Forget the Show!!!

Last week, we began this emphasis asking the question:

What Kind of Neighbor are You?

This passage reminds me that the message of Jesus was so simple and to the point He must have sounded to those there like Micah from centuries earlier.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

The times were different, but the basic message was the same: Jesus underscores doing justice, loving mercy kindness, and walking humbly with God.

Jesus does not look for big-time, external displays. He does not require slick public performances. He does not expect gigantic acts of self-sacrificial heroism, seventy-hour work weeks of ministry, a calendar of exhausting activities, an endless number of church meetings, massive dedication that proves itself in… you fill in the blanks; it’s your script!

Just STOP, go back and get off the treadmill of whatever you religious performance looks like and go back and look at how you have complicated what God said so simply. What is required? Slow down and read the list aloud:

• To do justice

• To love kindness

• To walk humbly with your God

Faith is not a long series of religious performances. It is not doing a pile of pious things either to keep God from being angry or to impress others with how dedicated you are. The sooner we believe that and start living like that, the quicker we will understand the true meaning of the Christian life as God planned it.

In prophet-like fashion, the Messiah introduces this section of His sermon with a strong warning:

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.

Beware! Of what? Had something gone wrong? Was there some danger on the loose? You better believe it! A humble, uncomplicated walk with God had been replaced by a prime-time performance of religion. It is righteousness on display . . . strut-your-stuff spirituality led by none other than the scribes and Pharisees who love nothing more than to impress the public with their grandiose expressions of piety on parade. No difference today!

Remember the Nazarene’s earlier remark about righteousness?

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. —MATTHEW 5:20

He is back on that same subject, only now He gets painfully specific with His warning. Walking humbly with one’s God was never meant to be a theatrical performance, or, as we called it when I as a kid, “showing off.” When it comes to the walk of faith, when the subject is righteousness and the object is to glorify God, beware of show-time.

Jesus is not telling His followers to stop shaking and shining. On the contrary, He said earlier, “Let your light shine.” But that had to do with the kind of much-needed light that gives others hope and attracts them to the Savior so that “they glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Here He is warning against displaying our devotion before others “to be noticed by them.” Simple faith and showtime don’t mix.

Once He sounds the warning, Jesus applies it to the three cardinal works of piety frequently paraded by the scribes and Pharisees:

1. giving (Matt. 6:2–4)

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.

2. praying (6:5–15)

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.

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.

3. fasting (6:16–18)

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.

This is a good place to stop and put all that we have considered into perspective. Admittedly, we have covered a lot of ground, but at the heart of everything has been Jesus’ warning: “Beware of religious performances!” Why? Because God is not glorified in such extravaganzas . . . and because we suffer the consequences. Three “performances,” in particular, come to mind:

1. When our devotion becomes an act we lapse into hypocrisy.

2. When our giving lacks secrecy we lose our reward.

3. When our prayers turn into demonstrations, they lack God’s power.

Remember Micah’s threefold answer to those searching questions he asked? What is it God requires? Extensive burnt offerings? Yearling calves? Thousands of sheep? Ten thousand rivers of oil? Our firstborn? Our own lives thrown into the fire? No.

Then what? See if you can you remember.

• To do __________________.

• To love __________________.

• To walk ___________________________.

Here is some practical questions for you to consider as you walk with God this week:

1. When God asks you the question, What Kind of Neighbor Are You? What’s your reply?

2. Who is that neighbor that God has placed on your radar?

3. What gifts and abilities has God given you for accomplishing His Kingdom’s mission right where you are?