1. Do your acts quietly.

2. Give to the needy...unknown.

“We humans are a strange lot. We hear high moral injunctions and glimpse just a little the genuine beauty of perfect holiness, and then prostitute the vision by dreaming about the way others would hold us in high esteem if we were like that…the goal of pleasing the Father is traded for its shrunken cousin, the goal of pleasing men.” (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His confrontation with the world, Carson, 71)

James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” (ESV) Widows, orphans, who could be more needy?

3. God will reward you.

Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brother, you did it to me.” (ESV) When we give, we are giving unto the Lord.

Sermon Questions

1. Describe a time of need in your life and someone's gift to you and what it meant to you.

2. Think about someone around you who is "needy." Is God asking you to give, and if so, how can you accomplish that?

3. Do you need to confess a time when you gave to be seen instead of quietly?

4. What practical ways can we give away instead of holding on to our financial means?

5. Are there other examples in Scripture about giving? What can those passages teach us?

6. How should we view these "rewards" mentioned in verse 4, 6, and 18?