Big Idea
Quoting the message: Pride does the right thing for the wrong reason, end quote., but Jesus calls us to do the right thing for the right reason.
Jesus invites us toward perfection — reaching the end He made us for — but pride sneaks in and makes us care more about how we look to others than about who is actually shaping us. The good news is that God sees what's done in private and rewards it, so we can trade pride for humility and let Him alone be our audience.
Key points
1It's possible for people who love Jesus to do good things for the wrong reason
Pastor Hunter reads Matthew 6:1-4 where Jesus warns against doing good deeds publicly to be admired, contrasting the hypocrites who blow trumpets for attention with giving in secret. He frames this as Jesus' big point in the passage.
2Jesus defines perfection as reaching your end, not unattainable flawlessness
He explains the Greek word telios, used in Matthew 5:48, means having reached its end or being complete, not an impossible standard. He illustrates this with a closed spyglass that can't let light through until it's opened and stretched out, picturing how we must be stretched to be used by God.
3Pride cares how we look; Jesus cares where we end
Pastor Hunter connects the words perfect and hypocrite appearing close together in Matthew 6 to show that pride wants to look perfect while resisting the process of actually being perfected. He points to social media data on rising depression, self-harm, and suicide since 2012-2013 as evidence that a culture obsessed with self-image is hurting rather than helping.
4Pride is ancient and it separates us from God
He traces pride back to Lucifer's fall in Isaiah 14:13-14, where Satan's repeated 'I will' statements show self-focus that got him cast from heaven. He warns that we are most like Satan when we are most prideful, and that this is company we don't want to keep.
5Cain shows the three symptoms of pride in real life
Working through Genesis 4, Pastor Hunter shows how Cain's rejected offering led to anger (wanting applause), dejection (craving acceptance through attention), and doing right for the wrong reason, which spiraled into killing his brother Abel and being cast out. He ties this to God's warning that sin crouches at the door eager to control us.
6Search your soul and check your intentions
He walks through everyday areas — marriage, parenting, giving, serving, church attendance — asking whether we act from love or from hope of getting something back. He points to Psalm 139 as a dangerous but necessary prayer, asking God to search and test our hearts.
7Do good to be good, and do it in private
Using James 4 and the story of his grandpa-in-law, Vern Wiggers, an 89-year-old pastor of 65 years who built his own church and never sought recognition, Pastor Hunter shows what it looks like to live for God's eyes only. He closes with Jesus finishing Matthew 6 by saying our Father who sees in secret will reward us.
Application
Pastor Hunter's charge is to do good to be good, and do it in private, trusting that God who sees will reward it.
Search your soul about your intentions
Ask honestly whether your good actions toward your spouse, kids, giving, serving, or church attendance come from love or from wanting something back, and pray Psalm 139 for God to search your heart.
Do good to be good, not to be seen
Follow the example of humility over pride by choosing faithfulness over recognition, the way Vern Wiggers served for 65 years without seeking a following.
Do something good this week and tell no one
Pick someone who can do nothing good for you back, help them, and keep it between you and God rather than displaying it for others to see.
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