bro.rory, Author at FBC Spur

Testing for Greed – pt 1 (Matthew 6:19-24)

February 14, 2014 By bro.rory

Testing For Greed – part 1

Matthew 6:19-24

As you know we are studying through the Sermon on the Mount.

It is a sermon by our Lord meant to strip away

Any and all self-sufficiency that we may have before God.

• Jesus has confronted our attitude

• Jesus has confronted our mission

• Jesus has confronted our heart

• And most recently Jesus has confronted our religion

We spent 4 weeks looking at hypocritical religion.

You’ll remember that one problem was consistent in all the areas

It is that while true religion seeks to please God and gain His reward,

Hypocritical religion sought to please self by obtaining reward now.

That is why the hypocrites sounded a trumpet when they gave,

“so that they may be honored by men.”

That is why the hypocrites stood on the street corners when they prayed,

“so that they may be seen by men.”

That is why the hypocrites neglected their appearance when they fasted,

“so that they will be noticed by men”

They wanted men to see and honor them.

The danger however was this, “they have their reward in full.”

They were indeed rewarded, but it was a temporal reward,

And it was fleeting reward.

And so we saw that one of the main problems of these guys

Is that they willingly traded the eternal for the temporal.

And that is a tragedy.

And now in the sermon Jesus moves on,

But in many regards is still on the same topic.

For Jesus is still talking about focusing on the eternal over the temporal,

And He is still focusing on gaining spiritual reward over physical reward.

Only here Jesus doesn’t refer to some sort of religious exercise,

But rather the concept of greed.

Greed is yet another one of those sins that indicates a carnal heart.

Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

Paul actually calls greed a form of idolatry.

It is to love the things of this world more than you love God.

And the presence of it is a very serious problem.

In fact, if you have ever read the Bible, you know that by in large,

The wealthy are not looked upon very favorably in Scripture,

And those who love the world most certainly are not.

James 4:1-4 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Loving and seeking the world is a serious problem of humanity,

And so Jesus would not be accurately addressing the human heart

If He preached an entire sermon on sin and left the topic of greed out.

That is the topic He addresses for the remainder of the chapter,

And He addresses greed from two opposite extremes.

THE RICH

When many people hear about greed, they think immediately of the rich.

(Some miser who hoards all he has and closes his heart to the poor)

Yes, that man is greedy,

But he is not the only person with a greed problem.

HE WAS JUST SUCCESSFUL IN HIS GREED

THE POOR

Verses 25-34 of this chapter also deals with greedy people.

They seek money just as strongly.

They are consumed with it just as much.

Only they have not been successful in their greed.

Their greed is not revealed by their presence of wealth,

Their greed is revealed by their presence of worry.

One is wealthy, one is worried but both are consumed with riches.

That is greed, and it is idolatry before God.

And so Jesus exposes it.

This morning we look at the first example,

Which is the warning to the wealthy, and we see a simple test.

I don’t think I have to spend much time convincing you that greed is a sin

And that it is punished by God as idolatry.

What we are going to do this morning is take the test

To see if we have greed.

That is what Jesus does here, He gives three scenarios,

To help us see if we have greed in our hearts.

And it all stems around what you and I do with money.

In verses 19, 20, & 21 it is referred to as our treasure.

In verse 24 it is referred to as wealth.

And Jesus gives three indicators to help you see

Whether or not greed is present in your life.

In regard to wealth

#1 DO YOU STORE IT?

Matthew 6:19-21

And here we get a very blatant command.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”

And of course the implication is that storing your treasure

Is an indicator of wealth, but that is a little misleading.

Does it mean I can’t ever store any money of any type?

Listen to what Paul told the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 16:1-3 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem;”

That word “save” is the exact same Greek word Jesus uses for “store up”

It is the word THESAURIZO

And it literally means “to store” or “to save”

And so based upon Paul’s command, all saving can’t be seen as bad.

Especially if your saving is for the purpose of giving.

Or does it just speak of what I save?

(I can save money as long as it isn’t my treasure.)

Can someone tell me the difference

Between good money and bad money?

What Jesus is saying here is pretty clear when you look at the words.

“store up” translates a verb THESAURIZO

“treasure” translates a noun THESAUROS

So it is the same word, only once used as a verb and once as a noun.

Jesus is saying,

“Don’t treasure your treasure”

“Don’t save your savings”

As you will see in a moment, the implication is use it for eternal treasure.

Having it is not the problem.

Saving it is not the problem.

But allowing that balance, or that saving

To become more important than the needs around you is.

Listen to another passage of James on wealth:

James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

He wants to know how you could possibly set on your wealth

While watching the poor man suffer.

How can you let people starve for lack of food,

Simply because you want to protect your bank balance?

At that point it has become obvious which is more important to you.

You treasure your treasure more than you treasure the the poor man.

That is why John said:

1 John 3:16-17 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

And so you understand Jesus’ point.

It is not that having money in a savings account is wrong,

But when it gets to the point of seeing that balance as more important

Than the needs of others, then we have a problem.

Being rich is not a sin, being greedy is.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

And so Jesus is commanding people not to treasure their treasure.

Then He starts telling us why.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”

WHY SHOULD YOU NOT STORE UP TREASURE HERE?

Because it isn’t secure.

You wouldn’t cash your paycheck

And leave it all in a bank envelope on the dash of your pickup.

You give it to your wife, who can keep it safe.

Jesus was saying, do not store up treasure here, it is not safe here.

AND I HOPE YOU PICK UP ON THE FIRST CONCERN OF JESUS

His first concern in this was that you get to keep your treasure.

He wasn’t just trying to make everyone poor.

He isn’t just trying to get all your money.

He actually wants what is best for you.

And greed is not good for you.

Greed will prompt you to store things

In a way and in a place where you can’t keep them.

In Jesus day, there were three main ways that you could measure wealth.

Garments, Grain, & Gold.

(not so different from today)

But what is the problem with garments?

“moth”

But what is the problem with grain?

People eat it, as do varmints.

(cats were always using my dad’s oat bin as a litter box)

“rust” translates BROSIS

It literally means “eating”, most times it is translated “food”

And what is the problem with gold?

“thieves break in and steal”

And Jesus’ point is that there is no way in this life

That you can possibly secure your wealth.

If you put it in garments, the moth will eat it.

If you put it in grain, something else will.

If you put it in gold, someone will steal it.

It is not secure.

We’ve all heard the expression, “You can’t take it with you.”

Even if you protect it your entire life

With moth balls, saran wrap, and safety deposit boxes,

You will still lose it.

1 Timothy 6:7 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”

Perhaps you remember this parable from Jesus:

Luke 12:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This man had it all, and in an instant he didn’t have anything.

And so the first problem Jesus lists in regard to greed

Is that it stores up for you a treasure that you can’t keep.

Next Problem

And even worse than that, is if somehow you do manage to keep it,

But do so by hoarding it from those whom you could have helped.

As James said:

James 5:1-3 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!”

We talk a lot about benevolence in this church,

One of my favorite passages on benevolence in found in Deuteronomy 15.

Deuteronomy 15:7-9 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. “Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you.”

And the command of Moses is that you don’t want to be caught

Having withheld something that another person needed.

It would have been far better for you to have given and gotten cheated,

Than for you to have withheld and not helped a true need.

If your greed actually causes you to overlook some genuine needs,

Then there is a real danger, God sees it as sin.

That is even worse than having it stolen.

The obvious point is that there is nothing good that comes from greed.

Treasuring your treasure here will only cause you to neglect real needs,

And will cause you to save a treasure that is not secure.

That is why Jesus says in verse 20

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”

So just as clearly as Jesus told us not treasure earthly treasures,

Here He tells us just the opposite in regard to spiritual treasures.

TREASURE YOUR TREASURE IN HEAVEN

You should earn them.

You should store them up.

You should treasure them.

You should protect them.

Make it your ever living ambition to get as rich in heaven as you can. Make a point to deposit frequently and keep the balance growing.

Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.”

You see, we lose all the treasure here,

But we get to keep all the treasure there.

Because in heaven, “neither moth nor rust destroys, and…thieves do not break in or steal;”

Everything in heaven is secure, it cannot be stolen.

Listen to what Peter said about the inheritance there.

1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

The treasure there, will not rot, cannot become tainted or broken,

And will never be lost.

We are presently in the middle of the Christmas season.

And most of us already have gifts purchased for other people,

And we are excited about giving them out.

But do you realize that everything you have purchased that is presently wrapped with paper will one day rot in a land fill?

But that isn’t true with the treasures we have in heaven.

They last forever.

And Jesus says, store them up there.

Don’t be greedy for stuff here, be committed to using this treasure

In order to add to your heavenly treasure.

And then comes the real point.

Here is the danger of greed.

(21) “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Your treasure does not follow your heart.

Your heart follows your treasure.

Picture the stock market.

If you took your entire life’s savings and invested in Wal-Mart,

You’d push carts to the door every time you shopped there.

Your heart would be in tune with the success of Wal-Mart.

And so it is with eternal treasure.

DO YOU HAVE A HEART FOR MISSIONS?

How much do you invest there?

Do you suppose you would be more concerned with South America if

you gave your life savings to support hurricane victims?

Do you suppose you would be more concerned about Africa if your child

was serving there?

HOW ABOUT BENEVOLENCE?

How much do you invest there?

And you get the point.

Your heart follows your treasure.

And this is what makes greed so dangerous.

• Not only will it cause you to store up a treasure you can’t keep.

• Not only might it cause you to overlook some genuine needs.

• But it will also eventually pull your heart away from God.

And that is far more than dangerous, that is destructive.

Remember this fellow?

Matthew 19:21-24 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Now there is obviously a lot to learn from the rich young ruler,

But we would be blind if we missed this obvious point.

His heart had been so attached to his treasure,

That he couldn’t give it up; not for treasure in heaven,

Not even for eternal life.

His heart had followed his treasure,

And as a result his heart was turned away from God.

That is what greed can do to us.

And we must make sure that if it is present

That it is repented of, and that is rejected.

That is what Zaccheus did.

Luke 19:8-9 “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

Zaccheus overcame greed, for the sake of gaining something better.

Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

That is why Scripture remembers Zaccheus well,

But the rich young ruler poorly.

And which road to follow is obvious.

And if you want to know if you have greed in your life,

Then ask yourself this one question in regard to wealth.

DO I STORE IT?

Do you treasure your treasure?

How do I know?

Are you apprehensive to part with it, even when you see a real need elsewhere?

That is treasuring your treasure above the need, and that is greed.

And if greed is present,

It is an indicator of a heart that is not right before God.

And this morning it gives us yet another opportunity

To beg Jesus for forgiveness and a heart like His.

And this morning that is what I invite you to do.

And listen, I don’t care where you presently stand with Christ

(or where you think you stand)

It doesn’t matter if you are saved, lost, faithful, or backslidden.

If you recognize greed in your life, the response is the same, run to Jesus.

If you are lost, He will save you.

If you are saved, He will sanctify you.

If you are faithful, He will make you more so.

If you are backslidden, He will forgive you.

I’m not concerned with anything you have or have not done in the past,

But I am saying, that today if you recognize a need for Christ,

Then cry out to Him and He will give you what you need.

He atoned for sin.

He is the Savior.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Hypocritical Fasting (Matthew 6:16-18)

February 14, 2014 By bro.rory

Hypocritical Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18

Well, I don’t think at this point

The Sermon on the Mount needs much of an introduction.

By now we are all well aware what Jesus is doing.

He is stripping us.

• He is removing all notions of human goodness

• He is removing all thoughts of religious acceptance

• He is removing all hope that anything we may do or have done will be enough to justify us.

Jesus has systematically dismantled any notion we may have

Of our ability to please God on our own.

We have neither done it on our own in the past,

We are not doing it on our own in the present,

And we will not do it on our own in the future.

On our own, there is nothing pleasing to God.

And Jesus has been proving this because understanding this point

Is absolutely crucial to the gospel.

Man in and of himself is sinful and cannot please God.

Romans 8:5-8 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

It has always held true that you cannot find the beginning of God

Until you come to the end of yourself.

The Sermon on the Mount helps you come to the end of yourself.

Most recently we have learned that our religion may indeed be useless.

Jesus spoke of giving and praying and showed us

How both can be absolutely useless to God.

Namely when they are done for recognition.

This is hypocrisy and God is not amused.

This morning Jesus shows us a third example of religious hypocrisy.

Hypocritical fasting.

But obviously before we get in to the perversion of their fasting,

We need to make sure and clarify what fasting is.

“fast” translates NESTEUO

And it literally means “to do without food”

And so in a physical sense to fast is any time

We refrain from eating or do without food.

The bigger question is WHY do we fast?

No doubt some look upon it similar to the way

The Gentiles looked at prayer in verse 7.

Matthew 6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

The Gentiles looked at prayer as a purely manipulative tactic,

Where they would literally wear God out

Until He finally had enough and chose to answer.

It was manipulation and we talked about why that is not biblical.

But no doubt some look at fasting in exactly the same way.

“I’m gonna go without food and when God sees how serious I am,

Then He will relent and grant my request.”

(Illustration: Opie holds his breath)

There are some who see fasting as a manipulative tool exactly like that.

It is clear that some in the Old Testament saw it that way.

TURN TO: Isaiah 58

And so clearly they thought God would be motivated by their fast

And would grant their request.

God wasn’t interested in their manipulative gestures.

If they wanted to impress Him it was time to refrain from sin not food.

Some fast for manipulative reasons, which we know by now will not work.

God grants requests because He is good, not because He is forced.

OTHERS LOOK AT FASTING AS A LEGALISTIC DUTY.

We see this in the Catholic religion through lent.

It is sort of a duty if we want to be pleasing to God.

They see it as some means to get closer to God.

(It some how purges me and makes me more righteous)

But that isn’t true either.

Galatians 3:1-6 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Consider the Colossian church.

Colossians 2:20-23 “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

TURN TO: Zechariah 7

There you see that they were confused, they thought fasting

Somehow caused them to please God, but they were wrong.

GOING WITHOUT FOOD IS NOT THE MEANS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

Would it surprise you if I told you that fasting is never commanded anywhere in Scripture?

Prayer is commanded.

Giving is commanded.

Fasting never is.

WELL, IF IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I’M JUST SUPPOSED TO DO, AND IF IT ISN’T A TOOL TO MAKE MY PRAYER MORE EFFECTIVE, THEN WHY SHOULD I FAST?

Listen:

FASTING IS NOT A TECHNIQUE, FASTING IS A RESULT.

Abstaining from food is not something you manually do to please God

Abstaining from food is something you naturally do

When you are set on seeking God.

Let me give you an example.

Matthew 4:1-2 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”

So was Jesus forcing Himself to starve in order to manipulate God? -No.

Nor was He doing out of command, for it wasn’t commanded.

Did you notice when Jesus became hungry?

“after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”

SO WHAT WAS JESUS DOING ON THAT MOUNTAIN?

He was seeking God.

He went ultimately to be tempted by the devil,

But that didn’t begin until the forty days was up.

During those forty days Jesus was seeking God, and during that time

He was so intent on finding God that He wasn’t even hungry.

And that answers our question as to why we fast.

When we get to a place where we are seeking God whole heartedly,

The spiritual becomes so important that the physical literally fades away.

LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES

Jonah 3:5-10 “Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

(They fasted because they wanted forgiveness worse than food)

Acts 13:1-3 “Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

(They fasted because they wanted direction worse than food)

Matthew 9:14-15 “Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

(They will fast because they long for the return of the bridegroom)

Consistent with all those accounts is that these people wanted God,

And they wanted God so badly that they didn’t even think about eating.

And when you fast like that, God responds.

When you seek God like that God responds.

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

And so you understand a little about fasting.

What is clear from our text this morning

Is that it was yet another area in which the Jews

Were putting on a theatrical performance.

I don’t think there is any question that we would all admit

That we do not often seek God with as much seriousness

As fasting would imply.

I think we would also admit that if we knew someone who did,

We would be impressed.

And this was something the Pharisees realized as well.

Just like in their giving and just like in their praying,

They saw fasting as yet another opportunity to impress people.

And that is precisely the type of hypocrisy Jesus is about to expose.

2 points

#1 THE PITIFUL FAST OF THE HYPOCRITE

Matthew 6:16

“Whenever you fast”

Again, it is not that Jesus is commanding fasting. He isn’t.

However, it is highly understood that those who desire God would fast.

The issue wasn’t IF you do it, but HOW you do it.

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

And it really doesn’t require much explanation

For you can easily picture the scene.

Here is a man who is fasting.

HOW DO YOU KNOW HE IS FASTING?

Because he looks miserable.

He walks by a hot-dog stand and licks his lips and says

“Man I wish I could eat one of those, but I can’t because I’m fasting”

He purposely looks pitiful, so that everyone will see, not only is he doing without, but he sacrifice for God is a serious one.

Now before we go on and see his hypocrisy,

DO YOU SEE HOW BAD THIS MAKES GOD LOOK?

When you whine because your commitment to God causes you to go without food, what does that say to the world?

-food is better than God

When you complain because your sacrifice to God causes you to not get to go to some event, what does that say to the world?

-that event is better than God

IF YOU’RE GONNA SERVE GOD WITH THAT TYPE OF ATTITUDE, YOU MIGHT AS WELL WEAR A SIGN THAT SAYS

“SERVING GOD STINKS”

Listen friend, don’t do God any favors by sacrificing for Him.

It is God who did you a favor by sacrificing for you.

And if you really understood what that meant,

You wouldn’t be so put out over missing a meal.

No wonder Philippians 2:14 says

Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing;”

But this Pharisee was, or at least he looked that way.

He wanted people to notice, so he purposely looked pitiful.

I can certainly identify with wanting people to notice my pain.

When I get sick, or am in pain, I want everyone to notice.

I can’t sing a lick, but I can moan in 3 different octaves

And in 17 different languages.

If I really feel neglected I can dang near yodel when I moan.

And that is what these people do.

They make sure everyone knows when they are fasting.

Without any regard for how it makes serving God look,

They want everyone to be impressed with their sacrifice.

“Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

“reward” translates MISTHOS

It means “wages”

They are literally actors performing for donations.

They are no different than a man who performs on a street corner

And then passes his hat for tips.

And Jesus says whatever you get from them,

You had better invest it wisely, because that is all you will ever get.

Don’t expect God to be impressed by your pathetic religious display.

Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

God is not impressed.

God is not amused.

In fact it only provokes God to desire to tear that lofty person down.

Why do you think Jesus confronted the Pharisees so harshly?

Because their pride and arrogance and religious display nauseated Him.

The Pitiful Fast of the Hypocrites

#2 THE PLEASANT FAST OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Matthew 6:17-18

What a contrast!

If the hypocrites fast was pitiful,

Then pleasant is the only way to describe this man.

In fact, if you were to be forced to look in a room full of people

And pick the one who had been without food for a week,

This is the last guy you would pick.

He looks clean.

He looks refreshed.

He looks healthy.

AND HE DIDN’T CARE IF YOU NOTICED OR NOT.

The reason is because he wasn’t seeking your attention,

He was seeking God’s attention.

HE LOST FOOD, BUT HE FOUND GOD,

AND HE WASN’T UPSET ABOUT THAT AT ALL.

This is the attitude we see in God’s servants in Scripture.

Remember Paul?

Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

Remember the Macedonians?

2 Corinthians 8:3-4 “For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,”

These were people who sacrificed, but they weren’t grieved,

Because they were gaining Christ.

They saw no need to look pitiful, because they weren’t pitiful.

THEY WERE FULFILLED

And not only are they fulfilled but “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

“reward” translates APODIDOMI

“to give back”

In other words what you give will be given back.

And God is generous in repayment.

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

SO THERE IT IS AGAIN

God is looking at the heart.

And the overwhelming insinuation is BE REAL

DO YOU REMEMBER THE GREATEST COMMANDMANT?

“Love God with all your heart”

That means that if you do everything the Bible commands,

But you don’t do that, then you have missed the whole point.

Let me put it to you another way.

If you do the things of God, but you don’t delight in them,

Then there is a problem in your heart.

Things like Giving or Praying or Fasting

Or any other number of religious duties

(witnessing – Bible reading – Church attendance)

If you do them out of some other motive other than love for God,

Then there is a problem.

The Pharisees did all the deeds, but they did them for the wrong reasons.

They did them to impress and please other people.

They did them because they loved themselves.

God is only pleased when people do those things because they love Him.

And friend if you set here today and say, “Preacher I have a problem, I don’t love God like I’m supposed to. I wish I did, but I don’t, what do I do?”

The answer is simple.

Ask God to give you a love for Him.

Do you realize that those who love God only do so because God gave them a love for Him?

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

We only give it when God first gives it to us.

1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”

So if you don’t love God Then ask Him to help you love Him, and

When you ask Him truly wanting Him, He will give it to you.

BUT BY ALL MEANS – BE REAL

This morning we come to partake in the Lord’s Supper.

(And being real is the name of the game)

In fact, being a hypocrite here can get you in a world of trouble.

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

The problem with the Corinthians is that by partaking in the Lord’s Supper they were saying “I love God, and I am a servant of Christ”.

But that was clearly a lie based on the way they lived their lives.

(even in the way they took the Lord’s Supper)

And God was so appalled by their hypocrisy

That he was making them sick, and some of them even died.

And so when Paul says “let a man examine himself”

I think we all get the point.

BE REAL

This morning we are going to have a time of preparation.

I can’t tell you what that time will be for you.

• Maybe a time of repentance.

• Maybe a time of asking God to help you love Him.

• Maybe a time of forgiving someone.

But as we prepare to partake,

You examine your life and make sure that you are real.

If not, ask Christ to make you real.

Pray

New Sunday Night Book Study!

February 13, 2014 By bro.rory

In Job 25:4, Job’s friend Bildad asked, “How then can a man be just with God?” We think that is an excellent question. And the answer is found only in the gospel. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

The gospel has always contained the blueprint for obtaining God’s righteousness, but the problem is that not everyone is preaching the true gospel. The Galatians were victims of such a problem. They had been “bewitched”, they had been hood-winked. Someone came and preached to them “another gospel” which Paul had not preached. And they had quickly deserted Him who called them by the grace of Christ in favor of this distorted gospel. It was not a message that spoke of righteousness obtained by faith, but rather a message that said righteousness is obtained by works of the Law; namely circumcision.

The letter to the Galatians is a furiously written letter meant to squash such a damning message. John MacArthur called this letter, “a flashing sword, wielded by a burning heart.” Others have called it “The Magna Carta of spiritual liberty” or “The Christian’s Declaration of Independence”. Martin Luther said, “The epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. To it I am, as it were, in wedlock. Galatians is my Katherine (the name of his wife).” Merill C. Tenney wrote, “Christianity might have been just one more Jewish sect, and the thought of the western world might have been entirely pagan had it never been written. Galatians embodies the germinal teaching on Christian freedom which separated Christianity from Judaism, and which launched it upon a career of missionary conquest. It was the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation, because it’s teaching of salvation by grace alone became the dominant theme of the preaching of the Reformers.”

Come study Galatians with us on Sunday nights and see why it is such an important part of your theology and why it holds such a special place in the hearts of so many!

Sola scriptura! Sola fide! Sola gratia! Solo Christo! Soli Deo gloria!

Grace to You!

The Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15)

February 13, 2014 By bro.rory

The Model Prayer

Matthew 6:9-15

We are presently in Jesus’ second point of His historic sermon.

Chapter 5 was GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS EXAMINED

Chapter 6 is FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS EXPOSED

It addresses the type of person who would seek

To counter his obvious sinfulness by pointing out his apparent goodness.

“I may be a murderer, but I do give to the poor”

To which Jesus reveals a very troubling point.

WHAT IF THE GOOD YOU DO ISN’T AS GOOD AS YOU THINK?

And thus far we have seen two examples.

Giving & Prayer

Last week He showed us two types of prayer

That are not pleasing nor acceptable to God.

1) The Magnificent Prayer of the Hypocrite

A prayer that sounded great, but that came from a corrupt, self-glorifying heart.

2) The Manipulative Prayer of the Gentile

A prayer that was meant to manipulate God to give the response they desired.

Jesus emphatically stated that both of those types of prayer are wrong,

And will not please God let alone produce a desired response.

But before Jesus moves on to His third illustration of hypocrisy, He takes just a moment to teach us what a good prayer looks like.

And He gives us what is definitely

One of the top two or three recited passages in all of Scripture.

It is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”

That is really not an accurate title.

The Lord’s prayer is found in John 17 when Jesus intercedes for us.

This is actually THE MODEL PRAYER

This is our Lord teaching us how to pray.

IT IS AMAZING

On one hand, it is so extremely simple that a child can memorize it and even understand it.

On the other hand, there is such substance to it that the greatest theological scholars of all time could never plumb the depths of it.

Every time I study it, I determine my prior understanding was insufficient.

Most will tell you that Jesus outlines 6 things that we should pray express

1) Adoration – “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by Your name.”

2) Submission – “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

3) Dependence – “Give us this day our daily bread”

4) Repentance – “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

5) Trust – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

6) Intercession – “Us” “Our”

And they will tell you that your prayer should contain these things as well.

But the more I study I realize that this prayer isn’t as simple

As just identifying 6 requests and then making sure

Those 6 requests find their way into my prayer as well.

(That way be to pray with the same routine that Jesus just condemned)

This prayer is obviously more than something to memorize.

This prayer does not serve as a checklist to make sure you get it all.

And you realize that Jesus isn’t just telling us what to pray for,

But is showing us the heart of a righteous man as he prays.

The Model Prayer is given as the answer to the hypocrites prayer.

In contrast to the self-glorifying prayer that manipulates God, Jesus calls for a God-glorifying prayer that trusts Him.

And so (as is common throughout His sermon)

Jesus is addressing the heart and motives of a man

As He reveals how a righteous man prays.

He is intending to reveal to you who you should be.

There are few things more revealing about a man than His prayer life,

And so Jesus shows us how a righteous man prays,

Therefore we can help determine whether or not I am a righteous man.

2 points

#1 CONCERNING GOD

Matthew 6:9-10

“Pray, then, in this way:”

Since the Hypocrites pray wrong in that they seek to glorify self.

Since the Gentiles pray wrong in that they seek to manipulate God.

This is how you should pray.

Luke 11:1-4 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. ‘Give us each day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'”

According to Luke, this is what you should say.

And again that does not promote mindless memorization,

But it does reveal to us that there are certain aspects

That must be included in a righteous man’s prayer.

“Pray, then, in this way:”

(NOT WHAT YOU PRAY – BUY HOW YOU PRAY)

1) PRAY DESIRING GOD’S GLORY (9)

“Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

And certainly don’t miss how Jesus addresses Him.

He doesn’t call Him God.

He doesn’t call Him Lord.

Jesus addressed Him as “Father”

Jesus reveals that when we come to God

We come to Him as His children.

No different than a child runs to his earthly father,

So we also should freely and quickly run to our heavenly Father.

It is a term that signifies COMPASSION and also AVAILABILITY.

I can talk to my dad just about any time I want,

And that is the same type of point Jesus is making here.

WE ARE HIS CHILDREN

And then Jesus reveals the desire of His children.

“Hallowed be Your name.”

(don’t you like it when people brag on your dad?)

JESUS PRAYED

John 12:28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

“hallowed” translates HAGIAZO

It means “to make holy” or “to sanctify”

Jesus is saying that the desire of a righteous man

Is that God’s name be set apart, be revered,

And be glorified above every other name.

The Jews certainly understood this.

They wouldn’t even say the divine name.

They wouldn’t even speak the name of God, because they thought the name to be too holy to be spoken on human tongue.

Furthermore names were highly significant in Israel.

Isaiah means “Yahweh is Salvation”

Ezekiel – “Strengthened by God”

Abraham – “Father of a multitude”

And this was also true of God.

Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord Provides”

Jehovah Tsidkenu – “The Lord is our Righteousness”

Jehovah Rohi – “The Lord is our Shepherd”

Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord is peace”

Jehovah Mekadesh – “The Lord who sanctifies you”

Jehovan Nissi – “The Lord is our Banner”

Jehovah Rapha – The Lord is our Healer”

Jehovah Shamah – “The Lord is There”

And so when Jesus says that the righteous man

Prays for God’s name to be set apart,

It indicates for God to be glorified for who He is.

He is the provider – He is the healer – He is our righteousness – He is our shepherd

The righteous man desires for God to be magnified above all else

Because of who He is.

So the first question is:

DO YOU DESIRE THE WHOLE WORLD TO GLORIFY GOD?

DO YOU LONG FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED ABOVE EVERY OTHER?

(Is that evident in your prayer life?)

2) PRAY DESIRING GODS REIGN (10a)

“Your kingdom come”

One of the main desires of a true believer

Is that God will reign upon the earth.

2 Peter 3:11-13 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

It is the wicked man who resists the coming and the reign of Christ.

The righteous man knows that this world is rightly His.

The righteous man delights in serving this King.

It takes the previous desire one step further.

Not only does He desire for God to be glorified,

But he also desires for God to be served.

That is the desire of a righteous man, IS IT YOUR DESIRE?

(Is it evident in your prayer life?)

Desiring God’s glory Desiring God’s reign

3) PRAY DESIRING GOD’S WILL (10b)

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

In one sense this is quite simple to understand.

The righteous man wants God to have His way

Without any resistance whatsoever.

He wishes that people obeyed God here as quickly as they do in heaven.

In heaven there is no delay.

In heaven there is no grumbling.

In heaven there is no resistance.

The righteous man whishes it was that way on earth.

BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT THAN THAT.

The will of God is quite a confusing and tricky issue.

Think about it.

Is God’s will always done?

(You say – YES) Then why are you to pray for it to happen?

(You say – NO) Then is someone thwarting Him?

It’s tricky.

And I am not going to pretend to fully understand it myself,

Let alone be able to make you understand it.

BUT LET ME TRY AND HELP.

On one hand there is GOD’S VOLITIONAL WILL. There are things that absolutely will happen just as God desires regardless of the opposition.

1) Christ will return and reign.

2) Satan will be defeated.

3) The Elect will be gathered to Christ.

4) The wicked will be punished in hell for all eternity.

Then of course we have GOD’S PERMISSIVE WILL. Those things that He obviously does not delight in, yet He permits them happen. (They obviously do not thwart His eternal plan, but they are not His desire at all)

1) The sinfulness of man (God gave them over…)

2) The death of the wicked (“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked”)

3) The suffering of His people

But it also seems we have GOD’S DESIRED WILL. which are obviously seen in His commands. They are those things that God would will that you do, but obviously does not make happen.

1) That you love one another

2) That you abstain from sexual immorality

3) That you give to the poor

The reason this will is not accomplished

Is because there is a lack of righteousness in the world.

And the righteous man prays for this will to be accomplished.

He prays for sinners to repent.

He prays for the righteous to obey.

This is what Paul said:

Romans 1:5 “through [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

And this is the desire of a righteous man, that all men

(including myself) would do what God wants.

IS THAT YOUR DESIRE?

(Is it evident in your prayer life?)

The righteous man points his prayer to God and prays

That God would be glorified, that God would reign,

And that God’s will be done by all.

Concerning God

#2 CONCERNING MAN

Matthew 6:11-15

We are no longer praying for things concerning God,

But we are now praying for things concerning man.

And as I alluded to earlier, don’t miss the implied INTERCESSION here.

Jesus doesn’t just personal pronouns “Give me this day”

Jesus uses plural pronouns “Give us this day”

Just as the first half of this prayer revealed a love for God,

The second half reveals a love for man.

And again we see how a righteous man prays.

1) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S PROVISION (11)

“Give us this day our daily bread”

The human body that God has given us, requires food to survive.

And while greed and gluttony can certainly be a problem,

Praying for sustenance is absolutely biblical.

But there is obviously more than that.

One would be foolish if he overlooked the use of the term “daily”

This is not a statement of greed.

This is a statement of trust.

Proverbs 30:7-9 “Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”

Do you remember when God provided manna in the wilderness?

Enough for one day, and if they stored it beyond that, it ruined.

God was teaching them to depend upon Him every day.

THAT IS THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN

He isn’t manipulating God for riches…

He isn’t asking for carnal pleasures…

He is simply asking for God to provide what he needs in a way that will help

him maintain his focus on God.

He prays needing God’s provision

2) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S FORGIVENESS (12)

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Now we are obviously talking about the prayer of a righteous man,

And so this is not a prayer of salvation.

We are talking about a man who has already been justified by Christ.

SO WHY DOES HE PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS?

Do you remember when Jesus washed the disciples feet?

John 13:6-11 “So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

Jesus knew that even the clean needed to get a spit bath periodically.

WHY?

Because sin affects our fellowship with God.

Are we broken off? – No.

Do we lose our salvation? – No.

Do we forfeit our right to pray? – No.

Those things are secured in the atonement of Christ.

But sin in our lives does hinder our fellowship with God.

It steals the joy.

It steals the fulfillment.

It hinders the communication.

And to understand it better all you have to do

Is pay attention to what Jesus said.

“forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Now, why do we forgive each other?

(obviously because Scripture commands it)

But in a practical sense, why do we forgive?

– to allow the relationship to function again.

Men has your wife ever been mad at you for no good reason?

You know that until forgiveness occurs the relationship will suffer.

You may still be married.

And divorce may not even be an option.

But the communication suffers.

So it is with God.

I’ve told people often, there are times when it is apparent to me

That there is something hindering my fellowship with God.

So I pray:

Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

That is the idea here.

I need God’s forgiveness, not because I am in danger of hell,

But because I desire to walk with God and sin hinders that.

That is what John had in mind when he wrote:

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

A righteous man comes needing cleansing, needing forgiveness,

Because he longs to walk in fellowship with God.

And all that being said, it is also worth noting that in verses 14 & 15

Jesus gives added commentary on this point.

(14-15) “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

And don’t get your theology out of whack here.

This is not a means to forgiveness.

“if I forgive others, God will forgive me”

No. God will forgive you when you ask Him,

Based upon the payment Christ made at Calvary.

This is not a means to forgiveness.

Forgiving others does not earn your forgiveness,

It proves that you have received forgiveness.

Jesus is teaching here that a righteous man has been forgiven,

As evidenced by his forgiveness of others,

And that he continually seeks forgiveness

Because he longs to walk in sweet fellowship with God.

You can see the righteous man’s prayer.

Needing Provision Needing Forgiveness

3) PRAY NEEDING GOD’S GUIDANCE (13)

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Now this can be confusing.

On one hand we know that God will never tempt us.

James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”

On the other hand we are told to rejoice in our trials.

James 1:2-3 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

So why would we pray that it not occur?

HE IS PRAYING THAT GOD WOULD HELP HIM WALK BLAMELESSLY

Remember what Jesus told the disciples?

Matthew 26:39-41 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

At that moment, the enemy was coming.

At that moment, the trial was on its way.

Jesus warned them to pray that they would be able

To overcome the temptations that were about to hit them.

Fear – Selfishness – Impulses to fight

There would be many temptations that night,

And they needed to pray that God would help them not fall to them.

And that is the idea here.

Any Christian knows that this life is going to have hardship.

Any Christian knows that this life will have temptation.

The prayer of a righteous man is that

God would help him spot those temptations for what they are.

“God help me walk right” “God help me not be deceived” “God help me overcome”

He knows the battle is too strong and he needs God’s help.

He needs God’s provision

He needs God’s cleansing or forgiveness

He needs God’s guidance

AND WHY GO TO GOD FOR ALL THESE THINGS?

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Because God is the only place to get those things.

And there again is the dependence and trust and submission.

And when you put it all together you see how

The prayer of a righteous man is far different

From the prayer of a hypocrite or a manipulative Gentile.

This man isn’t trying to impress God or other people.

This man isn’t trying to manipulate God into some selfish desire.

This man loves God, this man needs God,

And this man simply prays that God will help him live his life

In a way that sees God get all the glory.

SO HOW IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE?

Is it more about magnifying self?

Is it more about manipulating God?

Or is it all about coming to God in humility, praying that:

• God will be glorified

• God’s kingdom will come

• God’s will be done

• God will provide

• God will forgive

• God will guide

That is the prayer of a righteous man, and I encourage you

To use that to evaluate your life.

And simply let me say, if that does not describe your prayer life,

Then let me give you another one to try.

Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

And let God make you righteous.

If you have never trusted Christ, then cry out to Him today.

If you have, then make sure and live the way He intends for you to live.

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

Hypocritical Prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)

February 13, 2014 By bro.rory

Hypocritical Prayer

Matthew 6:5-8

As you know we have now moved

Into a new section of the Sermon on the Mount.

After previously showing us GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS EXPLAINED,

We are now to point 2, which FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS EXPOSED

And as we said a week ago,

Jesus knows exactly what He is doing in this penetrating sermon.

After spending time revealing how wicked we really are,

Jesus knows that the usual intention of man is to justify himself.

Some do this by denying the accusations made against them.

Others do it by revealing other actions that seem to cancel out the bad.

We called it The Doctrine of Exchange.

I may see that something wicked I do testifies against me

So I insert something good I do as a means of canceling out my sin.

And that mindset is really the basis for all works based religion.

People try to do enough good to counteract the bad they do.

I actually hear it all the time when talking with people.

They will admit they are sinners,

Many will even tell me the wicked things they do.

I will generally then ask them, what they plan to do about it.

And they will say, “I need to go to church”

You see in their mind going to church is a good action

That cancels out the bad action they did during the week,

And thus after church they are now once again square with God.

And many people follow this code.

But last week Jesus punched a massive hole in that argument,

With this piece of logic.

WHAT IF THE GOOD YOU DO, ISN’T AS GOOD AS YOU THINK?

And there again Jesus nails us.

In chapter 5 He revealed that just because you don’t physically do the deed,

It doesn’t mean you aren’t sinning.

Here he reveals that just because you do perform the good deed,

That doesn’t mean that you are righteous.

And to make His point Jesus presents Exhibit A, which is the hypocrite.

As we said, a hypocrite comes from the Greek word HUPOKRITES,

Which was the word used for a Greek actor who wore a mask.

So Jesus was talking about actors.

Not genuine people, but people who put on a show.

People who are playing a role, but it is not who they are.

And this by the way is very dangerous for one’s spiritual life.

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus even uses a theatrical term in that statement.

The phrase “to be noticed” comes from

The Greek word THEAOMAI (Thee-a-o-mahee)

It is where we get our word for theatre.

And so it is clear, we are talking about people

Who use religion as a means to put on a performance.

They turn the altar into a stage, and go through all the motions

So as to entertain or impress other people.

But this is dangerous for they

“have no reward with [their] Father who is in heaven.”

In other words, if you do it to impress people,

Then all you will get is their response, I hope it was worth it.

And Jesus is even kind enough to give us some examples.

Last week we saw the first example:

Hypocritical Giving

Matthew 6:2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

Jesus said, even if you give, but do so with the wrong motives,

You will not receive a reward for it.

And so Jesus taught us to safeguard against such temptation

By doing our best to give in secret.

And again, it is not that secret giving is better than public giving,

For it is all about the heart.

BUT, giving in secret is less of a temptation to glorify self.

And Jesus says if you want to make sure to be rewarded your gift,

Then do it in secret where the only possible spectator is God.

And then your reward is certain.

So be careful how you give.

This morning we move on to Jesus’ next example of hypocrisy.

PRAYER

And while this illustration does follow a similar pattern as the first,

There is a bit of a difference here.

Jesus doesn’t just give one example of bad prayer, He gives two.

We see a bad example from the Religious Hypocrite,

And we see a bad example from a Pagan Gentile.

#1 THE MAGNIFICENT PRAYER OF THE HYPOCRITE

Matthew 6:5-6

“When you pray”

Now, this is not a command of Jesus.

He is not saying here, that you must pray.

He is however pointing out the obvious

That prayer is an understood part of the religious life.

Now it is true, prayer doesn’t mean you are saved,

But you have a difficult time proving salvation without it.

And while Jesus isn’t commanding it here,

We do know that Scripture does command us to do so.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing;”

And so Scripture not only commands us to pray,

But actually commands us to never stop.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS PRAYER?

Well, it is obviously more than those moments when you stop to bow your head, and speak to God. (we can’t do that continuously)

Prayer is a state of how you live.

Christians don’t just pray, they are people of prayer.

It indicates that we are constantly in tune to His desire,

Listening for His guidance, and seeking His will in every moment of ever day.

(LIKE A HORSE WITH TWO EARS BACK)

Like that horse, the life of prayer is when our lives are literally

Continually focusing on God’s Word and subsequently God’s Will.

We are constantly in commune with Him.

It is more than just a ceremonial bowing of the head,

It is a constant state of mind.

But even that doesn’t fully explain prayer,

For prayer will always have a certain state of mystery to it.

Let’s say you offer a prayer request to God, and God grants IT.

What just happened?

And by the way that does happen. God does answer prayer.

James 5:16 “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Psalms 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.”

So God does answer prayer.

But in the instant in which God granted your request,

Have you ever pondered what just happened?

• Was God uncertain about what He wanted to do, just waiting for you?

• Did God have other plans, and only decided to change His mind based upon your request?

• Did God work in you to make you ask for what He already planned to do?

It is a mystery.

It is hard to understand how or why a sovereign God who sits in authority

Over all things would actually ask for our input or requests.

Yet He does.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And so even though we do not know how prayer works,

We know that God desires that we do it.

And so it is obvious that

God delights in having our undivided attention.

God delights in being the first person we call upon in difficulty.

God delights in being the first person we thank after a blessing.

God delights in the relationship.

And there is nothing in your Christian walk that reveals your personal relationship with God like your prayer life.

And that is not a new revelation.

Even the hypocrites knew that prayer was important.

Even the people who were acting like righteous people

Knew that a part of the script had to include a certain amount of prayer.

Furthermore prayer was considered an essential part of the Jewish life.

William Barclay speaks of a prayer called Shemoney ‘esray (“The Eighteen”).

It was a set of eighteen prayers that Jewish man prayed 3 times a day.

(Perhaps you remember Daniel being faithful to this in spite of the law against it)

And while that could indeed be a great indicator of faithfulness,

It could also be a tremendous temptation for self glory.

And that is precisely what had happened to the Jews.

They offered their prayers 3 times a day,

They just made sure they were in the middle of Wal-Mart at prayer time.

And that is why Jesus said:

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.”

Earlier Jesus said they like to sound a trumpet

When they give in the synagogue and on the street,

Well apparently their offering is immediately followed by a prayer.

They love to do it in public.

They love for people to see them pray.

Matthew 23:5 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.”

Religious observance can be a reason for persecution,

But it can be the source of great accolade.

And that is how the Jews used it.

But again, there is a problem.

“Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

I don’t know if they got patted on the back, or their name in the paper,

But whatever they got, I hope it was worth it.

Because they will get no credit from God.

God is not pleased with such displays of phoniness.

God is not amused with an actor playing the part of a praying man

In order to entertain others.

The prayer God wants is genuine communication.

The prayer God wants is for you to be attune to Him.

The prayer God wants is for you to seek Him out and listen to Him.

He does not delight in some token prayer meant to impress other people.

That is why Jesus said:

(6) “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Now there again, don’t turn this into legalism.

Even Jesus prayed in public.

-Before the resurrection of Lazarus

-On the cross during His crucifixion

-Even in the upper room (how else would we know what He said?)

It is not that public prayer is wrong, after all, Daniel was rewarded for it.

Public prayer is not wrong, but it is a huge temptation.

It is a temptation to do it for the wrong reason.

If you are the only person in your house and you begin to pray,

You will only focus on your prayer and your time with God.

But if you are in public it is highly likely that you will begin to think about what other people think of your prayer, instead of what God thinks.

And that is not prayer, even though it holds the outward appearance of it.

And we all know what it is to pray, but not have our hearts in it,

Or to pray with other motives.

“Please nourish this food…thank You for everything”

And we’ve seen other examples of what was not prayer.

I’ve heard preachers preach sermons in their prayers.

I’ve heard others give announcements in their prayers.

We have all seen that, many of us have even been on the wrong side of it.

But that is not what God is looking for.

God wants you to commune with Him.

God wants you to speak to Him.

God wants you to listen to Him.

God wants your attention.

And let’s face it, it is easier to ensure that He will have your attention

In the closet than it is in the middle of Wal-Mart.

And that is why Jesus says to do it secretly.

Remove the temptation.

Remove the distraction.

Remove the opportunity for glory anywhere else.

And when you pray solely because you want to commune with God,

“your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

And so we see that the magnificent prayer of the hypocrite

Is not pleasing to God

Regardless of how magnificent everyone else thinks it is.

But the hypocrites prayer is not the only prayer Jesus warns against.

The Magnificent Prayer of the Hypocrite

#2 THE MANIPULATIVE PRAYER OF THE GENTILE

Matthew 6:7-8

There is another type of person who prays the wrong way

And Jesus warns against it as well.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

And you remember an example of this:

1 Kings 18:26 “Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.”

Morning until noon they shouted the same phrase, “O Baal, answer us.”

So much so that even Elijah saw the lunacy and began mocking them

To yell louder, for maybe Baal was asleep.

You see by keeping up with their vain repetition, it indicated they believed their god to be complacent and unconcerned about their situation

And that the only way to persuade god to answer was to pester Him.

They actually supposed that their repetition increased their odds.

First, you need to know that God doesn’t answer prayer

Based upon our persistent manipulation.

Now, I know some immediately say, “Wait preacher there are plenty of examples that say otherwise.”

TURN TO: LUKE 11:5-13

“See that man answered because his friend pestered him,

And Jesus says God will do the same if we pester Him.”

WRONG

(13) “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

If you read the whole thing you will see that

God doesn’t answer because we pester.

God answers because He is good.

And that is Jesus point.

If even a carnal, wicked, sinful man can be persuaded to give what is asked,

How much more can we know that a loving, merciful God, will give what is good.

That parable doesn’t teach us to pester God,

It teaches us to trust God.

TURN TO: LUKE 18:1-8

“See preacher, that widow won because she pestered

And Jesus tells us to do the same.”

WRONG

(7-8) “now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Did you notice the question Jesus ended with?

“when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

That indicates the point of this parable.

This woman was exhibiting true faith.

She continued because she believed the judge would do what she asked.

That was faith, not manipulation.

And Jesus says that our God responds to that type of faith,

Which will keep coming to Him and Him alone,

Even though it doesn’t see immediate results.

That is the same type of faith as the Sidonian woman.

Matthew 15:21-28 “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.”

Jesus didn’t say, “O woman you are relentless!”

He said, “O woman, your faith is great”

And the point is that God responds to faith.

And so Scripture doesn’t teach us that

God can be manipulated by our persuasive tactics.

Scripture reveals that God answers because He is good

And He delights in those who wholly trust Him.

But you cannot manipulate God by wearing Him out.

Nor can you back God into a corner with technical rules

That you suppose He has to follow.

Let me give you another example.

Have you ever heard anyone say.

“Where two or more are gathered…it shall be done”

And people use that all the time as a way to manipulate God.

“Well God, You may not have wanted to do this, but that’s too bad because I found another believer and the two of us agree that You have to do it.”

Would it surprise you to know that when Jesus issued that statement

It was not permission to turn God into a Genie in a bottle.

He gave that statement to support the authority of the church

In following the commands of God.

TURN TO: MATTHEW 18:15-20

Jesus knew that if you discipline a brother to the extreme

And the church determines to kick him out, that he is likely to turn to you and say, “Who do you think you are? You don’t have the right!”

To which Jesus said, “Oh yes you do!”

In fact, anytime that two or three are together obeying My will and following My commands you can bet that I am in agreement.

It is very similar to another misconstrued statement on prayer.

John 14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

DO WE REALLY SUPPOSE THAT BY ADDING “In Jesus name” TO THE END OF OUR PRAYERS THAT GOD IS NOW OBLIGED?

Like God is saying, “Oh, they got Me again”.

And so I can ask for a new Cadillac as long as I ask in Jesus name,

And can get you to agree to ask for one too.

NO – you can’t manipulate God.

Those passages indicate that when you are following the will of God,

And seeking the will of God, and are living according to the will of Christ,

Then you can rest assured that God will support and aid your work.

But the fact that so many make such claims

Indicate that there still a part of us like the prophets of Baal

Who suppose that there are word gimmicks or manipulative tactics

That make prayer more effective.

And Jesus is unequivocally saying here not to use those gimmicks.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

In short don’t suppose you can manipulate God with a ceremony,

That is “meaningless.”

As we learned earlier God answers prayer because He is good,

And because He delights in those who trust Him.

And that is what Jesus is saying here.

(8) “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

God is not some sort of mystical being that requires you

To know the magic code, and then convince Him of your need.

God is good, and He is aware of your needs long before you ask.

Just trust Him, and speak to Him, and seek His face.

SO WE ASK OURSELVES

Why do I give?

Why do I pray?

And this morning, just determine to be real.

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”

Testing for Greed – pt 1 (Matthew 6:19-24)

Hypocritical Fasting (Matthew 6:16-18)

New Sunday Night Book Study!

The Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15)

Hypocritical Prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)

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