Seen, But Not Seen

Matthew 6:1-18 - The Greatest Sermon - Authenticity Doug Partin - The Christian Church - July 26, 2020 I know that it will come as no surprise, but this chapter actually begins where the last one left off. Jesus is still preaching to the crowd that had gathered, about righteousness: Those things that we end up doing because we trust that God's way really is the best way, the right way, to live. You may not have been joining us for the online Sunday School class based on the book, None of These Diseases, but it has shown that embracing God's way of living will have a positive impact on your health. The last few chapters have been rather timely for a book written back in 1963, as they deal with the right way to respond to those circumstances that stress most people out. One of the points brought out in this portion of the study is the importance having the right attitude toward your circumstances. We are not to blame our unreasonable neighbor, or demanding boss, or a divided government for feeling stressed out. They are certainly external stress factors, but we have to blame ourselves for our own poor choices in how we respond to, and perhaps even internalize, the rise in emotions that these factors create in us. For example, how would our response change, if we, as Jesus directed, took up our cross daily as we follow Him? Think about what taking up a cross means. It means that you were headed to die. If we were to consider, as Paul said, that we are like sheep headed to the slaughter when we follow Jesus, you just might think and react differently about your circumstances. People on their way to die don't get stressed out about whether their taxes might go up 10%, or if the stock market drops 11 points, or which refrigerator brand they need to buy to replace the one that quite working in the middle of the night, or get angry over the fact that the neighbor's dog is digging up your garden again, or whether you might catch a cold. It isn't that these things don't need proper attention, but we don't need to get so stressed out about them that ruin our health and witness for Christ over them. If you recall, Paul once listed all the rather stressful circumstances that had happened to him, including ones that ended up with in him being beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned, but he didn't get all stressed out about them because his attitude was one of following Jesus. And his example has made many people long to have the same sort of attitude that carried him peacefully through those difficult situations. They want the peace of mind, but they don't always want to follow in Jesus' footsteps when they lead to the cross. Jesus had previously said in this sermon that our "light" (by which He meant our righteousness - our choices and responses to daily circumstances) was to be shined before all men in such a way that they would notice our good works, our right attitudes, and would, in response to what they saw in us, glorify our Father in heaven. So, what we do each day, really is supposed to be noticed by those around us. But in this section of His sermon, Jesus gave a stern warning about doing the right thing for the sole purpose of being noticed. The good things we do, are not the result of our being such great and godly people, but because we humbly trust God and obey Him. Paul had the right attitude because He was doing as Jesus directed Him, and nothing more. He even struggled at times to approach things Jesus' way, so it really is Jesus who deserves the glory, and not Paul. Without Jesus, Paul would have reacted rather differently, as was evidenced by his previous attitudes and behaviors before He started following Jesus in the first place. In particular, at this point in the sermon on the mount, Jesus was confronting the way that some people were, back then, giving to the poor, praying, and fasting. All good things. But all being done in a way that drew attention to the fact that they were the ones doing them and how this revealed how they thought that they should be honored and respected for doing so. Jesus said that they would get the reward they were seeking, the praise of men, but God would not reward them. The phrase translated "giving to the poor" or "giving alms" depending upon your English version of the Bible is translated in other places as "having compassion" or "showing mercy." This particular phrase that Jesus used, only shows up four other times in the gospel of Matthew. 1. Mat 9:36 it appears when Jesus saw the crowds, he had [compassion] on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 2. Mat 14:14 it was used to describe how, when Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had [compassion] on them and healed their sick, taught them, and eventually fed them with 5 Loaves and 2 Fish. 3. Mat 15:32 Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "I have [compassion] for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." That was the time He used 7 Loaves and a few fish to feed them. 4. Mat 20:34 He and His disciples were leaving Jericho and two blind men cried out, "Have Mercy on us." And Jesus had [compassion] on them and touched their eyes. And immediately they received their sight and began to follow Him. Jesus did none of these things to impress people with how wonderful He was. He did them openly, but not for the purpose of showing just how wonderful He was; although we sing worship songs about that. He did them because He loved people, and when He was confronted with their need, He helped them because He could do nothing else. His love compelled Him to show compassion to them. Even His greatest miracle of all, which, like these others revealed that He was the Messiah. Was not done specifically to draw attention to Himself. He provided the forgiveness of our sin through His death on the cross and His victory over death through the power of His resurrection because of His compassion. He loves not only us, but the entire world. And since He knew our need for forgiveness, and He could not stand by in heaven with His hands in his pockets, and had do something about it. So, out of love, God sent His son. Pride is a tricky adversary. We often want, even crave, appreciation. So, we have to keep that part of us from taking control of the situation, and overshadowing the good things we do. And we can do so by keeping forefront in our thinking that we are giving to those in need because it is a good and right thing to do. It is what God wants us to do, and it should not be because we believe that someone will think the better of us for doing it. How can we show mercy without our right hand knowing what our left hand is doing? Jesus was probably referring to the practice back then of how Fathers gave blessings to their children. It was important in their culture for the Father to place his right hand on the Eldest and the left hand on the Younger. The child under the right hand would get the Lion's share of his inheritance, and the one on the left, well, much less. (See Deut 48:8-22) E/M Jesus was saying that we need to treat those in need equally, because they all need help. We are not to play favorites, or play to the camera so we can be seen giving to them. As Paul would say, "If we give all that we have to the poor, but without love, it means nothing." The poor do get helped, but God sees our motives and rewards us accordingly (1 Cor. 13). You may have noticed the recent article about the believers at Bryce Avenue Presbyterian church and how they partnered with Roadrunner food bank to help collect and deliver food to the Navajo Nation. I don't think that they were doing it for a photo op, and I hope that those who read the article give God the glory, and are perhaps, inspired to do something similar. In the same way, offering prayers can also be a means of self-aggrandizement. Jesus warned against praying like the Gentiles who used meaningless repetitions. They would repeat things over and over to garner attention to themselves and to pack their prayers with felt emotion, which would move those watching to think about how "earnest" they were, how "religious" they were, in making their request known to God. But Our Heavenly Father already knows what we need even before we ask it. He still wants us to ask, but we don't need to make a show out of it in hopes that people will think us better for doing so. We might need to go so far as to hide ourselves from the eyes of others to keep our pride in check. And even then, we might have to simplify our prayers to keep from making them into a show of false piety when we are all alone. But despite the dangers of turning prayer into a moment of self-promotion, Jesus expected His disciples to pray. He said in verse 5 "And when you pray..." and in verse 6, "But when you pray..." and in verse 7 "And when you are praying..." and in verse 9 "Pray then, this way." There were no "ifs," only "whens and thens." He taught His disciples to direct their prayers to their Heavenly Father. Approaching Him as His dearly loved children, who, while familiar with God, still recognized and were in awe of His holiness. Our first "ask" in prayer, Jesus said, should be for what God wants, His will, to be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Then we should seek His provision for our daily nutrition, as well as His provision for our daily need to be forgiven. Which should compel us to extend forgiveness to those who have done something wrong toward us. Which leads to a final request for God's direction to lead us away from temptation, and to deliver us from evil. Unlike this "model" prayer, our prayers are often dominated with a long list of "me, my, I and ours;" rather than "You and Yours." And it was a short prayer. Yes, we have examples, especially in the gospel of John of Jesus praying longer prayers, and we can do the same, but this example of prayer will keep our pride in check. You may have noticed that Jesus, after ending this model prayer, extended His emphasis on our need to be forgiven, and our need to extend forgiveness to others. That should be our first order of business when we "step out" of our prayer closet. In our culture, when someone talks about "coming out" they are talking of revealing something about themselves that they had hidden, perhaps out of shame. But now they are ready to face those who may not like what they are now revealing about themselves. But when Christians come out of their prayer closet, we reveal what something about ourselves that everyone is waiting to embrace - expressions of undeserved favor and compassion. Pride really does get in the way of shining our light before men. And the same problem, Jesus said, can prevent our fasting from having its desired impact. Rather than connecting us on a deeper level with God's ways, we can turn our fasting into a means of bolstering our reputation. There is a movement to "look and feel good" through dieting, but fasting is not just another means of controlling our weight as the "Slim Fast" company suggests. Nor is it a form of punishment, or the only proper expression of sorrow. It is choosing to abstain from an otherwise normal part of your daily life in order to keep our personal desires and how we meet them from getting out of control. When you fast from food, your body will tell you that there is no way that you can skip a snack, much less a meal, and certainly not several meals. You will have to tell that inner craving that, well, yes I can, and am going to skip those meals. It will be a battle, and during your fast you will be reminded just how strong the desires of this life can be. But that experience will help you evaluate what you really need from what your body tells you that it wants. We all need that perspective, and we probably need it more frequently than we currently fast. While Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, He was tempted, not only by His body's desires, but by Satan. Who took the opportunity to tempt Jesus with not only the desires of the flesh, but the desires of sight, and the pride of life. We don't fast to be seen as a super religious person. We don't do it to draw attention to ourselves. But we do it, as Jesus directs, because it helps us follow Him. It helps us have the wherewithal to put God's ways into practice in our own lives. When Isaiah called for the nation of Israel to fast, he was hoping that those who emerged from it would recognize that they could do without the abundance they currently felt that needed. And with that change of attitude would "share their food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter, and the naked with clothing, as well as meet the needs of their own family." (Isa. 58:6-7). It is so easy to turn generosity, prayer, and fasting into self-promotion, and Jesus said that if we do, that is all that we will get out of them. Which should make you ask, "What reward will our Heavenly Father will extend to those who give, pray and fast in the right way?" We will receive a humbled heart, a right attitude, and a desire to love others as God Himself loves them. What more would you really want as a reward? Prayer: May we learn to do what it right, because we trust God and embrace His ways, and may He receive all the glory from the good things we end up doing at His direction. Lord, help us keep the focus on You. Amen.