NOTES: God is Near, Part 6

Sermon: God is Near 6: Living the Secret Place

Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024

Text: Matthew 6:1-18

(Vs. 1-4) ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Let’s Connect:

The culture of outward appearance:

The way of the Kingdom is most developed in secret— Right heart leads to right actions

Text Explained:

Jesus shares secrets about living the secret place:

““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Warning! (Missing out on certain blessings)

Practice reveals perfect (giving/charity; prayer; fasting):

God sees our independence and invites dependance:

Luke 18:9–14 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 1:8–11 (ESV)

Eternal rewards are the result of right motives:

18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 16:27 (ESV) 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

The Take Out:

The secret place— place of protection, provision, and transformation.

Psalm 91:1 (ESV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

John 15:4 (ESV)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Our Challenge:

Practice acts of anonymity: