Who’s Your Audience? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

Jul 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Mic is On: Choosing Your Invisible Audience

A quarterback’s sideline chatter reveals our hidden motivators. Just as mic’d-up athletes perform for listeners, we unconsciously shape our words and actions for whoever we imagine is watching. Jesus confronts this tendency, not by removing our audience, but redirecting it. True freedom comes when we live for the One who sees beyond the performance—the God who knows our secret struggles and quiet faithfulness. [30:06]

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets… But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matthew 6:1-3, NIV)

Reflection: What mundane task or routine act today might shift in meaning if done consciously for God alone? How would living for an audience of One change your posture in a current struggle?

Day 2: Left Hand Unaware: The Quiet Obedience God Sees

Right hands often work loudly, but Jesus elevates the left hand’s hidden labor. Secret obedience—unnoticed prayers, uncelebrated generosity, unshared victories—builds muscle memory for trust. These small, unseen choices train us to rely on God’s vision over human validation. The Father who numbers hairs and sparrows never misses a single hidden “yes” whispered in the dark. [36:10]

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been waiting for external approval that God has already witnessed? What one act of “left hand” obedience could you practice today without telling a soul?

Day 3: Prayer as Presence, Not Performance

Pagans babble; children abide. Jesus redefines prayer not as a celestial suggestion box but as a shared lawn chair with the Divine. When we stop informing God and start enjoying Him, anxiety loses its grip. The Father already knows the request—He longs for the relationship. True prayer isn’t about changing circumstances but being changed by the Companion who outlasts them all. [48:15]

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans… for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8, NIV)

Reflection: What burden feels too heavy to stop explaining to God? How might simply sitting with Him—not solving—reshape that weight today?

Day 4: Watching Planes with God: The Joy of Unproductive Presence

Couples don’t bond through spreadsheets but shared sunsets. The campground airport becomes a parable: spiritual growth thrives not in transactional prayer meetings but in the quiet companionship of “watching planes” with God. Productivity addicts struggle here, yet the Father delights in simply being with His children—no agenda required, every ordinary moment made holy. [51:34]

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you turned prayer into a productivity tool? What ordinary moment this week could become your “plane-watching” time with God?

Day 5: From Knowing to Living: When Truth Becomes Trust

Theology becomes reality when we stop agreeing with verses and start acting like they’re true. Trusting God’s omnipresence means whispering secrets to Him in traffic jams. Believing His omniscience silences our need to justify ourselves. Clinging to His omnipotence lets us release outcomes. Faith isn’t a checklist—it’s the daily dare to live as if the Unseen is more real than the urgent. [55:16]

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)

Reflection: What practical decision today would look radically different if you fully trusted God’s presence, knowledge, and power? Where is He inviting you to trade control for confidence?

Sermon Summary

Jesus opens Matthew 6 by putting a sharp question in front of everyday obedience: “Who’s your audience?” Jesus knows that human beings live with somebody in mind. The audience most present to the heart will inevitably shape words, attitudes, choices, and even religious activity.

Matthew 6:1 warns against practicing righteousness “in front of others to be seen by them.” Jesus does not condemn good works, giving, or prayer. Jesus exposes the danger of doing the right thing for the wrong audience. The wrong audience gives the wrong reward, because human approval can arrive quickly, but it fades quickly too. The Father’s reward may not always feel immediate, but it lasts into eternity.

Jesus then uses giving and praying as illustrations of a deeper issue. Secret obedience begins with confidence in the Father. Jesus calls for obedience that is not performed for applause, not announced with trumpets, and not staged on street corners. The hidden place matters because God is not absent from it. The Father sees what is done in secret.

God’s own character makes that kind of life make sense. God reveals himself through creation, through his Word, and ultimately through his Son, Jesus Christ. God is always present, so no person is ever outside the presence of the true audience. God always sees and knows, so unseen obedience is never unnoticed. God is always able, so the Father has everything at his disposal to reward, provide, and bless according to his wisdom.

Jesus also corrects shallow ideas about prayer. Prayer is not about informing the Father, because “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Prayer is about trusting the Father. The starting place is still telling God what seems needed, but over time God either confirms that desire, reshapes it, or shows that the deepest need was more of him all along.

The picture of sitting by a camper, watching planes take off and land, gives prayer a simple and tender frame. Prayer is not always quiz-show spirituality where every moment must produce a new insight. Prayer can be focused time in God’s presence, where the child enjoys the Father and the Father enjoys the child. Jesus calls for life to move beyond knowing things about God into living as though what God says about himself is actually true. Control, worry, revenge, and soul-level unrest begin to loosen when the Father is trusted as all knowing, all powerful, and all present.

Key Takeaways

1. Wrong audiences give wrong rewards. [33:21] Jesus warns that righteousness can be wasted when it is performed for people instead of offered before the Father. Human approval often pays quickly, but it cannot sustain a soul or follow anyone into eternity. The Father’s reward may be slower to appear, but it is weightier because it comes from the only audience whose judgment finally matters. [33:21]
2. Secret obedience trusts the Father. [36:10] Jesus calls obedience into the hidden place because the hidden place tests what the heart really believes about God. If the Father is present, seeing, knowing, and able, then unnoticed faithfulness is not foolish. Secret obedience becomes a training ground where confidence in God grows deeper than the need to be seen. [36:10]
3. Prayer builds trust, not information. [44:19] Jesus says the Father already knows what is needed before the request is spoken. That truth does not make prayer unnecessary, but it changes the purpose of prayer. Prayer becomes the place where desires are brought honestly before God, and where God confirms, corrects, or deepens those desires over time. [44:19]
4. Presence can be the deepest answer. [52:56] Prayer does not always need to produce a clear answer, a new insight, or a solved problem. The Father’s presence is not a consolation prize for unanswered questions. Focused time with God forms trust at a level that explanations alone cannot reach. [52:56]
5. Worry reveals disguised control. [55:47] Worry often feels responsible, but it can expose a heart still trying to manage what belongs to the Father. Jesus presses faith beyond knowing true things about God into living as though those things are actually true. Trust in the all present, all knowing, all powerful Father begins to loosen the grip of control and bring rest at the soul level.

## [55:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:17] - Encouragement for a Hard Week
[26:22] - Fall Service Times and Making Room
[27:17] - Who’s Your Audience?
[28:29] - Mic’d Up Football and Authentic Motives
[30:56] - The Audience Shapes Behavior
[32:28] - Matthew 6 and the Wrong Reward
[35:04] - Giving, Prayer, and Secret Obedience
[37:05] - How God Reveals Himself
[39:41] - God Is Present, Knowing, and Able
[43:45] - Prayer Is Trust, Not Information
[48:15] - Focused Time in God’s Presence
[49:32] - Watching Planes and Enjoying Presence
[54:45] - Living As Though God Is True
[56:24] - Prayer for Trust and God’s Presence

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:1-8
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” [32:49] [35:11] [43:45]

Psalm 37:4
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Observation questions

In Matthew 6:1-8, what repeated contrast does Jesus make between being seen by others and being seen by the Father? [35:11]
What examples of public religious behavior does Jesus mention, and what reward does he say those people receive?
In Matthew 6:7-8, what wrong idea about prayer do the pagans seem to have, and what does Jesus say the Father already knows? [43:45]
What are the three truths about God that make secret obedience and quiet prayer make sense: what does the Father always do, always know, and always have the power to do? [39:41]

Interpretation questions

Jesus does not condemn giving or praying. He warns about doing righteous things “to be seen.” What does that reveal about how deeply motives matter to God? [32:49]
Jesus says the Father rewards what is done in secret. How does that change the way hidden faithfulness should be viewed, especially when nobody else notices? [36:03]
If the Father already knows what is needed before anyone asks, why does Jesus still call his people to pray? What kind of trust is prayer meant to build? [44:19]
Psalm 37:4 says that delighting in the Lord is connected to the desires of the heart. How might time in God’s presence both fulfill desires and reshape them? [47:10]

Application questions

Where is the pull of the wrong audience strongest right now: at home, at work, online, in friendships, or even in spiritual life? What usually changes in behavior when human approval becomes the main reward? [31:24]
What is one area of obedience that could be practiced more quietly this week, not to hide from responsibility, but to grow confidence that the Father really sees in secret? [36:10]
When prayer becomes frustrating, is there a tendency to treat it like a way to get answers, quick clarity, or immediate results? What might it look like this week to come before God simply to trust him? [48:15]
What has been prayed for repeatedly that still has not been answered the way it was hoped? Looking back, is there any sign that God may be confirming that desire, reshaping it, or showing that the deeper need is more of him? [46:54]
What would a simple, focused time in God’s presence actually look like over the next seven days: where, when, and in what rhythm would it fit best? [48:42]
Is worry acting like disguised control in any specific part of life right now? What would trusting the Father in that area look like in a real and concrete way? [55:47]
If God is truly all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful, what is one practical way life would look different this week: less performing, less worrying, more forgiving, more resting, or more honesty in prayer? [54:45]

Sermon Clips

46s

#EnjoyGodsPresence

“Where you're with God, enjoying his presence, and please don't miss this. He's with you enjoying your presence. He is your heavenly father. He loves every second of being with you in your presence, and with you being with him in his presence. And if you'll begin to see prayer, not as an opportunity to figure everything out, not as an opportunity to get all the answers you want, not as an opportunity to get clarity on what you need. Don't miss this church. That's an opportunity to just simply be and enjoy God's presence. I'm telling you, some supernatural things will start to happen in your life. There will be a deep trust that will begin to be cultivated in your life.”

38s

#AudienceOfOne

“You see, you believe these things about God, that he's everywhere, that he sees what I'm doing, he knows what's going on in my heart, and he's able to to move heaven and earth to bring blessing into my life, all of the sudden, the most logical thing you could do is exactly what Jesus says to do. But if you've never established these foundational truths that you believe by faith about the goodness of who God is, putting Jesus's words into practice aren't going to make a lot of sense. But if you believe these things about God, then doing these things for an audience of one is the only way to live.”

63s

#TrustOverControl

“You'll give up control. And some of you, you're just trying to control every little detail of your life. And let me tell what that reveals, a lack of trust in God, your heavenly father. You stop worrying. Worry is just control that looks a little different. Worry is evidence that you're not building trust in God, your heavenly father. You'll start offering forgiveness. You'll stop seeking for revenge. You'll rest a little bit at a soul level instead of putting the pressure on yourself of having to figure everything out. All of those are just evidence. The Holy Spirit's way of pointing us to the heart of the Father. That when we begin to live as if the things about God are true, Everything about our life changes.”

42s

#GodKnowsBest

“That there was actually something greater that you needed. Then he'll begin to shift your heart. He'll begin to change your desires. He'll begin to align those things so that ultimately down the road on the journey, you'll begin to recognize and thank God that he didn't give you what you thought you needed. I mean, y'all, I could keep you here all day with testimonies of people who've said, boy, am I glad God didn't answer that prayer the way I prayed it. And it's a testimony to this verse. He knew what you really needed. You told him what you needed. Over time, he showed you what you really needed. And then here's the remarkable thing about telling God what you need. Sometimes in time, what God shows you is what you really needed all along was just more of him.”

51s

#SeekGodInHardship

“And many times, God knows what we need before we'll get to that place in our lives. So don't miss this. It's actually hardship. It's actually challenge. It's actually difficulty. Most of us don't seek God's presence when everything is going well. It's during the challenging times. It's when we walk through the valleys. It's when things are confusing. And if that's where you are today, can I encourage you this week, starting today, carve out intentional time to just get into God's presence? Say, God, I'm not here for an answer. I'm not here for direction. I'm not here for guidance. God, I am here for you. I'm here to connect with you as my heavenly father. God, wanna build a deep trust. God, I wanna build a deep relationship.”

44s

#GodIsAlwaysWithYou

“This is God's omnipresence. Now, this really matters when we see the words Jesus just gave us. When he talks about going into a closet, you're leaving the presence of others. You're isolating yourself, but you're never really isolated. Why? Because God's always present. So you may be leaving the audience in front of you, but you're always fully present with the audience of one. Do you see it? That if God's actually always present, you're never out of his presence, and this matters when it comes to building secret obedience that builds confidence in the father. Here's the second divine attribute about God. Our father always sees and he always knows. This is his omniscience.”

36s

#DoGoodForGod

“Jesus is talking about doing good things. Nothing wrong with doing good things. He just wants to make sure we know who we're doing them for. Now, here's what's tricky about this. If you do good things for the wrong audience, oftentimes, you experience immediate reward. You can receive encouragement. You can receive accolades. You can receive notoriety. And what Jesus wants us to see is that those things are fleeting. They are fading. They ultimately don't last. But if you live for God, your heavenly father, he will reward you.”

33s

#GodIsAllSufficient

“Need you to I need you to hear me. You can live for a temporary reward from other people, or you can live for a reward that can be given to you from God your heavenly father who has everything at his disposal. It all belongs to him. All the money in the world belongs to him. All the resources in the world belongs to him. Everything about this planet and universe and everything else we've discovered, light years away, it all belongs to him. And he is able. God is able to bless you abundantly. God is not a God who is in need.”

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Who’s Your Audience? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

Devotional

Day 1: When the Mic is On: Choosing Your Invisible Audience

Day 2: Left Hand Unaware: The Quiet Obedience God Sees

Day 3: Prayer as Presence, Not Performance

Day 4: Watching Planes with God: The Joy of Unproductive Presence

Day 5: From Knowing to Living: When Truth Becomes Trust

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Who’s Your Audience? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

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