Audience of One

Matthew 6:1–18 NIV

“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. “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. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “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. 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. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Introduction: MU vs. MSU beatitudes. How does Jesus want Believers to engage relationally with him? And how can they do it with the right attitude? In many ways, this is about fostering a pure heart.

23 - Different Motivations for Religion.

24 - Wingclips - Saying Grace, Meet the Parents.

23 - Consider the tale of a narcissistic emperor who was deliberately misled by two devious weavers who promised to make a suit that was not only fit for an emperor but was so special that only those who were worthy could see it. Those who could not see the suit were unworthy of their position and considered unintelligent. The emperor agreed to the project and sent several of his trusted men to observe the process of the weaving. To their surprise, they could not see this fine suit. However, to avoid appearing unworthy of their position and unintelligent, they fabricated their experience and told the emperor it was the most beautiful suit they had ever seen. When the task was complete, the emperor (also unwilling to admit he couldn’t see it) put on this nonexistent suit, while wearing nothing underneath. This created a very uncomfortable setting. He was so proud. Naked, he walked through the streets of the city showing off his new suit. Everyone who watched pretended they could see it, except for a little child, who shouted, “But he doesn’t have anything on!” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” accessed December 17, 2018, http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html). The child’s remark resembles Jesus’s message to the religious leaders of the day. That is exactly what Jesus is telling us today in the twenty-first century: stop pretending to be something you’re not! Christ sees the obvious and is not afraid to point it out.

- The word Hypocrite was used to talk of an actor on stage.

- Different Packages, Judging a Book by its cover, Marketing Techniques.

- Different Motivations

To not be ridiculed

To impress someone or someones.

To make people believe you are better than you are.

To hide what is really driving you.

To prove to youself you are worthy - insecurity

All of these are false motivations according to Jesus, there really should be one motivation.

26 - God is the Sole Motivation for Our Religion.

1. Jesus plainly communicates that the Pharisees go through the motions of religion, but with no real relationship with God. This is the definition of hypocrisy. They give, they pray, they fast. That sounds good, doesn’t it? It sure does, but it’s all so they can be seen by people, not to be seen by God. Why is Jesus bringing this up? Because motivations of service are important to him! Those who serve can be classified into two groups—those who have pure motives and those who don’t. Yet, those who serve are most of the time praised and acclaimed, regardless of their attitudes. The question we should ask ourselves when we’re serving is, “Who am I serving?” If the answer is anything but Jesus, then our motives are wrong—and that’s exactly what Christ is addressing in this chapter.

How do we make God's name famous (Serving in CHRIST's NAME) - We can easily get into the trap of doing things as a church to be “The Impressive Church.” When we serve in Christ’s Name are we serving Christ? - At Church, in our Missional Communities. I fear often the motivation is, if we don’t impress we will not grow. Talk about the early church and how they made God's name famous by starting orphanages, and hospitals. -

The Challenge of Doing things in Secret.

- The time I secretly cleaned the Youth Room.

- What if you did this for your spouse, and they did not notice, but they noticed that you left the lights on in the basement or something? The Joy I experienced....There is risk and there is growth opportunity. It is not about the praise of others, but the Praise of God.

- Once I was fasting. Our Youth Group was doing a fast/service day. My Cindy and I had to go to an event at our Alma Mater (GCU) and there were snacks or a meal, and everyone kept asking me, Aren't you going to eat something. - The challenge of graciously saying, "No."

-The other Challenge is training - We do also these things in order to encourage one another to do them. To foster our relationship with God, not as competition.

- The Square - Jesus actually teaches his disciples how to pray, and a number of times it is noted that Jesus goes off alone to pray by himself. The Disciples took notice and the prayed together before Pentecost.

-The Difference in focus is the motivation - Is your audience others, or do you have an audience of one. Are you doing these things to prove to others how spiritual you are, or are you actually doing them to foster your relationship with Jesus?

-Worship - Audience of One.

Where as Public Self-Righteousness leads to public praise of self, hypocrisy and darkness, secret heart work leads to Public praise of God, seeing God, and shining light.

Conclusion:

How are you engaging your motivations in your spiritual practices. How can you check your motivations and remind yourself of having an Audience of One?

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 62-64, 86, 91, 116-129 Belgic Confession: Articles 24 Canons of Dort: Head V, Article 12