Spiritual Formation 201 - Part 9 - Learning to Live Without Vainglory

Last week’s soul training - Blessing those who curse you.

So, how did we do? Did anyone actually try praying the prayer I suggested?

“Lord, today I choose to put on Christ. Help me to bless those who curse me, to forgive those who insult me, and to respond with love. Form me into your likeness.”

Then reflect:

When did I have the opportunity to go the second mile?

How did I respond to those who made demands of me?

Was I generous or protective?

Did I see myself as rich in Christ, or poor in self?

*****

Key Text: Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18

Mat 6:1-8 ESV - 1 "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. 2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Mat 6:16-18 ESV - 16 "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Well, this morning’s study is on “How to Live Without Vainglory”

First...

What IS “vainglory”? Not a word we use much in our modern culture.

It is defined as an inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.

Similar: conceit, conceitedness, self-conceit, narcissism, self-love, self-admiration, self-regard, self-absorption, self-obsession, self-centeredness, egotism, egoism, egocentrism, egomania

Now that word might not be common but what is common is how this particular trait in all of us gets affirmed by a very common false narrative.

False Narrative: My value is determined by your assessment.

I have heard many people say they do not care what others think about them. That is pretty much NOT TRUE. MOST people crave affirmation from others. And the narrative that gives rise to our need for affirmation comes from a story we learn early in our lives.

When we do well, we receive affirmation; when we do poorly, we receive no affirmation and may be criticized even.

“You ate all your peas! You are such a good boy!”

or...

“You didn’t finish your peas - off to your room. No dessert for you”

At every phase of life, from childhood on, this gets reenforced over and over again. Do “great things” and your value increases. Fail and your value decreases. And over time, we begin to hunger for the affirmation of others because it seems to establish our value. This positive appraisal can actually become more important that actually doing well or being good.

We all want to be loved. We all want to feel we are valuable, worthwhile and wonderful.

True Narrative: The truth is, we are already those things because we are all created in the image of God.

But the world is not going to tell us this. Too seldom do we hear this from our parents or loved ones. Even churches contribute to the problem. We praise success and elevate certain people for their piety.

The world measures our value based on our appearance, production and performance, which seems to be the only things that count. So this narrative says our value is determined by others assessment.

Unfortunately, admiration based on our looks or performance is fickle and fleeting. We are only as good as our next performance.

Now, all through this sermon on the mount. Jesus has moved us along this continuum, beginning with the pervasive problem of anger, culminating in the challenge to love and bless our enemies. If we make it this far we have come a long way to becoming a whole person. But Jesu knows we are not done yet. There is this other heart problem that plagues people in their attempts to grow closer to God. And the early teachers and writers come up with a word that is pretty descriptive. Vainglory.

I assume most of you have heard of the 7 deadly sins. (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. )

The Orthodox church says there are 8 deadly sins, and this vainglory is the one they added to the list.

The reason it made the list is because it is essentially rooted in insecurity and is driven by our need for affirmation by others. it is very subtle and hard to detect.

And vainglory is a problem for everyone, it is a particular problem for religious people.

Outside the Kingdom of God, we really have no way of determining our value other than what others say about us. If we do something well and no one notices, it drives us a little crazy because we have lost the thing we want the most - affirmation and praise.

And before we know it, we transfer this narrative into our religious lives. So, spiritually mature people, those who pray, and read their Bibles and fast, often receive accolades, which tempts them to vainglory. And it also affects those who do not necessarily struggle with vices such as anger, lust and lying. So vainglory then becomes the bane of the pious.

Church father John Cassian wrote, “One who would not be taken in by the vices of the flesh can be all the more vulnerable to vainglory”

The reason this is true is because they are not defeated by the more carnal sins, they might be tempted to think they are better than others, that their spiritual lives are superior to those who fail in obvious ways.

Andrew Murray wrote, “There is no pride so dangerous, so subtle and insidious, as the pride of holiness.”

So I would say that vainglory could be the most elusive of the vices we have looked at so far because it can hide under the guise of virtue. in fat, this is the only vice that actually NEEDS a virtue in order to exist!

Vainglory exists right alongside the good we do.

So, just when we might begin to think, “well, I have conquered anger, lust and lying and i have even learned to bless those who curse me - I am really something now!” We now find we have another obstacle in the road to Kingdom living - vainglory - the need to have others think well of us in order to feel worthy.

Jesus deals with vainglory in one of the longer sections of the Sermon on the mount. The passage of scripture we read when we began. What we saw there were 3 examples of people doing good things with the intention of being praised by others. They were using pious behavior to conceal the sin of vainglory. It was all done while:

giving to the poor

praying in public and

fasting with a twisted face.

Three good things done with wrong motive.

So let’s go back to those passages and I will try to explain them in the original context so we can get a clear understanding of what Jesus was condemning. First Jesus addresses the common practice of giving to the poor.

1 "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. 2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

The 1st century synagogue had a system in place to care for the poor. People would give a portion of their money to the synagogue, which was then given to the needy. When someone gave a significant gift, it was common for that to be acknowledged in the synagogue. Of course there is nothing wrong with giving to people in need. It is in fact a good and godly thing to do. And really, there is nothing wrong with having others acknowledge the gift.

Jesus doesn’t question the practice, but the __MOTIVE____ behind it.

Jesus us not criticizing acts of public acknowledgement. He is asking whether the gift was given to be praised by others.

And Jesus says, if so, we already have what we asked for.

Next, Jesus addresses another scene common in His day: prayer in the synagogue and on the street corners.

5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Devout Jews prayed 3 times a day, often in public. At the 9th hour, people often went to the synagogue to pray and they often prayed out loud while standing. So it was obvious when a person was praying. Again, nothing wrong with gong to a religious place to pray. But Jesus is asking what we are seeking. Do we want people to see us praying so that they will think we are pious and godly? If so, says Jesus, we have what we seek.

Third, Jesus describes the common practice of fasting.

Mat 6:16-18 ESV - 16 "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

The Pharisees fasted twice a week, usually on Monday’s and Thursdays. Some people wore sackcloth or mourning clothes. They often put dust and ashes on thier faces as a symbol of penance and mourning. This practice, a sign of mourning, was intended to help a person grow closer to God. Again nothing wrong with the practice itself. The question Jesus continues to pose is why? What is your real reason for doing these things. Jesus as always, is going to the heart of the matter.

All three of these activities are some of the most spiritual things a person can do. Jesus harsh words are not directed at the practice itself but are addressing the WAY in which they are being practiced. It is not the method, but the motive He questions.

This was a common thing for Jesus. He starts with the world’s standard of rightness (not murdering, not lying under oath) and then He peels off the veneer to see if the heart is good. Exactly what He is doing here. He takes three righteous and holy activities and points out howe the condition of the person’s heart determines whether the discipline is a blessing or a hinderance to spiritual growth.

Jesus is a genius when it comes to how our hearts work. He exposes people who practice these disciplines in order to impress. They do what they do “to be seen”, to gain respect and the praise of others.

If they wanted to impress others, then Jesus says, “truly they have received their reward.” They got what they were looking for. And it is quick and it is fleeting. What they did not get was a closer intimacy with God which is the whole point of these practices.

The condition of our hearts can rob us of the best part of what we are doing.

So what is the solution to vainglory? Well, Jesus gives those to us in each case.

And He focuses on not HOW these things were done but with what intention. And notice He does not say IF you fast but WHEN you fast which indicates that Jesus expects His apprentices to do these things. But what is most important is the condition of our hearts when we do them.

First Jesus says...

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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Some scholars believe Jesus may have been referring to the location of the offering boxes which were on the right side of the entry to the temple, which meant the offering was most often placed with the right hand. This image suggests that we should do this good deed with such unawareness that our left hand doesn’t know what our right hand just did. If someone were to ask later, “Hey, did you give money to the poor a minute ago?” your answer would be, “Hmmm. Did I? I can’t remember.” and actually mean it.

In the case of prayer, Jesus encourages us to do it in secret and not make a public display of it.

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Does this mean we should not pray corporately out loud? Only if you can’t do it with a wrong motive. And actually in v 7 Jesus addresses public prayer.

7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

We’ve all heard the person who when they pray publicly they go to delivering a sermon!

And third Jesus says fasting should be done without fanfare.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus says, when you fast, your appearance should be normal, face washed, hair combed.

Alerting other to the fact that we are fasting reveals our intention to impress people, not to discipline ourselves or heighten our intimacy with God.

Jesus is encouraging us to do good things with absolutely no concern about what others think about us.

Best example in scripture of this is...

Luke 18:11–14 - 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Pharisee = Exalted Himself -Vainglory

Tax Collector = Requested Mercy - Humility

Bottom line, the cure for vainglory is humility.

But even here we have to be careful. Ever heard of a humble brag?

“I got the sweetest letter from Susie that says that I am the best person in the world! Susie is so sweet!”

“God somehow used me to lead 20 people to Christ this year. Still blows me away!”

Social media brags...

[Instagram photo of well-worn Bible and coffee] — “Just me and the Lord at 5am again… #blessed #HisPresence”

“Not about the numbers, but we had 400 people at our worship night last night. Only God.”

“I could’ve taken that high-paying job, but I chose ministry. No regrets, though—it’s all for Jesus.”

“I haven’t watched TV in months… I’ve just been soaking in Leviticus.”

“All I want is to decrease so He may increase… but people keep asking me to preach!”

You get the idea.

The cure? Look to Jesus. Henri Nouwen said, “The whole life of Jesus of Nazareth was a life in which all upward mobility was resisted”

The kingdom narratives oppose the world’s narratives:

You ARE valuable to God.

God loves you no matter what.

Your worth is not dependent on your performance or on what others think of you.

Your worth is found in the loving eyes of God.

If you win, God loves you.

If you lose, God loves you.

If you fast and pray and give your money to the poor, God Loves you.

If you are sinful and selfish, God loves you.

God is a covenant God and His love never changes. You are valuable, precious and worth dying for - just as you are.

2Co 3:5 ESV - 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,

We do not need others to affirm us. Our worth does not come from the opinions of others but from God’s opinion. If you ever wonder hoe God feels about you, look to the cross. We are precious and priceless to Him.

There is an old puritan saying that is a good one to remember. “Live for an audience of One”

This Week’s Soul Training

Secret Service - No, I do not want you to sign up to protect some politician!

Do three things that will lift someone else’s burden. Any act of service that will lightens someone’s load will do. But there is a catch. You must strive to do it in secret! Why?

Because we want to have our good deeds noticed. But thins can ruin our acts of kindness or generosity, because our motive may be to be rewarded for what we have done. As far as you are able, try to be of service to someone without them knowing it.

Ask God to send you a person in need. (Watch out for this one!)

Closing Prayer