Matthew 6 – Living for the Father, Not for Men

Matthew 6: Living for the Father, Not for Men

Giving to the Needy

Chapter with Audio

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

² “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ Pray then like this:

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

¹⁶ “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Do Not Be Anxious

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Chapter Analysis

Matthew 6: True Righteousness Before The Father

Giving In Secret

📖 Matthew 6:1–4

¹ Jesus warned His disciples not to practice their righteous deeds before men in order to be seen by them. If they do, they have no reward from the Father in heaven.
² When giving to the needy, they must not sound a trumpet like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets so they may be honored by men. Truly, they have their reward.
³ When giving, the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing.
⁴ Giving should be done in secret, and the Father who sees in secret will reward openly.

🔹 The Truth

God cares about the motive behind righteous deeds.

Giving for human praise loses heavenly reward.

The Father sees what is done in secret.

🔹 The Promise

The Father rewards what is done sincerely before Him.

✅ Conclusion

True giving is not a performance. It is done before the Father, not for the applause of men.

Prayer Before The Father

📖 Matthew 6:5–15

⁵ Jesus said that when they pray, they should not be like the hypocrites who love to pray standing in synagogues and on street corners so they may be seen by men. They have their reward.
⁶ Instead, they should go into a room, shut the door, and pray to the Father in secret. The Father who sees in secret will reward openly.
⁷ When praying, they should not use empty repetitions like the heathen, who think they will be heard because of many words.
⁸ They should not be like them, because the Father knows what they need before they ask Him.
⁹ Jesus taught them to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
¹³ Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
¹⁴ If they forgive others their trespasses, the heavenly Father will also forgive them.
¹⁵ But if they do not forgive others, neither will the Father forgive their trespasses.

🔹 The Truth

Prayer is not a performance for men.

The Father knows His children’s needs before they ask.

Forgiveness is a serious part of life before the Father.

🔹 The Promise

The Father hears sincere prayer and teaches His children to seek His name, kingdom, will, provision, forgiveness, and deliverance.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus teaches His disciples to pray simply, sincerely, and God-centered before the Father.

Fasting In Secret

📖 Matthew 6:16–18

¹⁶ When fasting, they should not be like hypocrites with sad faces who disfigure their appearance so men will see they are fasting. Truly, they have their reward.
¹⁷ When fasting, they should anoint their head and wash their face,
¹⁸ so they do not appear to men to be fasting, but to the Father who is in secret. The Father who sees in secret will reward openly.

🔹 The Truth

Fasting can be ruined by pride and desire for attention.

God values sincerity more than outward display.

Spiritual devotion is to be practiced before the Father.

🔹 The Promise

The Father sees hidden devotion and rewards what is done for Him.

✅ Conclusion

Fasting is not for spiritual showmanship. It is a private act of devotion before God.

Treasure In Heaven

📖 Matthew 6:19–24

¹⁹ Jesus told them not to store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.
²⁰ Instead, they should store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹ Where the treasure is, there the heart will be also.
²² The lamp of the body is the eye. If the eye is good, the whole body will be full of light.
²³ But if the eye is bad, the whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in a person is darkness, how great is that darkness.
²⁴ No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. They cannot serve God and mammon.

🔹 The Truth

Earthly treasure is temporary and vulnerable.

Heavenly treasure is secure.

The heart follows what it treasures.

No one can serve both God and riches as master.

🔹 The Promise

Treasure laid up in heaven cannot be destroyed or stolen.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus calls His disciples to live for eternal treasure and undivided loyalty to God.

Do Not Worry

📖 Matthew 6:25–34

²⁵ Jesus told them not to worry about life, what they would eat or drink, or about the body, what they would wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
²⁶ They should look at the birds of the air. They do not sow, reap, or gather into barns, yet the heavenly Father feeds them. His children are of more value than they are.
²⁷ No one can add one cubit to his height by worrying.
²⁸ They should consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin.
²⁹ Yet even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
³⁰ If God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, He will much more clothe His people, who are of little faith.
³¹ Therefore they should not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”
³² The Gentiles seek after all these things, but the heavenly Father knows they need them.
³³ They should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to them.
³⁴ Therefore they should not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

🔹 The Truth

Worry does not add strength, provision, or life.

The Father knows what His children need.

Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness must come first.

🔹 The Promise

The Father cares for His children and provides what they need as they seek Him first.

✅ Conclusion

Jesus does not call His disciples to careless living, but to trusting the Father instead of being ruled by worry.

Summary Conclusion

Matthew 6 teaches true righteousness before the Father. Giving, prayer, and fasting must not be done for human praise, but sincerely before God. Jesus calls His disciples to store treasure in heaven, serve God rather than riches, and trust the Father instead of worrying. The heart of the chapter is simple: live before the Father, seek His kingdom first, and trust Him with your needs.

Final Questions For You

1. Why does Jesus warn against doing righteous deeds to be seen by men?
2. What does it mean to store up treasure in heaven?
3. How can seeking first the kingdom of God help believers overcome worry?