In many ways, our walks with God are something we shouldn't keep to ourselves. By sharing our faith, we not only spread the good news; we go on record as being Christians . . . and not ashamed of it. On the other hand, it's possible to be so conscious of others watching us that we turn our spirituality into a public performance. When that occurs, we're “practicing . . . righteousness . . . to be noticed by them” rather than walking humbly with our God (Matthew 6:1). In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took on the hypocrites with both guns blazing! Drawing on common examples of showy righteousness, He instructed us on the importance of being people of quiet sincerity, seeking to glorify God rather than impress others.
Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing
Message 7
Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Matthew 6:1–8
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Simple Faith
Let's Keep It Simple
Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Matthew 5—7
Of all the sermons that have been preached, none is more famous, more profound, or more convicting than the one Jesus preached on the mountain. It is timeless, ever-relevant, and never dull. With penetrating power, Jesus exploded the brittle veneer of Pharisaic hypocrisy and explained the essence of true righteousness. Weaving threads from the Old Testament through this new garment of truth, Jesus set forth principles that, to this day, refuse to be ignored. Yet how few truly embrace His words! We analyze and interpret them. We outline and compare them. We admire and quote them. But those activities, while worthwhile, are not the reason Jesus preached this sermon. He preached it so that change might occur—so our lives might be different in this world gone wrong. God's people are to be thoroughly Christian—a divine minority who live in contrast to a secular majority.
The Qualities of Simple Faith
Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Matthew 5:1–12
We can read Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in fifteen minutes or less. No teacher or preacher has ever packed more truth into such a brief period of time. For centuries, these words from Matthew's gospel have been scrutinized by millions of Bible students, authors, pastors, and missionaries. Yet, no one has even come close to exhausting Jesus's message. Our hope in this study is to glean a few fresh, practical insights that will enable us to stay on course in living lives that are distinctively different. For as we shall be periodically reminded, the underlying challenge of this sermon is: be different! With this primary theme woven throughout, it's no surprise that our Lord began His famous sermon with a list of character qualities unheard of in a dog-eat-dog society.
A Simple Counterstrategy: Shake and Shine
Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Matthew 5:13–16
Influence . . . always a timely subject! We influence others when we direct them without exerting force over them. In numerous, intangible ways, we sway people's opinions and modify their lives. It's commonly called “impacting.” Parents impact children. Teachers impact students. Leaders impact organizations, teams, and nations. The media impacts our thinking. But much of the impacting we see today is either negative or temporal. Power-obsessed people abuse their authority, relying on money, prestige, or even brute strength to get their way. As Christians, we must focus on making a lasting impact for good—influencing others without resorting to force or other means of control. The crucial question is how? Jesus's answer in Matthew 5 is still the best. Though His words are familiar, we must apply them with greater diligence and more confident faith. They work!