Reality Check
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As we continue in our discussion regarding relationship statuses, I believe it is imperative to keep the main thing the main thing… That no matter the subject, we are to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, soul, mind, and strength.
The day you decide to propose to the women of your dreams or say yes to your knight in shining armor, we have to have one thing straight-
We have to have already decided that the most important thing in our life is our devotion to following Jesus.
We need to understand what true worship is and then devote our lives to truly worshipping Him.
Worship: our response to God , filled with service and reverence
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The early church worshipped when they were gathered together as well… we see this when they sent Barnabas and Paul as their missionaries.
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
This is not simply a time in a service in which we sing and lift our hands.
One way we worship God is through song and praise...
To worship God is to live a life fully pleasing to Him, devoted to Jesus’ teachings and obeying them.
This is the reality of the Christian life.
It brings us to this starting question...
Is the Christian life a true reality for me?
Are you regularly refreshed by spending time in God’s word?
Do you find joy in obeying the commands of Jesus?
Are you motivated to go and tell others of the hope that is within you?
Do you experience the power of the Spirit, how He guides you, speaks to you, and directs your steps.
Does sin make you sick? Are you constantly aware of the spiritual battle that you are to fight within?
Are you quick to sing loudly in times of song and praise, giving God what He enjoys and expects because of what He did for you by saving you from eternal separation?
Are you actively encouraging your brothers and sisters, extending and deepening relationships with those around you who you do and may not know?
Have you regularly spent time in prayer, talking with God who is your father and friend?
Do you discipline your body through fasting, depending upon the Lord for all things?
Do you desire to serve the poor?
Do you desire to meet the needs of the needy, extend a hand to those on the fringe?
Do you regularly forsake comfort and embrace trials with joy?
Are you actively sacrificing something you love daily?
Do others who know you and those that don’t know that you have been with Jesus?
Are you different?
I wonder how many of you now are second guessing whether or not the Christian life is a reality for you.
If anything, the overarching question has changed.
It is no longer… Is this Christian life a reality for you… it is… Can the Christian life be a true reality for me?
You see, all of those questions can only be truly answered with a resounding YES if we have been radically changed by Jesus ourselves.
None of them had anything to do with what we accomplish.
This was not a checklist, it is a heart check.
Unless your heart has been radically changed by the power of the gospel, you can’t experience the reality of the Christian life.
You see, a lot of us try to by “doing” the Christian life.
Our Christian life is not experienced by doing but by being.
Your greatest hinderance to experiencing the reality of the Christian life is yourself.
“If I just do these things…”
Christ speaks on this matter in Matthew 6.
This is what He points the root of our tension to-
Many of us are fighting for approval and appreciation when the one who has the final say has already given it to us.
And because we are desiring to be seen, desiring to be approved, and desiring to enhance our reputation, we end up shifting our motive from being who Christ has created us to be, reaping the eternal reward of our salvation, and doing what is needed to be done in order to be temporarily rewarded by the applause, praise, and approval of others.
“My desire for acceptance is one of the crosses that I carry. Each morning I have to attend a funeral. My own. I have to wake up and once again die to my desires for people’s approval.”
Lecrae
So, can the Christian life be a true reality for you and me?
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus is referring to the Pharisees, those who hold prestigious positions in the temple, who are extremely knowledgable of God’s word.
They would DO the things of God so that they would appear to be in right standing for the Lord… But they were never truly experiencing a life devoted to God...
I think a starting point for answering our question tonight is to follow it up with another question...
Are we sincere and honest Christians?
What do you call one that is not?
Hypocrite.
Being called hypocritical is our greatest fear. We want to prove to others that we are authentic, all while trying to hide our weaknesses and faults.
Let’s define what a hypocrite is.
Hypocrite: one who deliberately uses religion to cover up sins and promote personal gains.
Hypocrisy robs us of the reality of Christian living
Hypocrisy robs us of the reality of Christian living
Hypocrisy unfolds when we substitute reputation for character.
Our reputation is what we want others to see us as.
Our character is who we really are.
God is concerned with our character- who we are and who He has called us to be.
However, in this broken world full of frustrations, we choose to neglect the eternal promise of God for spiritual rewards and earthly influence for the building of a reputation that offers immediate, temporary rewards.
Are you really who you say you are?
Am I really who I say I am?
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The pharisees didn’t care about the poor, they cared about their reputation! They valued what people thought with the motive of gaining approval for immediate recognition and reward!
What does this look like today?
Do you live by the verse on your bio on instagram or tiktok?
The answer is found in their likes, follows, and posts.
Is your attendance to our services and events really because of your desire to know God and make Him known?
The answer is found their growth and love for their church and the Lord.
Do you go travel on mission trips or to camp because of the cool location or the people going, or is it out of a genuine love for your church family and to know God and make Him known?
The answer is found in their support and excitement for the mission and purpose.
Do you go to D-group to vent about your frustrations and to permit negative conversations about others or is it because you believe in the power of God’s word and community in Christ?
The answer is found in whether they confess their sins, repent of their sins, and are genuinely CHANGED.
There is a key point to this conversation in Matthew 6. Look at verse 4...
4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Secrecy.
You want to avoid hypocrisy or tackle hypocrisy in your own life?
The battle is won in secret.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
One of the most shocking things about the church today is that it has members who claim Christ but are ashamed to talk to Him in public.
When you begin to get to know those people, you begin to see why they won’t pray in public...
They won’t pray out-loud because they don’t pray at all.
Want to win that battle? The battle is won in secrecy.
Some of us can fall in the opposite camp- we know all the words, phrases, and statements to make. We will even pray when called on..
But we never pray in secret.
People who are watching you may think that you practice prayer regularly… And when you aren’t, you are being hypocritical.
Want to address that and gain victory over being a hypocrite? The battle is won in secrecy.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
*In your seat is a print out on walking you through the Lord’s prayer. read it. Apply it.
Jesus closes His warning regarding the reality of the Christian life by addressing fasting...
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Again, how are you disciplining yourself in secret regarding your relationship with the Lord?
You will become who He has called you to be through the power of dependency.
I think one of the reasons God wants us to be diligent in our secret life and to forsake the things of this world is because He knows that we cannot experience Him if we are not focused on him...
This reminds me of a story later in the book of Mathew.
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Peter failed to practice what Jesus had just taught them...
If you notice in Matthew 6, Jesus said...
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus is our treasure. Our treasure is what we value the most.
We keep an eye on what is in our safe because we value it as our treasure.
It is all about Jesus...
The minute we take our eyes off Jesus, is the minute we we fall through the surface of the water and begin to drown...
Jesus knew that our faith and trust in Him requires all of our attention. He knew that when we give Him everything, He becomes our reality.
So then He warns us, continuing in Matthew 6 verse 24
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
God is calling you to forsake the opinions of other people, to leave behind the pursuit of approval, and to trust Him when He says you are loved, you are valuable, and His plans for you are way better than anything this world can give you...
He is calling you to step out into the water… To trust Jesus and devote yourself only to Jesus.
It’s all about Jesus.
God is our father. Jesus is our friend.
Look how He wraps up His message in Matthew 6.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
So...
Can the Christian life be a true reality for you?
Yes.
It is hard. It requires sacrifice. It involves some suffering and pain. But the reward is eternal.
Who is stepping out of the boat tonight and leaving the hypocritical life behind for a life that is pleasing to God?