3. RIGHT MOTIVES
When You Give
Matt. 6:1-4
When You Pray
Matt. 6:5-13
When You Fast
Matt. 6:16-18
5. What This Lesson Is
About: MOTIVES
As followers of Jesus, why
we seek to obey God is as
important as what we do.
6. The truths taught in this
lesson can help us:
*do the right things
*in the right way
*for the right reasons.
7. When we Christians are
living out our faith, we
need to keep close tabs on
our motivations.
We should ask ourselves
these tough questions:
8. *Are we seeking to please
God or ourselves?
*Is our aim more to
advance God’s kingdom
or to build a reputation?
*Is our service Christ-
centered or self-centered?
9. Jesus’ words in Matthew 6
can guide us to do the
right things for the right
reasons.
10. When You Give
Matthew 6:1-4 HCSB
1“Be careful not to
practice your
righteousness in front of
people, to be seen by
them. Otherwise, you
11. will have no reward from
your Father in Heaven.
2 So whenever you give
to the poor, don’t sound a
trumpet before you, as
the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the
12. streets, to be applauded
by people. I assure you:
They’ve got their reward!
3 But when you give to
the poor, don’t let your
left hand know what
your right hand is doing,
13. 4 so that your giving may
be in secret. And your
Father Who sees in secret
will reward you.”
Matthew 6:1-4 HCSB
14. Jesus knew all of us are
naturally self-centered, so
He cautioned:
“Be careful not to practice
your righteousness in
front of people, to be
seen by them” (v. 1).
15. Jesus earlier had said we
are to do our good works
“before men, so that they
may see” them and glorify
the Father (5:16).
16. So in Matthew 6:1, was He
saying the opposite?
The greatest difference
between the two verses
lies in motivation.
In 5:16, the motive is to
glorify the Father, not to
17. be seen.
In 6:1, the motive is to be
seen, not to glorify the
Father.
The word translated “to
be seen” in 6:1 has the
same root from which we
21. Last week in Matthew
chapter 5 we saw where
Jesus used six examples of
righteousness that surpassed
that of scribes and Pharisees.
Those examples had to do
with relating to people:
22. Practice mercy rather than
murder, faithfulness to
spouses in thought and deed,
marriage building rather than
marriage breaking, be known
for truthfulness rather than
deception, forgiveness rather
23. than retaliation, and love
rather than hate.
Here in 6:1-18 He used three
examples to illustrate
righteousness in religious
devotion that surpassed that
of scribes and Pharisees.
24. The first is giving, which
does relate to people.
Giving also, along with
praying and fasting, was
considered to be an act of
spiritual devotion to God.
25. Jesus obviously assumed His
followers would be gracious
givers, for He said,
“whenever you give to the
poor,” not “if you give”.
27. Today, because taxes
finance numerous social
services for lower income
people, some believers
excuse themselves from
personal charitable
giving.
28. An excuse is the skin of a
reason.
Highway patrolman and
excuses…
31. Others avoid giving by
wrongly stereotyping all
poor people as unwilling
to work, wanting
something for nothing, or
victims of their own bad
choices—addicted
32. poor stewards, being
sexually immoral, or
committing crimes.
When in reality, some
were downsized, laid off,
crushed by medical
expenses, deserted or
33. abused by spouses,
scammed of resources, or
are emotionally or
physically disabled.
In either case, children
often are materially and
emotionally deprived.
38. Granted, poverty seems to
be a puzzle society can’t
solve (26:11).
Matthew 26:11
11 “You always have the
poor with you, but you do
not always have Me.”
39. That does not excuse us
for failing to help wisely
and generously whenever
we can (6:2).
“So whenever you give to
the poor …”
Matthew 6:2a
40. Jesus warned against
using giving as a means of
gaining people’s
admiration as some do.
He called them
hypocrites, pretenders,
actors playing a role for
42. The reference to sound a
trumpet before you is
almost certainly a figure
of speech similar to our
“blow your own horn.”
44. Some give in ways
calculated to win
admiration and
recognition from people.
Jesus said that would be
their reward, a word
meaning “paid in full”.
45. That is what they wanted,
and that was all they’d
get.
“Don’t let your left hand
know what your right
hand is doing”.
*The first filling I ever did.
50. Those words depict
graphically Jesus’ point:
Giving that honors and
pleases the Father is secret
rather than showy (v. 4).
People don’t see secret
acts, but the Father does.
51. He rewards giving done
from motives that glorify
Him.
What kind of rewards
does God hand out?
Remember, the Father’s
rewards are given by
52. grace, not by obligation.
Jesus taught that giving to
the needy provides for us
“an inexhaustible
treasure,” but He
qualified that by adding
“in Heaven”.
55. Rewards of heavenly
treasures are spiritual in
nature.
We do receive rewards on
this side of Heaven.
Among them are a good
conscience, inner joy,
56. a clearer perspective on
material wealth, and a
closer walk with the Lord.
Although Jesus’
illustration is about
helping materially
impoverished people,
57. we should also recognize
our need for helping
spiritually impoverished
people as well.
We can do that through
giving tithes and through
our special offerings:
64. Margaret Lackey Offering
For State Missions
FBCJ goal: $50,000.00
Given to date: $26,256.00
These funds go to:
Christian
Women’s/Men’s Job
65. Margaret Lackey Funds:
College Outreach/B.J.Frew
Criminal Justice Ministry
New Church Starts
Central Hills Campground
Community Missions
Camp Garaywa
66. Margaret Lackey Funds:
Port Ministries
Cross Cultural Evangelism
Disaster Relief
Language/Deaf Ministries
Mission Volunteers
72. the street corners to be
seen by people. I assure
you: They’ve got their
reward!
6 But when you pray, go
into your private room,
shut your door, and pray
73. to your Father Who is in
secret. And your Father
Who sees in secret will
reward you.
7 When you pray, don’t
babble like the idolaters,
since they imagine they’ll
74. be heard for their many
words.
8 Don’t be like them,
because your Father
knows the things you
need before you ask Him.
75. 9 Therefore, you should
pray like this:
Our Father in Heaven,
Your name be honored as
holy.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
76. on earth as it is in
Heaven.
11 Give us today our
daily bread.
12 And forgive us our
debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.
77. 13 And do not bring us
into temptation,
but deliver us from the
evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory forever.”
78. The second example is
about whenever you pray
(v. 5), indicating Jesus
indeed expects us to pray.
He did not prescribe
pharisaical legalistic rules
about when or how often
79. that should be.
His personal example,
however, presents good
guidelines for us.
He often prayed early at
the beginning of the day.
At times, He prayed all
83. Jesus cited three kinds of
prayer to avoid.
First, don’t pray as those
who loved to be seen
praying in synagogues
and on street corners(v. 5).
84. When Jesus was here the
first time, the religious
authorities believed it was
necessary to pray at
specific times of the day,
and would often make
sure they were in large
85. crowds of people when
those times arose so that
they could be seen and
heard by all.
Jesus did not approve of
this.
86. In Luke 18, we have the
story of the Pharisee and
the tax collector.
Both men prayed out loud
and in public: the tax
collector prayed earnestly
to God and was justified;
88. Scripture does not tell us
to not pray in public.
The Bible does tell us to
not pray in such a way as
to try to exalt ourselves.
89. There are also many
examples in the Bible of
group prayer or praying
in front of others:
Solomon prayed publicly
in dedicating the temple
(1 Kings 8:22-61).
90. Daniel prayed alone in his
room, but by an open
window where he could
be seen (Daniel 6:10-11).
The Church prayed for
Peter's miraculous release
from prison (Acts 12:5).
91. Jesus prayed in public
“because of the crowd
standing here” so they
might believe that God
sent Him. (John 11:42)
92. John 11:41-44
41 “So they removed the
stone. Then Jesus raised
His eyes and said,“Father,
I thank You that You
heard Me.
93. 42 I know that You always
hear Me, but because of
the crowd standing here I
said this, so they may
believe You sent Me.”
43 After He said this, He
shouted with a loud
101. Nothing is wrong with
lifting praying hands in
the midst of other
worshipers or on street
corners, and loving to
pray is certainly
commendable.
102. Jesus was cautioning
against praying in public
with the motive of
receiving admiring
glances and pats on the
back for being so devout.
103. At least a few observers
saw through such
hypocrisy then as they do
now.
The Lord certainly did.
104. A second mistake when
praying is to babble like
the idolaters (v. 7).
105. Jesus warned against a
high word-to-substance
ratio in prayer:
Pagan prayers at the time
believed that there was
power in continuous
repetition of words, that if
106. you said a word often
enough, then you could
eventually own that object
or claim that power for
yourself.
Jesus condemned this.
107. Word Study:
Babble (Matt. 6:7)
The word translated
babble appears only here
in the Bible.
Because of the word’s
sound, the basic meaning
108. has been suggested as “to
stammer,” that is, to
repeat words.
A derived meaning came
to imply going on and on
without thinking.
110. Various translations are:
“use vain or meaningless
repetitions,”
“heap up empty phrases,”
“saying things that mean
nothing” and the like.
111. Prayer that is “babble” is
prayer in form only; it has
no substance.
Jesus said idolaters
prayed that way (for
example the priests of
Baal on Mount Carmel).
112. Layering on words
doesn’t impress God, nor
do prayers offered with
the mind in neutral and
the heart focused
elsewhere.
113. “In prayer it is better to
have a heart without
words than words
without a heart.”
John Bunyan
114. Jesus was not forbidding
prayer for the same thing
over and over.
115. Matthew 26:39
“My Father! If it is
possible, let this cup pass
from Me. Yet not as I will,
but as You will.”
116. Jesus prayed that same
prayer three times in a
row.
He even told parables
about persistence in
prayer (Matt. 7:7-11).
117. Nevertheless, we are not
to stretch out our prayers
as long as possible,
erroneously thinking
many words ensure God’s
positive response (6:7).
118. Jesus stressed that the
Father listens to earnest
hearts, not endless words,
especially when the
words are mechanical.
Who among us hasn’t
offered “good” public
119. prayers at church or at the
table with a disengaged
heart?
Haven’t we also found
our minds wandering as
we prayed privately or as
another prayed aloud?
120. The Lord hears heartfelt
prayers but ignores
ego-centered and empty-
headed performances.
121. Third, we need not feel
compelled to inform God
of endless details about
our needs.
Jesus reminded us the
Father knows the things
you need before you ask
122. Him (v. 8).
That’s a comforting
thought, for we frequently
have an incomplete and
distorted picture of what
we truly need.
123. This is not to discourage
us from making specific
requests in prayer, for He
invites us to do that.
It does assure us that He
will answer in ways that
best meet our needs,
124. further His kingdom, and
enhance our usefulness.
Three kinds of prayer that
Jesus warned us to avoid:
•
praying to be seen
•
babbling on and on
•
informing God of detail
125. Jesus instructed us to find
a private place for prayer
where thoughts of
people’s responses won’t
distract us.
Thus in secret we can
focus on the Father (v. 6).
126. The greatest reward for
praying may be simply
having a personal
conversation with God;
He Whom we cannot see
sees us and hears us as
well (v. 6).
127. Jesus even provided a
model prayer to show us
how to pray.
We can pray it as is or use
it as a guide for our
prayers.
128. It begins with a focus on
God and His purposes
before moving to our
personal requests.
130. We don’t pray to the
Great Someone in the
Great Somewhere, but to
our Father in Heaven (v9).
Our view of God
determines how we pray.
131. Human fathers are not
always the loving and
wise providers, teachers,
and examples their
children need;
but most of them want to
be and try to be.
132. God is the ideal Father—
all-loving, all-knowing,
all-wise, all-powerful, and
always present with us.
At the same time, He is in
Heaven, which tells us He
is greater than we can
133. comprehend;
so we approach Him as
our Father with due
reverence.
The pronoun our reminds
us that a personal
relationship with the
134. Father brings us into
relationship with all who
are in the family of faith.
Nowhere in the model
prayer do we find the
singular pronouns me,
my, or I.
135. Love for God and concern
for others are bundled
together for those who by
faith know God as Father.
The first request is that
the Father’s name be
honored as holy (v. 9).
136. One’s name in Biblical
thought stood for the
person.
The Father’s covenant
name is Yahweh (Ex.
3:14). This petition is that
God will help all people
137. everywhere to recognize
the Lord God Almighty as
He revealed Himself in
Jesus Christ and honor
Him accordingly.
139. Your kingdom come
could be translated:
“Your reign come.”
The kingdom has come in
the hearts of all who have
submitted to Jesus as
Lord.
140. It also is coming as more
people yield their hearts to
His reign. The kingdom
will not have come fully,
though, until Jesus returns
and establishes it
absolutely and forever.
141. This petition asks the
Father to bring people
under His reign.
We want His rule and His
reign to take place in our
hearts as readily as it
takes place in Heaven.
143. To pray for the Father to
see that His will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven
frightens some.
They fail to distinguish
between what God desires
and what He permits.
144. He desires all to be saved,
but He permits many to
turn from Him.
9“God is not wanting
any to perish but all to
come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
145. He desires all of us to
keep His commands, but
He permits our
disobedience and the
destruction it causes.
We live, therefore, in a
world cursed by sin.
146. Even so, the Father
weaves even sin’s
consequences into a
pattern that ultimately
will achieve His good will
(Rom. 8:28).
148. Presently, Heaven is the
only place free of sin and
its painful effects.
The more God’s will is
done on earth, the better
off everyone will be.
150. The prayer’s focus shifts
from God’s eternal
purposes to our temporal
needs.
We are to request what we
need to sustain life, such as
daily bread (Matt 6:11).
153. Daily may be understood
as “for today” or “for
tomorrow,” in either case
pointing to immediate
need.
This prayer reminds us
that our Father ultimately
154. is our Provider (provision)
pro = before
vision = to see
As a wise Father, God
provides what we need,
not necessarily what we
want.
156. We also are to ask for
forgiveness.
Debts are sins viewed as
obligations to the Father
(v. 12).
We dare not take lightly
the rest of the verse:
157. as we also have forgiven
our debtors.
At least two Biblical
teachings about salvation
seem in conflict with the
words forgive us … as we
also have forgiven:
158. (1) Salvation is by grace
through faith in Christ,
not by works (Eph. 2:8-
10). That rules out earning
forgiveness by forgiving.
(2) Faith in Christ brings
forgiveness and eternal
160. 29 My Father, Who has
given them to Me, is
greater than all. No one is
able to snatch them out of
the Father’s hand.”
John 10:28-29
161. *Noah fell down in the
ark but he could never fall
out of the ark.
*If He is strong enough to
save you, He is strong
enough to keep you
saved.
162. So what did Jesus mean
when He said: forgive us
… as we also have
forgiven?
Perhaps He meant one of
two possibilities:
163. (1) Believers who refuse to
forgive will still be
saved but penalized by
losing their rewards
(1 Cor. 3:10-15).
164. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
12 “If anyone builds on
that foundation with gold,
silver, costly stones,
wood, hay, or straw,
13 each one’s work will
become obvious, for the
165. day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed
by fire; the fire will test
the quality of each one’s
work. 14 If anyone’s work
that he has built survives,
he will receive a reward.
166. 15 If anyone’s work is
burned up, it will be lost,
but he will be saved; yet it
will be like an escape
through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
167. (2) Those who disobey the
Lord by refusing to
forgive have not truly
experienced God’s
forgiveness (Matt. 7:21).
Prodigal pigs.
168. The faith that fizzles at the
finish had a flaw from the
first.
169. When we’ve been
dreadfully harmed by
someone, forgiving can be
difficult and seem almost
impossible.
Perhaps that’s the reason
Jesus included forgiveness
170. in His model prayer.
*We cannot forgive
without divine help.
*Jesus made plain that
forgiving each other was
of paramount importance.
171. We should trust Him to
enable us to forgive others
as we rejoice that He has
forgiven us.
174. Do not bring us into
temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one (v. 13).
(“Evil one” also can be
translated “evil”; the
essential meaning is the
same.)
176. We know God is good
and does not tempt us to
sin (Jas. 1:13), so how are
we to understand this?
A lot has been written
about this. The overall
meaning is obvious:
177. the prayer is for the
Father to keep us on the
straight and narrow, that
is, to keep us doing His
will rather than being led
astray by Satan.
178. A good approach to
understanding Jesus’
words is simply to ask
what the Father’s answer
to this request would be.
Would it not be that the
Father would lead us
181. For Yours is the kingdom
could tie it to the entire
prayer or the preceding
petition for the Lord to
deliver us from evil.
182. We can trust Him to lead
us into paths of
righteousness because His
is the kingdom and the
power and the glory
forever. Amen.
183. Can we admit being a
hypocrite in some ways is
breathtakingly easy?
We should accept Jesus’
challenge to spiritual
integrity.
184. For the Father’s sake, let’s
cheerfully give to help
others materially and
spiritually with no
thought of recognition.
Let’s pray with honest,
open, and sincere hearts
185. for people to be saved and
to grow in Christ without
calling attention to
ourselves.
Let’s consider our
spiritual struggles or
assignments that may be
186. signposts directing us to
fast and pray, and let’s
keep that private.
Let’s seek to please God
by doing the right things
in the right way with the
right motives.
187. Biblical Truths of This
Lesson in Focus
• Guard against being
hypocritical in spiritual
matters by making sure
your motives are pleasing
to God.
188. • Our motive for giving to
the needy and to support
Christian ministries is
always to honor God,
never to gain recognition.
189. • Our praying, both in
public and in private, is to
be an honest, heartfelt
address to the Father, not
a performance.
190. • Our prayers should first
reflect kingdom concerns
and then personal needs.
• Our prayers are futile if
we harbor an unforgiving
spirit.
191. • Our fasting should be
done as a private act of
devotion to God, not to
impress fellow believers.
We have an audience of
One!
192. This lesson looks at some
of Jesus’ words on giving,
praying, and fasting.
In which of these areas, or
other areas, do you need
to work on doing the right
things in the right way for
196. fasting is obvious to
people. I assure you:
They’ve got their reward!
17 But when you fast, put
oil on your head, and
wash your face,
197. 18 so that you don’t show
your fasting to people
but to your Father Who is
in secret. And your
Father Who sees in secret
will reward you.”
Matthew 6:16-18
198. Whenever you fast (v. 16)
At its core, fasting is a
spiritual discipline of
depriving ourselves of
food as an expression of
devotion to God, our
desire for Him being
199. greater than our desire for
food.
(Some suggest the intent
of fasting could include
temporarily depriving
ourselves of television, the
internet, or a hobby.)
200. Scriptures neither
commands fasting for
believers nor offers
instructions for fasting
and its duration.
(Indeed, health
constraints prohibit or
201. limit some people from
food fasts and those same
things should also limit
them from fast foods.)
A fast could be omitting
certain kinds of food, all
foods, or perhaps
202. something else; and
durations mentioned in
the Bible vary from one
day (sunrise to sunset) to
forty days.
All that is well and good,
but didn’t most of us
203. grow up with church
traditions tilted more
toward covered-dish
suppers than fasting?
The best way to
encourage attendance for
anything at church is to
204. announce “refreshments
will be served.”
Churches are famous for
eating-meetings.
Eatin’ and fightin’, the
two things Southern
Baptists do the most.
205. Many of our churches
have a Wednesday
evening meal associated
with the mid-week prayer
meeting.
What do you think would
happen if members
206. showed up on
Wednesday to discover a
fasting-and-prayer
meeting was replacing the
eatin’-meetin’?
207. Jesus’ assumption that His
disciples would practice
fasting ought to inspire us
to take another look.
The Bible has numerous
references to fasting.
208. It is associated with fervent
prayers of confession and
intercession (Daniel 9:3).
Jehoshaphat proclaimed a
fast when Judah faced a
national threat
(2 Chronicles 20).
209. Jesus fasted 40 days in
preparation for His
testing before beginning
His public ministry (Matt.
4:2). The congregation at
Antioch was at worship
and fasting when the Lord
210. led them to set apart
Barnabas and Saul for
missions (Acts 13:2).
Paul and Barnabas
appointed elders for new
churches and committed
them to the Lord with
211. prayer and fasting (14:23).
Most Americans could
afford to fast from food
for health reasons. Is there
something in your life
from which you need to
fast for spiritual reasons?
213. Jesus, of course, alerted
believers against the use
of fasting to show off by
dramatizing their
deprivation, that is, being
sad-faced in public (v. 16).
214. Jesus wants those who
fast to be well groomed.
Personal fasting is to be a
secret act of devotion to
the Father, and He
promises to reward us
when we fast with that