was his birthday.

All day long at he wondered if his friends at school would remember, but to no avail. At lunch time he sat down with his friends as they talked about fishing on the weekend and playing kickball but not a mention of his birthday. On and on the afternoon went without a card or a mention of congratulations.

After school he went with his parents to the grocery store but once again there was no mention of his birthday at all. Everybody had completely forgotten it.

Eventually when they got home the boy went into his bedroom to start to get his homework done. Because the family did things on Friday night, his dad knocked on his door and asked him and his brothers if they wanted to go bowling. Everyone agreed and got into the car.

When he opened the door at the bowling alley he heard hundreds of people yell “happy birthday!” He smiled and realized that they hadn’t forgotten at all, they had simply kept it a big secret.

Has anybody ever asked you to keep a secret before? Did you know that the Lord Jesus does just that? Something that is secret is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others, like the boys surprise party.

Matt 6:1-4

1 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.

² 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.

An alm is money, food, or other donations given to the poor or needy; anything given as charity:

The Lord Jesus wants us to give alms so secretly that your left hand doesn’t even know what your right is doing. They are both members of your body so that’s a pretty big secret isn’t it!

God wants to reward us for doing good and for giving alms but in order to reap a reward from God, they must be done in secret.

Some people only give to the poor to be seen by others because they want others to think that they are righteous, it has nothing to do with actually caring for the poor in their hearts. Listen how Jesus spoke of the Pharisees.

Matt 23:5-7

⁵ But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

⁶ And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

⁷ And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

If we want a reward from God we also need to keep our prayer life secret

Matt 6:5-6

⁵ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

In recent years there have been numerous people who have had prayer rallies right outside schools or on the street corners of cities. Prayer is meant to be private between you and God.

So why do they do it out in public? Obviously it’s to be seen by others in the community. In order to have a reward, prayer needs to be in secret with God. After all, who’s going to see you in a closet? In a closet, it’s no longer showing people that you are religious but rather a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The same goes with fasting.

Matt 6:16-18

¹⁶ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

¹⁷ But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

¹⁸ That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Luke 18:11-12

¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

The Lord Jesus wants us to keep certain secrets so that God can reward us openly.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤

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