Attitude is Everything...
Notes
Transcript
Warnings and Instructions
Warnings and Instructions
Last week we talked a lot about our attitude and how we approach others and approach God. Today in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is going to really expand this view or attitude and pack it with some “warnings and instructions.
Christ had the opportunity to do public ministry for about three years. But he had observed what was going on in his world for 30 years, give or take, before his public ministry was launched.
We don’t know a lot about that time except for the a couple of instances. But I think we can hear the things that bothered him the most about prevailing ways in which “religion” was being practiced.
Today we will gather together, and pray the Lord’s Prayer at the end of the service.
Today we will gather together, and pray the Lord’s Prayer at the end of the service.
Here is a bit of my story
I haven’t always been so good with the “Warnings and Instructions” in my life. I think growing up I liked to experiment and test the boundaries.
That sounds ominous but in Watertown, South Dakota in the 60’s and 70’s about the worst that happened was me writing my own excuses when I “sick” of going to school and signing my own report cards after changing the grades in a class or two. I went to college in the 80’s and that’s were I failed to follow in the basic instructions.
I am convinced that even then, 25 years before I finally said enough and turned my life over to Christ that he was looking out for me.
I am convinced that even then, 25 years before I finally said enough and turned my life over to Christ that he was looking out for me.
Our first passage today is in
I know that I will stand before him one day as a sinner saved by Grace. I pray that he finds me a faithful follower and I get to here those words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Our first passage today is in
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “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 honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
There is a lot to unpack there… Let’s get started.
I want you to think about this verse today, this is the guiding guiding principle that will shape our discussion
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
That is
Principle #1 - Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness will be added to you.
With that principle in mind let’s look at our first verse for today
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
He, Jesus, in railing again those who filled the temple, filled the city with this pseudo-righteousness that ONLY practiced to get other PEOPLES attention.
What did I get wrong???
If I go back and look at Mathew 5:16 I think that what it’s telling me
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
It says, let your light shine before others and let them see all of your good things that you do… right?
This was common for Jesus to do… he set up a “tension” between two verses or passages. Why would he do this this???
Because he made the point, and ingrained in our very minds the idea of choice. we have a choice to follow and obey or to go our own way.
The difference between these two verses is in whom one seeks to honor.
You see what I left out of the of the passage when Jesus said to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds.” is the most important part...
...AND GLORIFY [HONOR] YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
If a good deed points someone to God and HONORS Him and NOT US it is pleasing to God.
Now this seems to contradict our first passage for today.
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
He, Jesus, in railing again those who filled the temple, filled the city with this pseudo-righteousness that ONLY practiced to get other PEOPLES attention.
Here are some ways in which we see this
If you love God…send me $1000 dollars and I’ll pray for you and you will get $10,000 back.
I’m going to twist scripture to such as extent that all of a sudden I should become your object of worship and not God.
We see these and go…really, how could anyone fall into that trap.
Happens every day, everyday.
If those people, I won’t even call them pastors, really understood what they were doing, they should be horrified and ashamed of their actions.
In Jesus time these “hypocrites” performed religious rituals to be seen and praised by others, while falling on God’s deaf ears.
Principle #2 - Give to the needy… Give in such a way that it pleases God.
2 “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 honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
So Jesus provides us a negative example from the hypocrites. Those that give and do and blow the trumpet of “LOOK WHAT I’VE DONE!”
Giving to the needy is AWESOME. We do that each week through our general tithes and offerings and with a special opportunity to give that we have each communion Sunday when we collect our Benevolent Offering after communion.
I encourage you to give you tithe regularly, to do it without grumbling and to make it apart of your regular worship.
This next verse has a couple of important principles
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Principle #3 - Giving is assumed, make your gift is a secret
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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Principle #3 -
You see the first part of that verse 3 says… “When you give.” Jesus accepted that we would give.
You see the first part of that verse says… “When you give.” Jesus accepted that we would give. Then he used a humorous example of the exaggeration to illustrate:
You see the first part of that verse says… “When you give.” Jesus accepted that we would give.
Then he used a humorous example of the exaggeration (called a hyperbole) to illustrate, that charitable giving should NOT be done to receive recognition of any kind.
That charitable giving should NOT be done to receive recognition of any kind
GOD WILL REWARD THE GIVER!!!
That charitable giving should be done without any motive
In practice, here at First Baptist, I have no idea who gives or how much they give. We have a designated person who allocates to your individual giving records how much you give. This is as “secret” as we can be and still be in accordance with IRS rules.
Principle #4 - Prayer is like giving…do it OFTEN! When you do, do it in private or secret
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mt
Jesus negative example is about the HYPOCRITES!!!
They pray in the synagogues
They pray on the street corners
Why do they do that… So they can ONLY to be seen by others!
Jesus is NOT condemning public prayer, He is using hyperbole to emphasize the importance of seeking only God’s approval in your religious activity.
He is NOT condemning prayers that we offer up in a public way when someone needs support or healing or an answer to a situation.
He is CONDEMNING what He saw and frankly what we see when we hear of a “pastor” praying for $16 million dollars to buy another Gulfstream Jet and expecting it to be sent in.
Or another ‘pastor” who prays a demand that he won’t come down from a spire at his college until many millions are donated.
THAT IS SPIRITUAL ABUSE!!!
BUT… It happens everyday!!!
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When you pray, when it’s in public or in private:
Look… God wants simple connection, simple dependence.
When we pray
Let it be an individual prayer between you and God.
God will provide direction, God directs me
God will provide answers, God answered my prayer
God will break your heart if it needs breaking . God has broken my heart
God will mend your broken heart if it’s broken. God mended my heart and spoke to my soul
That is my reward REWARD!!!
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
First of all… some look at this as a condemnation of speaking in tongues or as that private prayer language that comes out when we have nothing to say but our soul groans. That is a misapplication of the verse and its context.
Mt.
First of all… some look at this as a condemnation of speaking in tongues or as that private prayer language that comes out when we have nothing to say but our soul groans. That is a misapplication of the verse and its context.
The verse is talking directly to those “gentiles” who at the time of Jesus was observing, saw them pile the many names for the many deities all looking for some magic formula to get what they wanted or needed.
Sometimes this “babble” is translated “heaping up empty phrases.” Regardless, Jesus is saying there is a major disconnect with God and this “babbling” trying to find the right God to pray for the right thing at the right time.
V.8 - Do not be like them… Your Father already knows what you need… BEFORE YOU ASK!!!
Praise God we have the one and only, the perfect, the forever, the all powerful, all knowing, always present, with everyone, all the time, God of the Universe that seeks out and hears each one of prayers offered with an attitude of PRAISE AND WORSHIP to Him… AMEN!!!
AFTER ALL OF THIS…Jesus himself taught us how to pray
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Our God, our Father, our Abba Father, is loving and trustworthy… In the same way that a child could depend on for needs to be met.
There are some of you here, who do not have a reference point for a good father. Your father may have abandoned you and your Mom, he may have been physically, emotionally or spiritually abusive. This is NOT WHAT GOD INTENDED FATHER’S TO BE. He intended us as father’s to be like he is a father.
When we say hallowed be your name - we are saying, Exalted be your name, name above all names. And may your name is proved Holy!
V.10 Your Kingdom come - This is praying for God’s Kingdom to come to the earth. This Kingdom is highlighted by His rule and His ways. We will no longer be shackled by sin, by infirmity,
…Your will be done - God, this and we are yours. Let your perfect will be alive in my body and my soul.
…On earth as it is in Heaven - Lord God, bring Heaven down to us here on earth.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
Lord God feed us today… this seems like its really out of focus for us.
It’s not, we live a global economy. Whether we like it or not. What happens in China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the Soviet Union impacts our ability to feed the world and feed ourselves.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Debts is another way of expressing sins
Forgive each others sin and we to have been forgiven. Make sure that your side of the street is clean. Don’t
hold over sin from one day to the next. Keep your accounts paid in full.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
M
This is in the form of a request… Our great desire is that we walk in Holiness that we walk a Holy life.
…but deliver us - This is not seeking exemption from trial but escape from transgression. We know suffering will happen and that is a fact. But God keep us from sin.
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
I want to pause here a minute… since we have been here we have heard your stories. Hurts that have been exchanged, forgiveness that has been withheld, piles of garbage in lives.
BUT...
We have also seen FORGIVENESS, RESTORATION AND RENEWED COMMITMENT TO GOD AND HIS PEOPLE.
Here is the miracle of this verse… That by forgiving, we too are forgiven. Keep your accounts short and make sure your side of the street is clean, in spite of another person constantly trying to dirty it up.
AND IT ENDS ON A WARNING
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Failure to forgive brings God’s judgement onto you! This is a really scary place. To meet God as an unforgiving God would be the worst experience you could ever have that would last an eternity.
What I would like to do is have you stand and we will do the Lord’s Prayer together Just before Joe leads us.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, Who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day, our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us NOT into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Amen!