Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 16 – 18

• Give in secret, pray in secret, fast in secret. Why in secret? Well think of secret like a place. Like a room or a building. Jesus says, “But when you fast, do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place.” God is waiting for you to appear to Him. Not the other way around. See we have made it about us. God, reveal Yourself, come to me, show Yourself but Jesus says, “You, reveal yourself to God. Come to Him. Show yourself to Him…” See that?
• Now that you see it, wanna know where to go? The secret place. (The pastor of a local church grabbed a young man and pulled him aside after Sunday service one day and said to him, “Brother, you need to join the Army of the Lord!” The young man replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord!” The pastor looked puzzled and asked, “Well then why do I only see you on Christmas and Easter?!” The young man leaned in and whispered back, “I’m in the secret service!” HA!)
• Not what we’re talking about here! HA! No this is the place where you give not because you have to but because your heart is to be near to His heart. Where you pray not to get, but to give. And where you fast not to lose weight or for health reasons but to impoverish your very spirit towards Him. He wants to see you, so go to Him…the secret place…that is where He sees…His eyes are on that spot…and that is where He rewards.
• 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 19 – 21

• In the Greek this literally says, “Do not treasure the treasures of this earth, but rather treasure the treasures of heaven…” Why? Because on earth, it’s never enough. But in heaven, simply being there will be enough! Everything here will rust, decay or be given to someone else and so Jesus isn’t saying that we should all have nothing…He’s simply saying let no material thing on this earth have you…that’s why He ties it to the heart in verse 21.
• You know what should have you on this earth…according to the Bible? If you are a Christian…heaven. And the implication of heaven is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because no one gets there without it!
• Our culture and our materialism and our self-filled-living has made the things of God a bolt-on to our lives. Church once a week and work 5 days a week. Bible study 30 minutes a day and the gym an hour and half a day.   Prayer once a day and meals three times per day. 10% of our finances to God and 90% for me, some more like 99% for me…when that is ultra-completely and utterly backwards…and we wonder why our hearts can’t get strong enough to be as we ought to be?
• The things of this world should be bolt-ons to our walks with Christ! And if the thread pattern is wrong then that bolt gets tossed! Church, fellowship, service to the Lord and propagating the Kingdom of God should not be a Sunday attendance record but the very reason why you get up every day! But our culture, our commercials, our smart phone alerts and our coupon apps all install in us an anchor that keeps our treasure right here on earth…it’s completely understandable by the way! And so we need to go against the wind, against the tide, against the undercurrent of this world and set our minds on things above…
• Its then that church will become a treasure to you. Its then that prayer and giving and service towards others will become a treasure to you. Its then that Jesus will become enough and for the first time, what you have on earth will be enough…because your heart is set on what you have in heaven.

Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 22 – 23

• Be careful little eyes what you see…because once you’ve seen there is no unseeing. What’s amazing is that these aren’t the words of Paul, or the words of Peter, or the words of John. These are the words of the Designer. What we see, what we watch, what we lay our eyes on, somehow in our design, affects everything. And is extremely important.
• A lamp, to stay lit, must be fed. Think about it. A fire needs fuel and even a light bulb is a controlled fire. What you are feeding your lamps will either support your whole body being full of light or your whole body being full of darkness. And Jesus uses a peculiar word for “good” when He says, “If therefore your eye is good.” He uses the word single.
• Are your eyes, your lamps to your very soul, reserved for the Lord? Your attitude tells it. Your motivation for life tells it. Why? Because you are what you eat…it’s not ok for you or I to watch things and play video games that literally we would consider that the Lord would not sit there and watch with us…I know that seems lame but this is not a thing of obedience it is a thing of wisdom…because that fuel is assimilating into you and you don’t even know it…
• He says the eye is to be single.   A single purpose and a single focus and if you’ll walk in this wisdom, you’ll find the passion, desire, energy, motivation and joy that comes with being filled with light…well lit, full of life, wholly composed of light and a bright character! A single eye…if not…well Jesus says, “Here’s what’s coming…”

Matthew Chapter 6 Verse 24

• You will not be the first person ever to experience the love and grace of God while living your life completely unaligned with His Word. We think so though. We think our drug problem is under control…that we’re in control. Yea I drink but I don’t get drunk, I’ve got it all under control. It’s just one program. I mean I love the Walking Dead…what’s the harm? I know its rated R for sexual content and language but it’s date night and we’re not bringing the kids. It’s just one line on the table and it’s not like I’m mainlining it…it’s just a little crack…I’ve got it under control…God the Designer is reading you the manual…you don’t have it under control!

• You’re tomorrow is God bolted on to your carnal life, man…

Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 25 – 32

• Is Jesus saying kick back and do nothing and God will provide? Have you forgotten Chapter 5 Verses 13 – 16? That you are the salt of the earth? Have you forgotten verses 33 – 42 of Chapter 5 where Jesus says be a person of commitment that keeps to your word and has much to give? Have you forgotten that Jesus just spoke of charitable deeds, alms, prayer and fasting and serving the Lord with your whole heart?

• You cannot take verse 30 and stand upon it like you’re going to absorb the provision of God out of the thin air of a lazy life! God will provide for you 100! For sure! Without a doubt exactly what you need and what is best for you…IF you see Him with your whole heart! Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Here’s the key…

Matthew Chapter 6 Verse 33

• The key to it all. To do as the Lord would have you to do. Hear His voice as He reads the manual to you from the inside out and you make the right turns, speed up at the right time, slow down at the right time, constantly find the right tool for the right moment…and in all your getting, you get closeness with the Father through the inheritance of the Son that He has willed to you! And man as you draw near to God…this therefore arrives…

Matthew Chapter 6 Verse 34

• I’m not sure we ever get away from worry because we are just a bunch of sheep…but close to the Shepherd, man we do today. And tomorrow, well, we’ll be close to the Shepherd…so tomorrow, no worry. I could lose the world tomorrow, but I can’t lose what I have not earned…our treasure is the coming Kingdom…and my right of entrance, He holds me and that in the very scarred palm of His hand…