The Motive That Matters: Is Your Faith for an Audience of One?

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:00] Here because his word says where two or more are gathered in my name there I am also so he's here we recognize him and he wants to move in power you believe that amen so whatever you need let's call on the name of the Lord Lord breathe miracles down on us come on by his name we are healed and he's in this place let's speak his name since the very beginning of this body when we met together down the street at East Mooresville Intermediate and he will continue to be faithful you believe that

[00:16:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:16:59] Amen. So as we celebrate our 20th anniversary year, we give God all the glory, all the praise for what he's done. Yes. Can we just give him a shout of praise, a hand clap of praise?
[00:17:09] Amen and amen. Have a seat, please, and watch this video.

[00:17:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:17:15] Can you believe we've been together for 20 years? Some of us the entire time, some of us the majority of that time as families that accepted the call to plant a church in Worcester, North Carolina,
[00:17:27] Yeah, and look what he's done.

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:17:30] And the first time they came there, we heard that there's going to be Christ Communion Church in Mooresville.
[00:17:39] And when we came to Mooresville, we found out that it's not going to be my church.
[00:17:44] It's going to be in a school with a sit-out, which we never did before.
[00:17:51] And it was hard, but it was very exciting because we saw what God was going to do.
[00:17:57] When the first Sunday, I expected 10 families and there was many more people than that.
[00:18:04] It was really awesome. So it was really wonderful to know that it's going to be in our city.
[00:18:10] It's going to be something new and it's going to be something which we can contribute to and we can invite our friends and our children can grow.

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:18:19] Jeff and I came, I think in 2009, to the school, and first Sunday that we came, and, you know, when the service was over, then I think, you know, I think it was Michael or somebody was like, you know, anybody can help, like, fit up the chairs or whatever, and we're like, okay, we know how to do this, so, you know, we were helping the chairs, and that was when I met Pastor David,
[00:18:47] and I was like if the pastor is slinging chairs this is a good place and I'll just say I mean you guys were just so welcoming and we just you know fell right in with serving and just felt

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:08] like one of the family just very quickly it was hard for me to leave Huntersville because I had make connections there. And so I was a little fearful coming to Mooresville and getting to know all these new people. And after having Molly, a month after having her, the ladies all got
[00:19:24] together and did a baby shower for me. And Molly got to be passed around to all the ladies at the baby shower. And that was just a huge moment for me to feel accepted and loved. And I'm like,
[00:19:34] this is the beginning of community here. And I still have lifelong friends that went to that

[00:19:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:19:38] shower that are even still here at the church today. And so the church was really becoming a little more known in the community, more so still pretty small at that point. But the church was growing steadily, and our leadership team was growing, and the ministries were growing,
[00:19:54] all the stuff. And we actually had somebody come to us and say, hey, I feel like you being at the school and not having a permanent presence in the community is part of what's putting a lid
[00:20:06] on the growth of the church you really need somewhere that you can be seven days a week and so we we said we would love a permanent location financially we're just not able to at this point um and so that that family wanted to stay anonymous they didn't even go to our church
[00:20:24] at the time but they said we want you to start looking for a more permanent location and they said listen we don't go to church here but we've seen what god has accomplished in the lives of
[00:20:36] people who do go to the church and we really want to be a part of that so start look uh so our our staff and our leaders started to look for a place that the lord would would give us for a church and
[00:20:49] they had said we'll put a twenty five thousand dollar investment into this so so look look for a place that you could start to meet a larger space you can meet seven days a week and so we
[00:21:00] looked around mooresville we really had a hard time finding something that would fit and we went back to them talked to them and they said well we were going to do that for four years in a row
[00:21:08] so what if we just did a hundred thousand dollars up front and would that open more options and we said absolutely we were blown away this family who didn't even go to the church wanted to
[00:21:19] to be a part of the work of the church in that way and so we started looking for a place and we found a new location on highway 21 across from shepherd elementary school it was a small
[00:21:32] one room building but it was perfect for everything that we needed except for some kids areas and we were trying to brainstorm how we could figure that out but we thought man we could we could
[00:21:42] take some of that money that is going to be given this could be a seven day a week place for us where we'd have a permanent place for kids for youth for all the rest this would really help
[00:21:54] move us forward as a church and so we started to pray and fast about that and the Lord made

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:21:59] that clear that this was going to be our next home. And what a great story, right? It's been a blessing to be able to tell the story of God's faithfulness and he is not done with us yet. He's
[00:22:20] still writing our story as a church and he's still doing great things among us. Good morning. We're glad you're here. My name is Sydney. I am one of the staff members here at CCC and I get to help
[00:22:35] people that are new or that want to get connected or want to get involved in some way so if that's you and you're new or newish this morning there is a blue card in front of you if you look at that
[00:22:47] pocket if you fill out that card and take it to the lobby after service there's somebody there that wants to meet you and answer your questions and learn your name and we're just so glad that
[00:22:58] you're here so we want to also give you a gift for being here this morning so go ahead and fill that out. They'd love to receive you in the lobby. I do have a few announcements. I can't believe that
[00:23:09] February is already over. Like January feels long, right? And then February is like a blink and then it's March 1st. So because it's March 1st, that means that this is the month where we open up
[00:23:21] elder nominations as a church. And so during the entire month of March is when we ask our members to prayerfully consider who might be those men that would be great under shepherds of our body.
[00:23:35] Our elders are one of the main decision-making bodies of this church. They also take care of the body by being the elder on call and showing up for needs and meeting with people, praying for
[00:23:48] people, visiting people in the hospital. So you can nominate somebody by scanning the QR code.
[00:23:55] it's on your news and notes. It'll also come out in your weekly email if you're subscribed to that.
[00:24:00] And you have this time to just really pray over who is a man that you know that fits the qualities of an elder. And if you're curious what those qualities are, when you scan the QR code, it's
[00:24:10] right there on the website. It talks about what the Bible says an elder should be. So please go ahead and do that room again. You need to be a member to nominate, and the person you nominate also needs
[00:24:20] to be a member. If you're like, oh, I really want to participate in this process, but I'm not yet a member, just so you know, there is a class on March 25th if you did decide to want to become a member
[00:24:31] and participate. My second announcement is first Thursday is this Thursday. So we hope that you'll join us for some barbecue and that you will, we're going to learn more about heaven. We're continuing our heaven series and our kids will also have their own lesson on heaven. And so we
[00:24:49] adults are going to learn about the new heaven and the new earth as we continue to dive deep into what the Bible says about heaven. And I hope that you'll join us and that you'll RSVP, go ahead and
[00:24:59] register online for first Thursday. That's just in a couple of days. And my final announcement is that the Lord has been so good just moving in people's hearts for new teachers as we have. You've seen
[00:25:11] the balloons. You've seen the colorful cards in the lobby. Maybe you've been on the fence and you're still thinking about it. But it's not too late to answer that call and to serve the body by serving
[00:25:22] our sweet children in children's ministry. And some of you have already done that. Thank you so much. And because of that, there are just a few other classrooms that still have needs. One of those is our pre-K and kindergarten classroom, which are very sweet. And then we also have a
[00:25:40] need still for EC guides. And those are the teachers that get to work one-on-one with kids that just need that more one-on-one attention for various needs and they get to help them so that their parents can also come to service. So if you would like to answer that call, there will be
[00:25:55] Stephanie in the lobby and she would love to answer your questions. If you're curious or if you're ready to say yes, then we pray that you would just be obedient to the Lord in that and
[00:26:08] go ahead and sign up for a once a month commitment to Kids Crew and pouring into our children. So thank you for that. We're going to continue in worship. We have so much to be thankful for. Would
[00:26:18] you stand and pray with me this morning? Lord, so much to be thankful for. God, we're just thankful for you and how loving you are and just how gracious you've been to us that despite ourselves
[00:26:35] sometimes, Lord, you still find a way to use us. Lord, and I pray that you would continue using all of us here to grow your kingdom, Lord, that we would, our hearts would break for the lost,
[00:26:53] Lord, that our hearts would break for those that don't know you, for those that are going through difficult times, Lord, that you would just make us an active body to be the hands and feet of Jesus
[00:27:06] in our own building and way beyond the walls of this building, Lord. I pray that you would be moving in our hearts this morning and really just showing us those areas where you're ready to stretch us, Lord. And we know that we can trust in you because you are the
[00:27:25] great equipper and you are an amazing father, Lord. So we just continue worshiping you this morning because you are worthy of it all. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Sydney.

[00:27:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:37] He is so good, yes, and our response to him this morning is a personal response, and so I want to encourage you to sing to him. These next two songs especially are directly focused on him
[00:27:50] and his goodness and worshiping him and his splendor and his majesty, and so even though we're a group of three or four hundred this morning, my prayer is that we will see the Father and that we'll respond in awe and in wonder and in worship of him, yes, because he's been so
[00:28:06] good, and he's been so faithful. Let's sing to him.

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:28:09] Heaven is sick by a second night, if second gender's heart is all salvation. Paul and Silas in prison, and they're

[00:34:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:34:13] singing praise to the Lord, and an earthquake comes, and the walls come down, and their chains fall off. And praise is a weapon in victory.
[00:34:21] We're in 2 Chronicles. Judah sent the singers out in front of the armies, and it caused pure chaos.
[00:34:29] and praise releases joy and strength nehemiah says the joy of the lord is our strength aren't you thankful church somehow it never gets old telling you you're holy somehow it never gets old telling you you're
[00:35:24] lovely somehow it never gets old telling you're worthy for as long as i live i'll never get tired of giving you breath with every day another reason why with every breath another chance to get my
[00:36:00] I'm still amazed by who gets old, telling you who gets old, telling you who gets old, telling you who somehow gets old, telling you nothing left to say.
[00:40:36] Cause Lord you deserve, come on sing that to him, just you and him.
[00:41:34] You are worthy of it all, for from you are all things, and to you are all things.
[00:41:56] You deserve the glory.
[00:41:59] We join with all of heaven, all creation, sing day and night.
[00:42:03] Day and night, night and day, let incense arise.
[00:42:12] And day and night, night and day, let incense arise.
[00:42:27] Day and night, night and day, let incense arise.
[00:42:40] day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, let incense arise. Day and night, night and day, you're the of it all, the of it all.
[00:43:11] From you are all things, and to you are all things, and you deserve the glory, you deserve, you deserve the glory of it all.
[00:44:15] From you are all things, sing, you deserve the glory.
[00:44:30] We thank you that your presence is here.
[00:44:32] God, we thank you that we can sing your praises, that we can feel your presence, that we can hear your word spoken over us.
[00:44:39] Lord, there's power in your name.
[00:44:41] There's healing and victory in your name, Lord Jesus.
[00:44:47] And you're worthy of all of us, of all of our lives laid down at the foot of your cross, fully surrendered, every corner, every ounce, every breath belongs to you, Lord.
[00:45:00] May it be used to bring your name, fame, your name renowned your name praise and glory lord as we continue to worship you in this place this this morning i pray as we open your word god that we would receive it lord bless pastor david as he
[00:45:16] speaks your message to us and god may we walk in obedience this morning may we surrender all that we are right at your feet lord you see us and you know us and your love is immeasurable for us so
[00:45:33] So, Lord, we say thank you in this place.
[00:45:35] And we say you're worthy in every circumstance, in every season, day after day, year after year.
[00:45:44] Your praise goes on and on.
[00:45:47] We love you, Lord Jesus.
[00:45:48] And all God's people say amen.

[00:45:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:45:52] Amen.
[00:45:53] I just want to do this.
[00:45:56] Just in this moment, would you just continue to close your eyes?
[00:45:59] And I would love for you just with your eyes closed in a posture of prayer.
[00:46:04] would you just extend your hands in front of you like you're offering your prayer to the Lord like as a physical symbol of a spiritual thing and I want you to picture one thing that the Lord is
[00:46:18] saying that you need to give over to him maybe it's something in your life that you've been holding on to that you've been in control of maybe it's like a hurt or a habit a hang-up that
[00:46:32] you have like some sin that you just keep stumbling over maybe maybe it's like something good that he's been saying hey I want you to step into this like maybe it's serving or something like that and you've been holding off maybe it's fear or anxiety about the future listen we don't
[00:46:49] have to be afraid no matter what you see on the news when there's wars and rumors of wars we we don't have to be afraid because kingdoms come and go but the kingdom of God lasts forever we know
[00:47:01] who's seated on the throne as the king over everything so we don't have to walk in fear whatever it is maybe it's a person that you've been praying for that they would come back to
[00:47:11] the Lord or maybe they would come to know Jesus for the very first time would you just picture that prayer in your hands and you're offering it up the Bible says our prayers are the prayers of
[00:47:23] the saints are incense before the throne of God it's a sweet smelling aroma because what we're saying is God it's not up to us to make these things happen but we're placing them from our
[00:47:36] hands into your hands and so would you just think of whatever that thing is that he's told you to put in your hands and then would you just say these these words if you mean it with your heart
[00:47:48] would you just say with this I trust you with this I trust you Jesus you are worthy of it all I pray that we would give it all to you and fully surrender our lives as a reasonable
[00:48:07] act of worship in the name of Jesus and all God's people said, amen.
[00:48:12] Amen.
[00:48:13] Tell the person next to you, I'm really glad you're here today.
[00:48:17] Well, let's, uh, let's open the scriptures.
[00:48:19] Let's jump in.
[00:48:20] The spirit's moving in our hearts and we're grateful if you've joined us on live stream, we're trusting he's moving at your house too.
[00:48:26] Go ahead and open your Bibles to Matthew chapter six.
[00:48:28] We're in Jesus's most famous sermon, the sermon on the Mount.
[00:48:32] And in it, he talks about a new kind of kingdom that he's bringing to earth.
[00:48:37] When we look at all the kingdoms of this world, they really let us down because they're run by imperfect people, right?
[00:48:44] There's injustice in our world.
[00:48:46] There's things that are evil in our world.
[00:48:49] And the Bible tells us that that's going to continue until there's a perfect kingdom run by Jesus himself.
[00:48:56] And so Jesus wants us to know that the kingdom of heaven is here.
[00:49:00] he brought the kingdom of heaven to earth and then he wants to invite you into it he wants to invite you into it now last week we talked about the standard that the standard to even enter the
[00:49:10] kingdom of kevin isn't being a good person it's being a perfect person and uh none of us were perfect right uh all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god so he said jesus set the
[00:49:22] standard of perfection and then he met the standard of perfection in our place so that he could give you a gift of his forgiveness and his holiness. And so for those who have received Jesus as their
[00:49:34] Lord and Savior, the Bible says that you have become a citizen of a new kind of kingdom.
[00:49:39] We are here on this earth as sojourners just passing through, trying to season our way through the world so people see there's a different way to live. There's another kingdom. We don't have to live like the world. There's something that actually is fulfilling. There's something that
[00:49:56] actually does provide meaning to your life and his name is Jesus and so we go through this life seasoning uh our world with the hope of Jesus and we talked about last week how because of that if
[00:50:09] we've known the joy of forgiveness we don't want to coddle sin we we want to kill it that that in the upside down kingdom we don't just embrace sin we don't celebrate it we don't compromise we we
[00:50:20] want to kill off the sin in our lives because we want to walk in the victory that Jesus purchased for us. Well, now Jesus gets into some really practical things because he wants us to see some
[00:50:31] of the modern day habits of religious people and how they were different than what his heart would be in the upside down kingdom. And so if you've got your Bibles, let's look together in Matthew
[00:50:42] chapter six. I heard a story. Any ladies in the house like flowers? Anybody like flowers? Yeah.
[00:50:49] All right. How many of you don't like flowers? Because you're like, I'll just kill them anyway.
[00:50:52] okay there's a few of you you're impossible to please you know that no I'm just kidding all right no no listen I heard this story there was a guy and he brought his wife flowers and on the outside
[00:51:01] that seems like a really nice act seems like a really good action to have uh as a husband to say you're so beautiful I saw these flowers I thought of you right so he comes into the house he has the
[00:51:11] flowers behind his back but all of a sudden he tells his wife wait one second honey don't move Just stay right there. Then he goes over and he sets his phone up on a tripod and he gets the
[00:51:22] lighting just right and he hits record. And then in the midst of that moment, he says, babe, I saw these flowers and I just thought of you. I wanted to be a godly husband and bring these flowers to
[00:51:36] you. End recording, right? Later that night, he's laying in bed and he decides he's going to post it for everyone to see and he says saw these flowers and had to bring them for my wife
[00:51:48] hashtag couple goals right and in the middle of that moment his wife sees that there's actually different motives behind his actions how many of you know that you can do the right thing for the
[00:52:01] wrong motive yeah and it totally cancels out why you're doing it Jesus wants us to know in this Sermon on the Mount it's not just about the things that you do but it's why that you do them it's why
[00:52:13] you do them just just maybe you want to jot these downs in some of your notes there's just a few thoughts that we're going to see from Matthew chapter 6 today Jesus says motives matter in the
[00:52:23] upside down kingdom it's not just doing the things it's why you do them it's the motivation behind them and Jesus has a question for us he would he took three topics that were the most common
[00:52:36] habits the spiritual habits of the Jewish people it was giving praying and fasting and and then he believes that these are going to be some of the common habits of everyday believers in Jesus too
[00:52:48] and he says he wants them to ask this question before they give before they pray before they fast he wants us to ask this question of ourselves today and the question is this is your motive to
[00:53:00] be seen by men or to serve the Lord. Why do you do what you do? Why do you give? Why do you pray?
[00:53:07] Why do you fast? Is it so that other people can see you and say, what a guy? Or is it so that you can be in service to the Lord and to his kingdom? And here's what Jesus wants us to see today.
[00:53:22] In the upside down kingdom, we give, we pray, and we fast not to be seen, but to sincerely serve the Lord this is why not so others see us but so that the Lord is sincerely served out of
[00:53:36] a heart and overflow of love look at what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6 he's just talked about entering the kingdom you can't do it if you're good you have to be perfect you have to have more
[00:53:45] righteousness than the scribes and the pharisees good thing Jesus met the standard in our place that we could never meet would you celebrate that the Lord met our standard in our place that's good news amen we had two people this morning in first service that received Jesus as their Lord and
[00:54:01] Savior because they believed he he met the standard in their place that's great news so Jesus looks at them and he wants to flesh it out a little bit because the Pharisees and the scribes they still
[00:54:11] look at themselves as the most religious people in the room how many of you know the people who look at themselves as the most religious people in the room generally have the heart farthest away
[00:54:20] from God. And this was true. Jesus wants them to see this is an upside down kingdom where God's kingdom operates differently. And so look at what he says in Matthew six, verse one. Here's what he
[00:54:31] says. Beware of practicing your righteousness before or in front of other people in order to be what? What's it say right there? What's the, in order to be seen by them for the recognition to be noticed right have you ever done something as a spouse but your whole motive was so you would
[00:54:50] be noticed by your other spouse right like you you want the reward but you like you didn't do it because you wanted to be loving you did it because you thought you were going to get something
[00:55:00] out of it right but like Jesus looks at them and he says people operate their spiritual habits that way too he says beware of practicing your righteousness so that other people can give you pats on the back he look at what he says because for then you will have what what does he say
[00:55:18] you'll have no reward from who from your father who's in heaven Jesus says that that if you are doing good things if you're giving if you're praying if you're fasting and your whole goal is to be seen by other people guess what you're going to get that reward you will be seen by other
[00:55:35] people if that's your motive if that's your why you're going to be seen but guess what that's the totality of your reward because that's why you did it he says on the other hand there are people
[00:55:47] who give and who pray and who fast and their goal isn't to be seen it's sincere service to the father and he says when they do it because they've done it out of a motive of sincere service
[00:56:00] instead of people seeing it the father sees it and there's a reward that comes from him now Jesus fleshes this out look what he says this is really interesting verse two he says thus when you give
[00:56:11] to the needy don't sound a trumpet before you literally toot your own horn right don't sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues the uh the the hypocrites it was the
[00:56:23] greek word for actor the one who wore a mask and jesus said there's a lot of people who really care about seeming to be something rather than being something there's a lot of us that we want to put
[00:56:36] on a face for other people so they think this is who we are and Jesus says the hypocrites the ones who wear the mask whenever they're giving to the needy they want everybody to know about it
[00:56:47] so that they can be praised look at what he says they do it where in the synagogues like that's their local house of worship and then they do it in the streets this is like local charities
[00:56:57] he says they do it so they may be what praised by other people like the whole motivation is so they can get their name on the building so that they can be published as the look at how
[00:57:12] generous these people are now now at that point at the temple there were seven goblets for the offering we don't have goblets for the offering but they were shaped like trumpets okay we don't pass an offering plate here like we have little giving boxes outside they're very nondescript
[00:57:29] like but but in the the temple they were beautiful ornate trumpets they look like a mouth of a trumpet. And so what they would do is the Pharisees, the ultra religious people, they wanted other
[00:57:40] people to know that they were giving. And so they would wait until there was a crowd around to put their tithes and offerings into the bin. And so they would walk up and they're, right? Like they
[00:57:53] would cause so people would see. And then as they're looking, they would take their stuff and they make it rain into the, the trumpet mouth and it would clink and they would look, does anybody
[00:58:08] clink, clink. So that everybody would look at them. This is, this is Jesus saying, don't toot your own horn whenever you're giving so that other people see. He says, I tell you, if that's your motive, you've gotten all the rewards you're going to get. If your
[00:58:22] desire is to be noticed, that's the only reward that you're going to get. He says people would do that in the streets. Here's what would happen. The Pharisees would go out, they dress and flowing robes so everyone would know how holy they were right and they would go out into the
[00:58:38] streets and people would be begging for alms people who were disabled people who had special needs people who were uh out of a job widows orphans people would be asking for charity and so what they would do instead of going up to the person they would sound a trumpet
[00:58:59] it and they would say your hero has arrived all of you who are in need come over here to me and then they would give out to the people in need and they thought they were the most holy
[00:59:14] people in the bunch but jesus looks at them and he says you totally have the wrong motive look what he says in verse three he says you the people in the upside down kingdom when you give to the
[00:59:26] needy can we just note that Jesus doesn't say if you give to the needy like if you're a believer in Jesus he assumes that you are going to give to the needy both in your local house of worship
[00:59:40] and also in the street so many people give the government a hard time about have you seen all the programs and all the waste and all the stuff the only reason the government does the programs
[00:59:53] for the needy is because the church doesn't because we've failed at our job to care for those who are in need if we did it like Jesus wanted us to there wouldn't even need to be the
[01:00:06] governmental programs in the midst of this Jesus looks at them and he says they've received their reward but you the upside down kingdom people look at what he says when you give to the needy
[01:00:17] don't 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 okay so here's what jesus is saying
[01:00:31] i love this i don't know why my mind works this way but my mind works this way you get a little insight into pastor david's uh psyche right now every time i read this i think of jesus as a an
[01:00:42] Italian mafia member, okay? And here's what he's saying. Whenever you give to somebody else, you don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. When you're giving, you're offering.
[01:00:53] When you're giving to the needy, right? Like, here's what he says. He says, you walk over, you don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, you forget about it, right? Like,
[01:01:00] this is what Jesus is saying. He's like, you don't even know what you're doing yourself.
[01:01:05] Forget about it. Like, just, you're not drawing attention. It's just, forget about it. Like, Yo, you got something here?
[01:01:10] Forget about it.
[01:01:11] Like this is, this is what Jesus is saying.
[01:01:13] He's saying you do it in secret.
[01:01:15] And when you give in secret, the father sees it.
[01:01:19] Do you know that every time you give, the father sees it and records it?
[01:01:25] The Bible says that he has a book of deeds.
[01:01:28] And for every believer in Jesus who's received the gift of salvation, every time that you give out of the right motive, not to be seen but a sincere service every time you give a tither offering to a church
[01:01:42] every time that you give to a local charity every time that you help a person who's in need God writes it down in the book of Matthew it says even if you give a cup of cold water
[01:01:52] to someone who's thirsty in the name of Jesus I won't forgive that on the day of reward and look at what he says he says when you give it in secret and your goal isn't to be seen by people
[01:02:04] you will be seen by the father and look at what he says the father who sees in secret will reward you now this isn't a payback this is an overcompensation for what you have done he looks
[01:02:17] at us and this is not a prosperity gospel church it's not a sell your seed of faith so then you can get a boat like Jesus isn't saying that to you right that's not the gospel what the gospel
[01:02:29] says everything I have in my life is a gift from God. Everything I have is a gift. It's from him and he doesn't just own the tithe. He owns it all. He owns my breath. He owns my intellect. He owns
[01:02:43] my job. He's Lord over it all. He has given so much. How in the world can I walk through life and not give back to him to support his work so the kingdom of God can come on the earth?
[01:02:55] he says whenever you do that he'll see it what's done in secret and then he'll reward you in heaven now sometimes that's material things here there are times where I truly believe that you can't out give God my wife and I have seen when we've been told to give something that the
[01:03:14] Lord does bring things back into our but it's not always financial sometimes it's the blessing of knowing that you have been the hands and feet of Jesus to help someone who's in need.
[01:03:24] Jesus is the reward, not extra money. But he tells us if we've experienced the generosity of God, believers should be the most generous people on the planet. Look at what he says. Jesus keeps going. He says, look at the next verse. He talks about not just giving. He says, listen, motives
[01:03:43] matter in the upside down kingdom. You have to ask yourself the question, am I doing these things to be seen by other people or am I doing it to sincerely serve the Lord look what he says
[01:03:53] verse five he says and when you pray you must not be like the what hypocrites the ones who wear the mask he says for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the what street corners so
[01:04:08] that they may be what seen by others and truly I tell you they've received their reward they love to show up in public places to pray because here's their goal they want to pray in a way
[01:04:20] father we know that thou art holy we know us that thou dost help and at the end of the prayer here's what they want they want somebody to come up to them and they want somebody to say what a beautiful
[01:04:34] prayer close to the lord i wish i could pray like that jesus says your motive in praying is that people say you're so eloquent you care more about people's praise of your prayer than actually
[01:04:53] interceding for the need of the person you're praying for he says you care more about you looking good than about the person you're praying for getting help he says this is an upside down kingdom he says there's people who go out on the street corners and they pray and their whole goal
[01:05:09] is to bring attention to themselves he says when we pray our whole goal is to bring attention to the throne of Jesus. Look at what he says. He tells you how to do it. Now, this isn't a prohibition
[01:05:21] on public prayer or corporate prayer. The church all through the book of Acts prayed in public.
[01:05:27] They prayed for each other. They'd have all night prayer sessions. They'd be like getting it on to the break of dawn, like praying and interceding for each other in the community and all sorts of
[01:05:36] stuff. This isn't a prohibition on public prayer, but he says, if you're going to pray wherever you are it needs to be this way look at what he says that verse six but when you pray the people in the
[01:05:47] upside down kingdom when you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who's in secret and read this with me and your father who sees in secret will reward you he says
[01:06:01] he says when you pray for somebody and your goal is that their need comes before the heart of God that that is rewarded every single time did did you know that when you pray and you intercede
[01:06:15] for other people that the lord hears that and it touches his heart when your goal isn't just so that you could be great job on that prayer today right or or not so so man with a friend
[01:06:29] like you you're praying like he says when your goal is to really intercede for the other person before the father and say god i want your will in their life i'm laboring over them in prayer
[01:06:42] he says don't even sit by your window because people might see you there like go in your closet shut the door pray and intercede for somebody he says man what the lord will reward you in those
[01:06:54] moments this intimacy with him is so much greater than anything that man could do for you look what says, verse 7, when you pray, don't empty phrases up like the Gentiles do, thinking that they're
[01:07:07] going to be heard for their many words. He says, don't be like them because your father knows, read this out loud, what does he say? Their father knows what you need before you even ask him. He
[01:07:18] says, the Gentiles worship false gods, and their prayers had to be long. You know why? Because they had to tell their God and inform their God about what was going on in their life. If you have to
[01:07:29] inform your God about what's going on in your life you're worshiping the wrong God like if you know more than your God does that's a problem and Jesus looks at them and he says you never pray to inform
[01:07:42] the father he actually knows your situation better than you do he's a father that's intimately involved in the lives of his children you are never praying for information transfer Lord do you know what's happening in my marriage Lord do you know what's going on with my kid yeah he does
[01:07:58] you're not praying to inform him you're praying to align your heart with what he's doing in the middle of that situation he already knows about and in the midst of that moment he says here's
[01:08:10] how you should pray instead of pray like this look at what it is verse 9 now if you grew up in a liturgical church today is your day high five somebody we are going to read aloud the
[01:08:21] lord's prayer this is going to be awesome for somebody that grew up in these traditions right think it's a beautiful tradition and so we're going to say it together would you read this out loud with me as one body as the church we're going to say this prayer read it with me our
[01:08:35] father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgotten
[01:08:53] our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil now it's not a matthew's version but we know the rest for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever amen
[01:09:08] jesus says when you pray start out with praise like don't just start out with your grocery list of things you want god to do in your life he's not a genie that you're coming to with wishes
[01:09:19] like he's a father who already knows and he cares about you so just talk to him and tell him how much you love him sit at his feet and reflect on his identity how good he's been how holy he is how wonderful he is start there then he says
[01:09:38] pray and make your requests but then take whatever your requests are and put it under him instead of your thoughts God you may have different thoughts about this situation than I do. My goal isn't to get you to bend to do what I want. I want my heart
[01:09:53] to reflect what your heart is. So in this situation, your kingdom come on earth, just like it's done in heaven and your will be done. Not my will. This is what Jesus prayed in the toughest moment of his
[01:10:05] life. This isn't bending God to do what you want. It's bending our heart to fit what he wants.
[01:10:11] Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but yours be done your kingdom come your will be done on the best day and on
[01:10:21] the worst day god let whatever your will is happen make me an agent of your will give us today our daily bread we don't pray this as americans we pray give us 20 years of bread but but but this
[01:10:35] is what jesus said god thank you for the provision you've given us today and i'm trusting that you're the provider for tomorrow right like it's not up to me I don't have to grind it out like I should
[01:10:48] work hard like I'm not a lazy person but but it's not up to me to build a kingdom you're the giver of everything good you're the provider you're the one who gives me life and breath and intellect and
[01:10:59] jobs and connections and people so God you've provided for today and I know you're going to provide for tomorrow look what he said forgive us our debts as we've forgiven our debtors jesus says if you have a grudge in your heart i really doubt that you've actually experienced
[01:11:15] the forgiveness of the father like if you have tasted forgiveness of all of your sins and then you look at someone else and you squeeze their throat and say i'll never forgive you he says i don't know if you've really tasted it or not look what he says lead us not into temptation
[01:11:35] this word for temptation is difficult seasons it's not the best translation for temptation it can mean trial or temptation the the difference is who's the one leading you so if it's the lord it's a trial because the father leads us into difficult seasons to knock off the rough edges
[01:11:53] of our lives that don't look like jesus this is why james says count it all joy my brothers and sisters when you go through trials of many kinds because the testing of your faith develops
[01:12:01] perseverance it makes you look more like Jesus so if you're going through a difficult season and it's a trial it's a gift from the Lord to look more like Jesus if it's the enemy who's leading
[01:12:11] you into that season it's a season of temptation and Jesus is saying either way whether it's a gift from you and it's a hard day or whether it's the plans of the enemy help me see every trap that he
[01:12:23] has laid on my path today don't let me fall for the schemes of the enemy today always provide a way out so that I can stand up under it and escape so that I can walk in holiness today don't lead us
[01:12:33] into temptation but deliver us from evil and then he says this look look look at what he says at the next verse for if you forgive others trespasses your father will forgive you but if you don't
[01:12:45] forgive other their trespasses neither will your father forgive yours he says I don't know if you can say you've tasted and experienced the forgiveness of God and have hatred in your heart towards someone else it doesn't work that way look what he says verse 16 he talks about
[01:13:00] giving praying now fasting it's all about your motive your motive matters look what he says verse 16 when you fast don't look gloomy like the hypocrites the ones who put on a mask for they
[01:13:10] disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others truly i tell you they've received the reward pharisees fasted twice a week and they wanted you to know it just like every crossfitter i'm just that was a joke i'm just kidding i'm just kidding like i only said it because it's true
[01:13:24] no but literally it's like you can do things and not tell people but you know i mean the pharisees couldn't do that and so here's what they would do i love crossfitters i'm just kidding deep well go
[01:13:33] deep well i love you guys uh but but here's here here's what they would do they they would fast two days a week and they would make sure everyone knew it so they would mess up their hair and they
[01:13:45] would dishevel themselves anybody have like one parent that's a little more nurturing and caring and receptive when a kid has a cold and the other parent is like throw some dirt on it you're fine
[01:13:56] right anybody have somebody like that and so you go in the room and the kid whenever they see the parent who's like oh baby can i get something for you right like whenever they see that parent right here's what they do like they have the symptoms but they step it up a
[01:14:13] notch you know what i'm talking about and jesus says this is what the hypocrites do they're fasting but they want everybody to know they're fasting so they come in and they see somebody on the street and they're like what's wrong with you i'm fam it's just been a whole 24 it's been a
[01:14:31] whole 24 you know i do this twice a week because i'm so holy and jesus says if your motive is to be seen you've got your reward but look at what he says he doesn't say if you fast just like he
[01:14:46] didn't say if you give just like you didn't say if you pray when you fast verse 17 anoint your head with oil girl oil girl wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your
[01:15:00] father who's in secret and your father who's in secret will what reward you he says motive matters in the upside down kingdom he says these spiritual habits are good he assumed that every person who
[01:15:13] was a believer in him would give and would pray and would fast but he says your motive matters are you doing it so that you're seen by other people or are you doing it so that you can have
[01:15:24] sincere service out of gratitude to the father he says when you fast like is the goal to seek the heart of god god we want your heart we want to know your heart we want to experience your love
[01:15:39] so that we can broadcast it to the people around us.
[01:15:42] God, we long to hear your voice.
[01:15:44] He says, is that why you're fasting?
[01:15:46] Or is it just so that people can be like, man, you're so devoted.
[01:15:50] He says, there's a reward.
[01:15:53] Whenever you seek the face of God and guess what?
[01:15:56] He is the reward.
[01:16:00] It's a beautiful time with him.
[01:16:03] Listen today, I just wanna say two things.
[01:16:07] Two things, you ready?
[01:16:08] I'll close with this.
[01:16:08] for some of you we need to change our motives like you're doing the right things you're giving your offering you're supporting people in charity around the world and you're doing the right things but you're doing it with the wrong motive right maybe it's to be seen maybe it's out of duty
[01:16:27] or obligation God wants you to cheerfully give to say I'm so glad I get to pour into the kingdom of god maybe you need to change your motive about why you pray do you pray just because that's what
[01:16:41] we do at dinner do you pray because well that's what you do when you wake up do you pray because well we always do it before we go to bed or are you really seeking the heart of the father
[01:16:52] he says there's some reward in that interceding for someone else is such a powerful thing it means so much to people it's like incense before the throne of god it's beautiful when you fast maybe for some of you you need to say I'm going to fast the first time on on March 20th the 20th
[01:17:11] of every month because it's our 20-year anniversary we're fasting we're saying God what's your heart for our church to bless this community we want to know what you're going to do in the next 20 years
[01:17:21] and maybe for the very first time you say I'm going to fast I'm going to give up eating for something better for a full day and instead of eating I'm going to pray and seek God's heart
[01:17:30] about what my part would be in seeing this community come to know Christ and love the community and live as the church so for some of you it's maybe a change of motive but for others
[01:17:41] of you I just want to challenge you a little bit okay can I challenge you a little bit Jesus nobody said yes but I'm gonna it's fine Jesus assumed that these would be regular practices for the
[01:17:54] people who follow him and so if it's not my challenge is to make it a regular practice with the right motive right give and pray and fast our elders we've been having fasts for months
[01:18:14] praying about the future of the church and saying God we want your heart for our body and your heart for our community we want to see people like you see people we want an upside down
[01:18:29] kingdom we want this to be a place where your church is being lived out like it's written in the book of acts we want to see you use us to do something incredible lord we want to see revival
[01:18:41] before the last days we want to be a part of it so lord give us your heart and i today i just want to tell you a few of the dreams that we've been praying and so that as you fast and pray uh as we
[01:18:52] come up to our 20th maybe you can pray too i'm not saying every one of these dreams are going to happen okay so don't be like pastor david said march 1st 2026 like these are things that we
[01:19:02] believe would reveal the heart of the father to people who need him in our community and so we're dreaming together we're praying together and we're asking all of you to be a part and pray and dream
[01:19:12] together too so you've heard me talk about a laundromat we would love to be able to have a free laundromat for people in our community for people walking through a difficult season they could come in and wash clothes at any point they don't have to pay for it at all because we as a
[01:19:26] church would provide it for them and we would staff it with church people who would have gospel conversations to be able to say how can I pray for you today do you know what a difference that
[01:19:35] would make for somebody who feels alone like they're walking through a season alone that's one dream we've also had dreams about doing a little restaurant like a king's kitchen right like where people who are just getting out of jail or people who are just getting out of addiction
[01:19:51] recovery we could be their first job where we would say what we believe in the god of restoration we'll give you a spot to come and work we'll help you learn some skills in the restaurant industry
[01:20:04] and it would be a pay what you can kind of place to eat so some people would come and they'd get a sandwich and they'd pay 50 cent and then other people would come and pay 50 dollars right because
[01:20:14] they they want to and they want to sew into what God is doing that's just that's just one dream we the Lord keeps sending us lots of families where kids have special needs and the Lord has
[01:20:25] gifted our kids ministry with people who are gifted and educated they have degrees in special needs education and we how cool would it be if we could transform a part of this building into a
[01:20:37] special needs wing where there's sensory development rooms and where there's every person who's in our area would say if there's a church that cares about families that have kids with special needs it's Christ community and we could be there to say hey we'll do a date night for your family
[01:20:55] once a month how amazing would that be what a dream that would be we have dreams of a total wellness center like where there would be a doctor with people who don't have insurance or they can't
[01:21:07] afford to pay for their doctor bills anybody got insurance and you still can't even afford it I'm just saying like that deductible is killer right but but this doctor could could be there and they could help meet people's physical needs but also not just actual doctors but there would
[01:21:23] be actual therapists do you know that it's a four-week waiting list for people who are in mental health crisis before they can see a counselor in our area four weeks if you're in crisis you don't have four weeks what would it be if the entire community you can go to christ
[01:21:45] community church and if you can't pay that's fine because the people have got their love people and so they help supplement the counselor's income so that they can be seen what if at that same total wellness place it wasn't just a doctor wasn't just therapists but there was a prayer team
[01:22:03] that you could come in whenever and you knew you were going to be treated physically, mentally and emotionally and spiritually.
[01:22:11] Somebody would lay hands and pray for you.
[01:22:14] Wouldn't that be an incredible dream?
[01:22:16] What about emergency housing?
[01:22:19] You know, the town of Mooresville will not build a homeless shelter.
[01:22:23] And here's why.
[01:22:24] If you build it, homeless people won't come.
[01:22:27] Homeless people are here.
[01:22:30] It's not that they're going to come.
[01:22:32] They're here.
[01:22:33] And you have to drive to states.
[01:22:35] or hitch a ride to get to Statesville or back down to Charlotte in order to have housing we have eight tenths of an acre of green space what if we as a church said we can't do it all but we can help a few people what if we build a triplex
[01:22:49] on that green space and we rent it out at no cost to people who find themselves in emergency housing needs and maybe somebody who's walked that journey lives in one of those units so they can help walk other people through the jury I'm
[01:23:04] not saying all these things are going to happen but as the elders have prayed and fasted we've said god what would reveal your heart to the community that needs to see you are real what
[01:23:15] would showcase an upside down kingdom so that the world knows there's another way to live and these are all things that we have been dreaming about but i just want to tell you this is part of the
[01:23:27] challenge at the current level of attendance and giving zero of these dreams are going to happen but we've seen God do over the last 20 years where he sends the right people at the right time
[01:23:41] with the exact right gifts to help establish what he wants to do because if it's his vision it's going to happen with or without us and I just want to encourage you wouldn't it be amazing
[01:23:57] to look back in 20 years and say look what we got to be a part of not like building a bigger building but seeing people in our community experience the heart of the father to know
[01:24:10] christ to love the community to live as the church so if you're not regularly doing that maybe you're a new christian we've had over 200 something people come to know christ in the last three years since we've been at this building maybe you're brand new at it and you say well
[01:24:22] what do i do well well you support people in need in the community but then also your gifts here do that like when you give tithes and offerings that's a part of it so because you give every
[01:24:33] single Sunday, 21 kids go home with food on the weekends at EMIS to make sure that that happens because you give on a Sunday. There are people at the clinic here in Morrisville that get free
[01:24:47] ultrasounds because you give and because you're a part of that. There's mission stuff that happens all around us, but there's single moms this week that had their rent paid because you gave over the last weeks. And so it's not just keeping lights on. It's building the kingdom of God. So
[01:25:06] maybe for the first time ever, you say, well, I'm going to pray every day. I'm going to make an intentional time to pray and say, God, what would you have me do to be a part of revealing
[01:25:17] your heart to the world? Maybe you're going to fast for the first time ever on March 20th and say, God, I want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of a movement of seeing your kingdom
[01:25:28] shown to the world that we actually do love people and you love people too whatever it is listen whether it's a change of motive or a challenge to start would you just pray with me
[01:25:41] right now just let the holy spirit reveal it to you now listen you may be here and you're like wow they're talking about money at church i the church is not after your finances if you are not
[01:25:53] able to pay your bills we'd love to be there for you like that's our heart but for those of you that are believers and members let's give let's let's pray let's fast because God has big things
[01:26:07] in store and we get to be a part of it would you just say God I want my motives to change not to be seen by others not to get the attaboy but to be seen by you in secret would you accept
[01:26:30] the challenge would you give would you pray would you fast this month on the 20th Lord we believe you have great big plans and we can't wait to be a part of them and see how you're going to bring
[01:26:47] your kingdom right here on earth just like it is in heaven and all God's people said amen I'm going to invite our elder of the week would you stand with me this is Jim Bessiker and he'll be out of
[01:27:01] the fireplace if you're going through a difficult season he'd love to pray for you if you need to get in touch with him through the week you have an emergency and you need some prayer right away
[01:27:09] you can do that on our website cccmorrisville.com backslash help contact the elder of the week and you'll get a phone call from jim or you can do it on the church center app there's a button that
[01:27:20] says speak to an elder and he would love to pray over you so would you close your eyes and extend your hands receive the blessing of the lord today as we go out thank you brother let's pray

[01:27:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:27:30] almighty god we just praise your holy name father for this morning we boy it's it's so great to be here. It's so exciting to hear about the dreams. And Father God, I just pray that we all remain
[01:27:41] dreamers, Father God, that we lift those dreams up to you. And we just praise you and thank you for Matthew 6, Father God, kind of a roadmap to the way that we need to think and be more like
[01:27:54] Jesus, God. So as we take today's sermon and throughout the course of the week and unpack that, Father, we just pray, Father, your Holy Spirit will just multiply itself through us and through other people, Father God. Also, we just pray that the appointments that you've
[01:28:09] established out there, we don't even know about them yet, but you do. And we just pray that our eyes and our ears are open and attentive to your Holy Spirit throughout the course of the week. So
[01:28:18] we love you. We thank you for all your love in Jesus' precious name. Amen.