Be Seen: Religious
Notes
Transcript
Recalculating Religious
INTRODUCTION
Series Introduction:
ILL- Great Imposter-
Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. Demara's impersonations included a civil engineer, a sheriff's deputy, an assistant prison warden, a doctor of applied psychology, a hospital orderly, a lawyer, a child-care expert, a Benedictine monk, a Trappist monk, a naval surgeon,[2] an editor, a cancer researcher, and a teacher.What “you” are you letting people see?
Frederick Bourdin - over his life he took on identity of over 500 missing children.
Are you pretending to be something you are not?
God does not see you like those around you. God sees your heart.
Who Should we See?
Who should you look up to as religious? Who should you want to be like?
Jesus changes gears and stops going after the wrong application of the Law and goes after the actions of those who taught them the wrong application to the Law.
This was a common conflict with religious leaders.
ILL-- Jesus' confrontations with Pharisees
Jesus had just cast out a demon. The people of the crowd began to believe. The Pharisees cried out that Jesus' power came from Satan. At the end of Jesus' rebuke he says,
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jesus was always at odds with the religious leaders. They did not lead from a heart right with God. They were all show. Make people believe you are something more than you are.
Jesus made it clear that God was interested more with the heart than with righteous activity.
In the Kingdom- our deeds are motivated by the heart.
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.
Jesus is teaching them that the motives of the heart are what God sees, not religious activity.
3 Motivations of Obedience
3 Motivations of Obedience
1. To Be Seen
1. To Be Seen
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.
"in order to be seen"= Greek word that we get word theatrical. Or modern word-- Drama.
Beware of giving a spectacular performance/ drama.
24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
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.
"hypocrites"= Word originally referred to Greek actors who wore different masks to play various roles..
This is the harshest word that Jesus uses to characterize any individual.
Jesus uses the word to refer to the Pharisees. They did the right things for the wrong reasons.
Masks
Used to be someone you are not.
Halloween- so the ghosts won't know who you are.
Mardi Gras- originally it was a way for people to escape society and class restraints.
Criminals- to hide identity
One mom in Baltimore recognized her son in a mask from crime photo.
ILL- Learning a new church with masks and then without masks.
"Secret" and "Closet"
Giving and Prayer are between you and God.
Should we never pray in public?
Jesus prayed in public.
Many examples of public prayer.
But if you are not praying in private you obviously are only looking for public praise.
When we are seen, God is not seen. We give for God's glory not our own. We must be a reflection of his glory.
The test is, who receives the praise? You or God?
Should we never give if other people will know?
The early church knew Barnabas gave his land.
34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Because Barnabas' heart was right, his giving was used as an example others should follow.
Ananias and Sapphira tried to mimic Barnabas in order to receive the praise of man.
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”
9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Who are you trying to impress.
2. To Be Rewarded
2. To Be Rewarded
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.
"They have received their reward"= lit. "They have their receipt in full"
They have received their only reward.
You want to receive the praise of man? That is the only reward you will receive. You cannot try to receive the praise of man and the reward of God.
You cannot have a divided heart.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
You cannot serve God and _________ - whatever you put int he blank.
Pharisees used giving as a way to gain God's favor.
They saw it as a way to earn rewards in heaven.
Our rewards in heaven are based on the heart, not just the action.
Yes, we are rewarded by what we have done but only what we have done with the correct motive.
heart more than sacrifice.
Are you trying to manipulate God?
If I do this, then you have to do this.
This works in all obedience.
Is the motive of your tithing to receive an earthly reward or to be obedient to God?
Is your church attendance a magic spell to get a wish granted?
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
Are you trying to earn salvation?
Salvation is free
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
We can never earn salvation.
3. To Be Known
3. To Be Known
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.
"Your Father who sees in secret." (4, 6)
Known= intimacy.
To be known by the only one who matters.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Loving others and Prayer are both ways to have intimacy with God.
When we help a person in need it is the same as helping God.
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Prayer is communion with God.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
The more we know God the more we will be like him.
Do you have compassion for others or only care about self?
Jesus when he fed the 5,000- "he had compassion"
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
The more we know God the more we will want him.
Jesus and prayer.
40 Days of Prayer
Often left them to pray
First up in morning to pray.
Garden of Gethsemane- normal place to pray while in Jerusalem.
Sin is what keeps us from knowing God.
Sin separates man from God
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
CONCLUSION
What is your motivation for being here today?
Who are you impressing?
Who are you impressing?
Are you trying to please others?
Are you trying to manipulate God to give you something you want?
Are you here to continue in a love relationship with Jesus Christ?
