Today, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount called Rethinking Our Faith.  At this point in the series, a couple of things are clear.  We will have some things to rethink and unlearn in our faith.  We can see how important this sermon is to the Christian life.  And if you think about where we have already been in this series, Jesus addresses many tension points in our faith, you know, those things that we struggle to understand, or just wrestle with in our faith lives. We have talked about what true blessings look like and the fact that following Christ will have a cost.  We have talked about Christ's mission and the many tensions we feel about being salt and light in this dark world.  We have discussed the challenges and tensions surrounding the laws of God and following them.  And today, we will be leaning into what may be the biggest tension point of them all in church life, which will lead us into a conversation about being real and not acting or pretending to look good to others.  It’s really impacted me in this study how Jesus meets us where we are and steps right into the challenges we face in life, lovingly showing us how to navigate them when we allow God’s Kingdom into our hearts, minds, and souls.   That is the key, and we keep coming back to it.  

As God’s Kingdom is established in our hearts and minds, we live each day with the daily purpose of pleasing God.  

Each week we have shown you different ways this impacts our lives and we will do that again today, because when we live each day with the purpose of pleasing God, life changes; we can relax, be ourselves, and simply live for God…it frees us up to live in the true self, which is an incredible gift to us and everyone around us.  

“I truly believe the greatest gift we can give the world is our true self living in loving union with God." Pete Scazzero 

We will get into this, but being real and living your true life is a gift to you because it’s freeing and relaxing, allowing you to simply be you and live to please God each day.   It simplifies life and allows you to step into that free, abundant life Jesus came to give you.  It’s a gift to others because we can live and love in ways we just can’t if we are acting, pretending, posturing, and projecting.  As we allow God’s Kingdom inside us and live to please God, life changes; we can relax and simply be ourselves.

But can I ask you something?  How many Christians do you know who can do that?  Who can relax, be themselves, not act but simply live for God?  How many people do you know who can be the same person regardless of where they are or who they are with?  It's rare to see someone who is the same person at church as they are at home, at work, or when no one is looking.  It is challenging both inside and outside of church life, but it’s a very important part of being a follower of Jesus, and we are going to see Jesus addressing that temptation to pretend we are things we aren’t in front of people and how easily that can slide into our church lives and spiritual practices, (things like giving, serving, praying, and fasting.) That is where we are headed today, and it’s an important conversation because nothing can be more damaging to people than living fake lives, and nothing can be a greater gift than living real ones, and I’m talking inside and outside of church. 

You know, over the years, as we share Jesus with people here at MRC, we have learned a lot and experienced a lot.  But I’m not sure anything has stood out to me more than this.  I have not met many non-Christians who don’t already have an image in their minds of what a Christian is and what the church is and should look like.  It’s sad, but most of those images aren’t positive.  I don’t know too many people who haven't, at some point, been hurt, or felt weighed and measured and judged harshly by someone who also doesn’t seem so perfect.  This is so painful, and so real, and way too common.  I mean, if we took a survey here today, how many of you have had a painful run-in with religion at some point in your life?  How many of you have talked to someone who would say, all Christian’s are fake or hypocrites?  It’s wild, isn’t it?  Time and time again as we try to share God’s love with people, we find that somewhere along the line they had a relative or friend, or person they associate with God who hurt them, or judged them, and there is an emotional wall they put up to protect what is left of their hearts, where that one bad experience has led them to place all Christians and churches into the hypocrite or fake or judgement and harsh category.  The tragedy of those wounds is that they have eternal ramifications, pushing people away from God.

This may be the biggest challenge we face in our faith lives: being real, authentic people, not the fake or hypocritical Christians many outside the church assume those inside the church will be.  As Pete Scazzero said earlier, this may be the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others, being real as we walk in a loving relationship with God.  This concept of being real has a massive impact on us and on people around us who need God in their lives as much as we need Him in ours.  And I will just say it, it isn’t easy to be real.  It is easy to slide into a life of acting, performing, and trying to impress, and I love how Jesus goes right after this…He knows us so well. 

As we get started, remember what Jesus is doing.  He is establishing the Kingdom of God inside us.  When God’s kingdom is inside us, we live each day with one purpose: to please God.   Life is different. We are free from all the complexities of religion because our goal is to wake up each day and please God. In this daily purpose, Jesus is giving us the key to everything we want and struggle to experience in life.  

Last week, Ken took us through the rest of Matthew 5, where Jesus keeps raising the bar on the law. As the chapter ends, Jesus makes a statement in the last verse that has become a real sticking point for many Christians over the years.  It’s a verse that can be misunderstood, and when it is, it can cause a lot of problems for both Christians and non-Christians. I will explain that, but let’s start there today with the last verse of Matthew 5 and move into our study in chapter 6.  You ready?   Here we go…

Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NIV

Whew, what do we do with that?  Do you remember two weeks ago, when I was talking about those well-meaning Christians who can get nervous when we talk about grace?  Well, this is one of the verses they would turn to when I say things like, "No one is perfect," and "Good luck trying to follow all of God’s law."  They would say things like, Sam, Jesus told us to be perfect as He is…and I agree, Jesus did say that, but the follow-up question is, are you perfect?  This is an important thing for us to understand.  So many Christians read this and struggle because they think they should be perfect as Christ is, but the problem is they aren’t perfect, which leads them to have to do what?  Fake it and pretend they are.  I’ve watched this my whole life in church, and I don’t think there is anything that causes more pain and shame and damage to people in and out of church than this.  We are told to be perfect as Christ is, but we aren’t, and we can’t because, well, we aren’t Christ, and the problem is when we inevitably fall short, we feel like we have to hide the reality of who we are, which leads to that fake Christian life that many assume all Christians are.  So, what do we do with this?  We are told to be perfect, yet we keep messing up.  We are told to go and sin no more, but we keep falling short of that goal, too.  We feel the need to hide our imperfect selves and issues because we think we are supposed to be perfect.  What is wild to me is that we seem to miss the point.  The reality is we are not perfect, which is why we are so thankful for Jesus in our lives.  I’ve watched Christians my whole life struggle to be real and admit their challenges and issues in life.  And I hurt for people who struggle under that heavy weight of guilt, shame, judgment, and religion.  This verse from Jesus can be very challenging for us if we forget the truth.  That it’s through Christ that we are seen as perfect by God!  If you struggle with the concept of perfection, I think there are two words from Paul that are important to hold on to and can free you up.

Romans 3:23 For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. NIV

I like to point out that ALL means every one of us sins and falls short of God’s glorious standard.

Ephesians 1:4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. NLT

This is so important.   When God looks at you, he sees you through Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid for all your sins, you are forgiven, and your sins are forgotten. That's why becoming a Christian is such GOOD NEWS.  We give Jesus our life, and he takes it, forgives us, and then gives us a new one. God says, "Now I see you without a single fault. You stand before me covered with my love." So, as we think about that verse, we have to remember that we can only be perfect as He is perfect through Jesus; we can’t do it, only He can.  

With that said, we move into chapter 6, which has a lot of great practical teachings in it, on giving, prayer, serving, money, and more…and I was planning to get through the first 18 verses today, which would have allowed us to study Jesus teaching us how to pray, but I realized, that these first 6 verses are too important, so we will focus our time there.  I don’t think there is any irony in Jesus moving from that line about being perfect as He is to a warning not to act; that the world is not a stage to perform on.  

Matthew 6:1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. 2 When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure — 'playactors' I call them — treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. 3 When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. 4 Just do it — quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.5 And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?” MSG

When God’s kingdom is established in us, we wake up every day to please God, not ourselves, and not others.  We aren’t worried about how we look or what people think; the only thing that matters is what God does.  So many of us base our self-confidence on what other people think, so we work hard at being accepted.  But, if you think about it, that is us still trying to please ourselves.  It is our flesh that wants people to like us.  This is why we buy things, wear things, and join things: we want to be liked and accepted by our friends, family, co-workers, and peers.  Can I ask you something?  Does God say you have to earn acceptance?  This is tough because we want to be liked and accepted, and there is a lot of pressure to do so. If we aren’t careful, this mindset can slide right into our faith lives and church communities, where so much damage is done.  

I do not believe anything has caused more hurt and done more damage than fake Christianity.   Nothing has pushed more people away from God than Christians who cannot live real and authentic lives.  Nothing causes more damage and division inside a spiritual family than Christians who elevate themselves and act like things they are not.   Nothing pushes people who need God away from God faster than Christians who can’t be real…it’s just brutal, and the ramifications are eternal.   Here are just a few things that can happen when Christians can’t be real. 

First, we block ourselves from the full life Jesus came to provide.  

Here’s why: we can’t live up to the religious standards we’re pretending to be at.  So we feel the need to hide when we inevitably mess up.  We are so worried about the image we project that we can’t be honest about our struggles and issues, and we pretend we don’t have them.  This leads to hypocrisy, guilt, shame, and isolation from our Spiritual Family, which is exactly where our enemy would want us to be.  

Second, we push people away from God who need Him in their lives.  

We are to reflect God’s love to those around us who need Him as we do. As they see the Christian life, they should see love, joy, and freedom, and want that too, but fake Christians do the opposite; they see through that life and think why would I ever want to be what they are.

Third, people get hurt. 

Those “church wounds” hurt and stick to us like nothing else. It’s tough; we don’t know too many people who haven’t at one time or another had a run-in with religion where they felt weighed, measured, and judged.  Ken and I meet with so many people who need healing from those painful wounds that are like a gut punch, so painful and way too common for people who are supposed to be known for their love for one another, and, sadly, it pushes many people away from God, who desperately need God’s love in their lives.  

Fourth, fake Christians can divide and destroy a Spiritual Family. 

Why?  Because in the fake self, we can’t live and love well.  

James 3:16 Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats. MSG

We are so busy posturing and projecting that we can’t form the kind of spiritual family we all need and desire that is both supporting Christian’s and welcoming to those who aren’t yet walking with God. 

Fifth – It blocks personal spiritual growth. 

Why?  Because it takes honesty and humility to learn and grow. Pride, pretending, and posturing close the heart and mind as we elevate ourselves to something we are not, or hide our struggles, all of that caps our Spiritual growth.  Remember, accepting Christ is the start of a journey we will be on for the rest of our lives, becoming more like Jesus each day, which can’t happen if we aren't able to be honest and real. 

Lastly, we get tired and burn out on our faith. 

Why?  Because acting and upholding an image is exhausting, it’s a constant need to keep things looking a specific way and in many ways it’s like holding the ocean back with a broom, because the more we are around people, the harder it is to hide the real us, which is another reason we need people in our lives, as iron sharpens iron and all, acting, and pretending is just not sustainable over time.  Many leave the church community because people tend to bring out things in us that we would rather keep hidden. If we are performing and unable to be real, we don’t want that, so we will pull away from the very thing we need most: a spiritual family.  

Listen, because this is so important: when God's kingdom is established in our hearts, we will live real, authentic lives… 

no more faking, no more acting, no more projecting, no more seeking validation or trying to impress people. Why? Because we are getting up each day and living to please God, not people… their approval isn’t the goal…God’s is…so we can relax and just be us.  There is freedom in that, and it is a gift to both us and those around us.

Acting and projecting are so tempting in life.  It’s rare to see a person willing to be real, and Jesus says we need to be careful that this desire to act doesn’t show up in our Spiritual practices.  He gets practical with this, pointing to our serving, giving, fasting, and even prayer.  Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows how easy it is for our spirituality to slide from being with God to a performance for people to see. This was hard in Jesus’ time and has only become more challenging in today's world.  It may sound crazy, but I grew up before smartphones and the internet.  We didn’t do selfies.  It never crossed our minds that everyone was interested in what we were eating or doing.  We didn’t have this constant audience to entertain the way people do today.  We had never heard of FOMO, or Instagram or TikTok, and in many ways, I’m thankful for that.  For young people today, that is all they know.  They are growing up with some learned behaviors that aren’t super helpful if you think about it.  Culture presses in hard on this performance mentality: we have an audience we must entertain, and we are learning that what we look like matters more than who we are. We would rather look good than be good, and there is a lot of pressure to look good these days.   It is so tough to break out of this mindset, and I want you to see that it is a gift to you and others when you do.   

Jesus wants us to live real lives and warns us not to drag that performance mindset into our faith lives.  So, Jesus doesn’t start this chapter by condemning sin in the obvious places. He goes after something much closer to home. Something much more dangerous and harmful. He goes after living true lives.  

Matthew 6:1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. MSG

So, Matthew 6 starts with a warning about your motive and heart when you do good spiritual things. He is letting us know that we can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons.   You can serve, give, pray, and fast, yet still be centered on yourself, getting up each day looking to please yourself, rather than God…and hey, you can look very impressive to people while you do it…but God isn’t impressed. 

Here’s what I want you to understand today.  When the Kingdom of God is within you, the only approval we seek is from God, which frees us to relax and be real.  Think of it this way, in this world we seem to have an audience to entertain each day, but when God’s Kingdom is established in us, our only desire is to please God.  There is such freedom in that, but it’s challenging to do.  And in verse 6, Jesus shows us how and what happens when we do.  

Matthew 6:6 "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. MSG

I love this, Jesus is starting to work into a lesson on prayer, saying we need to get alone with God.   Someplace where we won’t be tempted to perform for others, and we need to be there as simply and honestly as we can manage.  That is massive, and something we all need in our lives, and something Jesus taught and modeled for us in His own life.  When we make that choice, there is an essential shift in focus.  This is everything: the focus shifts from you to God so you can truly experience His grace. Without this shift, we will keep trying to perform and please people, rather than God.  With this shift, we step into that life in Him we all desire… but notice how we get there?  We get alone with God, and we stop acting and faking it. We try to be present as simply and honestly as we can, which allows God to be the only audience that matters.   Doesn’t that sound amazing?  It is, but it is also so rare in a time when we walk through life believing everyone wants to know what we are doing, eating, feeling, and thinking.  Can you imagine a life lived this way?  Where you could do good things for God, and be totally fine if He is the only one who knows you gave, served, fasted, or engaged Him?  Think about this.  Please try to picture this today.  What would life look like if pleasing God was your only goal?  What would the church look like if we lived, served, and engaged in our Spiritual practices this way? What would we look like to people around us who don’t know God if we could just relax, be honest, and real, able to be open and talk freely about life, the good parts, and the struggles?  It would be a true gift to both them and us.  That’s what Pete Scazzero was telling us earlier…

“I truly believe the greatest gift we can give the world is our true self living in loving union with God." Pete Scazzero 

While nothing has caused more pain, hurt, and division in our faith lives, relationships, and churches than living fake lives, there is no greater gift we can give to this world than being real, honest, authentic people who love God, love others, and are open and honest with the challenges we face in this world.  It’s a game-changer, and instead of getting into the “how-tos” of prayer, giving, and fasting today, I wanted to free you up and address this challenging issue for people inside and outside of the church.  It’s not easy to be real, but it is so important that we do, for us and for others.  

Remember, as the kingdom of God is established in our hearts, we wake up each day with one goal, one purpose, and one audience to impress: God.  I don’t know about you, but that sounds refreshing, relaxing, and a true gift for us and those around us.