On the Marriage Conference. I can’t emphasize how excited we are to host this event at the Troy Campus at the end of this month. Michelle and I will be there and hope you will join us from the Royal Oak campus so we can learn various strategies to work around roadblocks, and have successful communication patterns. Whether you are preparing for marriage, are thriving after 45 years and still seeking improvement, or are feeling hurt and hopeless, this event will help you feel refreshed and to enjoy a stronger, healthier, and more satisfying marriage. It is March 22-23, 2019, Friday evening from 7-9pm and Saturday morning from 9am – 12pm.
Also, let’s keep our brothers going to Liberia in our prayers. They will be facing a lot of opposition spiritually and physically enduring a rough landscape. They leave this Thursday.
Okay, Let’s pray. Father, we are gathered today to study and learn more of your heart and how it impacts our faith and actions. We ask that you give us great insight and immeasurable wisdom as we seek to have a heart that reflects your love for people like us. Thank you for this opportunity to worship together and be encouraged by your words. Fill us with your grace and mercy. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.
We’re in Matthew 6 today. Before I get into this sermon, I need to recap last week’s sermon. Last week we learned in Matthew 5:20 that if our righteousness didn’t exceed that of the scribes and pharisees, then we couldn’t enter the kingdom of heaven. Then Jesus went on to list 6 very ordinary societal practices and exemplified how to live right and love right. And he concluded in verse 48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We learned that when Jesus said we must be perfect, he meant “whole”, that is needing nothing for completeness.
This brings us to verse 1 in chapter six where Jesus says, 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of other people in order to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Did you all catch the big idea Jesus dropped in verse 1 of our passage? Let’s read verse 1 again together.
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of other people in order to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matt 6:1). Let me connect that with last week’s message and make that more clear, To be perfect when we are practicing our righteousness, we need to: Live for the Rewards of God, not the Recognition of Men.
I think this could be a struggle for Jesus followers. We live in one of the most narcissistic societies ever. We live in an age of likes, hearts, and stars. Our natural bent is to perform for the praise of others. The drug of praise and applause from people is constantly there. Receiving praise and glory from people is exactly what disqualifies us from living our life for the rewards of God. That’s what Jesus is saying!
In my first career, I was a bureaucratic in the explosively political world of local government. My local government happened to be New York City, and I’ve seen my colleagues destroyed because they didn’t appease the political powers to be. So the advice I was given was this: keep a clean shirt and tie with you at all times, you never know when you got to look good and be recognized.
In my second career as a strategy consultant, I learned this: act like you’ve already made the multi-million dollar sale because nobody is going to give you the multi-million dollar sale if you haven’t already made a multi-million dollar sale. That’s right, game recognize game, except when your game isn’t real.
You better be sure in my third career, as your pastor, I won’t be distracted by the recognition of men, but live for the rewards of God. Moreover, you better be sure, I’m going to challenge each and every one of you to live for the rewards of God and not the recognition of men. So we’re going to take risks for God that in the eyes of men doesn’t make any sense, but from a kingdom perspective, makes sense because we’re living for the rewards of God.
I spent serious amounts of time and money trying to live for the recognition of people? And guess what: all those things I did, they brought little satisfaction even after I was recognized. Yes, it feels good to be recognized by others and gaining societal approval, but our deepest satisfaction and longing is found in being seen by our Heavenly Father and being affirmed by Him. And so, the question we want to ask today as we read the rest of this passage is how can we: Live for the rewards of God and not the recognition of people? That brings us to our two points today. We need to: Resist the Temptation to be seen by people And second, Value Deeds only Seen by God
When we do these things, our intentions are to live for the rewards of God and not the recognition of men. Before we continue, I want to provide some context and instructions on what to note in the passage we’re going to read.
Jesus is a wisdom teacher and the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus teaching people how to live out the Kingdom of Heaven while we still live in the kingdom of earth. As wisdom, these statements are not meant to be taken as promises that result in perfect results but rather, they are an invitation into living the way of the kingdom that will result in our good and God’s glory.
Now, notice these things in the text:
First, Jesus is providing social commentary by ridiculing some people’s intentions in practicing these three common religious actions. He’s using satire to illustrate how our intentions color our actions. You’ll notice this when Jesus says “like the hypocrites.”
Can I provide a definition of hypocrite here? I’ve always thought that a hypocrite was someone that did one thing around their church friends and then lived differently around their non-Christian friends. But it’s not how Jesus uses that word. You can check this out in Matthew 23, when he talks about this in detail, but Jesus defines a hypocrite as somebody who is righteous in appearance, but their motives are wrong.
Second, the use of the word “when.” Jesus uses the word a lot here, and it is not by accident. Jesus’ uses the word “when” here because he knows that religious practices are a matter of when and not if. It was never a question of “if” but “when” we do them. That’s why he’s using these examples.
Third, you’ll see Jesus paint a pattern of how religious activities can be practiced wrongly, and conversely how we can practice them as rightly, and be rewarded for the correct practices.
Giving to the Needy
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 honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Notice here the word “when”. Also notice Jesus describing the intentions of how this is practiced wrongly. He is specifically talking about giving to those who are poor and needy. When he says sound no trumpets before you it’s not talking literally but metaphorically that’s saying “don’t blow your own horn. Don’t give to get noticed. Don’t give for any reason where you would gain something.” Resist the Temptation to be seen by people!
When we give to those in need only to be seen by others, we bring glory to ourselves instead of God and we have received our reward. Now we go to Verse 3.
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.
Are we truly not supposed to let our left hand know what our right hand is doing? What does that really mean anyways? Are we really supposed to give in secret? Taking it literally misses the point.
The phrase “in secret” actually contrasts “blowing a trumpet” from verse 2 and is meant to communicate the heart of the matter of motive. Jesus is telling us that our heart needs to be in the right place when we give. Our heavenly Father, who sees in secret, sees our heart.
When we practice giving to the needy, we do so with the right intentions. We don’t do it out of compulsion, but because we value how God values those in need.
Prayer
Verse 5. 5 “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.
Jesus is not condemning a posture of prayer when He says they love to stand in the synagogues and street corners and pray. All kinds of postures of prayer are demonstrated throughout the bible. Nor is He condemning the place of prayer. The synagogue was a very common place to pray, being a house of prayer, as well as the streets if it was the time of prayer. The problem is neither the posture nor the place, the problem is that people wanted to be SEEN praying.
Instead of sounding a trumpet, like with giving, the hypocrites would go to the busy street corner where the most people were. The heart issue is whether our motivation is to be SEEN by people as religious. Jesus is saying to Resist the Temptation to be seen by people. Have you ever been around people who flock to be where the most people are congregating? Like they have to be in the center of the party. Except, these people are at the center of the party pretending to be religious?
The result is the same as before – there is no reward for those that want to be seen by people because their hearts are not for our Father who sees in secret. Let’s go to verse 6. 6 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.
Instead of being seen by people when in prayer, Jesus says to go into your room and shut the door and pray. This example again shows why a literal rendering of the passage would be problematic. If taken literally, we could no longer pray in public or when we gather together. Is that what Jesus is meaning? No. Again, Jesus is not talking about public verses private prayer, but rather the motive of the heart.
Jesus elaborates further on practice of prayer from not just wanting to be seen by people but also to be heard by God because of our words (v. 7-8). 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This is a further example that prayer is not about impressive words or outward actions but it’s an attitude, a posture, and a heart of dependence. Here’s what Jesus is saying. He’s saying: When we pray, talk to God, don’t talk about God. When we pray, don’t try to think of just the right things to say, just talk to God. When we pray, don’t try to impress people with big words, remembrance of scripture or the perfect flow, TALK TO GOD.
This is what Jesus is calling us to do. This is the heart He desires. This is the heart the Father desires to see. Let’s read verses 9 through 15 because I want us to see God’s desire for our heart in prayer.
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I don’t want to spend anymore time here because we’re going to spend next week focused on the Lord’s Prayer. We’re going to talk about the theology and the nuances and the beauty of it, so you can’t miss it.
Fasting
Let’s go to verse 16. 16 “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.
Along with giving and prayer, fasting was a regular practice of the Jewish people. Jews would often engage in a variety of individual and cooperate fasts. A good Pharisee would fast twice weekly (Luke 18:12). The issue with fasting is that the desire to abstain from worldly pleasures and sustenance can get twisted and perverted into a badge of honor. This is hypocrisy.
Again, like giving to the poor and praying, Jesus is not condemning fasting in and of itself, but is condemning the heart of fasting that is praise-fishing by the way we present ourselves. Are we fasting to get more of God or get more praise from man? Jesus isn’t concerned with whether people know we are fasting, He’s concerned with our heart and our motive behind fasting. Fasting is great and people can know you’re fasting while you do it. The difference is your heart motive. Let’s go to verse 17.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 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.
We fast to get more of our Father and glorify our Father. When we do it to be seen by others we only get more of others and glory for ourselves.
Conclusion
Did you see how Jesus painted a picture of the performance of religion? We can get caught up in DOING all the right things while having hearts far from God. Jesus’ point in all three activities is the same: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
I’ve often thought about what that reward would look like. If we peek ahead to verses 19-21, we will see what Jesus says are the rewards when we practice our righteousness with the right intentions.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus says that these rewards that God gives, they cannot be lost. It’s not temporal. It’s not a like on Facebook or a heart on Instagram or a star on yelp. These are treasures in heaven— they are spiritual blessings. That means that being seen and rewarded by our heavenly Father is eternally satisfying! More than that, the reward of God’s blessing, presence and closeness in our lives right now is what we truly long for and is the only thing that will satisfy us.
Jesus is strongest critique are of those that LOOKED religious while their hearts were far from Him. This is why it seems that throughout the gospels Jesus’ enemies were the Scribes and Pharisees. They looked religious, but weren’t actually doing things out of religiousness. They were more concerned with being seen!
Jesus says we can all become hypocrites by doing all the right things – giving, praying, fasting, serving, loving, etc. and still have a heart that is far from God. This is what Jesus is speaking against and, unfortunately, this is where we often find ourselves!
Is your heart to be seen by others or to worship the Lord in obedience, who sees in secret? Jesus is getting after the disposition of our heart. If there are things you do in your life that are done solely for the purposes of being seen by people and not the rewards of God, then I want us to be challenged to Resist the Temptation to be Seen By People and Value Deeds only Seen by God and Live for the Rewards of God and not the Recognition of Men.
So, let’s just be honest with ourselves for a moment. Where do you find yourself? Do you just look religious? What’s your heart look like?
Why do you come to church, give, read your bible, lead a group, serve in kids ministry, serve, etc.? Maybe you are the person that comes each week, you serve, you give, you lead prayers, you do all the outside stuff but, if your honest, you don’t know where your heart is with the Lord. Does this describe you?
Maybe you are here today because you’ve been invited by a friend and the reason you haven’t given Jesus a chance yet is because what we’ve just talked about is the only type of religion you’ve ever seen – fake, hypocritical people that don’t seem to have real devotion for God. Be encouraged today, that is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s not the life Jesus calls His followers to.
Regardless of which you are, the beauty of the gospel is that we no longer have to perform because the Father is already satisfied with us through what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Stop living to be seen by people in order that you might get recognized. It’s fleeting and doesn’t satisfy.
If you are a follower of Jesus, then make the decision to have a heart that aligns your actions with the holiness of God. Rest in the fact that God already has received you because of the completed work of Jesus.
If you’re not a follower of Jesus, I want to encourage you: Make the decision to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today and then live a life marked an intentionality of holiness. Just believe Jesus to be your savior and redeemer of your sins and confess it. You can live to be seen by our Father who sees in secret and loves us. If you made that commitment in your heart today, we want to get to know you, fill out the communication card in your bulletin or at the connect desk so we can talk with you about next steps.
Let’s live out what Jesus has called us to in following Him in obedience! Let’s pray.
Father, Thank you for teaching us that our religious activities: our devotion, our practice, are made holy by your son, Jesus. Help us focus our intention on being like you. That when we pray, give, or fast, we are doing so because we want to be holy, like you are holy. We want to experience the perfection of holiness in our lives. We pray that as we continue to worship and leave this place, we can experience your powerful love and recognize how you are sanctifying us from the yolk of being seen by people and using their recognition as an unfulfilling drug. You are all that we need. You fill us up and overflow in us. We thank you and we praise you. In Jesus name. Amen.
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