Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

What It’s Like When God Is in Charge (Part 3)

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

Yesterday, Jesus showed us just how high God’s standard really is. Today, He warns us about a trap that people often fall into when they lose sight of what matters most.

“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.” Matthew 6:1 NIV

Again, let’s start with what Jesus is not saying. He’s not saying that we shouldn’t ever do good publicly. Earlier in this sermon, Jesus told us that we are the light of the world and we are to let our good deeds shine before others so they will see God’s love through us. Remember, the Jesus way of life is about our whole life, not just what we do when we’re alone at home or in church on the weekend.

What Jesus is doing is warning us not to do the right things for the wrong reasons because God isn’t just looking at what’s on the outside. He’s deeply concerned about what’s happening on the inside. Our motives matter to God.

Why do you do what you do? Is it to show other people how “spiritual” you are? Or are you doing it as an act of worship toward God and motivated by love for others?

When God is in charge, why you do what you do matters just as much as what you do.

Jesus applies this principle to three God-honoring spiritual practices: giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting.

“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 … 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 … When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:2,5,16 NIV

Even our motivations are subject to the rule of King Jesus in our lives. He doesn’t just want part of us; He wants all of us. So, three times He illustrates how doing the right thing for the wrong reasons gets us no reward from God. Because faithfully following Jesus goes all the way to the very core of who we are—not just what people see on the outside.

Jesus uses the word “hypocrite” to describe the people who are doing good just to be honored by others. Originally, this word referred to mask-wearing actors in a play, people who play the role of a character on stage to entertain an audience. Because of their mask, you’d never actually see the real them, only what they presented.

Hypocrisy has no place in the Jesus way of life. It’s deceitful and destructive. It erodes trust with others and wreaks havoc on our souls. Truthfully, we all know this is the case. So why do we do it so often? Why does it feel almost natural to put on a mask and play a character? Why is living a double life such a common occurrence?

Because the devil is really good at attacking our identity and targeting our desires with lies and deception. He pokes at our insecurities and inadequacies and uses them as evidence to try and convince us we are unlovable. And tragically, many of us buy into the lie that because we are flawed, we cannot be loved.

We protect ourselves. We compartmentalize. We put up walls. We cover up. We wear a mask.

We strive and struggle to gain the approval of people, foolishly hoping that enough power, sex, money, fame, or good deeds will cure the brokenness within. But it never does.

The enemy wants to trap us in a toxic cycle of shame and self-rejection because he knows how hard it is to break free from the prison of self-loathing. The only thing that can break us free from shame and self-rejection is the unconditional love of God. A love that sees our flaws and calls us loved. A love that knows we’re lost and keeps inviting us home.

“Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the “Beloved.” Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.” — Henri Nouwen

Jesus isn’t interested in the mask we put on for everyone else or the character we play in the public eye. He’s interested in the real you. The you that you keep locked away. He wants to drown your shame in an ocean of grace. He wants to heal your fractured heart and make you whole. He wants to bring all the divided pieces of your life together into a unified self. He wants you to be fully integrated.

But living like that isn’t easy. It requires us to put an end to our misguided attempts to cope with the pressures of life. Until we stop the show, the Holy Spirit will never be able to do surgery on our hearts.

That is what Jesus is getting at. He’s inviting us to reject the temptation to make our lives a performance and instead live in total dependence on God. His grace is bigger than our shame. His love is deeper than our flaws. He sees us as we really are. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And He isn’t disappointed by any of it.

So, when you give, when you pray, and when you fast, don’t do it to be seen by others. Because their approval will never actually give you what you’re searching for. Instead, do it as an act of worship to God. Do it for an audience of One, not the applause of many.

“… and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:18 NIV

When God is in charge, we don’t have to strive for the approval of people, because we are safe in the love of the Father.

Application: What masks have you been wearing? What show have you been putting on? Ask the Holy Spirit to search you and spend some extra time reading today’s passage. The author of Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is powerful to reveal the motivations of our hearts. Let Him do that today, and trust that God is ready to meet you with grace.