21st October 2024
Pray (ACts) Read (Matthew 6:1-4 focus v1) Message (Alan Burke) Have you ever come across a do-gooder who made sure that everyone seen what they were doing? There for me is one lady who sticks out. Don’t get me wrong she was a lovely lady and very much involved in everything in the community, everything that she could be seen to be doing and most people well let’s say they tolerated her more than anything else. She was one of those ladies that if she ended up on the committee of some group or organisation it was safer to put her as the chair person rather than be able to be a thorn in everyone else’s side on the floor and let her have all the public acclaim for the work that everyone else did. You may not be like that person but there is a degree that we all like to get claim for what we have done, for what we have done to be see. Here though as the followers of Jesus he tells us to do the opposite and by it Jesus is stripping away once more the idea that what matters in our lives is the externals, what we do publicly, what we are seen to be doing and confronts us with what really matters and that is the heart. What matters is not so much the action but our hearts, are we doing what we do for the glory of God, are we doing these things with the right motivation, for the glory of God, to please our heavenly Father or are we doing it to glorify ourselves? God has a different perspective on our actions than others as well as ourselves. In this section on the Sermon on the Mount Jesus address three things that were often seen as the pillars of personal piety, giving to the needy, prayer and fasting (6:1-18). How we do these things matters, if we are doing them for the acclaim of others they may actually be detestable to the Lord. While at the same time there are things that are done without anyone knowing it, the generosity of someone that is unknown to a friend, persistent prayer for someone we have come across known only to us, fasting from something so we can spend more time with the Lord, these things, unknown to all but ourselves or those closest to us are from God’s point of view worthy of eternal reward. It goes against the grain for us because of our sinful hearts we want recognition for the things that we do, that is why there are those who go around making a big song and dance about what they do, they want to be seen, we want a reward, we want the affirmation of others for living the right way ever since we were wains. Are we those who are doing what we do before men to be seen or doing them for our heavenly Father? Off course there are times that others will see our actions, but again just as Jesus had been teaching throughout the Sermon on the Mount it is a matter of the heart, why are we doing what we are doing not only when it comes to giving to those in need, prayer and fasting but in all areas of our lives, is it for the praise of men or is it to please our heavenly Father? Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q14. What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.
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