Matthew 6 contains a lot of great heart work. Let’s dive right in. First of all, we must be careful not to practice our righteousness to be seen by people. This doesn’t mean that we can’t do our work for God in the view of men. Not all of us are called to serve in the background. Some of us are called to be pastors and teachers, choir members and soloists, musicians, writers, and speakers. We are not to seek our kudos from men! We are not to seek the admiration of men, but to please God. When we seek our reward from men, we receive no reward from God. Jesus gives specific examples of the types of righteousness He’s talking about.
Giving to the needy should be done so secretly that your left hand doesn’t realize you’re opening your wallet, checkbook or bank app with your right hand. Wow! That’s secret! We shouldn’t tell people about it so they think well of us and reward us with their praise. When we do this in secret, we receive the greater reward from our Father in heaven.
Prayer is an intimate time of fellowship with our Father. We should pray privately for God’s ears only. We should close the door and have an open conversation with God, not babbling. We should acknowledge God’s position and holiness. We should pray for His will to be accomplished. We should pray for His provision. We should confess and ask forgiveness as well as asking for the ability to forgive others. We should pray for protection. But what about those in ministry positions where they must pray in front of others? Be humble. Use the same format of what to pray for. Don’t seek the appreciation of man. Remember you are speaking to God.
Fasting is a time of focus on God where we deny our physical selves something. People fast from food, television, social media, or anything else they may have a dependence on. When we fast, we shouldn’t let our appearance go and mope around so people ask us, “What’s wrong?” We should keep smiling and adjust our attitude so no one can tell we’ve disrupted our usual routine and it’s making us crazy! Be calm and fast on. When we do this, we will be rewarded by our Father.
And an added bonus reward for these disciplines, if we practice them correctly, we are focused on God. This cleanses our thoughts, tidies our hearts and fills us with joy! Maybe that’s the actual reward we get from Him. We also get to feel His pleasure and may even get to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
What do you treasure? Your Grandfather’s pocket watch? Your Great-Grandmother’s bowl and pitcher set? Your other Great-Grandmother’s Bible? A keepsake from a mission trip? All of those things can be destroyed. All of those things can be stolen. So, what sorts of treasures are stored up in heaven? People. The ones with whom you share your faith. The needy ones to whom you give. The ones for whom you pray. Your relationship with God is a treasure. Practicing the disciplines we talked about earlier (giving, praying and fasting) as well as other acts of service where Christ’s righteousness is displayed in us, draws us closer to God, and sets a beautiful example of Christ-centered living for others. People are watching whether we realize it or not.
Matthew 6:22-23 confused me a bit, so I had to look at some commentaries. When I reviewed what scholars said about it, it made sense in the context of the passage. The overall message of the chapter is about not being double-minded, but God focused. The health of the eye refers to looking at God, not the world and its trappings. When we’re focused on God, our whole body is full of light. Jesus is the Light. But if we’re focused on the things of the world, we are unhealthy and full of darkness. And the more we focus on the darkness, the darker our insides become, the less light we display.
This second half of the chapter is all about our thought life, isn’t it? Why do we treasure anything? Why do we look to certain things? Whom do you serve: God or money? Where is the evidence? What do your calendar and bank statement show? You can’t serve both. Since God is your provider, all you have is His. Think about that. What do we worry about? Paying bills each month? Our health? Getting through each day in our current situation? God says you are valuable. More valuable than birds or grass. But He feeds the birds and clothes the grass with beautiful flowers! He says we shouldn’t worry about clothes and food and drink. He says we should seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and He will take care of all those things. I'm not recommending you quit your job - God actually provides those to meet our financial needs. What I am saying is, right now, where you are, in your current situation...
Seek Jesus. Trust God. Obey His Word. Don’t worry. God loves you and will take care of you.
(the homiletics below led to the thoughts above)
Content (not
sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line):
1.be careful practice rtness 2b seen, reward
Fr;when gv2 needy announce 2b honored,reward full(6:1-2)
2.when gv2needy let l hand know what r doing;so
giving in secret,Fr sees done secret,reward you(6:3-4)
3.when pray hypocrites, love be seen,rec’d reward
full;pray rm close door Fr sees secret,reward(6:5-6)
4.when pray babbling lk pagans;Fr knows what you
need b4 ask(6:7-8)
5.This how should pray: Our Fr hvn, hallowed ur
name;kngdm cm;will done,earth as hvn(6:9-10)
6.Gv daily bread;forgive debts as we forgiven
debtors;lead us temptation,deliver frm evil one(6:11-13)
7.if forgive ppl when sin v u,Fr forgive u; if forgive
others,Fr forgive your sins(6:14-15)
8.when fast lk somber as hypocrites, show they
fasting,rec’d reward full(6:16)
9.when fast oil head, wash face; obvious2others u
fasting, only Fr,sees done secret, reward you(6:17-18)
10.store treas earth,moths/verm destroy,thieves steal;store
treas hvn,m/v destry,thieves steal(6:19-20)
11.where treas is there heart also(6:21)
12.eye lamp body,if healthy, body full light;if
unhealthy,body full dkness,if lt=dkness,how grt(6:22-23)
13.no1 srv2masters,either h8 1,love other or devoted 1/despise
other;cannot srv God&$(6:24)
14.T4 worry abt life, what eat/drink, abt body,
what wear,isn’t life mo thn food, life mo thn clothes(6:25)
15.Look birds air, sow, reap, store, Fr feeds,
aren’t you much more valuable(6:26)
16.can worrying add hour to life; why worry abt clothes,
see how flowers grow,labor,spin(6:27-28)
17.not even Solomon dressed lk these;if that how G
clothes grass, will He not more clothe you(6:29-30)
18.worry,saying what we eat, drink, wear;pagans
run after these,your Fr knows you need them(6:31-32)
19.seek 1st His kngdm/rtness, all these gvn
you as well(6:33)
20.T4 worry abt tomorrow, tomorrow worry abt self,
ea day has enough trouble of its own(6:34)
Divisions (run-on
sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each
Division – a truth about God, a truth about man, a truth about God’s
relationship to man; a sin to avoid,
promise to trust, example to follow, command to obey, truth to believe):
1.Rewards and Prayer (6:1-18)
Principle: Rewards
received are based on the heart of the rewarded.
2.Treasures and Worry (6:19-34)
Principle: Your
heart reveals what you treasure and Whom you trust.
Subject Sentence (10-word
sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture):
God rewards what’s done in secret and says, “Don’t
worry.”
Aim (“To Cause My
Audience To…” Know, See, Learn, Understand, etc.):
TCMATK The
believer’s heart determines rewards, treasures and worries.
Application (not
yes or no question. Meant to bring about
heart change):
1.Where are you tempted to accept rewards from the world,
and how will you hold out for lasting rewards from the Father?
2.How does your trust in God impact what you treasure?
The Big Idea (author’s
main purpose in writing; the one thing all the other things in the passage is
about; if you couldn’t talk about it, you would still understand the passage is
trying to convey this):
Rewards and Treasures can come from God or the world.
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