Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.
Read Together:
Matthew 6:1-8; 16-18 CSB
1“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. 2So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 3But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6But 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. 7When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.16“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy lie the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that
their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17But when you fast,
put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to
your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Grow Together: Observe and Apply
There are many critiques of the church, but one of the most common criticisms throughout time has been that the church is full of hypocrites. And Jesus addresses hypocrisy at least a dozen times in Matthew alone, so it must matter a great deal to Him.
Jesus didn’t leave his throne and come to earth for us to master behavioral modification - He came to address our hearts. We as Christians know that we are deeply broken and need Jesus, and our lives should reflect that. Our faith should be an outward display of God’s light and love in our lives, but it’s important that things are right in our hearts first.
As we work out the right motives for living as a follower of Christ, He gives us three specific areas to check.
1. Check your motives when you give.
Matthew 6:2 // 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
Most people generally see charitable giving as a good thing. There’s a temptation to garner praise by bringing up or making a show of our giving. Jesus says that if this is what we do, that praise is our only reward.
However, if we give humbly for the glory of God and not for our own glory, we will be rewarded in heaven. We shouldn’t be giving to get anything at all. Jesus is communicating that our true motives shouldn’t be about us or any immediate reward we may get. Our motivation for giving should be to honor and worship our Father.
How can we evaluate our motives as we practice generosity?
2. Check your motives when you pray.
Matthew 6:5-8 // 5“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.6But 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. 7When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.
Prayer is essential to our life as believers, and it is intrinsically linked to a flourishing relationship with God. Yet, our motives are wrong if we are just looking to gather attention or be impressive in our prayers.
We should be praying more alone than we do in public, and our public prayer lives should align with our private prayer lives. If our public and private prayer lives look different, we should consider why. Christ should be our first love. Because of our love for him, we should be desperate to pray in private.
Do you feel drawn to talk to Jesus in private? If not, what do you think needs to change in your heart?
3. Check your motives when you fast.
Matthew 6:16-18 // 16“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy lie the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that
their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Jesus assumes that as believers we are fasting regularly. Fasting serves the purpose of purifying our hearts and teaching us to depend on God. It is clear that Jesus sees it as an important and valuable practice for our faith.
Just like giving and prayer, there is a right way and a wrong way to fast. We are not to make a show of fasting. In fact, Jesus tells us to look and act normal as we fast. We should fast as an act of worship to the Lord.
Why do you think we are tempted to make a show of fasting? How can we keep our hearts focused on God as we fast?
Pray Together:
Jesus, thank you for inviting us into kingdom living. You have given us the template for authentic worship. You have showed us how to live in a way that brings glory to God. Thank you.
We confess that we so often fall short in favor of bringing glory to ourselves. We know that the most life-giving option is to know you more and humbly worship you. Teach us how to live like that and give us grace for the times that we mess up. We love you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.