Matthew Sermon 20
Movement or revolution??
Movement Vs. Revolution
What is movement??
· When we move something, it eventually stops.
· There is an end to it.
What is revolution??
· It moves until you stop it.
· It takes a force to stop it.
We don’t want just another religious movement, we want to start a revolution!!
· Jesus started a revolution,
· Jesus wants us to continue until He returns and stops it.
· Our Job is not just to have clever advertising.
· Our Job is not to come up with gimmicks.
· Our Job is to continue His teaching until we die, or He comes back,
· Not to change it,
· Not to water it down,
· But to continue the change in people, and growing His church.
This church is not a gimmick to change the way Jesus taught, or to hook people in. It’s to get rid of all the stuff the religious “movement” has put in place to get in the way, and to complicate the simple message of the “GOOD NEWS” of Jesus!
When Jesus taught the sermon on the mount, He was starting a revolution that continues today. The only thing that stands in the way of that revolution continuing is us. We need to simply follow Jesus, and live how He tells us to in His word.
You are the most important part in this, the Body of Christ. We can show more about Jesus in our daily lives than any preacher standing in the pulpit. You can make a difference in so many lives by just understanding your role in God's kingdom.
It’s your choice, you can either live for Jesus, bring the light to a dark world, or you can make it all about you, and keep the lights dimmed. What will you do? How are you going to take this gift of Jesus, of salvation, and spread it??
Are you ready to continue the revolution??
If you are, let’s look at God's word today, this simple sermon, and apply it to our daily lives!!! AMEN!!
Matthew 6:1–4 (ESV)
1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Was Jesus contradicting Himself??
Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
· No, the first refers to our duty to let the world clearly see that our lives have been changed by grace—that we are unashamed to be the people of God.
o Such obedience therefore glorifies our Father in heaven.
· The teaching that Jesus now introduces in Matthew 6:1 warns us against trying to be religious in order for people to admire us, and stand in awe of us.
· The previous teaching was designed to glorify God, what Jesus now condemns is that which would glorify ourselves—not God—by our “show” of righteousness.
· When we simply live our lives for Jesus, we give Him the glory.
· When we brag about what we can do for Him, we glorify ourselves.
· If you're good with a rope or run a good pattern. you don’t have to brag, everyone knows you put in the work!!
So, what is Jesus talking about??
Matthew 6:1 (ESV)
1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."
· He is talking about bragging!!
· We are all by nature self-righteous. If you don’t see yourself this way, you have even a more serious problem!
· An essential part of the Holy Spirit’s convicting us of our sinful nature is for us to see our proclivity to be self-righteous.
· We crave it.
· Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, said the desire to feel important is the strongest urge in the world.
Jesus said it best!
Luke 16:15 (NIV)
15He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight."
· Jesus is telling you to think about your rewards.
· Do you want them here, or in heaven?
· Some of you worry way too much about getting the pat on the back.
· Some of you walk around looking for it here.
· Jesus says it's up to you. Here or in heaven?
Your reward will come either today or in heaven, I would rather get mine in heaven.
· I get frustrated when people don’t appreciate me.
· We all do.
· But we have to stand fast on the fact God sees everything, and like a good dad, the pat on the back is coming!!
Look at it this way, Moral or religious??
· The moral righteousness is when you reflect the Ten Commandments.
· A religious righteousness is when you reflect an unsanctified ego.
· The unsanctified ego wants to make sure people know how much you give, how much you pray, and how often you fast.
· God wants these acts to be done in secret—absolutely privately—so that only He will know.
· That way, He alone gets the glory.
· Moral righteousness, however, is to be seen.
o This brings glory to God.
o The outward lives of Jesus’ followers will always reflect the outward righteousness of the Law.
o You and I, therefore, have an opportunity to bring double glory to God: (1) outward morality—for people to see—and (2) inward obedience—for only God to see.
This says it all!!
Matthew 23:2–12 (NLT)
2“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.
3So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.
4They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
5“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra-long tassels.
6And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.
7They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’
8“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.
9And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.
10And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.
11The greatest among you must be a servant.
12But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
· Jesus is saying this is not about you.
· We are to serve.
· We are to love.
· We are to walk together, lifting each other up.
· Hold each other accountable
· None of us are worthy to be put on the same throne with God.
Whose well done is more important??
· God's or People?
· People can compliment you, just don’t bring yourself to their attention.
Proverbs 27:2 (NLT)
2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips.
· We have to be better than the religious who seek praise for what they do.
· God wants us to be better than that.
· He wants all of us, He wants us to give Him the glory, and He will reward us.
John 5:41–44 (NLT)
41“Your approval means nothing to me,
42because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.
43For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them.
44No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God."
· Jesus was never worried about what others thought of Him.
· He only worried about what God thought.
· We must follow in His footsteps.
· Stop worrying about others, and set your sights on the prize!
Paul did! He followed Jesus' instruction!
2 Timothy 4:6–8 (NLT)
6As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
8And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.
It’s a lifelong process!!
So how do we work on this if it’s in our fallen nature to want the glory??
1 Learn to give generously and often!
· If you give sacrificially and often, you tend to not see it as important.
· It becomes routine.
· It becomes habit.
2 know that it’s Logically impossible
Matthew 6:3 (NLT)
3"But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
· Know there is no way.
· What Jesus means is don’t make it a big deal to begin with.
· Our need starts in us, and is then spoken outwardly.
· It all starts with you patting yourself on the back, so learn to not do it!
3 have Honorable motives
· Do things because it’s the right thing to do.
· Not for the credit.
· Don’t flaunt it.
· Your motives dictate why you do what you do.
· Do it for God's Glory, not yours.
4. Show Hidden Graciousness
· We should deliberately try and hide our good deeds.
· Make it a habit to do things for others in secret.
· Start to look for God's reward in giving.
Close!
Jesus made a promise when He said, “Truly, I say to you,” it's Jesus' way of saying you can bank on it, count on this! It’s not that you won’t be rewarded, it’s about who will reward you. You see if you get the glory, God will let you keep it, but He won’t honor you for it too.
The promise is guaranteed!
Note these two words, “when” and “then.” When we do our good deeds in secret, then our Father will reward us openly. When we have dignified the trial—which is done in part by keeping quiet about it—then God will reward us. When we are gracious, then God will show His pleasure.
“When” refers to God’s timing. It may be in the here and now; it may be in the then and there! God might reward us here on earth.
“Then” : But the indescribable and immense joy will be on the day when we hear from the lips of Jesus Himself, “Well done.” When the Righteous Judge of the universe says to you "Well done, my Good and faithful servant!"
Martin Luther said he expects three surprises in heaven: (1) There will be those in heaven he did not expect to be there; (2) there will be those absent he thought would be there; but the greatest prize will be (3) that he is there himself! After reading this, I came up with my own list, I expect three surprises: (1) There will be those who receive a reward I thought wouldn’t get one, (2) there will be those who didn’t receive a reward I thought would surely receive one, but the greatest surprise will be (3) that I myself will hear Jesus’ “Well done.”
I want that more than anything in the world.
