Disciples Live for God’s Glory

INTRODUCTION:

*have the following relationships on the screen.

Family / Friends / Boyfriend or Girlfriend / Ministry Leaders / Popular Peers / Teachers or Coaches

Take one minute and do the following exercise — Think about how people view you and how important what others think of them is to them. Who’s opinion matters most to you? Rank the following relationships based on whose opinion matters most.

It is human nature to get trapped in trying to impress people. Caring what others thinks about us can be a good thing.

We may care what popular people think of us, we want to make our parents proud, or we want to fit in with our friends. We can even do good things for the wrong motive of receiving praise…

But, Jesus teaches that our desire should be to direct glory to the Lord.

If you come on Wednesday nights (*plug for Wednesday evenings — if you need a ride we can try and figure one out for you), the passage we will study this morning should be very familiar to you. We covered this passage a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday night. However, I don’t want you to tune out. Stay locked in. I believe that there’s a reason the Lord wants us to hear this passage twice.

So if you have your Bibles, turn to Matthew 6.

Does anyone remember what this portion of Scripture is commonly called? (Sermon on the Mount) This is a sermon to Christ’s disciples or followers intending to instruct them in what it means to be a follower of Christ. On Wednesdays we called this being discipled by Jesus.

DISCIPLESHIIP: Discipleship is a process that takes place both formally and informally to affect spiritual maturity as people follow Jesus. Informal discipleship, as passages like Deuteronomy 6:4-9 suggest, happens everywhere, in ever arena of life. Growing in our faith and deepening our walk with Christ requires our whole lives, not just our minds. Formal discipleship refers to periods of instruction. We make disciples through our words and actions, providing verbal instructions from God’s Word and non-verbal examples through our lives (see Acts 2:17-24).

The Sermon begins in Matthew 5 and goes till chapter 7. Once we get in to Matthew 6, the tone begins to change and Jesus begins to highlight a specific aspect of the Christian life meant to glorify Christ. And this is our main point for this morning: Christ-followers live to grow in their faith and please God.

So I want you asking yourself this question as we go through our lesson this morning: How might Christ be calling me to grow in my faith? Is my current lifestyle pleasing to God?

Jesus addressed three religious practices most Jews regularly took part in — giving to the poor, praying, and fasting. But in our passage, Jesus exposed how wrong motives can rob them of any spiritual rewards.

Disciples seek to bring God glory, but we can fall into the temptation to seek our own glory for the good tings we do.

Can someone read verses 1-4 for us this morning / everyone else listen to how the Jews took spiritual practices, twisted their motives, and robbed God of glory.

Matthew 6:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

JESUS’S DISCIPLES GIVE SECRETLY

Can someone describe for me how the Jews took giving to the poor and made it about themselves? (*briefly explain the practice here)

Jesus calls individuals who give in this manner — hypocrites.

What does it mean to be a hypocrite? someone who says one thing but does another.

In classical Greek, the term hypocrite referred to an actor on stage, wearing a mask. In the New Testament, it came to have a negative connotation, referring to someone putting on an act (masking the truth). We fiind the foundational point in Isaiah 29:13, quoted in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

So think with me, What are some ways that we can exhibit hypocrisy?

APPLICATION: Showing up for the social parts, but checking out during worship or teaching. Being vocal during games but disengaged or disruptive during the Word. Pretending to have a strong prayer life when it isn’t real. Saying “I’ll pray for you!” but never actually praying. Acting spiritual at church while being disrespectful at home. Singing during worship but arguing with parents, ignoring responsibilities the rest of the week, or blending in with unbelievers on your sports teams.

Why then do we sometimes crave others’ approval more than God’s approval for our good deeds?

Earthly praise is often instant and more visible. However, the praise of others pales in comparison to God’s approval.

Galatians 1:10 KJV 1900

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Remember: Christ-followers live to grow in their faith and please God.

JESUS’S DISCIPLES PRAY SINCERELY

Matthew 6:5–15 KJV 1900

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Can someone describe for me how the Jews took praying and made it about themselves? (*briefly explain)

Like giving to the poor, prayer can be spoiled by selfish motives for attention. Isn’t it crazy to think that prayer could point to our goodness instead of God’s goodness?

Jesus wants us to notice: Our humble prayers, spoken in private, do more to reach the heart oof God than our prideful, impressive prayers spoken before others.

He directs us to understand the true purpose of prayer:

What is the purpose of prayer? The English word prayer means to ask, and it reflects our unfortunate tendency to reduce prayer to asking. Prayer includes asking, but it is far more. It is more like opening oneself to God in trust and praise, that we may freely receive his gifts and yield to demands.

Prayer’s purpose is a relationship built on love and trust, and it’s one of the most intimate ways to know God our Father. We reduce prayer to much less when we only use it as a way to ask for what we need.

(*demonstrating how to pray with prayer prompts on Wednesday evenings.)

And in these verses, we’re given the model prayer, often called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus demonstrated to his followers how they ought to pray.

So take a look back through the prayer in verses 9-13 — What do you notice about Jesus’s model prayer? How can we use his prayer to guide our prayers? (what does the model prayer show you about your own prayers?)

Jesus addressed God as Father, showing us that we have an intimate relationship with Him. Then Jesus exalted God in praise and adoration. We should ask for His will in our lives, present our needs, confess our sin, and ask for protection.

How do you and I pray with wrong motives? How do we exhibit hypocrisy in our prayer life?

APPLICATION: Only praying during youth group but ignoring God the rest of the week. Treating prayer like a performance, not a relationship. Praying to get out of consequences rather than praying for repentance. “Lord, please don’t let me get caught,” instead of “Lord, change me.” Treating God like a vending machine. Only praying when they want something—money, relationships, success—ignoring God otherwise. Praying for their will, not God’s will. Asking God to approve plans they already made, rather than surrendering their desires to Him.

I believe our prayers reflect our motives. Even then, it can be difficult to truly discern motives of the heart. Some of you may even ask this question:

If I am doing good works, why do my motives matter?

Some people may argue that as long as you’re doing good things, then it doesn’t matter why you’re doing them —that the end result is all that matters.

In the Gospels, however, Jesus consistently points to the truth inside people’s hearts. The Pharisees did all the right things in an effort to perfectly keep the law, but their hearts were hardened.

We can say all the right things in worship, yet our hearts can be far away from God (see Matthew 15:8-9).

How we appear on the outside doesn’t matter: Jesus cares about our hearts. We can do good deeds but still grieve God. What glorifies Him most is when our hearts and our deeds reflect His Son.

Christ-followers live to grow in their faith and please God.

JESUS’S DISCIPLES FAST HUMBLY

Lastly, look at Matthew 6:16-18. Can someone read this out loud for us?

Matthew 6:16–18 KJV 1900

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Can someone describe for me how the Jews took fasting and made it about themselves? (*briefly explain)

Joel 2:12–13 KJV 1900

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn unto the Lord your God: For he is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness, And repenteth him of the evil.

Here again, God is calling the people of Israel to pursue pure motives, not just spiritual practices.

Fasting is possibly one of the most challenging spiritual practices because it involves denying our own needs, like food, for a time.

Is it hard to deny yourself the things you need or want for a time? Why does Jesus call us to do this?

Jesus tells us to deny ourselves. When we deny our wants or needs, we become like Jesus, placing the Father’s will above our own. God cares about our needs and meets them.

Why does it benefit us to fast from food or other things? What are some other things you could fast from?

Look at what takes up your free time. (not school) — watching tv, playing video games, scrolling social media, sports, books, etc. Could fasting from these things for a time free you up to more easily hear from the Lord?

Fasting with pure motives reminds us of our dependence on God, reinforcing that all the glory should go to Him.

Christ-followers live to grow in their faith and please God.

CONCLUSION:

But why should I pursue God’s glory? Why should I serve others and deny myself? Why should I grow in my faith and please God?

JESUS. Jesus demonstrated our main point when He took on flesh, suffered, and died on the cross. Through Jesus’s humble obedience, the Father has been glorified, and Jesus was rewarded for His faithfulness. So Jesus, in our passage, warns His disciples not to act for their own glory or seek reward from others. Rather, when they seek God’s glory they will receive reward from Him.

Christ-followers live to grow in their faith and please God.

Think about these questions as we end our time together:

Why is it important to believe God deserves glory for the good things you do?

Who do you desire to impress? What needs to change about your motives in living for the Lord?

How can your humility point others to God so that He receive glory?

In the sermon tonight and our lesson on Wednesday evening, we’re going to look at our actions and why they matter. I’d love to know how you connect the dots between all three sermons.