An Audience of 1
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Claim: Being righteous to make yourself look good is all the reward you will get, being righteous for God alone becasue we are poor in Spirit will earn great reward in heaven
Focus: Practice godliness for God alone.
Function: to be so aware of their poverty that all of lifes choices are for God alone
In groups I want you to think of a time you have been a hypocrite.
When have you been a hypocrite?
We all show hypocrisy at times - but may this passage...
Pray...
V1 - gives us the big point of this section of Matthew..
‘Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
An Audience of One
An Audience of One
Notice Jesus tells his disciples to ‘be careful not to’
It’s easy to slip into this problem - be careful.
Perhaps someone compliments you on how good your prayer was at youth,
or Anna keeps telling you how helpful you are,
Or your parents are really impressed that you read the bible in the morning.
And it’s not long before we’re being righteous - meaning doing the right thing according to God’s commands,
but not for God - not becasue of the amazing grace he has shown us in our life, but because people think highly of you!
Be careful of that, Jesus says.
Notice he also says don’t practice your righteousness in front of others ‘to be seen by them’.
In other words, of course our godliness and righteousness is going to be seen by others, but it shouldn’t be ‘to be seen by others’.
Instead we should only act to please
An audience of One.- God.
SOmeone read
John 5:44 (NIV 2011)
How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
What does this Verse tell us about the connection between belief and who we seek glory from?
If you only behave in a godly, or righteous, or Christian way so others think you’re great - then you have received your reward in full.
You’re living for self.
In Jesus’ time -
the Pharisees are the example of those who are seeking their own glory from others,
and Jesus has just pointed out in the previous verses how they obey the law of God as a tick box exercise
so they look good
and can look down on others
- but they have missed the point!
And so Jesus goes onto gives 3 examples of how the Pharisees are hypocrites in their righteous acts.
He covers giving to the poor - which is in our passage today,
praying
and fasting.
These were the 3 markers in Jesus’ time of really holy or righteous person.
Someone who ticked these boxes was highly regarded!
But if you’re doing the right things for the wrong reason - for people rather than for God,
then you have had your reward in full.
So lets’ look at the first example of when we might do things to impress people rather than God.
Giving to the needy
Giving to the needy
‘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.
They are doing a correct thing - but for the wrong reasons!
An audience has seen and rewarded them with recognition and a big head!
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Instead - be righteous not just in action but in your heart
- in this example giving to the needy ought to be done in secret - your right hand should not know what your left is doing - let alone everyone around you.
Of course practically, you’ll need to talk to your parents about how you can help the others, you might ask someone how to give money,
but giving should be secret and quiet.
No big announcements and flashiness.
Because we are motivated by an audience of 1 - our heavenly Father.
Our reward is in Him and the life eternal before us.
Not in other peoples opinions of us.
The other challenge here is also to think about if we really do care for the needy.
At your age it might be harder to have opportunities, but you can think in your groups in a minute
How can I be generous towards others?
It might just be sharing something,
or spending time with someone that others don’t like.
But remember why you should do it - not to impress them or others - but becasue you want to impress God, by obeying and showing love.
Summary:
Be careful - says Jesus - that we are not practicing righteousness to be seen by others.
- for there is no more reward for us if that is the case.
Or perhaps to think about it another way,
how does your private life - your thoughts and actions when no-one is watching,
how do they compare to your public life?
Are we living for the glory and reward of other people.
Or
Are we living for the glory of 1 - The Lord God Almighty?
Be righteous, obey God yes - but not as hypocrite!
Jesus’ point is that there needs to be a link between our heart and our actions.
Doing the right things for the wrong reasons is pointless,
God wants our loyalty - all our efforts and thoughts and actions for him alone.
Our gaze fixed on him, not on impressing those around us.
Why we should want to please God alone.
Why we should want to please God alone.
why wouldn’t we be loyal to our audience of 1 - our heavenly Father.
Do you remember the context of this sermon of Jesus’ that you have been looking at.
He said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The poor in Spirit do not pray loudly on the street corners,
they do not impress us with eloquent and unsusal words at youth group,
they don’t brag about how much money they gave to charity,
they don’t tell you how sacrificial they have been when they were nice to someone.
They don’t serve in church to be thanked and recognised.
The poor in Spirit rightly know they are worthy of nothing before God, - they are poor
and yet realise they receive everything!
God doesn’t love us because we look great,
or behave great,
or give money to the poor.
Simply he loves us becasue we recognise we have nothing before him - we are poor!
Think about a toddler:
A toddler doesn’t care what the other mum’s or dad’s or kids think of them.
They have eyes only for the security and love of their parents.
So it is with us and God.
Only ‘our heavenly Father’ is far more wonderful than any earthly parent,
far more generous,
Far more rewarding,
far more wonderful.
In our emptiness and poverty,
our sin and death,
he reached down into history,
and offers us eternal life.
So, if we are, poor in spirit,
...Then we look only to please him,
only to bring glory to his name not our own,
And in quiet thankfulness - we can love and care for others
How do Matt 6v4, 6 and 8 encourage us to have an audience of 1?
Think of at least 1 thing you are going to do this week to be loving towards others, but you will not aim to get thanked for.
Pray