How do you know what you really treasure? Jesus says the evidence hides in three everyday choices—where you store wealth, what you fix your eyes on, and whom you ultimately obey. In this week’s Red Letters message, Pastor Kelly Kinder walks through Matthew 6:19-24 and invites us to run a spiritual forensic audit.

Earthly vs. Heavenly Deposits — Kelly retells the tragic case of Bertha Adams, who died penniless while hoarding millions, to underscore Jesus’ warning that earthly assets are always one moth, one recession, or one hacker away from ruin. Heavenly deposits—acts of love, mercy, and gospel generosity—grow compound joy in a realm no thief can enter.

Clear vs. Clouded Vision — The eye, Jesus says, is the lamp of the body. A “healthy” or single-minded eye fills life with clarity and purpose; a “bad” or greedy eye leaves even successful people stumbling in darkness. Kelly challenges us to check our digital diets: Do our screens train us to give or to crave?

God vs. Money — Jesus ends the debate: “You cannot serve two masters.” Money is a brilliant servant but a brutal boss. When it calls the shots, anxiety skyrockets and generosity shrivels. Kelly offers three practical moves: automate first-fruits giving, set lifestyle ceilings below income ceilings, and convert talents or hobbies into kingdom blessing.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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What do you truly hunger for? In this study of Matthew 5:6, we uncover the powerful distinction between worldly happiness and divine satisfaction. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” isn’t just a religious sentiment—it’s a revolutionary approach to fulfillment that directly contradicts our culture’s relentless pursuit of happiness through acquisition and self-gratification.

The world constantly tells us that happiness comes through possessions, status, and doing whatever feels good regardless of consequences. But Jesus offers a radically different perspective. When He uses “blessed” in these Beatitudes, He’s describing a true, lasting joy that only comes as a byproduct of pursuing something greater—righteousness itself. This isn’t about rule-following or religious perfectionism; it’s about hungering for right relationship with God with the same intensity we feel when physically starving.

Think about this: most of us would never consider feeding our physical bodies just once a week, yet many believers attempt to sustain their spiritual lives on nothing more than a weekly church service. We meticulously plan three meals daily for our bodies while allowing our spirits to starve. As the teaching reminds us, “What you feed grows, and what you starve dies.” Which appetite are you feeding—your flesh or your spirit?

Pursuing righteousness means actively making time to engage with Scripture until it transforms you from within, surrounding yourself with others who share your spiritual hunger, and specifically asking God to reveal unhealthy appetites while increasing your desire for Him. The beautiful promise attached to this Beatitude isn’t that you’ll get everything you want—it’s that your deepest soul hunger will finally be satisfied through right relationship with God. Will you join us in this countercultural pursuit of hungering for what truly satisfies?

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Why do we pray? Why do we fast? In Matthew 6 Jesus strips away every layer of performance and invites us into a family conversation with the Father. Pastor Scott Wiens unpacks this potent passage by contrasting two identities: boarder and child.

A boarder treats God like a landlord—pay the rent of good behavior, expect prompt service on life’s leaky faucets. When prayers go unanswered, resentment bubbles up and faith erodes. Jesus warns that this transactional mindset leads only to fleeting human applause: you’ve “received your reward” already.

A child, however, belongs by birthright. Children don’t schedule an audience with Dad; they barge in, confident of love. Scott illustrates this with a vivid image: only a child wakes a king at 3 a.m. for a cup of water. That’s the access Jesus grants when He teaches us to begin, “Our Father.” The Lord’s Prayer then reshapes priorities—honor God’s name, seek His kingdom, trust Him for today’s bread, release and receive forgiveness, rely on His protection.

Prayer’s sibling discipline, fasting, suffers the same performance trap. In Jesus’ day people disfigured their faces to telegraph how spiritual they were. Today we’re tempted to do the digital equivalent. Jesus counters: wash your face, smile, keep it between you and Dad. Fasting becomes an inward hunger for God, not an outward badge of piety.

Key takeaways Scott covers:

• Secret place > public stage – Real reward happens where only God sees.
• Simplicity > verbosity – Fancy words don’t bend God’s will; honest words bend ours to His.
• Identity > transaction – Romans 8 says the Spirit of adoption makes us cry “Abba.” Prayer is family talk, not rent negotiation.

Scott ends with the gentle story of an elderly man who set an empty chair for Jesus during prayer; when he died, his head rested on that chair—picture of perfect trust.

Press play to let these truths recalibrate how you approach God this week. Then share the message with someone who needs to trade performance for peace.

We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more!
Find us on Facebook & Instagram