Sermon Notes from Sunday AM February 26th 2006 Who are you trying to please?

Matthew 5:48-6:18
Reading this passage places a real challenge on being a people-pleaser or maybe the better term is people impressor. I know new word alert for the English teachers.
This passage speaks to us people impressors. Some of us have an intense hunger for praise.
As kids we say watch me daddy. As a teen we did and do almost anything to be popular. As adults we make sure our neighbor, boss, friends all like us. We care what people think about us.
So we won’t say no to anyone it is almost impossible to overcome peer pressure, or we sit around and wondering what people will say, or think or how they will react to us. Or even worse some of us choose our emotions and attitudes based on the approval of others. Approved of were up and when someone is upset were crushed.
The result is we live our life on stage seeking applause.
It happens in spiritual service as well.
The leaders were sure to give so others would see and praise them for it in Jesus day. Blow the trumpet loud so everyone can see I am taking care of these poor people. Whether they blew a trumpet or not is not the point. The point is they made sure everyone saw them taking care of the poor. They were to pray three times a day 9, 12, 3. Everyone knew that is what you do. The leaders would make sure that at 9, 12, & 3 they were in the most populous area of town so everyone could see and hear them pray. The Pharisees fasted two days a week as well. Monday and Thursday. They just happened to be the two major Jewish market days. The result was that on those days they would have a bigger audience around to see how pious they were. They would mess up their hair and place ashes on their face and wear torn clothing so everyone would notice how holy they were.
We are tempted to mock the Pharisees, but isn’t the reality that most of us are desperate to be noticed. We usually aren’t out there doing the real bad stuff, although…, what we do is we try to do holy stuff so everyone will see and applaud.
People pleasing/impressing gives serious heart turmoil. We know we should live for God alone, but we want to be approved and God doesn’t always approve of us so others will know it. At times He doesn’t respond the way I want Him to respond. It can be so hard. Be careful though.
The Message says, “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. When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself.”
If you struggle with this let me give you some encouragement. People are fickle. You just can’t really please people.
Most people don’t think about you that often.
If you worry about what people think about you, you’d probably be disappointed to discover how seldom they do think about you.
God’s evaluation is what matters most.
John 5:30 “I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own.”
James 4:12 “God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge among us. He alone has the power to save or to destroy.”
Galatians 1:10 “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
Who’s in the audience you are trying to please? Fickle people or our Loving God and Father?
Serena Williams won Wimbeldon for the first time in 2002. After her impressive victory, a reporter asked Serena if it bothered her that many of the English fans were rooting against her. She politely said, “No”, she understood there had been people rooting against her all her life. But she still wanted to win for herself. Then she added, “besides my dad was sitting in those stands, and I knew he was rooting for me and I wanted to please him.”
Jesus says, “Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you,…Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you,… your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.”
Who is it you are trying to please? Do I trust Him and believe enough in Him that I will seek to please Him alone? Do I trust He will follow through with His promises? Is He enough for me? Is He enough for you