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wealth: anything that is not aligned with God

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Loving money suggests a pursuit for wealth on Earth. Since God demands our whole hearted devotion this prevents us from loving God the way he wants.

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Q: Is it fear/worry induced?
Q: Am I hearing God to take care of His talents?

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Is it literally? Does He reward all of His people evenly in earthly riches? There is clear disparity in wealth and resources even among His people

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v23
Bad (G4190 - poneros):
Physically - diseased or blind
Ethically - evil wicked, bad

Eye (G3788 - Opthalmos):
The eye or metaphorically, the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing

Darkness (G4655 - skotos):

of ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell

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V22 The idea behind a good eye is a being generous or single-minded, focusing on Kingdom of God and his righteousness and knowing that material things will be added to us.
It is applicable to disciples attitude towards material things.

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Greek word of hate:
theostyges which means hater of God
miseo : hate. hateful
stygetos: hateful

Joshua 24:19 (cross-reference)
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

This verse is in reference to the fact that we cannot serve two masters as God is a jealous God.

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treasures in heaven (eternal life ...)
vs
treasures on earth (american dream ...)

vs21
where your treasure is, where your heart will be also
heart in heaven vs heart on earth

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Does He appoint work in our lives as an extension of His providence?

And what does He call us to do in life? Not to strive, but also not to be lazy and miss out on His callings

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hate: μισέω (mis-eh'-o) [verb] dislike intensely, detest, to love less
despise: καταφρονέω (kat-af-ron-eh'-o) [verb] to hold in contempt, despise, disdain, think little or nothing of

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money is the root of all evil [1 Timothy 6:10]

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Represents our labour of work that we worry about

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Worry affects the amount of faith we have, and is also displeasing to God

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V23 - What's the relation between having a bad eye and then being full of darkness?

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Humbling perspective that in comparison in lilies how temporal and fleeting are our worldly concerns

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V24 - Why is it that loving 'money' means you hate God?

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V24 - What is the difference between hate and despise?

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V24 - What are the 2 masters? God vs Wealth? Or could be something else?

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V19 - What are treasures in heaven?

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V22 - What does having a clear eye mean?

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What's the point when God provides regardless of worry?

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Continuation from V24 in having 2 masters - God and the world. The truth of having no worries is because we have a one good master.

When we allow worldly things and money to become our master - they become our worry

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what is the significance of "anoint your head and wash your face"?
- normal practice is to put oil on your head and wash your face, Pharisees will skip this step when they fast so it's more obvious when they fast. so this emphasises the point of not being showy when interacting/ doing things for God

what does it mean by "your father who is secret?"
- God is unseen
- fasting done in secret is eternal

why do we usually ask ppl what they are fasting from esp during 40-day fast
- intentionality behind it

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There are more important things in life. God knows and covers our needs.

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emphasis on the importance of being less showy - linked to the earlier part of the text

not for people's validation but between you and God (good hearts posture)

v18: "for your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you"
- repeated many times
- emphasize or bring across this point

V16, struggle of the fast is between you and God: intimacy

fasting comes right after the verses on prayer, shows that it comes hand in hand

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Be more objective when sharing, pick out a few important points to elaborate on.

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Be more objective when sharing, pick out a few important points to elaborate on.

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Be more objective when sharing, pick out a few important points to elaborate on.

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25 “For this reason I say to you, [q]do not be worried about your [r]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single [s]day to his [t]life’s span? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [u]seek first [v]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [w]provided to you.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [x]worry about itself. [y]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is [n]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is [o]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is 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 one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [p]wealth.

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God will reward your spirit, honors your time and your posture vs materialistic fleshy rewards

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16 “Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [l]distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But as for you, when you fast, [m]anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

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What does it mean to use thoughtless repetition when we pray

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Why is doing things in secret so important to God?

Are our words more on how we want to impress or express to the Lord?

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What is the difference between the worldly reward and God's reward?

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How do you ascertain when it is appropriate to show acts of righteousness? When do you cross the line between being boastful and raising awareness?

How do you balance "letting your good works shine" and " now doing worked "to be seen by them" ?

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v4 in secret x 2
v6 in secret x 1

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God prefers intimacy with us

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They repeat synagogues and streets, but change one word "praise" and "seen".

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We should not do things just to seek validation from others

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O&I
1. v1 - to be noticed by them

2. v2 - be humble when you're doing a good deed and not to be full of yourself.

3. v2 and v5 - God knows that you give from your heart, being genuine etc. God will give the rightful amount of reward and He has the authority to assign the amount.

4. reward - where you want to get your reward from? hypocrite  -> where are you getting from? but if you're truly God's disciple, you get your reward from God. the heart behind your act.

5. being righteous and praying, giving to the poor.. there's a similarity. people has incentives to do publicly to gain attention. god's testing our heart on the intention. the heart posture behind all your acts

Question:
1. How do you not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing?

2. Is all public ministry dishonourable?

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1. tangible vs intangible rewards :
- in verse 2, the reward could come in a form of praise when people trumpet their devotions. However, when you seek the Lord in private, rewards come in an intangible way (eg, God fulfils your needs cause he knows what's best for you)

2. motives :
- emphasis on inner motives. How we set out hearts right before the Lord.

3. silence is gold :
- not to trumpet our prayers as it is sacred and it is the heart and sincerity we have.

v7: 'thoughtless repetition'; God looks more at the heart besides what we mention.

4. All for God > to be set apart (counter-wordly)
instructions with "so that your father" > it's all for God
so that we "do not do things like the  -- do"
Jesus wants to emphasize that we are to be set apart

resonates w 1 Peter 2:9
(where Paul said we are a royal priesthood and are to be different from others)
>> although interesting that gentiles are mentioned to be separate from God's ppl in the last verse
(cause in another part of bible Jesus talks about how the Word is also for Gentiles and Gentiles are also welcomed into heaven :3)

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reward

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Jesus is speaking
Acts of Righteousness
v1- Don't do works with the intention of being seen by men
v2 - Hypocrites make an affair out of their acts of charities and the attention they receive is all they will get
v3 - Acts of righteousness should be kept as secret as possible to as much as possible avoid drawing attention
v4 - God rewards those who do works not for the attention
v5&6 -Similiar theme of privacy in prayer as in acts
-Similiar consequences
v7 - Do not pray with flamboyance and repetition (merely for emphasis in the eye of man)
v8 - God knows what you need

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Leave me here! Thanks!

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v1-8
6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2 “So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they [c]will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.