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Thy Father Which Seeth in Secret

Jesus asks who our goodness is really for, then invites us to trade anxious worry for seeking His kingdom first

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 8
  • 📅 Sunday, February 21, 2027
🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Our Father in Heaven sees what we do in secret and cares most about why we do it; as we seek His kingdom first and build on the Savior’s words, we can set down both the need to be seen and the weight of worry.

I can do good for my Father’s eyes alone, seek His kingdom first when worry crowds in, and build my week on doing what Jesus said.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 6–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 6–7)
Know the chapters

Matthew 6–7 is the second half of the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 5 closed with “Be ye therefore perfect” (5:48); chapter 6 turns from what disciples do to why they do it. Jesus names three acts of devotion every faithful Jew knew well, giving alms, praying and fasting (6:1–18), and puts each to the same test: who is it for? Then He moves to treasure and the single eye (6:19–24), anxiety about food and clothing (6:25–34), judging (7:1–5), asking, seeking and knocking (7:7–11), the Golden Rule (7:12), false prophets known by their fruits (7:15–20), and finally the wise and foolish builders (7:24–27).

Two word notes help adults hear chapter 6. The footnote to “hypocrites” (6:2) explains that the Greek word means a play actor, someone performing a part for an audience. And “They have their reward” uses a verb that merchants wrote on receipts to mean “paid in full.” Jesus isn’t saying public goodness earns nothing; He’s saying the applause is the whole payment. What we do for our Father “in secret” is what He rewards (6:4, 6, 18). The footnote to “take no thought” (6:25) adds that the Greek means anxious concern: the Savior is addressing worry, not wise planning.

Latter-day scripture adds clarity. When the risen Savior gave this sermon at Bountiful, He looked upon the twelve He had chosen to minister and addressed “take no thought for your life” to them (3 Nephi 13:25). The Joseph Smith Translation renders 6:33 as seeking first “to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness” (JST Matthew 6:38), and turns “Judge not” into “Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment” (JST Matthew 7:2).

Twenty-five minutes won’t cover two chapters, so this lesson centers on Matthew 6. It speaks to two quiet adult struggles: wanting to be seen, and worrying about what’s coming. The mote and the beam (7:1–5) is a short second discussion, and the wise and foolish builders close the lesson in the testimony. Some in your class may live with an anxiety disorder or depression; “take no thought” is an invitation to trust, not a rebuke of an illness, and seeking good medical care is part of acting in faith. Say so plainly.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 6 once. Open by asking, “Think of something good you’ve done that nobody ever found out about. How did it feel?” (No one needs to share details.) Read 6:1–6 together and ask who each act of devotion is really for. Then read 6:31–34 and spend most of the time on the Take No Thought questions. Close by reading 7:24–25, bearing a short testimony, and inviting everyone to do one good thing this week that only Heavenly Father will see.

What to bring3 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Matthew 6 and 7 straight through. Mark 6:1, 4, 6, 18, 21, 32, 33 and 34, and 7:3–5 and 24–27.
  2. Ask two people ahead of time to read: one for 6:2–4 (alms) and one for 6:16–18 (fasting). A quick text on Saturday is plenty.
  3. Set the toothpick and the broom handle or 2×4 where you can reach them but the class can’t see them yet.
  4. Decide your own honest answer to “What worry takes up the most room in my head right now?” If the room is quiet, you’ll go first, and your honesty sets the tone.
  5. Pick the two or three discussion questions you most want to reach. You won’t have time for all of them, and that’s fine.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? The Sermon on the Mount is so familiar it can feel like there’s nothing new to say. Slow down: read one verse, pause, and ask which word stands out. Use the pairs moment; people who won’t speak to the room will talk to a neighbor.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet,” or send the next question to pairs first.
  • Worry is tender ground. Someone may be managing anxiety with medication and counseling, or lying awake over money, a diagnosis or a child. Never suggest that worry means weak faith. Point to 6:32: the Father already knows what we need, and He wants us to bring it to Him.
  • The mote-and-beam discussion can drift into describing other people’s faults, even anonymously. Keep every question pointed at our own eye, and gently redirect if a comment starts to sound like a complaint about someone.
  • Visitors and new members: explain that the Sermon on the Mount runs from Matthew 5 to 7, tap the references on the shared screen, and never ask someone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board. On the web you can play Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Nobody Saw

3 min

Opens with a personal question about motive before anyone opens the scriptures.

  1. SAY“Think of something good you did that nobody ever found out about. You don’t need to tell us what it was.”
  2. Give 15 seconds of quiet.
  3. Ask: “How did that feel different from doing something good that people noticed and thanked you for?”
  4. Take two or three answers. Welcome honest ones, including “Part of me wanted someone to notice.”
  5. SAY“Jesus had something to say about that exact feeling. Today we’ll ask who our goodness is really for, and what to do with the worries that crowd in when we try to trust Him.”

On the screen: 🤫 What good have you done that nobody else ever saw?

2. Story

Read It in Context: Who Is It For?

6 min

Reads Matthew 6:1–21 as one connected teaching so the class sees the single question running through it.

  1. Open Teach Mode to the scripture scene. The shared screen shows one scene at a time.
  2. Read each scene’s context yourself, then let the assigned readers read the verses. You read the Savior’s words in the scenes without an assigned reader; no one speaks as the Lord.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After scene 6, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: ⛰️ Matthew 6: three acts of devotion and one question. Who is it for? · Follow along in Matthew 6:1–21

3. Scripture

Seek Ye First

4 min

Studies one verse in its context so class members see it as the Savior’s answer to worry.

  1. Put Matthew 6:33 on the shared screen, then read verses 31–34 aloud so the class hears the verse in context.
  2. SAY“Verse 33 is an answer to a list of worries. With the person next to you, find the worries in verses 31–32, and find what Jesus says our Father already knows.”
  3. After a minute, draw it out: “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (verse 32). He isn’t dismissing our needs; He already sees them.
  4. Share the Joseph Smith Translation: seek first “to build up the kingdom of God” (JST Matthew 6:38). Ask: “How does ‘build up’ change the way you hear this verse?”

On the screen: 🥇 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. · Matthew 6:31–34 · What are the worries? What does the Father already know?

4. Talk it over

Take No Thought

6 min

Helps adults sort wise planning from anxious worry and practice trusting the Father with tomorrow.

  1. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
  2. Start the second question in pairs: give one minute to talk with a neighbor, then invite a few to share with the room.
  3. Let silence work. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
  4. If the room is quiet, share your own honest answer first.
💬 Ask the class
  • The footnote to “take no thought” says the Greek means anxious concern. How does that change the way you hear verses 25–34?
  • What’s the difference between planning for tomorrow and being consumed by it? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • Jesus points to birds and lilies. What ordinary thing in your life reminds you that Heavenly Father is taking care of you?
  • “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (verse 34). What helps you live one day at a time without ignoring tomorrow?
  • When has putting the Lord’s kingdom first made room for the very things you were worried about?

On the screen: 🐦 Behold the fowls of the air. Consider the lilies. Your Father knows what you need. · Matthew 6:25–34

5. Talk it over

The Beam in My Own Eye

4 min

Turns the Savior’s humor about the mote and the beam into honest self-examination.

  1. Hold up the toothpick in one hand and the broom handle or 2×4 in the other.
  2. Read Matthew 7:3–5 aloud while the class follows along.
  3. SAY“The footnote says a mote is a speck, chip or splinter, and a beam is a timber used to build houses. Jesus grew up as ‘the carpenter’s son’ (Matthew 13:55). He knew how absurd this picture is.”
  4. Share President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s words (in “From general conference” below), then ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why is it so much easier to see a speck in someone else than a beam in ourselves?
  • The Joseph Smith Translation says “judge righteous judgment.” What’s the difference between discerning right from wrong and condemning a person?
  • What helps you notice your own beam before you start inspecting someone else’s eye?

On the screen: 🪵 First cast out the beam out of thine own eye. · Matthew 7:1–5 · JST Matthew 7:2: “Judge not unrighteously … but judge righteous judgment.”

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A toothpick (the mote) and a broom handle or short length of 2×4 lumber (the beam)

The Speck and the Timber

  1. Read Matthew 7:3–5 aloud while the class follows along.
  2. SAY“The footnote says a mote is a speck, chip or splinter, and a beam is a timber used to build houses. Picture someone with a roof beam sticking out of his eye, offering to remove your splinter.”
  3. Share President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s words (in “From general conference” below), then ask one or two questions.
6. Testimony

Built upon a Rock

2 min

Ends with testimony of Jesus Christ as the sure foundation and a private, concrete invitation for the week.

  1. Read Matthew 7:24–25.
  2. SAY“Both houses faced the same storm. The difference wasn’t hearing; it was doing.”
  3. Hand out the cards. Invite everyone to write one thing they’ll do this week that only Heavenly Father will see, and to keep the card private.
  4. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence, how living a teaching of Jesus has held them steady in a storm.
  5. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ is the rock, and invite: “This week, do one good thing in secret, and when worry comes, seek His kingdom first.”

On the screen: 🪨 Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them … built his house upon a rock. · Matthew 7:24–25 · This week: one good thing in secret. Seek His kingdom first.

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or small slips of paper, and a few pens

  1. Read Matthew 7:24–25 and say: “Both houses faced the same storm. The difference wasn’t hearing; it was doing.”
  2. Invite everyone to choose silently one thing they’ll do this week that only Heavenly Father will see.
  3. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence, how living a teaching of Jesus has held them steady in a storm.
  4. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ is the rock, and invite: “This week, do one good thing in secret, and when worry comes, seek His kingdom first.”
7. Talk it over

Ask, Seek, Knock

5 minBONUS

Explores the Savior’s promise about prayer and the Father’s generosity.

  1. Read Matthew 7:7–11.
  2. Point out that ask, seek and knock are three different verbs, each with a promise attached.
  3. Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, where the Lord repeats the promise in our day.
  4. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • What’s the difference between asking, seeking and knocking? Which one are you doing right now?
  • Verse 11 says “how much more.” How has Heavenly Father given you something better than you asked for?
  • How do we keep knocking when an answer is slow to come?

On the screen: 🔑 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock. · Matthew 7:7–11 · Doctrine and Covenants 88:63

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A light, friendly review if you finish early.

  1. Split the room down the middle into two teams.
  2. Launch Scripture Showdown on your phone or tablet and read each question aloud.
  3. After each reveal, read the reference so people can mark it.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

On the screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: how well do you know Matthew 6 and 7?

Read it together

Who Is It For?

Matthew 6:1–21 ↗

Reading parts

  • Reader 1Reads Matthew 6:2–4, giving alms in secret. You’re reading scripture, not playing a character.
  • Reader 2Reads Matthew 6:16–18, fasting with a washed face.
  • The ClassEveryone reads Matthew 6:19–21 together.

Scenes

  1. ⛰️ Why we do what we do

    On a hillside in Galilee, Jesus has just taught His disciples to be perfect, even as their Father in heaven is perfect. Now He turns from what we do to why we do it. His first sentence sets the theme for the whole chapter.

    🎬 The teacher reads Matthew 6:1.

  2. 🎺 No trumpet, please

    Giving to the poor was a sacred duty. Jesus pictures someone who makes sure everyone notices, then says the attention is the entire payment. The better way is so quiet that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing.

    🎬 Reader 1 reads Matthew 6:2–4.

  3. 🚪 Shut the door and pray

    Next, prayer. Some prayed on street corners where they would be seen. Jesus invites us into a private room with the door closed, and reminds us that our Father already knows what we need before we ask.

    🎬 The teacher reads Matthew 6:5–8.

  4. 🙏 “After this manner therefore pray ye”

    Then Jesus gives a pattern for prayer: short, reverent, centered on the Father’s will, and honest about daily needs, forgiveness and temptation. Of everything in it, He comes back to just one line.

    🎬 The teacher reads Matthew 6:9–15 slowly. Ask the class which line He chose to repeat.

  5. 🧼 Wash your face

    The third act of devotion is fasting. Some made sure they looked hungry and miserable. Jesus says to wash and groom as usual, so that only your Father knows.

    🎬 Reader 2 reads Matthew 6:16–18.

  6. 💎 Where your treasure is

    Jesus ties it together. Whatever is done for an audience is stored where moths, rust and thieves can reach it. Whatever is done for the Father is stored where nothing can touch it, and our hearts follow our treasure.

    🎬 The Class reads Matthew 6:19–21 together. Let a few seconds of quiet follow.

Key verse

Matthew 6:33 ↗
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
In plain words: Put God’s kingdom and His ways at the top of the list, and trust Him with the rest. He already knows what we need, and He has promised to add it as we build up His kingdom first.

More verses

Matthew 6:6 ↗
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
In plain words: The most important prayers happen with no audience at all. The Father who sees in private is the one who rewards.
Matthew 6:21 ↗
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
In plain words: Our hearts follow whatever we invest in, so we get to choose where our hearts will end up.
Matthew 7:3 ↗
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
In plain words: We notice a speck of sawdust in someone else while missing the timber in our own eye. Start with ourselves.
Matthew 7:24 ↗
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”
In plain words: Hearing Jesus isn’t enough; doing what He says is what makes a life storm-proof.

Scripture Showdown6 questions

  1. What word did Jesus use for people who did good to be seen?
    • A. Hypocrites
    • B. Publicans
    • C. Scribes
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Hypocrites Matthew 6:2, 5, 16. The footnote says the Greek word means a play actor.

  2. Where did Jesus say to pray?
    • A. On the street corner
    • B. In thy closet, with the door shut
    • C. Only in the temple
    Show answer

    ✅ B. In thy closet, with the door shut Matthew 6:6: pray to thy Father which is in secret.

  3. When you fast, what did Jesus say to do?
    • A. Look sad so others will pray for you
    • B. Tell only your family
    • C. Anoint thine head, and wash thy face
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Anoint thine head, and wash thy face Matthew 6:17–18: fast so that only your Father, who sees in secret, knows.

  4. According to Matthew 6:21, where will your heart be?
    • A. Where your treasure is
    • B. Where your family lives
    • C. Where you spend Sunday
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Where your treasure is “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

  5. What did Jesus tell us to seek first?
    • A. Security for tomorrow
    • B. The kingdom of God, and his righteousness
    • C. The approval of others
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The kingdom of God, and his righteousness Matthew 6:33. The Joseph Smith Translation says to seek first to build up the kingdom of God.

  6. Why did the wise man’s house stand?
    • A. It was newer
    • B. It had a stronger roof
    • C. It was founded upon a rock
    Show answer

    ✅ C. It was founded upon a rock Matthew 7:24–25: he heard Jesus’s sayings and did them.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“It’s that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children.”

— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” April 2012

Share in The Beam in My Own Eye, after reading Matthew 7:3–5.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Did You Think to Pray? Hymns, no. 140

    A hymn about private, daily prayer, the closet Jesus describes in Matthew 6:6. Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    A strong closing hymn about building on the Lord, the rock of Matthew 7:24–25. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

In Secret

This week, do one good thing that only your Father in Heaven will ever know about: a quiet gift, an unannounced act of service, a private prayer for someone who hurt you. And when worry wakes you up, answer it with Matthew 6:33: take one step to build up His kingdom before you tackle the rest.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Matthew 6: Jesus taught that our Father “seeth in secret” and cares most about why we do good, and that we can seek His kingdom first instead of worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6:33). Take it home: at dinner, invite everyone to name one worry, then read Matthew 6:26–33 together and talk about how Heavenly Father has taken care of your family.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🙏 The Pattern of the Lord’s Prayer · 5 min

  1. Read Matthew 6:9–13 and then 3 Nephi 13:9–13, the same prayer given by the risen Savior at Bountiful.
  2. Ask the class to spot the lines that appear in one version but not the other.
  3. Share the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 13: “And suffer us not to be led into temptation” (JST Matthew 6:14).
  4. Ask: “If this is a pattern and not a script, what does it teach about what to put first in our own prayers?”

👁️ A Single Eye · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 6:22–24. The footnote says “single” means healthy, sincere, without guile.
  2. Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:67, where an eye single to God’s glory fills the whole body with light.
  3. Ask: “What competes for our eye? What helps you keep your focus single in a distracted week?”

🍇 By Their Fruits · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 7:15–23.
  2. Point out that Jesus applies the fruit test to His own followers too: saying “Lord, Lord” is not the same as doing the Father’s will.
  3. Share the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 23: “Ye never knew me” (JST Matthew 7:33).
  4. Ask: “What’s the difference between doing things for the Lord and knowing Him?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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