Good morning, guys. Thank you to Todd and David for such a fun edition of our Sunday announcements today.
! We're going to continue on in the Sermon on the Mount this morning as we read and open up with chapter 6.
Our text is Matthew 6, 1-6.
And then we're skipping the Lord's Prayer altogether because that most certainly deserves its own sermon.
And then we'll read verses 16-18.
I think you'll see soon why we grouped this text like this.
I was discussing the sermon with our very own Steve Miller,
who mentioned that this is the perfect text for me to preach on as I start full-time ministry.
And I couldn't agree more.
This text has been a mirror to me, revealing my pride, my self-righteousness,
but also the kindness of my Heavenly Father.
So let's pray now that the Spirit of God will show us both of those things this morning.
Heavenly Father,
Father, you are in heaven, high and holy,
but you're also our Father.
And you meet us where we are,
meek and lowly.
We are in awe of you.
That when we fall short of your standards,
of your teachings,
that your heart towards us isn't to reject us,
isn't to fold your arms,
to say,
try again next time.
But you love us.
You welcome us in as
a good, good Father does.
And we need to be reminded of that fatherly love this morning.
Our hearts are sick,
craving for affirmation and approval,
and we look for it in so many of the wrong places.
But I pray, Lord,
won't you open our eyes to see that your heart,
your disposition towards us,
is one of love and compassion and kindness,
so that we would be able to
not fear man,
and not seek the approval of man,
but to seek your approval and your reward.
Help us, Father, to that end.
We need your spirit to convict us
and to help us.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Please stand, if you are able,
for the reading of God's word.
We're in Matthew 6,
starting in verse 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.
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.
But when you give to the needy,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
And when you pray,
you must not be like the hypocrites,
for they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues
and at the street corners,
that they may be seen by others.
Truly, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray,
go into your room
and shut the door
and pray to your Father
who is in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
And when you fast,
do not look gloomy
like the hypocrites,
for they disfigure their faces,
that their fasting
may be seen by others.
Truly, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head
and wash your face,
that your fasting
may not be seen by others,
but by your heavenly Father,
but by your Father
who is in secret.
And your Father
who sees in secret
will reward you.
This is God's holy
and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Back in the early 2000s,
there was this era
of youth-oriented,
high-production,
culturally relevant
megachurches like Hillsong.
And there was an up-and-coming church
that challenged Hillsong
with over 21,000 members,
multi-campus,
taking over Australia,
and it was called
Planet Shakers Church.
It gained massive
international attention,
and at its helm
was this young,
charismatic,
energetic speaker
named Michael Guglielmucci,
who filled stadiums
and he wrote
chart-topping music.
People loved Mike
for his authenticity,
his approachableness,
his passion for the Lord.
All was going great
for Planet Shakers
and for Mike
until he dropped
this bomb on them.
He had cancer.
Not just any kind of cancer,
but a rare form
of blood cancer
that left him
with years,
maybe even months,
to live.
But amazingly,
he didn't let that
stop him.
He continued
to go around churches,
preaching like a dying man,
exhorting the younger generation
to never stop trusting
in the Lord.
even when he needed
a cane to walk,
even when all his hair
fell out
because of the chemo,
and when he needed
to be hooked up
even to oxygen
on the stage.
He never stopped preaching.
He led worship
and he performed
his hit song,
Healer,
which lyrics go,
you hold my every moment,
you calm my raging seas,
you walk with me
through fire
and heal all my disease.
I trust in you.
In every way,
Mike was a model example
of someone
who holds on to faith
in such a hard situation.
Or so it seemed.
It turned out
that Mike was lying
the entire time
about his cancer diagnosis.
Not just to the public,
not just to his church,
but to his own family,
his own wife.
He would have them
drop him off
at the hospital,
but never let them
come in with him.
And it turns out
that he shaved
his own head,
he faked his oxygen tube
on stage,
and he acted a limp
into his walk.
to make matters worse.
He confessed
that he was using
this cancer diagnosis
to hide a secret sin,
a decades-long addiction
to adult videos.
Michael Guglielmucci
was a hypocrite,
a double life fraud.
In our passage this morning,
Jesus warns us
of this hypocrisy.
Verse 1 says,
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.
This is a sobering verse
this morning
that acts like
the thesis statement
for the rest of our passage.
Jesus is saying
that the motive
by which you practice
your righteousness
before others
is not a light matter.
There sadly have been
way too many men,
like the scribes
and the Pharisees
that we're going to read about,
that have acted
like all they want
is to please the Lord,
but in reality,
they don't have an ounce
of genuine desire.
Their only motivation
is self-glory.
Jesus warns
that those who have won
the praise
of the entire world
by their hypocrisy,
like Mike Guglielmucci,
will not receive
an ounce of reward
from their heavenly father.
unless they repent.
So instead,
in our passage,
Jesus teaches us
a better way.
Other than in verse 1,
our passage is split
into three congruent passages,
and it doesn't take long
to see a pattern
between all three sections.
First,
Jesus rebukes
the hypocrites
for practicing
acts of righteousness
to be seen by men.
And in all three sections,
he has the same judgment.
Truly,
I say to you,
they have received
their reward.
And then comes
the contrast.
But you,
you should do
all that the hypocrite
is doing,
but in secret.
And then,
this is the identical line again.
He says,
your father,
who sees in secret,
will reward you.
The main idea
of this passage
isn't hard to identify.
Jesus makes it clear
that we should practice
our righteousness
in secret
to be seen
and rewarded
by God,
not man.
And in turn,
we're going to look
at how Jesus speaks
about how we are
to give,
not grandstand.
We're to pray,
not play act.
We're to fast,
and not feign.
Let's jump into
the first of his examples
now,
which is all about
giving to the poor.
Back then,
giving to the poor
was an essential part
of society
because unlike us today,
the poor didn't have
government welfare systems
to rely on.
Instead,
they had to depend
entirely on the donations
of the public
run through a system
by the Jewish synagogues.
And in that system,
significant donations,
big donations,
were likely broadcasted,
publicized
to the entire society.
So you can just imagine
how ripe
the circumstances were
for these hypocrites,
these scribes
and Pharisees
that Jesus most likely
is referring to here,
to practice
their righteousness
to win
the praise of man.
The word hypocrite
originally referred
to a theatrical actor,
which I think
is such a fitting description.
of what these men
are doing.
It really seems like
they know and love God
by their acts
of righteousness,
but in actuality,
they're only convincing
method actors.
They toot their trumpets
in a musical performance.
They perform
their long prayer monologues.
They even costume up.
They wear makeup,
as we'll see later.
Here Jesus exposes
their hypocrisy
as they give to the poor
only to hear
that trumpet played
and only to hear
the people ooh and ah
at their generosity
and their holiness.
Mind you,
this man is not
pretending to give.
He's not lying about it.
He's actually giving.
So he's doing
an act of kindness.
Anyone with two eyes
can see that.
But yet,
Jesus isn't impressed.
For Jesus,
it's not enough
for us to just
throw money
at the poor
and expect that
to please him.
If that were the case,
mega YouTube
star,
Mr. Beast,
if you guys know him,
Jimmy Donaldson,
he would be the most
righteous of us
with his long list
of philanthropic
achievements.
And these YouTube videos
that you guys
likely have seen,
they're insane.
He donates
a year's salary
to every family
in a village
in Uganda
or he pays
for a thousand
deaf people
and their surgeries
so that they can hear
for the first time.
On first glance,
it seems that Jesus
would be impressed
by such acts
of generosity
and kindness.
But here,
out of Donaldson's
own mouth,
the rationale,
the motive
by which he gives.
Near the beginning
of Donaldson's success,
he posted this video
in which he gives
to his mom
$100,000
in cold,
hard cash.
Can you imagine?
And at first,
she refuses,
but he insists,
says,
if I don't give this
to you,
I don't have
a viral video.
You're using me
for views,
she asks.
And he's honest.
He says,
yes,
but you get money too.
So we're both happy.
This philanthropic content
has been a key part
to Donaldson's
explosive growth
to fame.
These videos rack up
hundreds of millions
of views.
Even I want to watch
a thousand deaf people
to regain their hearing again.
But this is nothing new.
The scribes
and the Pharisees
were long onto
this strategy
long before Mr. Beast.
In fact,
they were the original
Mr. Beast
who flaunted
their generous giving.
It's not actually giving
because in actuality,
they're buying.
They're just using
their money
to buy the respect
and clout
of society.
And Jesus himself
knows that this
strategy works.
He acknowledges
that there is a reward
to this kind of behavior
when he says
three times in our passage,
truly I say to you,
they have received
their reward.
But what's the problem
with this kind of reward?
A lot of things,
but let me just highlight
two aspects.
Number one,
this praise,
this clout,
it's
caffeine.
It's
high fructose
corn syrup.
It's an addictive
stimulant.
It's ephemeral,
temporary,
burns hot for a second
and leaves you
crashing the next.
Like the high of a drug,
it never satisfies,
but it hooks you.
It addicts you
to the next hit,
to the next achievement,
to the next affirming
person,
the next compliment.
Then you're only as good
as your next achievement.
But more importantly,
the reward of man,
it forfeits
the true reward
of God
because we cannot
serve both God
and man.
It's binary.
It's one or the other.
So Jesus seriously
warns us
to be careful
because if this is all
that you're working towards,
if this is all
that you're striving for,
then you might just get it.
But that's all
you're going to get.
So friends,
we should not expect
to please Jesus
if we're not even
aiming to do so.
So instead of this hypocrisy,
what should we do?
We should give in total secret.
That's what Jesus says.
Here,
Jesus isn't directly
commanding us
to give to the needy,
but he's assuming
that we're doing so.
We can't give in secret
unless we're not giving at all.
So this is a time
to just quickly evaluate.
Am I matching?
Is the way that I use my money
match Jesus' assumption
about me?
My budget,
my spending habits?
But this passage
isn't about
the amount of money
that we give,
but it's more about
the motivation
with which we give.
for Jesus commands us
while the right hands
of the hypocrites
are tooting their horns
and they're blasting
their socials
to tell the entire world
of how good of a person
they are
and all that they're doing,
your right hand
shouldn't even tell the left
what it's doing.
That's how secretive
you are to be.
Why?
Because when you give
in secret,
your father
who sees in secret
will reward you.
This is a fascinating comment
from Jesus.
Do you notice
that he doesn't say
you should give in secret
because this is
the right thing to do?
You know,
sometimes we think
that the true Christian thing
is to completely
divorce ourselves
from any
self-interested desire.
We think we should
only be outward focused
and do the right thing only
because it's the right thing.
Because we love others
and we love God
so we shouldn't be
in it for ourselves.
And there is a way
that this certainly
does become selfish
but amazingly,
Jesus doesn't think
that it is
automatically,
inherently selfish
for us to be motivated
by future reward.
instead he's intentionally
holding out to us
a greater,
a better reward.
And so what he's
ultimately rebuking
the scribes
and the Pharisees for
is not that they are
self-interested
but it's that they're not
self-interested
in the right way.
Like a little boy
who stuffs himself
with candy
before dinner,
these scribes
and their Pharisees,
these Pharisees,
they're too easily
stuffing themselves
with the praise of man,
the lesser things
which then disqualifies
them from a better,
heartier meal,
a future reward
that's going to be
far better
than anything man
can give.
In other words,
they're too nearsighted
to be able to see
far ahead
and long for
something better.
I don't know
if you guys
know this about me,
some of you guys do,
but I'm terribly
nearsighted.
My eyes are really,
really bad, right?
Like I can basically
only see clearly
three to four inches
in front of me.
My wife has joked
that probably
it's not a joke,
but that I would
be utterly useless
when I have to
defend her in a fight
because all you have
to do is just
knock the glasses off
and just going to
be throwing
punches blindly.
But just like
the best solution
for nearsightedness
is not to put
out our eyes
and go blind,
thank God,
but it's to
correct our vision
with glasses,
with contacts.
We shouldn't
blind ourselves
from reward,
but instead
correct our vision,
have a better
long-term view
of heavenly rewards.
seeking God's reward
as Jesus encourages,
it's not mercenary,
it's not impure,
but it honors God
because it's our
acknowledgement
that only he has
what can truly
satisfy.
He brings us
the greatest joy
and deepest happiness.
That's what I want.
That's what you say.
Do we immediately
consider a man
selfish
when he marries
a woman
because he anticipates
a lifetime of happiness
with her?
It's not immediately
selfish,
but it's honoring
to her.
In the same way,
if we
resolve to not
please man,
but to please God
for this future reward
for millions
of lifetimes
of happiness
with him,
that's not selfish,
but that's honoring
to him.
God is glorified
in us
when we live
with the conviction,
with the desire
that our greatest
satisfaction
and our reward
is found in him
and him alone.
We have to hit pause
and just say
the fact alone
though
that God would
reward me,
me,
is utterly astounding.
For who am I
but only an unworthy
servant
that should just do
whatever he tells me
to do whenever
he tells me
to do it?
Should the master
thank his servant
if he just does
what he's commanded
of?
And while that is
true,
that our relationships
with God is like that,
of master and servant,
Jesus doesn't frame
our relationship
with him
like this
in our passage today.
I don't know
if you've noticed
but the word
that is most
frequently repeated
in our passage
is not
righteousness,
it's not
hypocrite,
but it's the word
father.
In fact,
Matthew 6
has the word
father
the most amount
of times
in this one chapter
compared to all
the rest of the book
of Matthew.
And by this
super concentration
of this title,
Jesus is highlighting
the intimate
relationship
that we now have
as God being
our heavenly father
and we his children.
That he is not
a stingy,
hard to please
master.
He's not a stern,
aloof judge.
but that he is
a good,
good father
that loves us
and is desiring
to give us
good gifts.
This is,
this is a massive
idea
that we need
to internalize
more and more
because without
believing this,
we will never
be able to give
in secret.
We'll never be able
to practice
our righteousness
in secret
because if we
don't truly believe
that God sees us
and delights
to reward us,
then we're going
to seek
the affirmation
that we so crave
in other places.
But if he's a father
that jumps
at the chance
of blessing you,
of rewarding you,
you can now
give in secret
knowing that there
is going to be
a great heavenly
reward for you.
So give,
give in secret.
Even when
the world
is scheming
their way
to popularity
and to the top,
when everyone
is praising
that guy
who seems
to be getting
so much attention
for his acts
of righteousness,
we can be last,
be overlooked,
be invisible
because knowing,
we know that
our future,
our heavenly reward
will be so satisfying.
And in that
pursuit of rewards,
we not just
give in secret,
but we pray
in secret,
which brings me
to my second point.
In verses 5-6,
Jesus rebukes
the hypocrisy
of the scribes
and Pharisees
for the way
that they pray.
And just like
they gave
to the needy,
these actors
are merely
continuing
to play the part
as they lift up
these long,
lofty prayer monologues
in the synagogues
and the street corners.
And because they
love the stage
and they love
the limelight,
you can just
imagine them
scheming,
today,
where should I pray?
Should I
pray in that corner
next to the synagogue
by the market?
Gets a lot of
foot traffic.
But
it's kind of loud,
market's kind of loud,
I don't know if people
are going to be able
to hear me
when I hit my climax,
so let me pray
on the other corner.
You see,
there's a marked
difference
between someone
who egregiously
abuses religion
for his own gain
and operates like
there is no God
versus someone
like you and me
who struggles
honestly with
fear of man.
But while we
might not scheme
as intensely,
we can relate
to this hypocrite,
can't we?
I for sure can.
Why do our
palms get sweaty
and our hearts
beat just a little
bit faster
when it comes
to our turn
to pray
at prayer meetings?
Why do we feel
the need
to throw in
theological jargon
and Christianese
so that we sound
better when we pray?
Is it because we know
who we're praying to?
Do we know
that we're praying
to the Ancient of Days,
to El Elyon,
the God Most High,
to El Shaddai,
the God Almighty?
or is it because
we know that
Bobby is sitting
in the corner
over there
and we want
to impress
little old Bobby?
Pastor Derek
Prime captures
this phenomenon
well when he says,
we find ourselves
aware of the stars
only
when we cannot
see the sun.
We are preoccupied
with men
only when our minds
are turned away
from God.
God.
So may we
never forget
that the central
purpose of prayer
is to actually
pray to God.
I know,
groundbreaking theology,
but there are times
that I've done this
way too many times
that we pray
with a motive
primarily not
to communicate
to God,
but to communicate
to the people
around us.
It could be
for good reasons.
We want to
communicate
good truths.
We want to
remind somebody
of this thing
so we pray
for it
out loud.
Or,
for instance,
in front of our kids
we try to be
a healthy example
for them to emulate
so we pray.
Those are all
great benefits
of praying
and I continue
to pray in public
and with others,
but when prayer
in your heart
primarily becomes
about communicating
to the people
around you
horizontally,
instead of praying
vertically to God,
slowly but surely,
prayer is no longer
prayer,
but it's play acting.
But prayer
is one of the
greatest privileges
that we ought to
never take for granted
or abuse.
To approach
the throne of glory.
can you imagine
communicating to this
God just like
the prophet Isaiah
did in his vision
of the Lord
seated on the throne
high and lifted up
with the train
of his robe
filling the temples
with the seraphim
around him
proclaiming,
holy,
holy is the
Lord of hosts.
Can you imagine
that we get to pray
to that God
and he hears us
on the regular,
on the daily,
not only that,
but prayer
is one of the
most intimate
things that we
get to share
with God.
I've heard one
of my seminary
professors,
when asked about
his private
prayer life,
commented that
he doesn't like
to talk about
his prayer life
because for him
it feels like
he's talking about
his private
love life.
That's how
intimate it
feels to him
and his relationship
is with God.
God.
So then how
twisted is it
then to use
the privilege
of prayer,
the intimacy
of prayer
and use it
for our own
selfish gain?
I once heard
a story of a
pastor who was
well known
for just having
a remarkable,
deep,
fervent love
for his wife.
He simply
absolutely adored
her,
the ways that
his eyes would
sparkle looking
at her.
The way that
he would speak
about her,
the way he
would wait
on her hand
and foot.
Everyone just
knew,
even 40 years
into his
marriage,
that he was
head over heels
in love with
his wife.
Tragically,
when he lost
her,
he spoke
at our
funeral.
And when he
did,
everyone was
expecting this
grand display
of his
amazing love
for her.
And if anyone
could do it,
it was him.
But when he
got up there,
it was a
plain speech.
Basic facts
about his
wife,
the ministry
she carried
out,
and how she
was faithful
to the end.
He didn't
speak about
the thousands
of times
that they
prayed together,
the daily
walks that
they shared,
the inside
jokes that
brought out
the smile
that he so
dearly missed.
at the end,
people came
up to ask
him,
we know,
we know
that you
have loved
your wife.
Why didn't
you speak
more passionately
about your
love for her?
And to
which he
replied,
this funeral
is to honor
my wife
and the life
that she
lived.
It's not an
opportunity
for me to
show off
my love
for her.
This is not
about me.
In the same
way,
prayer is
not an
opportunity
for us
to show
off our
love for
God.
It's not
about us.
But how
many of us
struggle to
pray with
this kind
of self-forgetful
humility?
Whether we
arrogantly
think that we
can impress
others,
or we're
anxious,
and we worry
about embarrassing
ourselves,
we still make
prayer about
us.
We forget
who we're
praying to.
Not just
in prayer,
but we live
with that
kind of
self-attention,
that self-focus
often,
often in a
lot of what
we do.
So we don't
live in fear
of God,
but we live
in fear
of man.
But if we
were instead
to walk in
fear of the
Lord,
we'd be able
to live out
what Tim
Keller has
said.
True gospel
humility means
that I stop
connecting every
experience,
every conversation,
and I add
every prayer
with myself.
In fact,
I stop
thinking about
myself.
Oh,
how amazing
would that be
to stop
thinking about
yourself?
How liberating
would it be
to forget
yourself and
to pray openly
and honestly
before others
and to God?
How joyful
would it be
to stop
your performing
and stop
our play
acting
to impress
people,
but to be
who we are
and to pray
as we are?
I'm not
preaching anything
new.
Most of us
know that
we shouldn't
fear man
and we should
fear God
alone.
But honestly,
and I feel
this,
that feels
like something
that's so
hard to do.
It feels
like there's
such a large
gap between
what we know
in our heads
and what is
in our hearts.
It feels
like there's
such a large
gap between
what we want
to live like
and what we
are today.
So how do
we realistically
get from here
to there?
To that end,
Jesus recommends
that we ought
to pray in secret
in the privacy
of our rooms
because our
heavenly father
sees,
not just sees
in secret,
but he is
in secret.
If the Lord
is in secret
and invisible
to the human
eye,
then one
of the ways
we should
draw near
to him
should match
that,
to meet
him invisibly
from the rest
of the human
eyes.
Of course,
I don't think
that Jesus
is literally
commanding us
to never
pray with
others.
Of course,
that would
go against
many other
examples in
scripture,
even Jesus'
own example
in the book
of John.
In the book
of Acts,
there are
multiple
examples in
the church
gathering together
to pray
with great
power.
And I've
just tasted
and seen
a part of
that,
praying with
you guys.
I've been
built up
and encouraged
when I hear
you guys
pray.
But there
is something
to this
practice
of secret
prayer,
of going
into a
prayer closet.
You know,
practically in
a TikTok,
Netflix,
Twitter-infested
world,
it's hard
enough to
pray five
minutes without
internal
distraction.
We don't
need to
be bombarded
with external
distraction.
It would
be wise of
us to
find a
spot in
our homes,
in our
rooms,
if possible,
that is
device-less,
distraction-less,
where it could
just be you
and God.
And if you
don't have
those spots
in our
home,
we're going
to have
a spot
at the
church
office,
a little
nook
that's
hidden away
that you
can come
and pray
in secret.
And plan,
plan into
your schedule
those times
of prayer
in those
closets.
Of course,
have spontaneous
times of
prayer,
but don't
neglect the
planned times
either.
Just as my
marriage needs
both the
planned date
night and
the spontaneous
fun,
our
relationships
with God
need both
too.
But there
is something
more to
this practice
of praying
in secret,
for it is
in that
place where
the Spirit
of God
does His
work.
He builds
that bridge
between
head and
heart.
At first,
when we
begin doing
this,
our temptation
will be
to pray
like the
Pharisee
in Luke
18.
We say,
Lord,
thank you
that I'm
not like
the others
who don't
pray as
much as
me,
that don't
have a
prayer closet
like I
do.
But when
we are
still before
God long
enough,
the deep,
the ugly
stuff that
we all
carry,
the stuff
that we're
often too
busy to
identify and
to recognize
and acknowledge,
a desperate
longing for
people's
approval,
a lingering
guilt from
past mistakes,
unspoken
fears about
the future,
a deep
insecurity,
envy over
a friend's
success,
all that
stuff begins
to rise to
the surface.
And we see
that the only
prayer worth
praying in
that prayer
closet is
that of the
tax collector.
Lord,
have mercy
on me,
a sinner,
as we beat
our chests.
And then the
spirit of God
begins to
move.
begins to
do a work
on us
and gradually
but surely
constructs that
bridge between
head and
heart.
We can now
internalize the
truths of the
gospel.
He draws us
close to
himself and
reminds us of
all the lies
that we're
believing and
the truths that
we're forgetting.
Reminds us that
God loves us
based on what
Jesus has done
for us on
the cross,
not based on
our performance,
not based on
what man thinks
of us.
And he
empowers us
in that
secret place
to live out
the gospel,
to live as if
we actually
believe it.
And there in
the secret
place,
our fear of
man is
transformed
into the
fear of
the Lord.
And we
learn there
how to pray
with a
self-forgetful
humility.
Then when we
pray self-forgetfully,
either in
private or in
public,
when we pray
to get more
of God and
not to get
more of
man,
he will
reward us
in heaven
with a
love that
our hearts
are so
desperately
yearning for.
That love
that we've
only tasted
a part here
but will be
fuller,
richer in
that last
day.
So friend,
recently,
have you
known,
have you
tasted the
sweetness of
the Lord where
it's just you
and him?
have you
felt the
good Father
work on
your heart
in your
prayer closet?
Have you
sensed his
gentle guidance
speaking directly
to your soul
in those
moments?
If we
have,
then God
will help
us to
practice
our
righteousness,
not to
seek the
attention of
man,
even as
we fast,
which brings
me to my
last point.
In verses
16 to 18,
Jesus again
contrasts,
showy hypocrisy
and secret
righteousness.
This time
with fasting.
Fasting is
the prayer of
voluntarily
abstaining from
food for a
specific amount
of time so
that we draw
close to him
in prayer.
It's a way
to express
both in
soul and
body that
more than
food,
we need
God more.
It's a way
to sharpen
our hunger
for God
alone.
In a
quintessential
John Piper
way to
say this,
he says,
the greatest
enemy of
hunger for
God is
not poison,
but apple
pie.
It's not
the banquet
of the wicked
that dulls
our appetite
for heaven,
but endless
nibbling at
the table
of the world.
Once again,
Jesus assumes
that his
disciples are
fasting.
It doesn't
say if you
fast,
but when you
fast.
fast,
especially
given the
start of
prayer and
fasting week,
I want to
challenge you
and encourage
you.
Fasting is
one of the
least practiced
spiritual
disciplines in
the American
church today.
If you
haven't ever
fasted before,
take some
time to try
to fast.
Start off
small.
Fast just
one meal,
but use that
time to
express your
desperation for
the Lord and
for the Lord
alone.
That more
than food,
I need God
and God
alone.
And as you
make this a
regular habit,
you're going to
see that just
as he said,
Jesus has
food to eat
that the
world doesn't
know about.
But given
that true
fasting is the
expression of
desperation for
God,
what these
hypocrites are
doing is not
fasting, but
just going
hungry, going
on a diet.
like his
theatrical
giving or
his ornate
prayers, this
hypocritical
actor continued
the act by
skipping meals
and on top
of that,
costuming up,
putting on
makeup by
disfiguring his
face, likely
putting ashes or
dirt on his
head and face
to make it
readily apparent
that he is
on a fast.
The word
disfigure in
the Greek
literally means
to hide,
and I
think it
highlights this
rich, self
defeating irony
that this man
is hiding his
face behind a
mask in order
to be seen
by others.
Once again,
Jesus, though
he spoke 2,000
years ago, speaks
directly to our
lives.
It's relevant
now.
Because I
think at the
heart of this
passage, Jesus
is addressing,
tapping into
something innate
in every single
one of us
here in this
room.
Every single
one of us
craves to
be adored,
approved of,
accepted, and
loved.
There's not a
single person
on this earth
that is not
desperately and
intensely yearning
for that kind
of acceptance.
So when we
put on these
masks of
religiosity and
show off our
works of
righteousness to
be able to
win that kind
of approval
that our
hearts are so
desperately
yearning for.
But when the
show ends,
the curtain
closes and
the lights
turn off,
do you know
what you have
to do?
You have to
go home.
You have to
go home with
yourself.
You're not
fooling anyone
there.
Because we know
deep down that
any amount of
acting cannot
change who we
really are.
For the person
we are in
secret is a
person that we
really are.
The person that
you are when no
one is looking
is a person that
you really are.
Then who are
the people that
really know you?
Really know you?
Sure, our spouses
and our best
friends, they've
seen a lot of
your lows.
But if they
were to watch a
videotape of
your life, if
they heard or
saw all of your
inner thoughts,
there would be so
many things that we
wouldn't want to
show them.
They don't know
who you really
are.
And if they did,
they might not
even love you.
Only the
Lord knows
the real you.
We read this
verse in the
Assurance of
Pardon 4.13
in Hebrews
says,
no creature
is hidden
from his
sight, but
all are
naked and
exposed to
the eyes of
him.
To him we
must give
account.
This is a
terrifying verse,
is it not?
For all the
murderous
mutterings that
we've said
under our
breath, because
we thought no
one would
hear, God
has heard.
For all our
lustful thoughts
that we haven't
told a single
person about, God
has seen.
For all our
manipulative lies
that we thought
we got away
with, God
has heard.
If you're any
bit self-aware,
you have to be
wondering, how
could I ever be
loved by this
God?
But the
amazing news
of the gospel
is that God
has loved
us, that he
has loved us
by sending
his son to
die for
sinners like
you and me.
That this
God has not
only just seen
all the evil
that you've
done in the
past, but
all the future
evil that you
will do, and
he still has
committed himself
to you, even
to death.
Do you
understand how
preposterous is
that idea that
the creator God,
perfect and holy,
would take on
every single
one of my
heinous sins,
my secret
sins, and
that he's
accepted me
in Jesus.
Ever since
Adam and Eve,
sin has always
made us feel
naked and
exposed.
Our sin is
the ultimate
reason why we
feel like we
need to put on
these masks and
parade our
righteousness,
because we're
just trying to
cover up our
guilt and cover
up the shame
of our sin.
Isn't this
exactly what
Mike
Guglielmucci
did?
Just as God
graciously covered
Adam and Eve,
for those who
have put their
faith in Jesus,
rest assured
that he has
now not only
taken every
single one of
our sins, but
he has covered
you with his
perfect righteousness
so that he is
getting rid of
any need for
a mask, any
need to pretend
anymore.
So only to the
extent that you
believe, not
just with your
head, but in
your heart, when
you internalize
that truth, can
we now lower our
masks, can we
now anoint our
heads and wash
our faces when we
fast, not to
seek the approval
of man, but to
seek the approval
of God, the
reward that only
he can give.
And this, this
can then transform
this church, Trinity
Cambridge Church, it's
this power of the
gospel that will
enable us to be the
community that he
has called us to
be, not a church
where we need to
put on our best
face and pretend,
pretend to be people
that we're not, not
a church, but a
church that confesses
sins, that is
honest and open with
where we are and
who we are and
humbles ourselves
before others.
It's exhausting.
I've done this.
It's exhausting to
continue to pretend.
It's healing.
It's healing to be
honest and open.
And I pray that this
church be a no
mask, no
performing, no
play acting zone.
Imagine what our
church would be.
Imagine how set
apart we would be
from the rest of the
world, from any
other place that you
go to.
Then the world will
know us by our
love.
So as we give, we
pray, we fast, we
disciple, we
counsel, we read,
whatever we do, we
can do it all not to
seek the recognition
of man.
Because of the
things that happened
in the past, the
things that are
happening present in
the present, and the
things that will
happen in the
future.
Because of Jesus'
past work on the
cross to cover all
sin, we are secured, we
are covered in his
righteousness.
There's no need for
masks.
Because of God's
present work on us, when
we meet with him in
secret, we not only
believe the gospel, but
he helps us to
internalize it and to
walk as if we
believe.
And because of our
future heavenly reward,
we are motivated to
reject the lesser, the
smaller reward of man to
wait for something far,
far better.
And when we tap into
all of those reasons, we
can practice our
righteousness in secret,
not to be seen by man
and rewarded by man, but
God and him alone.
And when we do that, we
will hear that final day,
well done, well done,
good and faithful servant,
enter the joy of your
master.
That will be the
greatest thing you will
ever hear in your
lives.
For that alone, I can't
wait.
Let's pray.
So, Lord, we pray you
would help us to
internalize the gospel,
that this church would be
marked by a gospel
culture where we don't
need to pretend anymore,
but we are honest because
we are secure in the
love of Christ.
Empower us today to do
that.
Help us to have a bigger
view of you, God, and a
smaller view of self.
And then in all things,
we would know that it's
not us, but it is Christ
in us that we can now
live in this obedience.
Help us.
In Jesus' name, amen.