Be Discreet
Be • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 27:28
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· 20 viewsThe world has tried to teach us how to live our lives. Through influencers and media, they push their agenda. But Jesus has a different way, a better way, and we are going to take our time and unpack what Jesus' way is.
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Intro
Intro
we are continuing our series BE
We wrapped up our sub-series on relationships
This morning we are diving into the next series within the series. We are going to be looking at disciples. Specifically, we are looking at spiritual disciplines
Body
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
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I wanted to pause here to rehash something we talked about earlier. In chapter 5, Jesus told the disciples to be the light of the earth, that we should let our good deeds be seen by other so that God may be glorified.
now Jesus is telling the disciples to not let their good deeds be seen. What is the deal?
The things that Jesus is going to talk about over the next 4 weeks have to do with our relationship with God. They are not simply good deeds, but the things that we do that deepen our relationship with God
In the same way we don’t flaunt our most intimate relationships for the world, Jesus is teaching us that the most important relationship in our life, the one with our heavenly Father, needs to be private
With that, let’s dive in
When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.
But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
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So there is a little context I need to lay out for you to appreciate the issue that Jesus is trying to address
In Jesus’ day, at the Temple, there was a chest called the Trumpet Chest. The trumpet chest was where you took your offerings for the poor. It was called a trumpet chest because there was a large horn on top of it. It was wide on top and narrowed down small enough that thieves couldn’t reach in and take the money.
At certain times of the week, the poor would gather and the chest would be opened and the money would be distributed among the people.
There were two separate things that started to happen
The first, the obvious one, was a practice the Pharisees had taken to. At some point, the Pharisees decided it was too inefficient to walk all the way to chest and drop their offerings. Instead, the Pharisees would take a trumpet, stand on the street corner and blow the trumpet. It was the signal to the poor to come, find the generous Pharisee for some money
As you can imagine, this would draw the attention of more then just the poor. People would come to see who it was and how much they were giving. This is what Jesus meant when he said they received their just reward.
There is a second thing that was happening and maybe not so obvious. When you went to the chest to drop off your offering, there was one of two ways to do it. You could drop it in silently, or you could drop it in as loudly was possible. Though it was not as obvious as blowing a trumpet, it still ensured that everyone around you knew that you were putting something in. The louder the clang, the more you were giving.
Regardless, Jesus proposes a better way to practice generosity.
Jesus says When. Every one of the practices that Jesus is going to teach on starts with when. Each one comes with an expectation that you will do this.
Jesus says when you give, don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. He is not saying to not let others know what you gave. When you give to the poor, don’t dwell on what you did. Don’t pat yourself on the back. SImply make your donation and move on. The same way God has loved you so lavishly, you are to give and love the less fortunate just as lavishly. Not because of how it makes you feel, but because of how it is going to help others.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone. We read in Acts how no one in the early lacked anything because they had everything in common. Generosity, helping to meet the needs of others, that was common practice. The expectation hasn’t changed. Its not if you give, it is when you give.
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
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A little context for hypocrite. The original Greek refered to actors who would wear exaggerated masks. The masks were designed in such a way that the people in the back could see them.
So imagine how the Pharisees would feel being called an actor that exaggerated their actions for the crowds. That’s what Jesus was saying.
Now the context for what Jesus was addressing. In Jesus’ day, prayers were offered at 9am, noon, and 3pm. The Jews were expected to gather at the temple for these times of prayer.
What was happening was the Pharisees wouldn’t wait until they got to Temple. They would begin praying at the street corner just before they got to the Temple, praying all the way to Temple. Oh how righteous that Pharisee must be if he couldn’t wait to get to the temple to start praying!
The problem is that prayer isn’t for show. Prayer is supposed to be a connection with God. Genuine prayer is achieved in privacy.
The interesting thing is that public prayer only happens when private prayer is happening.
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
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A little more context. When the Greeks would pray to their gods, they would often start their prayer with some kind of incantation. For sake of an example, something like Abra Ca Dabra.
Because of the Roman influence at the time, the Jews started to do something very similar.
Jesus wants to change our understanding of prayer. It is not a show, and you don’t have to try to get God’s attention. You have your Heavenly Father’s constant attention. You don’t have to inform God of the situation, He already knows. You don’t have to convince God to move or act, He is always going to move and act in exactly the right way. You simply need to talk to your Father. You need to connect.
I’m not saying to pray weak prayers like, “If it is Your will.” Romans 12:2 tells us that we can know the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. We don’t have to guess what God’s will is, we can know it. The quesiton is whether you are willing to let your mind be renewed so you can know it.
Recap
When you give, give so discreetly that you don’t even pat yourself on the back
when you pray, go to your room, remove all distraction so that you can really connect with your heavenly Father
when you pray, have a conversation with your Father. Don’t explain the situation, don’t try to convince Him to move. Draw near to God, so that you may know Him and His ways better.
BE Discreet
Live for an audience of One.