INTRODUCTION
As we continue in our series, Summer on the Mount, we move into chapter 6. Chapter 5 contains the start of the Sermon on the Mount and focuses on the importance of proper motivation for acts of righteousness. To begin chapter 6, Jesus will apply those principles to the three acts of faith, often deemed most important in first-century Judaism: gifts to the poor, prayer, and fasting.
This discussion focuses on the importance of proper motives when performing righteous deeds. Interestingly, the Lord’s Prayer is at the structural center of the Sermon on the Mount.
The theme of an inside-out change continues as Jesus stresses the importance of righteous behavior. Correct actions with improper motives do not please God. These verses are designed to help us reflect on why we help others and pray. Is it to glorify God or for ourselves?
Matthew 6:1–18 (ESV)
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from…
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