Before the Face of God

Before the Face of God (Mt 6:1-18)
Intro: The problem
Not black & white. We always have mixture of motives.

'I have never done a sinless action during the seventy years [of my life]. I don't say but by God's grace there may have been some holy action done, but never a sinless action during the seventy years. What an awful thing is human life! And what a solemn consideration it should be to us, that we have never done a sinless action all our life, that we have never done one act that did not need to be pardoned' (Life of Duncan, 150).

Jesus calls us to correct our motives, using 3 things for illustration:

1. Charitable deeds (v.1-4)
   Big diff. btwn doing works before men (good) & doing works before men, to be seen by them (bad).

We should 'show when tempted to hide & hide when tempted to show' [Stott, 117].

2. Prayer (v.5-15)
   Jesus isn't banning public prayer (see 1Tim 2:8). Jesus is talking about people who love to pray 'that they may be seen by men,' or as He says later, 'Making lengthy prayers for show' (Mk 12:40).

3. Fasting (v.16-18).
   Pharisees fasted twice/week & made sure everybody knew it. In fact, they wanted to know why everybody else didn't fast like them. 'Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, & likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink' (Lk 5:33).

Conclusion
St. Francis of Assisi's practice.

This is the only way to live. Freedom is not to be found in seeking approval or applause of men.