WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.339 Good morning church. How's everyone doing this 00:00:03.339 --> 00:00:10.640 morning? Great. It has been a beautiful weekend 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:14.699 for us. But welcome to the house. My name is 00:00:14.699 --> 00:00:17.160 Alex Campbell, if we haven't met before. I'd 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.899 love to meet you. Please catch me after church. 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:24.000 And I am excited today to be bringing a sermon 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.820 on the Sermon on the Mount. So this is a sermon 00:00:26.820 --> 00:00:30.339 about a sermon. Last year in the SHED we actually 00:00:30.339 --> 00:00:32.700 were able to go through the Beatitudes and even 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:36.100 a portion of the Sermon on the Mount and there 00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:38.460 was something that I read in that prep that has 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:40.399 really stuck with me since then and it was just 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.979 that these are the words of our Lord and Savior 00:00:42.979 --> 00:00:45.840 like these are the words he taught to other human 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:48.619 beings and I think that should have a special 00:00:48.619 --> 00:00:51.640 kind of weight when we we read and consider and 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:53.759 just how wonderful it is that we get to read 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:57.679 it over and over and over the words of Jesus 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:02.020 who experience life as we experience life. Not 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:04.900 only that, but he has a plan for how we are supposed 00:01:04.900 --> 00:01:07.799 to experience life. And that's what the bulk 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:09.299 of the Sermon on the Mount is. So I'm excited 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:12.000 to bring some of that today. In the beginning 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.879 of the Sermon on the Mount, chapter five, verse 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:17.480 one, it says, now when Jesus saw the crowds, 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:22.760 he went up on a mountainside and sat down. So 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:25.400 if you could just imagine with me that you are 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:29.120 following this Jesus to the base of a mountainside 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:33.560 to sit and to find a seat to listen to what he 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:37.739 has to say. Now you've probably traveled quite 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.180 a distance just to get here. You probably traveled 00:01:40.180 --> 00:01:43.040 with a group of people that you know, but as 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:46.340 you look around you see thousands of people that 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:49.780 you have no idea who they are. They're all here 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:53.120 to see this one guy. What is so important about 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:58.109 what he has to say, this Jesus of Nazareth? Well, 00:01:58.109 --> 00:02:00.989 you like other people are hoping upon all hope 00:02:00.989 --> 00:02:02.650 that this is the one that you've been hearing 00:02:02.650 --> 00:02:05.230 about the one that has been preaching and healing 00:02:05.230 --> 00:02:08.270 The one who has come to bring the kingdom of 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:13.330 heaven near For most of you for most of the the 00:02:13.330 --> 00:02:15.969 Jews and the people there that primarily means 00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:20.729 freedom from the Roman Empire So over the course 00:02:20.729 --> 00:02:23.789 of several decades and the last several generations 00:02:23.789 --> 00:02:27.319 the land has been taken taxes were imposed that 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:31.240 were burdensome. Every negative experience that 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:34.919 you have up to this point was at the fault of 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.419 the Roman Empire, their oppression that they 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:40.840 have put on you and your people. And you grew 00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:44.620 up hearing about a time when there would be freedom 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:48.879 in the kingdom of God. And so everything that 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.629 you know and understand the coming of the kingdom 00:02:51.629 --> 00:02:54.030 to you was external it was something that would 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:57.430 be imparted on you the same way that rome imparted 00:02:57.430 --> 00:03:01.949 its ways on the jews but rather than be subject 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:04.710 to the bondage of rome you would be subjects 00:03:04.710 --> 00:03:07.430 to whatever system the kingdom of god looked 00:03:07.430 --> 00:03:11.710 like because for the jews that generationally 00:03:11.710 --> 00:03:15.969 long and deeply felt experience of oppression 00:03:15.969 --> 00:03:19.719 they were waiting for a materialistic conception 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:22.740 of the kingdom to change their circumstances. 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.460 If I could only just be free of this one thing, 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:29.539 then I would experience the freedom of the kingdom 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:34.860 of heaven. Then I can enjoy life. Last week, 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.960 even when we considered the Beatitudes, we found 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:41.960 that Jesus didn't really fulfill that expectation 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:46.719 right off the bat from his Sermon on the Mount. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:52.199 But what he does is look at you, the thousands 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:56.800 of people gathered. The brokenhearted, the poor, 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:01.159 the weak, the sick, the hopeless, the beat down, 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:03.620 the crushed, the defeated, the rejected, passed 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:08.180 over, the forgotten, and abused. And Jesus says, 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:13.979 my kingdom is for you. My kingdom is for you. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:19.319 My kingdom grows here. It doesn't just get by, 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:24.120 it thrives here among you. And he launches into 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:27.240 teaching, the teaching to explain the kingdom 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:29.800 way. And it must, man it must have been so exciting 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:31.639 to hear about how they would no longer be oppressed, 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:33.240 how they would be free, they'd have their own 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:35.199 land back, they'd have plenty of money, there 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:36.879 wouldn't be doctors you don't have to wait in 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:39.540 line to see. You get PTO at a higher rate, I 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:41.180 mean it would have been amazing. Life would have 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:44.839 been great. But no, he doesn't teach that, he 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:47.480 doesn't. He doesn't teach about an externalized 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:50.839 kingdom being imposed on his people. Instead, 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:55.019 Jesus teaches the kingdom of God is one of right 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:59.819 relation, enjoying people, enjoying God, and 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:02.980 enjoying the gift of life. Because the kingdom 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:08.139 of God is all about how his people live. And 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:11.480 so today, if you would grab a Bible and open 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.959 up to Matthew chapter six. We're going to read 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.939 verses one through 18. This is just a portion 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:21.420 of what Jesus teaches about his right relation. 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:24.180 So there are Bibles on your tables. You can take 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.759 that home if you need, or you can open up a Bible 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:29.220 app to follow along. Here at the house, we do 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:32.240 have a tradition of standing whenever the scripture 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:35.019 is read in the context of a sermon, just to give 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:37.079 our full attention. So however you're able and 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:38.879 willing to do that, if you would like to join 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.000 me in standing, do that now. And we're going 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.410 to read six, one through 18. We're not going 00:05:45.410 --> 00:05:48.610 to talk about every single verse, but I just 00:05:48.610 --> 00:05:51.029 want to read the words of Jesus's teaching over 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:52.810 you, even though we're not going to go into depth 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:56.290 on all of them. But I thought that would be important 00:05:56.290 --> 00:06:01.470 for us today. Be careful not to practice your 00:06:01.470 --> 00:06:03.490 righteousness in front of others to be seen by 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:06.850 them. If you do, you will have no reward from 00:06:06.850 --> 00:06:09.600 your Father in heaven. So when you give to the 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:11.959 needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:14.720 hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:19.740 to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:23.319 have received the reward in full. But when you 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:25.240 give to the needy, do not let your left hand 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:27.879 know what your right hand is doing, so that your 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:30.959 giving may be in secret. Then your father, who 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.300 sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:36.209 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, 00:06:36.290 --> 00:06:38.449 for they love to pray standing in the synagogues 00:06:38.449 --> 00:06:40.629 and on the street corners to be seen by others. 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:43.509 Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward 00:06:43.509 --> 00:06:46.709 in full. But when you pray, go into your room, 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:49.029 close the door, and pray to your Father who is 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:52.170 unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:55.649 in secret will reward you. And when you pray, 00:06:55.670 --> 00:06:57.810 do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:00.389 they think they will be heard because of their 00:07:00.389 --> 00:07:03.110 many words. Do not be like them, for the Father 00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:07.180 knows what you need before you ask. This then 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:10.519 is how you should pray. Our Father in heaven, 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.720 hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:17.160 will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.420 us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:22.120 as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:24.339 us not to temptation but deliver us from the 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:27.379 evil one. For if you forgive other people when 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:29.920 they sin against you, your heavenly Father will 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:33.519 also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.060 their sins, your father will not forgive your 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:40.120 sins. When you fast, do not look somber as the 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:41.959 hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:44.980 to show others they are fasting. Truly, I tell 00:07:44.980 --> 00:07:46.860 you, they have received their reward in full. 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:49.860 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:52.220 your face so it will not be obvious to others 00:07:52.220 --> 00:07:55.040 that you are fasting, but only to your father 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:58.100 who is unseen. And your father who sees what 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:01.779 is done in secret will reward you. So let us 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:04.319 pray. God, we just thank you for the scriptures 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.699 that we have them to remind us of the good news, 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:10.620 to remind us of your faithfulness. Lord, be gracious 00:08:10.620 --> 00:08:13.459 with us today and soften our hearts this morning 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:16.899 that we may receive the words of Jesus, our Lord 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.579 and our Savior, and may stick and become part 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:22.300 of the framework of our faith. And Lord, that 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:24.160 there would be an encouragement to live as you'd 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.319 have us live in right relation to others and 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:35.840 to you. Amen. May we be seated. Matthew 6 here 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:40.980 in this section is generally about our right 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:44.919 relation with God, our Father. And so when we 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:46.919 read righteousness, when it says practice your 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:50.240 righteousness, you can really substitute like 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:54.500 right relation, being made right with God. And 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:57.179 the focus of these teachings is about how we 00:08:57.179 --> 00:09:00.659 can posture our hearts toward God. how we can 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:03.059 communicate and commune and participate in the 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:07.220 kingdom that he has. So in this section, Jesus 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:10.399 gives us one lesson, just one lesson. And just 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:12.980 make sure we like really get it. He gives us 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:15.919 three different examples, right? So the first 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.059 one, this is the lesson right here. Be careful 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:20.419 not to practice your righteousness in front of 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:23.580 others to be seen by them. If you do, you will 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:30.059 have no reward from your father in heaven. Jesus 00:09:30.059 --> 00:09:34.659 here is looking beyond what you do to why you 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:39.220 do it. It's through this why that Jesus is introducing 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:43.320 a new way of righteousness. He's teaching that 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:47.320 our motivation should not be to be seen by other 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:51.120 people. He shows us that our actions, even when 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:56.360 right, can be tainted by the why. The means. 00:09:57.449 --> 00:10:01.850 don't justify the ends. The means or the why 00:10:01.850 --> 00:10:06.210 don't, I said that backwards didn't I? The ends 00:10:06.210 --> 00:10:10.129 don't justify the means. The ends don't justify 00:10:10.129 --> 00:10:12.470 the means, the what we do don't justify the why 00:10:12.470 --> 00:10:15.870 we do it. I just realized that, I've read that 00:10:15.870 --> 00:10:19.909 like 10 times this week. Glad that made sense 00:10:19.909 --> 00:10:22.710 right now. Our right standing with God cannot 00:10:22.710 --> 00:10:26.000 be validated by other people. This was completely 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.820 outside of what the Jews experienced though like 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:29.879 right at this time there were generally four 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.799 groups of leaders They were the theological leaders. 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:34.960 There's the Pharisees They believe things weren't 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:37.840 getting better because there wasn't enough faithfulness 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:40.879 to the mosaic law They weren't trying hard enough. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.419 They needed they were trying to spur along that 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:46.799 kingdom of God Through obedience to that written 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:51.960 law all 613 of them in addition to a few other 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:54.919 ones they caught, they made up along the way. 00:10:55.820 --> 00:10:58.860 The second group of the Sadducees, they also, 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:00.940 you see them a lot in the New Testament, they 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:03.139 thought it best to cooperate with Rome. They 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:06.399 thought, this is what we're in. Let me integrate 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:09.000 into their system. So they were integrated into 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.360 a political system. They were also priests. They 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.399 did all this to hope to maintain peace for the 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:17.980 people. But their position of political power 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.740 also came with wealth and left the common people 00:11:20.740 --> 00:11:23.019 pretty frustrated that Their day -to -day was 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:27.120 pretty much unchanged. The third group was the 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:31.200 Zealots. They were a militant group. They were 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.360 attempting to overthrow the Roman Empire by force 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:36.679 and violence to bring about freedom and peace. 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.019 And then there were others that fled the desert 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:42.559 just in solitude, just waiting it out. Let me 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:48.639 just get out of here. Everyone else was just 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:52.230 kind of left. Doing what they could do live and 00:11:52.230 --> 00:11:56.950 get by Under Roman rule under he's a under oppression 00:11:56.950 --> 00:11:59.269 and being influenced by this group of leaders 00:11:59.269 --> 00:12:03.610 any four of these different facets That they 00:12:03.610 --> 00:12:06.509 chose to follow their own way of attempting to 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:09.309 follow God and bring about the kingdom of God 00:12:09.309 --> 00:12:11.990 When Jesus came the people didn't quite know 00:12:11.990 --> 00:12:15.149 it then he was preparing to their hearts to accept 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:18.169 a new covenant of grace Where the terms of the 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:19.750 relationship would be a little bit different? 00:12:20.429 --> 00:12:22.970 And this new covenant is no longer a written 00:12:22.970 --> 00:12:27.049 law where righteousness is dependent on obedience. 00:12:28.490 --> 00:12:32.769 That's the Mosaic Law. Instead, the law would 00:12:32.769 --> 00:12:36.470 be written on our hearts and on our minds. And 00:12:36.470 --> 00:12:39.070 our hearts represent our desires, our wants. 00:12:39.809 --> 00:12:41.529 And our minds are just like the filter through 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:43.850 which we understand and experience all things. 00:12:45.769 --> 00:12:47.750 His word says that they would be written on our 00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:51.870 hearts and our minds. And he teaches our righteousness 00:12:51.870 --> 00:12:55.289 is determined by the submission of our hearts 00:12:55.289 --> 00:12:58.190 rather than just the submission of our actions. 00:12:59.850 --> 00:13:05.169 So this new covenant Jesus is bringing, he brings 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:07.970 it while staying faithful to the old covenant. 00:13:08.950 --> 00:13:12.529 He did what the Israelites could not and what 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:15.110 we are unable to do is that he obeyed the law. 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:18.679 He fulfilled the whole law. while also wholly 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:21.019 demonstrating the intent of the law all along 00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:24.299 was to change our hearts, our internal being, 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:28.759 our relationship with God. And the difference 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.120 in this teaching is toward our motivation. Who 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:36.779 gets the glory? Who gets the glory? So we're 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:38.879 going to dive into these three examples to provide 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.120 more shape to what it is to actually look like 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:44.429 in our lives because Jesus has some pretty specific 00:13:44.429 --> 00:13:46.909 examples of how the kingdom of heaven operates 00:13:46.909 --> 00:13:52.250 in this world. So the first, they're titled in 00:13:52.250 --> 00:13:55.110 my Bible, these three, the first one is giving 00:13:55.110 --> 00:13:57.789 to the needy. So it says, when you give to the 00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:00.509 needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:02.429 hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets 00:14:02.429 --> 00:14:06.269 to be honored by others. Truly, I tell you they 00:14:06.269 --> 00:14:07.990 have received the reward in full, but when you 00:14:07.990 --> 00:14:09.789 give to the needy, do not let your left hand 00:14:09.789 --> 00:14:12.009 know what your right hand is doing, so your giving 00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.429 may be in secret, then your father who sees what 00:14:14.429 --> 00:14:19.870 is done is secret, or is, will reward you. So 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:22.809 the straightforward understanding of this is 00:14:22.809 --> 00:14:25.690 simply just not to boast about your giving, right? 00:14:27.629 --> 00:14:30.250 Do what you're gonna do, right? But, you know, 00:14:30.250 --> 00:14:33.549 you should probably, probably should leave your 00:14:33.549 --> 00:14:36.879 trumpet at home. and not bring it with you, but. 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:46.639 All right. Yeah, thank you, here. Adley, I present 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:54.000 you with this dollar. Thank you, thank you. Yeah, 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:59.399 yeah, let's hear it. Yeah, yeah. I think most 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:03.929 of you would probably agree that. Yeah, you can 00:15:03.929 --> 00:15:08.529 keep that, keep it. Most of us can agree that 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:11.690 self -promoting boastfulness is not very attractive, 00:15:13.129 --> 00:15:16.769 right? As cool as this thing looks. This happens 00:15:16.769 --> 00:15:18.509 all the time, not necessarily with trumpets, 00:15:18.570 --> 00:15:21.470 but we find that people either loudly boast about 00:15:21.470 --> 00:15:24.230 their accomplishments or sometimes, even worse, 00:15:24.730 --> 00:15:27.409 kind of subtly slip it into conversations as 00:15:27.409 --> 00:15:31.139 off -putting, right? Yes, you can find it all 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:33.559 over the media, but you can find it within the 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:36.539 church too, and you can probably find it within 00:15:36.539 --> 00:15:40.539 yourself. No, I don't carry this around with 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:44.940 me, but what's the difference of me providing 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:48.759 money and clothing to a family in need and then 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:51.899 coming and sharing what I've done as a testimony 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:58.740 to what God has provided? Jesus says to not even 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:00.500 let your left hand know what your right hand 00:16:00.500 --> 00:16:03.720 is doing because If that left hand sees what 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.220 your right hand is doing something good, it's 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:07.480 gonna it's gonna want that applause, right? It's 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.720 gonna clap and say hey you done great job You've 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.940 done something righteous But in the same way 00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:16.620 if my left hand can see what my right hand is 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:18.539 doing something that's gonna harm me It's gonna 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:23.159 don't do that. It's gonna try to prevent me from 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:28.299 doing something detrimental But our right actions, 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.379 our actions are not determined by what is right 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:35.720 and wrong, by how it may positively or negatively 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:40.059 affect us. But this is our instinct, right? Our 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:43.080 instinct is self preservation and self promotion. 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:47.259 We often choose what is right by whether we can 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:50.820 afford it. We say giving this amount of money 00:16:50.820 --> 00:16:56.320 is judged as righteous. as long as I can afford 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:01.659 it. Giving this amount of time is righteous for 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:05.500 as long as I can fit it in my schedule. Engaging 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:07.980 in this friendship is righteous as long as it 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:10.440 doesn't drain me. Pursuing this vision is righteous 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:13.339 as long as I enjoy it and it doesn't get hard, 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:15.900 as long as I can handle it, as long as it doesn't 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.500 interrupt my time, as long as I feel safe, as 00:17:18.500 --> 00:17:25.599 long as and as long as. The righteousness of 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.339 God is not concerned with the question, what 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:33.559 do I gain? What does this cost me? Because righteousness 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.220 has been determined by the grace of our Father 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:41.240 through our faith in Jesus. Righteousness is 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:46.279 determined by the grace of our Father. Not by 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:50.220 what we do, but what He has done. Not from fear 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:53.400 of losing out, not from Fear of falling behind 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.220 or being misrepresented. In fact, even last week 00:17:56.220 --> 00:17:59.039 we read in the Beatitudes, blessed are those 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:01.160 who are persecuted because of righteousness. 00:18:03.500 --> 00:18:05.920 Righteousness is not determined by how it may 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:12.740 negatively affect us. Paul writes later, specifically 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:15.539 discussing disagreements between two believers, 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:19.319 he says, why not rather be wronged? Why not rather 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:22.710 be cheated? If it's going to affect your heart 00:18:22.710 --> 00:18:28.490 posture, your right relationship with God, and 00:18:28.490 --> 00:18:30.369 particularly around today's ongoing discussion 00:18:30.369 --> 00:18:32.630 of our wellbeing, this isn't about being unwise 00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.049 or self -destructive, right? Even in following 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:37.910 the example of Jesus, look at his life, there 00:18:37.910 --> 00:18:41.769 is rest, there are times of friends and gatherings, 00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:44.309 and there's times of seclusion, and there are 00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:47.950 times of eating and weddings. Looking at Jesus' 00:18:48.190 --> 00:18:53.769 life demonstrates unlimited generosity. Because 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:56.329 this is how Jesus lived. He lived that when he 00:18:56.329 --> 00:19:01.069 was tired, he had compassion. When he was angry, 00:19:01.089 --> 00:19:04.410 he was not hurtful. When he was questioned, he 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:08.789 was patient. And all these things culminated 00:19:08.789 --> 00:19:13.950 into his death. But his motivation was pleasing 00:19:13.950 --> 00:19:18.529 his father so that we might be saved. So when 00:19:18.529 --> 00:19:20.589 he says, Do not let your left hand know what 00:19:20.589 --> 00:19:22.369 your right hand is doing. He's saying don't even 00:19:22.369 --> 00:19:27.769 announce your good deeds to yourself. Don't keep 00:19:27.769 --> 00:19:32.730 a record of your righteousness. Later, Paul writes 00:19:32.730 --> 00:19:34.529 to the Corinthians that love keeps no records 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:37.950 of wrongs. Here, Jesus is saying keep no records 00:19:37.950 --> 00:19:46.089 of even your good things. Why is this? Why would 00:19:46.089 --> 00:19:49.569 you need a record? The only reason we need a 00:19:49.569 --> 00:19:52.690 record is to show and approve to another person 00:19:52.690 --> 00:20:00.289 what we've done. Look what I've done. Jesus says 00:20:00.289 --> 00:20:01.730 you don't have to justify your righteousness 00:20:01.730 --> 00:20:05.609 to anyone. Don't keep receipts. In doing so, 00:20:06.109 --> 00:20:08.009 you can guard your heart against pride because 00:20:08.009 --> 00:20:09.509 even if the other people don't know what you've 00:20:09.509 --> 00:20:14.589 done, you know. You know what you've done. And 00:20:14.589 --> 00:20:16.900 letting those records... But even the good things 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:20.700 live in your memory as how humility is squashed 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:23.160 because you will always be better than someone 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:25.740 else. You will always be able to say, at least 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:31.880 I've done this. But you don't need to because 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:36.900 your father sees. Your father sees you. He does 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:40.119 not need you to present your own record of good 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:44.220 things. Your father sees you. Your father does 00:20:44.220 --> 00:20:46.980 not need pestering to look at you. Your father 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:49.200 does not need shouting to turn his ear towards 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:53.579 you. Your father does not need fanfare to enjoy 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:59.500 you. Your father sees you. Can we just say that 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:02.119 together? Can we just say, my father sees me? 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:07.660 Your father sees you, you don't need a list. 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:15.390 Yeah, take a breath. shredding some mental file 00:21:15.390 --> 00:21:19.009 cabinets, perhaps, but. Okay, the second example, 00:21:19.069 --> 00:21:21.910 he gives us his prayer. Now it was common for 00:21:21.910 --> 00:21:25.990 certain individuals to publicly pray, not to 00:21:25.990 --> 00:21:28.569 where people could see, but so that they couldn't 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:31.710 not see, right? It was in a manner that was loud, 00:21:31.950 --> 00:21:33.690 it was in the synagogues, it was on the street 00:21:33.690 --> 00:21:36.390 corners, it drew a crowd, and it probably included 00:21:36.390 --> 00:21:39.970 like some grand, but probably general admission 00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:42.799 of guilt. It sounded nice. The words they used 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:46.779 were elegant. It became the norm and expectation, 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.559 but not only that, it became the standard of 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:51.539 righteousness. This is what true faith looks 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:54.640 like. That guy on the corner that's praying, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:58.359 man, if I were only as faithful to God as that 00:21:58.359 --> 00:22:01.200 guy. The words he says, the way that he just 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:06.299 bears his heart towards God. These are the people 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:10.779 being held in high esteem. And I wonder, too, 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:14.559 if we become so enamored by the appearance of 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:17.900 things that are right and good and holy because 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:22.880 of how good they sound. Like, do you have someone 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:24.839 in life that you might envy their appearance 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:34.400 of faith? Maybe it's warranted. Maybe that word, 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:36.539 appearance, isn't necessarily what's on the inside. 00:22:37.329 --> 00:22:39.990 But I what I am convinced is that our faith our 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:42.289 relationship with God is the most vulnerable 00:22:42.289 --> 00:22:45.490 thing about us It is the most vulnerable thing 00:22:45.490 --> 00:22:48.289 about us because it can be so difficult to share 00:22:48.289 --> 00:22:50.789 joys Let alone the struggles and the questions 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:53.910 and the doubts that when we share those things 00:22:53.910 --> 00:22:57.269 we feel like we're really just opened up and 00:22:57.269 --> 00:23:01.230 It's so vulnerable to share that but our prayer 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:04.750 is that communion with God where our hearts are 00:23:04.750 --> 00:23:08.410 laid bare and yet we have people on the corners 00:23:08.410 --> 00:23:13.910 displaying that for applause. This is the very 00:23:13.910 --> 00:23:15.910 point that Jesus draws our attention to. Your 00:23:15.910 --> 00:23:19.710 father sees you, yes, and knows your heart before 00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:23.930 you even pray a word. And here we see that shift 00:23:23.930 --> 00:23:30.230 from the action to the motivation. Whose eyes 00:23:30.230 --> 00:23:34.289 are you hoping to be on, right? Whose eyes are 00:23:34.289 --> 00:23:42.190 you hoping to get? Is it other people? The third 00:23:42.190 --> 00:23:45.329 example here is fasting, and a more general consideration 00:23:45.329 --> 00:23:48.549 is what we would call mortifying the flesh. This 00:23:48.549 --> 00:23:50.730 is just ways to remind ourselves that we are 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:54.930 human, that we are fragile, that our total dependence 00:23:54.930 --> 00:23:58.670 is on God. And it says, when you fast, do not 00:23:58.670 --> 00:24:00.950 look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure 00:24:00.950 --> 00:24:05.289 their faces to show others that they are fasting. 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:08.529 So just like all the other examples, right? One 00:24:08.529 --> 00:24:10.890 lesson, three examples. What was happening was 00:24:10.890 --> 00:24:13.750 the seeking of attention and then ultimately 00:24:13.750 --> 00:24:15.369 acceptance from other people. They were saying, 00:24:15.490 --> 00:24:18.670 hey, look how righteous I am. Look at how good 00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:22.190 I am at following God. They were looking to be 00:24:22.190 --> 00:24:28.710 seen. But who sees you? Your father. Your father 00:24:28.710 --> 00:24:32.470 sees you. Instead, when we fast, when we practice 00:24:32.470 --> 00:24:34.670 ways to remind us of our physical dependence 00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:38.059 on God, Like, hey, my stomach's going to growl. 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:41.259 But am I, like, who sustains me? God sustains 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:45.279 me. In that discomfort, in that discomfort, we 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:49.400 should be seeking comfort from our Father in 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:52.539 heaven and not the acceptance of other people. 00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:57.960 These three examples we have read are about giving 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.559 to the needy, prayer and fasting. In each of 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:07.210 these three examples, what was the issue? Was 00:25:07.210 --> 00:25:12.549 it the practice itself? Our motivation, yes. 00:25:12.849 --> 00:25:16.130 You know, it wasn't the action itself. Jesus 00:25:16.130 --> 00:25:18.670 doesn't say stop giving to the poor. He doesn't 00:25:18.670 --> 00:25:21.369 say stop praying. He doesn't say stop fasting. 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:24.250 It's quite the opposite. He assumes all three 00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:26.210 of these things are regular practices in our 00:25:26.210 --> 00:25:28.049 faith. What was common in these three stories 00:25:28.049 --> 00:25:30.670 are other people, right? They're kind of portrayed 00:25:30.670 --> 00:25:32.849 as the antagonist, right? Like if I can just 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:35.349 remove them from the equation, then we'll be 00:25:35.349 --> 00:25:38.200 good. There's no one here to witness what I'm 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:40.460 doing. There's no opportunity for praise. There's 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:45.019 no temptation to seek their approval. This is 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:47.400 why Jesus says to practice righteousness in secret, 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:54.720 right? Yes, but also just removing people from 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.799 the equation misses the point, right? Like changing 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:00.619 our external circumstances is not the solution 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:03.900 to righteousness. It is not the solution to a 00:26:03.900 --> 00:26:06.069 righteous heart, to right relationship. with 00:26:06.069 --> 00:26:10.349 God. I don't know if you've heard of the Jesus 00:26:10.349 --> 00:26:12.569 for President movement. It's kind of been cycled 00:26:12.569 --> 00:26:15.349 through the last several election cycles, and 00:26:15.349 --> 00:26:17.950 I get it. Jesus for President sounds nice just 00:26:17.950 --> 00:26:21.369 for immediate circumstances, but it also sounds 00:26:21.369 --> 00:26:23.450 nice theologically, right? Like Jesus is our 00:26:23.450 --> 00:26:25.529 King. He should be in charge. He should be setting 00:26:25.529 --> 00:26:28.549 the rules. That's what the Bible says, right? 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:32.089 But this is what the Jews were anticipating. 00:26:32.970 --> 00:26:35.170 It was largely the expectation that the kingdom 00:26:35.170 --> 00:26:38.069 of God for the Jews, that Jesus would come and 00:26:38.069 --> 00:26:40.950 change their external circumstances. That is 00:26:40.950 --> 00:26:43.309 freedom from Rome, freedom from this, freedom 00:26:43.309 --> 00:26:46.589 from this, so that I can be free to enjoy God. 00:26:49.289 --> 00:26:51.470 But Jesus comes to show that the kingdom of God 00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:55.769 is a way of living. It's how we do it, why we 00:26:55.769 --> 00:26:59.660 do it. not just what we do. It is not externally 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:03.880 imposed. It is to be internally restored and 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:08.740 lived out in the flesh. It is turning our hearts 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:12.619 to the face of our Father. It is writing the 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:15.140 kingdom of heaven on our hearts and our minds 00:27:15.140 --> 00:27:18.180 and we are meant to enjoy God amidst even the 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:23.359 toughest of circumstances. So when Jesus comes, 00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:26.380 he opposes those four leader groups. His teaching 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:30.920 is distinctive from the Pharisees, that he begins 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:33.299 to remove barriers so that all can access the 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:35.640 Father, rather than just saying, just try harder. 00:27:37.380 --> 00:27:39.339 It is distinctive from the Sadducees in that 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:42.759 he did not seek status or position to bring restoration 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:45.839 to people. It's quite the opposite, he sought 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:49.119 relatively quiet life. We don't know much of 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:53.400 his life before he started preaching. is distinctive 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:55.740 from the zealots and that he promoted peace and 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:59.539 taught to love your enemies. And it was distinctive 00:27:59.539 --> 00:28:03.859 from those that fled to the desert because he 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:07.019 stayed with the people and shared in their experiences. 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:12.579 Living the kingdom way it looks different. It's 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:15.359 thrusting your identity solely on who Jesus is 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:17.660 because you have no record of how good you are. 00:28:19.360 --> 00:28:22.539 No record of giving no record of how many times 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:24.720 you've prayed or how good that prayer sounded 00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:27.859 or whether that prayer worked Whether it was 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:30.019 answered in the way that you hoped there's no 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:33.299 record of you denying your flesh and fasting 00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:37.519 It is a total rejection of self -preservation 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:41.359 rejection of self -promotion Because all we have 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:44.279 is Jesus and what he's done and what he has done 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:46.720 is fulfill the written law and still paid the 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:51.500 punishment of death And that death on the cross, 00:28:52.680 --> 00:28:55.319 that is the grace that grants us right relation 00:28:55.319 --> 00:29:00.240 with our Father. It is not of our own doing. 00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:04.880 There's nothing that we have done that earns 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:07.940 that right relation. It is Jesus who has fulfilled 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:12.380 the law and has granted us presence with the 00:29:12.380 --> 00:29:15.779 Father and are imitating Jesus who holistically 00:29:15.779 --> 00:29:20.380 relied on his Father for acceptance. It's no 00:29:20.380 --> 00:29:22.400 longer obey so that you can be with God, but 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:28.819 instead your father sees you obey him. So do 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:30.720 you practice righteousness to be seen by other 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:33.759 human beings or in a way as to not bring attention 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:39.099 to yourself? Do you know that your father sees 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:42.640 you? That your father sees you, that the kingdom 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:47.059 of heaven is to be lived out here on earth? Where 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:50.420 obedience is no longer a duty but is a joy an 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:53.460 expression of who we really are as image bearers 00:29:53.460 --> 00:29:56.319 of God because Jesus came to make that right 00:29:56.319 --> 00:30:00.180 relationship He came to make a right relationship 00:30:00.180 --> 00:30:04.579 For us a regular practice and it's an instinctive 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:10.220 way of living And your reward your reward is 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.799 what we've read is the everlasting presence of 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:14.019 your father in heaven