Examine Your Motives
Matthew 6: 5 – 18

INTRODUCTION: A. I recently ran across a letter written by a father who wanted to apologize to a certain
young man for not allowing him to marry his daughter:
Dear Marty,
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off your engagement to my daughter. Will you please
forgive and forget?
I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk haircut, tattoos and pierced nose. I now realize
motorcycles aren’t really that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted that way to the
fact that you have never held a job.
I am also very sure that some other very nice people live under the bridge in the park, too. Sure
my daughter is only 18 and wants to marry you instead of going to Harvard on full
scholarship. After all, you can’t learn everything about life from books.
I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong. I was a fool. I have now come to my
senses and you have my full blessing to marry my daughter.
Sincerely,
Your future father-in-law.
P.S. Congratulations on winning the lottery!
B. Last week, we started looking at the section in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus challenges
us to be sure that we what we do with honesty and sincerity.
--That we should do what we do in order to gain God’s approval instead of prestige and approval
from other human beings
1. We looked at Mt. 6:1-4 last week
--This week we continue with vss. 5-18
2. Jesus raises the main question: “Who is your audience?”
a. Are you motivated by the approval of men or the applause of God?
b. The title of this morning’s message: EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES
3. Jesus starts the whole section with this statement in Matthew. 6:1 – “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
C. In our passage this morning, Jesus warns us against praying to impress others.
--He challenges us to pray with sincerity. Jesus says, “Pray to be heard by God, not to
be seen by others.”
1. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ instruction for those who would
claim to be Christ- followers.
--If you’re going to claim Him as your King, you need to live according to the
principles of His Kingdom
2. Kingdom living is righteous living
a. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus teaches us that living a righteous life is not just a
matter of what we do, but also involves why we do it.
b. Jesus is not just concerned with us doing the right things, he wants us do the
right things for the right reasons.
--For Him the “why” is just as important as the “what”.
3. Kingdom-living is motivated by seeking God’s approval.
a. In Matthew 6 Jesus gives at least 3 areas where we need to examine our motives
to make sure we’re a living to express love to God, not to impress others.
I. AUTHENTIC PRAYER IS PRACTICED IN PRIVATE (NOT PERFORMED IN PUBLIC)
--Matthew 6:5-6 – 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
A. Notice that Jesus talks about praying the same way He talks about giving
1. He says, “WHEN you pray...” not “IF you pray...”
2. Jesus expects that those who claim to be Christ-followers will practice an authentic prayer life
B. Jesus warns against prayer that is motivated by public recognition and a desire to impress others.
1. The problem is not praying in public, it’s praying in public to be seen and
noticed by other people.
2. If we’re not making time to talk to him privately, then we shouldn’t be praying publicly.
a. Jesus says that particular practice is hypocritical.
1). Remember from last week: a hypocrite was an actor who changed roles by changing masks
2). In its biblical application, it’s pretending to be someone in public that you are not in private.
C. We need to be careful that our acts of righteousness do not become just a show
2. Luke 18: 10 – 14 teaches us about our attitude when praying
10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
3. Jesus saw how easy it is for us to begin trying to win some sort of prayer competition; even going so far as to pray publicly in such a way that others can see how well WE pray!
II. AUTHENTIC PRAYER IS BASED ON A LOVING RELATIONSHIP (NOT A LIFELESS RITUAL)
--Matthew 6:7-8 – 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
A. Jesus is reminding us of the purpose of prayer
1. The purpose of praying is to connect and communicate with God so our relationship with Him grows.
2. Too many churches just mindlessly go through rituals because they think that is what they are
supposed to do.
--Anything authentic in our prayers is based on a relationship with God
3. Prayer becomes a ritual when we simply recite a memorized formula and when we slip into repetition.
--Sometimes we recite ritualistically and repetitiously because we just want to get it over with
B. Authentic prayer can be made hypocritical by just praying because it’s an obligation
1. A foursome of golfers was on the green at the 11th hole. Down on the road, a funeral procession of cars passed by on the way from the funeral home to the cemetery. One of the guys in the foursome whose name was Larry took off his hat, stood at attention, and had a somber look on his face as he watched the procession go by.
The other three guys look stunned. After the funeral procession was out of sight, one the of the guys asked, “Larry, I didn’t know you were so respectful of the dead.” Larry said, “Well, I felt kind of obligated. After all, we would have been married for 37 years here in another month.”
2. When we pray out of obligation, we’re missing out on the kind of relationship that God wants to have with us.
C. Starting in vs. 9, Jesus gives us what some call “The Lord’s Prayer”
1. Actually this prayer should be called the Disciples Prayer or the Model Prayer
2. What’s ironic is that many people quote this prayer mechanically in vain repetition.
--They do it out of ritual or obligation and they negate the relationship that God wants
3. Please pay attention that there is not a command against praying these particular words privately or corporately
a. Many of the Jewish people recited what they called the Eighteen Benedictions and they prayed at given times of the day: 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

4. Understand that Jesus wasn’t necessarily placing a ban on communal prayers
a. However, He did recognize that we have a tendency to engage in form rather than function
b. We become more engaged with ritualistic and repetitious formulas and forget that prayer is about relationship
D. What we call the Lord’s Prayer is in reality a model to follow and not just a prayer to repeat
--Mt. 6:9a – “This, then, is how you should pray...”
1. He didn’t say, “Pray these words...”
--He was saying, “Pray in this manner...”
2. Authentic prayer is a privilege; not an obligation
--It recognizes God as a loving Father who delights in relationship with us and delights in meeting our needs
3. You don’t just have to repeat this model prayer to fall into routine
a. Have you ever found yourself sometimes praying and then realizing when you were done, you really have no idea what you had just said?
--I know that I have
b. Sadly, I think we have lost the idea of intimate relationship with God when we just go through the motions
c. One minister used to use this illustration of his then teenage son. He would ask his audience
how they think he would feel if his son came to him and murmured on in this fashion: “O thou who dost clothe me and feed me, who provideth shelter and a place to rest; I beseech thee: Lend me the car.”
He went on to say that if his son ever did something like that, he would probably smack him in the head. This was a father-son relationship, so he expected intimacy in that relationship; not high sounding words.
3. It has been said that: “Prayer is a simple two-way conversation between you and God. It is not the body’s posture but the heart’s attitude that counts when we pray. Prayer is not our using of God; it more often puts us in a position where God can use us."
III. AUTHENTIC PRAYER EXALTS GOD (INSTEAD OF ELEVATING US)
--Hypocritical prayers are about exalting self and putting on a public show.
A. Let’s pay close attention to the words of Matthew 6: 9 – 13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
a. The important thing is that it doesn’t matter if we use these words because they are correct and
honor God which is the purpose of this model prayer
b. So let’s honor God this morning by looking at the elements of this model prayer:
B. It begins with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
--One little kid prayed, “Our father who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name.”
1. What does that word Hallowed mean?
a. Literally it means to be holy.
b. That’s simply saying, “God I worship you. You are worthy of my worship.”
c. There is none like Him, and no one has the authority He possesses.
3. We’re invited into the presence of this Holy Father because of what Jesus did for us on the cross
a. Heb. 4:14 –16 talks about what Jesus did and how He know provides the way for us to come to the
Father. Because of Jesus then in vs. 16, it says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
b. Rom. 8:15 – For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
--“Abba” is an Aramaic term of intimacy; like our word “Dad”
C. The next phrase is “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
1. It’s a statement of priorities
--In it we say, “God I’m committed to You and Your will.”
2. The purpose of the Lords prayer is to glorify God’s name and to ask for help in accomplishing His will on this earth.
a. Prayer needs to begin with God’s interests not ours.
3. It’s been said that prayer is a mighty instrument not in getting man’s will done in heaven but getting God’s will done on earth.
D. The next part of the prayer, “Give us today our daily bread.”
1. In authentic prayer we say several important things
a. God, I need You
b. God, I’m going to completely trust in You for my needs
c. God, I’m going to trust in You on a daily basis
2. Why should we ask God for a daily provision of our needs?
--For the purpose of serving and glorifying Him
E. Then Jesus says to pray: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,”
1. Drawing closer to God also means growing closer to others
a. When Jesus gave us the model to pray, “Our Father,” He wasn’t just referring to you and Him
--“Our Father” recognizes others who are in the kingdom of God
b. Here we’re praying about personal relationships
2. God hates unforgiveness.
--Do you know why?
a. When we refuse to forgive we display a stunning lack of gratitude.
--He has forgiven us even though we don’t deserve it and He asks us to do the same thing
b. Jesus warns us in Mt. 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
1). Kingdom living involves forgiving other people as well as having God forgive us
2). “He who cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must
someday pass.”
E. Jesus then says we’re to pray: “Lead us not into temptation., but deliver us from the evil one.”
1. 1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
a. Since the beginning of time, Satan has desired to lead us astray
--He wants to lead as many people as possible away from relationship with the heavenly Father
b. In Eph. 6, Paul warns us about the spiritual warfare and the wiles of the Devil
--Satan wants to destroy us
2. However, there’s a beautiful promise in 1 Cor. 10:13 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
a. God wants us to seek His will and guidance
b. He wants us to be aware that Satan is looking to trap us
c. But if we’ll trust in the Father, His Spirit will show us how to avoid the Devil’s traps and schemes
IV. AUTHENTIC FASTING BUILDS A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (INSTEAD OF
MAKING US LOOK MORE HOLY)
--Matthew 6:16-18 – “16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
A. Jesus turns from the subject of prayer to a subject most Christians just ignore
1. Most people are very surprised to find that there are more than 74 separate references to fasting in the Bible.
2. It’s never associated with weight loss, or as a hunger strike to be used for political purposes.
--Fasting is the practice of abstaining from something we like in order to grow spiritually.
a. Fasting is a sacrifice to God and a personal tool for relationship growth.
b. It’s a tool that when coupled with prayer is powerful.
B. But just like the hypocrites giving and praying for public approval and popularity, evidently some of them were fasting so people would notice them.
1. The only fast God actually required of the Jewish people was on the annual Day of Atonement.
2. But the Pharisees practiced fasting two days a week (usually Mondays and Thursdays) and did so in such a way that people would know they were fasting.
a. They’d make their faces look pale and they’d put ashes on their head,
b. People would say, “You don’t look well.”
--Their response would go something like this, “Oh, I’m okay; sometimes I look a little indignant
when I fast for so long.”
c. They wanted people to put them on a pedestal of devotion
--Jesus just shakes his head and says, they’ve received their reward -- the attention of men.
d. True fasting revolves around intimacy with God.
C. Even though the Pharisees fasted for the wrong reasons, Jesus speaks about it because when done authentically, it can be a beneficial practice to grow closer in our relationship with God
1. Please notice that Jesus taught that fasting should be a regular practice for those who claim to be Christ-followers
--Like giving and praying, Jesus says “WHEN” you do it not “IF” you do it
2. Everyone can fast to some extent
--If you have medical reasons such as diabetes to not fast from food, you can fast from TV or
anything else that gives you pleasure so that you can work on your relationship with God
3. When you do it, look normal and behave in a normal fashion
a. keep fasting in private.
b. The results of fasting make it enjoyable.
--When you feel the intimacy with God and see prayers answered and understand God’s will in a deeper way, you’ll know that the discipline is worthwhile
CONCLUSION: Fred Craddock tells of a time when he and his wife were vacation in Tennessee.
They were having dinner in a restaurant when an old man started talking to them. He
was a friendly old fellow and asked Fred what he did for a living. Fred replied that he
was a preacher (thinking this might be the chance to get rid of him).
The old fellow said, “A preacher? That’s great. Let me tell you a story about a
preacher.” He explained that he was born not knowing who his father was which was a
source of great shame in a small town in the early twentieth century.
One day a new preacher came to the local church and the old fellow said that as a
youngster, he’d never gone to church. One Sunday, he decided to go hear this new
preacher. He was good and he went back again and again. He started attending just
about every week. However, the shame of not knowing his father went with him. He
would always arrive late and leave early in order to avoid talking to anyone.
One Sunday he got so caught up in the sermon that he forgot to leave. Before he
knew it the service was over, the people were filing out of the pews and he rushed to get
past them and out the door. As he did, he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He
turned to see the preacher, a big tall man, looking down at him and asking, “What’s your
name, boy? Whose son are you?”
The little boy died inside. The very thing he wanted to avoid was now here. But
before he could say anything, the preacher said, “I know who you are. I know who your
family is. There’s a distinct family resemblance. Why, you’re a son of God!”
The old man sitting at the Craddocks’ table said “You know, mister, those words
changed my life.” And with that he got up and left.
When the waitress came over she said to Fred and his wife, “Do you know who that
was?” “No,” they replied. “That was Ben Hooper, the two-term governor of
Tennessee.”
B. We’ve seen today that God’s relationship to us is like a father, and the Bible says that we
can know God as a Father when we follow HIS words which we find by reading the Bible
--Knowing for sure that God wants to be in a Father-child relationship with you and
living in that relationship through the work of His Son Jesus and the power of His Spirit
will certainly change your life.
Mark 1:15
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 10:32
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Mark 16:16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Galatians 3:27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Romans 6:4
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.