Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

If you were to interview people who used to attend church but no longer attend, what do you think would be the #1 reason they give for no longer coming to church?

It’s not that they have been offended by the pastor or another member.

It’s not that they don’t like the music that is sung.

It’s not even that the service goes too long.

Rather, the number one reason these individuals give that they no longer attend church is that the church is full of hypocrites who fail to walk the walk and practice what they preach.

Hypocrisy is an issue in our world and it can become an issue in the church if we’re not careful!

It is a real temptation that Jesus addresses in depth in Matthew 6.

While there is no such thing as a perfect pastor or a perfect church, we can all become more like Jesus as we grow in our discipleship journey.

There is always more for us to learn and there are always ways that we can look more like Jesus in our daily lives.

This is ultimately what Christian discipleship is all about.

Dying to sin and taking up our cross day after day.

Growing in our knowledge and understanding of the Word and applying it to our lives.

Worshipping in Spirit and Truth.

Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re on the fence about church membership or you’re a member and you’re not actively involved in a discipleship group on Sunday morning or Wednesday night - if that is you this morning please hear me, friend: Jesus wants you to grow!

One of the ways that we grow the deepest as Christians is by joining a local church and becoming actively involved and serving.

This is the picture of the New Testament church as presented by Jesus and others.

As we continue to look at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives His listeners practical instruction on things to do and things that they are not supposed to do as His disciples.

As He does this, we must first ask ourselves: Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?

If I am not then my first obligation is to get that right!

If I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, am I growing alongside my brothers and sisters to be more like Jesus?

Am I serving in the local church?

Am I worshipping God as He deserves?

As we read in Matthew 6, we need to simply ask ourselves this: Why am I here?

Am I here because church is something of a weekly obligation that I do because I’ve always done it?

Am I here to look good in the eyes of others?

Am I here to check a box?

Or, am I here because I long to worship God and praise Him for who He is and what He has done?

Am I here because I’ve been changed or because I want to be changed?

I pray that’s the case for each one of us today - that our motive for gathering is to worship Jesus and to encourage one another.

Let’s give Him thanks this morning as we study His Word (pray)

As a Disciple, I Must Give (1-4)

How many of you have Facebook or have a family member who does?

Just about every single hand goes up, right?

As of 2021, Facebook claimed that there were 2.91 billion Facebook accounts.

This means that if Facebook were a country, not only would it be the largest country on the earth, it would include nearly 40% of the earth’s population!

Facebook and social media in general can be a wonderful thing.

You can be encouraged by reading a story or seeing a picture of a loved one or friend on social media and share a positive comment and hope with someone else.

This is a good thing… But we all know that social media can also be a difficult thing.

It can distract us from other things.

It can suck up vast amounts of time.

It can lead to anger and frustration with others.

It can lead us to do the right thing for the wrong reasons - to be praised by others and get dozens and dozens of likes.

Look at Matthew 6:1 at what Jesus says about our actions.

He says to be careful about practicing our righteousness in front of others.

Why should we be careful about this?

In the Greek, the verb for be careful is a present, active, imperative.

Because the verb is an imperative it is a command - not merely a suggestion.

Because it is present and active, this is something that we must do constantly instead of just one time in the past.

Each and every day, we as Christians must ask ourselves, “Why am I doing what I’m doing?”

What is the motivation behind my actions of righteousness?

Is it to get a couple of pats on the back from others or a dozen or hundred likes on Facebook, or is it to glorify God and for the good of others?

Am I serving myself or am I serving God?

One of the ways that we serve God is by giving.

Whenever I was in high school we learned about the French Revolution and part of learning about that subject was talking about the French clergy or church leaders and how they were able to live and support themselves.

This was only possible through the tithing of the church members.

The actual word tithe was brought up and in this class the vast majority were not regular churchgoers… But nearly everyone knew what a tithe was: giving 10% of one’s income to the church.

We see this as a principle throughout Scripture

God blesses us with everything that we have and He expects us to give back to Him.

Here’s a principle to live by as a Christian: If the Bible says something, it’s right.

If the Bible says that we are supposed to give, we’re supposed to do it and you can expect that truth to be taught, preached, and lived out at FBC Salem!

But that message won’t be preached on every single week because the Bible doesn’t talk about giving in every verse - the center of Scripture isn’t Benjamin Franklin, it’s Jesus Christ.

But, when and where the Bible talks about giving and money, we’re going to talk about it because it mattered to Jesus!

Why did giving matter so much to Jesus?

Because giving is a spiritual indicator of where your heart is.

Because giving is an act of worship!

Think of worship: yes, worship includes songs, prayer, fellowship, and the preaching of the Word, but giving very much is a part of the New Testament worship time.

[Ask yourself this question: If every member of FBC Salem gave the same proportion that I give financially, would FBC Salem be able to keep its doors open?]

Jesus expects us to give back to Him - and He expects us to be careful as we do this!

As we go about giving, we have to be careful again to understand why we give.

Do we give out of a sense of compulsion or tradition?

That shouldn’t be the reason why - because at the end of the day, God doesn’t need our money.

If you’re a guest this morning in no way should you feel compelled or guilted into giving to the ministry at FBC Salem.

No pressure, and in fact, we don’t want your money - bet you’ve never heard a pastor say that!

If you’re a member of FBC Salem, this is our responsibility and it’s our privilege to support the ministries of this church.

How do we go about this?

Do we advertise how much we give and this and that?

Jesus condemns that practice in verses 2-3.

He shares to not publicize that information but to keep it between ourselves and God.

So, what is our motive for giving?

Is it selfish gain?

While Joel from Houston might tell you to give in order to get more money from God, that can’t be our motivation… Our motivation for giving is to worship God and give Him thanks.

This is a part of faithful discipleship!

As a Disciple, I Must Pray (5-8)

By God’s grace, First Baptist Salem is full of members who are generous to support the needs of this church and things like missions and ministries!

While we all can grow in our stewardship and sacrificial giving, maybe this is a strength in your walk and if this is you, praise the Lord!

Verses 5-8 hit close to home for many of us as Jesus calls us to prioritize private prayer.

Just as giving is an act of worship, prayer is as well!

Not only do we pray whenever we’re at church, Jesus expects us to pray regularly.

Don Whitney shares this sobering truth, “Statistical surveys and experience seem to agree that a large percentage of professing Christians spend little time in sustained pryer.

While they may offer a sentence of prayer here and there throughout their day, they rarely spend more than a very few minutes - if that - alone in conversation with God.” Consider, how much time do you spend daily in prayer?

Per the Washington Post, the average Missourian spends less than 5 minutes a day in prayer.

Now this doesn’t mean that we need to quadruple that by praying elaborate and repetitive prayers, Jesus cautions against that in these verses, but we need to spend time with Jesus on a consistent basis.

Whenever we pray, though, how should we go about praying?

Jesus gives us some clear cut instructions in these verses.

Don’t pray like the hypocrites.

Don’t babble like the Gentiles.

Instead, pray in secret.

Does this mean that we shouldn’t ever pray in groups or in public?

That’s not what Jesus is getting at.