Matthew 6:1-7 (Message)
1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. 2-4"When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—’playactors’ I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
5"And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6"Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.
Many people remember old William Hung for his antics on American Idol.
He became famous, although not in a good way for his terrible voice, his karaoke like songs, and his lack of pitch. He was flat, sharp, and just plain terrible. One of the worst that American Idol has ever seen.
Hung became famous…but not because he was good, because he was terrible.
Tonight, we’re going to talk about auditioning for fame.
And I want to center this message around this thought…”Who are you auditioning for?”
*WILLIAM HUNG VIDEO*
Tonight, we’re going to talk about how to be famous…not in the eyes of your peers, your youth pastors and staff, and your church, but how to be famous in the eyes of God.
1. Be a good friend, not a good actor
People are looking for those who are going to genuinely love and care for them.
Luke 5:17-25 (Message)
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him. 18-20Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins." 21That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins." 22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ’I forgive your sins,’ or to say ’Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We’ve never seen anything like that!”
Lately at the mix, we’ve been talking about relationships, and attitudes, but let me tell you something. There are far too many people who are great actors and don’t care enough about the needs of others. If you see someone in need, pick the person up and take them to Jesus. However you can get them there, whatever obstacles you need to fight through…get them to the person who can help them.
2. Pray, don’t play
Jesus said it, and I believe it. He said that when you go to pray, don’t stand on the street corners trying to impress anyone, but get to a quiet place…so it’s just you and Him.
Emotions impress people…but God can see right through to the heart of man.
Have you ever seen someone worshipping and just crying? Or seen someone so happy and wished you had that too?
God sees through the emotion of man.
What happens when you begin to truly pray? Jesus said it…the focus shifts from you, to God.
Why is it so hard to pray? Because we have this preconceived idea on what prayer is and how to do it. Here’s the thing that we need to understand. Praying involves a conversation taking place between you and your Creator.
Praying is not using big words, and impressing yourself. Prayer is not impressing your pastor, or youth pastor. Praying is not what we think it is. Jesus said, when you pray, pray simple. Don’t pray to impress man, but pray to love Him.
3. Live for your audience of One
The question you have to ask yourself is this: who are you living for? What are you living for?
Matthew 7:21-23 (Message)
"Knowing the correct password—saying ’Master, Master,’ for instance— isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ’Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ’You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
PEOPLE WHO CHASE FAME IN THE WRONG PLACES:
" If you base your life on trying to impress someone who doesn’t notice you, then you’ll never do anything in your life."
I found this out from experience. I realized that I was trying so hard to get the kid I liked to notice me. Then I realized that I never really did anything because I was always chasing him.
How to impress God?
Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
1. Be real (yourself)
2. Believe
3. Be true to Christ.
I’m convinced that we can have a profound effect on anyone with whom we come into contact. Some act that we deem totally insignificant can literally shape someone else’s future. The right words at just the right time could totally change someone’s life.
Years ago, that’s what happened to me. My life was dramatically transformed because a simple three-word phrase was delivered at the right time in just the right way.
When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was totally deaf, a situation which forced them to make crucial decisions about my education. After consulting with numerous educational specialists, doctors, psychologists and parents of other deaf children, they made a decision that would forever alter my future. Instead of sending me to a private school for the deaf, they decided to "mainstream" me. All of my peers and teachers would have normal hearing.
Since I started going there in 3rd grade, I was the only deaf child at Blue Creek Elementary School in the small, quiet town of Latham, New York. From almost the first day there, the other kids taunted me and called me names mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. I remember thinking, "What have I done wrong?"
My hearing aid was a rectangular box that was harnessed to my shoulders and hung from my neck like an albatross. It created a big lump on my chest with wires running from the box to my ears. Actually, the hearing aid was a miraculous little device that allowed me to pick up slight sounds and noises around me by enhancing my "residual" hearing.
I experienced great anxiety throughout Elementary school because, in addition to the problems of "fitting in" with the other students, I also struggled mightily with most of my school work. I seemed to spend every spare moment doing homework just so I could keep up. I was convinced that my parents and teachers were deeply disappointed in me because of my academic struggles. The teachers didn’t know what to do with me nor did they show much interest in any of my rare accomplishments.
My hearing disability required me to constantly ask everyone, "What did he/she say?" I worried that everyone would soon grow tired of repeating everything back to me. Fitting in was so important to me that every time people around me laughed or smiled, I did the same even though I usually had no idea what was going on. This was repeated at the dinner table at home. Whenever my family had company, I felt left out because I missed the secrets, stories and punch lines. To cope with this, I always volunteered to do the dishes so that I could be excused from participating in the discussions. No wonder my hands were so soft all these years!
When the kids made fun of me, I internalized all of it. I was sure that I was a bad person; I felt I deserved their sneers. Although on the surface, I was gregarious, outgoing and "happy-go-lucky," in reality, my self-esteem was quite low. I saw myself as an ugly buck-toothed kid wearing a weird-looking box around his neck who wasn’t even smart enough to keep up with the rest of the other kids. Mrs. Jordan, my 5th grade teacher, changed all of that with a simple three-word phrase. A large woman with salt and pepper hair, and twinkling brown eyes, Mrs. Jordan had a voice that boomeranged off the walls of her tiny classroom. One morning, she asked the class a question.
I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand. I couldn’t believe it - for once I knew the answer. But, when she called on me, I was afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. Despite my fears, I felt uncharacteristically confident because - for once - I was sure I had the right answer. I took a deep breath and nervously answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.
I will never forget what happened next.
Her response was explosive. It startled all of us. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed her right foot on the floor and whirled her right finger in a full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparkling eyes and a wide smile she cried, "THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!"
For the first time in my young life, I was an instant star. My heart burst with pride as an ear-to-ear grin filled my face. I sat a little taller in my chair and puffed out my chest. My confidence soared like never before.
I decided right then and there that I would make a place for myself in this world. No matter how many obstacles I might encounter in life, I knew I could overcome them. A simple three-word phrase delivered with incredible enthusiasm had totally transformed my young life. "THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!"
"From that day forward, my grades and speech improved dramatically. My popularity among my peers increased and my outlook on life did a complete turnabout. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to express it. "THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!"
