Sermon on the Mount 7 E94

Do you check yourself before you give to or help someone in need? Jesus warns of doing these things for the adoration of those watching. In this episode, Alan & Shawn get into Matthew 6 but stop just shy of The Lord's Prayer...next episode!

Stay in the Fight!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

All right. Fight in the shade. Episode ninety. Four? I believe it is.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

I think it's ninety-four.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Okay. Closing. Oh, yeah, because we were ninety-three, so we had seven to learn. Simple. That sounds like a proverb or something. That's from the Book of Hornsby. Is that what that is? Yes. Chapter 37. Um. Yeah, so that's funny that you say that because I feel like sometimes as preachers and and people that have been reading the Word for a long time, people that are very familiar with the Bible, they would say that what we're reading, Sermon on the Mount, is pretty simple, basic stuff. Everybody should know it. It's written and read in your Bible. It's preached about and talked about and studied and all this stuff, like all the time. So this should be simple. And and what we're reading today in chapter six are kind of some basic things. Two really basic things, I feel like, that as followers of Christ that we should do. One, give to those in need. Yeah. Two, pray. Like if you can't get those two things on the list of what you're supposed to do as a follower of Jesus, you might have some problems, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:47

A hundred percent. And and I I think chapter six in general is once you once you once you come to the Lord, like once you once you uh I don't want to say achieve salvation, that's not it. Once you receive it is a different word. Very, very, very important uh theological distinctions there. Once you receive salvation, I think chapter six of Matthew is one of the most important like passages, chapters in the Bible for Christians.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Well once you've come to faith, like hey, go I mean, all of five through seven, obviously that's why we're doing it, but chapter six is just one of the more important ones.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Yeah, if you could say one one part of the Bible is more important than the other, is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_02 2:30

I uh it's a great place to start to get on the walk to get on the path. How about that? I'm just trying to trick you.

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Yeah, that's all right.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Trying to mess you up there, Pastor. That's all right. No, I I agree, and and I think it's interesting, and we're gonna get into it more next episode as we talk about the Lord's Prayer, but that's a basic thing about how to pray. And even the disciples are like, Lord, teach us how to pray. Like, show us what to do. How do we do it? And and he says, Well, here's how you do it, and then we've taken it and made it. Well, actually, now I'm talking about the Lord's prayer, I said we weren't gonna do it. But anyway, my You You set that parameter.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

You said don't go past verse eight.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Now here you are. I made the rules and I broke them within 15 seconds. No, she's such a Pharisee. Hypocritical.

SPEAKER_02 3:15

Hey, let me save you for a second. Yeah, get it. Um last night, divine intervention here, divine, divine appointment. Okay. Uh, guess what I watched? Um Four Christmases. Season four, episode one of the chosen.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Oh, is this where they ask him how to pray?

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Uh I no. Okay, go ahead. But the story this is where I'm listening. This is where Mary comes in and anoints Jesus' feet. Okay, so I love the way this I tear in my eye, which is not the first time that I'm watching The Chosen, and I have tears come into my eyes. Yeah, totally. Um real men cry out. Uh the the tension, you know, because Shemuel Shemuel Shemuel Shemuel, thank you. Shemel and the other guy. That's like the most slimiest, grossest name. It's kind of cool, but it's kind of weird.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

I really don't know why they picked it, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Yeah. And was it Jairus? Is that the other one who shows up? Who's the other one?

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Okay, now Jairus is the scribe in the the synagogue or whatever. I don't think he was there at that beginning.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

No, but there was another priest. No, no, no, no. I know who you're talking about. Uh what is that guy's name? Yeah, it was Yusuf.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Yusuf, Yusuf, thank you. And he's the guy that's more on the Jesus side. Right. Where Schmel is there.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Shmel acts like he might be coming around, and then he then he, you know, I hate to spoil it for you. Yeah, it's all right. Don't go there yet, because I I'm I'm don't know why I'm going so slow on this, but I am. I think it's because I can't emotionally take it all in. It's a lot, it's a lot. Anyways, they do that so beautifully because Jesus, you know, they're having their conversation, they're talking, and then Mary comes in like on a mission. Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Like, like, like we're Mary, sister of Martha, just for clarification for everyone who doesn't know.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

And and she's overwhelmed by by what Jesus did for Lazarus. Yeah. Yeah, her brother Lazarus.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Lazarus was raised from the dead. Again, for those who don't know.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

That's fair. That's good. And and you know, even her buying the the alabaster jar with Spike Nard. Beautiful. Because like she's like, oh, that's too that's not enough. And she just throws another bag of denarii out there. Oh, right, yeah. Because she's got this mission to honor the greatest king who's ever come. Sure. And she walks into that room and all that emotion and all of that uh like focus that she has and intention she has, and she anoints his feet. And then you can see uh so Shemuel is like, oh, touch feet, oh my gosh. No, that's against the tradition. And Jesus is like, Where's that in Torah? You know, that's you guys. Yeah, and then and then what's his face? Um, no, uh the traitor. Uh Lazarus, Judas. Judas! The traitor.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Okay, alright.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Your senior pastor, where uh Judas gets up and he's he's all bent out of shape over over the uh over what could have been done with the money with the money. And and it's like Jesus is sitting there thinking, you guys, you guys are missing it all. I'm surrounded by morons. Yeah, yeah, they're just missing it all. And and and yes, Jesus does want us to care for the poor. He wants us to give. But but it's also this beautiful act of worship that's taking place there. And it it anyways I I saw that and I was just thinking, wow, okay. We miss it. Like like Shemuel, whatever his name is. Shlomo. Like like him, like Judas, we we just complicate it and we miss it so often. And and it's as simple as Mary adoring him and anointing him at his feet. Well, and that's the whole thing that that's and and he goes into, I'm sorry, I don't want to cut you off the last part uh the where I was going with this in the beginning. And he goes into the Matthew twenty-five, which I know is later on, but you know, uh the whole when you've done this for the least of these. When we've done it for me. Yeah, and I think and I think Matthew six is a is a foreshadowing, a precursor, or whatever you want to call it. It sets us up for that. You know, this whole idea of this humility and the way that we practice our faith, uh the way we give to those in need, you know, this this being charitable, not as a oh well I have to, and he's gonna accuse him of this later, measure out my deal and my time, you know, my herbs to make sure I tithe off my herbs. Yeah. No, to to practice generosity because we have love for those in need. Totally different.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Can you imagine like getting ready to, you know, butter your pancake or salt your fries or whatever and going, oh, wait, uh portion of this needs to go here? Yeah, here's a tenth of my salt.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

That's wild, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

But yeah, it's interesting that you bring that Mary Martha thing up because how many sermons have you sat through and heard, well, you know, I mean, uh the uh Mary just sat at the feet of Jesus and was there, you know, while Martha was out, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And and I mean, that's I can't tell you how many examples, how many times I've sat in a in a in a worship room where that's been preached about, how many books they've pulled that example from or whatever. But again, you bring it up, like all that mattered to her, and I know those are two different scenes, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because one is talking about when Jesus first shows up, Martha's in the kitchen, and this is later, but it's the same principle, and it's the same Mary, as far as we know, right? The way they portrayed it. And and she just all she's content just to be there and to give of herself in this massively generous way, and it didn't matter what anybody else thought. Yeah. And I th I like that too, because it's kind of similar to this, like for her, for her gift to Jesus, or you could say her time with Jesus. I know she wasn't actually praying, but she was in that moment of worship with him. Like to her, it could have been like they were the only two people in the room. Like it did not matter. The way she acted, the way that that that actress portrayed they were the only two people in the room. No one else was there.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, she didn't care what other people thought or said. She wasn't listening to Shemuel. Yeah, well, he you had some syllables in his day. I can't I can't get it down, man. I gotta listen to it a few more times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

But yeah, she did she didn't care who would have thought bad about it. No. And she didn't care, she wasn't all she wasn't doing it to receive praise from anybody else either. She was simply worshiping in in that moment. Like that's all that mattered. She may as well have been in a closet. And you could say she did that in front of people, but in that scene in that moment, it was it was a pretty intimate group that she did that.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Yeah, she could have she could have caught him like by himself. Right. And it would have gone down exactly the same. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Exactly. I mean, she came back to the house, and that's just who happened to be sitting down for dinner, right? Yeah. And and so and again, I think she did that in her house. She didn't do it in a public arena. But but I do think about that, like both of these things, like I don't think because some people will say, Well, yeah, you're not you're supposed to keep your faith very private. They would take that verse and kind of say that, and that's not what Jesus is saying there. I don't think he's saying never display things out to the open. He's just saying, Where's your intention of all this? Like check, check yourself on this. Are you doing this because you're worshiping God? Are you are you are you doing this good act and giving to the needy here because of what God has done for you, or are you doing it to receive praise? Um, and then the same thing, are you preaching, proclaiming your faith, or praying or whatever? Are you doing that for the benefit of yourself? Or are you doing that because you want to speak with God Almighty and and maybe maybe draw others in? But yeah, so because that's a weird deal, right? When people start saying, Well, my faith is very private and personal, you know, like, well, I mean, it is, but it's it's it's not. And don't try to justify it through this verse, right? Yeah. Because this is about where's your heart.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah. And your motivation behind giving, your motivation prayer. Uh are are you are you doing that to make a show of your righteousness to everyone else?

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

Or are you doing that out of your adoration of God and others? Yeah, your love. And so um and Mary in that scene, I guess the reason I bring it up is because it was clearly she came to worship Jesus just because she was moved and and wanted to adore the greatest king ever. Yeah, and she realized the important king of all.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Yeah. So he had done this incredible thing for her, which is representative of what he does for all of us because he he res he resurrects Lazarus, so her brother comes back to life, and that's the greatest thing that she's ever heard of, known, thought, whatever. And so how does how does she even begin to give back to that? And and isn't that what that's what our worship is supposed to be? Our response to God. We can't pay him back, no, but we can respond to him over and over. Like, how do we respond to what God has done for us? To how do we as sinful creatures respond to a savior? Yeah. And that's that's what all that is about. Amen. And it's it's it's in our heart, right? And so I guess if you've not read Matthew 6.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

So we're only talking about six, one through eight. Yeah. We're going all the way through eight?

SPEAKER_01 12:49

That's what we said. Well the rule was don't go past eight.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Don't go past eight. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

If we don't get to eight, that's fine. Yeah, I'm with you. So so Jesus talks about being careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

Yeah, and that I think it's an important clause. It's not that you can't do it before others, but don't do it before others to be seen by them. Yeah, be careful. Yeah. To be noticed by them. Yeah. That it's it's not about a reward that you're gonna get. I've been saving all my money for the sportsman's auction, so I can, you know, bid up an item.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

However, though, that's still okay if you go to the sportsman's auction and uh and and bid up an item. Uh yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

No, so that people think great, oh man, that guy's really generous. You know, true. That's no good. Yeah, that's no good. Just send your check to me now. Yeah. But if you legitimately just go there and you bid up an item because you want to support the cause, then good, man. That's awesome. You know, and I think that's an example. You know, it's like, uh are you are you showing out for everybody in the room?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Yeah, that's a good point. So let's talk about that just for a minute, though. Because I do see the I see the positives of and this is why like because I have sometimes I'm funny about okay, we go to Mexico and then everybody's posted on Instagram about what they're doing, right? Yeah. And so on the one hand, I'm like, hmm, don't let your left hand know what you're right, do the father in secret. I mean, these scriptures come back to me. But then on the other hand, I'm going, but how will they know? Yeah. No, I I'm so you have the same thing in the sportsman's auction. Okay, so I'm I could have given a check anytime I wanted to, but instead I'm gonna give it there. But if I do it there, though, then other people like I'm specifically thinking about when he asked for money at the end of our auction, because part of our auction is is an ask for this Mexico mission trip. And he just asks people to raise their hands. Yeah. Who's gonna give a thousand dollars toward this house? And and it's kind of cool that we do it in that space because it does spur one another on, sorta, to good deeds, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

You could also say it's just peer pressure, you could also say lots of things, but yeah, but those same people, th there's a lot of like really good people in there who can just say, Yeah, I don't have to do that, you know. Yes, yes, but they they've also heard the testimony of students, they they've seen the pictures, and they're like, Oh, that's good work. Yeah, you know, and so they're I think they're responding. But but uh ultimately anything we do in the church, you know, I I think about correcting someone, like going to someone who has uh done something out out of the bounds of the faith. Okay, well I can go to you as a jerk and say, dude, you're screwing up and you're being uh you're you're being a turd and and I can try to berate you and make you feel bad, or I can go to you and love. Okay. Right. You you may still have done wrong either way, right? Well, probably not me, but whatever. The average person. Yeah, the average person. Uh but but how I approach it, right, you know, and I think I so I can I can do the right thing for the wrong motivation. I see that all the time.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Sure, sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

I think that's what Jesus is getting at. It's like, hey, look, don't do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

And think about this, like we're sitting here comparing it, comparing these street corners that he's talking about, but we're comparing it to like being at the sportsman's auction or being in church or having someone from church say this to you to motivate. So you could say too, though, that that in those situations we should be doing it so I mean others can sort of see it because that is like a sharpening type deal in a little bit of a way. Oh, it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

I agree, but but at the same time, don't do it to make yourself look good.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

No, no, it it is all about root motivation. I get it. Yeah, no, I'm with you. I know. But but so there's some of that that so so when we read this, we should read this with care because Jesus is absolutely 100% talking about what's going on in our hearts. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Because because if if you're seeking the praise, here here's the here's the the I I think the like the the weight of it. If you're seeking the praise of men, then okay, that's what you're gonna get. That'll be your reward, he says. Man, that's a stinky reward. I mean, it feels good in the short term, but I want the long-term reward. Like I I want the love, I I want the appreciation or the or the whatever it is of the father that's coming my way.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Those tires will wear out, right? I mean, it they do. They don't last. They don't hold there forever, the tread wears down, blowouts. I mean, it just doesn't work that way. And and I think, again, somehow that's sort of twisted and tied up with identity and our worth too, because we put a lot of value in what other people think about us as opposed to what does God think about us, because God already knows our heart. Yeah, he does. So if we're sitting here trying to paint a picture of this perfect life and look at my Instagram profile, I went to Mexico or whatever, you know, look at all my look at my story, um, look at my TikTok, whatever you do. Um, you do all of that, but if it's if it's if you're really trying to paint a picture, yeah, then man, who are you seeking praise from and and approval from? And where is your identity? Is it in what other people think about you? It was totally different though, if you're posting all that stuff and you're thinking this is gonna get the word out to glory to God bring. Bring God glory, could possibly motivate someone else to go on this trip, you know, in the future and have an experience with God and and have more people uh come to come to faith because of what happens on a mission trip like that.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

And sometimes we're moved by the joy of the Lord. I know we we're gonna laugh about this when I mention it, but David dancing naked through the street. Sure. Uh, you know, is he doing that because he's like, look at me? Or or is he I mean, he's you know, according to scripture, he is moved by the joy of the Lord. Yeah. And and he is like oblivious to the world around him. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

I would have to be some kind of clothes on people. I would have to be some kind of oblivious. You know, the and and and whether David was completely naked or he was just naked by first century standards, whatever. Like, I don't think the naked part is what I would have a problem with. It would be the other people seeing me dance part.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

That would be a that would totally be that for me. I would have to be really joyful. I'm just not a dancer. I don't want to get into details, but I haven't been that joyful since I had a lot of tequila in college.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

I just I dancing for me, like it's just and some of that is is is just I don't know, it's just different with different people. Like I don't think yeah, I've just never been a dancer. Like there's something weird about it for me, and I've just never never enjoyed it. I've always been like super nervous about it.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

I try to make sense of it, and it's not a sensical thing.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

And I'm always worried, is this even right? Does this even look good? You know, like I just I just avoid it.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

Why do my bits not move?

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah. I avoid it like the I would rather go streaking than have to dance in front of people.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Go streaking in the quad.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yeah, dude. I'll put on my tennis shoes and I'll run across the quad before before I will dance in front of anybody, man. I just oh gosh, it's just so weird for me.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

You know, going streaking in the quad with Gandalf the lesser.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

The lesser, eh? I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

I don't know why we're talking about streaking from Matthew 6. It definitely has nothing to do with the joy of the Lord and streaking go together. I don't know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

That's how God made us, right? I mean, yeah, but but again, to the point, David wasn't doing that as an exhibition for everybody else. He was doing that because he's like pure joy. Yeah, the Ark of the Covenant is come home. Let's let's celebrate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

And and and too, there's something about like I mean, I did say the way God made us, there's a callback to a purity in that too. Like in the garden, when when Adam and Eve were living out their original purpose, none of that stuff mattered because they had fellowship with God on the regular and they had their joy there, and that wasn't stripped away until later, and then the whole naked thing became a problem and and all this other stuff and the lies and everything piled upon, upon, upon. Because if you look at it, they were then doing stuff to please someone other than God. Yeah. I mean, they weren't necessarily trying to please the servant, but they were trying to please each other in that way. Please each other, yeah, yeah. And and and please themselves, really, because it's like, hmm, yeah, maybe God didn't say that. Sure looks tasty. This fruit looks good, right? And so they yeah, so it's the same kind of thing. Like, what are you who are you doing this for? Yeah. Yeah. And I have to check myself sometimes, but I don't know though. I Sean and I joke about this a lot. Uh I just tell her, like, yeah, there's no way. I mean, I'm not doing this because it's that much fun for me. You know? Like I don't, I don't have this I I don't get a lot. I mean, yeah. It's kind of cool when someone comes up and says, Hey man, what you said today really mattered to me, right? Or or if I see a student like like a Drake Holmes type guy, you know, who, you know, after the fact is talking about this is what I learned, you know, while I was there, and you know, seeing him kind of continue to show up on these mission trips and watching him continue to grow. Like, yeah, like that that does feel kind of good. Right. But I'm not like That's not your motivation. No. Yeah. I'm only doing this because I feel called to do it. There's no other reason. Like I don't, yeah, man. If you didn't feel called, you could easily go do something else.

unknown 22:37

Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

I don't well, I don't know if I could actually go do anything else. I but like in your spirit, you could yeah, yeah. I I have zero skills, man. I mean, talking is it. I'd I'd have to get a job in radio or something, you know. I d I just have nothing. But um, but yeah, it's not because I just well up with pride over this and like you know, it's it's it's just a different kind of feel. And and I know some people really struggle with the pastorate and it becoming sort of an idol for them. And golly, man, the second that God says I can lay it down, you know, I'm I'm headed to a cabin in the woods somewhere, you know. But but I just don't and it but again I I I feel like that that I don't know. That's just a it's a weird thing, man. Yeah, no, I get it. Because we have to do so much in front of people and and people say the weirdest things to us as pastors sometimes, and it's just funny to figure out how to take it, but I just try to say this with as much humility as possible. I ain't doing this for me. Yeah. You know. Now, this is kind of fun to talk, you know, but but again, I'm not I'm not I'm not doing it for Alan. I don't I don't get anything out of it in that regard. I I do it for the baked goods.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

For the free meals.

SPEAKER_02 24:05

No, I'm kidding. Uh no, it's not worth it, right? Yeah, I can do something else. Uh for that. No, th I I totally understand. Uh it's it is a um it is it is uh the calling is the best way to say it. I mean it you feel it, you hear it, you respond to it. And and I I do believe there are plenty out there who who enjoy the call of the crowd. Yeah. And that's motivation. And I and I that's scary. It's like, Lord, I hope I never do this for the call of the crowd. Yeah. You know, that I that would be um, I think, you know, that would be my reward. And it's not a very good one. No, I don't think so. Because that same crowd The mob is fickle, brother. The mob is fickle. That same crowd that that cheers you on Palm Sunday is yelling crucify you on on Good Friday.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Yeah, isn't that funny? I just had this conversation with with uh this this guy, Gray Breakfield. He's a he's a sophomore here at ULM.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

Yeah, that's a that's a that's a young guy that spoke at the golf tournament, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 25:07

He did talk at the golf tournament.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Yeah, he did he represented himself well. Yeah, he's he's a he's a he's a he's a great young man. Yeah, I was thinking about him when you talked about Drake and and hearing those people and your motivation isn't for them to say something nice about you. It's like you I think the motivation, if if it's similar to mine, is to like, oh man, I see the growth in that guy from where he where he when he came here versus where he's going now. Oh yeah, yeah. And I got to be a part of that, thank you, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Yeah, that that's the motivation. Yeah, I didn't screw it up. It's kind of what I use exactly. Thank you, God, for helping me to not screw this kid up. Uh right. But um we were talking about so we were we were reading in Second Timothy, and we were talking I can't remember exactly what verse we were hanging on. He goes, Have you ever seen that movie Goodwill Hunting? And I'm like another reason I like you, you know. And uh you mean that classic? Yeah. He said, I know that's not a Christian movie, but but this is sort of like that, like how he's not chasing he realizes the things of the world aren't gonna aren't really gonna satisfy him, right? And he's not as far as being this great Harvard scholar or whatever, where instead he he leaves to follow his to follow his heart, you know, and and go find the girl or whatever. What a waste. Yeah. He could have been he could have had it all. Oh my gosh, Robin Williams, what are you doing? Um no, so so he talked about that, but then I got to tell him because I t I say this to people a lot, and you and I have talked about it, I know. Like all of the good stories out there in the world, they copy, they copy the great story. They really do. Yeah, you know, and so the reason I'm bringing that up is because when we say the mob is fickle, brother, you know, that's a line from Gladiator, but that's the but you immediately connect that to Palm Sunday. And oh yeah, and the crowd that was m Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna is a few days later saying, Crucify, crucify, crucify. And so, yeah, the all the good stories copy the story.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

It's just are you are you familiar with uh Christopher Booker's I and I've not read it yet. Uh it's on it's deep on a list of books I want to read. Uh the seven basic plots why we tell stories.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

No, I don't I'm I'm unfamiliar with none of that, but I can I can probably agree with everything he's gonna say.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yeah, and so so basically he his the premise of his book is there's only seven stories. There's only seven plots. And and every every story out there is one of those or or a combination of those. Yeah. And um and I'm and and I have no doubt we can look at the Bible as you know, the life of Jesus. It's the story. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, you got Voyage and Return. I mean, that's in the Bible, you know. Uh you got Rags to Riches. Uh okay. I mean Kind of sorta. Kinda sorta. The quest. You know, he he would they reference Lord of the Rings. Uh Overcoming the Monster. David and Blythe. Yeah, yeah. Comedy. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

That was a stretch. But uh there's some funny things in the Bible, you know. Uh there's a uh Moses Moses tied his ass to a tree and walked 20 miles. Yeah. That's funny. It's actually not in the Bible. Tragedy? You know? Oh, well, I think tragedy's in there.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

Yeah, quite a bit. And then rebirth. Oh, wow. I mean, that's the one. Yeah, there you go. So, anyways, um, but yeah, that's just interesting. Like it goes back to the Bible, though.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Yeah, I think I think other than comedy, you could find all those in there. And probably comedy's in there. I'm just not thinking super clearly right now.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Yeah. Let's see. The way they describe that, a community or group overcomes confusion, bitterness, and misunderstandings to unite in harmony. I mean, you could often ending in marriage or celebration. You know. Yeah. I mean, there's yeah, I think that I think biblically we could find each of those in there.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

I mean, Mary, you know, rode Joseph's ass all the way to Bethlehem. I mean, that's funny, right? I mean, that that's in the Bible, right? I love those two lines. I don't know why.

SPEAKER_02 29:09

It's funny. That that um uh what song what what hymn is it? Um The Christmas Carol where you get to say ass. Hox and ass. Ox and ass, yeah. Is that is that it's not green sleeves, it's uh is it a um uh oh my gosh. You know what I'm talking about though.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

It's one of the it's one of the It's a pretty classic Christmas carol. It's either Oh Little Town of Bethlehem or a way in a manger. It's the original version of one of those two songs.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

And and I I can't help it. The the the kid inside of me every year just starts to grin when we sing it. You know, we sing that verse, and I'm like, hee hee hee hee, you know, it's like we said ass in church. Anyway, so sorry.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Hey, isn't that our isn't that our plan for Advent this year is the the five worst Christmas songs ever, or something like that?

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Well, we we talked about that or or doing a a mini podcast for each day of Advent. Oh wow. You remember that? Yeah, I remember that as well. Yeah, so either one. I don't remember what we landed on though. Both those are home runs. Yeah. A mini podcast.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

That's a lot. I mean we must have had a lot of coffee that day, man.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

Yeah, we were we were swinging for the fences, anyways.

SPEAKER_01 30:24

Okay, let's talk about Matthew 6 a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Okay, so so I I like it. We didn't really get into this part, and and I and I don't have a good answer, but uh I do like at the end of verse 4. Uh your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

I you know, is that is that reward just like, hey, well done, good and faithful servant? Is that reward something special?

SPEAKER_01 30:48

I mean, you know, I I think the well done, good and faithful servant is part of it. Right? I think it's definitely not because you've done this, now you get to be in heaven. Like obviously that's not true.

SPEAKER_02 30:57

No, yeah, we've already worked that part out.

SPEAKER_01 30:59

Right. That's the righteousness of Christ. I I do go back to that old uh which I don't even know if this guy's alive anymore, but Ray Boltz, that you know, it's it's filled with a lot of cheese at this point, you know. The oh gosh, the thing where he sees everybody in heaven and it's like, look around you, great is your reward. What is that song? Um it's kind of like I can only imagine, but it's way before that. Ray Boltz, type it up, man. I can't think of the name of it right now, it escapes me. Um what that name of that dad gum song is. I mean, it's a good song. It's it's a great message, but it's basically about how that you don't see the reward now, but you see it in heaven, and you see all the people whose lives have been impacted, and that's that's your reward. Okay. Um, what is that song? Come on. It's gotta be his most famous song.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Uh I I put Ray Boltz's song about heaven. Is there a heaven for me? No. Heaven is counting on you. No. Just put Ray Boltz. Uh thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for giving to the Lord. Oh, okay. So yeah, Ray Boltz, heaven is a central theme, and he says the most famous is thank you. Thank you. Where the narrator dreams of arriving in heaven and is greeted by people whose lives were changed on earth because of their generosity.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

Because he did something. Like there's one verse where some guy came uh to talk at their church one day.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

So it's like a wonderful life, but in heaven.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

Yeah, yeah. He he puts twenty dollars in the offering plate, doesn't think that much about it, yeah, and and then that missionary continues to stay on mission and eventually speaks to that family's life, and they're in heaven because that missionary kept going.

SPEAKER_02 32:38

So you're getting to see the ripples. The ripples. Oh, not just the immediate but the ripples. Oh, that'd be that look that thank you, Lord, that'd be amazing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

And and so I think that when we talk about reward in this context, like I feel like that's I feel like they were on to something with that song um when they when whoever wrote that, whether it was Boltz or somebody else, like that idea makes a lot of sense to me.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

So do you remember um the questions you had to answer to get in the process for ministry? I try to forget. I understand. But one of them was the that was asked of your local church was, is there fruit? Yeah, do you remember that? Right, yeah. And and I remember struggling with that one, being so young. And I was like, I mean, what do you mean? Like people who've come to Christ? Uh you know, I I remember, you know, and I was like, not yet. I hope there is Lord. You know, but uh, you know, it's it was just like one of those things that early on, now now that you know, 20 plus years into this, I'm like, uh, thank you, Lord. There's there's so much fruit. And there's fruit I don't even know about, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:38

Yeah, and and think about this. Like, I think sometimes when people think of reward, they think all these cool things, like yeah, if I fly this plane into a building, then I'm gonna have a thousand virgins or whatever, you know, they these these kind of rewards, right? Yeah. But and maybe it's because I'm 55, I would like to think it's not. I would like to think it's because I've have a decent relationship with God. But when I think about reward, I do think about like, okay, my kids know Christ. And and and they'll, you know, and then their kids know Christ. And then that and like that's all I think about, right? Like, I don't, you know, if we get up there and there's no gold anywhere, yeah, I don't care. I don't care. You know, I don't need a and and that's what all that stuff in in Revelation, like the I I've I've got a uh silicone wedding band on. I don't care about gold, right? Right. Like it just like all the rubies and the sapphires and the blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I mean, that's just beautiful imagery for something that we cannot fully imagine or understand. And and I can it's kind of like the whole Indiana Jones Last Crusade thing when what does Jesus' cup, the actual cup, yeah, look like, right? You know, the the holy grail. The cup of a carpenter. Yeah, the cup of a carpenter. It's a wooden little like cup to drink when you're on break, basically, right? But everybody else is always grabbing for the gold thing that's inlaid with all these jewels. Yeah. And so, yeah, I think reward is way more, way more simple, way more alive than what we think. And so, and I think it is like a ripple type thing, like a youth reward.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Like what you're talking about, the Raebolt's reward. Can you imagine? Like, there's probably some kid whose life you you affected positively from back in Arkansas when you were doing youth ministry. Can you imagine? Like, all right, I'll give you an example. Um Kevin Paul was the guy who was my youth guy when I was in Tioga growing up. And so can you imagine Kevin goes to heaven one day and and then some some great grandchild of somebody that I minister to walks up to Kevin and says, Hey Kevin, I want you to know. You know, that that to me, like wow lord. I mean, you know, you show me that kind of thing, keep all the gold, keep all the keep all the whatever else, you know. I mean, that is the kingdom, and that's why I This family tree is different because you poured into this guy who poured it, you know, it's like Yeah. Lord, let me let me begin weeping now.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

Yeah. I know. Like I I just even thinking back about people in my life like that, like, and they didn't even they probably didn't think about it. I mean, I hadn't talked to them in forever. They probably don't even know, but there's stuff that just some random people from church, yeah, things they said to me as like a ninth grader that didn't really make I didn't think made much of an impact early on, but I'm fifty-five and I still remember it. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

I mean, I golly, there's so many I can't remember who made me memorize Romans 1015 about you know, uh beautiful are the feet of of those who bring good news of glad tidings. I can't remember who made me memorize that at the little uh Central Missionary Baptist Church in Tioga. But I you know, I give thanks to the Lord all the time because that verse has just meant something to me over and over and over and over. It wasn't in your family podiatrist office? No. This was at a VBS in a summer at a church that I didn't belong to. My uh, you know, my baby. Isn't that nuts, right? Yeah, my babysitter maybe go to that.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

That's like a shotgun blast in the dark, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 37:14

They didn't freaking know who you were. Yeah. You know, yeah, that that's that's insane. And and I I just I think about that over and over again. And that's why like talking about these ripples and like I feel I feel a little bit like a broken record, but with a lot of these guys on campus that I talk to, yeah, it's like probably every four times I'm talking to them as a group, especially these fraternity guys, I'm talking about the legacy that you leave here.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

I'm a little jealous because I just realized you get to use the same material, you only have to have about four years' worth of material. You you've you only have to have about four years worth of material. You figured out my secret. And truthfully, you really only need two because uh the these cats are growing and forgetting, and you you probably only have two and a half, three years worth of material, don't you? Oh my gosh, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Touche, brother touche. But I do think about that sometimes. Like I'm a I'm uh to do what you do, like every Sunday to the same people, that's a different load than the one that I carry. That's for dang sure, you know. Like I yeah. Now I'm not a guy who like pulls out old sermons or anything like that, but but uh but you're right though. I don't have to stand in front of the exact same group of people every Sunday for 25 to 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_02 38:37

Maybe why some of them put their head down the map for me. I don't know. He's going on again. There he is, yeah. What are we doing? This guy's this guy. All right, so look, I know you got a heart out in a minute, but uh I've always I I want to ask you about this. Um because I because I I if I was a better woodworker, I would make myself a kneeling rail. Okay. And I feel like I want to make my own because I'm big. Right. And nothing I could order is fit me.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

A lot of support. A lot of support. Two by twelves.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

Yeah, yeah, exactly. But but you know, as for you, verse six, when you pray, go into your inner room. Oh, okay. Or or in the the more classic translation, your prayer closet, close your door and pray to your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret or yeah, and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you again. But to me, it's like, wow, what it what were people's homes like that this that this was written and talked about versus what our homes are like now? Yeah, that that that that was. They had a place reserved for prayer. Yeah, yeah. And and and you know, we don't. I mean, a lot of people don't. I I won't speak for everyone who's listening, but I I don't think it's a a a common part of the household anymore.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

I mean, but yeah, maybe not, you know, especially if it's something designated only for that. Yeah. But that's where I think Jesus redeems a lot of stuff. There's a lot of great prayers that have been said on the toilet. I can promise you that, at least by me, you know. And uh and it's not about instant results. I mean, maybe maybe a few times, but uh but yeah, I I think uh in the shower, you know, I get it. On a block. On a run, on a walk, you know in a deer stand, you know. In the truck, yeah. Yeah. In the truck. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:24

I agree. All that's but I but I love the intention behind what that's implying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:29

And so then you take that, like, I think you could do that. And I think there's some I think there's something to be said for that. Yeah. Like if you went home and you created that space, I think that's really, really good. But I think the big word in all of that is intention. That's right. Like are you intentional with your prayers? Are you intentional in your time with God? And are you intentional about what you're praying about, right? I mean, is it are you just are you just babbling like these guys, or do you have intent behind it? Um my good friend Seth Hall, like, he keeps a journal and he I mean he's in it every day writing Well No, you were you Huh? Yeah, you were on the last retreat. Were you in there when he shared? No, I missed his. You missed his. Okay. So yeah, he talked about it. I was in the kitchen. Yeah, he has he has just pages of stuff from years before, you know. And some of it, you know, he's got his regular things that he prays for, but some of it is just like these these things that he prayed for this week back that time, and then he writes out, you know, how it was answered or what he saw. Like I mean, pages of stuff like that. And so there's massive intention. What a nerd. No, I'm kidding. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

It's just it's just I wish I had that level of intensity.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

He's just incredibly deliberate, yes. In a lot of things that he does, right? He's a runner and all this kind of stuff. But but but he does that because he's so intentional about what he's doing. And he doesn't flaunt it. No. You know?

SPEAKER_02 41:57

Uh uh uh incredibly humble.

SPEAKER_01 41:59

Yeah, yeah. So so I j I I think that that that's a big factor in all this is what is your intention in your prayer life, whether you have a designated space or not, or whether the best prayers you pray are in the truck, you know, like are you intentional with them? Right? And it and is it and is it a regular habit? Because I feel like that's what Jesus is saying. If you have a prayer room And again, there's there's humility in this.

SPEAKER_02 42:23

Yeah, there's the intention and the humility and and this idea that I'm really going to the Father, not so that everybody else can see it and experience it, because I because I need to and I want to.

SPEAKER_01 42:35

And maybe some of the things you're praying, God's the only one that needs to know about them. Amen. You know, and honestly, and and you work that out with him and and and receive that grace and and and are strengthened and and can rise from that moment and and then go out and be who you need to be, because even though we're not supposed to go on babbling and and being hypocritical in our life and prayers and stuff, like even though I'm going on babbling right now on the podcast, yeah. But um but but we're still supposed to go out there. Yeah. And and so, yes, our prayers done in secret. There's things that are very intimate with us and the Father, but but we still have to be visible to the world. And that goes back to posting about the mission trip, you know, that's right. And and telling people the good news. Like that still has to happen. So don't think about it. Don't shift into that, oh, my faith is very personal and private.

SPEAKER_02 43:29

Like that's just many last thing I want to say about this because it it sets up where we're going next. Okay. Uh, it looks like let's see, one, two, four, at least four, maybe five, no, five, six times. He says, he's very intentional to say, your father. And and I think Jesus, uh, in the in the teaching uh of this uh sermon in this particular part, he is bringing a level of intimacy to the relationship of God and his people. That that certainly the sovereignty part was always there. Right. But I think this intimacy the Abba of it. The Abba of it, yeah. I think that is um I think he's cranking that up to an eleven. And and and this if you think about the relationship between the father and the son, I mean, uh, you know, that's supposed to be uh the father and his children, that's supposed to be very genuine intimate. We we want to do things for the father uh to adore him too. You know, I I I think back to when our f our first child was born, you know, uh and I thought of you know how excited I was to tell my dad, you know. Uh so I think of of that genuine desire to bring to bring glory and honor to him, to please him. Yeah, you know, it's it's not I I I'm not gonna buy his love. Right. Uh I already have his love. And so I'm gonna bring some some um genuine uh honor and glory back to him by doing things for the right reasons in the right way.

SPEAKER_01 45:01

And and you know, despite what jack wagon version of a father you might have had, your heavenly father wants that time with you. That's right. That's a good point.

SPEAKER_02 45:13

Yeah, not everyone had has had, I think you and I had very positive relationships with our dads and still do. And uh so but not everyone has that. But but our heavenly father He he wants that. He wants this.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

He wants to hear you what you say in secret. You know, he wants that time where you're being very vulnerable and open with him. Yeah. So absolutely. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 45:35

All right, so uh we're gonna go past first aid next week or next time. Right. We'll we'll break the dairy. Uh yeah. Okay. Adios guys. Yeah, stay in the fight.