Motives Matter

Gospel Light Church

Matthew Series #10

May 31, 2026

Motives Matter

Who Is Watching?

One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is not that we stop doing spiritual things, but that we start doing spiritual things for the wrong reasons.

Jesus is speaking to people who give, pray, and practice religion. But He confronts their motivation.

Matthew 6:1 says:

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable** deeds before men, to be seen by them.”

** Acts of mercy or kindness

• The issue is not whether people see what we do. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said to let our light shine so people may see our good works and glorify the Father.

The issue is why we want to be seen.

• In Matthew 5, people see our works and glorify God.
• In Matthew 6, people see our works and glorify us.

That is the difference between kingdom righteousness and religious performance.

“The Lord’s Prayer moves us from religious display into a Father-centered relationship with God. Jesus is not merely teaching us words to repeat; He is teaching us how to approach the Father.” – Skip Heitzig

So Matthew 6:1–15 asks one main question:

Who is the audience of your faith?

I. True Righteousness Lives for the Father’s Reward

Matthew 6:1–4

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:1

Jesus begins with giving. In Jewish life, giving to the poor was one of the highest expressions of righteousness. But, generosity can be corrupted by pride.

Jesus says:

“When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do…”
— Matthew 6:2

The word hypocrite referred to an actor wearing a mask. Jesus is describing people who use spiritual activity as a performance.

They give, but not merely to help. They give to be noticed. They give to build an image.
They give for applause.

And Jesus says:

“They have their reward.”
— Matthew 6:2

That is sobering. If applause is what you wanted, applause is what you got — but that is all you got.

Then Jesus says:

“Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
— Matthew 6:3

Jesus is not calling us to be strange or secretive. He is calling us to humility. Do not turn mercy into marketing. Do not even secretly admire yourself for your own sacrifice.

Then comes the promise:

“Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
— Matthew 6:4

That is good news. God sees what nobody else sees.

• He sees the quiet gift.
• He sees the unnoticed sacrifice.
• He sees the meal delivered.
• He sees the volunteer who stayed late.
• He sees the obedience nobody clapped for.

You do not need a spotlight when you have the Father’s attention.

Ask yourself:

• Would I still give if nobody knew?
• Would I still serve if nobody thanked me?
• Would I still obey if nobody noticed?

True righteousness is content to be unseen by people because it is already seen by the Father.

II. True Prayer Seeks the Father, Not the Crowd

Matthew 6:5–8

Jesus moves from giving to praying.

“And when you pray…”
— Matthew 6:5

Notice Jesus does not say if you pray. He says when you pray. Prayer is assumed in the life of a disciple.

But prayer can also become performance.

“You shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”
— Matthew 6:5

Jesus is not condemning public prayer. The Bible contains many public prayers. The issue is not the place of prayer. The issue is the motive of prayer.

Prayer becomes hypocrisy when I am more aware of people listening than God hearing.

Some prayers are addressed to God but aimed at people.

Then Jesus says:

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place.”
— Matthew 6:6

The secret place is where the mask comes off.

• No crowd.
• No microphone.
• No performance.
• No religious image to protect.

Just a child before the Father.

“Prayer that prevails with God is that into which we put our whole soul.” He warned that much prayer lacks power because there is “no heart in it.” – R.A Torrey

That is what Jesus is confronting. Prayer is not religious language. Prayer is the heart reaching toward God.

Then Jesus says:

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.”
— Matthew 6:7

Jesus is not condemning repeated prayer. He is condemning empty prayer — words without heart, phrases without faith, religious noise without relationship.

And then He gives comfort:

“For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
— Matthew 6:8

We do not pray to inform God.
We pray to depend on God.

Prayer is not about updating heaven. Prayer is about trusting the Father.

Some of us need to rebuild the secret place.

• Not platform prayer.
• Not crisis-only prayer.
• Not prayer that sounds spiritual but lacks surrender.

The strength of your public spiritual life will never rise higher than the sincerity of your private life with God.

True prayer is not a speech to impress people; it is communion with the Father.

III. True Prayer Begins with God’s Glory Before Our Needs

Matthew 6:9–13

Jesus now gives the model prayer:

“In this manner, therefore, pray…”
— Matthew 6:9

This prayer is not just something to recite. It is a pattern that reorders our hearts.

“The Lord’s Prayer pulls us into the purposes of God’s kingdom rather than merely giving God a list of private requests.” – N.T Wright

Notice the order. Jesus does not begin with our needs. He begins with God’s glory.

1. Relationship: “Our Father in heaven”

“Our Father in heaven…”
— Matthew 6:9

• Prayer begins with relationship.
• God is Father. That means He is near, loving, and personal.
• But He is also “in heaven.” That means He is sovereign, holy, and above all.

Our Father gives intimacy.
In heaven gives reverence.

• We do not come to God coldly.
• We do not come casually.
• We come as children before a holy Father.

2. Worship: “Hallowed be Your name”

“Hallowed be Your name.”
— Matthew 6:9

“Hallowed” means honored as holy.

Before we ask for bread, provision, forgiveness, or deliverance, we ask that God’s name be honored.

Prayer does not begin with “God, fix my life.”
It begins with “Father, be glorified in my life.”

3. Surrender: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done”

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:10

This is a dangerous prayer if we mean it.

It means:

• Rule in me.
• Rule in my home.
• Rule in my desires.
• Rule in my decisions.
• Rule in my church.
• Rule in this city.

To pray “Your kingdom come” is to surrender our little kingdoms to His greater kingdom.

Real prayer is not bending God’s will to mine. It is bending my will to God’s.

4. Dependence: “Give us this day our daily bread”

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
— Matthew 6:11

Daily bread reminds us that we are dependent.

• Not yearly bread. Not lifetime bread. Daily bread.

God teaches His people to trust Him one day at a time.

• Even if the pantry is full and the bills are paid, we are still dependent on God for every breath.

5. Repentance and Mercy: “Forgive us our debts”

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
— Matthew 6:12

Sin is described as a debt we cannot pay.

Every day, we need mercy.

But Jesus connects receiving forgiveness with extending forgiveness.

• A forgiven person becomes a forgiving person.

We do not forgive others to earn God’s forgiveness. We forgive because we have received God’s forgiveness.

6. Protection: “Deliver us from the evil one”

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
— Matthew 6:13

Jesus teaches us to pray with spiritual realism.

• There is temptation.
• There is evil.
• There is an evil one.
• There is weakness in us.
• There is power in God.

A mature believer does not walk arrogantly into temptation. A mature believer prays for deliverance.

Then the prayer ends with worship:

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
— Matthew 6:13

The prayer begins with God and ends with God.

1. His name.
2. His kingdom.
3. His will.
4. His power.
5. His glory.

True prayer does not begin with my desires; it begins with God’s glory.

IV. True Forgiveness Reveals a Heart Changed by Grace

Matthew 6:14–15

Jesus closes this section by returning to forgiveness.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
— Matthew 6:14

“But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
— Matthew 6:15

This is serious.

• Jesus is not saying we purchase God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. He is saying that a person who refuses to forgive may not understand the forgiveness they claim to have received.

You cannot sincerely pray, “Forgive us our debts,” while refusing to forgive your debtors.

• Forgiveness does not mean the wound did not matter.
• Forgiveness does not mean the sin was acceptable.
• Forgiveness does not always mean immediate reconciliation.
• Forgiveness does not remove the need for wisdom or boundaries.
• Forgiveness means I release vengeance to God.
• Forgiveness means I stop feeding bitterness.
• Forgiveness means I cancel the debt in my heart because Christ has canceled mine.

“It is the work of Christ, not our faith, which is the foundation of justification.” Alister McGrath –

**That means we do not forgive to make ourselves right with God. We forgive because Christ has made us right with God.

SO WHAT??…..

Who do you need to forgive?

1. A parent?
2. A spouse?
3. A child?
4. A friend?
5. A church member?
6. A leader?
7. Someone who wounded you deeply?

Forgiveness may be a process, but obedience begins with surrender.

The forgiven heart becomes a forgiving heart.