True Confessions was a magazine at the grocery store checkout stand that once proudly sat beside the National Enquirer and other literary giants. As I introduce today’s message from the Sermon on the Mount, it is time for my own true confession.
I confess that I really like to receive public praise and approval. I have rightly been accused of being a people-pleaser. I suppose there are more sinister character traits than this, but it nevertheless runs contrary to what Jesus envisioned for His followers.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).
When it comes to religious activities, such as giving, praying, and fasting, people in God’s kingdom are not to crave public approval and appreciation.
Paul helps us understand why it doesn’t make good sense for us to parade our righteousness. He wrote, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
A few years ago, the King Tut exhibit came to Union Station in Kansas City. I am sure the artifacts from the king’s tomb arrived in packing crates, but none of those crates were put on display. They weren’t the treasure.
In the same way, we are not the treasure. One man put it like this: “If you miss me, you miss nothing. If you miss Jesus, you’ve missed everything.” As much as we crave public approval for our religious deeds, the focus must be on Jesus and not on us.
Public Approval for Giving
The safety net system in the ancient world depended on religious people giving money to support those in need. Giving to the needy is as old as the oldest portions of the Bible. When does giving become a problem?
Giving to others becomes problematic when we give to fulfill our desire to please people.
“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:2-4).
The telling word in Jesus’ remarks is “hypocrite,” a term that originally described a stage actor. What we know about actors is that they play the part of someone other than who they really are. Jesus loves us and doesn’t want us to play a part and lose touch with our true selves. The motives behind our giving are just one way we can gain insight into our inner lives.
What Can People-Pleasers Do?
When a packing crate wants to receive more recognition than the treasure inside, we have a serious problem. What can we do to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that we naturally put the treasure—Jesus—in the highest place?
A friend of mine often says, “If he knew better, he’d do better.” To do better, we must first know what to do. Let’s ask Jesus to show us the true nature of our thoughts and attitudes. We need to recognize when we are playing a part rather than being authentic.
The best gift we can give ourselves is to draw closer to Jesus. Once He becomes the greatest treasure of our lives, we will have a hard time not revealing His nature to others.
More than anything, Jesus wants us to drop the act so we can engage in a genuine friendship with Him. He wants access to our hearts, and He uses things like the proper way to give as a key for entrance.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 