WEBVTT 00:00:03.887 --> 00:00:11.390 So we're in the middle of a sermon series called Red Letters, and it's all about the words of Jesus that are found in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:11.390 --> 00:00:23.711 It's so important for us to understand that Jesus gives us a portrait of what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and so all throughout this sermon we see examples of that over and over again. 00:00:23.711 --> 00:00:31.814 Mark did a great job last week of showing us the difference between following the letter of the law and the spirit or the intent of the law. 00:00:31.814 --> 00:00:40.640 We learned that sin is not merely about outward actions, but the state and intentions of our heart, which is the seedbed of those actions. 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:48.064 In other words, whatever is in your heart is going to make its way out in our words, in our deeds, in the way that we live right. 00:00:48.064 --> 00:00:53.424 So the title of today's message is a heart to help those in need. 00:00:53.424 --> 00:00:55.331 A heart to help those in need. 00:00:55.712 --> 00:01:10.150 Let's look at Matthew, chapter six, verses one through four, and the word of God 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. 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:19.691 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. 00:01:19.691 --> 00:01:23.028 Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 00:01:23.028 --> 00:01:35.831 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 openly. 00:01:35.831 --> 00:01:37.902 Let's pray, father. 00:01:37.902 --> 00:01:39.268 We thank you for the word of God. 00:01:39.268 --> 00:01:43.527 We thank you that you didn't just give it to us so that we would have something to read. 00:01:43.527 --> 00:01:50.671 You gave it to us so that it could read us, so that it could bring about the transformation in our hearts that needs to happen. 00:01:50.671 --> 00:02:10.371 Lord, we pray that you would open this word today, that you would open the eyes of our understanding, that our revelation that you give us by the Holy Spirit would come alive, lord God, and that we would understand and not only understand it, but have a will and a desire to carry it out by your work and by your grace. 00:02:10.371 --> 00:02:14.325 We thank you for these things in Jesus' name, amen. 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:18.782 Some of you have heard this story, but I'm just going to repeat it for those who haven't. 00:02:18.782 --> 00:02:24.104 When I was about nine years old, my family was very poor, but we didn't know we were poor. 00:02:24.104 --> 00:02:25.489 Anybody grow up like that. 00:02:25.489 --> 00:02:30.431 My family never talked about it, but one day in particular the cupboards were empty. 00:02:30.431 --> 00:02:36.436 We had no groceries except for one chicken pot pie, and my mom put it was a Wednesday. 00:02:36.436 --> 00:02:43.662 My mom put that chicken pot pie in the oven and she cooked it and the dinger went off and my brother and I started to salivate. 00:02:43.662 --> 00:03:09.465 Right, we were hungry and she was pulling it out and I don't know if it was from weakness, because she hadn't been eating much, or what happened, if it was just the devil himself, but that chicken pot pie fell over in the oven to the bottom of the oven, and the bottom of oven had not been cleaned for some time, and so that chicken pot pie found its destiny within the electric part of the oven, at the bottom of the oven, and we didn't get to eat. 00:03:09.465 --> 00:03:13.090 My dad always taught us you can trust in Jesus. 00:03:13.090 --> 00:03:14.746 We trust in the Lord. 00:03:14.746 --> 00:03:16.064 He takes care of our needs. 00:03:16.064 --> 00:03:17.389 This was a Wednesday. 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:18.885 We went to church on Wednesday night. 00:03:18.885 --> 00:03:20.305 My dad was a pastor. 00:03:20.305 --> 00:03:22.989 The only other person in attendance was my aunt. 00:03:22.989 --> 00:03:25.044 My aunt was also poor. 00:03:25.044 --> 00:03:30.525 My dad preached like he would preach to a group like this. 00:03:30.525 --> 00:03:45.081 And at the end he took up an offering and my aunt gave $1 in the offering and on our way home we stopped by Wendy's and back then there was a special where you could get two cheeseburgers for a dollar, and so my parents took that dollar and they bought two cheeseburgers and they gave them to. 00:03:45.081 --> 00:03:52.409 So my parents took that dollar and they bought two cheeseburgers and they gave them to my brother and I, who sat in the back seat chewing on them, feeling I was feeling a little bit. 00:03:52.409 --> 00:04:04.870 I was very thankful, but watching my parents glance into the rearview mirror as we were eating that burger, there was something in me that connected with that and realized they probably wanted the burger as well. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:14.586 We got home and my dad unlocked the door and we walked inside and we turned around and all of a sudden my dad and mom began to shout. 00:04:14.586 --> 00:04:20.084 I assumed there was a mouse or God forbid a snake or something like that in the house. 00:04:20.084 --> 00:04:30.569 But as the lights turned on and we turned the corner, my brother and I saw something we'd never seen before, at least for a long time Twelve bags of groceries sitting on the kitchen table. 00:04:30.569 --> 00:04:38.934 We opened the refrigerator and the refrigerator was filled with steak and pork chops and chicken and milk and yogurt and all of those things. 00:04:38.934 --> 00:04:45.105 And here's the crazy part there was no note, there was no letter. 00:04:45.105 --> 00:04:50.685 There was no letter, there was no recognition, there was no acknowledgement. 00:04:50.685 --> 00:04:55.574 There was just 12 bags of groceries and a fridge full of food. 00:04:56.420 --> 00:05:03.704 When my brother and I looked at each other, and as the four of us celebrated, we realized the Lord Jesus did take care of us. 00:05:03.704 --> 00:05:07.968 To this day I still don't know who did that. 00:05:07.968 --> 00:05:11.031 The doors and windows to our house were locked. 00:05:11.031 --> 00:05:24.252 I would thought it would have been an angel, but there was one telltale sign that it wasn't there was a box of Count Chocula in the bags on the kitchen table. 00:05:24.252 --> 00:05:27.250 And we know no angel buying Count Chocula, right? 00:05:27.250 --> 00:05:34.951 Anyway, we're not going to get religious this morning. 00:05:38.124 --> 00:05:39.800 Why do I tell that story all these years later? 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:42.949 Because what an impact it had on our lives. 00:05:42.949 --> 00:05:45.485 Only God really knew. 00:05:45.485 --> 00:05:50.824 My parents hadn't been telling anybody, they hadn't been complaining to anyone, nobody knew. 00:05:50.824 --> 00:05:51.968 But God knew. 00:05:51.968 --> 00:06:00.908 And God spoke to one of his children and one of his children somehow miraculously brought that food in there and left it for us. 00:06:00.908 --> 00:06:15.124 So last week Jesus was confronting the wrong thinking about that says as long as I don't do the dirty deed, in other words, as long as I don't murder anybody, as long as I don't commit adultery, then I'm fine, right? 00:06:15.124 --> 00:06:18.370 No, jesus goes much deeper. 00:06:18.370 --> 00:06:22.884 He clearly showed us that what's in the heart is what matters most. 00:06:22.884 --> 00:06:26.012 What's in the heart of men is what matters most. 00:06:26.012 --> 00:06:31.992 And in today's passage, jesus moves on to a new set of topics, but he has the same goal in mind. 00:06:31.992 --> 00:06:39.023 He wants to shine a light on the heart of men and women, and that's what he wants to do in our lives as well. 00:06:39.483 --> 00:06:48.949 The Jewish leaders had three religious acts that they performed regularly, and they asked for their parishioners, they asked for the Jewish people to perform these acts as well. 00:06:48.949 --> 00:06:51.100 So one was giving alms to the poor. 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:57.851 Second was prayer, and the third was fasting Fasting. 00:06:57.851 --> 00:06:59.654 That's coming in a couple weeks. 00:06:59.654 --> 00:07:02.545 On the surface, these things are really good, aren't they? 00:07:02.545 --> 00:07:07.819 We, as believers, are called to engage in these same kinds of activities. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:20.754 So there's nothing wrong with giving alms to the poor, there's nothing wrong with prayer, there's nothing wrong with fasting, but the motivation that is behind those things is essential and very important. 00:07:20.754 --> 00:07:29.812 See, the problem that Jesus was addressing is not having the proper heart motivation when it comes to the reason why we do these things. 00:07:29.812 --> 00:07:32.055 Why do we do these things? 00:07:32.055 --> 00:07:35.528 So let's not allow ourselves to get distracted from the truth. 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:39.345 How many of you know, jesus was not teaching behavior modification. 00:07:39.345 --> 00:07:49.406 In other words, jesus wasn't saying if you will it enough, if you have a strong enough mind, if you will it enough, if you have a strong enough mind, if you desire it enough, you can change yourself. 00:07:49.406 --> 00:07:58.091 And if you change yourself, then you can have the right attitude about giving and about prayer and about fasting. 00:07:58.091 --> 00:08:02.425 How many of you realize there's a missing ingredient in all of that that I just said? 00:08:02.425 --> 00:08:03.427 And what is it? 00:08:03.427 --> 00:08:05.793 It is the grace of God. 00:08:05.793 --> 00:08:18.360 You see, he is saying that if you are a recipient of the grace of God and God is your father, then the natural outworking of that is that you will gloriously change and live like you're a family member. 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:22.526 How many of you are glad that you are part of the family of God? 00:08:22.526 --> 00:08:29.596 And how many of us find us on a daily basis acting like we're a part of the family of God? 00:08:31.901 --> 00:08:32.947 Why did we get quiet? 00:08:32.947 --> 00:08:41.812 Come on, I know this church, I know you and I know that many of you, on a daily basis, do live like children of God. 00:08:41.812 --> 00:08:43.967 You act like children of God. 00:08:43.967 --> 00:08:50.870 You do the types of things from a heart that's pure, that prove out the fact that you have been born again. 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:54.225 I see it and I know it's true. 00:08:54.225 --> 00:08:55.822 But how many of you know? 00:08:55.822 --> 00:08:58.885 All of us are in process and there's room for improvement. 00:08:58.885 --> 00:09:07.311 Right, because practicing your righteousness isn't about earning it, but living like you've received it as a free gift. 00:09:07.311 --> 00:09:13.011 We don't live the way that God calls us to live in order to earn righteousness. 00:09:13.011 --> 00:09:17.631 We live the way that God calls us to live because we've been made righteous. 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:24.711 Ephesians 2 says it like this For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. 00:09:24.711 --> 00:09:25.845 Did you save yourself? 00:09:25.845 --> 00:09:40.971 It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 00:09:40.971 --> 00:09:42.566 So we are born again. 00:09:42.566 --> 00:10:02.086 When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when we repent of our sins and we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus, his life, his death, his burial and his resurrection, we put our faith and hope in Jesus Christ, we're born again and the grace of God transforms our hearts and we are granted the righteousness of God. 00:10:02.086 --> 00:10:15.091 In Christ Jesus, you have been given, as a follower of Jesus, the gift of righteousness, right standing with God, your relationship with him has been made right. 00:10:15.091 --> 00:10:28.431 And if that's not the case for you yet, I implore you, I beg you, I beseech you, that today would be the day that you would acknowledge your need and that you would put your faith, hope and trust in a risen savior. 00:10:28.431 --> 00:10:29.735 Amen, amen. 00:10:29.735 --> 00:10:32.663 So we as believers. 00:10:32.783 --> 00:10:37.413 The Holy Spirit lives in us now and continues the work of sanctification. 00:10:37.413 --> 00:10:45.534 The natural outworking of the ongoing process of sanctification is that we will become more and more like our heavenly father. 00:10:45.534 --> 00:10:46.740 In what ways? 00:10:46.740 --> 00:10:58.690 In the way we speak, in the way we live, in our thought life, in our actions and, most importantly maybe, in our motivations, why we do the things that we do. 00:10:58.690 --> 00:11:09.914 So we're going to see a pattern emerge over the next three weeks, as Jesus addresses these three activities almsgiving, prayer and fasting at some length. 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:11.325 So let's look at number one. 00:11:11.325 --> 00:11:20.955 The first thing that happens is there's a warning to not do the activity regularly in order to be praised by human beings. 00:11:20.955 --> 00:11:25.576 There's a warning to not do the activity to be praised by human beings. 00:11:25.576 --> 00:11:32.815 Number two, there's a guarantee that those who ignore this warning will only receive human praise. 00:11:32.815 --> 00:11:38.809 Number three, there's an instruction on how to perform the activity with the right heart. 00:11:38.809 --> 00:11:48.032 And number four, there's an assurance that our heavenly father, who sees in secret, will do what Will reward openly. 00:11:48.032 --> 00:11:53.489 You can take a snapshot of that slide if you want to real quick for your notes. 00:11:53.489 --> 00:11:55.052 I know I'm moving quickly this morning. 00:11:55.674 --> 00:12:04.028 So let's look at this particular passage today about helping those who are in need and having a heart for that, and let's look at our four different segments. 00:12:04.028 --> 00:12:05.410 So the first one is a warning. 00:12:05.410 --> 00:12:16.230 It says 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. 00:12:16.230 --> 00:12:21.508 Now there's a presupposition here that says not if you give. 00:12:21.508 --> 00:12:24.456 What does it say when you give? 00:12:24.456 --> 00:12:25.346 So what does that mean? 00:12:25.346 --> 00:12:28.011 Should we be giving to those who are in need? 00:12:28.011 --> 00:12:32.287 Absolutely, this should be one of the joys of our life. 00:12:32.287 --> 00:12:39.506 Excuse me, in fact, true religion is associated closely with this very thing in scripture. 00:12:39.506 --> 00:12:41.835 Look at James 1.27,. 00:12:41.835 --> 00:12:57.168 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, in their time of need, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 00:12:57.168 --> 00:13:04.900 It is pure religion for us to help those with the right heart, to help those who are in need. 00:13:04.900 --> 00:13:09.297 So the warning is clearly about how and why we give to those in need. 00:13:09.745 --> 00:13:11.894 Jesus may have been using some hyperbole here. 00:13:11.894 --> 00:13:16.496 Sometimes he used some imagery to bring the point home, right. 00:13:16.496 --> 00:13:23.798 So he says you shouldn't sound the trumpet before you come to deliver the gift that you're going to give to the needy, right? 00:13:23.798 --> 00:13:25.811 Can you picture that in your head? 00:13:25.811 --> 00:13:38.375 Somebody blowing the alarm, blowing the trumpet and saying I'm here to save the day, right, but he's clear here that we, as children of God, are not to make a big deal about ourselves. 00:13:38.375 --> 00:13:44.134 Hello, we're not to make a big deal about ourselves and our own goodness. 00:13:44.134 --> 00:13:45.847 What are we here to make a big deal about? 00:13:45.847 --> 00:13:49.134 About God and his goodness? 00:13:50.456 --> 00:13:55.030 Jesus calls the person engaged in this perilous self-promotion hypocrites. 00:13:55.030 --> 00:14:04.625 Hypocrites the term hypocrite was originally used for actors on a Greek stage who put on various masks to play different roles. 00:14:04.625 --> 00:14:12.940 They'd put on a mask, they'd pump energy and they would play out these different parts as they were masked in order to do that. 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:19.477 Jesus here says to the religious leaders in a very scornful way, especially the Pharisees. 00:14:19.477 --> 00:14:31.720 Especially the Pharisees, he says that they were performing external acts of righteousness that were masking, even from their selves, even from their selves, their own inner corruption. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:39.527 You see, hypocrisy is so evil because many of those who are involved in it think they are right with God. 00:14:39.527 --> 00:14:43.697 You know how to stop being a hypocrite. 00:14:43.697 --> 00:14:53.070 Acknowledge that you are one in some way, not saying we have to stay there. 00:14:53.070 --> 00:14:54.394 But how many of you know all of us? 00:14:54.394 --> 00:15:08.393 If somebody were to follow us home and walk around with us, soon enough they'd find some area in our life where our action or our words or our thoughts, our motivation, didn't line up with God's way. 00:15:08.393 --> 00:15:14.610 Right, in order for us to change, we have to understand that we have a need for change. 00:15:14.610 --> 00:15:21.292 In this case, hypocrisy is defined as doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. 00:15:21.471 --> 00:15:27.715 Jesus, in another passage, warns his followers to break from the religious status quo when it came to hypocrisy. 00:15:27.715 --> 00:15:37.591 In Luke 12, verse 1, it says in the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples. 00:15:37.591 --> 00:15:44.240 First beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:57.576 It seems like every day in the news, now or every other day, we're hearing of another person who is famous in the Christian world, who has been discovered is living a hypocritical lifestyle. 00:15:57.576 --> 00:16:07.376 My friends, we have to be so careful, we have to be so guarded because, but for the grace of God, there go I. 00:16:07.376 --> 00:16:10.854 We're not here to sit in judgment or to scorn. 00:16:10.854 --> 00:16:18.135 We're here to say God, as far as I'm concerned, protect me, keep me from being a hypocrite. 00:16:18.135 --> 00:16:22.870 You know the number one reason people aren't in church today. 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:30.197 When you ask them what will they say overwhelmingly Because of hypocrites. 00:16:30.197 --> 00:16:40.086 I'm going to give you a living illustration, a modern day example of what Jesus was talking about. 00:16:40.125 --> 00:16:42.070 So can I have a volunteer, please? 00:16:42.070 --> 00:16:44.495 Are there any volunteers to be willing to help me? 00:16:44.495 --> 00:16:47.844 Okay, this man right here on the front row. 00:16:47.844 --> 00:16:48.686 Would you come down? 00:16:48.686 --> 00:16:50.429 Let's welcome him. 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:52.975 Thank him for being so willing to help out this morning. 00:16:52.975 --> 00:16:53.498 Isn't that great? 00:16:53.498 --> 00:16:55.386 Come on over, sir. 00:16:55.386 --> 00:16:55.927 Come on over. 00:16:55.927 --> 00:16:57.289 So what is your name? 00:16:57.289 --> 00:16:58.751 John, john? 00:16:58.751 --> 00:17:00.514 Okay, richard, it's good to meet you. 00:17:00.514 --> 00:17:03.820 I'm glad that you're here with us today. 00:17:05.346 --> 00:17:06.567 And you know, I was just thinking. 00:17:06.567 --> 00:17:23.828 I was sitting at home and I just kind of had this thought yeah, that's it, that's the right stuff. 00:17:23.828 --> 00:17:27.459 You ready to make it rain? 00:17:27.459 --> 00:17:30.707 Are you hungry? 00:17:30.707 --> 00:17:33.200 Yes, he's hungry. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.744 Are you homeless? 00:17:34.744 --> 00:17:36.840 Yes, he's homeless. 00:17:36.840 --> 00:17:40.144 He's got two of the three H's I was looking for. 00:17:40.144 --> 00:17:41.941 He's hungry, he's homeless and he's. 00:17:41.941 --> 00:17:43.144 Is he handsome? 00:17:43.144 --> 00:17:48.441 Yes, he's got all three. 00:17:48.441 --> 00:17:49.565 Are you kidding me? 00:17:49.565 --> 00:17:50.901 This is the trifecta. 00:17:50.901 --> 00:17:53.344 This is what I've been waiting for for so long. 00:17:53.934 --> 00:17:58.724 I have this right here, this hard-earned money right here. 00:17:58.724 --> 00:17:59.185 Do you see it? 00:17:59.185 --> 00:18:00.568 You want to smell? 00:18:00.568 --> 00:18:06.157 It Smells like cash, smell like cash. 00:18:06.157 --> 00:18:06.880 Could you use this money right here? 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:07.221 Do you see it? 00:18:07.221 --> 00:18:07.603 You want to smell? 00:18:07.603 --> 00:18:07.683 It? 00:18:07.683 --> 00:18:08.005 Smell like cash. 00:18:08.005 --> 00:18:08.748 Could you use this money right here? 00:18:08.748 --> 00:18:09.009 Are you sure? 00:18:09.009 --> 00:18:10.555 Okay, all I need you to do is I need to take a picture real quick. 00:18:10.555 --> 00:18:11.195 That's okay. 00:18:11.195 --> 00:18:12.898 No, don't touch it, don't. 00:18:12.898 --> 00:18:14.882 Yeah, no, don't, don't touch me. 00:18:14.882 --> 00:18:17.145 No, we don't do that. 00:18:17.145 --> 00:18:18.548 No, don't touch me. 00:18:18.548 --> 00:18:22.723 No, we don't do that, we don't go there. 00:18:22.723 --> 00:18:23.787 We definitely don't go there. 00:18:23.787 --> 00:18:25.798 Okay, all right. 00:18:25.798 --> 00:18:27.580 Can you smile for the camera? 00:18:27.580 --> 00:18:28.082 Oh, wait, wait. 00:18:28.082 --> 00:18:37.839 Would you mind just take that hand and just point at me, if you would, oh, and just say you, da man. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:40.346 Okay, all right, wait, just a second here. 00:18:40.346 --> 00:18:44.497 Let me take care of this. 00:18:44.497 --> 00:18:45.880 I got to get this on the socials. 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:48.826 Hashtag blessed to be a blessing. 00:18:48.826 --> 00:18:50.269 Hashtag homeless no more. 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:52.836 Hashtag man. 00:18:52.836 --> 00:18:54.939 T-money's good Hashtag. 00:18:54.939 --> 00:18:57.020 This about to go viral. 00:18:57.020 --> 00:19:00.005 Okay, thank you. 00:19:00.005 --> 00:19:00.644 Appreciate it. 00:19:00.644 --> 00:19:02.446 Yeah, what. 00:19:02.446 --> 00:19:06.791 What are you talking about, richard? 00:19:06.791 --> 00:19:08.896 This is what are you talking about. 00:19:08.896 --> 00:19:15.903 Are you going to buy drugs with it here? 00:19:15.903 --> 00:19:18.266 I can spare that, all right. 00:19:18.266 --> 00:19:28.273 Yeah, what are you on about? 00:19:28.273 --> 00:19:34.032 What's wrong? 00:19:34.032 --> 00:19:38.698 Okay, hopefully you get the point. 00:19:38.698 --> 00:19:39.519 We could do this all day. 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:41.201 I've got lots of other examples we could do. 00:19:41.201 --> 00:19:44.744 It's fun, all right, let's look at the guarantee, the third part. 00:19:44.884 --> 00:19:53.835 Jesus says truly, I say to you they have received their second part, they have received their reward. 00:19:53.835 --> 00:19:55.076 Let's be honest. 00:19:55.076 --> 00:20:02.086 It's so easy to love the glory that comes from people acknowledging us and recognizing us more than the glory that comes from God. 00:20:02.086 --> 00:20:08.086 It's instant and it's very gratifying when people acknowledge how great we are. 00:20:08.086 --> 00:20:12.563 By the way, it's not wrong for people to acknowledge that. 00:20:12.563 --> 00:20:14.496 In fact, there's a verse about it. 00:20:15.196 --> 00:20:22.809 Proverbs 27, verse 2, says let another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips. 00:20:22.809 --> 00:20:32.627 Not wrong for somebody else to say thank you or to, but how many of you know the motivation of our heart as the person who's being used by God to be a blessing to others. 00:20:32.627 --> 00:20:34.550 Matters, matters, greatly. 00:20:34.550 --> 00:20:47.233 See, we are tragically wrong when we prefer the praise of others over the praise of God, when we prefer the praise of others over the praise of God, when we're more concerned about what somebody else thinks of me than we are concerned about what God thinks of me. 00:20:47.233 --> 00:20:57.881 The sad irony is that when we do the right thing for the wrong reason, we may be able to impress others, but God is not impressed and he will not reward us. 00:20:57.881 --> 00:21:02.126 He's not impressed and he will not reward us. 00:21:02.788 --> 00:21:04.470 So what is the instruction? 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:05.330 The third part of this? 00:21:05.330 --> 00:21:25.170 Jesus goes to the farthest extreme in the way that he contrasts the way his disciples are to perform acts of righteousness with the ways of the religious leaders. 00:21:25.170 --> 00:21:32.208 They are to have such pure motives of concern for the poor that when giving, they won't pay attention to themselves at all. 00:21:32.208 --> 00:21:35.115 They won't recognize themselves at all. 00:21:35.115 --> 00:21:53.061 Sometimes this means giving anonymously, but it always means not making a big deal about it, not making a fuss over it, not looking for some kind of self-promotion or looking for somebody to raise the flags or the banners or somebody to shout team money's in the house. 00:21:53.061 --> 00:22:03.905 You see, when we help those in need with a pure heart, it's about bringing honor and glory to God and not about ourselves. 00:22:03.905 --> 00:22:05.769 What a beautiful concept. 00:22:05.835 --> 00:22:08.535 We see a great example of this in the life of David. 00:22:08.535 --> 00:22:15.028 David was used by God to gather together everything that was going to be needed for the building of the temple. 00:22:15.028 --> 00:22:32.448 He wasn't going to get to build it because of the blood that he shed, but his son after him, solomon, was going to be able to build it, and so David had the privilege of gathering all of these things together, and at the end of that process, he says this in front of all of the people. 00:22:32.448 --> 00:22:36.644 Therefore, david blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. 00:22:36.644 --> 00:22:42.946 And David said blessed are you, o Lord, the God of Israel, our father, forever and ever. 00:22:43.654 --> 00:22:54.721 Yours, o Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is whose. 00:22:54.721 --> 00:22:59.430 David's, god's. 00:22:59.430 --> 00:23:04.429 Yours is the kingdom, o Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 00:23:04.429 --> 00:23:08.799 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.807 In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is. 00:23:12.807 --> 00:23:15.460 It is to make great and to give strength to all. 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:19.167 And now we thank you, our god, and praise your glorious name. 00:23:19.756 --> 00:23:24.443 But who am I and what is my people that we should be able thus to offer? 00:23:24.443 --> 00:23:25.025 Willingly? 00:23:25.025 --> 00:23:31.645 Offer what Willingly, for all things come from you and of your own have we given you? 00:23:31.645 --> 00:23:36.547 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. 00:23:36.547 --> 00:23:39.944 Our days on the earth are like a shadow and there's no abiding. 00:23:39.944 --> 00:23:49.386 Oh Lord, our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 00:23:49.386 --> 00:23:56.320 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness, in the uprightness of my heart. 00:23:56.320 --> 00:24:00.357 In other words, with the right motivation, I have freely offered all these things. 00:24:00.357 --> 00:24:02.059 In other words, with the right motivation, I have freely offered all these things. 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:12.857 And now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you, to you. 00:24:12.857 --> 00:24:32.275 You see, when we understand that everything that we have, everything that we own, everything that we wear, everything that we drive, everything that we live in, every breath that we take, it all belongs to God, when we live that way and believe that it should be easy to give with the right heart. 00:24:32.275 --> 00:24:43.016 It should be the easiest thing and it should bring us such great joy to be able to do that Now. 00:24:43.037 --> 00:24:45.384 This isn't just a skit that I'm going to do right now. 00:24:45.384 --> 00:24:46.145 This is for real. 00:24:46.145 --> 00:25:07.564 I was praying about what I should do this morning and I felt like the Lord spoke to me, that I was supposed to come to Michaela and I was supposed to give her this gift and to say to her the Lord sees you and he knows you and he loves you, and this is a gift from him. 00:25:07.564 --> 00:25:16.939 It's not from me, it's from him, and he just wants to be a blessing to you and to let you know that he's your father and he loves you and you can put your trust in him completely. 00:25:16.939 --> 00:25:19.362 Okay, love you. 00:25:19.362 --> 00:25:33.269 Thank you, lord. 00:25:36.907 --> 00:25:37.810 What is our assurance? 00:25:37.810 --> 00:25:41.701 Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 00:25:41.701 --> 00:25:50.884 See, our Father sees everything and he loves to ultimately reward those who act with genuine sincerity instead of seeking public praise. 00:25:50.884 --> 00:25:59.019 There isn't a thing that we do for Him out of a right heart that he doesn't see and take note of. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:06.563 He takes note when we are obedient to him and we have the right heart, the right motivation when we do it. 00:26:06.563 --> 00:26:12.980 He's a doting father For all the parents and, I should say, all of the grandparents in the room. 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:18.701 How much of your percentage of your conversation is about you talking about those little ones? 00:26:18.701 --> 00:26:28.746 Did you see what they did today? 00:26:28.746 --> 00:26:29.768 He's a doting father. 00:26:29.768 --> 00:26:35.268 He loves to celebrate his children's joyful obedience. 00:26:35.268 --> 00:26:43.044 It should be the cry of our hearts to hear our father say well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:26:43.044 --> 00:26:45.249 Let's pray together. 00:26:49.875 --> 00:26:50.777 Father, I thank you. 00:26:53.801 --> 00:26:55.125 I thank you for this church. 00:26:55.125 --> 00:26:59.219 I thank you, lord, that this church is such a generous church. 00:26:59.219 --> 00:27:15.046 Father, I thank you for all of the individuals that make up this body, and I thank you for the heart that's behind the desire to be a blessing to others and to recognize that everything that we have is a gift from you. 00:27:15.046 --> 00:27:23.705 I ask that you'd help us, lord, to run away from hypocrisy and to make sure that our heart's motivations are right. 00:27:23.705 --> 00:27:31.946 And we know that the Holy Spirit is the one that's working on the inside of us to bring us to the place of recognizing our need for change in these areas. 00:27:32.055 --> 00:27:33.461 And so, lord, we ask that you'd help us. 00:27:33.461 --> 00:27:36.382 Help us to change, father. 00:27:36.382 --> 00:27:41.738 Help us to change, help us to share your heart of compassion, lord. 00:27:41.738 --> 00:27:49.559 I'm so reminded of the many times where Jesus had compassion on people and he reached out and he met them at the point of their need. 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:54.682 Father, would you give us your heart for those who are hurting? 00:27:54.682 --> 00:27:59.343 Would you give us your heart for those who are in great need today? 00:27:59.343 --> 00:28:05.205 And, lord, would you also give us the provision that we need? 00:28:05.205 --> 00:28:09.782 We thank you that every blessing comes from you, and we do want to be a blessing to others. 00:28:09.782 --> 00:28:18.586 We ask that you would funnel finances and other things that are needed, resources in our lives and through our lives to others. 00:28:18.586 --> 00:28:33.106 And, lord, let it be said, god is glorified by Trinity Community Church because of the heart of the people to help those who are in desperate need of help. 00:28:33.106 --> 00:28:38.823 Thank you for doing these things in Jesus' name, amen.