Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing Msg 1724

Transcript

Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing Msg 1724 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

0:01
Speaker 1: It was the prophet Jeremiah who exclaimed in an ecstatic moment,
0:07
Speaker 1: Your words were found and I did eat them. And
0:11
Speaker 1: your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
0:14
Speaker 1: my heart. For I am called by your name, O
0:18
Speaker 1: Lord God of hosts. It's a beautiful picture found in
0:23
Speaker 1: the Old Testament. Eating the word of God. It's a
0:29
Speaker 1: picture of personal joy. assimilation. Wasn't interested just in admiring
0:37
Speaker 1: it and tasting it here and there, but I wanted
0:42
Speaker 1: to consume it. I wanted it to become a part
0:46
Speaker 1: of my nourishment, my energy, my drive. Paul writes over
0:56
Speaker 1: in Romans 15, for whatever was written in earlier times,
1:01
Speaker 1: referring to the Old Testament, was written for our learning
1:05
Speaker 1: that we, through comfort and patience from the scriptures, might
1:10
Speaker 1: have hope. Often we think of the New Testament as
1:15
Speaker 1: being that special part of the Bible that really addresses
1:19
Speaker 1: where we are. But, you know, those who lived in
1:22
Speaker 1: the days of the New Testament didn't have a shred
1:24
Speaker 1: of the New Testament. The only Bible they had was
1:28
Speaker 1: the Old Testament. And that is what Paul refers to
1:34
Speaker 1: when he refers to that portion of the word that
1:39
Speaker 1: gives us hope, reassurance. We want to look at both today.
1:45
Speaker 1: I'd like you to take the outline from your worship folder,
1:49
Speaker 1: pull it out, place it at Micah chapter 6. Micah
1:57
Speaker 1: is one of the least known of the books of
2:00
Speaker 1: the Bible. It's the seventh Book from the end of
2:03
Speaker 1: the Old Testament, working back, Micah chapter 6. I'll begin
2:10
Speaker 1: my message there. So I want you to have that
2:13
Speaker 1: ready with the outline available. And once you locate Micah 6,
2:19
Speaker 1: leave your outline there and then turn to Matthew chapter 6. Interesting,
2:30
Speaker 1: we'll look at Micah 6, 1 through 8, and then
2:35
Speaker 1: Matthew 6, 1 through 8. You find the passage in
2:41
Speaker 1: Matthew out of respect for the word of God and
2:45
Speaker 1: the God who wrote his word. May we stand together
2:50
Speaker 1: for the reading of the scriptures. I'll be reading from
2:54
Speaker 1: the New American Standard Version. Jesus' words. Beware of practicing
3:05
Speaker 1: your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Otherwise,
3:09
Speaker 1: you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
3:16
Speaker 1: So when you give to the poor, do not sound
3:21
Speaker 1: a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the
3:25
Speaker 1: synagogues and in the streets. so that they may be
3:29
Speaker 1: honored by men. Truly, I say to you, they have
3:34
Speaker 1: their reward in full. But when you give to the poor,
3:41
Speaker 1: do not let your left hand know what your right
3:45
Speaker 1: hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret,
3:52
Speaker 1: and your Father, who sees what is done in secret,
3:57
Speaker 1: will reward you. When you pray, you are not to
4:03
Speaker 1: be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and
4:06
Speaker 1: pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so
4:11
Speaker 1: that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say
4:14
Speaker 1: to you, they have their reward in full. But you,
4:21
Speaker 1: when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door,
4:30
Speaker 1: And pray to your Father who is in secret. And
4:34
Speaker 1: your Father who sees what is done in secret will
4:39
Speaker 1: reward you. When you are praying, do not use meaningless
4:46
Speaker 1: repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they
4:51
Speaker 1: will be heard for their many words. So, do not
4:59
Speaker 1: be like them. For your father knows what you need
5:07
Speaker 1: before you ask him. Please be seated. Let us for
5:18
Speaker 1: the next few moments transform this large worship room into
5:25
Speaker 1: a private place Will you bring your needs to the Lord?
5:36
Speaker 1: Lay your burden there. Lay it out. Refuse to take
5:43
Speaker 1: it back. In a few moments, I will close the
5:47
Speaker 1: time in prayer. May we bow together. Today, our Father,
5:59
Speaker 1: we have sung to you our words of praise. We
6:08
Speaker 1: have heard from you in the words from your book.
6:17
Speaker 1: Now we speak to you. It is with deepest gratitude
6:24
Speaker 1: that we thank you for helping us through the week.
6:28
Speaker 1: Some have traveled many miles. Thank you for protection on
6:34
Speaker 1: the journey. Some have sat beside those who were dying,
6:41
Speaker 1: showing compassion and care for them. Thank you for the
6:46
Speaker 1: strength you gave to do that. Some have ministered to
6:52
Speaker 1: those families who have been left following the death. Thank
6:57
Speaker 1: you for their words of hope and renewal and refreshment.
7:06
Speaker 1: Our Father, we need you throughout our day and into
7:12
Speaker 1: and through the night. When darkness falls and often weeping
7:25
Speaker 1: accompanies the darkness, Fears. Uncertainty about what lies ahead. But
7:35
Speaker 1: joy comes with the rising of the sun in the morning.
7:43
Speaker 1: Perhaps for this reason, David would write evening, morning, and noon. Well,
7:53
Speaker 1: I pray and cry aloud. And you will hear my voice.
8:03
Speaker 1: All the prayers that have been sent up from this room.
8:07
Speaker 1: You have heard. And you know what is best. Help
8:13
Speaker 1: us we pray our father to have ears to hear.
8:18
Speaker 1: Now that we will be sitting and listening. May our
8:22
Speaker 1: minds not wander. May we be able to focus. as
8:27
Speaker 1: if we were among the group who sat there along
8:31
Speaker 1: that slope where Jesus taught and heard words they had
8:36
Speaker 1: never heard before. Give us that kind of interest and attention.
8:47
Speaker 1: And as a result, may our giving and our praying
8:57
Speaker 1: as it falls in line with what he has taught. Finally, Lord,
9:09
Speaker 1: we uphold those who fight for existence, who look at
9:15
Speaker 1: a place that was once home and they see nothing
9:17
Speaker 1: but a pile of stones, who walk streets that are
9:24
Speaker 1: now split apart, who face the barrenness of a future
9:29
Speaker 1: where their lives have been shattered. Feed the hungry. Give
9:38
Speaker 1: drink and relief to those who are starving. And remind
9:46
Speaker 1: us again, our Father, that we hang the very heavy
9:50
Speaker 1: weight of our security on the thin wire of our
9:56
Speaker 1: trust in you. Keep it strong, we pray. We give
10:01
Speaker 1: now for your greater glory in the matchless name of Jesus,
10:10
Speaker 1: our Savior. Everyone said amen. Biblical prophets never messed around.
10:22
Speaker 1: They said what they meant and they meant what they said.
10:26
Speaker 1: False priests were not like that at all. As someone
10:30
Speaker 1: else has put it, the false priests had a way
10:33
Speaker 1: of comforting the afflicted, not the prophets. They afflicted the comfortable.
10:39
Speaker 1: In fact, they would tell the truth regardless. And even
10:45
Speaker 1: though the gullible are always ready to listen to the lies,
10:49
Speaker 1: which fly like lightning all over, the truth stands, the
10:55
Speaker 1: truth stays. Prophets are great about standing for truth and
11:02
Speaker 1: declaring it. They were rough and rugged men. I think
11:08
Speaker 1: that's why J. Bernard McGee said there's no surprise the
11:12
Speaker 1: lions never ate the prophet Daniel. He was three-fourths gristle
11:17
Speaker 1: and the rest backbone. What's left to eat? Telling the truth,
11:24
Speaker 1: speaking it, declaring it. And there's something intimidating about being
11:30
Speaker 1: around a man of God who declares the truth of
11:33
Speaker 1: God without any apology. Especially if he is, as the
11:40
Speaker 1: original prophets, the very mouthpiece of God. They wouldn't lie.
11:50
Speaker 1: In fact, there was a statement made in the Old
11:52
Speaker 1: Testament that if the prophet lied, you are to stone him.
11:59
Speaker 1: When that's written in the job description, it tends to
12:01
Speaker 1: get your attention. And you know there's one thing you
12:06
Speaker 1: cannot do and that is lie. Even though lies are
12:12
Speaker 1: always more popular. I read this past week that Mark
12:17
Speaker 1: Twain wrote, a lie runs around the world while the
12:22
Speaker 1: truth is still putting on her boots. If you stand
12:28
Speaker 1: for the truth, stay there. That's what prophets did and
12:36
Speaker 1: it certainly worked for them. As God's mouthpiece, the people
12:42
Speaker 1: heard what they often didn't expect and didn't want to hear.
12:49
Speaker 1: Take Micah's message, for example, in Micah chapter 6. Look
12:56
Speaker 1: for yourself. If you wonder if Micah spoke as God's mouthpiece,
13:00
Speaker 1: the very opening line of verse 1 tells you. Hear
13:05
Speaker 1: what the Lord is saying. Not what I've heard him say,
13:09
Speaker 1: and now I'm passing on. This is what the Lord
13:12
Speaker 1: is saying. So prophets spoke ex cathedra, opened their mouth,
13:17
Speaker 1: and from their vocal cords came the voice of God
13:21
Speaker 1: in human terms and tones. You look again at verse 2,
13:28
Speaker 1: the end of it, because the Lord has a case
13:31
Speaker 1: against his people, even with Israel he will dispute. And
13:37
Speaker 1: then you see quotation marks beginning at verse 3 in
13:41
Speaker 1: the version I'm using. And at the end of verse 5,
13:44
Speaker 1: they close. So from verse 3 down through verse 5,
13:52
Speaker 1: we hear the indictment from the Lord. And he doesn't stutter.
13:59
Speaker 1: My people, what have I done to you? And how
14:03
Speaker 1: have I wearied you? Answer me. Then he reiterates some
14:11
Speaker 1: things he's done for them. I brought you up from
14:14
Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. That would be the Exodus. Your
14:17
Speaker 1: forefathers came from bondage out into the wilderness because I
14:22
Speaker 1: broke the walls of bondage and brought you out of
14:26
Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. And I ransomed you from the
14:29
Speaker 1: house of slavery. Over 400 years they were in slavery.
14:33
Speaker 1: And I came in through Moses and Aaron and Miriam
14:39
Speaker 1: He says at the end of verse 4, I led
14:41
Speaker 1: you there and brought you into the wilderness. I've done
14:45
Speaker 1: this for you and I've done so many other things.
14:47
Speaker 1: And now they get the message. And they are feeling
14:52
Speaker 1: the sharp point of the dagger. And so they answer
15:00
Speaker 1: in verse 6, with what shall I come to the Lord?
15:07
Speaker 1: How can I make up for the way we have acted?
15:11
Speaker 1: What do we have to do to reconcile in light
15:15
Speaker 1: of the long history of our disobedience? We bow ourselves
15:21
Speaker 1: before the God on high. Shall I come with? And
15:24
Speaker 1: they begin a litany of things and the crescendo only
15:29
Speaker 1: gets greater. They begin small and they get larger. Look
15:32
Speaker 1: for yourselves. Shall I come with burnt offerings? Or how
15:40
Speaker 1: about with yearling calves more expensive than the offerings? Or
15:47
Speaker 1: does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams? How
15:52
Speaker 1: about 10,000 rivers of oil? Will that do it? Is
15:58
Speaker 1: that what I have to do to make up for
16:00
Speaker 1: all of these years that we've failed you Shall I
16:04
Speaker 1: present my firstborn for my rebellious acts? Think of that.
16:10
Speaker 1: Shall we pick the firstborn from our family and sacrifice him?
16:14
Speaker 1: Is that what you want, Lord? And the ultimate, how
16:20
Speaker 1: about the fruit of my body for the sin of
16:22
Speaker 1: my soul? You know what that's saying in poetic form?
16:28
Speaker 1: You want my life? Shall I give it up for you?
16:37
Speaker 1: The questions end as the Lord steps back in the
16:41
Speaker 1: scene through the words of the prophet Micah. He has
16:47
Speaker 1: told you what is good. What does the Lord require
16:54
Speaker 1: of you? If you haven't ever marked this verse, here
16:58
Speaker 1: are words to mark. To do justice, to love kindness,
17:09
Speaker 1: and to walk humbly. As we say today, it doesn't
17:13
Speaker 1: get better than that. Oh, it can be more complicated.
17:18
Speaker 1: It can certainly be more expensive in earthly goods. But
17:23
Speaker 1: when it comes to character deep within, it doesn't get
17:27
Speaker 1: any better than doing what is right, showing kindness, compassion,
17:33
Speaker 1: and care for others. and especially walking in and modeling humility.
17:49
Speaker 1: I love it when the Lord gives simple answers to
17:53
Speaker 1: complicated questions. Perfect case in point. If you're wanting to
18:00
Speaker 1: begin a scripture memory program, I suggest Micah 6.8 as
18:04
Speaker 1: the starting point. Don't leave it too quickly, even after
18:08
Speaker 1: you learn it. Repeat it over and over. I would
18:12
Speaker 1: suggest it every morning when you rise. And through the day,
18:17
Speaker 1: use it as the grid to filter your life. Am
18:23
Speaker 1: I doing what is right? Would this be called showing
18:28
Speaker 1: mercy and kindness? Is mine a life of humility? When
18:38
Speaker 1: we turn to Matthew chapter 6, we arrive at the
18:44
Speaker 1: greatest of all priests, prophets, and one who would be king,
18:48
Speaker 1: Jesus himself. Interesting, he begins the sermon at chapter 5
18:53
Speaker 1: by sitting down among those who were sitting around him.
18:58
Speaker 1: Folks often don't think of the Sermon on the Mount
19:00
Speaker 1: delivered while the speaker is sitting, but in those days,
19:04
Speaker 1: rabbis sat as they taught And it wasn't long before
19:09
Speaker 1: the teaching turned into the fire of a prophet, especially
19:15
Speaker 1: when you get to the center section of the sermon.
19:20
Speaker 1: And he begins with a word of warning. Beware. Look
19:26
Speaker 1: at it. Beware. Take heed. Watch out. Caution, you're about
19:39
Speaker 1: to enter the no-spin zone. I know what you've been watching.
19:46
Speaker 1: But he really means it. There's no spin with Jesus.
19:52
Speaker 1: Interesting word translated beware. A.T. Robertson, the great Baptist scholar,
19:57
Speaker 1: tells us that the Greek idiom uses or includes mind,
20:02
Speaker 1: which is understood, though it really isn't a term in
20:05
Speaker 1: the root of the word translated beware. It means, however,
20:10
Speaker 1: to hold the mind on a matter, to take pains,
20:14
Speaker 1: to take heed, to pay attention. We say, mind that.
20:20
Speaker 1: If you're ever on a large ship, you will see
20:23
Speaker 1: at low openings a little sign that reads, in naval terms,
20:30
Speaker 1: mind your head, meaning duck. Watch out or you'll bump
20:37
Speaker 1: your head. If there's something you have to step over,
20:40
Speaker 1: you'll see a little sign that says, mind your foot
20:43
Speaker 1: or mind your feet. Watch out or you'll stumble. Here,
20:48
Speaker 1: Jesus says, mind your motive. Mind your heart. They don't
20:56
Speaker 1: know what's coming, but he now has their attention. He
21:01
Speaker 1: begins to talk to them about religious performance. Look at
21:07
Speaker 1: his words. Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to
21:20
Speaker 1: be noticed by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with
21:28
Speaker 1: your Father who is in heaven. If you're a show
21:34
Speaker 1: off with all your religious piety, you've just at that
21:38
Speaker 1: moment gotten your full reward. Their applause is all you'll
21:43
Speaker 1: ever get from that act. Their being impressed, that's the
21:48
Speaker 1: limit of the reward. In fact, other versions render this interestingly.
21:58
Speaker 1: Because of, beware of practicing your piety before men, The
22:04
Speaker 1: RSV reads, the New International or the New English Bible says,
22:09
Speaker 1: be careful not to make a show of your religion. J.B.
22:15
Speaker 1: Phillips paraphrased, beware of doing your good deeds conspicuously to
22:20
Speaker 1: catch others' eye. I especially like Eugene Peterson's The Message.
22:30
Speaker 1: Be especially careful when you're trying to be good so
22:32
Speaker 1: that you don't make a performance out of it. It
22:35
Speaker 1: might be good theater, but the God who made you
22:40
Speaker 1: won't be applauding. And with that, he moves into the
22:49
Speaker 1: three most public, often public, and the most obvious expressions
22:56
Speaker 1: of devotion. Look at it for yourself. Verse two, so
23:03
Speaker 1: when you give, he covers that down through verse four.
23:10
Speaker 1: Verse five, when you pray, he covers that down through
23:16
Speaker 1: verse 15. And when you fast, covered in verses 16
23:24
Speaker 1: through 18. Learn when you read your Bible to observe
23:30
Speaker 1: the structure of the verses. Jesus' words are very logical.
23:38
Speaker 1: Begins with giving, and I've marked that in a bright
23:41
Speaker 1: color in my Bible, so I won't overlook it. I've
23:44
Speaker 1: marked when you pray in verse 5, and I've marked
23:48
Speaker 1: when you fast in verse 16. Interestingly, following each of
23:54
Speaker 1: those settings, he adds, do not do something. Verse 2,
24:01
Speaker 1: when you give to the poor, do not sound the trumpet.
24:07
Speaker 1: Forgive the voice. It's the best I can do. Do
24:11
Speaker 1: you know that Pharisees would carry with them or bring
24:14
Speaker 1: with them trumpeters who was there on their way with
24:18
Speaker 1: their gifts to the box, the offering box, would have
24:23
Speaker 1: the trumpeter blast the sound like ringing a bell. Today
24:31
Speaker 1: we look at it sitting in this place and we
24:32
Speaker 1: roll our eyes thinking, how in the world could a
24:36
Speaker 1: person do that? What a show off. When I was
24:41
Speaker 1: a kid, I saw them thump the bottom of an
24:43
Speaker 1: offering plate to make you think that they're putting in
24:46
Speaker 1: a big coin. I've even seen people kind of wave
24:51
Speaker 1: a large bill before they drop it in.
24:53
Speaker 2: Please.
24:54
Speaker 1: Please. Please. That's all the reward you'll ever get. I
25:03
Speaker 1: don't care if it's a million dollars. When you give
25:08
Speaker 1: to the poor, don't sound a trumpet as the hypocrites
25:13
Speaker 1: do in the synagogue and in the streets so that
25:17
Speaker 1: they may be seen. They may be honored by others.
25:24
Speaker 1: Don't do that. Don't do that. In fact, there are
25:32
Speaker 1: several do nots. Do not do that, verse 2. Do
25:39
Speaker 1: not let your left hand know what the right hand
25:42
Speaker 1: is doing, verse 3. Do not pray using meaningless verbiage,
25:50
Speaker 1: verse 7. Verse 8, do not be like the Pharisees.
25:57
Speaker 1: Stop following those who are show-offs. Stop being enamored of
26:02
Speaker 1: those who love to display their piety. Don't follow leaders
26:07
Speaker 1: like that. They're not walking humbly with their God. I
26:12
Speaker 1: don't care how famous they may be. Be discerning. Men
26:18
Speaker 1: and women, learn from Jesus. In fact, he says in
26:24
Speaker 1: verse 16, when you fast, don't walk around in tattered,
26:28
Speaker 1: dirty clothes. Making people, oh my, how much he's been
26:33
Speaker 1: giving up. Please. We'll know by your life if you're sacrificial.
26:42
Speaker 1: We're not looking at your clothing. Jesus certainly didn't. We're
26:46
Speaker 1: looking at the heart. So, now, let's go to this
26:54
Speaker 1: matter of giving and let's analyze it a little bit
26:57
Speaker 1: more carefully. Because I don't want you to get the
26:59
Speaker 1: wrong impression. He's not against giving. Please. God's work is
27:05
Speaker 1: supported by God's people. Not by unbelievers. Nor should it be.
27:11
Speaker 1: But we who are God's people participate in the financial
27:15
Speaker 1: support of his work. We who have hearts for the
27:18
Speaker 1: poor give to the poor. We who hear of some
27:22
Speaker 1: disaster find our hearts unable to rest. to remain restful.
27:28
Speaker 1: We're uneasy until we help with that need. It's just
27:33
Speaker 1: part of being a believer in Christ. None of it
27:39
Speaker 1: is to be done to get our name etched in
27:41
Speaker 1: bronze or our picture on some wall or an announcement
27:49
Speaker 1: made that so-and-so gave so much. That's all a part
27:54
Speaker 1: of what this is about. Don't sound a trumpet. When
28:01
Speaker 1: we were in Los Angeles for almost 25 years, back
28:04
Speaker 1: when the Los Angeles Lakers used to win, they had
28:08
Speaker 1: a great basketball team, and they had incredible athletes, and
28:11
Speaker 1: Chick Hearn was the announcer. I mean, you didn't even
28:14
Speaker 1: need a television. You listened to Chick on the radio,
28:17
Speaker 1: and it was just like being there. I heard some
28:20
Speaker 1: people say that they have a friend who was without sight,
28:23
Speaker 1: and he'd rather hear Chick Hearn than anyone. He could
28:27
Speaker 1: see the whole game. Every once in a while when
28:29
Speaker 1: those athletes would flash down that court, and there'd be
28:33
Speaker 1: that fast break, and they'd fire that ball over to
28:38
Speaker 1: one of those great athletes, and he'd jump and smash
28:41
Speaker 1: that down in a slam dunk. Chick would say, Showtime!
28:47
Speaker 1: Of course! That's what you do when you send out
28:52
Speaker 1: all the hype about a basketball team. It fits. It
28:58
Speaker 1: doesn't fit giving. It isn't ever showtime. And I say
29:06
Speaker 1: this to all of you, whatever may be your status financially,
29:11
Speaker 1: and I give thanks for every one of you who
29:13
Speaker 1: gives with the right motive. But I warn all of
29:18
Speaker 1: us about that motive. Why? Look closely. The repeated statement,
29:25
Speaker 1: verse 4, your father who sees what is done in secret.
29:31
Speaker 1: The original simply says, your father who sees in secret.
29:37
Speaker 1: And that's not the only time. verse 6 your father
29:43
Speaker 1: who sees in secret verse 18 closes your father who
29:50
Speaker 1: sees what is done in secret when you see something
29:54
Speaker 1: repeated like that listen look Believe it. In the margin
30:02
Speaker 1: of your Bible, you could write Hebrews 4, 13, which says,
30:08
Speaker 1: among other things, all things are naked and laid bare
30:11
Speaker 1: before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
30:14
Speaker 1: You live your life naked before God. There is no
30:19
Speaker 1: such thing as a hidden sin. There is no such
30:23
Speaker 1: thing as an unspoken motive. He sees and Here's it all. See,
30:31
Speaker 1: you can't fake it. You can't act like you're a
30:35
Speaker 1: little more holy, which is an impossibility, than someone else.
30:40
Speaker 1: You're either holy or you're not. And giving publicly, well,
30:51
Speaker 1: that's all the reward. The father who sees in secret
30:54
Speaker 1: would love in secret to reward you. And he does.
31:01
Speaker 1: Those of you who give and often give sacrificially, and
31:04
Speaker 1: I tell you, I haven't the words to describe my
31:08
Speaker 1: gratitude for you. It's not important. My gratitude is the
31:12
Speaker 1: Father's delight in you. You have rewards that you can't
31:18
Speaker 1: even put into words. You have a great sense that
31:22
Speaker 1: a need has been met. And you were able to
31:26
Speaker 1: participate in that. You had the joy of realizing that
31:30
Speaker 1: your occupation provided you with a sufficient amount that you
31:34
Speaker 1: could give to this and you hear of the results
31:38
Speaker 1: and you just are so grateful. That's a reward. Not
31:44
Speaker 1: to mention rewards awaiting you. Your father who sees in
31:49
Speaker 1: secret is ready to take note of that. In fact,
31:58
Speaker 1: it is Look at verse three, it's so secret your
32:01
Speaker 1: left hand doesn't even know the right hand's about to
32:03
Speaker 1: do that. Sort of a rundown, when you give, don't
32:09
Speaker 1: display it. When you give, don't keep remembering it. When
32:20
Speaker 1: you can, do it anonymously. And always do it with
32:25
Speaker 1: purity of motive. That's what verses 2, 3, and 4
32:31
Speaker 1: are teaching. Your giving, which is done in secret, will
32:36
Speaker 1: be seen in secret. I love the way one man
32:42
Speaker 1: writes this. The only reward any gracious giver wants is
32:47
Speaker 1: seeing the need met. The situation relieved. The naked clothed.
32:54
Speaker 1: The sick healed. The disabled healed. encouraged, the building built
33:01
Speaker 1: and furnished, the broken mended, the lost saved, the forgotten found,
33:09
Speaker 1: the wayward and disobedient restored to wholeness and dignity. Such
33:15
Speaker 1: acts of generous love and action bring with them their
33:20
Speaker 1: very own private rewards. Doesn't get better than that. So
33:29
Speaker 1: it is forgiving. Now we're ready for the second one
33:35
Speaker 1: which is even more convicting. Beginning at verse 5 when
33:39
Speaker 1: you pray. Look at what it says. You are not
33:46
Speaker 1: to be like the hypocrites. John Stott writes this about
33:56
Speaker 1: the hypocrites. In classical Greek, the Hippocrates was first an
34:03
Speaker 1: orator and then an actor. So figuratively, the word came
34:08
Speaker 1: to be applied to anybody who treats the world as
34:12
Speaker 1: a stage on which he plays a part. He lays
34:16
Speaker 1: aside his true identity and assumes a false one. He's
34:23
Speaker 1: no longer himself, but in disguise impersonating somebody He wears
34:29
Speaker 1: a mask. And Stott clarifies it. Now, in a theater,
34:35
Speaker 1: there's no harm or deceit in actors playing their parts.
34:40
Speaker 1: It is an accepted convention. The audience knows that they
34:45
Speaker 1: have come to a drama. They are not taken in
34:48
Speaker 1: by it. The trouble with the religious hypocrite, on the
34:54
Speaker 1: other hand, is that he deliberately sets out to deceive people.
35:00
Speaker 1: And there's a lot of that that goes on. I
35:04
Speaker 1: want to speak to my fellow minister friends who are
35:08
Speaker 1: hearing me right now. Some in this audience and some
35:13
Speaker 1: in an audience later on. We have to guard against
35:18
Speaker 1: this kind of hypocrisy stuff, deliberately. We have people trusting
35:26
Speaker 1: us to be who we are. not playing a part
35:30
Speaker 1: behind a mask, acting like something we're really not. Jesus
35:37
Speaker 1: rebukes such hypocrisy. In fact, he says, look at it,
35:45
Speaker 1: verse 5, they love to stand and pray in the
35:49
Speaker 1: synagogues and on the street corners. Why? So that they
35:53
Speaker 1: may be seen.
35:54
Speaker 2: Wow.
35:54
Speaker 1: Look at that. Holy person. Really? That's holy? Can I
36:08
Speaker 1: share with you some places that you ought not be praying?
36:12
Speaker 1: The end zone of a football field. Please. If you're
36:19
Speaker 1: an athlete and you're gifted enough to run that ball
36:22
Speaker 1: without getting killed all the way over the line, just
36:26
Speaker 1: drop the ball or give it to the referee. No... Please, please.
36:35
Speaker 1: If you're in the pro ranks, they're paying you a
36:37
Speaker 1: lot of money for every yard you run. We're not
36:41
Speaker 1: impressed with the piety. Furthermore, you ruin your testimony when
36:46
Speaker 1: you show it off. Well, how am I supposed to respond?
36:49
Speaker 1: Exactly like Tom Landry did. The late Tom Landry did.
36:59
Speaker 1: no longer to be seen along the sideline with a
37:03
Speaker 1: heart for God, but an interest in the game. If
37:07
Speaker 1: you're going to play the game, play the game. Faithful
37:11
Speaker 1: in church attendance, regular in service, served on the board
37:17
Speaker 1: of corporate members with him in Dallas Seminary. It was
37:20
Speaker 1: an honor to be sitting at the same table with
37:23
Speaker 1: him for lunch. He's one of the few men that
37:26
Speaker 1: the better you got to know him privately, the greater
37:28
Speaker 1: he was. That is true spirituality. Save your end zone prayers.
37:41
Speaker 1: When you're in a lunchroom surrounded by students, isn't a
37:44
Speaker 1: good time to go, and now may I pray? Dear Father,
37:50
Speaker 1: forgive these people who have started eating without praying. And
37:55
Speaker 1: on and on and on and on and on we do.
37:57
Speaker 1: That's what we're thinking. Nobody came to lunch to hear
38:01
Speaker 1: you pray. You want to pray at lunch in a
38:04
Speaker 1: public place? Pray. Just keep it to yourself. Do it
38:10
Speaker 1: in secret. Sometime you don't even have to pray. It's okay.
38:20
Speaker 1: I mean, the Lord is not going crazy. That first
38:24
Speaker 1: bite is going to make you vomit because you didn't pray. Please.
38:30
Speaker 1: We're not serving a God who demands perfection. We worship
38:37
Speaker 1: a God of grace who understands sometimes he's in a
38:41
Speaker 1: flash hurry and you're doing your best to choke it
38:43
Speaker 1: down before that next meeting or whatever may be the reason.
38:48
Speaker 1: And on the street corner in lots of traffic, Don't
38:52
Speaker 1: choose that place. He even mentions it. They love to
38:56
Speaker 1: stand on the street. Why would anyone love to stand
38:59
Speaker 1: on the street corner and pray? To be seen. Pray
39:08
Speaker 1: only to the Lord and have your best prayers reserved
39:13
Speaker 1: for privacy. You have a place in your home, maybe
39:19
Speaker 1: where you study, your own desk or or kind of
39:23
Speaker 1: a quiet spot for your quiet time, great. That's the spot.
39:28
Speaker 1: That's the place. Pour it out. Don't tell me about it.
39:35
Speaker 1: I don't need to know how long you prayed or
39:38
Speaker 1: what you said. Maybe you could say, this morning you
39:43
Speaker 1: came to mine and I prayed for you. I appreciate that.
39:46
Speaker 1: That's not showing off. That's encouraging someone else that you
39:49
Speaker 1: have them on your heart. Oh, one of my favorites.
39:57
Speaker 1: I've heard this time. Dear Lord, I've got this 78 Chevy.
40:01
Speaker 1: And you know, Lord, I've been trying to sell it.
40:03
Speaker 1: And I realize there are some people here that could
40:06
Speaker 1: give $ 750 for it. But maybe you'd move on their
40:09
Speaker 1: hearts to give maybe $ 800 so I can use it.
40:13
Speaker 1: Don't advertise in prayers. Please. I'm being facetious, of course,
40:24
Speaker 1: but that's what this is all about. People I've admired
40:31
Speaker 1: in my life, and there have been many mentors who
40:35
Speaker 1: have shaped my thinking and changed my direction and rebuked
40:39
Speaker 1: me for so many things in my life. They were
40:43
Speaker 1: men whose prayer life It was a private thing. One
40:52
Speaker 1: comes to mind, and he doesn't know to this day
40:56
Speaker 1: that I happened to see him. I was on the
40:59
Speaker 1: island of Okinawa, and I was at the bottom emotionally
41:03
Speaker 1: and spiritually, and I went by to see Bob Newkirk,
41:06
Speaker 1: who was the navigator representative on the island, lived in Naha,
41:11
Speaker 1: and Norma came to the door, and I said, is
41:13
Speaker 1: Bob here? And she said, No, I'm sorry you missed him.
41:16
Speaker 1: It's kind of a rainy night. And she said, I
41:19
Speaker 1: think he might be at his office. But I said, well,
41:23
Speaker 1: I don't want to bother him. She said, you know,
41:25
Speaker 1: he had a lot of things on his mind, and
41:29
Speaker 1: he said he's going to shoot down there for a while.
41:32
Speaker 1: So I picked up the local jitney and took a
41:35
Speaker 1: ride over to his spot and walked through a few
41:39
Speaker 1: mud puddles and came to his little office. It's a
41:45
Speaker 1: great moment. It was made of bamboo. So it kind
41:51
Speaker 1: of had cracks in it. And I saw a candle
41:56
Speaker 1: lit inside. And I heard Bob singing. Come thou fount
42:08
Speaker 1: of every blessing. Tune my heart to sing thy grace.
42:15
Speaker 1: Streams of mercy never ceasing called for songs of loudest praise.
42:24
Speaker 1: The rain was dripping off my nose and I heard
42:29
Speaker 1: him prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to
42:34
Speaker 1: leave the God I love. He was weeping. It's the
42:42
Speaker 1: most sacred moment In that man's life, I had the
42:46
Speaker 1: privilege of catching him in that moment. Changed my whole
42:56
Speaker 1: concept of the man. There was a depth there that
43:01
Speaker 1: I'd missed. There was a heart that he never displayed,
43:07
Speaker 1: never showed off. But I realized then, the kind of
43:13
Speaker 1: man I wanted to be when I grew up. I
43:25
Speaker 1: would love it if one of my children would remember
43:29
Speaker 1: having seen their daddy pray and I never knew about it.
43:38
Speaker 1: It's a very special thing to do in God's way
43:43
Speaker 1: And when you witness it, all the masks are thrown away.
43:54
Speaker 1: And you ask the Lord, give me this kind of authenticity.
44:02
Speaker 1: May I be that. May I do what's right. May
44:08
Speaker 1: I love compassion, kindness, and mercy so genuinely that When
44:14
Speaker 1: I walk with you, it's in humility. And when you pray,
44:21
Speaker 1: verse 7, don't keep repeating the same words. In fact,
44:27
Speaker 1: he says, they do it thinking that they'll be heard
44:30
Speaker 1: for their many words. Elijah was bringing fire down on
44:39
Speaker 1: the altar and The prophets of Baal had tried and
44:43
Speaker 1: they had screamed over and over and over and over
44:46
Speaker 1: and over and over and over. Oh, Baal, hear us. Oh, Baal,
44:49
Speaker 1: hear us. Oh, Baal, hear us. Oh, Baal, hear us. Oh, Baal,
44:52
Speaker 1: hear us. Oh, Baal, hear us. No fire fell. And
44:57
Speaker 1: Elijah came. He called out to the Lord God. Fire
45:03
Speaker 1: and the water consumed the altar. All of it consumed.
45:10
Speaker 1: Water and all. Give up all the extra words. Just
45:19
Speaker 1: come to him as a father. Just tell him what
45:22
Speaker 1: you need. Pour it out in all honesty. If you
45:26
Speaker 1: want to sing to him, he loves your song. He
45:32
Speaker 1: loves to hear your heart. He loves that you will
45:40
Speaker 1: level with him on things that you maybe would level
45:43
Speaker 1: with no one else about. That's intimacy. Those are not
45:49
Speaker 1: meaningless words. No one will applaud them. I slipped away
45:59
Speaker 1: that night, and Bob never knew I was outside his office.
46:03
Speaker 1: It would have probably been uneasy, lest I think anything
46:11
Speaker 1: but the truth. Simplicity, originality, brevity, authenticity, they all go
46:24
Speaker 1: together and they're all the things the Pharisees were not.
46:29
Speaker 1: So that's why he says in verse 8, don't go there. Now,
46:37
Speaker 1: you may have been taught by a Pharisee. They still live,
46:40
Speaker 1: you know. You may have formed habits because your Pharisee Individual.
46:47
Speaker 1: I don't even want to give them a title. Whoever
46:50
Speaker 1: that person is, you need to break that habit. Get
46:54
Speaker 1: that out of your mind. That's not your model. You
47:00
Speaker 1: were taught wrong. This is how you do it. We'll
47:06
Speaker 1: deal with the further part on prayer and fasting next time.
47:11
Speaker 1: But don't try to look holy. Don't try to be seen.
47:14
Speaker 1: I have a friend who went to a Christian boarding
47:18
Speaker 1: school in his high school years. True story. And he said,
47:23
Speaker 1: you know, Chuck, the thing we learned as students that
47:25
Speaker 1: there was a path where all the faculty walked on
47:29
Speaker 1: their way to class. He said, you know what? I'm
47:33
Speaker 1: going to tell you something now I would never have
47:34
Speaker 1: admitted back then. We kind of jockeyed for position to
47:39
Speaker 1: be along the path so that Dr. So-and-so or Professor
47:45
Speaker 1: so-and-so would see us as they walked by, as we're praying.
47:55
Speaker 1: They weren't praying. They were showing off. He said, I
48:03
Speaker 1: look back on that now and I'm so embarrassed I
48:07
Speaker 1: can hardly admit that we did that. I could imagine
48:12
Speaker 1: it happening. math teacher coming, oh, Lord, you know how
48:17
Speaker 1: hard math has been for me these days. Pray the
48:21
Speaker 1: professor will be full of grace, great on a big curve.
48:29
Speaker 1: That's not prayer. If you want to say that, say
48:33
Speaker 1: it to the prof. If you want to say to
48:37
Speaker 1: the Lord, the only way I'm going to get through
48:40
Speaker 1: it is if you help me. I'm going to prepare
48:43
Speaker 1: as best I can. But I'm going to rely on you.
48:50
Speaker 1: That's how you do it. Okay, three warnings and I'm through.
48:55
Speaker 1: Very simple. Number one, when our devotion becomes a performance,
49:02
Speaker 1: we lapse into hypocrisy. You know what? Only you know.
49:12
Speaker 1: If you are self-aware, you will know, I'll not be
49:16
Speaker 1: doing this. I'm going to stop doing this. But when
49:23
Speaker 1: our devotion becomes a performance, we lapse into hypocrisy, even
49:26
Speaker 1: though we may not literally have a mask. We're faking it.
49:32
Speaker 1: Good time for me to mention a book everybody in
49:34
Speaker 1: this place ought to read. Here it is. Paul David Tripp, T-R-I-P-P,
49:41
Speaker 1: Dangerous Calling. I don't even know Paul. But I mention
49:49
Speaker 1: his book because it's one of the best books I
49:51
Speaker 1: read last year. Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling. And I
49:58
Speaker 1: say to you who are ministers, serving in whatever capacity
50:02
Speaker 1: you need to read the book, especially the chapter on familiarity.
50:09
Speaker 1: Number two, second warning. When our giving lacks secrecy, we
50:18
Speaker 1: miss the reward of deep satisfaction. The deep feeling that
50:27
Speaker 1: we participated in a need and God has used our
50:31
Speaker 1: giving to relieve the need. There's an enormous sense of
50:36
Speaker 1: pleasure that we're rewarded with. You miss it all when
50:40
Speaker 1: you Do it to be known. Here's a third. When
50:49
Speaker 1: our praying is to impress, we fail to tap into
50:53
Speaker 1: God's power. Please don't reach for your keys and please
51:03
Speaker 1: do not leave as I read the final statement to
51:07
Speaker 1: you from Paul David Tripp. Hear it all. I would
51:17
Speaker 1: simply ask that you deactivate your inner lawyer and consider
51:23
Speaker 1: with an open heart what I'm writing. Be so bold
51:29
Speaker 1: as to ask God to reveal in you what needs
51:32
Speaker 1: to be revealed and to give you the grace to
51:35
Speaker 1: address what needs to be addressed. And as you do
51:40
Speaker 1: these things, celebrate the grace that has been lavished on
51:43
Speaker 1: you that frees you from the burden of having to
51:46
Speaker 1: pop up your righteousness and parade it before others. Because
51:54
Speaker 1: your standing before your Lord is based on the righteousness
51:58
Speaker 1: of another. You can stand before a holy God and
52:02
Speaker 1: admit your darkest secret and own your deepest failures. and
52:09
Speaker 1: be unafraid. The one to whom you confess will not
52:15
Speaker 1: turn his back on you, but will move toward you
52:20
Speaker 1: with forgiveness. Rescuing, transforming, empowering, and delivering grace. This is
52:36
Speaker 1: the good news that you and I need to preach
52:39
Speaker 1: to ourselves and to one another day after day. Lord,
52:52
Speaker 1: this is called soul surgery and we've been through it
52:56
Speaker 1: without anesthetic and it's hurt. You've cut deeply. You've exposed reality.
53:07
Speaker 1: And for once you found us quiet, not wanting to
53:15
Speaker 1: excuse ourselves or rationalize around it. Where we have been phony,
53:22
Speaker 1: forgive us our Father by your grace. Where we have
53:27
Speaker 1: done things for the motive of being known and seen
53:29
Speaker 1: and impressing others, oh Lord, break the habit. starting today.
53:40
Speaker 1: And by your grace, make us real, real to the core,
53:49
Speaker 1: in spite of what anyone else may say or do
53:52
Speaker 1: or think. In the name of our Savior, the most
54:00
Speaker 1: authentic one who ever lived, we pray. Everyone said. Amen.
54:13
Speaker 2: The preceding message, Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing, was copyrighted
54:19
Speaker 2: in 2015 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted
54:23
Speaker 2: in 2021 by Charles R.
54:26
Speaker 1: Swindoll, Inc.
54:28
Speaker 2: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
54:32
Speaker 2: commercial use is strictly prohibited.