Introduction:
Watch Out... (Matthew 6:1–4)
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Because your MOTIVES MATTER. (Matt 6:1a)
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Wrong Motive – TO GLORIFY YOURSELF.
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Right Motive – TO GLORIFY GOD.
Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
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Because your REWARD IS AT RISK. (Matt 6:1b–4)
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Worldly Reward – THE RECOGNITION OF OTHERS.
James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…
James 2:15–16 – If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 – The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart...
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Eternal Reward – THE RECOGNITION OF GOD.
Matthew 25:23 – “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”
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Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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00:54-00:58
Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter six, verses one through four.
00:59-01:02
Matthew chapter six, verses one through four.
01:03-01:09
You know, 12 years ago, my friends and I took a road trip down to the middle of nowhere, Tennessee.
01:10-01:19
My one friend promised us a free stay in a spacious cabin that his dad built right next to a scenic lake.
01:20-01:22
Only one of those guarantees end up being true.
01:23-01:27
The stay was free, but it was free for a reason.
01:27-01:29
It was not a spacious cabin.
01:29-01:30
It was a glorified shack.
01:31-01:33
It turns out we weren't even allowed to sleep in the beds.
01:33-01:37
We had to sleep on the floor because his dad didn't want us to mess up the beds.
01:38-01:40
We were also not right next to the lake.
01:40-01:42
It was a mile walk through hilly woods.
01:43-01:48
And once you got to the beach, this is the site that greeted you.
01:50-01:52
Warning, dangerous water.
01:53-02:02
Because nothing says, come on in, the water is fine, like a do not swim here sign in the foreground and a nuclear power plant in the background.
02:02-02:10
You can't really see it, but there was a fenced off area where dozens and dozens of people were swimming and splish-splashing around without a care in the world.
02:10-02:13
I kept thinking to myself, what are you people doing?
02:13-02:14
Don't you see the sign?
02:14-02:16
I mean, can you even miss this sign?
02:16-02:17
Is that even possible?
02:17-02:19
It is unmissable.
02:19-02:42
dismissible I Guess people saw this sign, but they just didn't care They thought it was a harmless joke and not a serious warning You know how you respond to warnings Says a lot about who you are as a person The waitress brings you your food and says hey be careful. The plate is hot What do you do in that moment?
02:43-02:47
Do you believe your nice waitress or do you touch it to see if she's telling the truth?
02:47-02:56
I don't know what's in it for her to lie to you about the hot plate or you pass by a wet paint sign And you think to yourself is this this actually wet?
02:57-03:18
I do decide to touch it right or here's a new one. I learned this week Did you know in bold letters on the q-tip box? It says do not insert into ear canal. I Was blown away I've been doing it wrong for all these years Now that you know, are you gonna keep exploring your ear like it's a cave or are you gonna stop doing it?
03:20-03:24
Or you come to a red light, at the top of the red light it says no turn on red.
03:25-03:29
But you look both ways and there's no one coming so you go anyway.
03:32-03:36
Let's move beyond these somewhat funny examples to something much more important.
03:37-03:46
God's word is filled with hundreds and hundreds of warnings you can either ignore or take very seriously.
03:47-03:53
This is the first week in a new section of our study of the Sermon on the Mount, the heart of religion.
03:54-04:07
In Matthew chapter six, Jesus gives a three-part warning of how you should and should not approach the spiritual disciplines of giving, praying, and fasting.
04:08-04:14
According to Jesus, these disciplines are not just external things that you can check off your to-do list.
04:14-04:21
They are internal indicators of who you really are and who you are really worshiping.
04:22-04:25
Because Jesus cares how you give.
04:26-04:29
Jesus cares how you pray.
04:29-04:32
Jesus cares how you fast.
04:34-04:45
The how of these disciplines reveal if you are a religious phony or a religious follower of Christ who is faithful from the heart.
04:47-04:59
So this morning we're gonna dig into Matthew chapter six, verses one through four, and focus on the warning of our Lord when it comes to giving of our time, talents, and treasures.
05:00-05:07
And before we get started, I want to plead with you to not ignore this warning from Christ.
05:08-05:10
Take it very seriously.
05:10-05:11
Be on guard.
05:11-05:15
Watch out for what he is cautioning you against.
05:16-05:19
Do not close your eyes to your own sin.
05:20-05:29
Do not think you have it all figured out because Jesus has a not so secret secret to share with you this morning that you often lose sight of.
05:30-05:34
The secret to giving is giving in secret.
05:35-05:38
So before we continue any further, let's go to the Lord and ask for his help.
05:39-05:41
Please pray for me and I will pray for you.
05:45-05:51
Father, we come to, once again, a very challenging and convicting passage in your word.
05:53-05:57
Where once again, we are being exposed, not just on the outside, but on the inside.
05:59-06:09
I pray for every single person in this room, including myself, Lord, may we truly listen to what your word has to say and take this warning with the utmost seriousness.
06:10-06:16
We thank you in advance what you are going to do and we ask all these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.
06:18-06:19
All right, so watch out.
06:20-06:22
Number one, because your motives matter.
06:23-06:27
Watch out because your motives matter.
06:32-06:35
Let's read the first half of chapter six, verse one.
06:36-06:55
Jesus says, "Beware, watch out "of practicing your righteousness before other people "in order to be seen by them." It's important to note that Jesus doesn't say it's bad for other people to notice you practicing your righteousness or doing the right thing in public.
06:55-06:56
What does he say?
06:56-07:04
Watch out for practicing your righteousness and doing the right thing in public in order to be seen by others.
07:05-07:11
In the original Greek, that phrase, in order to be seen, it comes from the word for theater.
07:13-07:14
You're putting on a show.
07:16-07:20
You're pretending to be someone that you are not.
07:20-07:24
You are putting on an insincere performance.
07:24-07:28
So once again, Jesus zeros in on the internal.
07:30-07:33
He focuses on your heart's greatest desire.
07:34-07:36
It's all about your motive.
07:38-07:40
So let's check out the wrong motive first.
07:40-07:41
So what is the wrong motive?
07:42-07:44
To glorify yourself.
07:45-07:48
To glorify yourself.
07:51-08:00
I'm not proud of this, but in the past, I've done chores around the house in the hopes that my wife will notice my hard work.
08:01-08:03
Is anyone else guilty of this kind of behavior?
08:04-08:06
Jonathan Trent, thank you so much, I am so appreciative.
08:06-08:07
It's just you and me, buddy.
08:08-08:14
To be fair, all the guys should have their hands raised as high as humanly possible whenever asked that kind of question.
08:15-08:29
This is so lame to admit, but I've done the dishes, taken out the garbage, laid down mulch, cut the grass, done long past due house projects, hoping that my wife will see it and award me husband points.
08:30-08:38
And husband points are a form of currency in marriage that aren't worth as much as you would hope and go as bad as quickly as unrefrigerated fish.
08:41-08:43
All the husbands in the room know exactly what I'm talking about.
08:44-08:56
In those moments, my motive was not to honor my wife, but to glorify myself, to show off how great of a husband I am.
08:57-09:02
And when Kate didn't notice what I had done, I began to pout and feel disappointed.
09:04-09:08
But I only felt that way because I had a bad motive.
09:08-09:16
I wouldn't have felt that way if I had the right motive, which is to be a loving husband who took responsibility for his own home.
09:18-09:20
And this proves an important principle.
09:20-09:26
Self-interest and self-glory always lead to self-deception and self-defeat.
09:28-09:35
Without fail, the most miserable person in every room is the most selfish person in that room.
09:37-09:43
The more you make life about you, the more unhappy you will find yourself.
09:45-09:49
Maybe that is why you feel so depressed this morning.
09:50-09:54
Maybe that is why you feel so empty right now.
09:56-10:03
You want to be the sun at the center of your solar system, but the problem is nobody else cares about your desired position.
10:03-10:07
No one wants to orbit around your preferences.
10:09-10:15
And you may be wondering, how can I tell if I am this kind of self-glorifying person or not?
10:16-10:21
Well, first of all, you are this kind of person to some degree, and so am I.
10:23-10:27
This problem does exist within your heart at some level.
10:29-10:32
You have to figure out how serious and far-reaching the problem actually is.
10:34-10:36
Here are some things to be on watch for.
10:37-10:40
Do you check out what other people share about their problems?
10:43-10:49
Do you have a hard time being happy for someone else when they achieve a goal that you've always wanted to accomplish?
10:50-10:54
Do you ever receive a blessing that you've always wanted?
10:55-10:59
Do you always try to one up people and have a better story than someone else?
11:01-11:10
Do you always bring the topic of conversation back to you, what you've done in the past, what you're doing right now, and what you plan to do in the future?
11:12-11:16
Do you get annoyed and even sulky when you don't get your way?
11:19-11:24
You push away opportunities to serve and help if you don't see what's in it for you.
11:27-11:35
Even though there are telltale signs, it can be extremely difficult to spot your own narcissism because you are often blind to it.
11:36-11:38
But other people around you are not.
11:39-11:54
It would be a good exercise to check in with your family and your friends after church today Ask if they see any of these tendencies in how you speak, in how you talk, in how you act.
11:55-12:00
And if you ask that question, please shut your mouth and open your ears.
12:01-12:04
Stop inserting your opinion, stop justifying yourself.
12:05-12:11
You will not grow if you are more interested in defending yourself than dying to yourself.
12:13-12:17
Start dealing with your problem because I guarantee you that you do have a problem.
12:19-12:24
Stop glorifying yourself because you are not worthy of this act of self-worship.
12:26-12:28
So that's the wrong motive, to glorify yourself.
12:29-12:30
What's the right motive?
12:31-12:32
To glorify God.
12:33-12:34
To glorify God.
12:38-12:43
So Jesus provides the right motive for doing the right thing earlier in the Sermon on the Mount.
12:44-12:46
Listen to what he has to say in Matthew 5, 16.
12:47-12:58
"Let your light shine before others "that they may see your good works "and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Compare that to chapter six, verse one.
12:58-13:05
"Beware of practicing your righteousness "before other people in order to be seen by them." Do you see the difference?
13:06-13:15
Instead of shining the spotlight onto yourself, you shine onto the only one who's actually worthy of it, the Lord and Him alone.
13:16-13:19
Because this is the reason for which you were created.
13:19-13:26
You exist to honor God and show a watching world how awesome He truly is.
13:27-13:29
This must be the goal of your marriage.
13:30-13:32
This must be the goal of your parenting.
13:32-13:35
This must be the goal of your job.
13:35-13:38
This must be the goal of everything that you do.
13:41-13:58
1 Corinthians 10 31, Paul says this, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, "do all to the glory of God." Because any worldly glory that you collect for yourself will be snuffed out when you pass on from this life.
13:58-14:04
But the glory of God is an unending fire that can never ever be put out.
14:06-14:10
In 100 or 200 years from now, you're gonna be long forgotten.
14:11-14:13
No one is gonna be thinking about you.
14:14-14:18
But the name of Jesus Christ will stand the test of time.
14:18-14:21
His name will be forever high and lifted up.
14:23-14:34
I'm not a betting man, but I can guarantee with 100% certainty that you will be rewarded for throwing your chips in with the victory of God's name and reputation.
14:35-14:39
That is the only motivation that will truly fuel you.
14:40-14:45
That is the only motivation that will get you across the finish line of life.
14:47-14:50
So watch out because your motives matter.
14:52-14:55
Secondly, watch out because your reward is at risk.
14:56-14:58
Because your reward is at risk.
15:05-15:11
Jesus lays out the consequence for doing the right thing for the wrong reason at the end of verse one.
15:12-15:23
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.
15:25-15:35
If you are dominated by the desire to rob God of his glory as you do good deeds, you will receive a loud and clear message from God.
15:36-15:43
It is the same message that Willy Wonka gave to Charlie and his grandpa at the end of the Chocolate Factory tour.
15:43-15:46
You get nothing, you lose, good day, sir.
15:49-15:51
That may seem extreme, but it's what the text says.
15:52-15:56
That may seem harsh, but it's even better than what you deserve.
15:58-16:01
With that in mind, Jesus continues on with his warning in verse two.
16:02-16:07
By revealing the emptiness of the worldly reward that you often settle for.
16:08-16:21
Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, that they may be praised by others, truly I say to you, they have received their reward.
16:23-16:28
The worldly reward that is most tempting to seek after is the recognition of others.
16:30-16:32
The recognition of others.
16:35-16:41
And notice that Jesus doesn't say if you give to the needy, he says when you give the needy.
16:41-16:51
And he says that again in verse three, which means that you are expected to help those in need with your time, with your talents, and your treasures.
16:51-16:56
You are expected by God to care for the orphan and the widow.
16:58-17:05
James 1:27, "Religion that is pure and undefiled "before God is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.
17:06-17:12
You are expected by God to not ignore the poor, especially those within the body of Christ.
17:13-17:16
Once again, let's read what James has to say, James 2, 15 through 16.
17:16-17:28
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17:28-17:30
It is worthless.
17:32-17:39
You're expected by God to be generous with the money in your account, not hoard it for yourself.
17:40-17:47
Second Corinthians nine, verses six through seven, the point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.
17:48-17:51
And whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
17:51-18:00
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
18:02-18:06
Harvest, you are expected to make these kinds of sacrifices.
18:08-18:20
But as you make these expected sacrifices, you are also expected to not sound a trumpet before you like the scribes and Pharisees did 2,000 years ago.
18:21-18:24
Now they didn't literally sound a physical trumpet.
18:24-18:30
They didn't pull a Miles Davis and blast a physical trumpet did a nice thing or made a donation.
18:31-18:36
Jesus is using an over-the-top and funny illustration to prove a simple point.
18:37-18:43
Do not be an obnoxious jerk who draws attention to himself or herself whenever you do the right thing.
18:45-18:55
You know, while you were doing whatever you were doing over the past week, I was racking my brain to think of a modern-day example of sounding a trumpet before you.
18:57-18:57
and I came up short.
18:59-19:03
So I'm gonna ask you guys to silently brainstorm because I actually have something I need to do in the meantime, okay?
19:04-19:06
So just be using your brain to think about an example.
19:09-19:10
Alright.
19:11-19:12
Don't mind me, guys.
19:16-19:17
(audience laughing)
19:20-19:21
Oh, you know what?
19:22-19:25
I don't want to interrupt your brainstorming time, but you know what?
19:25-19:26
This sermon's going really well.
19:27-19:30
You guys are all just laughing at my stories.
19:31-19:34
I guess really tell me, you're dialed into my spot on teaching.
19:34-19:36
I really think Facebook needs to know about this.
19:38-19:41
Oh, by the way, have you guys had any luck with your brainstorming?
19:44-19:44
Wait a minute.
19:46-19:50
Maybe I did stumble upon the 21st century version of sounding a trumpet before you.
19:50-19:51
What do you guys think?
19:52-19:53
All right, I guess I'll put this away then.
19:56-20:03
You know, seeking after the affirmation and praise of others is the heartbeat of the virtual world.
20:03-20:07
People put on a manufactured version of themselves.
20:07-20:09
They put their best foot forward.
20:10-20:16
You can post about your best day to accumulate the affirmation and adulation of others.
20:17-20:30
Maybe you post a status on Facebook, a picture on Instagram or a reel on the TikToks as Pastor Jeff calls it, that highlights a mission strip, a service project or a charitable event that you took part in.
20:31-20:41
Now you can certainly do this in a godly way with godly intentions, but you can also do it in an ungodly way with ungodly intentions.
20:42-20:50
You just bask in the glory of the likes and the comments and the heart emojis as human praise begins to pour in.
20:52-20:55
You make a sizable contribution to a GoFundMe page.
20:56-21:01
And instead of remaining anonymous, you put your name right next to the amount that you donated.
21:02-21:06
And you don't do that to show support, you do it to show off.
21:07-21:11
You want others to be amazed by your big-hearted generosity.
21:12-21:17
Some of you are feeling pretty safe and sound right now because you don't leave much of a digital footprint.
21:18-21:20
You don't post anything anywhere.
21:21-21:25
Well, let's move beyond the bounds of social media because I don't want to leave you out of all the fun.
21:26-21:35
Maybe you conceal a prideful remark of something kind you did as a praise at a prayer service or at small group.
21:36-21:50
Maybe you accidentally slip in a reference something nice you did while in conversation with someone else and you inwardly hope that they'll take the bait, they'll ask a follow-up question so you can get to add a boy or add a girl that you are so desperate for.
21:52-21:57
Maybe you like to brag about your family's accomplishments in the yearly Christmas letter.
21:58-21:59
That's right, I went there.
22:01-22:02
'Cause some of you may do that.
22:03-22:11
You say that you wanna keep everyone informed about your life, but you actually wanna keep everyone impressed with your life.
22:12-22:19
All of these examples are sounding a trumpet, pulling out the selfie stick, so that everyone will notice you.
22:21-22:24
'Cause you wanna be the recipient of admiration.
22:26-22:44
You know, whenever I was a full-time youth pastor for eight years, I went to a countless number of musicals, track meets, games, graduation ceremonies, graduation parties, and before, during, or after the event, I would track down my student and their parents and let them know that I was there.
22:44-22:50
Because how could I bless them with my presence if they were totally unaware of my presence?
22:50-22:57
It's kind of weird to admit, but if I didn't make myself known or receive credit, it didn't really seem to count.
22:57-22:58
Does that make sense?
22:59-22:59
Does that seem reasonable?
23:02-23:09
But you often feel a very similar way when it comes to your acts of good works, to your acts of service.
23:10-23:15
If others don't recognize what you did, it doesn't really seem to count, right?
23:16-23:23
It may even seem like a complete waste of time if you do not receive immediate praise.
23:25-23:31
Jesus says you can blow that trumpet, you can pull out that selfie stick if you want to, knock yourself out.
23:32-23:38
If you do, you will receive the reward of human praise, but that's all you'll get and nothing more.
23:38-23:41
you will get nothing from your Father in heaven.
23:42-23:42
Because you know what?
23:43-23:45
You don't really care about what he has to give you.
23:46-23:50
What other mere human beings have to offer seems much more appealing.
23:53-23:55
But that is so short-sighted.
23:56-24:02
Because compliments, thank yous, and awards feel good for about 15 minutes.
24:03-24:05
And then you're just jonesing for the next dose, right?
24:07-24:10
leaves almost as quickly as it arrives.
24:11-24:17
And you so quickly forget how little it satisfied you the next time you desire it.
24:19-24:24
In verses three through four, Jesus warns you to long for that which truly lasts.
24:25-24:34
He cautions you to walk the path of delayed gratification so that you can receive the eternal reward of the recognition of God himself.
24:35-24:39
That is the eternal reward, the recognition of God.
24:41-24:42
Let's read verses three through four.
24:43-24:59
But when you give to the needy, there it is again, not if, when, 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 you in secret will reward you.
25:02-25:06
As I said earlier, the secret to giving is giving in secret.
25:07-25:14
Jesus says, "Not even let your left hand "know what your right hand is doing." I just wanna give a warning up front.
25:14-25:18
I don't wanna offend all the left-handed people in the room with this explanation of the illustration.
25:18-25:21
I love all of you just as much as the normal people in the room, okay?
25:21-25:39
So don't be offended. (congregation laughing) Moving on, about 90% of Americans are right-handed, not left-handed.
25:39-25:41
Again, don't hate me, it's just the facts.
25:41-25:47
Which means that the majority of people use their right hand way more than their left hand.
25:48-25:51
So just go with this over-the-top funny illustration from Jesus.
25:52-25:55
Imagine that your hands can actually speak to each other.
25:57-26:05
In that scenario, your right hand shouldn't constantly brag about all the things that it was used to do over the course of the day to the left hand.
26:05-26:07
Instead, it should be quiet.
26:08-26:14
It should be satisfied that it was used instead of broadcasting how it was used.
26:16-26:21
Jesus is calling us to a very serious type of self-denial here.
26:21-26:27
He is saying, serve me, serve others, and then do your best to forget all about it.
26:28-26:29
Don't keep track.
26:29-26:31
Don't keep score.
26:31-26:34
Don't manage your own personal scoreboard.
26:35-26:43
Don't comb through your mental file of successes and think, yeah, I'm doing pretty good compared to most people at church, compared to most people in my small group.
26:43-26:47
That is a complete waste of time and energy.
26:49-26:55
It is not your job to keep score because you cannot accurately evaluate yourself.
26:56-26:58
Only God can do that.
27:00-27:04
But this kind of self-forgetfulness is so counterintuitive to us.
27:05-27:12
Because we all live in a culture that tries to ram self-worth down our throats every single chance that it gets.
27:12-27:15
Oh, your self-esteem matters more than anything else.
27:16-27:18
If you don't put yourself first, other people will put you last.
27:19-27:21
Don't forget to love yourself.
27:22-27:24
Give yourself pep talks and tell yourself how awesome you are.
27:27-27:27
Is any of that biblical?
27:29-27:31
Why do we often fall for it?
27:33-27:36
The Bible doesn't teach you to have high self-esteem.
27:37-27:41
The Bible also doesn't teach you to have low self-esteem either.
27:41-27:48
The Bible says to have no esteem, which means that you're not focused on your self-image.
27:48-27:52
You're not obsessed with what other people think and say about you.
27:52-28:01
Instead, you focus on what God thinks and says about you because his authoritative opinion matters the most.
28:03-28:09
Listen, it does not matter if other people recognize and acknowledge your faithfulness.
28:11-28:13
Let me say that again because I really need to hear it.
28:13-28:20
It does not matter if other people recognize and acknowledge your faithfulness.
28:21-28:26
What matters is you hear these words from the Lord when you stand before him one day.
28:27-28:30
Well done, good and faithful servant.
28:30-28:33
Enter into the joy of your master.
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That is the reward you should long and live for.
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Jesus says that if you give in secret, your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
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Jesus isn't saying that you can earn right standing before God or work your way to heaven.
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That's not possible.
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Salvation is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ and nowhere else.
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Forgiveness of sin and eternal life are gifts to be received by faith, not earned by works.
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Scripture is so clear on that.
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But scripture is equally clear that rewards in heaven are diligently earned, not automatically received.
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If you honor God in this life, he will honor you in eternity.
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If you reject temporary rewards that you cannot take out of this world, you will be given eternal rewards that can never be stolen away from you in heaven.
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What a promise.
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That is a heavenly check that will never bounce, and it will clear every single time.
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So let God keep score because he will reward you.
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What are these heavenly rewards?
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I wish I could tell you, but the Bible doesn't give us specific details.
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But I can tell you this, God has never given you a lame gift in the past, and he will not give you a lame gift in the future.
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If God promises it, trust me, you want it and you will love it.
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Right now you may be thinking, okay, what do I do when someone else does praise me?
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Is this gonna happen at some point?
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Do you just shut them down and say, "Whoa, whoa, I didn't do this to be praised by you.
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"You're gonna make me lose my eternal reward.
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"La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la." Is that what you should do?
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That'd be super weird and awkward with the other person, so please don't do that.
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You should humbly accept this person's compliment and then redirect their praise to the source and supply of your good works, the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Point the complimenter to God himself.
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And this kind of redirect will not lead to a forfeiture of heavenly reward.
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If anything, it will lead to even greater reward because you have rightly handled praise and you have put it in the place where it truly belongs, which is the hands of Almighty God.
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If you compare to some of the weighty topics we've covered during the Sermon on the Mount, this passage may seem kind of light and inconsequential to you.
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But I can assure you that it's not because your giving and serving in public speaks volumes of who you are in private.
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This is serious business.
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You have received a personal warning from Jesus himself.
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He just warns you to watch out for the motive of glorifying yourself.
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To watch out for the worldly desire to receive worldly rewards.
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And there are only two responses to this kind of warning.
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Indifference or humility.
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Maybe you don't see any problem with your motives right now.
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You don't see any issue for the reward you're living for, You just wanna move on with your day.
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Well, you're free to make that choice if you want to, but it is the wrong choice.
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Because until the day you die and are in the presence of Christ, your motives will always be tinged with selfishness.
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Even as I stand before you to preach this sermon, there is selfishness in my heart.
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Your motives will never be 100% pure, you will desire the wrong reward.
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So please do not choose ignorance because too much is at stake.
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And maybe you do see major problems with your motives and the reward you are living for.
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You know that you have to make a change but you don't know how to make that change.
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Well I have good news and bad news for you.
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Let's start with the bad news.
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You cannot change your motives and desires.
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Are you ready for the good news?
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God can change your motives and desires.
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But this will only happen if you humble yourself before him, admit that you need his help, submit to the master motivator and the richest rewarder in the entire universe.
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Go to the Lord in prayer and do that right now.
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Let's take some time in prayer.
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Father, we come to you to lay our motives before you.
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To lay down the worldly rewards that we are living for.
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Lord, help us to remember the only thing that will truly last is your glory and your name.
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Lord, help us to live these rewards that last forever.
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and not these worldly rewards that fade away so quickly.
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And Lord, if there's anyone in this room who is not a follower of you and is just stuck in this cycle of glorifying themselves and living for themselves, may they for the first time submit to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior so that they can fulfill the purpose for which you've given them, which is to make much of you.
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And for the rest of us, Lord, help us to remember that biblical goal.
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to remember who we are living for, to remember why we exist.
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And we ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read Matthew 6:1-4
What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
Why do your motives matter so much to the Lord?
In what ways do you see yourself struggling with self-glorification? How can you fight against this sinful trend?
Why isn’t the worldly reward of human praise worth pursuing after?
Why does the Lord want you to be motivated by eternal rewards? Explain why this motivation isn’t legalistic or self-centered.
Breakout
Pray for one another.