By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville
Baptist Church
Years ago The Chaplain magazine told
how the noted preacher Charles Spurgeon and his wife were called miserly
because they sold all the eggs their chickens laid and wouldn't give any away.
Because they always made a profit on their butter, milk, and eggs, rumors
circulated that they were greedy.
The Spurgeons, however, took the criticism
graciously, and only after the death of Mrs. Spurgeon was the truth revealed.
The records showed that their entire profits had been used to support
two needy, elderly widows whose husbands had spent their lives in serving the
Lord. Yet because the Spurgeons
did not want to call attention their giving (Matt. 6:3), they had refused to
defend themselves. From Bible
Illustrator.
The purpose of this sermon is to
invite the listeners to enter into a secret life with the Lord.
Matt 6:1 (NIV)
"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. 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. … 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. 19
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do
not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.
Are
you careful with your soul? The soul life is a secret life. Our relationship
with God is in the heart, but it does show itself it some aspects. Today’s message will think about the motives of our
actions.
But,
righteousness acts should be done before God and not men.
Why? Why are you doing
them? What is our reason for
coming to church?
Three
areas to be done in secret:
1.
Giving to the needy.
When you give to the needy don’t let your right hand know what your left
hand is doing. There is no
question of giving, but the question is how.
2.
Praying. When
you pray go into the closet. Don’t
pray to make a show. But pray to
know the Lord who lives in your heart.
3.
Fasting.
When you fast (a time of voluntary abstinence from eating), give
yourself to praying in solitude. Don’t
make a show of your spirituality. Make
a spirituality a private relationship with the Lord.
Let
God Change your values:
What
is most important in life? Is it
more important to help the needy or build a large bank account?
Your treasures will be in heaven.
Who says you can’t take it with you.
Where
is your treasure? Where is your
heart? Is it with the Lord?
Would
you come before the Lord? When no
one is looking will you still come to the Lord?
In Giving, in Prayer, and in Fasting.
Principles
are: Our motives for what we do
are to be centered in pleasing God not people.
Let
God Reward you in His way.
Harold L. Fickett, Jr., wrote about a wealthy businessman who
on his deathbed was filled with deep remorse.
When his pastor called, he opened his heart and shared the burden he
was carrying. He said that 10
years earlier he had been given the opportunity to teach a Sunday school class
of 9-year-old boys. Thinking he didn't have the time, he declined the offer.
Now, however, deeply conscious that his life would soon be over, he
confessed to the pastor that his most painful regret was that he had missed
such a golden opportunity to serve the Lord by investing his life in the lives
of those 9-year-olds. He
estimated that at least 100 boys would have passed through that class.
"My investments in stocks and bonds will stay behind when I leave,"
he declared. "What a fool I
have been." From Bible
Illustrator.
Baylor University is a fine institution in Beaumont, Texas.
The Christian who gave the money for building that school later lost
all his property. Men of the world asked him, "Don't you wish you had the
money back that you put into that school?"
He replied, "Not at all. It is all that I have saved.
If I had kept that money, I would have lost it too.
I am thankful that I gave that building when I did."
From Bible Illustrator.
Submitted
by: Pastor J. Michael Walls
A
woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting
in her front yard. She did not
recognize them. She said, "I
don't think I know you, but you must be hungry.
Please come in and have something to eat."
"Is
the man of the house home?" they asked.
"No,"
she said. "He's out."
"Then
we cannot come in," they replied.
In
the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. He said, "Go tell them I am home and invite them
in." The woman went out and
invited the men in.
"We
don't go into a house together," they replied.
"Why
is that?" she wanted to know.
One
of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," pointing to one of
his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success. And I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and
discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."
The
woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice," he said. "Since that is the case,
let us invite Wealth. Let him
come and fill our home with wealth." His wife disagreed. "My dear,
why don't we invite Success?" Their
daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.
She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to
invite Love? Our home will be
filled with love." "Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice,"
said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our
guest."
The
woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please
come in and be our guest." Love
got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and
followed him. Surprised, the lady
asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love.
Why are you coming in?"
The
old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the
other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he
goes, we go with him. Wherever
there is Love, there is also wealth and success."
WHICH
ONE WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN? From
Bible Illustrator.