Be perfect, but…
Scripture: Matthew 6:1-18
I. Be careful of your motivations in living in God’s Kingdom.
A. Don’t be a hypocrite (vs. 2, 5, 16). Jesus warns in vs. 1: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.” Live for the applause of God, not people. We give to those in need because Jesus did. 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Give in secret (vs. 4) to keep your motives pure.
II. Be careful of whose reward you seek in God’s Kingdom.
A. How do hypocrites pray? They are praying not so much to God. They are praying to the crowds so that the people might applaud their prayers (vs. 5). The assumption of the Gentiles is that if I use a lot of words, God will be more likely to answer my prayer (vs. 7). But this is not the case. God already knows what you need (vs. 8).
B. Prayer starts with God (vs. 9-10). Our primary concerns should be that God’s name would be hallowed, that His kingdom would come, and that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we pray hallowed be your name, we are praying that God’s name would be considered holy by both us and others. We also pray for the Kingdom to come in fullness with Jesus’ return. And “your will be done” is saying, “By your grace, I will do your will, as much as I know it.”
C. Then, Jesus says, pray for our own needs. Pray for our needs because we are connected by the love of Jesus to brothers and sisters in our church. Then Jesus says for us to pray forgive us our debts (vs. 12). There is no forgiveness from God for the one who does not forgive (vs. 15). Finally, we pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (vs. 13). God, lead me away from temptation and evil and lead me into your perfect righteousness.
III. Be careful of seeking God first in God’s Kingdom.
A. Just like Jesus expects you to give to the poor and to pray, Jesus expects you to fast from food. He says in vs. 16, “When you fast.” We fast from food to seek God above all else. In our fasting, we are saying to God, “You are more important to me even than food. You are my life!” We fast and pray when we need God to do something only He can do, and when we need to repent of sin. Psalm 115:1: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.”
Application:
Seek God’s glory in all things as you seek to live the kingdom life.
Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by D.A. Carson, Charles Quarles, and J.C. Ryle.
Sermon Discussion Questions
~ Why is God so concerned with our motivations as we live in His kingdom? What are the motivations of the hypocrites that Jesus denounces in Matthew 6?
~ Who might we have our eyes on instead of God when we serve God? Do you use Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6 as a model for your own prayer life? Why would that be good?
~ How does fasting from food indicate that we are seeking God first? But how can we have mixed motives in our fasting? Why does Jesus tell us so often to do our good works in secret?