Your Motives and Your Money (Matthew 6)
Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Matthew 6.
The English language is full of oxymorons — you know, a phrase the sounds self-contradictory. Here are some of my favorites. I hope some of you will add to my collection after the service!
• Jumbo shrimp.
• Act naturally.
• Hurry up and wait— a favorite of the DMV.
• She was clearly confused.
• Or my personal favorite: Military intelligence.
You hear them and think, Wait… which one is it?
And when read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to hand us one of those “oxymoron moments.”
In Matthew 5:16 He says:
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
So — let people see my good works. Got it.
But then, a few verses later in Matthew 6:1, He says:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.”
Wait a second—Jesus, which is it? Are we supposed to shine or are we supposed to hide? Are we supposed to Let people see our good deeds or keep them secret? On the surface, it feels like a contradiction. But the truth is, it isn’t a contradiction at all. The issue isn’t whether people see your good works. The issue is why you want them to see—and who gets the glory when they do.”
This morning as we continue our series what Jesus had to say about money, we are going to get to some of Jesus’ most practical teachings about money. And if there is one thing for you to take home— one thing I want you to be talking about at lunch after the worship service, its this:
God cares more about why you give than what you give.
Notice i didn’t say, God cares more about why you give than whether you give. God cares very much that you give. Just like He cares whether you pray, and whether you fast. You’re gonna see that clearly in our scripture passage this morning.
But once we understand the assumption that stewardship is a core component of your discipleship, then we can talk about the motivation of our giving. So let’s read God’s word together, this is Matthew 6:1-6
Matthew 6:1–6 ESV
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Now skip to verse 16
Matthew 6:16–18 ESV
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Let’s pray… [prayer]
The Context: Let Your Light Shine (5:16)
Matthew 6 falls right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. Remember how it builds: Jesus starts with the Beatitudes are a manifesto for the upside-down kingdom — where the poor, meek, and merciful are called blessed.
From there, He says,
“You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (5:13–14).
So the question isn’t whether good works will be visible — they will be. The question is who gets the glory when they are.
Through chapter 5, Jesus presses beyond surface-level righteousness: “You’ve heard it said … but I say to you.” He teaches that murder begins in anger, adultery begins in lust, and real righteousness is measured at the heart level. If there’s a common theme, its that in the Kingdom of heaven, faithfulness isn’t going to be based on external obedience. It’s going to be based on internal attitudes.
That brings us to chapter 6. Here Jesus turns practical, addressing three pillars of Jewish devotion: giving, praying, and fasting. Notice He doesn’t say if you give, pray, or fast. He says when. The assumption is that followers of God will practice these things. The real issue is the heart behind them.
The Warning: Don’t Give to Be Seen (vv. 1–2)
The Warning — Don’t Give to Be Seen (vv. 1–2)
Jesus begins this section with a warning:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
The issue isn’t whether our good works will be visible. They will be. Just like light can’t help but shine, generosity can’t help but show itself. The question is motive. Why do we want people to see? Is it so they’ll glorify God, or so they’ll glorify us?
Jesus says if our motive is human applause, then human applause is all we’ll get. That’s the reward. A pat on the back, a name on the plaque, a round of applause at the fundraiser. But the Father’s reward? That belongs to those who give to please Him, not to impress others.
Scripture gives us a sobering example of how seriously God takes this. In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land and brought part of the money to the apostles. Nothing wrong with that—Peter even said, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?” The problem wasn’t the amount they gave. The problem was the motive behind it.
They wanted the reputation of being more generous than they really were. They wanted people to be impressed by their sacrifice. So they lied, pretending they had given the full amount. And the result was devastating: both of them fell dead in the presence of the church.
Now, I’m not saying you’ll collapse in the aisle if you give for the wrong reasons. But their story is a warning: giving to be seen by men can kill more than your body. It can kill your witness, your joy, and your reward.
So hear Jesus’ warning: when you give, don’t give to be noticed. Don’t blow a trumpet. Don’t make it about you. God isn’t impressed with the show. He sees the heart. And He says the real reward is for those who give in secret—not in the sense that nobody can ever know, but in the sense that only He is the audience you care about.”
The Way — Give to Please God (vv. 3–4)
If the warning is “don’t give to be seen,” then what’s the way Jesus gives us? He says in verses 3–4:
“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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
That’s such a striking image, isn’t it? Don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Jesus is telling us to pursue a kind of holy forgetfulness when it comes to our generosity. Give in such a way that you aren’t keeping score. Give without rehearsing how much it cost you. Give without looking over your shoulder to make sure someone noticed.
Why? Because the Father notices. “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” God is not blind to even the smallest act of obedience. Jesus says elsewhere that even a cup of cold water given in His name will not lose its reward.
Now, let’s get practical. Does this mean you shouldn’t write your name on your offering envelope? Not at all. Churches keep records for accountability, tax statements, and stewardship planning. Writing your name isn’t hypocrisy — it’s bookkeeping. The issue isn’t whether someone in the church office knows what you gave. The issue is whether you want them to know in order to boost your reputation.
The way of the kingdom flips everything upside down. In the world, the applause goes to the people whose names are on buildings, whose donations make headlines. In the kingdom, the reward goes to the giver who nobody else notices — the one who slips in an offering without a name attached, who helps a neighbor without taking a selfie, who gives quietly because their aim isn’t recognition, it’s worship.
And here’s the beauty: When we give to be noticed by men, applause is our reward. When we give to please God, joy is our reward. If you set out to please the Father, you can rest knowing He always sees. Even if nobody thanks you, He sees. Even if no plaque bears your name, He sees. Even if your gift feels small compared to someone else’s, He sees. And His reward — His “well done” — is better than all the applause this world could give.
This is the way of kingdom giving: not to perform for people, but to please the Father. Not to be noticed by men, but to be known by God.
Jesus doesn’t just talk about our motivation for giving. In verses 19-21, he literally gets to the “heart” of the matter. Let’s read together.
Matthew 6:19–21 ESV
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Do you see the progression? Jesus starts with the warning—don’t give to be seen. Then He shows us the way—give for the Father’s reward. Now He gives us the test—what you treasure reveals where your trust really lies.”
The Test: Treasure Reveals Trust (v. 19-21)
Verses 19–21 are some of Jesus’ most straightforward words about money. What we treasure reflects what we trust.
In the ancient world, wealth was often tied up in fine clothes, precious metals, and stored grain. All of these were vulnerable. Moths could eat the fabric. Rust could eat away the silver and gold. Thieves could dig through the mud walls of your house and carry off your grain. Jesus’ audience didn’t need a lesson in economics—they knew from experience how fragile earthly treasures were.
Fast forward 2,000 years. The packaging may have changed, but the principle hasn’t. We may not see our clothes as investments, but we definitely see them as status symbols. We still invest in precious metals, but we also lay up treasure in the form of IRAs, 401(k)s. stock portfolios, and real estate.
None of it is immune to decay, downturn, disaster, or changing fashion trends.
Jesus isn’t saying possessions are evil or that savings accounts are sinful. He’s saying they’re temporary. Earthly treasure can’t last forever, so it can’t carry eternal weight. But heavenly treasure—investments made for the kingdom of God—never decays. When you use your money to bless others, when you give generously to God’s work, when you leverage your resources for eternal purposes, you are moving wealth from an account that expires into an account that compounds forever.
So if you want to know where your trust really lies, follow the trail of your treasure.
This is where it gets practical. Every bank statement is a confessional statement. Every budget reflects your beliefs. Every purchase, every investment, every act of generosity is a reflection of what we truly value.
So here’s the test: If someone could only see your giving and spending, without hearing your words, would they conclude that you trust God? Would they believe that God’s kingdom mattered to you? Or would they conclude that you trust your barns, your bank, or your balance sheet?
Jesus isn’t giving us an impossible riddle. He’s giving us a heart check. Where you put your treasure today shows where your heart is set for eternity.
The Tension — Torn Between Two Masters (vv. 24)
Jesus ends this teaching with the most direct statement about money anywhere in the gospels. Read verse 24 with me:
Matthew 6:22–24 ESV
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Notice, He doesn’t say “it’s hard” or “most people can’t pull it off.” He says it’s impossible. At the deepest level, your heart only has room for one allegiance.
This is the tension every believer feels: we live in a world that tells us security, status, and identity come from money — but we serve a Master who tells us those things come only from Him.
Think about it this way: imagine trying to drive a car with two steering wheels. One driver pulls left, the other pulls right. The car doesn’t go straight — it crashes. That’s what happens when we try to serve two masters. You can’t go straight when two masters are pulling opposite directions. Eventually, one wins.
So here’s the test: which master are you going to trust? If your treasure reveals your trust, then your loyalty reveals your Lord.
Jesus isn’t just dropping an abstract principle — He’s forcing a choice. One way leads to slavery, the other to freedom. One ends in emptiness, the other in joy.
So the question this morning is not whether you’ll serve a master, but which one. Will you serve money — always demanding more, never satisfied, never enough? Or will you serve Christ — who gave Himself for you, and in Him is always enough?
Friend, if you’ve never trusted Jesus as Lord, today is the day to turn the wheel over to Him. Stop serving a master that can’t save you. Trust the One who already gave everything to rescue you. He cares more about why you give than what you give — because giving is never really about money. It’s about the Master you trust.
