The Hidden Life

Have you ever noticed how the most important parts of anything are usually the parts nobody sees?

When a new house goes up, nobody slows down to admire the foundation.

Nobody drives by and says, “Wow… look at that concrete. Incredible work.”

Nobody posts a picture of rebar and footers on Instagram.

It’s just dirt. Mud. Holes in the ground.

Honestly, it looks like nothing important is happening at all.

But any builder will tell you — that’s actually the most critical part.

Because if the foundation is off… even just a little… if the ground isn’t stable… if the concrete isn’t poured right…

You might not notice at first.

The paint will still look great. The windows will shine. The house will feel solid.

Until one day the doors won’t close right. The floors start to slope. Cracks crawl up the walls.

And by then it’s too late.

Because what was hidden… determined everything.

But here’s the thing.

We don’t live like that.

We live in a world that has trained us to care almost exclusively about what people can see.

We curate. We post. We present. We polish.

If it’s visible, it matters. If it gets attention, it counts. If people applaud it, it feels real.

And if we’re honest… that mindset sneaks into our spiritual lives too.

It’s easy to focus on the parts of faith people notice.

Showing up. Saying the right things. Looking put together. Seeming spiritual.

Meanwhile, the foundation — the quiet life with God, the hidden motives of the heart, the private habits that actually shape who we’re becoming —

that part gets ignored.

Because nobody sees it.

And Jesus says… that’s exactly the part that matters most.

In Matthew 6, Jesus takes us underground.

Away from the stage. Away from the spotlight. Away from spiritual performance.

And he says, “Let’s talk about your foundation.”

After talking about anger, reconciliation, retaliation, and enemy love—after exposing what’s going on between us—Jesus turns to what’s happening within us. Not the visible fruit of the kingdom, but the hidden roots.

Because if the heart is being transformed, there will be evidence. But if the heart is not being transformed, no amount of spiritual activity will hold.

Setting the Scene

We’re right in the middle of our sermon series “Upside Down” which follows Jesus’s most famous Sermon: the Sermon on the Mount.

The end of Matthew 5 was really focused on relationships—how transformed hearts treat other people. Matthew 6 is going to open up and turn us inward—how transformed hearts relate to God.

So let’s take a look:

Matthew 6:1–6 NRSV

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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.

Then Jesus recites a super famous prayer — We are going to really focus on that next week so put a pin in it. Afterwards he says this

Matthew 6:16–18 NRSV

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

So, Just like Matthew 5, This is still about righteousness. But now Jesus is dealing with motive.

Not what we do. But why we do it. And who we’re doing it for.

Listen to how Jesus opens this section:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them…”

That word “beware” matters. Jesus isn’t angry. He’s cautious.

Because he knows something about the human heart.

The Pattern Jesus Uses

Jesus gives three examples:

Generosity to the poor

Prayer

Fasting

And in all three, he says the same thing:

“When you do this…”

Not if. When.

Jesus assumes these practices are normal for his followers. He’s not condemning them. He’s rescuing them.

These practices were meant to align God’s people with God’s heart. They were foundation work—habits that slowly shape who we’re becoming.

But Jesus saw something going wrong.

Religious practices were becoming performances.

People were doing the right things… for the wrong reasons… for the wrong audience.

Hypocrisy Reframed

Jesus uses a word we often misunderstand: hypocrite.

In modern language, a hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another.

That’s not what Jesus means.

The word he uses literally means actor. Someone playing a role. Someone performing a part.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth Jesus names:

You can do the right things. You can give generously. You can pray faithfully. You can fast seriously.

And still be pretending.

Not pretending to other people—but pretending to yourself.

That’s what makes this so dangerous.

Because you can be applauded for your faith… while your heart is slowly being shaped by ego, insecurity, and the need for approval.

That’s not transformation. That’s acting.

And acting never builds a solid foundation.

The Real Issue: The Wrong Audience

Jesus repeats the same line three times:

“They have received their reward.”

That’s not sarcasm. That’s tragedy.

Because the reward they wanted— recognition, admiration, honor— is exactly what they got.

And that reward can never heal the heart.

Here’s the key question Jesus is pressing:

Who are you building your life for?

Because what shapes us isn’t just what we do. It’s who we’re hoping is watching while we do it.

If the audience is people— their approval, their praise, their recognition— then even good things can deform us.

That’s like putting all your effort into the paint and ignoring the foundation.

It looks great for a while. Until the cracks start showing.

Reward Reimagined

Now let’s talk about “reward,” because this can trip us up.

Jesus isn’t describing a transactional faith If I do this, God gives me that.

The biblical idea of reward is closer to fruit or wages. It’s what naturally grows out of a certain way of life.

When you live in alignment with God’s wisdom, something good is produced:

A deeper trust in God

A freer relationship with possessions

A steadier, less anxious soul

A life that can bear weight

That’s the reward.

Not applause. Stability.

A foundation that holds.

The Hidden Place

So Jesus says:

Give in secret

Pray in private

Fast without advertising it

Why?

Because the hidden life is where formation actually happens.

Foundation work is quiet. It’s repetitive. It’s unseen.

And that’s exactly why it matters.

Jesus is inviting his followers to a faith that doesn’t depend on visibility. A righteousness that doesn’t need to be performed. A relationship with God that’s not mediated through the crowd.

This is about becoming the same person in private that we are in public.

Whole. Integrated. Real.

Fasting and Desire

Then Jesus talks about fasting.

Fasting isn’t punishment. It’s not manipulation.

It’s a way of retraining desire.

It’s saying: This moment is so sacred, so serious, that satisfying my appetite can wait.

In a culture of constant consumption, fasting becomes an act of freedom. A way of letting God inspect the foundation.

What am I depending on? What do I reach for first? What do I believe will sustain me?

Again—foundation work.

Bringing It Home

If we’re honest, this teaching feels incredibly relevant.

We live in a world built on visibility.

Platforms. Metrics. Branding. Being seen.

Even faith can become content.

Jesus offers a counter-kingdom.

A kingdom not built on performance, but on presence. Not optimized for applause, but formed in faithfulness.

A kingdom where what happens in secret matters more than what’s noticed.

Because storms are coming. Pressure is inevitable. And when it does, it won’t be what people saw that holds us.

It will be who we became when no one was watching.

The Invitation

Jesus doesn’t end with condemnation. He ends with a promise:

“Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”

Not with likes. Not with recognition.

But with a life that holds.

A heart at rest. A faith that endures. A foundation strong enough to carry love into a fractured world.

This is the upside-down kingdom.

Where heaven touches earth. Where God rearranges our hearts. And where transformation begins— quietly, faithfully, underground.