Standards to Pursue - pt1

Series History

1-2: Series Introduction

3-7: Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.1-6 (The Pre-Incarnate Christ)

9-10: The Incarnate Christ - pt.1-2 (The Birth of Christ)

11. Learning from a 12 Year Old

12. The Jesus We Know Not (Years of Silence)

13. The Baptism of Christ

14. Having Victory Over Temptation (The Temptation of Christ)

15. The Call to Follow (Calling the First Apostles)

16. A Disciples Progression (The Beatitudes - Sermon on the Mount - Mat. 5:1-11)

I. Their Inward Conflict (v3-6): They Recognize their Spiritual Void (v3); They Feel Remorse for their Sin (v4); They Demonstrate Reverence unto God (v5); Their Righteousness is Filled by Christ (v6)

II. Their Outward Charity (v7-9): They have Pity for Others (v7); They are Pure in their Actions (v8); They are Peacemakers between Man and God (v9)

III. The Inevitable Cost (v10-12): Righteousness Brings Persecution (v10a-11); Persecution Brings Rewards (v10b-12a); Persecution has Good Company (v12b)

17. The Salt of the Earth (Mat. 5:13)

I. The Preamble (Mat. 5:1-12): To the Saved, Sanctified Servants; A Singular Agent

II. Purposes for Salt: Makes things Palatable; Preserving Agent; Provides Nutrients and Nourishment to the Body; Protects Travelers

III. Pictures of Salt: Used in Judgment (Jg. 9:45; Gen. 19:26); Used as a Remedy (2Ki. 2:19-22)

IV. The Production of Salt: Hewn from the Dead Sea; Separated for Good

V. A Precaution Given: If it Loses Taste, it Loses Purpose

18. The Light of the World (Mat. 5:14-16)

I. The Facts of Light: It Requires a Source; It’s Supplied by the Saviour; There’s a Singular Reflection; It’s a Simple Premise

II. The Function of Light: Rebukes Darkness; Repels Darkness; Reveals Dangers

III. The Focus of the Light (v15-16): To Give Illumination; To Give Instruction; To Identify the Source

19. The Correct View of the Law by Christ (Mat. 5:17-48)

I. The Satisfaction of the Law: Is Fulfilled in Christ (v17-18); Is not to be Forsaken nor Forgotten by Christians (v19-20)

II. The Strengthening of the Law: In our Displeasure (5:21-26); In our Desires / Deviancy (5:27-32); In our Declarations (5:33-37); In our Distain (5:38-48)

III. A Summary of Christ’s Teachings on the Law: Christ Has Satisfied the Law for Us; We are Subject to a Higher Standard; We should Live More Righteous, not Less

Introduction

In the near future we will be going through some of the miracles of Christ, the parables of Christ, but right now we are continuing to focus on the teaching of Christ.

That being said we are continuing our bird's-eye view through the remainder of what is probably Christ's most famous message and that is the Sermon on the Mount.

Last week we looked at the correct view of the law by Christ and how Christians are set to a higher standard. Today we're going to examine particular standards to pursue the manner in which we should live our life in direction toward others and toward God.

Standards - that’s not something spoken of much today, is it?

The standards that God is calling the Christian to is not ‘to be a good person’ - but to reflect God’s character! 1 Peter 1:15–16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Just to give you fair warning I am intending to continue this message, or at least the exposition of Chapter 6 and possibly some of Chapter 7, tonight.

So what is the first standard that Jesus speaks of concerning his disciples? Secretive Philanthropy

I. Secretive Philanthropy (v1-4)

First we see Christ calling his disciples to secretive philanthropy.

Now let me define a couple of words before we move on so we're all on the same page.

Philanthropy (def) A love of humanity expressed through voluntary acts of generosity intended to improve the well-being of other people.

Alms (def) Any thing given gratuitously to relieve the poor, as money, food, or clothing, otherwise called charity.

So in essence we're talking about the manner in which we give.

I've been around many people and I have seen various different ways people give both to the church and to others.

And the first thing that we notice both in our scripture and in reality is that the manner in which we give reveals our priorities.

The Manner we Give Reveals Our Priorities

People do things for a reason. Typically we don't just act with no motive behind it especially when it comes to money and precious things. There are reasons that we do the things that we do and there are reasons why we give and how we give the way that we give.

And the way that we give reveals what is truly important to us.

Secret = To Bless Men & Please God

If we are giving in secret then the motive in which we give is to be a blessing to men.

Our goal and our aim is to be a help and a blessing to others.

This is a selfless mindset.

This is a mindset of true charity.

This type of giving reveals that in our inner selves we want to be a help to somebody. That's the goal and desire for what we do.

There are lost people that are charitable. Christians do not have a monopoly on charity but charity should have a monopoly on Christians.

So men first will give in secret to be a blessing unto others. But for the Christian it goes further than that.

Christians give in order to please God.

Hebrews 13:16 “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Communicate (def) To impart; to give to another

Paul wrote to the church in Phillipi: Philippians 4:18 “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.”

We are giving secretly and selfishly with the mindset of true charity. We please our God.

Unfortunately pleasing God is not what's on a lot of people's minds. We're far more concerned with pleasing ourselves.

So when we give in secret, we are doing so to bless others and to please God.

Openly = Gaining Admiration from Men

However when we give openly, the motive behind our giving is different.

We might want to be a blessing to others.

We might even want to please God a little bit.

But what's really driving us is gaining the admiration from men.

We want people to look at us and think, "Gee what a great guy he is."

So how we give determines where our heart truly lies.

When we give so that it is known, we're doing so for the admiration of men. Yet when we give in secret, it's simply to be a blessing for Christians that please our God.

The Manner we Give Reveals our Rewards

Something else we must consider is not only how we give determines our heart condition but it also determines the rewards that we get from our giving.

Either the Blessings of God or Praise of Men

Here we're faced with an either-or.

You can either look for the blessings of God from your giving or you can accept the rewards of men. Whichever is more important to you.

This seems like an easy answer but honestly there's a lot of people that would rather get the pat on the back now rather than a sure reward from God later.

So one of the standards that Jesus speaks of for us to pursue is secret philanthropy.

Secret Philanthropy

II. A Sincere and Submissive Prayer Life (v5-15)

Secondly we see Christ calling his disciples into a sincere and submissive prayer life.

Hypocrites & Heathens Pray (v5;7)

One thing that will easily escape you is the simple fact that heathens and hypocrites both pray.

Hypocrite (def) An actor under an assumed character (stage-player)

Heathen (def) A pagen; idol worshipper (lost person)

Hypocrites and heathen pray. That doesn't mean that God hears their prayer or has any obligation to answer them but they pray.

Church, just because someone bows their head and begins to utter words does not mean that they know God. Nor does it mean that they're even close to God.

Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked: But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”

Hypocrites and heathens pray but we're to be different.

And We’re to be Different (v8)

Jesus is speaking in the context of how we pray here but what I wanted to point out is the simple fact that here is another instance where we are instructed to be different from hypocrites and heathens.

This is one of the main problems with the church today.

(Ill.) I was speaking with my wife yesterday about Esau's day and the rebuilding of the temple. And I was describing the scripture that says this: (Read Ezra 3:10-13) You had the ancient men who remembered the glory of the original temple but the young men didn't know what it was really like and so therefore they were happy with where they were at. My wife said to me, "That reminds me of the church today." And boy was she right!

Many young people look at the histrionics and such that are coming out of the contemporary church movement and they think it's just the best thing. Many in the older generation understand the true glory of the church and how it has fallen. And so even today concerning the church, the young shout for joy and the ancient weep bitter tears.

Church, we're supposed to be different.

(Ill.) If George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and men from our founders could see where America is today, do you think they would shout for joy or mourn?

We're supposed to be different.

Principles Include:

Now he goes on to give what is known as the Lord's Prayer or the Model Prayer and we're not going to dive into the specifics. Again this is a bird's-eye view. We're going to look at a few principles from this though.

God First & Kingdom Focused (v9-10)

We see Christ points out:

Our relation unto Him “Our Father”

His position in Glory “who art in Heaven”

And His utmost Holiness “hallowed be thy name”

Do you know what you don’t see? “Me or I”.

So often we pray for what we need or what we want but the first things that should come out of our mouth is a recognition of who God is!

Next He turns to God’s Kingdom & His Will

Church, let me ask you this: Are you praying in light of eternity? I know we pray for earthly things and I'm not saying that's wrong but we should pray with a focus on the eternal for that's what's really going to matter.

In the Lord's Prayer we see God first and kingdom-focused.

Our Need, Our Debt & Dependence Remembered (v11-13)

We see our need in v11:

Notice he didn't say "give us this week" or "give us this month." He said "give us this day our daily bread." This indicates that we should be seeking the face of our Lord daily.

And we are praying for daily bread because we understand that we are dependent upon Him to supply it for us.

We see our Debt in v12:

It's interesting that Jesus caveats the forgiveness of our debts with the manner in which we forgive others. He goes on to elaborate on that.

We see our Dependence even greater in v13

For Direction

For Deliverance

Recognizing that It’s all about God!

His Kingdom

His Power

His Glory!

Christ is teaching us to have a Sincere & Submissive Prayer life.

It cannot be sincere if we’re lost or living hypocritical

It cannot be submissive if we’re focused on self instead of God

How’s your prayer life?

Secret Philanthropy; A Sincere & Submissive Prayer Life

III. Subdue the Flesh (v16-18)

Next Jesus speaks about fasting.

Fasting [in the biblical sense] (def) purposefully abstain from food

It's not just going hungry. We see Paul make the difference between the two When he describes the things he has endured in 2 Corinthians 11:27 “In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”

I know many of us use the term "fasting" interchangeably with "purposefully abstaining from other things." Which indeed can be helpful but when the Bible speaks of fasting, it is always connected to food and/or water.

So what is the purpose of fasting?

The Purpose of Fasting

Fasting overall is a humbling of ourselves unto God and devoting ourselves for a time of prayer, or repentance or seeking His Will.

The reason why fasting is so important is because you are denying the flesh, that the Spirit may bear rule in our lives.

All too often we are servants to our flesh and fleshly desires. Whatever the flesh wants, it gets. We have very little will to say no to it. But when we fast we are literally starving the flesh. We are mortifying it.

This is why fasting from food is so important: I can live without TV forever - but I can’t live forever without food. My body will eventually shut down.

Fasting is important because it helps us train our flesh to be in subjection to the Spirit

The Purpose of Fasting

The Expectation of Fasting (v16-17)

Notice that Jesus did not say "If ye fast" but rather "when".

FYI: Many people today look at fasting as though it is optional but just don't tell Jesus that because he expected his disciples to fast. Fasting is not an Old Testament ritual that we Christians aren't subject to today.

In Mark 2:18–20 “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.”

As we already mentioned Paul spoke of fasting and how he fasted as well.

We see the expectation of fasting.

The Power in Fasting (v17-18)

We see in verse 17, in the beginning of 18, the same principle that we've already discussed concerning doing your alms, and that is not for show but for the glory of God.

But what I want you to pay attention to is what he says there at the end of 18: "And thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

In other words there is a power, there is a reward when fasting properly.

It may not be what you expect.

It may not be what you're looking for.

But that is a guarantee that fasting will be rewarded.

IV. Seek Heavenly Treasures (v19-24)

The Fragility of Earthly Treasures (v19-20)

Treasures Demand Focus (v21)

You Must Choose Your Master (v24)

V. Submit Yourselves to God (v25-34)

VI. Make Sound Judgments

Conclusion