Sermon on the Mount – Lesson 6 – Matthew 6:1-18
Answer Sheet
1. From Matthew 6:2, 5, 16, what word does Jesus use that describes those like the Pharisees
who are ‘play acting’ their religious devotion? Give some other synonyms and definitions for
this word. The word that Jesus uses to describe those like the Pharisees who ‘play-act’ their
religious devotion is hypocrite. The Pharisees pretended that they were religiously and morally
sincere, but as hypocrites, they were deceivers. Other words for hypocrite are deceit, fraud,
misleading, perversion of truth, habitual deception.
(b) From Matthew 6:2, 5, 16, fill in the blank following the words of Jesus, “I tell you the truth,
they have received their reward in full.”
(c) From Matthew 6:4, 6, 19, fill in the blank following the words of Jesus, “Then your Father,
who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
2. From Matthew 6:1 with verses 2, 5, and 16, to what three “acts of righteousness” is Jesus
referring? The three acts of righteousness that Jesus is referring to are giving, praying, and
fasting.
Giving
3. Jesus gives instruction on the proper motivation for giving. He contrasts the Pharisees
actions with His teaching. List the Pharisees action and Jesus’ teaching.
Pharisees (verse 2) – The Pharisees announced their giving with trumpets in the synagogue and
on the street.
Jesus’ teaching (verses 3-4) – Jesus teaches that giving is to be done with an attitude that even
our right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing; do this in secret.
4. (a) From Matthew 6:1, what is Jesus’ warning? Jesus warns to be careful not to do acts of
righteousness to gain attention and affirmation from other people. If they do, then God, the
Father won’t reward them.
(b) Compare Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 5:6 and Ephesians 2:8-10. What is the difference
between obtaining righteousness and the practice of righteous acts? There is a difference
between obtaining righteousness and the practice of righteous acts or good deeds. Christ
obtained the kingdom citizen’s righteousness through his death on the cross. Doing acts of
righteousness are done out of gratitude to God, not to win favor with God, as the Pharisees
believed.
(c) PA: Give an example of how people do “acts of righteousness” to bring attention to
themselves and receive affirmation from other people. Personal answers may vary.
(d) According to verse 1, if this is done, how will God, the Father, respond? God, the Father,
will not reward anyone for acts of righteousness done to gain personal attention and
affirmation.
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5. (a) From Matthew 6:3, what phrase does Jesus use that would eliminate self-consciousness
and prevent self-righteousness? Jesus uses the phrase, “Do not let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing.”
(b) PA: How important is it to you to do righteous acts in secret or without fanfare? Righteous
acts done in secret will be rewarded by God, the Father. If you value a reward from God, then
doing righteous acts in secret is very important.
(c) PA: Have you ever done a good deed secretly? If so, how did it make you feel? Personal
answers may vary.
Prayer
6. Jesus gives instruction on the proper motivation for prayer. He contrasts the Pharisees
actions with His teaching. List the Pharisees action and Jesus’ teaching.
Pharisees (verse 5, 7) – The Pharisees prayed in public, again to draw attention to themselves.
They also used many words in repetitious babbling.
Jesus’ teaching (verses 6, 8-15) – Jesus warns about public prayer in order to draw selfish
attention and gives the example of the “Lord’s Prayer” for a model of how to pray without
repetitious babbling.
7. (a) Compare Matthew 6:5-6 and the Pharisees’ attitude with Luke 18:9-14 and the taxpayer’s
attitude. What blessings are found in Matthew 6:6 and 10:14 for the kingdom citizen who
demonstrates the proper heart attitude in prayer before God? The blessings for the kingdom
citizen who demonstrates the proper heart attitude before God include a reward, justification,
and exalted because of his humility.
(b) What does Romans 12:12 say about the importance of the habit of prayer? Romans 12:12
says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
(c) From Matthew 6:7-8, what does Jesus say about the importance of the simplicity of prayer?
In Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus says not to use meaningless, repetitious words over and over again like
the pagans did when praying to their numerous gods and constantly repeating their names.
(d) The privilege of the kingdom citizen is to communicate with the Lord through prayer. The
following verses highlight different aspects of prayer.1 From the following verses, choose one
or two from each category and pray them back to the Lord:
1. Praise – Psalm 9:1-2; Psalm 57:9-10; Psalm 63:3; Psalm 118:28
2. Worship – 1 Chronicles 16:29; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalm 86:9-10; Revelation 4:11
3. Thanksgiving – Psalm 30:11-12; Psalm 75:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 110:4; Psalm 118:1
4. Confession of the truth of who Christ is – Matthew 16:16; Acts 4:24
5. Confession of Sin – 1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 19:12-13; Job 13:23; Isaiah 6:1-3, 5
6. Petition – 1 Kings 3:9; Psalm 4:1; Psalm 7:1; Psalm 25:1-2; Psalm 61:1-2; Psalm 86:11; Psalm
139:23-24; Proverbs 30:7-9
7. Intercession – John 17:11, 15; Acts 12:5; Ephesians 3:16-17a; Colossians 1:9-10; 4:2
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T.W. Hunt and Claude V. King, Pray in Faith, Lifeway Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2007
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(e) PA: In your own words, write a prayer to God using the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Include
phrases of worship, reverence, requests for needs, confession, and adoration. Personal
answers may vary.
8. (a) From Matthew 6:14-16, what is the lesson on forgiveness that Jesus teaches and must be
personally applied to be forgiven by God, the Father? Jesus teaches that we must forgive others
when they sin against us. Then God, the Father will forgive us. Otherwise, God, the Father, will
not forgive us.
(b) PA: Is there anyone you need to forgive? Personal answers may vary.
Fasting
Please note: Fasting from food is not for everyone. Consult your medical physician before
undertaking this type of fasting.
9. Jesus gives instruction on the proper motivation for fasting. He contrasts the Pharisees’
actions with His teaching. List the Pharisees’ action and Jesus’ teaching.
Pharisees (verse 16) – The Pharisees took great pains to look pained! They made sure their
faces reflected the hunger pains they were suffering when they fasted.
Jesus’ teaching (verses 17-18) – Jesus said that when they fasted, they were to look as if they
were not fasting but rather like they did normally.
10. (a) Give the various reasons for fasting from:
Esther 4:6-17 – Esther fasted to prepare to go before the king, which was against the law
without a summons, in order to prepare to plead for the lives of her people.
Ezra 8:21-23 – Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect them
because of wanting to demonstrate his faith in God, who he believed would protect them. So all
those going with Ezra prayed and fasted before going on the journey.
Nehemiah 9:1-2 – Ezra called the Israelites together for fasting and wearing of sackcloth and
having dust on their heads to confess their sins.
Daniel 9:1-19; 10:3 – Daniel receives numerous visions and prophetic dreams. He confesses the
sins of the nation and pleads with God to hear and act on their behalf. He prays and fasts on
the account of his people as well as to obtain godly wisdom.
Jonah 3 – In this chapter, Jonah obediently went to Nineveh and warned the people of God’s
impending judgment. The nation fasted, including animals that were also covered in sackcloth!
Everyone called on God, gave up their evil ways and violence.
Saul of Tarsus (Paul) Acts 9:1-19 – After Saul, who became known as Paul, encountered Jesus
Christ on the road to Damascus and did not eat or drink anything for three days.
(b) PA: Have you spent time praying and fasting? If not, consider it. If so, for what reason, and
what were the results? Personal answers may vary.
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