What actions are meant to be in secret?

1. TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS

2. GRACIOUS JESUS
4. KINGDOM LIFESTYLE PART 2
True
Righteousness
How to Pray
Fasting
Permanent Wealth
Averting Anxiety

3. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS
Matt 6:1-4
Objectives
Position
Intention
Renumeration
False vs. True
Righteousness
Recap
Discussion

4. TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before
men to be noticed by them; otherwise you
have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be
honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have
their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the
poor, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in
secret; and your Father who sees what is
done in secret will reward you. Matt 6

5. TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS -
OBJECTIVES
To:
 Examine our hearts and service before
God
 Assess activities with incorrect motives
 Reset goals to please God
 Seek and achieve eternal rewards

6. TRUE
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness could be a façade. True righteousness is what
remains when the mask comes off.
False righteousness has the following traits:
 Position - Before men
 Intention – Honoured by men
 Renumeration - From men
True rightousness on the other hand features:
 Position – in silence, before God
 Intention – Honoured by God
 Renumeration – From God

7. FALSE
RIGHTEOUSNESS
“Beware of practicing your
righteousness before men to be
noticed by them; 6:1

8. POSITION
For whom, where, when,
how do we portray our
righteousness?
Whom – The elite,
crowds, rich, family,
regular associates?
Where – boards,
committees, church,
home, neighbourhood,
office?
When – convenient,
comfortable, all the time?
How – Popular, cool,
trendy, accepted?

9. POSITION - EXALTED
For those who
exalt
themselves will
be humbled, and
those who
humble
themselves will
be exalted. Matt
23:12 Eg.
Nebuchadnezzar

10. POSITION - EXALT
ONLY GOD
"Be still, and
know that I am
God; I will be
exalted among
the nations, I
will be exalted in
the earth. Psalm
46:10

11. INTENTION
To please men.
(Acts 12:1-3, Acts
25:9)

12. INTENTION
For am I now
seeking the
approval of man, or
of God? Or am I
trying to please
man? If I were
still trying to
please man, I
would not be a
servant of
Christ. Galations
1:10

13. INTENTION: DISCERN
DON’T JUDGE
Therefore do not
pronounce judgment
before the time, before
the Lord comes, who
will bring to light the
things now hidden in
darkness and will
disclose the
purposes of the
heart. Then each one
will receive his
commendation from
God. 1 Corinthians 4:5
ESV

14. INTENTION
Intention flips the balance. With
the right intention, the position
and renumeration changes.
Right
Intention
Wrong
Intention
True
Righteousness
False
Righteousness

15. INTENTION
In what situation
is pleasing men
good with good
intentions? (Eph
6:6, Romans 15:2)

16. RENUMERATION
Applause,
publicity,
control eg.
Diotrephes ( 3
John 9),
popularity,
identity, wealth
Eg. Gehazi ( 2
Kings 5:26,27)

17. RENUMERATION
Let us not
become weary
in doing good, for
at the proper time
we will reap a
harvest if we do
not give up.
Galatians 6:9

18. TRUE
RIGHTEOUSNESS
4 so that your giving will be in
secret; and your Father who
sees what is done in secret
will reward you. Matt 6

19. POSITION
For whom, where,
when, how do we
portray our
righteousness?
Whom – God,
unseen and
unknown people?
Where – remote
areas?
When – outside the
comfort zone, alone?
How – serving
others?

20. POSITION - HUMBLE
9The brother in
humble
circumstances
should exult in his
high position.
10But the one who
is rich should exult
in his low position,
because he will
pass away like a
flower of the
field.…James 1

21. POSITION -
STRATEGIC
"And you shall
rise from your
ambush and take
possession of the
city, for the
LORD your
God will deliver it
into your hand.”
Joshua 8:7

22. INTENTION
The aim of our charge
is love that issues
from a pure heart and
a good conscience
and a sincere faith. 1
Timothy 1:5 ESV
For the Lord sees not
as man sees: man
looks on the outward
appearance, but the
Lord looks on the
heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

23. INTENTION
But just as we have
been approved by
God to be
entrusted with the
gospel, so we
speak, not to
please man, but to
please God who
tests our hearts. 1
Thessalonians 2:4
ESV

24. RENUMERATION
Whatever you do,
work at it with all
your heart, as
working for the
Lord, not for human
masters, since you
know that you will
receive an
inheritance from
the Lord as a
reward. Colossians
3:23-24, NIV

25. RENUMERATION
Therefore, my dear
brothers and sisters,
stand firm. Let
nothing move you.
Always give
yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord,
because you know
that your labor in
the Lord is not in
vain. 1 Corinthians
15:58, NIV
Contrast the reward in
the two verses above

26. RENUMERATION
God “will repay
each person
according to
what they have
done.”
Romans 2:6 NIV

27. TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS -
RECAP
In public, in private, where do we measure up? Do we still
wear masks?
False righteousness has the following traits:
 Position - Before men
 Intention – Honoured by men
 Renumeration - From men
True rightousness on the other hand features:
 Position – in silence, before God
 Intention – Honoured by God
 Renumeration – From God

28. DISCUSSION
1. What are good things that we can do for Christ with bad
intentions and vice versa?
2. How can we assess our true motives when “All the ways of a
man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the
motives.” Proverbs 16:2
3. How can we tilt the scale and rip the masks when we are
fundamentally sinful?
4. What are some checks and balances we can place in our
lives to prevent wrong motives and be different?