Man on a Mission: The Secret Service
For the past several weeks, we have been unpacking the meat of the sermon on the mount. It was a beautiful way for Matthew to begin summarizing Jesus' teaching and a powerful way for us to begin our year. In reevaluating our priorities this month, we are resolving to be on mission with God. Jesus focuses on three key areas in these passages which are our relationships, our service, and our money. Two Sundays ago we talked about Jesus' exhortation to show grace to those who would otherwise be our enemies. Today we will focus on our service.
Matthew 6:1-18 (NIV):
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others 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 others. Truly I tell you, 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. 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 others. Truly I tell you, 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, 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 others 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.
Hidden Motivators
Good deeds are a fundamental part of the Christian ethic. Much of what we know of the benevolence that is often taken for granted in Western civilization has been precipitated by this ethos. In the midst of these good deeds, however, there can be a lingering, repugnant smell if the motivation behind these deeds is self-serving rather than others focused.
Jesus repeatedly says that those who live to showcase their deeds have already received their reward. I hope that you are ok with what people say to you on the internet, because if you are advertising each of your good deeds, Jesus says that people's praise will be the extent of your reward.
So often after healing someone, Jesus would tell the recipient not to tell anyone who had performed the healing, but to go and offer the prescribed sacrifices as a testimony of God's goodness to the people. Jesus said that the church is to be the light of the world so that people may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. This should be our motivation.
How can I tell if I have ulterior motives?
You might have unhealthy motives if you spend more time talking about God on facebook than you actually do talking to Him in your prayer closet. You might need to check your foundation if the majority of your testimonies about seeing God move are tweeted rather than followed up and discipled. You might need a heart check if you measure the amount that you give to the church in proportion to how much time someone has personally spent with you. You should make adjustments in your life if the only time that you are dissecting the Word of God is in the company of those whose who tell you how amazing you are for being there. Your service might have been about you more than others if you are always waiting to hear your name and are quick to get upset every time you are overlooked during a roll call of honor.
Being driven by a desperate need for validation will leave you perpetually dissatisfied and very difficult to get along with. You will be poor in your parenting, work, and relationships because you are more concerned with appearances than the quality of these endeavors. You will lack focus, because it is always about the next big thing to provide you with a sense of significance. However, the Kingdom of God is built on service in the secret place.
The following is a quote from Counterfeit Gods:
“Not long before the film director Sydney Pollack died, there was an article written about his inability to slow down and enjoy his final years with his loved ones. Though he was unwell, and the grueling process of filmmaking was wearing him down, ‘he couldn’t justify his existence if he stopped.’ He explained, ‘Every time I finish a picture, I feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to do in the sense that I’ve earned my stay for another year or so.’ But then he had to start over.” (p.73)
The truth is that in giving these exhortations, Jesus is offering to liberate us from the unseen taskmasters in our lives that make all of our interactions unpleasant and dripping with strife, because they are filled with selfish ambition. Those who live with selfish ambition will ultimately not inherit the Kingdom, because they are full of compromise and idolatry while they attempt to build their own empires rather than Christ's. You can tell that someone is driven by selfish ambition when they see everyone as a number or a pawn in their personal scheme to rise to power and prestige. You see them continually giving themselves back-door compliments or speaking of their personal achievements. When someone seems like their opinions need to be heard, regardless of the good direction in which a team at work or elsewhere is headed, this is the sound of a cry from a desperate heart.
The Tyranny of Vanity
"You're nobody until you're talked about." - Gossip Girl tag line
The need to be noticed. This may push you ahead in your career, but it will ultimately hamstring your ability to be a servant leader in the workplace and leave you lacking contentment in your personal life. People who are uncomfortable with obscurity will be perpetually frustrated with their jobs, children, as mothers and fathers having to change diapers, etc. There will always be a time when you have to take the back seat or have to do things faithfully while being imperceptible for things to succeed.
Comparisons are deadly
What drives us to that incessant need for validation?
It may be in your career, where you were always told that you were going to be somebody and do something great with your life, and now you are being driven by an incessant voice that tells you that you are a failure if you don't reach a particular pinnacle of worldly success. To do so, you must be seen and you must be known. Or, it may be the case that you were told by parents or friends that you have only arrived if you can be seen in a particular type of car, have a certain kind of man or woman on your arm, live in a particular neighborhood, or dress in a certain manner of clothing. These are all the things that burn, but they are the things that we chase to be justified in the eyes of others. The problem with this quest is that it is like a sugar rush. Since you know that in your heart of hearts these things are empty, you receive a temporary high, then work that much harder to maintain or acheive the next level. There is never real success. You never really arrive. And one day you will stand before God who says:
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing. (Proverbs 11:4-7 NIV)
The ability to lovingly serve in obscurity, with consistency and without strife, demonstrates the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. It dons you with the splendor of godliness as you reflect the nobility of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The God Who Sees Me
And now in one hour's time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I? - Harold M. Abrahams
The truth is that God sees you and he knows every sacrifice that you make. Whether it be your obedience giving the first 10% of your income to fund the Kingdom, the prayers that you offer every night for your co-worker to come to Jesus, or the way that you fast each week asking God to see revival in the city, He sees it all and promises to reward you. In this instance, we ultimately reap what we sow. What we do faithfully, without fanfare in the secret place, builds our character, true godliness, and a love for Jesus that will not be shaken. Giving, praying, and sacrificing without fanfare is the clearest way in which you will build your enduring love for God. When you see Him openly reward us with Kingdom advance because of your giving (i.e. - we'll be in the theater with more space to see a community of people coming to Jesus built) accompanied with answered prayers and breakthroughs because of our fasting, this is when He becomes the rock for your soul.
The fortitude of your heart is built in hidden service. We should be quick to express gratitude in the home, in the workplace and in our daily interactions with others. Yet each time that you choose to humbly serve without accolades or vocal appreciation, you are flexing the muscle of pure motivation. God sees everything and our focus should be on building an eternal reward with Him. His present rewards are the things that people cannot take away, like: You will be able to be free in your own heart to give love to others without an expectation of return. Your life will not be reduced to transactional relationships which inevitably leave people feeling used and insecure. Instead you will be able to be like God, a giver and not merely a taker.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” ― John Wooden
How should we respond?
Many of us have grown up so culturally religious that there is no love for God outside of the social aspects that it provides. This results in a powerless behavior where people know that you do not live like Jesus. If this is you, you must repent of your hypocrisy today. For those who have been driven by the need for people's approval, embrace the gospel today, and take confidence in the fact that you are valuable because of the one to whom you belong and not what you do. Determine for your service to be quiet and faithful, because, by it, you are becoming like your Savior who liberates you from the tyrannical need in your soul to be noticed. Strive for His validation and no one else's. For those who have been serving God faithfully thinking that no one notices, please know that we are thankful, God sees you and will reward you both now and ultimately in the age to come. Set your heart on this.
Second City Church- Man on A Mission Sermon Series 2013