WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.900 Well, a very good morning. Let me add my welcome to Derek's. My name is Craig and I'm a pastor 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:13.160 ! and I'm a pastor in training here at Brunsfield and it's a great joy to be speaking this morning. 00:00:13.700 --> 00:00:18.420 ! I was just reflecting, it's been a few months, so it's always good to, if you're in the habit of 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:24.359 speaking or teaching, to get back into it. So do forgive me if I'm stumbling over my words this 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.359 morning or, as Derek was saying, if there's anything that I say this morning that you have any more 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:36.880 questions about or do come up and ask afterwards. It's really good to just be growing together in 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:43.259 our understanding of the word. A big part of that is kind of discussing it together. So yeah, we are 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:52.079 back in the Gospel of Matthew this morning and yeah, we've had a bit of a break over the summer. 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:59.239 We have been looking at Psalm 119 and it's just good to be back in this series and we are going 00:00:59.239 --> 00:01:06.140 through Matthew's Gospel systematically. So we're going through it chapter by chapter, verse by verse 00:01:06.140 --> 00:01:13.680 from start to finish and the purpose of studying God's Word in this way, systematically, is that 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:21.819 we believe that God's Word has, God has revealed himself through his Word comprehensively in the 00:01:21.819 --> 00:01:28.759 66 books of the Bible. So each book of the Bible has a different message for us with a different 00:01:28.759 --> 00:01:35.780 angle on who God is. So by studying whole books of the Bible from start to finish, we study the Bible 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:44.019 the way that God has given it to us and we believe that by doing so, God will reveal who he is and who 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:50.959 his Son is even more fully and wonderfully than before. So this means that we don't shy away from tricky 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:57.479 passages when they come up and we don't avoid studying challenging Bible books, but we believe 00:01:57.479 --> 00:02:05.219 that the whole counsel of God has been given to us to learn from even the tough bits. So that's 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:09.599 basically what I mean when I say that we're studying Matthew systematically. We're going through it 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:16.099 verse by verse, but just a bit more on the message of Matthew. So the message of Matthew is that the 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:24.959 promised king of Israel has arrived. He has arrived in the scene. Jesus was born as a baby in Israel. We 00:02:24.959 --> 00:02:30.719 read that in Matthew's gospel at the beginning. And he grew up and he began his ministry in the region 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:38.299 of Galilee. And at that time, Jesus and John the Baptist, they were preaching the same message to the 00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:48.140 people. They said, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. So what they were both saying was that God's 00:02:48.140 --> 00:02:56.640 kingdom has been inaugurated. It has been set into motion and people could now enter into it by 00:02:56.640 --> 00:03:04.760 repenting of their sins and turning to the king, this man, Jesus Christ, and committing their lives 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:13.120 fully to him. So in this message, I'm going to refer to Christians as kingdom people. That's people who 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:20.379 have given their lives to the king and become citizens of his kingdom. That's a kingdom that's 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:26.879 all around us and is as real as the wooden pews that you're sitting on, but we can't see it in all 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:34.180 its fullness just yet. But if you're a Christian here, you are a kingdom person. You are a citizen of 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:41.560 his kingdom. Now we're also returning to a part of Matthew known as the Sermon on the Mount. 00:03:42.760 --> 00:03:49.560 And this is where Jesus speaks without interruption for three chapters, from chapters five to seven. 00:03:50.140 --> 00:03:56.200 Now the Sermon on the Mount is the Bible's most famous sermon, which was spoken by the word himself. 00:03:57.580 --> 00:04:03.800 Now many people had gathered to hear this sermon on the Mount. You can maybe imagine some of the people 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:10.140 that are there. So Jesus's disciples are there. The religious leaders are there. And there are many 00:04:10.140 --> 00:04:16.340 other people who haven't quite made up their minds about who this Jesus is yet. But in this sermon, 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:23.560 Jesus is returning to the Old Testament law and he's teaching his disciples, his kingdom people, 00:04:24.460 --> 00:04:28.519 how they ought to live in the kingdom now that the king has arrived. 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:34.680 So in this part of the Sermon on the Mount that we've reached this morning in chapter six, we reach 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:42.779 a trio of messages where Jesus is addressing three very visible styles of worship. So over the next 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:50.639 three weeks, we're going to look at giving, praying and fasting. And there's a common problem which affects 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:58.399 all three that Jesus wants to address. And that problem is, is that in all these three styles of worship, 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:08.339 there are people who wish to make a big show of their worship to God. Now, I hope you've still got your 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:16.459 Bibles open in chapter six. But in verse one, verse one acts as a bit of an introduction to this trio of 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:24.519 messages. I've got it on the screen as well. Six verse one, it says, be careful not to practice your 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:33.479 righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father 00:05:33.479 --> 00:05:41.399 in heaven. Jesus is warning his followers not to practice their righteousness in front of others. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:50.120 Now, what this means is that as Jesus's followers worship God outwardly in their giving or their praying 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:58.340 or their fasting, they mustn't seek to wow other people. Their worship must remain fixed on God 00:05:58.340 --> 00:05:59.860 and not on themselves. 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:08.720 Now, in teaching them these things, Jesus is doing two things. He's teaching his disciples what it means 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:14.639 to be kingdom people. We've established that already. But he's also calling out the sham worship 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:21.539 that he sees all around him, particularly that of the religious leaders who are following him around, 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:29.879 who are taking notes, who are seeking to trap Jesus in his words. By calling out the showy self-worship 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:36.719 that he sees all around them, he is warning his disciples not to be impressed by the flashy acts of worship. 00:06:37.539 --> 00:06:40.699 Worship in God's kingdom looks much different. 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:50.819 So in our four verses, the problem is showy giving. Showy giving. The hypocrites love to make a show of 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:59.019 their giving, but subjects of God's kingdom must give in secret. Kingdom people must not seek the 00:06:59.019 --> 00:07:06.879 honour that comes from man. Rather, they should seek a greater future reward, which is hidden with our 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:16.300 father in heaven. So we're going to look at these four verses in two parts. So kingdom people give to the 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:24.620 needy and kingdom people give for a greater reward. Let's look at the first of those now. Kingdom people 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:32.759 give to the needy. Now, the first thing that we should notice in these verses is that Jesus takes it for 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:42.500 granted that his followers will give to the needy. We see that in verse two. So when you give to the 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:51.339 needy, and again in verse four, but when you give to the needy, he's taking it for granted that his 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:59.519 followers and the people around him will give to the needy. Now, the Jews had been commanded by God and 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:07.219 the law to give freely to those who are in need. And if you're taking notes, you can look up the passage 00:08:07.219 --> 00:08:14.459 later. It's in Deuteronomy chapter 15. It's really interesting to see the specific command by God 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:23.879 that Jesus is referring to. Deuteronomy 15 verse 7 to 11. But giving to the needy in Jesus' day was 00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:28.979 supposed to be much more than just an act of obedience. It was much more than just obeying this law. 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:36.740 It was supposed to be an act of worship to God who had freely given them his grace and blessings. 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:43.899 Jesus also takes it for granted that his followers should give to the needy because giving should be 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:53.079 as natural as breathing for citizens of the kingdom. So too, for us, we are taught throughout the New 00:08:53.080 --> 00:09:01.500 Testament that giving what belongs to us back to God as an act of worship should be as normal as breathing 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:10.600 for us. But who are the needy in view here? Who are these needy folks? Well, I'm convinced that it's 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:18.940 both the physically needy and the spiritually needy. God's followers should give for the good of needy 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:29.240 bodies and souls. God cares about both. To share the gospel with the needy, with the spiritually hungry, 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:37.380 but to leave them malnourished and not give them something to eat would be a gross sin. But also the 00:09:37.380 --> 00:09:44.020 Christian focusing entirely on feeding the needy and meeting his material needs but neglecting to share 00:09:44.019 --> 00:09:50.819 the hope of the gospel with them and leaving them spiritually malnourished is also not right in God's 00:09:50.819 --> 00:10:00.079 eyes. In Jesus' day, there would very likely have been an organized welfare system in place at the 00:10:00.079 --> 00:10:08.220 local synagogue, which people would have donated to, would have given to. Maybe you've got an older 00:10:08.220 --> 00:10:15.600 Bible translation with you this morning and older Bible translations use the word almsgiving in this 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:21.399 passage instead of giving. And the giving of alms is maybe a more helpful way of understanding what 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:28.519 this giving is. So it might include sharing material gifts with the needy. It might have included sharing 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:37.139 food or money or whatever else the needy person required. Now, in a similar way today, 00:10:37.139 --> 00:10:45.100 our nation has a welfare system which is operated not by the church but by the government and citizens 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:53.720 of this country pay taxes which fund the benefits which are then handed out to the needy. So there is 00:10:53.720 --> 00:11:01.319 a welfare system in our country today which helps the physically needy. But Jesus is not speaking to us 00:11:01.319 --> 00:11:06.340 about paying our taxes this morning. We have already established that he is speaking about worship 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:15.019 filled giving. Yes, God cares about the poor and needy. And if we are kingdom people here this 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:24.040 morning, then we ought to care for the physically needy as well. Now, as mostly middle class folks here 00:11:24.040 --> 00:11:29.480 this morning, we can find it a bit awkward thinking about giving to those who have less than us. 00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:37.440 And we quickly point to the social problems that might complicate our giving to the needy. 00:11:38.560 --> 00:11:44.539 And sure, there is wisdom in not going down to the homeless shelter and handing out big wads of cash 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:51.920 to everyone there. But Jesus' command to give includes giving to those who have less than us. 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:59.360 And we must pray for godly discernment so that we might know how best we can help those who are in need. 00:12:00.219 --> 00:12:06.319 But the spiritually needy are almost certainly in view here too. And the Bible says that our greatest 00:12:06.319 --> 00:12:14.620 need is that we have impoverished souls. The Bible says that our natural state before God is spiritual 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:21.659 bankruptcy. When Jesus looked out upon the crowds that he was teaching, he had compassion on them. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:30.139 Because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were lost. They were harassed. And they were in 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:37.039 need of a shepherd to rescue them and care for them and lead them home. So what does giving for the sake 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:43.519 of someone's spiritual need look like? Well, I think it means giving so that people who don't yet know 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:50.539 about Jesus have the opportunity to hear about him and respond to his call to trust in him. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:58.219 Now here at Brunsfield Evangelical Church, we're committed to supporting the physical and spiritual 00:12:58.219 --> 00:13:05.319 needs of people in this city and around the world. And we do this by running initiatives like the Food 00:13:05.319 --> 00:13:11.639 Bank and using church funds to donate to charities like the Fairy Well Youth Project. If you've been 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:19.039 around, you've probably heard a bit about that. And partnering with university Christian unions and 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:24.799 partnering with people in other parts of the world who are seeking to build up Jesus' kingdom where they 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:33.039 are. Now this is not a salesman's trick to get you to give to the church. But we would encourage you to 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:38.459 prayerfully consider giving to the church if you are a member here, if you're a regular here, 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:46.639 and partnering with us as we seek to support the needy. Maybe that's one way of reaching those needs. 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:56.300 And as Christians, we are motivated to give as we remember our saviour, Jesus, and his most generous 00:13:56.300 --> 00:14:05.379 act of giving. Giving of himself to save lost people and give them new life. And in new creation, 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:12.139 when God's kingdom will be fully and finally unveiled, there will be no more physical or 00:14:12.139 --> 00:14:18.480 spiritual neediness. For God's people will dwell with him, the creator and sustainer of life. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:28.120 So kingdom people give to the needy. And secondly now, kingdom people give for a greater reward. 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:35.779 Now we've seen that followers of Jesus should give, but Jesus' main concern here in this passage 00:14:35.779 --> 00:14:42.139 is how his followers should give. And we read that in verse 2. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:51.659 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogues 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:59.759 and on the streets to be honoured by others. Now, I'm not sure if these people were actually using 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:05.179 trumpets to announce their giving to the world. They might have been. We don't know. But I think 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:12.679 Jesus is making the point that men and women who claim to be followers of God were going the extra mile 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:22.620 to show off their giving. Their giving is loud. Their giving is very public. It's designed to impress people. 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:29.639 But why bring out the trumpets? Why go the extra mile to impress people? 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:38.419 Well, so that these people might receive the honour of the world, the honour of the watching folks round about them. 00:15:38.419 --> 00:15:45.159 The folks that will say, oh man, what a holy guy. Did you see the way that they just gave there? 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:54.500 Now, just a bit of a made-up story here. I wonder if you can imagine one morning at church. 00:15:55.399 --> 00:16:03.719 A church is doing a fundraising appeal for needy children. And after the pastor announces the appeal, 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:11.420 one member of the congregation gets up. We'll call her Muriel this morning. I don't know if we've got any Muriels, 00:16:11.540 --> 00:16:16.379 but I've picked that name so that I wouldn't offend anybody here this morning. But we'll call her Muriel. 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:24.320 And she comes up to the stage and she announces into the mic. Now, I would just like to say, 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:32.440 it is my wonderful pleasure this morning to donate to the needy children fund a cheque for £1,000. 00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:41.280 And the church explodes with applause. People are whipping and cheering. And someone even comes up 00:16:41.280 --> 00:16:50.720 and takes a photo of Muriel holding her cheque. And everyone says, wow, Muriel, you are clearly very godly. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:17:01.480 But this is not how kingdom people give. They do not announce their giving. They do not show off. 00:17:02.420 --> 00:17:09.819 And they definitely don't tell other people how much they are giving. Now, it is comical to imagine 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:17.400 the trumpet fanfare that Jesus mentions here. But Jesus is being deadly serious. He calls people who 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:25.340 give in this way hypocrites. They claim to love and worship God. But their giving is all about 00:17:25.340 --> 00:17:33.200 themselves. Worshipping themselves, bringing honour to themselves. And that is offensive to God. 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:41.060 It would have been better if they hadn't given anything at all. And as well as redirecting praise 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:48.419 away from God to yourself, showy giving is really bad because it would compel other people to give in 00:17:48.419 --> 00:17:55.779 this way as well. Now, some people would be puffed up more and more with pride as they showed off their 00:17:55.779 --> 00:18:01.000 giving to other people. But other people would feel ashamed because they wouldn't be able to give as much 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:12.279 as the showy givers. This is bad news, this type of giving. Jesus warns at the end of verse 2 that such 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:21.539 people have received the reward already. Now, in my made-up story about Muriel, the praise she received 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:27.779 from the congregation and the write-up that she received in the church bulletin, that would be all 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:35.879 the praise that she would receive. There would be no praise from God. Her offering meant nothing to God. 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:43.779 It was a completely empty gesture because she sought to bring honour to herself and not to God. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:53.759 But how does Jesus want his followers to give? How should kingdom people give? Well, we read in verse 3, 00:18:53.759 --> 00:19:01.480 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:12.519 so that your giving may be in secret. Kingdom people give so discreetly that not even a person's left hand 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:21.279 knows what the person's right hand is giving. Now, again, I think this might be a bit of hyperbole going on here. 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:26.799 Of course, you've got one brain, two hands but one brain. Surely you know what the other hand is doing. 00:19:26.879 --> 00:19:34.599 But Jesus is making the point that kingdom people give quietly. Kingdom people give secretly. 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:44.700 Giving is a private matter between you and God. Kingdom giving doesn't draw attention to itself. 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:49.500 No one else needs to know. And verse 4 continues, 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:56.019 Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:02.920 Jesus teaches his followers that kingdom, sorry, that God sees what his people give. 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:11.420 God sees what his people give. Kingdom people should give quietly. Kingdom people should give secretly. 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:19.800 But actually, there's nothing secret about their giving because our heavenly Father sees and knows. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:26.779 And the promise is, in this passage, that he will reward his people who give in this way. 00:20:28.300 --> 00:20:33.300 Kingdom people give for a reward which is hidden and immeasurable. 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:36.659 And we can't be sure what this reward looks like. 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.099 But it should motivate us to give. 00:20:40.879 --> 00:20:42.200 This heavenly reward. 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:45.339 Now, I wonder if you are giving. 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:49.399 And maybe you've found this yourself. Maybe you've thought this. 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:53.500 It's actually quite hard to give towards something that we can't quantify. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:56.379 What is our giving really doing? 00:20:57.019 --> 00:20:58.940 What difference is it actually making? 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:01.980 Why should I bother giving at all? 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:11.400 Well, one thing that we can be sure of is that when we give, we know that it brings a smile to God's face. 00:21:12.140 --> 00:21:16.460 He delights when we choose to worship God through our giving. 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:19.599 And this is our motivation to give. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.259 Knowing that it delights our heavenly Father. 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:35.599 And when the kingdom of heaven is fully and finally unveiled, when we will see it with our eyes, we will know exactly what he means by this reward. 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:53.179 Now, I have a friend here who is sharing a story with me this week about another Christian who decided to come up to them and slip them £100 in cash. 00:21:53.719 --> 00:21:55.779 Just slipped it into their back pocket and said, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:59.240 This isn't for the weekly food shop. 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:04.139 This is so that you and your family can go and buy some new Bibles. 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:07.420 You know, that is important to me. 00:22:07.600 --> 00:22:14.700 It's important that you and your family have some nice new Bibles for you to read and enjoy and to learn about the Lord from. 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:21.759 And yeah, this friend was just sharing with me that, you know, just how impacted they were by that gesture. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:31.359 And that kingdom giving, this person felt the need just to bless this brother of theirs and to give them some money. 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:35.200 And, you know, we won't know who that person is that gave the money. 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:36.700 I certainly don't know who it is. 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:40.359 But God knows and God sees that kind of giving. 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:43.240 It is small, it is quiet, it is secret. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:50.079 But God knows and God is pleased when people give in that sort of way. 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:56.740 So as we wrap up, let me leave you with just a few questions to ponder. 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:00.259 Oh, that's the cash. 00:23:01.439 --> 00:23:03.519 That's actually £80, it's not £100. 00:23:03.939 --> 00:23:05.480 But I couldn't find an image that had £100. 00:23:06.939 --> 00:23:09.599 But finally, yeah, two questions for you to ponder. 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:15.339 First of all, do you have too high a view of your giving? 00:23:17.179 --> 00:23:19.339 Are you proud of your giving? 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:22.960 Are you proud of how much you're giving? 00:23:24.199 --> 00:23:27.059 Is that a thought that crops into your mind? 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:34.399 Wouldn't it be great for everyone to know how much it costs you to support the needy? 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.439 How much it costs you to give to the church? 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:42.340 Maybe you have entertained some of these thoughts. 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:46.019 And Jesus warns you this morning, flee from such thoughts. 00:23:47.820 --> 00:23:52.900 But maybe, more likely, maybe you have too low a view of your giving. 00:23:52.900 --> 00:23:59.100 Are you giving with your eyes set on the kingdom? 00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:08.300 Does the thought of God's glorious smile motivate you to give and to keep giving? 00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:12.220 Are you intentional about your giving? 00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:22.680 Do you ever give any thought to your monthly bank transfer, which silently slips out of your account? 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:28.840 Have you forgotten that your giving is your worship? 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:33.259 Are you praying about your giving? 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:38.759 Are you praying that it will accomplish what it has been given for? 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:46.339 I'll just leave you with these sorts of questions to mull over yourselves. 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:49.039 Maybe it's something you can chat about over tea and coffee. 00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:55.220 Not about how much you're giving, but, you know, obviously. 00:24:55.220 --> 00:25:01.500 But maybe in a way that you have personally been challenged by this. 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:04.839 Even just as Christian brothers and sisters, are we intentional? 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:08.319 I think nowadays it's just so easy to set up a bank transfer. 00:25:08.860 --> 00:25:12.420 At least that's, you know, something that I find a bit easier to do. 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:15.799 And I do not give it a moment's thought on the first of the month. 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.240 But I know that I should. 00:25:17.299 --> 00:25:22.579 And I know that I should be praying that God will accomplish with it what it has been sent to do. 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:31.199 But please join me just now as I pray and as we ask God to help us view our giving with kingdom-focused eyes. 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:32.379 Let's pray. 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:39.720 Our Heavenly Father, we come before you humbly. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:45.339 We come before you and thank you for your word. 00:25:46.439 --> 00:25:49.879 Just these four verses, Lord, about giving. 00:25:49.880 --> 00:25:57.020 And yet how much your spirit challenges us and convicts us as we think about our giving. 00:25:58.520 --> 00:26:01.060 Thank you, Lord, that we do not have to show off our giving. 00:26:01.820 --> 00:26:03.580 We do not have to make a big show. 00:26:04.600 --> 00:26:10.000 Because you, our Father in heaven, knows exactly what we are doing. 00:26:10.360 --> 00:26:12.380 You see everything that is done in secret. 00:26:12.380 --> 00:26:15.220 And you are pleased when we choose to give. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:22.460 Lord, I pray that you would help us to be motivated to give to needy folk, Lord. 00:26:22.520 --> 00:26:31.600 Help us not just to think about the spiritually needy, Lord, but help us also to think about the physically needy, Lord, as well. 00:26:31.760 --> 00:26:36.060 And, Lord, it just takes a few minutes of walking down our street to see folk that are in need. 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:41.879 And, Lord, would you give us wisdom to know how best to support people that are really in need. 00:26:43.139 --> 00:26:56.859 And, Lord, would we remember Jesus' wonderful, most generous act of self-giving on the cross to save us from our sin and to give us new life. 00:26:56.859 --> 00:27:04.019 And that we will no longer be spiritually needy if we are seeking you and are found in you. 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:10.740 So, Lord, would you motivate us as well to go out with the gospel and to share it with those who don't yet know it. 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.899 We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.