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Not for Show

Jesus teaches us to pray, give and fast for an audience of one, judge with clear eyes, test ideas by their fruits and build on the Rock by doing

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 8
  • 📅 Sunday, February 21, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Real discipleship isn’t performed for an audience; I come to know Jesus Christ by doing His will, and a life built on Him by doing, not just hearing, stands when the storms come.

I can live my faith for Heavenly Father’s eyes instead of other people’s, test what I hear by its fruits, and build on the Savior by doing what He taught.

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

Matthew 6–7 finishes the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus warns against giving, praying and fasting “to be seen of men.” He promises that the Father who sees in secret will reward openly, in 6:1–18. He gives a pattern for prayer in 6:9–13. The Joseph Smith Translation of verse 13 reads “suffer us not to be led into temptation.” He teaches about treasure and the single eye, and says no one can serve two masters. He tells us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God,” in 6:19–34. The footnote on “take no thought” in 6:25 says the Greek means anxious concern. Jesus isn’t against planning. He’s against being eaten up by worry.

Matthew 7 moves from judging to building. The Joseph Smith Translation of 7:1 makes the meaning clear. Don’t judge unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment. Then come the mote and the beam in 7:3–5, and ask, seek, knock in 7:7–11. There’s the Golden Rule in 7:12, and false prophets known by their fruits in 7:15–20. Then comes the sobering “Lord, Lord” warning in 7:21–23. The JST footnote changes it to “Ye never knew me.” The sermon ends with the wise and foolish builders. The same storm hits both houses. The difference is whether the builder heard and did, in 7:24–27. The people were astonished. He taught “as one having authority, and not as the scribes,” in 7:28–29.

For 16- to 18-year-olds, this chapter is about performed faith versus real faith. They live on platforms built for being seen. They’re starting to meet serious online criticism of the Church and its leaders. And their testimonies are shifting from borrowed to their own. Jesus’s tests are practical. Who is this for? What fruit does it produce? Am I only hearing, or also doing? Elder David A. Bednar’s April 2024 talk “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” compares covenants to anchor pins. They tie a building’s foundation to bedrock. Elder Taylor G. Godoy’s April 2024 talk “Call, Don’t Fall” is a great companion to ask, seek, knock. “Truth Will Make You Free” in For the Strength of Youth helps with sorting truth from error.

Don’t turn Kade in the story into a villain. Many youth have friends or siblings who are struggling or stepping away. Some are wrestling themselves. Keep the tone hopeful. A house that falls can be rebuilt on the Rock, one honest prayer at a time. If a youth brings up a specific criticism of the Church, thank them. Be honest about what you know and don’t know. Offer to look into it together. Tess’s storm is her parents separating. If a youth in your class is living through a divorce, ask privately before giving them that part. Or swap her storm for another one, like a family illness or a move.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 6:1–18 and Matthew 7. Run the Would You Post It? hook. Tell the story from the screen with its questions. Read Matthew 7:21 together. Spend the rest on the discussion. Close with your testimony of a time that doing, not just hearing, held you steady.

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 6–7 in one sitting. It takes about fifteen minutes. Then look at the JST footnotes on Matthew 6:13, 7:1 and 7:23.
  2. Gather a small rock for each youth. A yard or a garden store works. They’ll take them home.
  3. Think of a time the basics kept you standing in a storm, even when you didn’t feel much. Think prayer, scripture, church and the temple. You’ll share it briefly.

If your class is wild

  • Start with the vote in the hook, not a speech. Once they’ve argued about what they’d post, Matthew 6 lands on its own.
  • Tell the story like a conversation, not a lecture. Scene, verse, question, one or two answers, move on.
  • Tess’s storm in the last scene is her parents separating. Is a youth in your class living through a divorce? Swap in another storm, like a family illness or a move.
  • If someone raises a specific criticism of the Church, don’t panic or wave it away. Say, “Great question. Let’s look at it together this week.” Then follow up.
  • The bonus Mote and Beam demo is slapstick on purpose. You do the bumping, safely. Then everyone walks to the walls. Older teens need permission to laugh.

The 25-minute plan23 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Would You Post It?

3 min

A quick vote exposes the pull to perform our goodness, setting up Jesus’s teaching about the Father who sees in secret.

  1. SAY“Thumbs up if you’d post it. Hand on heart if you’d keep it between you and God.”
  2. Read these: You shoveled a neighbor’s driveway at six a.m. You finished the Book of Mormon. You fasted for a struggling friend. You forgave someone who never apologized.
  3. After each one, ask one person why they voted that way.
  4. SAY“Last week Jesus said, ‘Let your light so shine.’ This week He says do it in secret. So which is it?”
  5. Let them work it out.
🌪️ If the vote gets rowdy, have them sound a pretend trumpet for “post it.” Scene 1 will get the joke.

Class screen: 📲 Would you post it, or keep it between you and God? · Matthew 6:1–4 vs. Matthew 5:16

2. Story

Tell the Story: Not for Show

8 min

The teacher walks through Matthew 6–7 to the two builders, with questions woven in, so youth see the difference between performed faith and real faith.

  1. SAY“Jesus has one test for all of this: who is it for? Listen for it as I tell the rest of His sermon.”
  2. Tell each scene in your own words. Have youth read the verses it names.
  3. Ask each scene’s question. Wait ten seconds, take one or two answers, then move on.
  4. After the last scene, say, “The storm hit both houses. Knowing the answers didn’t hold. Doing did.”
🌪️ If energy drops, have everyone knock three times on their chair at scene 5. Ask, seek, knock.

Class screen: 🏠 Not for show: Matthew 6–7 · Who is it for?

3. Scripture

Not Every One That Saith

4 min

Youth learn Matthew 7:21 and see that knowing about Jesus is different from knowing Him.

  1. SAY“Here’s the line that sums up the whole sermon.”
  2. Read Matthew 7:21 together with the motions. Say it twice.
  3. Have a youth read the JST footnote on Matthew 7:23: “Ye never knew me.” Ask, “What’s the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?”
  4. SAY“You come to know Him by doing what He said. That’s the rock.”

Class screen: 🛠️ Not saying “Lord, Lord”: doing the will of my Father · Matthew 7:21 · JST Matthew 7:23

4. Talk it over

Real, Not for Show

5 min

An honest conversation about performed faith vs. real faith, righteous judgment, testing ideas by their fruits, and building on the Savior.

  1. SAY“Let’s get honest about this.”
  2. Pick three questions. Ask one at a time and wait ten seconds before anyone answers.
  3. With the last question, read Elder David A. Bednar’s line about covenants as anchors from the conference quotes.
  4. Answer one yourself, briefly and honestly.
💬 Ask the class
  • Jesus says to pray, give and fast in secret. He also says to let your light shine. How can you tell shining from showing off?
  • The JST says “judge not unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment.” Sometimes you have to judge, like with friends, dating or media. What makes a judgment righteous?
  • Say you run into a video or post attacking the Church or its leaders. How could “by their fruits ye shall know them” help you sort it out?
  • Kade’s testimony was borrowed. How does someone your age turn a borrowed testimony into one of their own?
  • The Savior is the rock. We build our foundation on Him. What are you doing right now that ties your life to that rock?

Class screen: 💬 Hearing it or doing it?

5. Testimony

A Rock in Your Pocket

3 min

End quiet with a physical reminder to build on the Savior by doing, and a testimony of what holds in a storm.

  1. SAY“Put this rock in your pocket this week. Every time you touch it, do one thing Jesus taught, for an audience of one.”
  2. Hand each youth a rock.
  3. Lower your voice and take a minute or less. Share a time the basics kept you standing in a storm, even when you didn’t feel much.
  4. Introduce the Audience of One challenge. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🪨 Hear it. Do it. Build on the Rock. · Matthew 7:24

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small rock or pebble for each person

  1. SAY“Press one palm flat on the floor or the wall. That’s bedrock. This week, every time you touch something solid, do one thing Jesus taught.”
  2. Lower your voice and take a minute or less. Share a time the basics kept you standing in a storm, even when you didn’t feel much.
  3. Introduce the Audience of One challenge. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.
6. Wiggle break

Mote and Beam

2 minBONUS

A quick demo makes Jesus’s joke about judging unforgettable, and a walk-to-the-wall sort gets everyone moving.

  1. SAY“Watch this.”
  2. Hold a broom or yardstick straight out from your eye like a beam. Try to help a volunteer with a speck, bumping into everything.
  3. Everyone up. The window wall means righteous judgment, and the door wall means unrighteous. Read: skipping a show that drags you down, posting a friend’s mistake, mocking someone’s clothes.
  4. Read Matthew 7:3–5 together. Ask them to answer silently: “What’s the beam you’d need to deal with before helping anyone else?”

Class screen: 🪵 First cast out the beam out of thine own eye · Matthew 7:1–5

7. Game

Lightning Showdown

4 minBONUS

A fast bonus team quiz locks in the big teachings of Matthew 6–7.

  1. SAY“Two teams, pick captains. Let’s see what stuck from Matthew 6 and 7.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Teams get a five-second huddle, and only the captain answers. On a miss, the other team steals by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ⚡ Lightning Showdown: Matthew 6–7

Story and questions

Not for Show

Matthew 6:1–7:29 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🎺 Don’t sound a trumpet

    Jesus keeps teaching on the mountain. When you give to the poor, He says, don’t sound a trumpet. That’s what the hypocrites do. They want to be seen. Give in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

    🙌 Ask, “What’s the modern trumpet?” Posting it, hinting at it, making sure someone notices.

  2. 🚪🙏 Pray in your closet

    Prayer and fasting work the same way. They’re not for an audience. Go into your room. Shut the door. Pray to your Father. Then He gives a pattern for prayer. Praise. His will. Daily bread. Forgiveness. And help with temptation.

    🙌 A youth reads Matthew 6:6. Ask, “Why would a prayer nobody hears matter more than one everybody hears?”

  3. 💰❤️ Where your treasure is

    Don’t pile up treasure that moths and rust destroy. No one can serve two masters. Don’t be eaten up by worry about tomorrow. Look at the lilies. Seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest will follow.

    🙌 A youth reads Matthew 6:21. Ask, “If someone looked at your week, where would they say your treasure is?”

  4. 🪵👁️ The mote and the beam

    Then a joke with a point. Why fuss over the speck in your brother’s eye, while a whole beam sticks out of yours? The Joseph Smith Translation says it plainly. Judge not unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment.

    🙌 Read Matthew 7:3–5 and the JST footnote on verse 1. Ask, “So is Jesus saying never judge anything?”

  5. 🚪🍎 Ask, seek, knock… and check the fruit

    Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened. And watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing. You’ll know them by their fruits.

    🙌 Read Matthew 7:7 and 7:20. Ask, “How could the fruit test help with a video about the Church?”

  6. 🏠🪨 Two builders, one storm

    Jesus ends with two builders. The same rain, floods and wind hit both houses. The one on the rock stands. The one on the sand falls. The only difference? One heard and did. The other only heard. The crowd is astonished, because He teaches with authority.

    🙌 Read Matthew 7:24–27. Ask, “What’s the only difference between the two houses?”

  7. 🏗️📱 Two builders, senior year

    Picture it today. Tess prays quietly in her car before school. Kade posts great verses. But he’s never prayed about any of it himself. The same storm hits both. Her parents separate. He watches a viral video against the Church. She keeps doing the basics. And that night, Kade finally knocks.

    🙌 Ask, “What did Tess do that Kade didn’t?” Then read Elder Godoy’s line about taking action after praying.

Key verse

Matthew 7:21 ↗
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
In plain words: Saying the right words about Jesus isn’t enough. The people who enter His kingdom are the ones who actually do Heavenly Father’s will.
🙌 Three beats: “Not every one that saith… Lord, Lord” = hand opening and closing by your mouth like talking · “shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” = shake your head no · “but he that doeth the will of my Father” = both hands roll up sleeves, ready to work. Say it twice.

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: When you pray, go somewhere private and shut the door. Heavenly Father sees what nobody else sees, and He will bless you for it.
Matthew 6:21 ↗
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
In plain words: Whatever you treasure most is where your heart will end up.
Matthew 7:7 ↗
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
In plain words: Ask and you’ll receive. Look and you’ll find. Knock and the door will open.
Matthew 7:20 ↗
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
In plain words: You can tell what something really is by what it produces in people’s lives.

Forehead Guess words19 words

  • 🪙 Alms
  • 🎺 Trumpet
  • 🚪 Closet
  • 🙏 Lord’s Prayer
  • 🍞 Daily Bread
  • 💎 Treasure in Heaven
  • 🦋 Moth and Rust
  • ⚖️ Two Masters
  • 💰 Mammon
  • 🌸 Lilies of the Field
  • 🔍 Mote
  • 🪵 Beam
  • ✊ Ask, Seek, Knock
  • 🤝 Golden Rule
  • 🐑 Sheep’s Clothing
  • 🍎 Fruits
  • 🏠 Wise Man
  • 🏖️ Sand
  • 📜 Authority
Clues for each word
  • Alms: Gifts to the poor, given in secret
  • Trumpet: What hypocrites sound when they give
  • Closet: Where to go and shut the door to pray
  • Lord’s Prayer: “After this manner therefore pray ye”
  • Daily Bread: What we ask for each day
  • Treasure in Heaven: No moth, rust or thieves can touch it
  • Moth and Rust: They ruin earthly treasures
  • Two Masters: No man can serve them both
  • Mammon: Worldly riches; can’t serve it and God
  • Lilies of the Field: They toil not, yet God clothes them
  • Mote: The tiny speck in your brother’s eye
  • Beam: The giant plank in your own eye
  • Ask, Seek, Knock: Three invitations, three promises
  • Golden Rule: Do unto others as you’d want done to you
  • Sheep’s Clothing: How false prophets disguise themselves
  • Fruits: How you can tell a good tree
  • Wise Man: Built his house upon a rock
  • Sand: Where the foolish man built
  • Authority: How Jesus taught, unlike the scribes
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. Jesus warned against doing alms for what reason?
    • A. To pay off a debt
    • B. To be seen of men
    • C. To earn a blessing
    Show answer

    ✅ B. To be seen of men Matthew 6:1. The Father who sees in secret rewards openly.

  2. Where did Jesus say to go when you pray?
    • A. Into your closet, with the door shut
    • B. To the corners of the streets
    • C. Onto a high mountain
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Into your closet, with the door shut Matthew 6:6. Private prayer is between you and Heavenly Father.

  3. “Where your treasure is, there will your ___ be also.”
    • A. Money
    • B. Family
    • C. Heart
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Heart Matthew 6:21. What you value most shapes who you become.

  4. According to Jesus, you cannot serve God and what?
    • A. Mammon
    • B. Caesar
    • C. The Pharisees
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Mammon Matthew 6:24. Mammon means worldly riches.

  5. How does the Joseph Smith Translation clarify “Judge not”?
    • A. Never judge anyone
    • B. Judge not unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment
    • C. Only leaders may judge
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Judge not unrighteously, but judge righteous judgment JST Matthew 7:1–2, in the footnote.

  6. What was in the hypocrite’s own eye?
    • A. A mote
    • B. A tear
    • C. A beam
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A beam Matthew 7:3–5. Fix your own beam before the other person’s speck.

  7. How did Jesus say we can know false prophets?
    • A. By their fruits
    • B. By their clothing
    • C. By their crowds
    Show answer

    ✅ A. By their fruits Matthew 7:15–20. Look at what their teachings produce.

  8. The JST changes “I never knew you” in Matthew 7:23 to what?
    • A. “Ye never obeyed me”
    • B. “Ye never knew me”
    • C. “I never saw you”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Ye never knew me” We come to know the Savior by doing His will.

  9. Why were the people astonished at the end of the sermon?
    • A. He spoke for three days
    • B. He healed everyone
    • C. He taught as one having authority
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He taught as one having authority Matthew 7:28–29: not as the scribes.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Every time we faithfully receive, review, remember, and renew sacred covenants, our spiritual anchors are secured ever more firmly and steadfastly to the “rock” of Jesus Christ.”

— Elder David A. Bednar, “Be Still, and Know That I Am God,” April 2024

Read it with the last discussion question, about what ties your life to the rock.

Read the talk ↗
“But taking action after praying is a sign that our faith is real—faith that is tested in moments of pain, fear, or disappointment.”

— Elder Taylor G. Godoy, “Call, Don’t Fall,” April 2024

Read it in the story at the last scene, right after Kade finally knocks.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    The manual pairs this hymn with the wise builder: a foundation laid on the Lord. Find it ↗

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

    Ask, seek, knock, and pray in your closet. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Audience of One

Carry your rock all week. Each day, do one good thing nobody else will ever know about. Try secret service, a prayer in your closet, a quiet fast or a kind word you don’t take credit for. Once this week, when you see something online about the Church, run the fruit test before you react. What does this produce? What has living the gospel produced in you? Then ask Heavenly Father yourself.

Text the parents

Today in class we finished the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6–7. We talked about doing good for Heavenly Father’s eyes instead of an audience. We talked about judging righteously and testing ideas by their fruits. And we talked about building on the Savior by doing, not just hearing. Your youth brought home a small rock as a reminder. Ask: “What’s one thing you did this week that only Heavenly Father saw?” Let them keep it private if they want!

📝 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?

🙏 Your Prayer Pattern · 6 min

  1. Read Matthew 6:9–13 and compare 3 Nephi 13:9–13. Note the JST footnote on verse 13: “suffer us not to be led into temptation.”
  2. List the parts. Praise, His will before ours, daily needs, forgiveness as we forgive, and protection.
  3. Say, “It’s a pattern, not a script to repeat. Look at verse 7.” Invite each youth to plan tonight’s prayer with the pattern, in their own words.

🌸 Consider the Lilies · 5 min

  1. Read Matthew 6:25–34 and the footnote on “take no thought” in verse 25. The Greek means anxious concern.
  2. Ask, “What future worries eat at you most? College, money, a mission, finding the right person?”
  3. Read verse 33 together. Ask, “What would seeking first the kingdom look like in how you plan your next two years?”

🍎 Fruit Inspection Lab · 7 min

  1. Invite youth to describe a kind of claim they’ve seen online about the Church or about faith. No links needed.
  2. Ask four questions together. Who’s saying it and why? What fruit does it produce in its followers? What do scripture and living prophets teach? What does the Spirit feel like?
  3. Point them to “Truth Will Make You Free” in For the Strength of Youth. Invite them to bring any question to you, their parents or the bishop.

⛏️ Sermon Mining · 6 min

  1. Give each pair a passage: Matthew 6:1–4, 6:5–13, 6:16–18, 6:19–24, 6:25–34, 7:1–5, 7:7–12 or 7:15–20.
  2. Give them two minutes of total silence to find one principle. They write it as a sentence starting with “I can…” or “God…”
  3. Each pair shares in about 20 seconds, in scripture order.

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.

All Youth 16–18 lessons