Matthew 6:16-18

What is fasting and why would we do it?  Jesus expects that his disciples will fast when he leaves, but why does he want us to do that?  More than just a physical discipline, fasting is a spiritual discipline that brings us closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Matthew 6:16-18

Jesus assumed that His followers would fast. He modelled it, and the Bible has a lot to say about it! Yet this difficult, but very rewarding aspect (just like giving & prayer!) of the Christian faith, which yields so much fruit in the life of the Jesus-follower and in the Kingdom of God when done with the right motives, is largely neglected. It’s time that we experience a resurgence of this forgotten discipline.

Matthew 6:16-18

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that unfortunately, is disregarded by most Christians today. Nevertheless, Jesus expects his followers to fast and even teaches that those who fast will be rewarded. As we await the return of Christ, might we demonstrate our hunger for Christ through willing participation in this powerful discipline.

Jesus warned his followers about treating their faith like an actor in front of an audience. Spiritual practices like Fasting are not a show that we perform for others so they think well of us. Fasting is about relationship, not law. It’s about formation not performance.

Matthew 6:5-15

What is prayer?  Is it a ritual that we perform?  Is it a desperate pleading into the wind?  Is it just another form of meditation?  Jesus gives his disciples an instructional on how to pray by speaking to the God of the universe as our Father, on the basis of our sins being forgiven by Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Matthew 6:5-15

From an outside perspective prayer can seem like a pointless practice of speaking meaningless words into thin air. Yet Jesus’ teaching on prayer reveals that we have a loving heavenly Father who cares deeply about his children and who longs for us to come to Him with humble, genuine hearts.

The Bible is primarily God speaking to us and prayer is primarily us talking to God. Jesus teaches us to approach the God of the universe and call him our heavenly Father. What a privilege! And yet we can still find prayer to be a challenge. This sermon on The Lord’s Prayer is an invitation for renewal; to accept the invitation of our heavenly Father and commune with Him through prayer.

Jesus calls His disciples to live in such a way that shines bright for Him and His Kingdom in a dark world. That includes doing certain things and not doing certain things. What Jesus gets at in this text is that it is possible to even do the right Christian things but with wrong motives. As always, Jesus looks at the heart, including in how and why we give.

Matthew 5:38-48

Something deep down inside of us loves it when our opponents suffer. We love it when our adversaries get what’s coming to them. And if we’re honest, we love being the ones to give it to them. In Matthew 5:38-48 Jesus presents a completely counterintuitive teaching. As we seek to love like God, we are called to show even our enemies undeserved love.

Matthew 5:38-48

Jesus continues to call us to Kingdom standards, not cultural standards. In an “eye for an eye” or a karma based society, where people wish evil on those that have wronged them because they “deserve” it, Jesus actually calls us to love those that have wronged us. It may feel counterintuitive, but when we love those who have wronged us and love our enemies, we love like God does. When we do this, those around us get a glimpse into the grace that God has for us.