Untitled Sermon (8)

Where Is Your Reward?

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Main Idea: All our acts of righteousness must be to glorify God and not ourselves.

Life Application: Acts of piety are important, but they must be done with the right motive.

INTRODUCTION

One of the twists of human nature is a desire for recognition. People will do almost anything for a few moments of fame. With the availability of social media, it is easy to showcase what we do. Who knows when our video might go viral, and we are instantly “famous?” When a camera is near, many will do bizarre stunts or act ridiculously. I am sure many of us remember hearing stories or exploits we knew could not be true but were portrayed as authentic experiences. Within the heart is a craving to be the center of attention.

Much of the sermon Jesus preached was toward those who claimed to be righteous and who professed to follow God.Yet, there was a tendency within these folk to treat their acts of righteousness as religious bonus points. Thus, they needed others to witness their generosity. They practiced self-denial to demonstrate their devotion to God and his law. However, they wanted everyone to know the depth of their spirituality! By the way, the same desire exists in the church today.

While we might think Jesus was right in his denunciation of hypocrisy, we should examine our motives when we perform our acts of righteousness. Are they devoted to God, or are they also for recognition and honor? If we allow our focus to move from pleasing God to wanting praise from others, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. No matter how hard you try to be number one, someone will outwork, outgive, or outdo you. Thus all our acts of mercy and goodness must be made as a sacrifice to God with no thought for human praise or accolades. The rewards given to us in eternity by our heavenly Father will outshine the trophies given in this world. Although Jesus encouraged his followers to let their lights shine, he also warned against religious vanity. Our acts of religious devotion will always be seen by God when hidden from public view.

Transition Statement: All our righteous acts must be to glorify God and not to bring attention to ourselves.

· When you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets.

While no historical evidence says trumpets blew when someone donated, Jesus says it is possible to do the right thing with the wrong motive. Our self-centered nature loves to hear praise from our peers. We may not admit it, but we like it when others brag about us. "Wow! Do you know what they did? They gave a large contribution to their church or organization. They are so generous with their possessions." Giving, rather than publishing the gift, is an important discipline in the Christian life. Jesus rebuked the innate desire to give to enhance our “reputation rather than relief from poverty” (Morris). Human honor can be short-lived. One can be a hero one day and a zero the next! However, the desire for adulation often clouds our thoughts as we sound a trumpet and exhibit our “righteous” endeavors.

Although some Christians try to be “lone ranger” believers, such an approach is foreign to the teachings in the New Testament. Wesley stated there is no holiness without social holiness. As we mature in our faith, we find delight in serving and giving rather than receiving and hoarding. Giving to those in need is not for a select few. It will be one of the defining traits separating the sheep from the goats at the Final Judgment. “Christian giving is marked by self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness, not self-congratulation" (Stott).

Jesus is not advocating a careless approach to giving when he says, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, but he is saying we must let go of what we think is ours to keep. A generous heart knows it is more blessed to give than receive. While we should practice wisdom in our generosity, we dare not allow so-called discernment to stifle our giving to those who need help. In the eyes of millions, you and I are wealthy. If the poorest 20% of Americans were a nation, it would be one of the richest. I know this is difficult to accept if we struggle to pay the bills. However, much of what we consider essential, many others consider luxurious. Never forget that what you think is yours belongs to God. But remember the Lord your God, who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Dt.8:18).

· When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites.

Jesus has no time for those who act out their pious religiosity but have no vital relationship with God.Such folk, Jesus declared, are assumed characters or actors without any spiritual depth—hypocrites. When they pray, their goal is to impress others rather than communicate with God. Oh, they know how to say the right words with the proper inflection of voice to make them sound super-spiritual. They may even be able to cause their voices to tremble as they recite a lovely cadence of words! Prayer is simply communicating with God with an emphasis on listening to what He tells us! How shallow of us to desire someone to say, “That was an awesome prayer!” Hypocrites profess to perform pious actions as they keep one eye on people and their reactions rather than only on God. The prayers heard by God are those that emphasize His greatness, power, wisdom, love, and grace.

Jesus lays out the three stages of a successful prayer life—go to your room, close the door, and pray to the Father. While these steps are simple, they are challenging to execute. In our noisy and busy world, the prayer room eludes us. When we enter the room, it takes spiritual fortitude to shut the door and keep it closed. The final step, praying, is often the most difficult. Everything we should be doing or checking comes to mind when we attempt to pray. All these things demand our immediate attention. Friends, we learn to pray by praying, deep as that may not sound! If necessary, pray out loud, pray the Psalms, pray the hymns, but keep on praying! Shut yourself alone with God and away from prying eyes or disturbing thoughts. Prayer gives us victory over temptations. Mark Batterson correctly states: “If you want to break the sin habit, you’ve got to establish a prayer habit.”

· When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do.

Since we live in a self-centered culture, fasting has fallen difficult times. Fasting always refers to self-denial, letting go of something we enjoy or crave. For this reason, fasting from canned green peas is not a sacrifice for me! Fasting is usually associated with abstaining from food but can apply to other things. Since fasting involves self-denial, it is not high on our agendas. In the early church, fasting was not an option but a normal part of prayer and worship. The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas was born out of prayer and fasting. Fasting is effective because it makes us let go of something we crave or think we deserve. It is not a magic formula but an exercise in our willpower to forgo something that gratifies us.

As with any spiritual discipline, fasting can degenerate into a super-religiosity that glorifies itself. Self-serving fasting was the reason Jesus rebuked those who paraded their faces to show off their fasts. Some of the religious elites whitened their faces to make them appear deprived. Such folk received their reward here, not in eternity. The common thread of hypocrisy in giving, praying, or fasting is pride. God always sees the heart and judges its hidden motives. Fasting may not always be subtracting something. It can also refer to adding transformed deeds of devotion to a world devoid of love and justice. Isaiah prophesied, Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isa. 58:6). In a self-indulgent society, fasting may help us learn to do without and to live in contentment and simplicity. We may not need the latest and greatest!

Transition Statement: The right motive must accompany acts of devotion.

CONCLUSION

Doing good works with the wrong motive negates their effectiveness. Without love for God and love for others, righteous actions become legalistic obligations. While our good deeds are visible to those around us, we must make sure we do everything for the glory of God and not for human applause. To be recognized for what we do makes us feel good but pales to the recognition God gives us. The reward God bestows is not based on earthly values but on eternal realities, the things that endure. God keeps perfect records and makes no mistakes. Why settle for human acclaim when we can have the applause of heaven?

If we neglect acts of righteousness, we forfeit the blessings God has for us. However, no genuine believer follows Jesus for those blessings but in a loving and adoring response to the generosity of God. Love always triumphs over legalism! Whenever our righteous actions become a duty or chore, our love has grown cold. Loving God supremely enables us to love others correctly! Although we may not receive recognition here, our focus must be on the eternal rewards God has reserved for those who love him with a pure and holy heart. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer:

Lord God, today we bow in your holy presence and recognize our unworthiness. We confess our tendency to desire praise from others rather than from you. Please forgive us for our selfishness and pride. Give us a heart that only desires your applause. We confess that our acts of righteousness have been self-serving. Lord, we want to serve you with a pure heart and with holy ambitions. Enable us to be faithful in prayer, to set aside the things that distract us. Although we may have failed in the past, we know that you, O Lord, can redeem all our failures and bring us to victory because of Calvary! We thank you for the precious blood of Jesus. We love you, Jesus, and desire to make you the Lord of all. Amen.

Closing Song: My Jesus, I Love Thee

BENEDICTION

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.