Why Do It?
Part 5 (Final) in “touch Jesus” series
October 11 2009
We are in the midst of a busy fall season here at Hopewell – and are “doing” many things!
This is truly an exciting time to be part of Hopewell Presbyterian!
But – even though we have a lot to celebrate and are doing a lot of things – we are also looking at ways that we can grow – spiritually. As we get involved in and get excited about doing more things we are also growing in our relationship with God.
Our new prayer groups are giving us excellent opportunities to grow in our faith – and the adult study on Wednesday nights of Richard Fosters book Celebration of Discipline gives us an opportunity to explore some of the ways we can grow in our relationship with Christ.
On Sundays we are looking at “touching Jesus” – coming into contact with Jesus – and letting Jesus change our lives. We’re looking at different ways we can “touch Jesus” – let Jesus touch us – and let Jesus change our lives. We have seen the need to “touch Jesus” by looking at the story of a woman who reached out from a crowd of folks and touched Jesus – and had her life changed by Him –we have looked at the Lord’s Prayer and how we can touch Jesus when we pray – we have looked at how we can follow and listen to Jesus – and how we touch Jesus when we serve Him and others.
We’re concluding this series today – and I want us to look at why we serve Jesus and others – or why we pray – or why we might follow some of the other spiritual disciplines we’ve been looking at on Wednesday nights – such as fasting. We put ourselves in a position where we can touch Jesus and let Him touch us – change our lives – and make a difference through us when we pray serve, and do some of these other disciplines we have looked at the past few Sundays – but our reasons for doing these things must be sincere.
We need to look at why we do these things.
Our question for today is: Why Do It?
Listen to how Jesus called His followers to do these things – but for the right reasons – as we look at Matthew 6:1-18. (Read Scripture)
Why do it?
Why give to others –
Why pray –
Why do other things that are parts of the “spiritual disciplines” – such as fasting?
Do we do these things so we will be spiritual people?
Richard Foster writes that practicing the spiritual disciplines does not make us spiritual people. Practicing the spiritual disciplines does, however, put us in a position where God can touch us – change us – and make a difference in our lives. In other words, it is not the disciplines themselves that make us spiritual people – the disciplines put us in a position where God where work in our lives – and God can make us more spiritual.
In our passage for today, Jesus is asking us –
Why do it?
Why serve others – pray – or do some of the other spiritual disciplines?
Jesus seems to be saying that our spirituality – the things we do because we are thankful for what God has done for us – need to be done quietly, without great fanfare, without drawing undo attention to us — but giving the glory to God.
Why do it?
Why give to others – pray – or do some ot the other disciplines that make the Christians life?
Jesus seems to be saying that we do these things to give glory to God – and so God can work in our lives and through us. We don’t do them to bring credit to ourselves or make ourselves look good – or spiritual – or holy.
So – why do it?
There are 3 things that we can do as Christians – 3 of the spiritual disciplines — that Jesus discusses in this passage – 3 things that God wants us to do — but He wants us to do them without fanfare and without congratulating ourselves.
Let’s take a closer look at each one so we can have a better understanding of why Jesus wants us to do these things.
First – we have giving to others in verses 1-4:
1“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.
2″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. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Jesus is talking about giving to the poor and needy.
Why do it?
For the first century Jew, charitable giving and righteousness were one and the same. In fact, the same Hebrew word was is used for both almsgiving and righteousness. To be generous was to be righteous — to be righteous was to be generous. However, it became the habit of some to publicize their giving – and therefore their righteousness.
They were doing it so others could see how righteous they were – and give them praise.
For example — in ancient days in the Eastern world, water was so scarce that it had to be bought. When a man wanted to do good and be seen as being righteous he would purchase water and tell the water carrier to give a drink to all who were thirsty. The water carrier would cry out, “All who are thirsty, come and drink.” As the poor came to receive water, the man who had purchased the water would stand near by and say, “Bless me, who gave you this drink.” Today, thousands of years later, some people are no less subtle in their generosity. When some of the super-rich decide to let go of some of their fortune, they often announce it with press releases and media interviews. And drawing attention to what we give for others is not limited to the very rich.
Why do it?
Jesus is telling us that the purpose of giving is not to build up ourselves, but to serve God – and serve them. Listen again to His words…
(v. 2) So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Have you ever received public recognition for your generosity? It feels good, there’s no question about it. It feels good to hear someone say, “Without you, this never would have been possible.” There is an emotional reward for conspicuous generosity. But, Jesus says there is an even greater reward for those who give quietly.
(v. 3) 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.
Why do it?
Here are three principles of giving that we need to keep in mind.
First — you’re never too poor to give.
If you’re struggling to get by, and you give to God’s work, or you give to someone who is struggling more than you, other people might not notice, but God will—and he will bless your generosity. You may not have much, but you have something to give.
Second — giving is to be sacrificial.
There’s no set amount that people have to give in order to be spiritual. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote that the safest rule for giving is to give more than we can spare. If our lifestyle is identical to others in our same income level, we are probably giving too little.
Lewis wrote:
“If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”
Another way this rule has been expressed is “Give until it hurts.” The problem, however, is that, when it comes to giving, some people have a very low threshold for pain!
The third principle for giving is: giving is to be self-determined .
I read about a woman who told her pastor:
“I think it’s wrong for someone to live in a $200,000 home. A $100,000 should be sufficient, and the rest could be given to the poor.” Her pastor found that to be an interesting observation, because, based on the neighborhood she lived in, he knew that she probably paid $100,000 for her home. In other words, she seemed to be saying, “Every one who lives better than I do should come down to my level and give away the rest.” But then, those who live in $50,000 homes could say the same about her standard of living. And those who can’t afford to buy a home could say the same thing about the others. The point is this: instead of worrying about how much those who are more affluent than you give, you need to focus on how much you yourself give. There will always be people who are richer than you, but give less than you. Don’t worry about them, just worry about yourself. The Apostle Paul said…
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Giving is a private matter. It’s not for others to judge you or reward you – and it’s not up to you to judge or reward others. It’s between you and God. It’s between them and God.
So – the first discipline Jesus addresses is giving – which we are never too poor to do, should be sacrificially, and is a matter between us and God.
Why do it?
The second spiritual discipline Jesus addresses is prayer.
Jesus said:
(v. 5) And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corner to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Imagine that you were in a crowded room – maybe in a meeting — when, at a set time, someone drops to his knees and begins praying out loud. This is uncommon today, but in the first century, it wasn’t unusual at all. The Jews had a high standard for ritualized for prayer, and they took it very seriously. In the process, however, many of them missed the point of prayer. The purpose of prayer is not to impress others with your own spirituality; the purpose of prayer is to connect with God. Instead of being a private act of worship, prayer became a public demonstration of piety. Prayer became, in many ways, a performance.
Why pray?
Why do it?
The attitude Jesus warns against has spilled over into the church today. Some people feel awkward about praying out loud, because they feel like their prayers should be profound and eloquent – and they feel they can’t pray profoundly enough or eloquently enough. I read about something that happened to a new Christian who went out to eat with some of his Church friends. He was asked to bless the meal, and being a new Christian and new to the group, he thought he needed to impress them with his profound spirituality, so he prayed, and he prayed, and he prayed. He thanked God for the flowers and the trees. He thanked God for the missionaries. He thanked God for Noah. He thanked God for everything…almost. When he finally said, “Amen,” one of his new friends added in “P.S. Lord, bless the food.” He had waxed eloquent about everything except the one thing he was asked to pray about— the meal, and in the process did not impress any of his new friends — but he probably amused them. He was probably not asked to ask the blessing again.
So – why do it?
Jesus is saying that prayer is not about being eloquent, but it’s about sharing privately with God what is in your heart.
(v. 6) But 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.
Jesus goes on to say…
(v. 7) 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.
Prayer is a private matter. If the only time you pray is at church, then you’re missing out on the real purpose of prayer. We pray to connect with God – to speak to God – and have God speak to us. We pray so God can touch us – make a difference in our lives – and strengthen us to make difference for God in the world.
In verses 9-13 Jesus teaches a “model” prayer — what we refer to as the “Lord’s Prayer.” The power of this prayer is not in the words themselves, but in the attitude of the heart that it conveys. This is not a complex prayer, because prayer is not a complex matter. I once attended a weekend seminar that featured hours of teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. While there, it occurred to me that Jesus didn’t take an entire weekend to teach this prayer to his followers; He taught it to them in just a few minutes. You don’t have to go to seminary to learn to pray. No matter who you are or where you are in your spiritual life, you can pray to God.
The Lord’s Prayer teaches us how to pray. Here is a five step process Jesus gives us:
• Begin with Praise and Adoration . “Hallowed be thy name.” Jesus prays.
• Pray for God’s will in your life, and throughout the world . Jesus prayed: “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done.”
• Pray for your needs and the needs of others. Jesus prayed: “Give us this day our daily bread.”
• Pray for forgiveness of your sins, and the ability to forgive others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Jesus prayed.
• Pray for strength to live a holy life. Jesus prayed: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
So – that’s some suggestions on how to do it.
But – why do it?
Prayer is not a performance. Don’t pray to try to impress God or others with your lofty words – pray so God can touch you – make a difference in your life – and through you make a difference in the lives of others.
Why do it?
Why do the spiritual disciplines?
Jesus says we give and pray so that God can change us and use us for His will in the world.
But what about that third discipline Jesus talks about?
What about fasting?
We don’t talk a lot about fasting – do we? We might not — but it is clear that Jesus expected His disciples to do it – and us to do it. He said, “When you fast…” – not “If you fast..” But again, as with prayer and giving, the purpose of fasting is not to draw attention to yourself or to impress others. The purpose of fasting is to bring you closer to God – and put you in a position where God can touch you – make a difference in your life – and through you make a difference in the lives of others.
So – why fast?
Why do it?
Jesus says:
(v. 16) 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.
Jesus goes on to say,
(v. 17-18) 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.
Fasting has it’s benefits:
• Fasting teaches self-discipline.
I don’t think I have to convince you that we have a tendency to indulge ourselves with food. Fasting prevents us from becoming slaves to our appetites. It teaches us that – contrary to what we might think — we are not powerless over pizza – or any other food. Fating can help us remember that there are more important things in life than the next meal.
• Fasting proves that we mean business .
In the Old Testament, fasting often accompanied repentance. When David repented of the sin of adultery he had committed with Bethsheba, he demonstrated his repentance through fasting. When Daniel was praying for the forgiveness of the people of Israel, he demonstrated the sincerity of his prayer by fasting. When the people of Ninevah heard Jonah’s preaching, they demonstrated their repentance by fasting. Fasting is an act of sacrifice that says, “Lord, I’m serious about this. I mean business.”
• Fasting helps us straighten out our priorities .
When we experience hunger, we become more compassionate toward those who are hungry.
In the Bible, fasting is always linked with prayer. The purpose of fasting is not to hear our stomach growl, it is to give us an opportunity to draw closer to God – an opportunity for us to put ourselves in a position where God can touch us – change us – and work in our lives.
So – why do it?
Why give?
Why pray?
Why fast?
Three times in this passage, Jesus says that if you do your “spiritual things” to impress people, “you have your reward in full.” The purpose of spiritual discipline is not impress the public – or even to impress God. The purpose is to become closer to God. The purpose is to put ourselves in a position where God can work in our lives.
Giving, praying, and – yes –even fasting — are not things to make a big deal about – they are not to be performances — but they are to be responses to God for all that God has done for you – and ways to let Jesus touch you and change your life so you can touch others with His love.
We don’t have to broadcast every good thing we do. We don’t have to send God our latest press release. When we offer our service to Him, without any motive of public recognition, He sees us, and He touches us and changes us.
So – why do it?
So we can be changed by God – and be the people God has called us to be.
That’s why we do it. Amen.
