Matt Chandler - Righteousness and Rewards

Well, good morning! We do it well! All right, let’s do this. If you’re a first through fifth grader, won’t you do me a favor and stand up for me real quick? All right, if you want to stand on your chair and your parents are cool with that, go ahead. I wouldn’t do it up there; we won’t be responsible for broken arms or ankles! Just stand up so we can see you. All right, hey, I know we’ve done this already, but will you welcome this gaggle of giftedness into our gathering? Hey, so stand up for a second. Let me chat with you. Look right at me; listen. I love that you’re here. We love that you’re here, and I want you to hear from me that what we see in the Bible is Jesus loving that you’re with us and around us. There’s this beautiful story in Matthew 19 where Jesus makes a really big deal about you being able to hear about Him, believe in Him, and love Him. So I want you to know that not only do I love that you’re here, and I hope we all love that you’re here, but there’s something that leads us to believe that Jesus loves that you’re here, too, in our Bibles, right? So why don’t you have a seat? Here’s my promise to you as first through fifth graders: I need about 25 minutes from you, parents! Yes, I can. So kids, did you bring your Bibles? If you brought your Bibles, just raise them up so I can see that you have them. Here’s what we’re going to do: if you got your little notes worksheet when you came in, let me introduce myself. There’s a little bubble like «Who’s talking today?» So you can call me Pastor Matt if you want to. If your parents want you to call me Mr. Chandler or whatever their rules are, that’s fine. But for the sake of your little sheet, I’m Pastor Matt. Here’s where we’re going in our Bibles: we’re going to be in Matthew chapter 6, and we’re going to cover 24 verses there. I know that sounds like a lot of verses because it is, but we’ll look at those 24 verses in our twenty-something minutes together. Let me tell you about the things we’ve been talking about in here over the last six or seven weeks. We’ve been talking about the Kingdom of God; that’s what we’ve been discussing—God’s Kingdom. We’ve been using these words: we’ve been talking about dwelling— the fact that we’ve been created for the presence of God. You would know this in this language: God wants to talk with us. So we’ve been created to be in the presence of God, and God wants us to be in His presence. That’s part of His Kingdom. We’ve also been talking about dominion, and when we discuss dominion, we’re saying that God has given us a really big important job to do that flows out of knowing Him and being in His presence. Lastly, we’ve been talking about dynasty, and what we mean when we say that is for those who love and trust in Jesus, they will spend forever with God. Forever! I know that’s redundant, right? So that’s what we’ve been covering. If I could simplify all of that into a statement you know, it’s that God is in charge of everything! Thank you for the passion over there! Yes, God is in charge of everything. Even when it seems like, «Man, is God in charge of that?» The Kingdom and God’s reign in the Kingdom show that there will be these moments where God breaks through the ordinary and shows He indeed is ruling, reigning, and in charge, even of that. So those are the things we have been covering in here: that God is in charge of everything. Now, with that said, we’re going to read 24 verses, and I know that is a lot. So let’s do this: because we are a mixed group today, why don’t we stand while we read God’s Word together? I’m just going to read it as it is out of the ESV Bible that we read from here, starting in verse 1: «Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 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. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And when you pray, do not keep up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask. Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is…'»