Introduction

Good morning once again church! Welcome back to the final week of our series “Hot Mess.” I hope you have joined us for the past three weeks. But, if this is your first week in this series, you picked a great one to come to. We have arguably saved the most important topic for last.

Have you ever been in a position like this before? Maybe you are here today and currently exploring this whole Jesus thing for the very first time. For others, you have been a follower of Christ for a while, but you’ve also encountered seasons where you feel as if intimacy is harder to gain than in other seasons. Either way, I want to chat with you about a few practical steps we can take when we hit these points. My hope is that each of them will help you either discover a personal relationship with Jesus or get back to a thriving one.

We have arguably saved the most important topic for last.

Main Teaching

I want us to begin with a question. If we feel like our faith is a hot mess, that is out of control, that is chaotic and disconnected, we must ask ourselves this: What has been my what, and what has been my why? These two curious questions will reveal some key things about our current season.

Don’t Be a Religious Box Checker

The Bible makes it clear that what we spend our time doing matters. It also helps us understand that why we do what we do matters. If you have a Bible, turn with me to Matthew 6. This section of scripture records Jesus preaching a sermon, some would argue it was His greatest sermon and I can assure you it’s a lot better than any I’ve ever preached.

In this sermon, He covers a lot of important material, clearing up some popular misconceptions for His listeners. I want us to look at one thing He says in particular when talking about prayer…

Read Matthew 6:5-6

You may see that word “hypocrites” and wonder who Jesus is talking about. Scholars usually point to the Pharisees as His intended “target” with that phrase. Pharisees (and other religious sects like them) were the religious teachers at the time. They thought of themselves highly, even to the point where they often elevated their own status in the religious community above those who had more public sin in their lives. Jesus says that these Pharisees were “hypocrites.” Why? Well, that word is the very reason. You see, these Pharisees had the right “what” but with the wrong “why.”

Have we been doing all the right things with all the wrong motives? Maybe it looks like coming to church to just check the box that you were here ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium