Matthew 6

Matthew 6:1-18 – “so that they may be honored by men”

When you give …	When you pray …	Whenever you fast …
so that they may be honored by men	so that they may be honored by men	so that they may be honored by men
they have their reward in full	they have their reward in full	they have their reward in full
giving will be in secret	close your door and pray	your fasting will not be noticed by men
your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you	your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you	your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you

• Compare Matthew 5:13-16. The motive is important here – glorifying God versus being noticed by men.
• Don’t show off, but serve God sincerely and discretely, maintaining focus on God and His reward.
• Matthew 6:16-18 – See Leviticus 16:29; Acts 13:2-3. Fasting is mentioned under the New Covenant, but not commanded. In those days, they spent a large portion of time preparing food. Taking that time instead to pray or worship would be a considerable change in time usage for them.

Matthew 6:19-24 – “You cannot serve God and wealth”

• Matthew 6:19-20 – This is a not-but statement. It is not a sin to have a bank account. But it is more important to concentrate on spiritual things. See Matthew 5:11-12. Don’t worry too much about this life. See also Hebrews 10:34.

Matthew 6:25-34 – “Do not worry.”

• Jesus is not negating the many other passages about work ethic, but God doesn’t want us to be overly concerned about this life. See Luke 12:16-21.