You Are Being Watched- Orange County Chinese Alliance Church

INTRO: Grandma
My wife and I got married about a month and a half ago.
It was a grand occasion. Friends and family from all over the world came to be a part of the wedding.
All, but one. My Grandma.
My Grandma loves my wife and I. She is so excited every time she hears about us.
She always loves to see pictures of us.
She even spends countless hours knitting together matching sweaters for both of us to wear.
As much as Grandma is overjoyed because of our wedding, she could not make it because she is very old. She is 93.
This past weekend, my family traveled up to SF to have a family dinner with Grandma to celebrate our marriage.
She was so happy. She always told my mom that she wants to introduce us to her neighbors to show us off. She was so excited to have my wife come and see her place.
But when we arrived, she would not let me or Monica come up stairs to her apt.
She wouldn’t even let us walk her to her door.
My grandma is getting old, and has recently become paranoid.
She claims that she sees spies crawl into her apartment at night and steal her money.
She believes that her apartment is wired and every word is being recorded.
Monica and I spent time printing photos and putting together an album for her of our wedding, but she refused to take it.
She was afraid that the spies would come in again and take that too.
She believes that there are spies that are watching her every move.
I know you’re probably not as old as my Grandma, but do you ever feel that way?
Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?
Well I’m here today to assure you…that you are.

You are being watched by Unbelievers.
We are being watched by non-Christians.
Jesus even says so in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden”
Jesus was talking to the people of Jerusalem. See because Jerusalem was this big city that sat right on top of the Mountain, and many people can see the city.
But not just that, they were the People of God. They were always noticed by those surrounding them…There was no way they could go without being unnoticed.
In the same way, we as Christians, as the people of God, are always being watched. There is no way that we can go without being watched.
Unbelievers are watching, whether they are seeking truth and wanting to observe how we live, or if they’re just looking for reasons to accuse of doing wrong or being hypocrites.
But Jesus continues in Matthew 5:16 to say that since you are the Light of the World, you need to “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in Heaven.”
Because we know we are being watched, we ought to do good at all times so that when people see us, they can’t help but to praise God in Heaven.
In Titus 2:7-8, Paul tells a young Christian named Titus, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good…so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Consider your life: Does your life and actions cause people to shun God?
Let me ask a better question: Doe your life and actions draw people to God. Do unbelievers want to love God because they are drawn to the way you live?
EX: Hudson Taylor…Years ago the communist government in China commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light.
They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor's saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior.
Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others.
Unbelievers are watching you.

You are being watched by Believers.
You might be surrounded by unbelievers, but you also have to realize that you are also surrounded by Christians. Just look around. Christians everywhere.
Just as we need to be in good behavior, living a righteous life in front of non-believers, we to need to live in good behavior among the Believers, because they too are watching you.
Biggest Complaint: Christians. I think it’s sad that one of the biggest reasons people who used to call themselves Christians, or people who used to go to church, are no longer, is Christians.
They say Christians are all hypocrites. They blame the way Christians say one thing and do another, and say that don’t want to be like that.
Matthew 5:16 “You are the Light of the World, you need to “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in Heaven”.
Our actions should cause others to turn their praise to the Father… not turn away from the Father.
Paul understands that Christians to watch each other. He told the Christians in Corinth to “follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.”
Watch me and learn as I follow Christ.
EX: Pelicans…For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican's paradise.
As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however the offal was utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves
The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended.
Christians are just like Pelicans. We can’t help but watch others around us and naturally follow their example.
1 Tim 4:12 teaches us to set an example for believers in speech, life, love, faith and purity.”
You’re not only being watched by unbelievers, You are being watched by believers. Make sure you are living Holy. Let your light shine bright.
Unbelievers are watching you. Believers are watching you.
But here’s the main point of what I want to emphasize this morning.

You are being watched by God.
This is the most important reason why we should live holy lives at all times… because God sees you.
You know this already. God knows everything we do, all the good things and all the bad things.
The bible tells us so over and over again. Jesus says it all the time.
In Matthew 5, he says it over and over and over.
Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
When you fast in secret, The Father will see you and reward you.
When you pray in secret.
When you give in secret.
God sees all things!
And we know it with our mind. We know it so well. He’s God.
But though we know it with our mind, so often our hands don’t live like it. Our eyes don’t live like it. Our ears don’t live like it.
1 Cor. 4:5 says that God will one day judge us and bring to light all the good and all the bad we have ever done.
For both unbelievers and believers alike. There is no exception.
As I was preparing this, I realized that I can try to invoke fear into you so that we would live Holy
Because God is a Just God. And God is a wrathful God.
And you WILL be judged.
It’s true.
But I think there is a greater motivation for living a holy life, and letting our light shine.
Because God is a Good God, and He’s worth it! God is worth our life and all that we do should be because he deserves it.
QUESTION: How is your heart? In your heart, do you love God? What goes on in here regarding your view of God?
EX: Water in a bottle. What happens when I shake this? Water comes out
In Luke 6:45, Jesus teaches us that whatever is stored up in the heart, that’s what’s going to come out in the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we live.
If you truly love God, and see Him as a Holy and Worthy God, when we are shaken by temptation, what we believe about God will come out in the way we live.
If you see God as a God who sees all things, but also a Holy God, and one who is worthy of our obedience, it will show in the decisions we make. It’ll show in the way we live.
You guys can try as hard as you want to try to live a good life, but if our inside is not changed and transformed, good will not come out.
If we are not holy from within, and we don’t believe God as a Holy God, Holiness will not come out.
POSER: You’ll try for a while to live holy, and you may pull off a few good deeds, but you will burn out. Why, because there isn’t at the root of us a reverence and love for an All-seeing, all-knowing God.
If we see God for who He is, the Holy and Awesome God that he is, we will start living in the light of a Holy and Awesome God.
So our view of God has to change. How do you view God?
Is God the Most important thing to you in your life? Is he your greatest priority?
John Feng: I was deeply impressed by a prayer of one of the brothers from my church.
He was praying one night, “God, help us to prefer you over everything else in life.”
IF it comes down to sin, or God, I prefer God!
If it comes down to money or God, I prefer God!
If it’s between being loved by another person or being loved by God, I prefer God!
If it’s between being jealous of another and God, I prefer God.
EX: FIREPROOF. I was blessed when I watched the movie Fireproof. In the movie, there’s this couple who’s marriage is about to break up.
One of the reasons was because of his addiction to Internet pornography.
In one scene, he’s struggling with temptation, but knowing that that stuff hurts his wife and kills her inside, he rips out his computer, takes it outside, and destroys it with a baseball bat.
But the best part is that when she comes home, she sees on the desk where the computer used to be a vase of Roses, and a note that says “I Love You More”.
So here’s this thing that he loves in his life, something that had taken great priority.
And yet, he made a choice, and said, “NO, I love my Wife more. I prefer my wife.”
Would you be able to place a note in place of the temptations and sin that you face, and say, “God, I love you more.”
I’m willing to give this up, I’m willing to not to gossip/look at pornography/ spend my money foolishly/ love my wife/husband/ forgive my brother/ because I love you more.
I prefer YOU over sin.
Guys, God is SO good, and He’s so Worth it. He deserves the first and greatest place in our lives.
Do you believe it in your heart?
When we are shaken by temptation to sin, what will come out in the way you live?

See, God could force you to love him, and force you to do things that please him, but he chooses to give us the freedom to choose Him.
Instead, He sits back and Watches you. God is watching you.
And he watches to see what you will choose. Sin? Or Him?
EX: When I was young, I used to fear my dad a lot.
He would spank me whenever I acted up, which was quite often.
He would always say “Don’t be so hyper!” And then he’d spank me and make me cry.
Well, one day, I was playing kickball against our house. And I kicked it, and the ball went straight through my sisters window, and I knew my dad was going to kill me.
My dad heard it, and he runs outside, and he stares at the shattered window, he looks at me, and then walks back into his room where he continued reading.
I was like, “Eh?” Then I was like, “Phew! I’m off the hook! He didn’t get mad!”
So that night, after dinner, I got all hyper and I was acting up and being a bad kid, my dad comes to me, and spanks me!
I start crying like a baby. And as I’m crying, he sits me down and says:
“When you broke the window today, I was furious! But I didn’t say anything and I didn’t spank you. I wanted to see if you were sorry for what you did, so I kept my mouth shut and just watched you all night.
If you were truly sorry, your behavior and your actions should have changed, and I would have let you go.
But he says, “Nothing you done tonight shows me that you are truly sorry.” So I spanked you.
What my dad wanted to see was if there was something really going on inside my heart.
And if there was, he knew it would have showed in my actions.
But my dad, who does love me, that day chose to watch to see how I would act.
Our heavenly Father is SOOOOO patient with us.
He could pour his wrath upon us each time we sin. He has every right to.
But 2 Pet 3:9 says “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”.
And so for now, he just watches. He watches you to see what’s going on in your heart. Because what is truly in your heart, will show in the way you live and the things you do.
What will he see when he looks into your heart and your life?
Do you love God? Do you prefer God? Do you see him as holy? Is he your greatest priority?
Let your light shine bright, because unbelievers are watching you.
Let your light shine bright, because believers are watching you.
Let your light shine bright, because God is watching you.