A certain preacher had spent years witnessing to his dentist. At last the dentist finally agreed to come to church to learn about God. The pastor was tickled silly and decided to put together one of his best sermons ever. That Sunday after the service the pastor eagerly sought out the dentist and with great enthusiasm asked, "Well, what did you think?" In a rather sober voice the dentist said, "I'm sorry, but I will not be able to attend your church ever again!" When the pastor asked why the dentist said, "One of your members who was sitting across from me was singing praises to God through teeth she refused to pay for."
Our religion often lacks integrity.
Throughout the years I've heard a lot of good excuses for avoiding church, but that takes the cake! Either way, the dentist has raised an important issue. Our religion often lacks integrity.
Some years ago a remarkable painting was on display in London. As you looked at the painting from a distance, it portrayed a monk on his knees in prayer, his hands clasped, and his head bowed in reverent silence. But as you approached the picture and examined the painting more carefully, you could see that in reality, the monk was squeezing a lemon into a punch bowl! Like the dentist, the painter was trying to make an important point. Up close, our spiritual acts of devotion aren't always as holy and pure as they seem from afar.
This past week I read about a world leader who made free use of Christian vocabulary. He regularly talked about the blessings he'd received from the almighty God. He spoke highly of the Christian confessions of faith and he promised to make them the pillars of the new government he sought to form. He handed out religious stories to the press. Churches frequently printed his writings and articles in their church papers. On occasion, he was known to show his tattered Bible with its badly worn pages and torn cover. He confessed that he drew strength for his great work from the holy scriptures and many people in his day heralded him as a man sent from God.
Adolf Hitler was a master of outward religiosity, but a man of God he was not. From a distance, he played the role of a saint well. In reality, he was only squeezing lemons.
How much of our religion is truly authentic?
This morning we each have the tough job of evaluating our religion up close and personal. How much of our religion is just a routine or ritual or lip service? How much of our religion is just an act, or a bluff, or deception? And how much of our religion is truly authentic? How much of it flows forth from a heart, mind, and body that is being transformed by God's Spirit?
There is no easy way for us to objectively answer these questions about ourselves. We tend to see everything we do through rose-colored glasses. We're easy on ourselves. On the other hand it's easy for us to issue scathing condemnations of others' religion. It is easy for us to point out the inconsistencies in those we worship and serve with. It is easy and seemingly safe for us to throw rocks at other people's spiritual houses.
This morning we would do well to focus not on others, but only on ourselves. Is our religion true, pure, and of God? Is our worship motivated by a love for God? Is our worship more than a routine act or self-absorbed ritual? Are we authentic? Are we the same up close and personal as what we appear to be from a distance?
Jesus challenges us to pursue the truest form of religion.
As we turn to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 Jesus lays everything out on the table and forces us to ask the tough, gut-wrenching questions that no one dares to ask these days. Jesus cuts right to the chase and challenges us to pursue with all of our heart, mind, and body, the truest form of religion imaginable!
He wants our religious devotion to stand out and to be a cut above the rest. He wants us to close up the gap between our profession of faith and our behavior. He wants our walk to be consistent with our talk and our Sunday declarations. He wants us to be, ''salt and light''. He wants our lifestyle to glorify his nature.
If you have your scriptures, let's start with Matthew 6:1. In Matthew 6:1 (NIV) Jesus says, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."
The first question we need to ask about our religion is, what motivates us? Jesus observed that a great deal of the religion in his day was done for the wrong reasons. He noticed that people were serving more for the applause of men than for the applause of God the Father. Men and women alike were serving to be seen and to receive a pat on the back. They would clumsily draw attention to whatever they were doing. They would greatly exaggerate their actions, their words, and their movements in order to create the impression that they were spiritual giants, when in fact, they weren't. Throughout Matthew6 Jesus condemns three of their Oscar nominated, hypocritical acts.
First, Jesus condemns their motives for giving to the needy.
In Matthew 6:2 (NIV) Jesus says, "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
In Jesus' day, the rich would blast a trumpet to gather up the attention of the poor. Whenever the poor heard the trumpets they knew that the bread line was opening up, or that the wealthy were giving away sandals or something else of value. Throughout the day the poor would literally wait in anticipation for the next trumpet blast and would race to its location for a handout. The system was extremely effective.
Unfortunately, blasting one's trumpet for the poor became an opportunity for praise. The trumpet blast became an indirect way for men to brag about their generosity. With pride they would literally "toot their own horns" and draw attention to themselves. Andin time they focused more on tooting their own horns and receiving praise than on meeting the needs of the poor in their midst.
Second, Jesus condemns their motives for praying.
In Matthew 6:5 (NIV) Jesus says, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
It wasn't enough that they were tooting their own horns and calling attention to themselves. During the day, they would pray in conspicuous places, like on the street corners, and pray as loudly as they could so that people would take notice. Or they would take up a highly visible spot in the synagogue where everyone attending would notice their worship and speak well of them. When called upon and even when not called upon, they would spout off lengthy prayers and go to great lengths to flaunt their spiritual knowledge. Whenever they prayed, their pride welled up within them and they prayed with an attitude that said, "No one is as spiritual as me" and "If only people prayed as well as me."
In reality, their prayers were nothing more than a façade. Their flowery, lengthy, spiritually verbose prayers were just a cover or mask for their failing spirituality. In Matthew 6:7 (NIV) Jesus indicates that they were basically babbling like pagans, all the while thinking that their many words would gain them something in God's presence. "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."
Third, Jesus condemns their motives for fasting.
In Matthew 6:16 (NIV) Jesus says, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
Again they had found yet another way to call attention to themselves. Whenever they'd fast, they would hang their shoulders, mope about, and act de-energized. They would ask their friends if they could hear their stomachs growling from their fasting. They would skip their daily hygiene and overplay the true effects of their fasting.
When I was at Lincoln, two different people I knew personally went on thirty day fasts. They had some rather clever ways of informing the entire student body about it. One man went to his doctor and then asked dozens of students to pray for him while he attempted in his own words, "...a rather risky fast." Another man, a professor, told all his classes how difficult it was to fast and spoke about how powerfully God worked in his life during his fast. Both of them "tooted their trumpets" so to speak, in an effort to share their experience.
It is interesting that Jesus uses the label "hypocrite" to describe those who were giving, praying, and fasting with the wrong motives. In Jesus' day, "hypocrites" were actors who played a specific part in a play. Like actors today, they would pretend to be someone outwardly that they simply were not. Hypocrites (actors) would exaggerate their actions, their words, and their movements, all in an attempt to fool their audience into believing something that wasn't true. They would raise their voices, make up their faces, and change their wardrobe. The real goal of a hypocrite (or actor) was to earn the applause of men.
When Jesus introduces the term "hypocrite", he is basically accusing the people in his day of play-acting. They were deceiving and defrauding people with their religiosity.
Do we need to be convicted of any hypocrisy before God?
Now before we move on, we need to stop and take a hard look at ourselves and ask God's Holy Spirit to convict us of any hypocrisy. When we give to God, do we spend time dwelling on the fact that we gave? Do we obsess on how much we gave? Do we constantly talk percentages? "I am a regular tither." "I give ten percent." "I tithe on my gross income." Do we make giving a contest or competition between us and others? Do we have a roundabout way of letting others know how much we gave by mentioning it in a conversation or giving in full view of others? Do we only give to high visibility projects or special offerings?
When we pray to God, do we pray unnaturally and clumsily as we attempt to look spiritual? Do we make a big deal about when we pray, or where we pray, or for how long? Do we look down our noses at others and puff ourselves up by saying, "If only they prayed as much as I prayed..." or, "If only they were as spiritual as me..." Do we see each prayer we offer as an opportunity to show others how they should pray? Do we pray to show off our knowledge or education or intelligence? Do we fake our closeness with God with false tears, amens', and other prayer jargon? Do we drop our voices a few octaves and ramble on thinking that the length of our prayers will somehow make them stand out above others?
When we fast before God, do we tell everyone around us ahead of time? Do we moan and groan so that people pity us as we sacrifice our appetites? Do we go to extreme measures to alert people to our spiritual acts of devotion?
As a minister, every time I read these passages I start interrogating myself. It can be extremely difficult serving in a role with such high visibility. People are constantly scrutinizing my words, my actions, my priorities, and my lifestyle. There is this pressure to look good for people, to appear spiritual and together and happy and completely satisfied and religious and strong. There is this pressure or temptation to perform, to play the part of a minister, to watch my P's and Q's, and to be something that I simply am not.
At times I have to pull back and ask some of these tough questions. Do I pretend to be closer to God than I really am? Do I pray and teach in a way that attempts to show off my education and knowledge? Do I make pastoral calls and hospital visits just to have a good report for the elders? Do I come to church just because it is my job or to get recognition? Do I sing because I love God, or because I don't want to look unspiritual? Do I pray to commune with God or to simply quiet those who judge my spirituality? Do I go out of my way to be recognized and applauded by men?
The motive for true religion is a love for God, not a love for praise. The motive for true religion is to earn the applause of heaven, not the applause of men. The motive for true religion is to earn heavenly rewards, not earthly rewards. Don't do religion for your parents, or for your kids, or for other Christians, or for anyone else. Do it for God. Otherwise you are just wasting your time and energy.
Does our religion motivate us and does it impact our private lives?
The first question we need to ask of our religion is, what motivates us? The second question we need to ask of our religion is, does it impact our private lives? Does our religion impact our private lives? In Matthew 6:3-4 (NIV)Jesus says, "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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
In Matthew 6:6-8 (NIV) Jesus says, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
In Matthew 6:17-18 (NIV) Jesus says, "But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
In all three examples Jesus is challenging us to do our spiritual acts of devotion privately, away from the public eye, out of earshot of those we want to impress, alone with the Father. But there is more to be noticed in these three examples. Our religion, without exception, should impact every area of our private lives.
Our religion should impact our hearts.
Jesus says, "And when you give" not, "And if you give." More than anything else, our ability or inability to give reveals our heart. It's one thing to say that we love God more than money, more than our possessions, and more than our home. But we only truly demonstrate our love by giving our hard-earned money to God and by sharing our treasured possessions and by opening up our personal property for ministry to others. In Matthew 6:24 (NIV) Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will love hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." We demonstrate our love for God by giving away that which competes for his affection. Our religion should impact our hearts and what we love most.
Our religion should impact our minds.
Jesus says, "And when you pray" not, "And if you pray." He assumes that prayer will be a part of our lives and that we will focus on thoughts on him. It's one thing to say that we trust God above everyone and everything in life. But we only truly demonstrate our trust in God through prayer. We trust God through depending on his power to transform our lives and circumstances. Instead of sitting around worrying about our jobs, our health, what we will eat, our homes, our money, our kids, our cars, or the weather, God invites us to focus our thoughts toward him in prayer and to trust him!
In Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV) Paul says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." God should be able to captivate our minds and thoughts through our prayers.
Our religion should impact our bodies.
Jesus says, "And when you fast" not, "And if you fast." Our appetites are almost always in competition with God's will. In the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion, Jesus was contemplating the ultimate act of obedience to God. Should he give his life to God by dying on a cross for our sins? In Luke 22we discover that every part of Jesus' body and flesh screamed out "NO"! Luke 22:44 (NIV) tells us, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus said in Luke 22:42 (NIV), "Father, if you are willing, take this cup (of suffering) from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
True religion involves self-denial, self-discipline, and the restraint of one's fleshly appetite. Fasting is commonly referred to as a spiritual discipline because it is a means of disciplining our bodies. Fasting is learning to tell ourselves "No", when every part of our flesh is crying out "Eat, eat, eat."
The bottom line is that true religion is loving God with all our heart, mind, and body. True religion is learning to love the applause of God more than the applause of men. True religion is learning to discipline our hearts through constant, secret giving. True religion is learning to discipline our minds through constant, secret prayer. True religion is learning to discipline our bodies through constant, secret fasting.
So do you love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul? Or do you love him with something less?