Sermon 3.22.26 | "The Reward of Righteousness

Devotional

Day 1: The True Motivation for Our Righteous Acts

Jesus calls us to examine the core reason behind our good deeds. He warns against performing acts of righteousness for the primary purpose of being seen and applauded by other people. This external focus shifts the motivation from a genuine desire to honor God to a selfish desire for personal recognition. When our good works are done for an audience of one, they are purified of the need for earthly validation. Our Father sees what is done in secret and values the heart behind the action above the spectacle of the act itself. [05:42]

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1 CSB)

Reflection: What is one recent act of kindness or service you performed that was subtly influenced by a desire for someone to notice? How might you approach a similar situation this week with a focus solely on God’s approval?

Day 2: Giving with a Heart of Secret Generosity

The call to give is not negated, but the manner of giving is redefined. We are instructed to give to those in need with such discretion that our own left hand is unaware of what our right hand is doing. This vivid imagery challenges us to resist any internal boasting or self-congratulation for our generosity. It protects both the recipient from shame and the giver from pride, ensuring the act remains a pure gift. The focus is entirely on the need and God’s provision, not on the giver’s role. [11:42]

“But when you give to the poor, 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.” (Matthew 6:3-4 CSB)

Reflection: In your financial giving or acts of service, where do you find it most difficult to avoid a sense of pride or the hope for recognition? What is one practical step you can take to make your next act of giving more secret and God-focused?

Day 3: Praying to be Heard by God, Not Others

Prayer is the most intimate of conversations, directed solely to our Father. Jesus warns against turning this vertical dialogue into a horizontal performance designed to impress others with our spirituality. The instruction to go into a private room and shut the door is a call to intentional intimacy, removing any potential audience. This ensures our prayers are authentic cries of the heart, not carefully crafted speeches meant for human ears. In the secret place, we can be fully known and fully honest with God. [16:36]

“But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6 CSB)

Reflection: When you pray with others, what temptations do you face regarding your wording or content? How can you cultivate a more secret and authentic prayer life that fuels your public prayers with genuine faith?

Day 4: The Comfort of Our All-Seeing Father

The promise that God sees what is done in secret is both a sobering truth and a profound comfort. It means that no act of true righteousness, however small or hidden, ever goes unnoticed or unvalued. In a world where injustice often seems to go unseen, we can rest in the certainty that God’s vision is perfect and His judgment is absolutely just. This truth frees us from the need to perform for others, because we are already fully known and fully seen by the only audience whose opinion ultimately matters. [21:31]

“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 CSB)

Reflection: Where in your life have you felt that your faithfulness or someone else’s wrongdoing has gone unnoticed? How does the truth that God sees everything change your perspective on that situation?

Day 5: Choosing an Eternal Reward Over a Temporal One

Jesus presents us with a choice between two economies: the temporary economy of human applause and the eternal economy of God’s kingdom. The reward of human praise is immediate but fleeting, while the Father’s reward is eternal and far greater. This is not about earning salvation, but about living from the salvation we have freely received. When we are secure in the love and reward God has given us in Christ, we are freed to love others lavishly without needing anything in return from them. [23:33]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:3, 4, 5 CSB)

Reflection: What is one “temporal reward”—like recognition, appreciation, or influence—that you sometimes find yourself craving? How can meditating on the eternal reward God has for you loosen that desire’s grip on your heart?

Sermon Summary

Jesus warns against practicing righteousness for human applause and makes a clear demand: do good for God, not for people. The teaching reads Matthew 6:1–6 and uses two vivid examples—almsgiving and prayer—to expose common motives. Almsgiving, a vital social practice in the ancient world, becomes corrupted when donors trumpet their charity to gain reputation; the text insists on such giving being so discreet that one’s own hands metaphorically remain unaware. Prayer, meant to be a direct, private address to the Father, loses its essence when it becomes a public performance designed to impress others. Writers and thinkers from Plato to Tolkien illustrate the same moral question: what happens when power removes consequences? Bonhoeffer sharpens the point: genuine prayer hides itself and addresses God alone.

The passage tightens the moral frame by linking motive and reward. If people seek human praise, they already receive the full measure of that reward and forfeit any reward from the Father in heaven; God, however, sees all and will judge justly. The distinction between earthly praise and divine reward stresses two realities: God’s omniscience and the infinite value of God’s reward. Earthly recognition fades; God’s gift—salvation, resurrection, final justice, and eternal communion—surpasses any temporal gain. The kingdom’s economy values humility, dependence, and free love, not bargaining or self-exaltation. Paul’s reminder that everything comes as a gift reinforces that good deeds must flow from gratitude, not from attempts to earn or secure status.

The text culminates in a call to disinterested righteousness: serve neighbors freely, without tallying returns, praise, or gratitude. When actions arise from the joy of received grace, the scope of genuine good widens; nothing becomes off-limits to sacrificial love. The teaching closes by urging believers to rest in God’s provision so that acts of charity and prayer bear the character of the kingdom—quiet, wholehearted, and rooted in trust in the Father who sees and rewards.

Key Takeaways

1. Act for God, not people When actions aim at human applause, they trade eternity for applause. True righteousness locates its motive in God’s worth and God’s gaze, rather than in social approval or reputation. Choosing God as the audience reshapes every act into worship and frees service from transactional calculations. [05:42]
2. Give secretly, avoid self-deception Publicizing charity often hides an inner need for recognition and can numb self-honesty about motives. Intentional secrecy forces spiritual examination: is generosity an offering or a billboard? Quiet giving cultivates dependence on God’s sight and prevents trade-offs between love and self-glory. [11:42]
3. Pray privately, purify motives Prayer becomes hollow when it performs for others; genuine prayer addresses the Father alone with childlike trust. Private prayer strips away posturing and reveals true dependence, reshaping desire into petition, confession, and praise. Cultivating hidden prayer guards the heart from spiritual showmanship. [17:13]
4. Trust God's greater reward Human rewards decay; God’s reward delivers resurrection, justice, and eternal communion with the Father. Living for the kingdom’s economy reorders priorities so that deeds reflect grace received, not favors owed. Confidence in God’s ultimate reckoning frees bold, generous love here and now. [23:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:51] - Reading: Matthew 6:1–6
[02:33] - Plato’s Ring: power and motive
[05:42] - Central command: Do it for God
[11:42] - Giving in secret: left and right hand
[15:11] - Prayer: private petition to the Father
[17:13] - Bonhoeffer on genuine prayer
[19:19] - Why be unseen? God sees all
[23:09] - The Father’s infinite reward
[26:41] - Luther: disinterested righteousness
[28:36] - Closing prayer and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Matthew 6:1–6 (ESV)
“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, 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 who sees in secret will reward you. 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 and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Observation questions

What two specific practices does Jesus use to illustrate the danger of performing righteousness for human applause?
According to Jesus, what is the consequence for those who practice their righteousness to be seen by others?
What does Jesus mean when He says, “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”?
How does Jesus describe the posture and location for genuine prayer?

Interpretation questions

Why might someone feel the need to “sound a trumpet” when giving to the needy, even if they believe God sees them? [11:11]
How does performing righteous acts for others distort the true purpose of practices like prayer and generosity? [17:13]
Jesus says those who seek human praise “have received their reward.” What does this imply about the nature of earthly recognition versus divine reward? [22:20]
In what ways does the “kingdom economy” Jesus describes invert the world’s value system? [24:14]

Application questions

When you last gave to someone in need, what thoughts or desires arose about whether others would notice or appreciate your action? How can you cultivate a heart that seeks only God’s approval? [11:42]
In what settings do you find yourself tempted to pray in a way that impresses others rather than genuinely addressing God? What practical step could you take this week to make your prayers more secret and sincere? [17:13]
Where in your life are you trading eternal reward for temporary recognition—whether at work, in relationships, or even in ministry? What would it look like to reorient those actions toward God’s audience? [05:42]
How can you regularly examine your motives to avoid self-deception in acts of kindness or service? [14:53]
What would it look like to live with “disinterested righteousness”—serving others freely without keeping score of gratitude or payback? [27:22]
How does trusting in God’s infinite reward free you to love others lavishly, even when it’s costly or unnoticed? [23:09]
Who in your life needs generous, no-strings-attached love this week? How can you serve them in a way that only God sees? [27:48]

Sermon Clips

What's the reward that God can give us? No more death, every tear wiped away, no sin, no corruption, life and life abundant. His reward isn't material, it's so much more. His reward is himself and his kingdom, eternity with him. It's our very salvation that Jesus purchased with his blood. Human rewards simply can't hold a candle to this. [00:22:49] (31 seconds) #EternalReward

Sometimes I think we wanna be seen simply because we feel it's utterly unjust what goes unseen in the world. But God sees. God sees everything. God doesn't just see the way humans do. For God, to see is to judge, and there is no judge more just than God. We worry that all goes unseen in our world and it happens in vain, but we don't need to because God sees it. [00:20:55] (30 seconds) #GodSeesAll

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What is the proper motive for righteous acts?

Why should giving and prayer be done secretly?

How does God’s reward differ from human applause?

Sermon 3.22.26 | "The Reward of Righteousness

Devotional

Day 1: The True Motivation for Our Righteous Acts

Day 2: Giving with a Heart of Secret Generosity

Day 3: Praying to be Heard by God, Not Others

Day 4: The Comfort of Our All-Seeing Father

Day 5: Choosing an Eternal Reward Over a Temporal One

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Sermon 3.22.26 | "The Reward of Righteousness

Share