The Secrets To A Richer Life

This Gospel is written by Matthew, also known as Levi who was a former tax collector. It was most likely written between AD 50-60. Matthew left everything behind to follow Jesus. Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish believers—people who knew the Old Testament well. Matthew had one goal: to prove that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the King of Kings, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. Connecting the Old Testament prophecies to the life of Christ, proving that every word God spoke was coming true in Jesus. The key themes of the Gospel include Jesus as King, The Kingdom of Heaven, Fulfillment of Prophecy and discipleship.

Biblical Text -

Matthew 6:16–34 NKJV

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Christians Should Fast, Which Will Help Create A Rich Relationship With God, Whereby He Takes Care Of All Of Our Needs.

Life Point- Christians Should Fast

Exegetical -

Matthew 6:16–18 NLT

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Homiletical -

The subject of fasting is a fascinating one to the modern American Christian. It is something that isn’t practiced anymore, for the most part. When in reality it is an important spiritual discipline that was practiced by Jesus in the wilderness and was practiced by the disciples after Jesus ascended. It is one that we need to take up again for this day and age.

Fasting is simply abstaining from food for a time in order to take that time that you would spend eating and spend it in prayer.

The reasons for Christian fasting are many, but it is simply to see a breakthrough in your life. Whether you are struggling with a particular temptation to sin or you are fasting for God to supply a need. You can get breakthroughs by simply adding it to your Christian Walk.

Did you know that abstaining from food will actually increase blood flow to the brain and make you more alert, at least in the short term.

God may have that for a purpose, perhaps you can pray better if you can think better. Maybe it increases your ability to reason and your ability to hear from God.

So what is Jesus talking about here?

He is calling out the religious for making it obvious that they are fasting. They wouldn’t clean their faces, brush their teeth, or comb their hair. They purposefully would contort their faces to look down and serious and depressed. All in an effort to show how pious they were to those around them.

Jesus says that recognition is all they will ever get out of it because of their hypocracy. They weren’t fasting for God to perform a miracle or to change their lives but they were fasting to receive recognition.

By not making it obvious that you are fasting you are showing humility before God and He will reward you openly.

Illustration -

Johny decided to start fasting, but he quickly discovered a major flaw in his plan—you see he lives across the street from a bakery.

He is walking home after work, trying to be strong, stomach growling like an angry raccoon. He passes by the bakery window and sees fresh cinnamon rolls glistening like they were painted by the hand of God Himself.

His brain goes, "Seafood diet! You’re on a seafood diet!" And he thinks, Right… I see food… and then—out loud—he adds, “…and I fastly walk away.”

Except, in reality, he walked away very slowly. Because he was sniffing the air.

Life Point - Have A Rich Relationship With God

Exegetical -

Matthew 6:19–24 NLT

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Homiletical -

Ever heard you can’t take money with you?

Jesus is trying to point out the futility of storing up your treasures here on earth.

The American way seems to be “He who dies with the most toys wins.” When in reality you could have done so much more for the kingdom of God.

Where your treasure is there your heart will be also

We have got to watch what we’re doing. Sometimes we let our stuff lead us and not God. We let our toys define us and it can be very subtle the shift in our hearts. You see we begin to look with our eyes and the next thing you know, you are out of the church and doing something else instead.

I knew a man once that every time we would get together he talked about Jesus and the people he was talking about Jesus too. Then over the course of time it was about his new ATV, his new camper and all of his stuff and I didn’t hear about Jesus out of his mouth anymore.

This is what Jesus means when he says your eye is like a lamp to your body. What you start looking at is what you are going to desire and eventually your whole being is about your desires and not God’s desires. We must be careful because a whole church can get like this.

Revelation 2:4–5 NLT

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.

You know when we look at the writings of the puritans they have a few themes in common and one of them is that they knew they were not going to receive their reward here on earth so they worked for the hereafter not for the here and now.

They helped the needy and the poor. They helped their brethren in need as much as they could and they worshipped God as much as they could.

We need to make sure we don’t lose sight of the eternal things that are important.

Illustration -

This reminds me of the parable of the barns:

Luke 12:16–21 NLT

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Life Point - Don’t Worry, Trust Jesus

Exegetical -

Matthew 6:25–34 NLT

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Homiletical -

There are basic necessities in life that people need. I have found that there are things we think we need but we don’t need them. Jesus says God will supply your needs not your wants. Although it is nice when he supplies our wants too.

Philippians 4:19 NLT

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

So Jesus says to not let your thoughts be completely dominated on these things, knowing that God is for you and He will make a way.

Psalm 37:25 NLT

Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.

Why are the gentiles so consumed by these things? Because they have no faith in God. You see they have no one that they know will take care of them and their needs so it is hard for them not to be consumed by it. Whereas we know that we have Jesus and we know that God will take care of us.

So what should we do? Seek the kingdom of God above everything else in your life and live righteously and God will take care of the rest.

But we need to make sure we are seeking the kingdom and living righteously. If not then we should have no expectation of God taking care of our needs.

Illustration -

In 2 Kings 4, we find the story of a widow who had nothing but a small jar of oil. When she brought her need to the prophet Elisha, he instructed her to gather empty jars from her neighbors. Miraculously, that small amount of oil never ran dry until all the empty jars were filled, God can take our minimal offerings and multiply them to meet our needs abundantly. Just as provided for the widow so too will He provide for us.

Life Principle– Christians Should Fast, Which Will Help Create A Rich Relationship With God, Whereby He Takes Care Of All Of Our Needs.

Call to Action – altar call….

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