Continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

1 “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.

2 “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 honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:1-4)

I wonder if you have heard the phrase, “an audience of one”. It speaks of doing something quietly, knowing only one person can see – the Lord himself. No-one else knows about it. It is a secret between you and God.

When we are in a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, when we are secure in His love and our hearts are open before Him, we don’t need to seek approval from those around us. We can be content in the knowledge that God sees and that’s enough.

In two separate psalms, David talks about the Secret Place. In both cases, he is referring to being in his mother’s womb. For example, in Psalm 139 he prays,

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; (Psalms 139:15-16)

The Lord’s eyes saw him. Can there be anything more wonderful? We started out our life in the Secret Place, where only God saw us. The psalm also describes how Lord carefully formed us and made detailed plans for our lives. Many years after David wrote the psalm, Jesus called us to continue in intimate relationship with the Father, spiritually dwelling in the Secret Place, seeking only His approval for the decisions that we make.

The word, “reward” is used three times in this passage. Some of us might have been taught that we shouldn’t do things to seek rewards, but the fact is, the Father loves to reward us. We don’t earn His rewards (He doesn’t owe us), but He does love to bless us when we do the right thing.

Those who give to the needy with an attitude of showing off, or trying to win the approval of human beings, “have received their reward in full”. The honour given by people may feel good at the time, but it won’t last forever. Describing a sports hero or an actor we sometimes hear the phrase, “you are only as good as your last performance”. Human praise is fleeting. But the Lord’s rewards are for eternity.

The Secret Place is a place in fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ where we are loved and where life has meaning and purpose. And the rewards found there last forever.

Continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:43-48)

I wonder if you have ever had an enemy. Somebody who opposes you, tries to hurt you, someone who takes delight in discouraging you; maybe they have even bullied you in some way.

Here, Jesus instructs us to love them and one way, he says, to do that is to pray for them. We may not feel we have love for an enemy, but we can choose to do love - by praying for them. That might seem difficult to do but sometimes praying for a person can have surprising results. Here’s how it works. Praying for a person we struggle with can potentially achieve two things:

First, it can soften our heart towards forgiveness and away from retribution. It can help us to see the person as broken and needing Jesus. The person who has not shown love or respect to us is still loved by the Lord. He died for them too. If we can make a decision to pray for the person instead of nursing our wounds, or entertaining ways of getting even, the Lord uses such prayers to change our hearts to be more like Him. Praying for an enemy invites the Lord to have His way in us.

Second, it may be your prayer or my prayer that God chooses to bless and bring that person to repentance and faith in Him. If your enemy is going to change, it is more likely to occur on the back of compassionate prayer than from anger

Think of people in your life now or people you have known in the past. Those who have hurt you. People who have made your life difficult. Pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Or, if they are believers, pray that they come to a deeper understanding of the Lord and His ways.

If you can, pray these words over them from Numbers 6 v 24 – 26.

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matt 5:38-42)

Have you ever wanted Payback?

There are literally hundreds of movies about revenge. In fact, IMDB (the go-to website for information on any movie) has even created a list of the “50 best Revenge movies of all time” – including several that many would call classics.

People love to hear stories about someone getting what they deserve. But is this what things look like in Jesus’ new world – the Kingdom of God?

Imagine a Roman soldier in Jesus’ day forcing an elderly gentleman or a young mother to carry his heavy bag for a mile. Or imagine today an unfair boss expecting an employee to work extra hours for no extra pay, doing an unpleasant job that the manager was too lazy to finish himself.

I am sure we can all think of many other unfair scenarios. Perhaps you have experienced some yourself.

Even worse, now think about the Roman soldier striking an innocent person on the cheek in Jesus’ day. Or a business owner suing a person living in poverty for the only garments they have for the cold winter nights.

At first glance these words seem like Jesus is saying, “just be weak; just be a victim; don’t stand up for yourself; let people walk all over you!”

Is Jesus encouraging a victim mentality? Is he promoting injustice?

The answer is no; he isn’t! There are times when we do need to defend ourselves, speak up when something is wrong or stand up for others, but there is a difference between defending yourself, and exacting revenge. If we have the power to protect somebody in danger, we must do so. If we can diffuse a bad situation peacefully (even if it means refusing to hit back, or blessing somebody with more than they deserve), it is surely better than letting anger and retribution rule the day.

Jesus’ words here are about overcoming evil with good, responding to hatred and anger with mercy and grace.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather be in a world like that - a world of mercy, grace, kindness - than one where revenge is unrestrained.