500. Walking in the Word, The Practice of Righteousness

What does it mean to be righteous in our giving, praying, and fasting? Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:1-18 and Luke 11:1-4. Join Julie Jenkins as we explore God's Word together. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. If you are new to our podcast, we have three different offerings for you each week. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose, a 30-minute interview with a different woman each week who is walking out her God-given calling. If you need inspiration for your walk, this is the place to go. You know the Bible is full of stories of people just like you and me who had encounters with God. But sometimes, we forget that our God today is the same miracle-working God of the Bible. Listening to the stories of God's faithfulness as we share them with others reminds us how powerfully God is working in today's world. And on Friday's we have a team of amazing women who host Celebrating God's Grace, a short, inspirational podcast intended to launch you into your weekend. And today, our Wednesday podcast, we take some time to Walk in the Word together as we open our Bibles and ask God what He wants us to know today. We are currently walking through the Gospels chronologically. And even more precisely, we are walking through the Sermon on the Mount, which is primarily recorded in the book of Matthew. Today's teaching comes from Matthew chapter six verses one through 18. And from Luke chapter 11, verses one through four. Let's pray before we begin, Dear most holy and loving God, we thank you for who you are. And for meeting us today where we are. God when these words that we are studying today were penned so many years ago, you knew that we would be studying them today. That thought just blows my mind. Thank you for bringing us this passage today and for guiding us through it and for teaching us what it is that you want us to know. We give You all the praise and glory as we learn together from you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Today's passage is grouped into three parts which can all be centered on the theme, being righteous before God. Jesus teaches His disciples and us to be righteous and giving in prayer and in fasting. Now the simple definition of righteousness is being right with God. This can be difficult to do when we want to look good to others. With the popularity of social media, this teaching may be even more relevant today than it was in Jesus' day. We are pretty good at judging the Pharisees. They were rigid law-followers who operated based on show rather than on seeking the heart of God. But don't we fall into that trap as well? It's oh so tempting to want to look right to wear the right clothes at all costs. And even to have children who accelerate in sports, advanced classes or are even known in the church. It's tempting to want to showcase our power by the cars we drive, the neighborhoods we live in and yes, the posts we put up on social media for all the world to see. Jesus' teaching today is meant to remind us to put our relationship with God above our status with others. Jesus wants us to live righteously, not to live as hypocrites. Today, we learn that he wants us to share what we have, not just broadcast how much we donate.  He wants us to spend time with Him, not just belong to the most prestigious church. And He wants us to feel his presence, not put our own sacrifice on display for all to see. Well, let's begin by reading Matthew chapter six verses one through four from the New Living Translation. This is Jesus talking, he says, Watch out. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do, blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity, I tell you the truth they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father who sees everything will reward you. Now, in this teaching, Jesus is not instructing us to give or not to give, He presupposes that the disciples understood that generosity is the key ingredient in the life of the Jew, and for us today, the Christian life. Instead, this teaching is meant to remind us that as we do those things we are called to do, we must be certain to be God-centered, and not self-centered. One theologian says that we shouldn't follow Jesus' teachings to make ourselves look good, but to make God look good. Have you ever been the answer to someone's prayer? I hope that I have been the answer to someone's prayer. But I can more easily recall when others were the answer to my prayers. Just recently, I was tired. We've been very busy here, Women World Leaders. And sometimes the week gets long and my energy gets drained. Although I don't question what I'm doing, because I know that God has called me I do get tired. And recently, I've had to rely on God a little more, to do all that He has called me to do. But as I pray for his strength and wisdom and power he continually delivers. Recently, in response to that prayer for strength and wisdom and power, God delivered flowers right to my house, to encourage me to keep going. I love flowers. And I cannot tell you how much of a God-wink that bouquet was. It sat on my desk as I worked at my computer. And each time I looked at it, I was reminded that God was pleased with my sacrifice to Him. Now, you and I both know that God did not call the florist and order those flowers. But He did ask someone else to, and she listened. And if we asked her, I bet she'd say that God provided her the funds. She was obedient. I got the blessing. And most importantly, God got the glory. When we are called to give, to share, to donate or to bless someone, it really isn't about us. It's about God. God knows what each person needs, and He will always provide and He often provides through us. Wow, what a privilege we have to give him God's name and to point the glory to Him. Jesus is teaching us that it isn't about what you give, leave that up to God and just respond in obedience. It's all His anyway. No, it isn't about what you give. It's about how you give. Be careful to never take God's glory. Jesus moves on to his teaching about prayer in verse five. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth. That is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father who sees everything will reward you. Prayer is about going to God and spending time with Him. Again, Jesus isn't teaching us to not pray in public, there are certainly times when that is warranted. But He is saying when you pray, your sole focus should be on God. Don't pray to teach someone, or to showcase that you are religious, or to make your problems known to the world. Don't pray as a form of gossip. Our sole purpose in prayer should be to connect with God. Jesus gives some practical tips on prayer beginning in verse seven. When you pray, Don't babble on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need, even before you ask him. Wow, God doesn't care that we use specific words. He wants to hear our heart. I've heard it said that prayer changes the pray-er even more than the situation. Our prayers are about bringing us into God's presence and allowing him into our hearts to do what he will. Well then Jesus shared what many of us know as the Lord's Prayer. Luke records that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers. That is a prayer in and of itself and one that I pray often, God I don't even know what to pray here, guide me. Do you know what? He always will? Jesus taught beginning in Matthew six, nine, Pray like this. Our Father in heaven, May your name be kept holy. May Your kingdom come soon, may or will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need and forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one. Jesus teaches that our prayer should first and foremost be filled with praise to God. Our God is personal. But He's majestic. So the prayer starts out Our father, Abba translated best as Daddy, our Father in heaven, he's reigning in heaven, He's holy. We should always put God first in our prayers praising him for who he is. Think of a love letter. You would never never start off saying, I need this from you, please now. No, you would tell your love what you appreciate about him, how he lights up the room when he walks in, and how much he has changed your life. Our God loves each of us more than any person ever will. And if we really understood that, our prayers would be saturated with our thanks and praise for him. Next, we meet God in agreement. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Above all, we want what you want, God. And yes, then we get to ask God for our personal needs as our provider, for his forgiveness as our Savior, and for his protection as our deliverer. Jesus continues the thought that God wants our hearts saying, beginning in verse 14, If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, Your Father will not forgive your sins. What He's saying is when we truly recognize the magnitude of forgiveness that God offers through his son Jesus, we will be empowered to grow in forgiveness toward others. Next, Jesus turns to fasting. Fasting was required by the Jews one day a year on the Day of Atonement. But fasting became a more frequent thing as individuals strive to hold on to God in the midst of dire circumstances, when they were taken from their home to a godless culture during the Babylonian exile. But in Jesus' day, the Pharisees had taken what was meant as a strong reminder of God's provision and protection and turned it into a show, hypocritically turning the spotlight on themselves and their own sacrifice, rather than on the goodness and provision of God, as they publicly fasted two days a week. Jesus points the disciples back to God's intended blessing of the fast-verse 16. And when you fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled, so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast comb your hair and wash your face, that no one will notice you're fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything,  will reward you. Giving, praying and fasting are all blessings that God gives us for the purpose of bringing us closer to Him. God wants us to be so sold out to Him, that these three acts of Christianity are as essential to our souls as breathing is to our flesh. When we humbly submit in obedience to follow his call, our reward is great. We get to hang out with God, and we get the greatest job ever—shining the spotlight on Him. Let's pray. Dear most Gracious Father, it is such an honor to serve you and to know you. God led everything we do today be simply to honor you and shine the light on who you are. We thank you for guiding us into sacrificial giving, one on one prayer and fasting meant to bring us into greater communion with you. We give you this day and ask that you keep reminding each one of us of this teaching as we walk through today, that we may accomplish your will. In Your name I pray, Amen.