Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.14UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.1UNLIKELY
Fear
0.07UNLIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.5UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.65LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.09UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.87LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.95LIKELY
Extraversion
0.11UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.79LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.73LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
I. Reading of Scripture
This is God’s Word, Amen.
Pray
II.
Introduction | Matthew 6:1
A. Introduction to Theme
Jesus has spoken about “righteousness” repeatedly in The Sermon on the Mount.
He first said:
Again, he said:
And more recently:
Jesus does not speak about the kingdom of heaven without speaking about righteousness repeatedly.
What is righteousness, and why does Jesus speak so much about it?
Righteousness is a characteristic of a person who does what is right.
That Jesus speaks so often about righteousness is evidence that it is not natural to us.
Much of the turmoil and division and fighting in the world proves that not everyone has the same view of what is right.
Righteousness that belongs to the world is subjective righteousness.
It is influenced by opinions of others or personal feelings or whoever will pay the most.
But the righteousness that is from God is different.
Righteousness that belongs to the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom we belong to now, and the kingdom that is coming, is not subject to the opinions of others.
God defines what is right.
God is righteousness.
We not only need God’s righteousness, we have received God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
So,
The more Jesus speaks about righteousness, the more realize we need Him!
Jesus makes it possible for us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to endure suffering for righteousness’ sake, and to have a surpassing righteousness so that we might enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And because we ARE righteous, we PRACTICE righteousness.
Because we belong to Christ and His Kingdom, we are ambassadors for Christ in the world doing kingdom things — righteous works.
B. Introduction to Text
And this brings us to Matthew 6:1.
Jesus is not speaking to the crowds, although they are listening in.
He is speaking to his disciples — His followers.
He is speaking to those to whom these kingdom things belong.
And once again, Jesus speaks about righteousness.
Not to say “go acquire it” for you are they who already have it!
Instead, Jesus speaks about what to do with the righteousness they have already been given, because what we DO with what we have been GIVEN matters.
Take note of the word “righteousness” and take note of the word “reward.”
Both of these words are misunderstood without God.
Both of these words are subjective without God.
Meaning, without God defining what is right, we don’t know what righteousness is!
Without God defining a reward, we are inclined to be short-sighted, and seek after lesser, insignificant and temporary rewards.
How does God define righteousness and reward?
With Himself.
God is our righteousness, and God is our reward.
If we miss that, we miss the teaching of Jesus: We miss the Heavenly Father.
What Jesus is teaching is meant to reveal the righteousness and reward of our Heavenly Father.
And so this text is given to Jesus’ followers, and is given to us, not in the form of a promise or a prohibition.
It is a warning!
Whenever you study the Scriptures or read the Scriptures, it is important to take the tone of the Scriptures.
If the Scriptures are praising in Doxology, we don’t need to mourn as we read them.
If the Scriptures are rebuking and correcting we don’t need to laugh.
When the Scriptures are speaking simply to children, we may need to sit down and speak gently on the level of the children.
When the Scriptures warn, we need to become serious.
This is a serious warning.
The first word is not “Blessed” it is “Beware!”
This is the first time this word appears in Matthew, and in our New Testaments, and it is spoken by Jesus Himself.
BEWARE! — Pay attention.
Be on guard.
Be alert.
Be concerned (LN/BDAG).
There is a danger here!
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people.”
That word “practice” is the word for “do.”
If we are made righteous, we will do righteousness.
What does it mean to practice your righteousness?
I suggest that this is another way of speaking about “love” —
The context in which Jesus said:
By doing things like loving your enemies, and praying for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44).
Practicing righteousness is another way of demonstrating love.
And love is demonstrated in observable ways.
This act of God’s love was the manifestation of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Romans 3:21-22, 25).
And so God gives us righteousness, and makes us righteous to demonstrate His righteousness as witnesses in the world.
Notice that Jesus does not say “Do not practice your righteousness before other people” because there will be times when we will.
Jesus instead warns that we be very careful whenever we do for this reason:
“in order to be seen by them.”
That is motivation.
That is intent.
That is a matter of the heart — what makes us tick.
Why we do what we do.
Be warned!
— When we practice our righteousness before other people, this temptation is there.
This stumbling block is there!
Something will shift.
And we will be tempted to practice our righteousness not because it is the right thing to do, or the loving thing to do, or God’s desire for us, but we will practice our righteousness TO BE SEEN not by God, but by THEM.
It’s not whether or not people will see us — it’s whether we are motivated by them seeing us.
The construction of this warning is not meant to diminish the omniscience of God who sees all — God does see all we do!
But the way this warning comes to us, we can think of it this way — if we practice our righteousness to be seen by others, then that is a righteousness that God doesn’t see.
God only looks upon the righteousness that is true righteousness — that is not limited to the superficial act alone, but the righteousness that goes deeper.
That surpasses the act alone.
The righteous act that is done for the right reasons.
Isn’t this what Jesus has been teaching us in our relationships with others?
It’s not that we don’t murder, it’s that we go to the beginning of murder which is anger, and we don’t be angry.
For anger has the same end as murder.
Lust as the same end as adultery.
We think about the beginning and the end of what we do.
What begins in us and through us, will reach an eternal end with another.
So we act in such a way that promotes not eternal destruction, but eternal reconciliation with God and man.
In the same way, the righteousness we practice must begin and end with our Heavenly Father.
It must be a work that the Father gives us to do, and it must be a work that has as its end the reward of the Father — not the reward of men.
May we never let the opinions of others motivate or direct our activities of worship.
What is done before others in the name of God must be done unto God.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9