To Be Noticed By Them

In one paragraph

The pastor preached through Matthew 6:1-24, skipping the Lord's Prayer to return to it later, and the thread running through every section was motivation. The question Jesus keeps pressing is not whether his disciples give, pray, and fast, but why they do it and for whose attention. The passage opens with a warning that can sound contradictory at first. Last week's text told disciples to let their...

Read together

1. Matthew 6:1-24 primary text for the sermon, worked through in detail
2. Matthew 5:16 cited to show apparent tension with not practicing righteousness before people
3. Luke 6 mentioned as a shorter version of the Sermon on the Mount covered in three sermons
4. Luke 18 referenced as Luke giving an example of a Pharisee praying a long and eloquent prayer
5. Matthew 11:29 used as the benediction about taking Christ's yoke and finding rest

Talk about it

1. The pastor pointed out that the same act, like giving a hundred dollars, can look identical from the outside while the motivation behind it is completely different. What do you think it looks like in practice to examine your own motivation before you give, pray, or fast?
2. The pastor said the message of Christ is countercultural, and someone even texted him that it is countercultural even within church culture. Can you think of examples where habits inside church life might actually run against what Jesus is calling his disciples to in this passage?
3. When the young man on the mission trip asked why they were praying out in a circle rather than in a prayer closet, the pastor said corporate prayer is right and good, but that the motive is what matters. How do you think a person keeps their motive honest when they are asked to pray out loud in front of others?
4. The pastor noted a grammatical detail he said he had not seen before: where your treasure is right now is where your heart will be, future tense. What does it change about how you think about your spending or your time if you read it that way, as a prediction rather than just a description?
5. The pastor closed with the idea that attempts at divided loyalty between God and wealth do not show partial commitment to discipleship but, as he read it, deep seated commitment to idolatry. Does that feel too strong to you, or does it ring true? Why?