Title The Christian Lifestyle (Matthew 6:1-8)
[Matthew 6:1-18]
The text speaks about the lifestyle and appearance that Christians should have. The text is the words of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, and specifically points out what we should keep in mind when giving alms or praying. It is not to do it in front of people, but to do it before God and in secret. This also applies to the life of all Christians. He tells us to beware of doing what is right in order to be seen by people. He told them not to blow the trumpets in the synagogues and in the streets to show them to people when they give alms. He told us to do what the right hand is doing in secret, so that the left hand does not know. In the form of prayer, as hypocrites do, in the synagogues and on large streets, he was told not to lengthen or babble.
Our lives need to be secretly approved by God. It's okay if others don't see it and don't notice it. All we need to do is to do good deeds, give alms, and lead a godly and spiritual life in the presence of God in secret. If we don't do this, there will be no reward for us. Everything you do to show people is in vain. Because one of the most important attributes of God is secrecy. The legalists and Pharisees at the time appearing in the text were identified as 'hypocrites'. That is, it means the same as hypocrites. They liked to show themselves in front of people and focused on gaining their praise and glory. If you look at the books about that time, it seems that actions were a part of life in that era to openly express yourself in front of people. Thus, praying in the streets, in the synagogues, or on the market floor, as well as repeating long and long speeches and giving off a religious odor was tolerated. But Jesus challenged it head-on.
This also applies to us today. The God who was secret then is secret today. God, then and now, wants us to trust Him in secret. God has the attribute of working in secret. Any act of faith that violates the attributes of God is rejected by God. The secret nature of God also gives us shameless comfort. I have been praised by many people for my long-standing ministry with the disabled. Not only the ministry of the disabled, but also the ministry of prisons and the homeless ministry can receive many compliments. But such praise can be dangerous. Otherwise, you may find yourself working to receive praise or glory from people. When this happens, God rejects it. Then, we should know God's attributes well and refrain from doing anything that goes against it. When you do everything in secret, I hope you experience the comfort, peace, filling of the Holy Spirit, and being with you.
When I was ministering for the discipleship group, the thing I always said was, “Don’t be shy and believe in Jesus.” You have to be very careful about living a religious life that goes beyond common sense. Jesus distinguishes between those who hear the word of the Lord and do it and those who do not do it as children of God who have been saved and the people who will go to hell. This is shocking, but true. The Bible shows this everywhere. According to the Psalms, the righteous and the wicked are separate, and in the Proverbs, the wise and the foolish. And in the last part of today's Sermon on the Mount, we distinguish between those who hear the words of Jesus and do them and those who do not. More specifically, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the lawyers, the teachers, and the disciples of Jesus. This is simply the distinction between the children of God and the people who will go to hell, who will be saved with tremendous strength that goes far beyond the distinction between the righteous and the wicked in the Old Testament. The center of distinction is keeping the Word and not keeping it.
What does it mean? This means hypocrites, hypocrites, referring to those who are chosen to go to hell as Pharisees or lawyers. On the other hand, those who are chosen to be saved are those who keep all their works secret from God. Those who do the word, that is, disciples of Jesus.
At first glance, the command to do it in secret may seem like a general moral sutra. Especially since Koreans are at the center of Eastern culture, they do it secretly. While Westerners have a habit of exaggerating when introducing their family, we rather call such an appearance 'arm-bul-chul' and hide it in our body. I think it's good. But the question is, are we really secret from God? Among Koreans, I see that even unbelievers do a lot of alms and good deeds. But it is so important that these secret good works have a relationship with God or not.
The words of the Sermon on the Mount are precious and precious words, but they come to us most powerfully. Those who hear the word and do not keep it are those belonging to the Pharisees and Sadducees. These are people who will not be saved and will go to hell. In other words, those who are not saved are hypocrites. We must tremble in fear before these words. Isn't it scary? Hypocrisy is seen everywhere in our lives. How many of the Pharisees and Sadducees are in us? Such is our offering, service, and prayer life. How many unsaved images are there in every corner of your life? You have to ask yourself whether you are really saved. must repent The Lord is coming soon. Are we ready? The Bible shows how the saved children of God live. It also shows the image of the unsaved. God's word is accurate. there is no middle We need to be sure that we are saved. When we pray in secret, we want to hear the voice of God speaking in secret.