The Village Church
Check yourself before you wreck yourself - Audio
[ Inaudible Remark ] I'm sorry Matthew chapter 6, I finished the five last week. The two great commands of the Bible are what? Y'all sound too confident this morning. The two greatest commands in the Bible are what? Now if I ask you to score the national championship game, y'all can just quote that like that. Now come on. All right, love God, love neighbor. In Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 through 48, we just finished a whole series on those verses. And when you look at them, they basically deal with love for neighbor. That's what Jesus is talking about there, which is express in the more demands of the law. When Jesus talks about anger, love, love, divorce, truthfulness in our words, retaliation, love for enemies. That's relating to other people in our relationships. And we relate to them through love. And over the past several weeks, we've seen Jesus correct the misunderstanding, the misinterpretation, the misapplication of these more demands. And this morning, we see Jesus make a transition in the sermon on the mouth. He moves away from dealing with love to neighbor to basically dealing with love toward God, which is express in three religious demands that should be done with right motives. So if you have your Bibles, open them to Matthew chapter 6 to get in verse 1. This is God's word. 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 right hand know what your-- 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. When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, but they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in 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, shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret. And when your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Now, jump down to verse 16, 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, not your head will knock your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. This is God's holy word. Amen? Please pray with him for me. More about Jesus, more about Him. That's what preaching is about. That's what worship is about. That's why we sing the songs that we sing. That's why we hear this morning. To learn more about Him, less about us, less about our reputation, less about our need to be great. But it's all about you, Lord. And as I pray every week and as I'm going to pray, as long as I'm in ministry, I pray that your spirit will come. Move me to the side, move my pride to the side, move my ego to the side, and humble me to the dust so that you can speak through me to your beloved, your people, whom you die for on Catholic. I'm just a vessel, and that's it, and that's all I'm ever going to be. And so spirit, take these words and apply it to my heart and apply it to the hearts of your people, Christ and my prayer. Amen. One pastor says, "In Jesus' day, there were three signs of piety, three tokens of religious devotion, gifts to the poor, prayer, and fasting. And with these three tokens in mind, Jesus says to us, "Beware of practicing your righteousness." In other words, He's telling us you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself and the things that you do for the kingdom. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. 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. Practice in your righteousness. What does Jesus mean by that? Because I'm a little confused about that, because back in Matthew 5, Jesus says, "We've got to have a righteousness that it sees that of the Pharisees and strives." So now He's here saying, "We've got to practice righteousness, and what is He talking about?" Is this a contradiction? Are we to now be like the Pharisees and strives here? No. Because we also know that the righteousness from God is what? Through faith in Jesus Christ, which is different from the righteousness of the strives and Pharisees, which was just external. See, Jesus is letting us know here that letting us know that a saving faith in Him, once you have a saving faith in Him, it naturally overflows into a serving faith for Him, a natural overflow. If you are believing in Jesus, it's going to natural overflow to you living for Him. Naturally, you ain't got to force it. It's going to happen. The practice in the righteousness is you are expressing your faith in tangible ways in the life that you live. It's those deeds, those good works that conform to the will of God. And there are three that Jesus talks about here, gifts to the poor, prayer, and fasting. These were the religious tokens of Jesus' day. What about our day? What do you think are some of the religious signs of piety in our day? The signs have been sold out for Jesus. Give me some. In our little context, what are the religious tokens of piety in the Bible Belt of America? Come on. All the Bible states you go to, yes, check, token, quiet time, daily, token. What about being a missionary? How about leaving your church over in South Huntsville to come to the church down here in Lincoln Village, check, check, token? What about this? What about, oh, I got the right theology, so now I'm better than everybody else. I have the right theology, working with the poor, the needy, token. We are a missional church. Oh, yeah, that's the key word now. Missional church. I'm a gospel center church. Oh, yes. Any of those things bad in and of themselves? No. They're not. They're not bad. And Jesus does not say practicing these things are bad. He wants us to express our faith. It's part of a kingdom lifestyle to do so. During the summer and spring months, LVM, Lincoln Village ministry, we have many groups come in to work with us down here. Last year, we had a group from Wheaton College come in that toward the end of the week, Mark always have the students and the groups right about their experience. What did the God show them during their week here? And one of the students from Wheaton, in his little note, he said, "This was the first time my faith seemed real." First time. Now, when Mark shared it with me, I thought about that. I said, "What does he really mean about that? The first time that his faith seemed real to him?" And when I thought about it, more I came to this conclusion, this is probably the first time his faith in Christ was ever expressed in a way that took him out of his comfort zone. Because being not here takes you out of your comfort zone. When they come down here for a week, they're out of their comfort zone. They're not in Chicago anymore. They're down here in the village. And if we're honest with ourselves, we're just like this college student. We believers have a tame faith, domesticated faith, safe, comfortable, easy, like a little house pet, a chihuahua. Non-threatening, don't challenge you, it's just there. And just admit it, we want saving faith in Jesus to be a snuggie. Just cover me Jesus, keep me warm Jesus, protect me Jesus, but under no circumstances are you to demand anything from my life. Just cover me, just snuggle me, but never demand anything on my life, never call me to be uncomfortable for the Kingdom. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this, that the one who has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all, that those who live, may no longer live for themselves, but for him, whom through their sake died and was raised, expressing your faith as you live in for Christ." And he wants us to do that, to put it into practice, but he does issue a warning. And as you put your faith into practice, he says, "Beware, beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them." This word, beware, it means to call attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert, to be on guard. Jesus wants his disciples, his people, to be on a constant lookout to the temptation that we all have faith to practice his things, to do the things we do for the wrong reasons, for the wrong motivation. Everybody will be tempted to do that, everyone of us. You see, Jesus assumes two things here, he assumes that his disciples will express their faith, like given to the poor, prayer, fasting, in the presence of other people. People are going to see you do those things, he assumes that, and secondly, he assumes that his disciples will also struggle with the temptation to do those things for man's praise, that they will struggle with that. He assumes that in these words, and that's the reality, men, the good days we do for the kingdom, other people will see you would do it in front of other people. The issue is what is your intent, what is your purpose, what is your motive, what is it? When you help the poor, when you work at the soup kitchen or the food pantry, why? What's your motive from being there, when you volunteer at the link, when you volunteer over at Chapman, why are you there? What's your purpose? When you pray, when you fast, when you go to those Bible studies, when you go to those mission conferences, when you go to the short-term mission trip, why do you go? What's your purpose? What's your motive? Jesus warns us about this because he doesn't want us to be self-deceived and blind to the reality that there will be a temptation, that there will be a clear and pleasant danger of you to do those things for the wrong reasons. He doesn't want us to be like the hypocrites who blindly practice good deeds but false motives. Three times in his passage he says, do not be like the hypocrites, do not live like them. What is a hypocrite? It's a person who pretends to be something he or she is not. And within this context, a hypocrite pretends to practice actual righteousness out of reverence for the God. They pretend to do so, they pretend to do it because they love him. Outletly it appears that way, but in their heart, they do a lot of reverence for self. It's all about me, baby. When the hypocrite gives to the needy, it's all of reverence to self. When the hypocrite praises out of reverence to self, when the hypocrite fasts is out of reverence to self, you can feel in the blank. Whatever thing you want to feel in terms of piety, do you do it out of reverence for you or do that out of reverence for the Father, which one? The hypocrites give to the needy and they sound the trumpet before themselves in the synagogues and the street corners to be seen by others. When they pray, they love to stand, pray out loud in front of other people that they may be praised by people and when they fast, they want everyone to know that fasting. They disfigure their faces so people will see it. The hypocrites' motivation is to receive praise, honor, and glory from other people calling attention to themselves. They do their good deeds. They see their good deeds as an opportunity to show off, to call attention to what they're doing. Look at me. I'm good. I'm great. I'm compassionate. I'm super spiritual, so they pretend to care about the needy, pretend to have compassion and a reverence for God. They pretend to pray and fast out of worship for God, but it's always shown. It's always shown. It's all about their image, their glorification, their glorification. Until the time when we talk about good deeds or good works, it's primarily talked about in terms of believers trying to earn favor with God. Usually, he's always talked about in that regard, "Stop trying to earn God's favor by doing that. Stop it." But Jesus shows us another way in which believers use their good deeds and it's still God's glory. It's still His praise, just still His honor. You see, the hypocrite isn't sitting around worrying about, "Man, am I earning God's favor today? Is that why I'm doing this?" No, he's too calling himself to worry about that. He wants God's glory. He wants their attention. He wants to focus. He wants to praise, are she? He wants to have a great name, a glorious reputation. He wants people to praise him to follow him, to lift his name up. When Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I said to you that person has received his reward." He wanted man's praise and he got it. They have received it here at the Village Church. We can't blindly think that every believer struggles equally with trying to earn God's favor through good deeds because that's just not the case. Some of you struggle more with wanting to father's glory. We do. Not wanting to try to write for his favor, but you want the attention. You want the ego to grow. Beware of that. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Pride always comes before the fall. Remember that. Pride always comes before the fall. Isaiah 48 says, "My glory, I want to give to another." And that includes the people he died for. My glory, my praise, my awesomeness, my glorification, my recognition, I would give to another and that includes you and me, the people he wants to carry forth. He give those everything, but he ain't going to give you his glory. Never. Jesus said last week, Jesus said, "Be perfect like your Heavenly Father is perfect." And that means we ought to be a reflection of the Father. But we will struggle to be content with just being a reflection because our sin will lead us to actually believe we are the incarnation of his glory. What did the serpent say to Eve? What did the serpent say to Eve? He would be like God, nor in good and evil. Be like God, mean get his glory like God, get recognition like God, be great like God. Yes. You think that temptation is not flying rampant in our churches? Yes, it is, it is. There is only one who is the incarnation of God's glory, and that is Jesus. And that is who is always going to be Jesus, not us. We are a reflection people. God's ministers are a reflection people, they're not holier than thou, just a reflection. Don't live like the hypocrites when you practice good deeds, don't live like them. If you do so Jesus says you will have no reward from the Father. Now don't take these words from Jesus and go home, and if you're an engineer you're going to go home and analyze your motives to the point where you paralyze yourself and you can't get out of bed in the morning because you won't be getting out of bed for yourself or for Jesus. Come on, come back. He simply says be on guard against this, be on guard against this. Don't blindly live in it. I'm going to create a new word here, repentantly struggle with it. Don't blindly live in it. Do you see yourself as a hypocrite? Do you see it on your blind? That's the point. Do you see it? Because if you don't see it you're not going to repent of it. Do you see it? Do you see it? He says if we don't we will not receive a reward from the Father. Notice when he mentions rewards here he says reward from your father. Why is that? Why doesn't he just say God? That's not their back sin. You see your view of rewards here and what impacts your motives for good deeds is your view of God, is your view of him. If you believe God is a slave master then what motivates you to do what you do because you don't want to get whipped because you're going to do what you're doing. You don't want to come on his wrath. That's what motivates you. If God is your horrible boss, you see your Santa Claus. If he's your Santa Claus you do because you know he can get goodies because you're not naughty. Is he your ATM guy, is he evil, is he a pushover, is he impersonal, is he detached from your life, neither of those. He's not a genie anymore that you can go rub and just get three wishes. What's your view of God this morning? Because that would impact everything about where you live your life. He is your father. That means personal, good, loving father who is also holy because he lives in heaven means he has standards that he does not compromise on. He's both personal and holy and he's involved in your life. Our motivation for doing anything we do for the kingdom is love for that father, our reverence for that father to please him to be a reflection of him. Remember Jesus' words in Matthew 5, 14, "You are the light of the world. A city set on the hill cannot be hidden. And all the people out of the lamp and put it on the basket put on a stand and it gives light to all in the house in the same way, let your light shine before others." Why? So that may see your good works and do what give glory to your father who is in heaven. When you do what you do, who's getting the glory? Him or you? Are you increasing or is Jesus increasing, both of you can't. You can't give God glory and yourself glory at the same time. Where are you? Glory to him for our good works, not glory to ourselves. When you give to the needy, don't let your right hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't call attention to yourself. Don't go boasting about it. I gave this last week. Don't seek recognition for the things that you do, the money that you give. Be content with just being a reflection. Be content with just that. Just serve. Remember who gets the credit, who name gets put on the billboard? Just serve. When you pray, he says, "Go into your room and shut the door." Now that doesn't mean we shouldn't pray in public. The purpose of what he says is when you pray, don't do it so people would thank you super spiritual. If you're at Starbucks praying, don't do it so people could say, "Oh, the Spirit, you're looking at me praying in public." Why? Prayer and fasting are tools in which we draw closer to the heart of God, not tools so we can look good about, so we can look good. Those things will draw you close and commune with him, not so folks can see you and think you're holier than now, you're some super Christian worship purpose in the things that you do, things that you do. We do these things again out of love and reverence for the Father and for him to receive glory and honor. And Jesus says, "When we do it that way, God rewards us." Now what does that mean? What does it mean by reward? Is it referred to something material, financial blessings? What is he referring to? See, the hypocrite reward was to be praised by other people, he got it. You see, as a believer, the reward we look for first is for the Father to be praised and honored for the things that we do, is that the reward you're looking for. When you pray and fast, you do so for the purpose of being drawn closer to the heart of God, not so you can look good. Again, worship motive. When you give to the needy, you get the reward of being used by the Father to be another person's needy. You see, the reward you aim for is tied to your motivation, it's tied to it. Our motivation for good words that I love for the Father is to him get the credit. Now I know you're saying, "Well, Alex, do I ever have this type of motive 100% of the time? Do we?" Well, y'all, it's not a trick question. Of course not, but what does that mean? Should I not listen to what Jesus is saying? No, we don't have 100% primotives all the time, but we do have to give a repentance 100% of the time. So the point is that when the Spirit convicts you of impremotives, what you need to do? Just repent and move on, just repent and move on, stop sitting around thinking one day you go get to a place where you do have 100% motive, you're not. You have repentance, use it, move on. When you start using rewards from the Father, some Christians get nervous because the whole theology foundation begin to fall down, but you begin to think, "Okay, am I trying to earn something here from God?" Let me ask you a question. As God's people, can you please and displease him in a way you choose to live your life? I'm not talking about salvation, post salvation, you end the kingdom, you end the foe, you are a sheep, you have seven faith in Christ. Now can you please and displease him in a way you choose to live your life? Some of you are nervous right now. Is this a trick question again, Alex? Don't forbid, if I cheat on my key there's God displease with me, no? If I help someone who's in need, is God pleased with me? If I help a stranger who's in need, is God pleased with me if I do? If you answer this question there's no. If we say that's a child of God there's nothing you can do to please him or displease him. If you believe this, then there's something else you also need to believe to go along with that. But what does that mean, Alex? If you believe that there's nothing you can do or displease do to please or displease God's a child, then you need to also embrace the fact that you mean so little to him that he doesn't really care how you live your life. To me, that's what that says. If you believe this, I want you known to believe it, but I want you to put it into practice with your own kids. Because we're calling to be reflection of him, are we not? Are we not calling to be reflection of God? So parents, when you get home today, I want you to, all your kids, set them down on the couch, and this is what I want you to tell them, babies, there's nothing you can do to please me or displease me. Just rest in the fact that you're my child. Just rest in that. Don't worry about pleasing me or displeasing me because you can't. Just rest in the fact that you're my son. Just rest in that. What, Dad? Daddy? Daddy? Guess what? I got an A on my test. This week, Dad, are you proud of me or are you pleased with me? Neither. I'm not... I'm not... I'm not... I need to please with you or displease with you. I've told you before, there's nothing you can do to please me or displease me baby girl. Stop bringing to me all these so-called achievements. Oh, I'm not pleased when you get an A on the test. I'm not pleased when you do well at your dance recital, none of that stuff matters. And the better news is that I'm not even displeasing when you get pregnant before marriage and have a kid. I won't be displeasing with that either. You are already my daughter. Rest in that. So don't worry about pleasing me or displeasing me because you can't. A case sweetheart, Daddy loves you. Is that your Daddy? Because if that's how God treats us, then you need to go home and treat your kids that way. And none of you will because you love them. And if we who are simple fathers can do that, how much more Him? How much more Him? How much more Him who is not sinful, who is not blind, but who is holy and good and perfect? So the answer to the question is, yes, He cares, yes, we can please and displease Him as sons and daughters and where we choose to live our lives. Because here's the thing, if He's never displeased with us, I'm in sin every time I fix the table. I'm in sin if I ever bring someone on the church discipline because if God is not displeased with the man, what gives me the right to say He can't come to the table? So He can't have it but ways, He can't fix the table and bring people on the church discipline if you say God's never displeased with us. Re-Hebrews 12, what it talks about, the discipline of the Lord, which is grace. And to me, discipline implies some displeasure, but it also implies love. I discipline massing because I love her, not because I hate her, if I didn't love her, I would do what she wanted to do because she means nothing to me. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 and 9, "We make it our aim to please Him." Hebrews 6 says, "For God is not unjust, so is to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name." Listen to that. Paul says, "God is not unjust to forget your work and the love you have shown toward His name." He doesn't forget it. You see, we need to have a preschooler view of the kingdom. And what I mean by that, whenever you have little kids, many of your kids are grown now, you know when your kids are in preschool, you know, they be working hard trying to color stuff and sometimes it's not in the line. You got to realize that you are a preschooler, all the days of your life in the kingdom. He ain't ever going to have it perfectly drunk colored in the line. And you know what? The Father is okay with that. You're not. You're not. And in the times when he brings us under his discipline because he loves us, that because he hates us, not because he hates us. And so, even when we practice good deeds, all our impromotives, there is forgiveness. God does humble us for our pride, but he humbles us because he loves us, not because he hates us, because he loves us, let us pray. Father God, I thank you, Lord, that you do have standards for which you call us to live as your people. But Lord, you are mindful that we are but the, you are mindful that we are just preschoolers. You don't always make the perfect picture and you are okay with that. You are okay with that. Help us to be okay with that. Then on this side of glory, we ain't ever going to arrive at a place where we have it all together. And I'm going to arrive at a place where we go along and stroke with sin. But Lord, that's why we're pen-tense, that's why I love it. Because I can repent when I fall short and move on. Some of us need to learn how to repent and move on, repent and move on, stop trying to get up on the cross for y'all sins. You know that we are sheep who has issues. Help us to know that, because we always forget it, perhaps name a prayer. - Thank you.