"Why Do You Do What You Do?" Sermon: Matthew 6:1-6, 15-21

“Why Do You Do What You Do?”

    [Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21]          

February 22, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            Today is Ash Wednesday, and we intend that all those who desire shall be anointed with ashes.  Ashes were used from the earliest biblical times to symbolize repentance.  It was recognized by the beginning of the first millennium A. D. as a practice on the first day of Lent to receive ashes, and it was made church law in 1091 A. D., and it was received as an official practice of the Protestant Church when it came into existence, (though not without discussion).

            The ashes are not magic, nor do they cause God to forgive us.  They are a sign that we recognize that we are sinful, in need of a Savior, and that we remember and affirm the righteousness of God’s curse for sin as He said to Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19, ESV).

            The ashes are meaningless without a true heart-repentance.  Saying the words and receiving the sign are meaningless unless we are truly sorry for our sin and promise to turn away from sin and sin no longer.  That is repentance; if we have not truly repented, the sign of ashes is meaningless.

            This evening, we consider two practices out of our readings:  prayer and fasting.  Prayer is required of the Christian; fasting is an optional spiritual discipline.  All Christians must pray; there are times when a Christian may fast for spiritual benefit.

            Is there ever a time when praying or fasting is sinful?  Jesus tells us there is:

            “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”

            We all know we are to pray, but there is a way that we can pray like a hypocrite – a way that we can pray sinfully.  Jesus tells us that there are people who like to pray in public – in the church – on the street corner – as long as there is a crowd.  That, Jesus tells us, is not real prayer – that is sin.

            Why?  Because such people are not praying to God, they are praying to be heard by others.  They are not addressing the Almighty God, their Father, but they are trying to say the words that will get the people around them to react.

            It’s easy to do:  there have been times when I have been asked to pray at a function – I plan to open the brunch on Saturday by praying – and there is a pull to be concerned about what the people want me to pray, not what needs to be said to God.   If we are asked to pray, and our concern is what the people listening will think, we are praying sinfully – we’re not really praying at all – we are acting for the applause of the people around us.  We are despising communication with God in favor of the approval of those around us.

            Jesus compares true and false prayer in another way, yet we can see the same point here as Jesus says, "The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector’” (Luke 18:11, ESV).  The Pharisee was praying loudly enough to be heard – at least – by the tax collector and Jesus.  The prayer he was offering up was not to God, but as a rebuke to the tax collector.  It was sin.

            Jesus explains about such sinful, so-called prayers, “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

            If the point of our praying is to get others to applaud or to rebuke those around us, then that is all we should expect to receive.  If we are truly praying to God – irrespective of who is around us – God will hear us.  But, if I craft the prayer I will pray Saturday simply to please the people at the awards lunch, their being pleased is all I should expect; I should not expect that God will be pleased or answer the prayer.  If someone prays just to point out another person’s sin – for example, if someone is in a prayer meeting, and one of the members repents and confesses to the group that he has committed adultery – the wrong response would be to pray, “Lord, we thank You that you have kept all of us but Bob from the sin of adultery, now be with him …,” and so forth.

            Our motivations matter – it’s not just what we do, but why we do it.  Do we really desire to communicate with God, to please Him, to receive word from Him?  Or, do we want to please the pastor, or the group, or some other person?

            Jesus continues by saying, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Now, there are times when we should pray in a group and in the sanctuary.  There are times when we should pray one-on-one with another person – even confessing our sins to one another.  The Psalmist wrote, “Praise the LORD!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!” (Psalm 150:1, ESV).  James wrote, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16, ESV).  There are times when it is appropriate for us to lift our voices together, as we do in morning worship and during our prayer meeting and in private moments with a trusted fellow Christian. 

But sometimes, it is better for us to be alone to pray.  There are numerous times in the Scripture when we are told that Jesus got up early and went up on the mountain to pray alone.  There are times when we ought to go by ourselves, in our rooms, in our closets, with the door shut.  And, understand, Jesus is not saying that we must, literally, but shut up in a closet – the point is to be alone where we will not be disturbed.

These are times when we ought to commune with God alone, with no spectators, with no one around to makes us feel inhibited, with no one we might feel the need to say something or phrase something for their approval – it is the time when we come before God Himself, one-on-one, a child to his or her Father.

In these times, we can speak with God with less distraction.  We are alone, with no other people.  We are in a secluded spot where the computer and the phone and noises, and so forth, will not disturb us.  There is a time that we should set aside to be quite and alone with God, where no one can hear or disturb us.  It is in these times that we can let our guard down – that we can have greater freedom to speak. 

When it is just God and you alone, you can praise Him and specifically lift up ways in which God has blessed you for which you want to thank Him.  You can thank Him for delivering you from a temptation – for saving you from the wretch that you are.  And so forth.

In private, you can also groan before God – bringing your deepest, darkest secrets and most difficult temptations and cry out for forgiveness and deliverance from those sins you still choose to fall into again and again.

In that solitary place, you may come honestly before God in praise and groaning and repentance – (you won’t come lying, will you?).  There, God will meet you and minister to you and give you the forgiveness only He can give for true repentance.

Is this not worth infinitely more than the praises and applause of our fellow humans – our fellow sinners?

Let us spend time in private prayer with our Father – praising Him, thanking Him, confessing our sins before Him, groaning   and crying out for help before Him.

Jesus also spoke about the discipline of fasting and how it can be done hypocritically – with the wrong – with a sinful – motivation.  Fasting is just one of numerous spiritual disciplines that we may enter into if we find them useful in the pursuit of faithfulness and obedience to God.  But it is not mandatory for Christians to fast.

Fasting, in particular, can be a useful spiritual discipline – whether you do it once a year, once a month, one a week, etc.  And a fast can be of all food, a particular food, just solid foods, and so forth.  The point is in depriving yourself of food, whether it is specific items or everything.

Fasting can be done to center yourself on God’s and His Provision.  There is nothing like not eating for an extended period of time to meditate on where and how you receive your food – and to Whom you should give thanks.  It can also be a good tool to discipline the body – to take control of your flesh – to make it known that you will no longer submit to the temptations of the sins of the flesh – whether they are wrong use of food or some other physical desire.  In other words, over-eating, gluttony, sexual sins, and so forth.

Understand, though we’re talking about fasting from food here, it is possible to “fast” from other things – to not watch TV or check your cell phone or your e-mail for some period of time.  That may be the type of fast you may want to use to get control of something else that is leading you into sin.

            However, whether you are fasting – from food or something else – that is a private matter between God and you.  You ought to go about your normal life as much as possible.  It may be helpful to have one person know what you are doing to help you – to have someone to be accountable to, but it is not helpful to let “everyone” know – especially to make it as though you are doing something so – well, Jesus described it like this:  “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.”

            We fast out of the wrong motivation when we are fasting – or taking part in some other spiritual discipline – for the sake of others seeing us.  If we don’t shower and we wear dirty clothes, and frown all day until people ask us what’s wrong, and then we say, “I’m fasting to be closer to God…and I haven’t eaten in six hours…oh, oh, oh, I’m so weak!”  Or, if we tell every person we know, “Guess, what?  I’m fasting.  Do a look a little holier to you already?  I think I’m a little holier already, and I’ve only been fasting for six hours.  I’m going to fast for twelve whole hours.  Can you imagine going without food for twelve whole hours?  I’m doing it for God, don’tcha know.”

            God is not impressed with that.  That sort of “fasting” is not pleasing to God.  Jesus again says, “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”  If you fast to impress people – if you engage in any spiritual discipline to impress people that is all you will get out of it.  God will not bless the show you put on for others, when there is no real desire to serve Him and become more like Him.

            Again, there may be a reason to have one person know what you are doing – especially someone who will help keep you accountable to what you want to achieve in fasting.  However, you should not even tell one person what you are doing if it is only to impress him or her.

            Instead, Jesus says, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

            Jesus says that when we engage in a spiritual discipline, especial one of denial, like fasting, it is something that we do before the Face of God, not before the world.  Before the world, we ought to look and act normal, even if we are feeling hungry. 

It is a question of our motivation:  if we are fasting to center ourselves on God and give thanks to Him and to take control and discipline the sinful desires of our flesh, and we do that before God – asking Him for help and taking part in it only to His Knowledge, then He will bless what we are doing.  God will cause us to achieve what we are seeking, because we are seeking it in Him and for our relationship with Him.

Let us discover and use spiritual disciplines, like fasting, to center ourselves on God’s Provision and to discipline ourselves that we would not follow after our sinful desires.

And as we enter the season of Lent, let us strive with new vigor to follow after holiness in all ways, as we give thanks that God came down to live and die for our sin that we might be right with Him for all of eternity.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, as we enter the season of Lent, help us to recognize our sin and to repent of it.  Show us new ways that we might be faithful and obedient people.  Keep us from being hypocrites and doing things just for the approval of others.  Help us to live in thanksgiving to You for Who You are and for the salvation You have given us, through Jesus Christ, Amen.