Hey Gang,
We continue this week in our series on "What it Means to Follow Jesus." Jesus says that there are some people who profess to follow Him but live lives no different from unbelievers. And there are others that follow Him for comfort and satisfaction, but not to be transformed and obedient. I think that even today, we need a clear understanding of what it really means to follow Jesus. He has presented some contrasting thoughts to the disciples over the last two lessons. They first thought that He wanted to abolish the Law, but Jesus said that He not only affirmed the Law, He came to fulfill it. Jesus tries to get the disciples to understand that God is more concerned with who they are than what they do. You can't follow Christ on the outside without following Him on the inside. Something must change in you!
We continue this week in our series on "What it Means to Follow Jesus." Jesus says that there are some people who profess to follow Him but live lives no different from unbelievers. And there are others that follow Him for comfort and satisfaction, but not to be transformed and obedient. I think that even today, we need a clear understanding of what it really means to follow Jesus. He has presented some contrasting thoughts to the disciples over the last two lessons. They first thought that He wanted to abolish the Law, but Jesus said that He not only affirmed the Law, He came to fulfill it. Jesus tries to get the disciples to understand that God is more concerned with who they are than what they do. You can't follow Christ on the outside without following Him on the inside. Something must change in you!
A little review: Jesus says that those who follow Him will be: poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted for righteousness sake.
Jesus says that those who follow Him will be: salt and light to a lost world.
Jesus says that those who follow Him will be: more righteous than the scribe and Pharisee, in fact they will strive to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect.
How? By going beyond the superficial. What does that mean? By understanding that it’s what happens inside that matters most.
And this week Jesus says, I want you to go inside and think about WHY you do the things you do. What motivates you to do what you do?
Video: Rocky II – What was the motivation behind Rocky?
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What motivates you to work so hard at your job? What motivates you to spend time with your kids? What motivates you to spend time with your spouse? What motivates you to eat right? What motivates you to obey the law? What motivates you to save money for the future?
Has your motivation changed in these areas over the years? Does it matter if you do these things for the right reasons?
- Do you do right things because you have to, or feel you ought to?
- Or do you do what’s right because you want to, or because it’s the right thing to do.
- This is where Jesus is going today – He has been talking about right actions and right attitudes and today He is talking about obeying Him with right motives.
- He reminds us that God searches our hearts, knows the truth behind our actions.
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
- Well, this morning Jesus says that to follow Him you must choose the right motives for the things you do. As followers of Jesus, why you seek to obey God is as important as what you do.
This morning Jesus looks at 3 common practices of Christians today – giving, prayer, and fasting and He challenged His disciples and you and me to evaluate their motive for doing each of these things. Why do you give? Why do you pray? Why do you fast?
This week Jesus says that if you are going to follow Him, then why you obey God is as important as what you do. He wants you to do the right things in the right way and for the right reasons - make sense?
A lot of times we measure how good we are by the religious things we do and how other people take notice. We think that if we do these things then it will show that we are good and righteous people. But Jesus says that why we do these things is as important as what we do. Righteousness doesn’t just happen when we are doing right things. Righteousness happens when we do the right things in the right way, for the right reasons.
What motivates you to: Do the right things in the right way and for the right reasons.
I. MOTIVES WHEN YOU GIVE – MATTHEW 6:1-4
How to Give
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t 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.
Now, Jesus doesn’t name the Pharisees in these verses, but they are likely the negative examples He is referring to.
What is the point in the cartoon?
What is Jesus saying about the good things I do?
- Our acts of righteousness and worship are foremost to bring glory to God.
- Disciples of Jesus are to be marked by generosity and kindness, especially toward those who are in need.
- Acts of kindness toward others in the name of the Lord are to be for the sake of those in need and to honor God the Father.
- The Pharisees loved to be the main attraction, especially when they gave to the poor. They would give in such a way that would draw attention.
How does Jesus want me to give to others?
- In secret – why should I give in secret?
- So that God will be honored and glorified and bless me in return.
- Will God use a self-centered gift? God can use acts of kindness individuals perform for their own benefit, but self-centered givers will not be blessed of God.
- Pay attention to Jesus’ “I assure you” statements. It’s His way of saying “Listen up!” He taught that people who give to be recognized by others will not be rewarded by God. How sad it would be to live a life that looks generous but is really motivated by the desire to be recognized. Then, when standing before God, that person realizes that though their salvation may have been sincere, their giving wasn’t. Even worse, imagine coming to the realization that the money you gave was wasted on praise for you and failed its purpose – giving glory to God.
II. MOTIVES WHEN YOU PRAY – MATTHEW 6:5-13
How to Pray
5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. The Model Prayer: 9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]
Are You Just Reading A Script?
How are Jesus’ warnings related to prayer similar to His warnings about giving?
- Prayer is a personal communion between an individual and God, the Father.
What are the practical instructions Jesus gave to His disciples about how to pray?
- The Model Prayer of Jesus provides structure for praying that includes invocation, affirmation of God and His kingdom, petition for our needs, and blessed trust in God’s ability to act.
How should the Model Prayer help shape your personal prayers?
- Foremost, prayer is to focus on God, not the petitioner.
- God knows our needs and provides for them in every area of our lives.
III. MOTIVES WHEN YOU FAST – MATTHEW 6:16-18
How to Fast
16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, 18 so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Food For Thought: This past Labor Day weekend, the National Buffalo Wing Festival hosted the annual U.S. National Buffalo Wing Eating Championship. This contest is officially sanctioned by the IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating) and traditionally draws the highest ranked competitive eaters in the world. In 2010, Sonya Thomas set a new World Record at this event, eating 181 wings in 12 minutes.
Why does our culture celebrate food indulgence instead of fasting? What is fasting? How might fasting increase your ability to hear from God?
- Fasting is refraining from eating for a period of time as an act of devotion, confession, and drawing nearer to God. The normal fast involved total abstinence from food but not water. Fasting often included prayer experiences that helped to deepen one’s relationship with God.
- In Jesus’ day the Law required God’s people to fast once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27). The Pharisees, as was their tendency, took that further to fast twice a week (Luke 18:12). Rather than keep this to themselves, they made a show of their actions by intentionally looking worse for wear. This was wasted effort because the public attention was all the reward they were going to get. Jesus urged His disciples not to let anyone know when they were fasting, keeping this special time just between them and God.
Is fasting a religious practice of former times or does it have meaning for followers of Jesus in our day? What are the benefits of fasting?
- Even as Christians, our religious activity must be sincere if it is to express true worship to God.
- Followers of Jesus need to examine their lives to see what things may be preventing them from nurturing their relationship with God.
If you were to fast this week, what could you give up that would help give exclusive attention to God? How might you do this with food or something else?
Jesus is trying to get us to realize this morning that doing religious things, is a good thing and an important thing, but it’s not what matters most.
- What matters most is whether we have the kind of relationship with God that transforms us into His likeness.
- What matter most is whether we are moved to do the right things not to impress others, but as a testimony to our transforming relationship.
- Followers of Jesus do the right things for the right purpose – to bring honor and glory to God, the Father.
Prayer of Commitment
Father, acting out of Your great love, You always do what is best for me. My desire is that I be moved to worship You by my love for You and never by a selfish desire to impress or receive the affirmation of others. Therefore, fill me with Your Spirit. Amen
Now be warned that the things Jesus teaches from His Sermon on the Mount don't get any easier - they only get deeper, so be prepared to take a bath! (No pun intended)
Hope to see everyone on Sunday - remember our new room is 211.
In His Love,
David & Susan
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