BIG IDEA: Grace frees us from turning worship into self-promotion.
At its core, righteousness is the fulfillment of just relational expectations--with God, neighbors, and the world. A righteous person doesn't just manage their own integrity, though, they actively seek the flourishing and standing of all.
Receiving God’s generosity naturally leads us to share funds and possessions with people in need. His issue is how we tend to boast about good deeds and turn them into self-promotion.
In a transactional world, people give to buy social capital and legacy. I’ve also met folks who insist their giving be anonymous but privately praise themselves before close friends.
This hints at the dangerous reason why we take our good deeds public: When we’re spiritually empty, we seek to be filled and validated by others. The path to giving without seeking human praise starts with letting the Father satisfy our souls in private.
While giving and praying without ulterior motives is part of being made righteous by grace through faith in Christ, Jesus was NOT saying that it’s wrong to desire rewards, which He mentioned 7 times in this chapter alone!
He delights to work through us and invites us to experience His genuine joy when true righteousness is channeled through our bodies. Moreover, receiving rewards for grace-empowered work isn't legalism; it’s part of God's generous kingdom design. Our Father in Heaven is not a taskmaster but a loving parent who delights in rewarding His children, both in eternity and right here on earth!
As time with the Father in prayer begins to uproot the motive of audience approval, another challenge begins to emerge: “When the stage is gone and it is just us and the Father, how do we actually speak to Him?” We’ll explore what Jesus said about that next time. For now, let’s remember that He doesn’t leave us to obey God’s high standards on our own. His Spirit has been placed inside us and in helpers all around us! If you're struggling to walk in truth or carry a heavy burden, please reach out so that we can seek His grace together. Let’s remember, that Jesus didn’t merely preach the Sermon on the Mount, He embodied it! And He wants to help us do that too, by grace through faith in Him. This starts by letting the Father’s glance matter more to us than the world’s applause.
