Sermon Notes
Matthew 6:1–4 NIV
1 “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.
2 “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. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Deuteronomy 15:7–11 NIV
7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.
8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Matthew 5:16 NIV
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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“The kind of people who have been so transformed by their daily walk with God that good deeds naturally flow from their character are precisely the kind of people whose left hand would not notice what their right hand is doing — as, for example, when driving one’s own car or speaking one’s native language. What they do, they do naturally, often automatically, simply because of what they are pervasively and internally. These are people who do not have to invest a lot of reflection in doing good for others. Their deeds are ‘in secret’ no matter who is watching, for they are absorbed in love of God and of those around them. They hardly notice their own deed, and rarely remember it.”
— Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
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Series Resources
Go deeper with additional resources from our teaching team.
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Discussion Igniters
(1) Read Matthew 6:1–4.
What is a hypocrite?
Why does Jesus not want us to be like them?
(2) Who are you living to be seen by?
Why do you think that is?
(3) Read Deuteronomy 15:7–11.
What can we do to help ourselves have the right heart and goal when giving?
(4) What does it mean to pursue the reward that God gives over the reward the world gives?
(5) What would it look like in your life to give generously without seeking the attention or approval of others?