Living Fully: Embracing Authentic Spiritual Practices
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
"But normally what happens is when we come into the word, and we come and we approach the word, we've come from our worldview, right? We've come from the week. We've come from the way we were raised. We've come from our context. We've come from our belief systems, and then we approach this word, and reading it, trying to understand the environment that this was set can become a little discombobulating, a little disorienting, right? Because we're trying to read it from where we are, and we're trying to read it from where we are, and we're trying to read it from where we are, we're coming from, not actually how it was written, and so oftentimes we just need the help of the Holy Spirit to come in and take this incredible age-old book and illuminate it into our hearts, adjusting our mindsets to the old environment that this was written in, and helping us to see things, not the way we think it should be, but the way it has always been, but we just didn't see it that way, because we were coming from a completely different environment." [00:04:46] (71 seconds)
"And so those five themes are giving, praying, fasting, refocusing our attention and our affection on the things that hold value, where we cast our treasures, where we cast our pearls, and then the last is resting and being able to rest in the rhythms of grace that God places upon us so that we can cast our anxieties, cast our cares, cast our worries on the only one that can hold them. And so that's what God is asking us to do today as we read, and I'll start from verse one in chapter six." [00:10:33] (38 seconds)
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, that they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your Father is up who sees in secret, will reward you. Look out for that sentence." [00:11:11] (46 seconds)
"Verse five, and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners. That they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, listen again, here we go, who sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they'll be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need. Before you ask, pray then like this. And you can join me. I'd love it if you'd join me for this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." [00:11:57] (48 seconds)
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." [00:14:11] (30 seconds)
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food." [00:14:41] (23 seconds)
"Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, what should we eat? What should we drink? What should we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God. And his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Our verse for the year. So therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow. For tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Amen." [00:15:37] (29 seconds)
"Matthew 23, 23, woe to you teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you hypocrites. You give a tenth of your spices, your mill and your dill and your cumin, but you've neglected the more important matters of the law. Justice, mercy, faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. It's so easy to become legalistic when we start talking about things that we ought to do and not to do. And so as we step into this season, I pray that personal piety and inner righteousness is for the audience of one. Spiritual practices is not because everyone else is doing it. The point of it all is to be seen approved by God, not so that God can be pleased. He doesn't need our fasting. He doesn't need our prayers. Our prayers do not keep him alive." [00:25:11] (50 seconds)
"All the law and all the prophets hang on these two commandments. They weren't, Jesus wasn't pulling random. Random words out of the air when he answered that question. He answered them with Torah. He answered them with words that were very familiar to them. Any little rug rat, Jewish rug rat that was running around, any child, every single person knew this. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 to 5 was just on the cusp of everybody's lips. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your heart. It's always been about the heart. Every commandment is supposed to flow out of God's heart into ours, into the world. That's the point of God coming into this world and leading us towards him. The emphasis of heart is so important. That Hebrew word is levav." [00:27:10] (63 seconds)
"That God's heart has always been the intention when we're doing our spiritual practices. As we give financially, it's God's heart wanting to transfer into our heart and going out into the world at large. When we fast, it's us saying, I want to let go of all. I want to let go of all the things that is feeding my flesh so that I can make room for the Holy Spirit to fill me up with his will. His way." [00:28:42] (32 seconds)
"When we hallow his name, his kingdom comes. When his kingdom comes, his will is done. When his will is done, his kingdom progresses. When his kingdom progresses, his holiness fills the earth. That's the whole point. That's the whole point of this." [00:30:35] (15 seconds)
"Because God is asking a lot of us, giving, fasting, praying, your time, your energy. He's saying, and if you think, if you, if any, at any point you start thinking about the sacrifice, the cost of this stuff, don't worry about it. I got you. Can I tell you, the only people that have to worry are the ones that are not willing. They're willing to let God's kingdom be sovereign over their lives." [00:37:32] (27 seconds)
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"And so those five themes are giving, praying, fasting, refocusing our attention and our affection on the things that hold value, where we cast our treasures, where we cast our pearls, and then the last is resting and being able to rest in the rhythms of grace that God places upon us so that we can cast our anxieties, cast our cares, cast our worries on the only one that can hold them. And so that's what God is asking us to do today as we read, and I'll start from verse one in chapter six." [00:10:33] (38 seconds)
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, that they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your Father is up who sees in secret, will reward you. Look out for that sentence." [00:11:11] (46 seconds)
"Verse five, and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners. That they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, listen again, here we go, who sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they'll be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need. Before you ask, pray then like this. And you can join me. I'd love it if you'd join me for this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." [00:11:57] (48 seconds)
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." [00:14:11] (30 seconds)
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor your body, what you will put on, is not life more than food." [00:14:41] (23 seconds)
"Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, what should we eat? What should we drink? What should we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God. And his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Our verse for the year. So therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow. For tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Amen." [00:15:37] (29 seconds)
"Matthew 23, 23, woe to you teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you hypocrites. You give a tenth of your spices, your mill and your dill and your cumin, but you've neglected the more important matters of the law. Justice, mercy, faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. It's so easy to become legalistic when we start talking about things that we ought to do and not to do. And so as we step into this season, I pray that personal piety and inner righteousness is for the audience of one. Spiritual practices is not because everyone else is doing it. The point of it all is to be seen approved by God, not so that God can be pleased. He doesn't need our fasting. He doesn't need our prayers. Our prayers do not keep him alive." [00:25:11] (50 seconds)
"All the law and all the prophets hang on these two commandments. They weren't, Jesus wasn't pulling random. Random words out of the air when he answered that question. He answered them with Torah. He answered them with words that were very familiar to them. Any little rug rat, Jewish rug rat that was running around, any child, every single person knew this. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 to 5 was just on the cusp of everybody's lips. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your heart. It's always been about the heart. Every commandment is supposed to flow out of God's heart into ours, into the world. That's the point of God coming into this world and leading us towards him. The emphasis of heart is so important. That Hebrew word is levav." [00:27:10] (63 seconds)
"That God's heart has always been the intention when we're doing our spiritual practices. As we give financially, it's God's heart wanting to transfer into our heart and going out into the world at large. When we fast, it's us saying, I want to let go of all. I want to let go of all the things that is feeding my flesh so that I can make room for the Holy Spirit to fill me up with his will. His way." [00:28:42] (32 seconds)
"When we hallow his name, his kingdom comes. When his kingdom comes, his will is done. When his will is done, his kingdom progresses. When his kingdom progresses, his holiness fills the earth. That's the whole point. That's the whole point of this." [00:30:35] (15 seconds)
"Because God is asking a lot of us, giving, fasting, praying, your time, your energy. He's saying, and if you think, if you, if any, at any point you start thinking about the sacrifice, the cost of this stuff, don't worry about it. I got you. Can I tell you, the only people that have to worry are the ones that are not willing. They're willing to let God's kingdom be sovereign over their lives." [00:37:32] (27 seconds)
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