2.3.7 1.10.2021 Matthew 6.1-18 Spiritual Disciplines of a Disciple

Start

1. Entice: You don’t need me to tell you about spiritual disciplines, do you? When religious people of any background think about “religion” the first thing which leaps into the mind is what we would call “Spiritual Disciplines.”

2. Engage: When discussing Spiritual disciplines I believe we must ask two corollary questions.

How “spiritual” do they make us?

How “disciplined” do we need to be for them to be effective?

Martin Luther’s quip comes to mind

“If ever a monk could be saved by monkery...I was that monk."

3. Expand Jesus grew up during the era of formative Judaism. An intensely spiritual time characterized by competing spiritualities. Each of the available alternatives had assumptions and expectations. Everything about Their social, physical, economic and spiritual environment was of course; greatly different than ours.

Most people were non-literate (and those that were did not posses their own copies of scripture.) This was true not only of Jesus' time but has been the case for most of Christian History of the roughly 2000 years the practice of personal Bible reading is roughly 400 years old. Consequently, one of our central disciplines, the personal, devotional reading of scripture was foreign to them.

Most of the other disciplines Jesus mentions are familiar to us though not as easy to practice and the practices themselves are quite different. For example; I will discuss a little later how it is that in a culture defined by food scarcity fasting is not the same thing as it is in our wealthy, mostly food-secure culture.

Excite: It is healthy to want to get better at anything. We should want to be a better disciple. Jesus teaches us how to benefit from spiritual disciplines without substituting them for following Him in faith.

He also reminds us to...

Explore:

Be very careful about how you practice your spirituality and present yourself to those around you. so that pride does not become a problem.

Explain: Let’s ask ourselves how does Jesus envision these personal, spiritual practices and what role do they play in defining our relationship to God and one another.

1 Stewardship

Matthew 6:1–4 ESV

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.

1.1 Primarily thought of as Providing to the Needy...

1.2 Misunderstood as An opportunity for publicity which is the gateway drug for Pride.

For Jesus a disciple is someone who maintains his relationship with others, his relationship with God and his relationship with him/herself in such a way that she grows more fully alingned with the character of God and brings Him glory.

2 Prayer

Matthew 6:5–13 ESV

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. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

2.1. Motive.

2.2. Mindset.

2.3 Model.

3 Forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus segues from His discussion of prayer which ends with a plea concerning forgiveness to a brief discussion of the disciple’s need to be a forgiver if forgiveness is to be sought. This strikes nearly every possible constituency as odd. It is not the cultural norm for anyone. and it does not seem to fit into a discussion of individual spirituality. Except...

3.1 For Jesus forgiveness, is central to His conception of personal discipleship.

This is evident throughout the Gospel and consistent with virtually everything Jesus will teach in a variety of contexts, to a variety of audiences, with remarkably consistent reaction:

Shock.

3.2 What is stunning in Matthew 6.14-15 is that Jesus makes it crystal clear, repeating the basic concept both positively and negatively:

forgiveness is conditional.

You must give to receive.

3.2.1 How is this not in conflict with the NT doctrine of Grace?

3.2.2 How does this fit with “personal” discipleship?

4 Fasting

Matthew 6:16–18 ESV

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The most difficult of the spiritual disciplines to pull off in modern society. In the ancient world starvation was a constant threat. Fasting was nearly universal as was its opposite; feasting. Jesus called His disciples: the embryonic church in a specific historical context. One of our challenges is to apply these truths in a new context with empowering results. What seems crucial to Jesus is a couple of questions which can be applied outside of the fasting/feasting matrix in which Jesus was embedded.

4.1 Who is your audience?

4.2 What is your attitude?

Shut Down:

For Jesus a disciple is someone who maintains his relationship with others, his relationship with God and his relationship with him/herself in such a way that she grows more fully aligned with the character of God and brings Him glory.

I don't recommend you read the Bible to know the Bible. Read the Bible to know God.

I don't recommend that you pray to feel better (though you will) Pray so that your kingdom horizon grows.

Don't fast to impress others, but to become more focused.

And though it may seem unnatural, uncomfortable and even un-American FORGIVE EVERYONE.

If you do everything else...and miss this you've missed the entire point of the Gospel.