The Most Important Part of Our Lives: What Only God Sees

If you have a Bible, and I hope that you or somebody around you does, that you can look on with or you can pull one out from around your seat, I’m going invite you to open for me at Matthew 6. Feel free to use table of contents if you need to, Matthew 6. And as you’re turning, I want to welcome those of you in other locations of our church family across Metro D.C., as well as others online who are physically unable to be with us today. If you’re visiting with us, especially, my name is David Platt, I’m one of the pastors here. And whether you’re a follower of Jesus from another church or you’re maybe visiting with a friend or family member or maybe just exploring Jesus on your own, we want you to know, you are always welcome here.

And I am loving this journey that you’re able to join in today as we’re walking as a church family through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. So, last week we looked at the Lord’s Prayer. And Mike’s sermon on that was a fire on so many levels, as he walked us through just four reminders from the Lord’s Prayer. So, if you didn’t get to listen to that, I would encourage you to go back to listen to it, especially in the week after the election.

And he mentioned that this week we’d be looking at the broader context that surrounds the Lord’s prayer, which is Matthew 6:1–18. So that’s what we’re about to do. And this passage is so important for our lives because it reveals… So, listen to this. This passage reveals what is most important in our lives. That’s what we’re about to talk about the next few minutes, the most important part of our lives.

Doing Good Things in a Bad Way?

So, here’s how I want us to start with a question I want you to think about but not answer out loud. So, I’ll put it here on the screen. Is it possible for you to do good things in ways that are bad for you? Is it possible for you or me to do things that are good and that seem good to us, but for those things to actually be bad for us? I want to show you that Jesus’s answer to that question is clear. Yes.

Listen to his first words in Matthew 6. Jesus says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you’ll have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” So look at this, Jesus’s first word is beware. He’s warning us about something that is bad for us. And look at what he’s warning us about, practicing your righteousness, that’s doing good or right things. Jesus just spent the entire chapter before this encouraging us to practice righteousness, to do good things in ways that will be good for us. So Jesus is not telling us not to do good things, not to do acts of righteousness.

He just spent the whole chapter before this saying we should live with the righteousness that exceeded even the religious leaders of that day. And he said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your,” what? Your good works, “and give glory to God in heaven.” But now in chapter 6, Jesus is telling us, “All right, there was a way, there’s a way to do good works that bring glory to God and are good for you, but there’s also a way to do good works that are bad for you, that are not glorifying to God.”

And Jesus is not just speaking in generalities here. After this initial warning, Jesus mentions three specific good things we can do in ways that are bad for us. And from Matthew 6:2–4, Jesus talks about when you give to the needy, from verses 5–15, oh sorry, Jesus talks about when you pray. That’s where we see the Lord’s prayer we looked at last week. And then from verses 16–18, Jesus talks about when you fast.

So, the picture is there’s a way to give and pray and fast that is not good. And this is not just here in Matthew 6. If you’re following along with the church’s Bible reading plan in the book of Amos, we’re reading about people, the people of God who worshiped in ways that were bad for them and not glorifying to God. All right. That’s possible. It’s possible for us to come into this gathering today, to sing songs, to pray prayers, for me to preach and you to listen to a sermon and all of this be bad for us.

And so, what does it mean to do good things in ways that are good for us and glorifying to God? Notice, that’s what Jesus is talking about. When he says no reward, he wants reward for us. All right. Jesus wants you and I to experience reward in these good things, and he’s warning us against acts of righteousness that miss out on that reward. So, let’s pay attention close here. If you’re taking notes, I would encourage you to write down these truths.

The Temptation to Do Good in a Selfish Way

Here’s the first one. We are constantly tempted to do good things in order to be seen and rewarded by others. So, this is the motive behind good things that makes them bad for us. It’s not that it’s bad to do good things or even that it’s bad when others see those good things, but it is bad to do those things in order to be seen and thought well of by others.

And the language Jesus uses here is incredible. In the next verse, Matthew 6:2, when Jesus just starts talking about giving, he says, “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.” So, this is likely exaggerated language. Don’t pull out the trumpet and blow it and be like, “I’m about to give,” like the hypocrites do. And the word therefore hypocrites refers to an actor or an actress, performing on a stage for an audience of other people. So, Jesus is using extravagant language to expose this tendency in our hearts that exists in all of us.

And we may think that it’s not a temptation that us, but this… “We’re above this temptation.” But just think with me about how much of what we do is subtly affected by, informed by what others think.

Have you ever dropped a small piece of garbage and thought to yourself, “It’s not really a big deal”? You start to move on until you notice someone else saw you do that. So you stop real quick, pick it up and act like that’s what you are going to do anyway. Have you ever been speaking to someone in a certain way or a certain tone until someone else shows up and all of a sudden your language or your tone changes? We may not even consciously realize it, but we are constantly calculating how others perceive our actions.

And Jesus is saying here, you’re tempted to do this in the best of actions, in your giving to the needy. Then you start to think about it, how much fundraising in this world actually appeals to this temptation of this. “Give and you’ll have this building named after you. Or maybe this brick or tile with your name on it. Or this plaque will be posted, or sign placed in your honor,” And so much giving, not just in the world but in the church appeals to this temptation in us, to want to be seen, to want someone else to know how we’ve given. And Jesus is saying, “No. Giving so that you’ll receive recognition from others is hypocrisy.”

Then Jesus moves on to what may seem like the most holy thing we can possibly do, to pray. In verse 5, “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.” And now you might read this and think, “Well, I’m not tempted to stand up and broadcast that I’m praying like this.” And you might not be. But that doesn’t mean you’re immune to this temptation because it comes in many forms.

The Bible all over the place clearly encourages public praying in many ways at many times with others, for others. But you and I can be tempted to pray with others sometimes in ways that don’t represent how we pray alone. We may be tempted to pray before meals, just kind of expected, when the reality is we don’t pray in the morning when nobody else is looking. Or this temptation can rise whenever you might be praying before others, whether it’s something as simple as a meal or maybe with your church group or maybe in a larger setting, and it can be tempting to pray and as you pray, you can actually be thinking about what others are thinking about you and your prayer.

Or think about another form of this temptation. Some of you might be tempted not to pray with others, around others because you are afraid of what they might think about you, that you’re not spiritual enough, that you’re not a good prayer. Do you see how we could be tempted from so many angles to approach prayer in light of what others think about us?

And Jesus says the same thing can happen with fasting. Verse 16, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” As a reminder, fasting is setting aside food, a meal, substituting that time with prayer and God’s Word, and Jesus is talking about the temptation to fast so that other people will see and notice your fasting and think you’re spiritual.

So, can I just pause here and make a personal confession? I am guilty of giving into all of these temptations. I’ve shared before about a particular time in my life as a pastor of a church years ago when everything on the outside looked like things were going great spiritually. The church I pastored was growing. I’d written a book that a lot of people were reading. I was getting invited to preach in all kinds of different places. I was giving in ways I’d never given before.

On the outside it looked like everything was going great spiritually. Yet, for a long period of time, my time alone with God in prayer and his Word was inconsistent at best, and the reality is non-existent many days. Sure, I would study the Bible in order to preach a sermon, but I wouldn’t study the Bible just to know God. And I could turn on a public prayer in an instant. Anytime, anywhere. But I was not spending time in a room alone with God, just seeking him for who he is. That frightens me how quote unquote, “spiritually successful” I could be in others’ eyes, in my own eyes, but to do it totally apart from actual intimacy with God. I was missing the whole point, and I was suffering for it. Sure, I look successful on the outside, but my soul was withering away.

And I share that not to say, “So, I struggled with that in the past and I’m over it now.” But to say that while by God’s grace I’m not at that point anymore, I do want to say I’m still tempted by wanting to be seen a certain way by you or others, in such a way that it actually hurts when others don’t see me a certain way. And I don’t think that’s just me. This temptation is so subtle in all of us. We’re all constantly tempted to do all kinds of good things in order to be seen by others and to find reward in others, seen or recognizing or commending us for what we’ve done.

And to be clear, it’s not that it’s bad to be affirmed or encouraged by others, there’s actually a good place for that, for us to build one another up in those ways. But Jesus is saying here very clearly to beware letting that drive you. This is so important. As students, young adults, there is so much temptation to want to look or appear or be seen a certain way by others. So much of social media just fuels. This all day long, feeding this temptation in you to project a certain image before others in ways that lead to recognition, through likes or comments, like you’ll be rewarded on social media the more of those you get.

And it’s not just students and young adults, it’s all of us. So much in this world, this water we swim in revolves around projecting a certain image, building a certain reputation, being seen by friends, classmates, co-workers, employers, employees or crowds or any number of other people, a certain way. And at the core, now watch this, all of this is not actually about others, it’s ultimately about ourselves.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a great preacher from the past said, ultimately, our only reason for pleasing people around us is that we may please ourselves. Write this down. We’re constantly tempted to do good things in order to be seen and rewarded by others because we are constantly tempted to do good things in order to be seen and rewarded by ourselves. And this also cuts different ways.

So, on one hand, our desire to be seen by others is actually a desire to feel good about ourselves. And if we think others think well of us, then we think good about ourselves. If we think others don’t think well of us, then we don’t think good about ourselves. Our mood, our demeanor can be driven by what we think others think about us. Or, on the other hand, some of us might disregard others altogether and just say, “I’m going to live for myself.”

We’ve talked about this before, it’s the mantra of our day. Put aside other thoughts, expectations for your life. Live your truth, live for yourself. But Jesus says we need to be aware of that, beware of that, too. Look at how he talks about giving from the very beginning of Matthew 6:3, Jesus says, “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.” What is that about? “So that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing.” How is that even possible?

I think… I don’t even know. Yeah, so you don’t even know what you’re doing so your giving is in secret. How do you keep a secret from yourself? Just try that for a minute. You couldn’t do it. So, obviously, it’s fairly impossible for you, I mean, to give in a way that we don’t know what we’re doing, how we’re giving. But the point Jesus is making is that we don’t just need to be aware of seeking others recognition. We also need to be aware of self-congratulation. We need to beware the temptation to think highly of ourselves because of the good things we’re doing.

Do you see how deep and subtle the sin can be? Ken Hughes said, “We are so subtly sinful that we will refrain from an outward show in giving and then pat ourselves on the back for our profound humility.” Don’t think that just because no one else sees what we’re doing that we’re then free from temptation. Think about Jesus’s most intense moments of temptation in his life, in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus’s most intense moments of temptation came when he was completely alone with God. Jesus is telling us here, “Beware of doing good things so that others see you a certain way or so that you see yourself a certain way because when that is your motive,” watch this, Jesus says, “You will get what you want.”

This is fascinating. Go back to verse 2, Jesus says, “When you give to the needy sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do and the synagogues on the streets that they may be praised by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.” You will get praise from others, you’ll get your recognition, that will be your reward.

Verse 5, Jesus says, “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues, in the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.” They will see you in the synagogues, on the street corners, you will get what you want. Your reward will be their seeing you pray.

Then verse 16, “When you fast, don’t look gloomy like the hypocrites for they disfigured their faces that are fast and may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.” You’ll get it, Jesus says, “They’ll think what gloomy, disfigured faces they have.” They must be super spiritual. Congratulations, you have received your reward, gloomy, disfigured face person. If you live for what others think of you, and you may get them to think something about you, but mark it down, it will not last because the crowds are fickle. One minute they will love you, the next minute they will curse you. It’s the way this world works.

Others will see that gift or hear that prayer, they’ll see that post or recognize that feat and then they’ll forget. And you’ll have to keep trying and trying and trying to get their applause. And you may get it for a time, but it won’t last. And you know what? The same will true for yourself. The more you live for self-congratulation, the more you will see parts of your life where you don’t measure up, parts of your life that you still need to improve. More work you have to do, more frustration when you look in the mirror, more areas where you fall short. It’s a recipe for endless discontentment and disappointment.

And Jesus is saying, “All of this, trying to live to please others and yourself is an exhausting, ultimately empty way to live. And I am calling you to a better way to live. A better way.”

The Gladness of Being Doing Good to be Rewarded by God

What we’ve been seeing from the beginning of this sermon, write this down, true life, Jesus is saying, is found in doing good things in the gladness of being seen and rewarded by God alone. True life, like the blessed life. That’s the language we’ve seen from the very beginning of the sermon. The happy life is yes, doing all kinds of good things. So don’t stop doing good things, including giving, praying, and fasting. But do them in the gladness that comes with knowing God. God. God sees you and God rewards you. That’s the emphasis in all these verses, starting with giving, verse 3, “When you’re giving to the needy, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” so you’re giving maybe in secret, “and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Don’t miss what Jesus is saying here. God sees you, and life is found in realizing that his sight is the only sight that ultimately matters. How our lives would change if we realized this, if we really believed this. I think many of us would ascend to this, like, “Yeah, I’m supposed to live for God alone.” But what if we live in conscious recognition of the fact that God sees everything in us, our every thought, our every desire, our every word, our every step, our every action. If the recognition that another person sees us dropping a little piece of garbage or another person enters the room when we’re talking, if that would change our actions, how much more should the recognition that God himself sees us, hears us at every moment? And not just what’s on the outside, but everything that’s on the inside.

If we truly realize this, it would revolutionize the way we think and desire and speak and live. If we lived with our eyes fixed, not on what others see or think or even what we see or think, but based on what God sees and thinks. That’s a totally different way to live in this world. And Jesus is saying it leads to reward. Reward.

Now, you might think at this point, “Okay, so does this mean I’m just trying to perform for God then, that I’m living for payment from God for the good stuff I do? Is that what Christianity is about? I do good things so God will pay me. And the answer is, absolutely not. And I can’t wait to show you how that’s not what Jesus is saying.

Look at this. First, the word Jesus uses here for reward is deliberately different than the word he uses when he talks about reward we receive from others praise. The word Jesus uses here carries the idea of fulfillment. Jesus is calling us to live life to the full in the reward that is found in God alone.

So that then leads me to bring in C.S. Lewis. So talking about this picture, C.S. Lewis wrote, “We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of reward makes the Christian life a mercenary affair.” In other words, when people would say, “Oh, we’re just mercenaries doing good things in order to get stuff from God.” Lewis went on to say, “There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connection with the things you do to earn it, and it’s quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things.”

He uses an example. He says, “If a man marries a woman for the sake of her money, then yes, that man is a mercenary. He’s just marrying her to get money from her. Why? Because,” Lewis says, “marriage is the proper reward for a real lover and he is not a mercenary for desiring it.” In other words, if you marry someone you love simply because you love them and you delight in them and you find reward in being united with them, then you’re not a mercenary. You’re just happy. And that’s when C.S Lewis concludes, “The proper rewards are not simply tacked onto the activity for which they’re given, but they are the activity itself in consummation.”

So to make this personal, I did not marry Heather for her money. If that was my motive in marriage, then, with all due respect to my wife and her family, I did not choose wisely. When I married this kindergarten schoolteacher, I married her because I delight in her. And while no marriage in this world is perfect, I can tell you that as of one month from now, it will have been 25 years of reward. Reward. Marriage is the reward. And that’s what Jesus is saying. Think about the reward Jesus is promising here.

It’s the reward that’s found in giving to someone in need, meeting someone’s need out of the overflow of God’s grace in your own heart, doing this in relationship with the God who sees you and smiles over you as his child, as you’re working with him to make his love known in the world. Yes, that’s reward. Don’t trade that for a plaque. The passing praise of a couple people. “No, don’t do it,” Jesus says, “live for the reward that comes in a relationship with God alone. The same goes with prayer. When you pray, go in your room, shut the door, pray to your Father in secret. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Yes, you want to live for real reward? Go, get in a room alone with God as your Father. Just think about it. You and God. You have an audience alone with God. You’re talking to God. God’s listening to you, God’s speaking to you, God acting in response to what you say to him. I mean, it’s all this world is throwing at you, even what this world might be saying about you, you get to pour out your heart, your burdens, the heavy things in your life before God, and God comforts you. God lifts your head. God strengthens you. God pours out supernatural peace in your heart and everlasting hope in your mind. And God reminds you of his promises. And God personally says, “I love you.” Why would you trade that for anything else in this world? You’re made for reward alone with God.

And then fasting, verse 17, “When you fast, anoint your head, wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret and your who Father sees in secret will reward you.” He will. It’s guaranteed. I remember a moment when these verses convicted me so deeply. I was doing an extended fast, I found myself fighting in a way I didn’t even see coming with a desire just for a couple of other people to know what I was doing. And I read these words from John Piper in a great book he wrote on fasting, which I would highly recommend. It’s called A Hunger for God. But he’s talking about these words from Jesus.

And Piper said, “What Jesus is doing with these words in Matthew six is testing our hearts to see if God himself really is our treasure.” How do we feel when nobody else knows what we’re doing? How is it when no one is saying, “How goes the fast”? Are we content in God when no one but God knows what we have done?

Jesus is calling for a radical orientation on God himself. He’s pushing us to have a real utterly authentic personal relationship with God. If God is not real to us personally, vitally real to us, it will be miserable to endure something difficult with God alone as the only one who knows. I was so convicted when I read that because I was miserable physically and I wasn’t satisfied with God alone. And then I read Piper’s next words. He said, “God sees us fasting.”

So this is his design. He sees that we have a deep longing that’s pulling us away from the ordinary good uses of the world in order to fast. He sees that our hearts are not seeking the common pleasures of human admiration and applause. He sees that we’re acting, not out of strength to impress others with our discipline or even have a desire to influence others, to imitate our devotion. But we have come to God out of weakness to express to him our need and our great longing that he would manifest himself more fully in our lives for the joy of our soul and the glory of his name.

That’s the reward that God is after for you, the joy of your soul and the glory of his name. It’s what your soul was made for. Not the applause of others in this world, not even the applause of ourselves, but the gladness of being seen and rewarded by God alone. So, do you realize what this means?

The Most Important Part of Our Lives

I mentioned at the beginning that we’re talking about most important part of your life. So I would encourage you to write this down, either on paper or a device or at the very least on your heart, the most important part of your life is the part that no one else but God sees. No one else but God, alone before him in giving and praying and fasting.

And I should mention, Jesus begins each of these sections by saying when you give and when you pray and when you fast. So it’s a clear allusion to how all of these good things should be a part of every one of our lives as followers of Jesus, giving and praying and fasting. So if any of these good things are not a part of your life, I want to encourage you, based on the words of Jesus, to build these good things into your life. Give and pray and fast.

And again, Jesus is not saying we only do these things alone. The Bible gives us pictures of giving together, praying together, even fasting together at different points. So it’s not wrong to give with others, it’s not wrong to pray in public with others, for others, it’s not wrong to fast together for a particular reason, in which case others will obviously know that you’re fasting. But Jesus is clearly saying don’t do any of these things for the purpose of being seen and rewarded by others or yourself, which actually points to the reality of this truth. Most important part of your life is the part no one else but God sees, and nobody else but God can see our hearts.

So even when you’re giving with others or praying with others or fasting with others, make sure your heart is focused on God alone and not their recognition or your own congratulation. Which leads to the last truth I’ll put here on the screen, it’s where I want to tie it all together with what we’ve already seen in the Sermon on the Mount. So we read this earlier, we studied it a few weeks ago, Matthew 5:16, Jesus saying, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

They’ll see your good works and give glory to God. So don’t miss it.

Doing Good for the Glory of God

True life is found in doing good things and the gladness of being seen and rewarded by God alone, and true life is found in doing good things and the gladness of bringing glory to God alone. And so it all comes full circle.

We do good things, all kinds of good things, including giving, praying, and fasting. And we’re not only seen and rewarded by God alone, but when we do good things this way, we bring glory to God alone. And this is full circle life receiving reward from God as we bring glory to God, this ultimately is the gospel. So follow this. God has made all of us for reward that is found in relationship with him.

The problem for all of us is that we’ve turned aside from God to this world in our ways looking for reward. We’ve sinned against God and our sin separates us from the reward in God that we are made for. And if we die in our sin, we’ll spend eternity and judgment due our sin, missing out on the eternal reward he wants for us. But the good news of the Bible, the greatest news in the world is that God loves us so much that he came to us in the person of Jesus, his son who, follow this, lived a perfectly righteous life, a perfectly good life, turning aside from every temptation to sin, all the way to the end, in a garden saying to God the Father, “Not my will but yours be done.”

And what happened after that? He was falsely accused and sentenced to death by other people. He was betrayed and denied by his closest friends. He was mocked by the crowds as he hung alone on a cross. And what did he pray right before he went into all this? John 12:28, “Father, glorify your name.” His eyes fixed on the glory of the Father. He died alone on that cross. And what happened? Three days later, the Father raised him from the dead, ascended him to heaven, where he now sits at the Father’s right hand in eternal glory.

And for all who trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, then he shares his heavenly reward with you. This is the gospel. It’s the good news, greatest news in the world that the everlasting heavenly reward of God is available to you through Jesus, not through your works. You are free from living for what others think about you. You are free from living for what you think about you.

God has spoken. He loves you. God delights in you. For all who trust in his love for you, in Jesus, God says, “You are forgiven of all your sins. You are adopted into my family as a son, as a daughter. You are my child. And I desire reward for you in relationship with me.” That comes in doing all kinds of good things, awesome things, living out life to the full, including are giving and praying and fasting in the gladness of being seen and rewarded by God himself in relationship with him in ways that bring glory to God in the world around you. This is the better life.

Don’t settle for anything less than this. So, I want to leave you with a question to prayerfully consider over just the next couple moments and then the days to come is this, just kind of soak this in. How is God specifically calling you to stop living for the recognition of others, or even congratulation from yourself, and start living for the reward that comes from God alone?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s episode of Radical with David Platt. For more resources from David Platt, we invite you to visit radical.net.

What does the passage say?

1) Read Matthew 6:1–18 aloud as a group. Before interpreting or applying the passage, share observations about it.

1. 1. What overarching statement in this passage summarizes the passage’s overall message? (Matthew 6:1)
   2. What main subject(s) did Jesus address in this passage?
   3. Who are Jesus’ listeners cautioned against imitating? (Matthew 6:2, 5, 7, 16)
   4. Why do the referenced hypocrites conduct themselves as they do? For whom are they performing? (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16)
   5. What is the eternal outcome of the hypocrites’ lives? (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16)
   6. What positive behavioral commands did Jesus give to His listeners?
   7. What are the promised consequences of hearing and heeding Jesus’ words? What are the promised consequences of not doing so?

2) How would you explain or summarize today’s passage in your own words?

What does the passage mean?

1) What does this passage imply about the dynamics and interplay between our relationship with others and our relationship with the Lord? For example:

1. How might the way that we position others in our hearts affect the way that we relate to the Lord and the heart posture that we take before Him?
2. How might the way that we position the Lord in our hearts affect the way that we relate to others and the heart posture that we take before them

2) Read and reflect on the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:7–15). In this prayer, what is the proper heart posture that Jesus is inviting us to take i) before the Lord, and ii) in relationship with others?

How can we apply this passage to our lives?

1. How much does a desire for the approval of others shape your daily conduct and conversation? How much of your self-image and self-perception is shaped by the approval of others?
2. In what ways might a desire to gain the approval of others shape your praying, giving to the needy, and/or fasting (or your reluctance to do these things)? What might you be missing by praying, giving to the needy, and fasting (or not doing these things) on these grounds?
3. In verses 2, 5, and 16 of today’s passage, the term ‘hypocrite’ is used to refer to an actor or actress performing on a stage for an audience. A performance-oriented culture can stimulate our fleshly predisposition toward self-preservation and self-promotion. When these tendencies are activated, what impact might they have on—
   1. our relationship with ourselves?
   2. our relationship with the Lord (including our worship of and service in Him)?
   3. the image of the Lord and the message of His gospel that are imparted through our lives?
   4. our relationships with others (e.g., How might a desire for approval from others compete with or hinder our godly love for others)?
4. Read Jeremiah 23:6, Matthew 5:6, Galatians 1:10, Colossians 3:23–24, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, and Hebrews 11:6. Whose pleasure and approval is to be our heart’s desire? Who does the Lord satisfy and reward?
5. How is God specifically calling you to stop living for the recognition of others, or even congratulation from yourself, and start living for the reward that comes from God alone?
6. Spend time in your Church Groups–
   1. Openly and specifically praying, confessing ways in which you habitually pursue approval and recognition from others and repenting of these habits;
   2. Receiving the Lord’s forgiveness and cleansing (cf. 1 John 1:9); and
   3. Sharing and reflecting on ways in which you might live for the reward that comes from God alone.

Matthew 6:1–18 (ESV)

Giving to the Needy

6 “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.

2 “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, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

5 “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. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil. 

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Sermon Recap

There is a way to do good things (i.e., acts of righteousness, such as giving to the needy, praying, and fasting) that is actually bad for us … and not glorifying to God.

• We are constantly tempted to do good things in order to be seen (and rewarded) by others.
• We are constantly tempted to do good things in order to be seen (and rewarded) by ourselves.

Yet, Jesus is calling us to a better way to live.

• True life is found in doing good things in the gladness of being seen (and rewarded) by God alone.
• The most important part of your life is the part that no one else but God sees.
• True life is found in doing good things in the gladness of bringing glory to God alone.