Lessons from Matthew 6: True Worship
What is the meaning of true worship?
What would you say is your heart’s and mind’s greatest treasure?
While it may be easy to say we are sold out for God, the question is do our motives, focus, and attitudes prove it or otherwise?
It would do us all some good to take a serious look at where we spend most of our time and money. It would be even better to go deeper and ask ourselves what we really focus our mind upon and what truly fills our heart most of the time. What words come out of our mouth and what behavior follows?
True Worship
All these things will point us and others to where our treasure really is. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Not only had the Pharisees misinterpreted the Law of God, as we studied previously, but they had also distorted the application of it in their religious practices.
Therefore Jesus continued His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 by addressing their wrong thinking and hypocrisy. He taught His disciples (and us) the true meaning of the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven and the right actions and attitudes that follow. He explained that rich rewards are given by God the Father to those who choose to follow Jesus’s teaching.
True righteousness comes from a heart set on true worship and heavenly wealth, is free of worry, and seeks God above all things.
True righteousness begins with true worship, which is what Jesus focused on in Matthew 6:1-18.
Jesus began by contrasting the wrong motives of the Pharisees, those who do good in order that they and not God would be praised or exalted before men, with those who, with righteous motives, seek to please God above all else and go unnoticed.
Jesus said those who seek the affirmation or applause of men have received their reward in full and nothing else will be coming to them. But those who give to the needy and do not announce it or make it known as the hypocrites do, will receive their reward in full from God himself.
In the next lesson we will look further into the concept of “the needy” and how true worshipers take care of people who need help.
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach