When You . . . Series

When you . . . .

Matthew 6:1-21

January 14, 2024

I can’t tell you how many people have mentioned to me the number of times they say “Seriously” or “are you serious?” Sometimes I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when I don’t say it or whisper it to myself.

Actually, I wonder if that’s a constant mantra for God, when He looks at us. “Seriously, Michael, how could you do that?” And on and on and on it goes.

Well, we’ve started a series called ARE YOU SERIOUS? And the question is based off a question from one of my sons who asked why aren’t we serious about the seriousness of God? In other words, why aren’t we really serious about God and who God calls us to be.

Last week we started looking at Zechariah 8, with my hope being we would start to ask ourselves that question and we would also realize the immense love God has for us. It’s easy to get lost in the difficulties of life, but I truly believe in the midst of the world’s chaos, God loves us and sent His Son to die for us.

He wants us to have faith and be changed, become a new creation because He’s made that difference in our lives. That’s part of what we say a little earlier with the baptisms. Some young people who have experienced a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and they wanted to make that statement to you and the world that they are a new creation in Christ. They are cleansed, purified in Christ. It’s the verse we actually talked about last week in Bible study,

9 If you confess, God is faithful and just and will forgive you of your sins, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9

That’s part of the great hope we have in Jesus. But it just doesn’t happen, does it. It takes work, and sometimes that’s the rub. I mean, I’d like to get my cholesterol lower and not take medicine and not worry about my diet. I’d like to get stronger, but would like to stop lifting weights. But that’s not going to happen, is it?

It’s true when it comes to growing in who Christ calls us to be. Because, again, if we’re really serious about Jesus, then we need to take action. Today, is going to be super practical, but it’s going to be tough! I’m just warning you.

We’re looking at Matthew 6 today. Jesus is in the middle of the most famous sermon ever, it’s called the Sermon on the Mount. It’s found in Matthew 5-7. In the middle of this sermon, which could take us a year of sermons to break apart, Jesus makes some assumptions about who we are called to be. Beginning in verse 1, He tells the people - - - -

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

I think we all know people who do things for show. We see that a lot on social media, people who take a 100 pictures of themselves everyday and really believe that we want to look at them. People who do things for others, but need and want the adulation of others. If they aren’t validated by others, then their efforts were worthless. Their hope and desire is to get credit for being a good person and helping others.

But God says this is NOT the way to go about it. When you do that, you’ve already received your reward and there’s a far better reward coming, if you have the right motivation. Jesus said ----

2 “Thus, WHEN YOU GIVE to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,

that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

3 But WHEN YOU GIVE to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus talks about WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE NEEDY. Do you hear what Jesus is saying? He assumes that noticing and then giving to the needy, the poor, the persecuted, the vulnerable, will be part of our Christian practices. He’s going to name 2 more in a moment. Giving is part of what happens in the church. We give because God has given to us. We’re blessed to have whatever it is we have, and we seek to give back to God to build His kingdom.