Chapter 13
GLORY FROM MEN (OR) GLORY FROM GOD
(Matthew 6:1-18)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father we ask You to please bless this study. Please cause us to better understand the issues that You are bringing before us. Help us to examine our lives and repent of anything thing or any attitude that is contrary to humbly serving You and seeking after Your Glory.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
As a prelude to our study let us read what Jesus once said about receiving praise and glory from one another and not seeking after the praise and glory that comes from God. His instruction is recorded in,
John 5:43-44
"[43] I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. [44] How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God ?"
Since this issue is extremely important to our salvation Jesus also repeated it again to some of the leaders of the Jewish faith who believed in Him. His concern is recorded in,
John 12:42-43
"[42] Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."
To address this issue and perhaps determine whether or not we have any of this type of leaven within us we will examine the following four areas of the Christian life.
The first area of concern with respect to our attitude and motivation in our Christian life centers around our,
ACTS OF CHARITY
The potential issue and instruction for this area of our Christian life is given in,
Matthew 6:1-4
""[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. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Let us notice the following verses,
1-2 If I give to those who are in need in a manner that draws attention to myself so I could be viewed or considered as a righteous or holy person then I do not have any reward in Heaven. I in effect, if I give in this manner, then I have already received my reward here on earth.
3-4 In other words my gifts to the poor should be motivated by the love of God flowing from within me.
Perhaps another way of looking at this issue is by reading the following correction that the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Corinth. The instruction for this study is given in,
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Notice that in verses 3 the Holy Spirit teaches us that if I give all that I possess to the poor and do not do it out of love and compassion then I gain nothing.
The next area in which we might be trying to impress our fellow man rather than humbling ourselves before God is in our,
FASTING
The issue here is recorded for us in,
Matthew 6:16-18
""[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. [17] But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, [18] 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."
Again let us notice that the issue our Lord is dealing with is that: (1) when we fast, are we doing it to try and impress our fellow man of how holy and righteous we are? Or, (2) are we doing it because we are so much in love and awe of God that we are humbling ourselves before Him?
The third area of concern centers around,
PRAYER
The potential issue surrounding our prayer life is recorded in,
Matthew 6:5-6
""[5] 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. [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."
Let us notice the following verses,
5 In other words, when I pray do I: (1) do it in such a manner as to draw attention to myself so others would think I'm a holy and righteous person or (2) do I humble myself before God and offer Him my prayers, petitions and praises?
6 To develop a more personal and trusting relationship with God, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that our prayer life should primarily be an intimate time with Him in our own private prayer closet.
For those who are concerned that if they pray by themselves that God the Father will not hear them, we must remember that if we pray in His will, He not only hears but will also respond to your prayers. To see this let us read an excerpt from what Jesus told His disciples as He was preparing them for His departure. The passage of interest for this study is in,
John 14:11-14
"[14] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. [12] I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. [13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. [14] You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
Before we misinterpret verses 13 and 14 we must consider the whole council of the Bible. Specifically, we must remember that the above promise God made to answer our prayers is with the condition they are to be in accordance with His will. To see this let us consider the following instruction,
1 John 5:14-15
"[14] This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."
As we reflect upon the above glorious promise one might ask as to how can we know God's will? The answer to this question is that we must abide, that is remain, in Him and His Word. To see this let us read from,
John 15:7
"[7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
Now some may ask as to, "How does a person remain in Christ and His Word?" This question is answered in,
1 John 3:21-24
"[21] Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God [22] and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. [23] And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
Let us notice the following verses,
21 In other words the Scripture is instructing us to have a clear conscience before God, that is all known sin is confessed and relented of.
24(a) It is those who obey His commands are those who abide in Him and His Word.
24(b) We know that God lives in us by the witness of God the Holy Spirit living within us.
Does this mean that we should not ask for prayer by someone else? No! The Apostle Paul was always asking for prayer. To see this consider the following excerpt of what Paul wrote while closing his letter to the Romans.
Romans 15:30-33
"[30] I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. [31] Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, [32] so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. [33] The God of peace be with you all. Amen."
In addition to asking for pray from others, we are also to pray for others. To see this let us consider the following passage of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:18
"[18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Thus we find that we are to pray for one another. However, what about group prayer? What about praying together with other born again believers? To answer these questions let us read what happened after Peter and John were released from custody for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The passage of interest is in,
Acts 4:23-24(a)
"[23] On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. [24] When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God..."
In other words, when Peter and John were reunited with the other disciples, they prayed together to God.
The fourth and last issue involves our,
PUBLIC SERVICE
Perhaps the best way for us to see the issue in this area of our Christian life is by reading an excerpt of what our Lord once said about the scribes and Pharisees. The Scriptures of interest are in,
Matthew 23:1-7
"[1] Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: [2] "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. [3] So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. [4] They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. [5] "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; [6] they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; [7] they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'"
Let us notice the following verses,
1-3 Many of the teachers of the Scripture were and are teaching the truth. Thus, upon hearing the truth or hearing God's Word we are to follow it. However, since many of the teachers did or do not practice what they taught or preached they were and are hypocrites.
5-7 In other words, all the works and deeds they did was done to impress others. They did this by wearing long robes, loved to have the best seats in public places and cherished respectful greetings from others. In other words they were not seeking the glory of God or the good for others. No, they were in fact seeking glory and honor that comes from men. (This is also a warning for today.)
In contrast to this display of self righteousness let us look at just two examples of those who truly sought after God's glory and the salvation for others. Our first example is,
JOHN THE BAPTIST
First of all John did not preach in a magnificent setting or structure. Nor did he seek after the best seats in public festivities. Instead, he preached in the desert or wilderness. Let us consider,
Matthew 3:1
"[1] In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea"
Secondly, his clothing was not one of fine linen and long flowing robes. To see this let us now read from,
Matthew 3:4
"[4] John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey."
With this in mind let us now read what Jesus had to say about John the Baptist. It is recorded in,
Luke 7:28(a)
"[28] I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; ...""
For our second example let us now consider,
THE APOSTLE PAUL
As we study the writings of Paul we discover that unlike the scribes and Pharisees, who enjoyed the best seats of the festivals and the gracious greetings and platitudes from others, Paul was persecuted. To see this let us read an excerpt of the account Paul gave relative to the hardships he endured for God's glory and his love and concern for the salvation of others. They are recorded for us in,
2 Corinthians 11:23-27
"[23] ... I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. [24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. [27] I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."
In addition, as we study the New Testament we discover that Paul practiced what he preached and taught. In fact, Paul tells us to not only do what he taught but that we should also imitate him as he imitated Christ. This is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 11:1
"[1] Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
As we did with John the Baptist, let us now read what our God had to say about the Apostle Paul. To do this let us read what He said to Ananias when God asked Ananias to go and minister to Paul. An excerpt of God's conversation to Ananias is recorded in,
Acts 9:15
"[15] But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."
With all of this in mind we find that our Jesus Christ warns us to beware of following or submitting to those who seek after the glory of man rather than God. To read His warning let us go to,
Luke 20:46-47
""[46] Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. [47] They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.""
Some may ask, "What is the point of this study? What is the Message?"
THE MESSAGE OR POINT OF THIS STUDY
The message of this study is beautifully summarized for us in what Jesus once said to those who asked Him, "Which of the commandments of God is the greatest?" His response is recorded in,
Matthew 22:34-40
"[34] Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. [35] One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: [36] "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" [37] Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.""
Shall We Pray?