Understanding the Heart of God

Hosanna Hillsong

Psalm 135 NIV

1 Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, you servants of the Lord, 2 you who minister in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession. 5 I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. 6 The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. 7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, the firstborn of people and animals. 9 He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings— 11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan— 12 and he gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his people Israel. 13 Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. 19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord; house of Aaron, praise the Lord; 20 house of Levi, praise the Lord; you who fear him, praise the Lord. 21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.

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Opening Hymn

Announcements:

None that I am aware of.

Genesis 18:16–26 NIV

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Worship Set

John 1:43–49 NIV

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Prayer Chorus

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Worship Through the Word

Understanding the Heart of God

When a couple in love marries, they begin doing things for each other that they believe will make their spouse feel happy and loved. This is a good thing but even in this we relationally often have a disconnect. The reason is that we often do for our partner things that appeal to us. However, our spouse may have different ideas of what is pleasing to them.

Some years back, an entire book was written on this subject. They called it “The Love Languages.” For one person, spending time with them communicates love. For another person, they may feel loved when small gifts are given demonstrating their spouse thought of them while they were away. For another person, it may be by doing things for them or another it is being complimented and told that they are loved.

So, when we love someone, we need to take time to get to know them well enough to understand what really pleases them.

When Jesus came, He had two objectives. One was to die for our sins so we could have a relationship with the Father, but the other objective was to help us know the Father. If we know the Father, we will have an understanding of what His kingdom will be like, as well as know how we can please the Father. When we know the Father and please the Father, our relationship with Him will become stronger and more wonderful, just like in a marriage.

In fact, Jesus often describes relationships in terms of marriage. Jesus is the groom, the church is His bride. The Father blesses this union and is part of this union.

As we continue in the Sermon on the Mount, we need to understand that Jesus is helping the Jews by helping to fix their understanding of who God is. The Jews have turned God into just another god worshipped on earth. However, there is a big difference between the religions and gods of this world when compared to the true God who created all things.

If you are able, stand for the reading of today’s text.

Matthew 6 NIV

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 honored 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. 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. 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. 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. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘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 today 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 the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 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. 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. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God!

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Understanding the Heart of God

Jesus addresses several subjects in this passage. We often see it through the eyes of what He is telling us we should or should not do, however, there is a greater message we need to see here. Ultimately, it is about God and who God is. What pleases God and what does not please God.

As we walk through these subjects, we will find that our God is not someone who just wants to be worshiped. If He did, He would be satisfied with the rituals performed by the Pharisees. However, God wants something deeper. He desires a relationship with people. This is demonstrated in the scriptures I had read earlier in our service. He is a personal God and so empty rituals mean nothing to Him. What He wants are genuine and personal practices from His people.

Today, we will look at what I am calling.

I. Genuine Relational Worship (Matthew 6)

The Hebrews never completely cleared their lands of the foreigners. So, they never lived without the influence of pagans like God had called them to do. Later, due to their disobedience, they were exiled and lived among pagans. During Jesus lifetime, they are allowed to worship as they see fit, but they still live among pagans.

This influence is reflected in the traditions of the Pharisees and scribes. For the pagan, there is no personal relationship with their god. They create idols and they perform according to tradition practices of worship.

Psalm 135:15–18 NIV

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

An idol does not choose a person, a person chooses what it will worship. However, the true God chooses His people. He created us and loves us. Therefore, He has a higher purpose and expectation of our worship. It is meant to be something far more personal than just fulfilling a ritual.

With this in mind, let us look at this very familiar passage of Matthew 6.

The key to what Jesus is about to share if found in Matthew 6:1.

Matthew 6:1 NIV

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.

Once again, Jesus is about to give a contrast of what the Pharisees and scribes of taught compared with what God is truly desiring from us.

The rest of the chapter is devoted to 4 subjects that are different when one worships an idol versus an action of relationship to the one true God.

A. Four Acts of Relationship

Before I continue, I want you to think of the word devotion. When I looked up the definition it stated...

de·vo·tion

[dəˈvōSH(ə)n]

NOUN love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause: "his courage and devotion to duty never wavered" · "Eleanor's devotion to her husband"

After that, it gives the following examples.

religious worship or observance:

"the order's aim was to live a life of devotion"

prayers or religious observances:

"she went to her devotions"

Now, look at the definition again.

love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause:

The difference between Christianity and a religion, is that in a religion, the devotion is to an activity or cause.

However, Christianity is devotion to a person, i.e. God.

In the following four subjects, we will see how the Pharisees practiced a religion, but Jesus is directing them to not be devoted to a religion, but to be invested in a relationship with God. Let us look at these four subjects and how this perspective changes things.

The first subject addressed in this passage is the...

1. Giving to the Poor Matthew 6:1-4

It is not a matter of right or wrong, but of motive. What is the driving force behind the giving.

Often time, the destitute or lame would sit just outside significant places where others would pass by. The Pharisees would make a big show of giving to these individuals. Jesus addresses this in Matthew 6:2

Matthew 6:2 NIV

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.

Now, this does not mean that trumpets were literally blown. It is more like our term, “toot your own horn.” These men would often make a show of it. Perhaps they dropped the coins from above so people could hear them jingle as they hit bottom. Or they slowly dropped them so it was evident how generous they were being. The point it, they did not do it out of any heart of charity. They did it to gain God’s favor, but were also interested in the respect of men.

The Pharisees were charitable at specific times. When they went to synagogue or the Temple and others were watching. However, the Pharisees did in no other way demonstrate a charitable disposition to the poor. They believed the poor were lazy. They believed it demonstrated that they were sinners and believed if they had pleased God, God would not have allowed them to be poor.

In Luke 16, Jesus tells of a rich man (most likely a Pharisee) and his mistreatment of the poor man Lazarus. We find they both die shortly and Lazarus is comforted by Abraham in heaven while the rich man languishes in hell.

Here in Matthew, Jesus says one should not make a show of giving to the poor. It is to be between them and God.

Ultimately, it is a difference of motive. We should not give out of a desire to show how good we are. We should give out of love and concern for the one in need. The truth is, if we live this out as we should, it would look a lot different than it does even today.

Too many people are shamed into giving to the poor. They feel God would be displeased with them for passing a homeless beggar on the street without giving him money for a meal. I believe this is like the Beatitudes we looked at last week. We really do not do much good by ceremoniously tossing a few bucks to a person as we go by. In fact, we do not even know if we are doing them any good at all if they are just using it to support a habit.

If we really want to help the poor, we will invest our life in them. We will take time to know them, to build a relationship with them, and to identify where we can give the most help to change the behavior or need that has placed them in that situation in the first place. That is why I wanted us to start the new compassionate ministry program. I really want us to have an opportunity to build relationships with people because we care and want to see their lives change and even better, come to know God joining our family of God.

I love the lines in the opening song I played to day. It says,

Heal my heart and make it clean Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love like You have loved me Break my heart for what breaks Yours Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause As I walk from earth into eternity

The motive is not to do our good deed for the day. Our motive is love for God and a love for the people God created. It is this Godly love that moves us to act, not the need for respect from others. These are the actions that bring God the most pleasure because they are motivated by the things that motivate Him.

2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

It is all about our motivation and our motivation should be that of love for God and for others.

The second subject Jesus turns to is that of...

2. Prayer Matthew 6:5-15

Here again, Jesus points to our motivation. The Pharisees made a great show of prayer, just as so many who worship idols do. They make public sacrifices. Some come out into the street and prostrate themselves as a sign of devotion. The Pharisees would stand with hands held high. They would cry out and make a great show of it. Their point was to show people how devoted they were to God. It was a show for men.

When the prophets of Baal prayed, they cried out, they tore their clothes and wept all as a sign of their devotion to their god, seeking their gods attention.

However, our God does not need us to cry out to notice. It is not about long, lengthy prayers or great ceremonial prayers.

The Pharisees had ceremonial prayers also. Once again, it was an impressive show.

However, we do not serve a god that needs us to cry out loud to get his attention or to perform demonstrations of devotion. Our God is far more interested in personal, and intimate times of prayer between us and Him. This was so new to the disciples that they asked Jesus how to do so. Jesus then gives them a pattern, but this was never meant to be a ceremonial prayer. I often flinch when it is used as such. It is sometimes nice to have a means to pray corporately, and this is often used but I wonder if Jesus doesn’t shake His head and think, “They still don’t get it.” The whole reason He gave us the pattern was to turn us away from ceremony.

Even when we do pray less formally, we still can be at risk of ceremonial prayer with no real thought behind it. One great example is the prayers said at meal time. Many rattle off the same words over each meal. It is a ceremony, not a personal word of thanks to God.

There are people who pray so eloquently, that others feel ashamed to pray out loud because they do not sound so eloquent. However, I do not believe God cares one iota about eloquence. He is only interested in sincerity.

Why? Because God isn’t interested in empty worship. God wants worship because we love Him and acknowledge His love for us. He wants a conversation with loved ones, not words of ceremonial demonstrations for attention.

The pattern demonstrates a God who cares about every part of our life. It begins with acknowledging Him, not as a God, but as a Father. A far more personal term. We acknowledge that His will is our goal and then we share our personal needs and needs of others, i.e. our daily needs, our confessions, protection from our common enemy.

Jesus then expounds on one portion of this pattern of prayer. Once again, I believe it is because this is probably the one place where we can be tempted to be less sincere. It is the subject of forgiveness. It is not enough that we seek God’s forgiveness, but we in turn need to extend forgiveness to others. This was important enough that Jesus later shares a parable on the subject. I was tempted to share it here, but it is on my list to preach on later, so I will skip it.

If we are to be genuine. If we are to truly have a relationship with God, we need to be willing to extend the same forgiveness to others that He extends to us. This is not always easy. Jesus understood this and gives extra commentary on the subject as He spoke on prayer.

The next subject is that of...

3. Fasting Matthew 6:16-18

The Pharisees used to fast twice a week. Mondays and Thursdays were their days to fast. Interestingly, these were the days they went to Synagogue. They made a big show of it. They did not wear shoes. They covered themselves in ashes of mourning. Everyone knew they were fasting.

Fasting was not the problem. Jesus begins with Matthew 6:16

Matthew 6:16 NIV

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.

Jesus assumes everyone will fast at times. Jesus Himself did at times. However, here again it goes to motive. Why did they fast on Monday and Thursdays? No reason is given for the fast because it was just ceremony. It was a tradition they began.

We have some traditional fasts as well. We often call for fasts during the time of Lent. We need to be careful that this does not just because some ceremony with no real meaning.

Fasting is a time of abstaining from things that would pull our focus from God. The purpose is to connect with God. When we fast with any other purpose in mind, we are wasting our time.

People fast for various reasons. At times they fast because they are seeking God’s wisdom on a subject i.e. taking a new job, moving, ministry opportunities, etc… During Lent, we are searching our hearts for any areas of our life that God would highlight where we need a change. Perhaps finding places where our devotion has turned from God to other things.

The point of a fast is to be able to connect with God in a personal way. Fasting is a good thing when it is for the right reason. When the motive is truly to connect with God. However, fasting is to be a personal thing between us and God. It is not something to be exaggerated and displayed before other people as some sign of how righteous we are.

Often times we talk about our fasts with each other during Lent and we fuss over how hard it is, but we probably shouldn’t do so. We really will gain more from it if we are more focused on it being a personal thing between us and God.

That doesn’t mean that we do not have corporate fasts. Sometimes there are good reasons to doing so. We fast over problems in our nation, or seek God’s direction for our church. In these times, we still need to keep it personal between us, God and our church family. We do not need to make a big spectacle of it.

The fourth subject is...

4. Wealth Matthew 6:19-24

Matthew 6:19 NIV

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

The Pharisees made a big deal about wealth. They believed that their wealth was a blessing from God. It was His way of rewarding them for their righteousness. They believed it proved their righteousness. This explains their attitude toward the poor. They felt this proved a lack of righteousness and in such cases, they only deserved pity and an occasional act of piety on their behalf.

The Pharisee only treated God like the pagan did. He was to be worshiped through ceremony for the sole purpose of providing good things for living. They were focused on themselves.

However, our focus is not to be on ourselves but on God. We need not worry about gaining treasures here on earth. The world we live in is temporary. The treasures we gain here are only last a short time and are not worth being the cause of our losing the eternal treasures.

Here again, motive is the issue. Are the eyes trained on and concerned with the spiritual or the physical. His a persons wealth considered his or her relationship with God, or his or her physical possessions?

These four subjects matter because they are worthy endeavors if they are pursued for the right reason, that being for personal relationships with God. If they are driven by other motives, they become nothing more than a religious ceremony no different than any pagan religion. Jesus then ties it all together by pointing us to the fact that our God is...

B. A Personal God Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus turns the subject to that of worry. Why? Because He wants us to understand that God is a personal God. He is relational. He is our creator and our sustainer. He knows every need we have and if we trust in Him, He will provide for us. The gods served by the pagans can do none of these things.

Matthew 6:31–33 NIV

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Conclusion:

The Pharisees were not serving God, but were serving their own desires. They gave to the poor, prayed, fasted, and worked to achieve possessions, to prove how spiritual they were. In doing so, they treated God only slightly different than pagans worshiping false gods.

Habakkuk 2:18 NIV

18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

However, our God does speak. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated us from the Holy of Holies where God was believed to reside and which was only able to be approached by priests, was rent completely in two. We are no longer separated from God. Our lives are to be in unison with God. Therefore, we give to the poor out of love for the poor. We pray to stay connected with our heavenly Father. We also recognize that it is not all about us as individuals but we belong to a larger family. Jesus prayer is all plural… Our Heavenly Father…Give us this day…Our daily bread…Forgive us as we forgive others… and so forth the prayer continues. God is about relationship with us and us with others.

We fast not concerned with our sacrifice because we are more interested in our connection relationally with our Father. And we are not concerned with our needs day by day, or even for eternity, because we know our Heavenly Father has control of everything and His love for us will not fail us.

What are your practices? Do you worship God like pagans do? Or, do you worship in love recognizing that God is something far more precious than a vacant idol? Do you dictate to Him in prayer, or do you listen and seek is leading?

Matthew 6:33 NIV

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The kingdom we want to belong in is that kingdom of heaven, not the kingdoms of earth.

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