They say that the greatest, most impacting sermons are those that are not preached, but are lived. No one lived a better sermon than Jesus.
I have been to the eye doctor many times. Sometimes they would dilate my eyes and everything would get so blurry and out of focus. It would be hours before I could really get my focus back and see clearly.
Sometimes things were blurry not because my eyes were dilated but because my eyesight wasn’t what it should have been and I needed glasses.
Some Christians are going through life and their spiritual eyes are either dilated. their focus is off. Things are blurry. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:1-34 that we need to make sure our spiritual vision is clear and that we are focusing on the right things.
1. You live for an audience of one.
Do not do good things just so you will win the praise of men.
If you live for the praise of men, then the praise of men will be your only reward.
A. Giving.
In Jesus’ day, people announced their giving and their gift with all the
fanfare of trumpets and gala show. That show and momentary praise was
their reward.
If you want God to bless and reward your giving. Do it without making a
show of it. The only that needs to know what you give is the Lord.
I do not know what anyone in my church gives. I don’t want to know. It is
between them and the Lord, despite what some church growth and
leadership experts might say.
B. Prayer
In Jesus’ day, people loved to stand in front of everyone and pray. They
would have the most elaborate, eloquent prayers ever composed. They
were more concerned about their prayers sounded then what they actually
meant.
Jesus says to go off by yourself in secret where it is just you and the Lord.
Keep your prayers simple, clear, and focused on what is important.
We are to praise God in our prayers:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
We are to seek God’s will in our prayers:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
We are to pray for physical needs:
Give us today our daily bread.
We are to pray for spiritual needs:
Forgive us or debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
C. Fasting
In Jesus’ day, people like to paint their faces so that it looked like
they had been fasting for days.
We are to fast, and not care if the Lord is the only one who knows we are
fasting. He is the only one that matters.
2. Seek the greatest treasures.
Worldly treasures: Houses, cars, clothes, money.
Houses can burn down. Eventually they fall down.
Cars break down and end up in junk yards.
Clothes wear out and no longer fit.
Money is spent and goes down in value.
Heavenly treasures: the glory and splendor of eternity in heaven.
It will last forever.
It is greater than any earthly treasure.
Everyone must decide what they are going to live for.
Everyone must decide who they are going to serve.
Worldly treasures or Heavenly Treasures?
God and creator of the world? Or, the world itself?
When we are living for God it will show in our lives.
We will not worry, not let the things of this world take our focus off of God.
We will not worry about our lives.
We will not worry about what we will wear or eat.
We will live a life of peace and confidence knowing that God is in control
and that he loves us and wants to bless us more than anything else.
How is your focus? Can you read the letters below?
J E S U S
