Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. MATT. 6;1-4RICK WARREN IN HIS BOOK, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH, WRITES ABOUT
SPIRITUAL SURFING. THERE ARE THREE PARTS;
1. SEE THE WAVE, OF WHAT GOD IS DOING. GOD IS AT WORK IN THE WORLD TODAY IN MAJOR WAYS. WE MUST FIRST SEE WHAT GOD IS UP TO AND WANTS
TO DO IN OUR COMMUNITY.
2. CATCH THE WAVE, OF WHAT GOD IS DOING. AFTER YOU SPOT THE WAVE YOU MUST CATCH IT. THAT IN ITSELF IS NO SMALL FEAT. IT TAKES TIMING, COURAGE AND SKILL. IT ALSO REQUIRES RISK TAKING- B/C YOU MUST LEAVE THE SHORE TO CATCH THE BIGGEST WAVES.
3. RIDE THE WAVE OF WHAT GOD IS DOING. A LOT OF SURFERS CAN GET UP ON A WAVE. THE GOAL IS TO STAY UP AND SURF THE WAVE AS FAR AND AS LONG AS YOU CAN. YOU DON’T WANT TO ABANDON THE WAVE; YOU WANT TO RIDE IT OUT ALL THE WAY.
THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO HERE AT MUB. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR WHAT GOD IS DOING, AND WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN OUR COMMUNITY.
LET ME REMIND YOU ONCE AGAIN; JESUS IS TELLING US, HERE IS THE OLD, HERE IS THE NEW/BETTER. EACH TIME, JESUS RAISES THE STANDARD. EACH TIME WE ARE REMINDED THAT JESUS SAID, I COME NOT TO DESTROY THE LAW AND PROPHETS BUT TO FULFILL THEM.
IN MY STUDIES I HAVE LEARNED SOME INTERESTING THINGS IN REGARD TO TAKING AWAY FROM THE LAW, FOR INSTANCE; THE HEBREW LETTER YOD IS IRREMOVABLE, IF ALL THE MEN IN THE WORLD WERE GATHERED TOGETHER TO ABOLISH THE LEAST LETTER IN THE LAW, THEY COULD NOT SUCCEED. FURTHER, TO CHANGE THE SMALLEST PART OF A LETTER, IS SO GREAT, THAT IF IT WERE DONE ( IF IT WERE POSSIBLE), THE WORLD WOULD BE DESTROYED. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER IN THE JEWISH THOUGHT. THAT IS WHY JESUS ADDRESSES THE ISSUE AS HE DOES. AGAIN TODAY, WE WILL DRAW THE COMPARISON OF THE OLD TO THE NEW/BETTER. AS WE DO SO, WE WILL CLEARLY SEE THAT IT DEALS WITH ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS. LETS EXAMINE TOGETHER.
GIVING TO THE NEEDY
6;1 BEGINS WITH A WARNING, THE KJV SAYS "TAKE HEED" NIV SAYS, "BE CAREFUL",THE ORIGINAL GREEK MEANT; TO HOLD TO, TURN ONES ATTENTION TO–> USE EXTREME CAUTION, CAREFULLY CONSIDER –> THINK.
BEFORE YOU DO YOUR ALMS- WHICH ARE YOUR ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE MAN TO BE SEEN OF THEM, YOU HAVE NO REWARD FROM GOD.
6;2 AMPLIFIES VS 1. " SO WHEN YOU DO YOUR ALMS. GIVE TO THE POOR, YOUR ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. NOTICE, THERE IS NOT A COMMAND AGAINST GIVING
THE WARNING HERE IS NOT THE ACTION- THE GIVING- BUT RATHER, THE ATTITUDE. WE ARE EXPECTED TO GIVE TO THE POOR DO NOT ANNOUNCE YOUR GIVING W/ TRUMPETS, AS THE HYPOCRITES DO, TO BE HONORED BY MEN.
WITHIN THE TEMPLE WERE 13 TRUMPET SHAPED CHESTS, MADE OF METAL, THE PHARISEES WALKED BY THEY WOULD THROW THEIR MONEY IN, MAKING AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE. DRAWING ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES. LOOK HOW IMPORTANT I AM, LOOK HOW WONDERFUL I AM B/C I GIVE TO THE POOR THE ONLY REWARD THAT COMES FROM THAT IS THE REWARD OF MAN, NOT GOD.
JESUS SAYS, TO GIVE IN THAT MANNER IS DO AS THE HYPOCRITES DO.
IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, THE WORD HYPO CRITE CARRIES THE SAME IDEA A TO BE AN ACTOR, TO BE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE OTHER THAN WHO YOU REALLY ARE. THE ACTORS ALL CARRIED MASKS AS PART OF THEIR COSTUME, THE WORD COMES FROM THAT
WE OFTEN HEAR THE EXCUSE, THERE ARE TOO MANY HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH. I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY MORE HYPOCRITES OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THAN IN. JESUS IS SAYING, IN REGARDS TO MY GIVING, IF YOU GIVE TO GET THE GLORY OF MAN- THAT IS ALL YOU WILL GET, ADDITIONALLY YOU WILL BE A HYPOCRITE AS WELL.
THIS IS THE PARALLEL THAT JESUS DRAWS, THE OLD SAID- GIVE AND GET GLORY, THE NEW SAYS, DON’T LET YOUR LEFT HAND KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHT HAND IS DOING, DO SO IN SECRET.
THE CONCEPT IS ALMOST BLINDNESS/SIGHTLESS GIVING. WE TRY TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED, WE DO SO B/C IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WE DON’T MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT, WE DON’T ADVERTISE IT, FOR THE MOST PART MOST OF THE CHURCH DOESN’T KNOW WHO WE ARE HELPING. THAT IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU, I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE THE OTHER DAY, THEY SAID, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE BUT WE JUST CANT AFFORD TO DO IT. MY RESPONSE WAS, YOU CAN GIVE IN A LOT OF WAYS, NOT ALL OF THEM FINANCIALLY.
GOD IS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE ATTITUDE IN YOUR GIVING THAN HE IS IN THE AMOUNT YOU GIVE. LET ME DEMONSTRATE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE, OPEN YOUR HANDS, NOW MAKE A FIST, WHICH WAY CAN YOU HOLD MORE? THAT IS HOW OUR GIVING NEEDS TO BE.
