The Sermon on the Mount: A 21-Day Guide to the Greatest Sermon Ever PreachedSample

To Hell With Hypocrisy

In the first movement of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raised the bar and got to the heart of the Law of God. Why? So we can become people who love God and love others the same way He does. In this next movement, Jesus focuses on what it looks like to truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But first, He warns us about the dangers of doing good things for the wrong reasons.

“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

Doing the right things is good, and it’s what God wants us to do. But, and this is important: faithfulness to God goes beyond our actions. Faithfulness to God includes our intentions. Bad intentions spoil good actions. What’s the consequence of doing good in order to be celebrated by people? We receive no reward from God. So, what should we do?

“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.” Matthew 6:2 NIV

When you give to those in need, don’t make a show of it. That’s what hypocrites do. The word “hypocrite” actually comes from the Greek word for stage actors. Jesus was actually the first person to connect this word to people who do the right things for selfish reasons or who say one thing but do another. They made a performance out of their religious practices so they’d be perceived as holy and special by people. But that human approval would be their only reward. Jesus tells us a better way.

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. Matthew 6:3-4 NIV

Don’t try to get everyone to see how good and righteous you are. Instead, give in a way that nobody notices. Give in such a way that not even the person you’re giving to knows it came from you. Give so that the only people who know what you did are you and God. Then you will receive a reward from your Heavenly Father.

It’s popular to talk about how much better it is to do things with intrinsic motivation (doing things because we want to do them) instead of extrinsic motivation (doing things to get a reward from someone else). This thinking isn’t necessarily bad or entirely wrong, but it tends to overlook our design as relational beings. We’ve been created for relationship with God and others. Because of this, we have a deep human need for external validation. And while that need can lead us to chase the approval of others in ugly and unhelpful ways, it can also be used for good.

This is why Jesus approaches this topic the way He does. He doesn’t pretend we’re robots with no need for human relationship. He acknowledges our humanness and makes it clear that we get to choose where our reward comes from: people or God. And, as we’ll discover in this sermon, God is the only source of true satisfaction. Everything else will leave us empty and grasping for more.

After covering the topic of giving, Jesus addresses prayer:

“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. Matthew 6:5-8 NIV

Notice the pattern that Jesus carries forward from the previous example. Doing good things with bad intentions costs us the greater reward—all we get is the approval of people. But, when our prayers are an act of devotion between us and God, we’re given the greater reward.

Finally, Jesus addresses the practice of fasting. Once again, hypocrites had twisted it to make them look more “spiritual” than they really were.

“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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 NIV

Jesus once again shows us there is a right way and a wrong way to do spiritual things. He wants to be clear: why we do what we do matters just as much as what we do. Because bad intentions have the power to spoil good actions.

So, we’re to live our faith for an audience of One, the One who formed us in our mother’s womb and created us in His image, the One who sees us as we really are—flaws and all—and calls us loved. And when we do, we will receive the greater reward.

What did Jesus say?

When you do the right things for the right reasons, when you maintain your integrity, and when you love God sincerely, you will find the true prize—intimacy with God and treasure in heaven.

What did Jesus do?

Jesus always chose the greater reward, even when it cost Him.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:8-10 NIV

The devil offers Jesus the very thing He would eventually sacrifice Himself to gain. But, the devil presents an option that would have allowed Jesus to avoid rejection, persecution, and crucifixion. It’s the prize without the pain. But taking that path would have cost Jesus’ relationship with His Father. So what does Jesus do? He does what He always does. He chooses the greater reward. He walks with integrity, loves sacrificially, and answers faithfully: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

How can I apply that to my life today?

Jesus invites us to evaluate. Which reward is more valuable? Heavenly treasure or worldly recognition?

Jesus’ life shows us a picture of what choosing the reward from our Heavenly Father looks like. It’s the kind of life that changes everything for the better. But, it has a cost. Jesus sacrificed everything to live for God's approval, even His life. Living for God will cost you something, too.

Today, consider Jesus, count the cost, and choose the greater reward. Then, wake up tomorrow and do it again.