Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon on the Mount - we are continuing in Matthew chpater 6, the discourse about worry, and Jesus shows us the the way to fight worry is to put first things first, prioritizing what is really important. And for the Christian, that means "seeking first the Kingdom..."

Matthew 6:25-35

Continuing in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how the Creator has "clothed the grass" with lilies, and how King Solomon wasn't so lavishly adorned - Solomon, who had everything, yet found it all "meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

We will look at how trusting in the Lord not only reduces our worry, but is foundational to Kingdom living.

Matthew 6:25-34

Worrying is...bad. Bad for our physical and mental health, and bad for our faith. Addressing our tendancy to worry, Jesus teaches us to "look at the birds of the air". What can we learn from the birds that teaches us to not worry?

Sermon on the Mount: Jesus on fasting

Big Ideas:

Jesus intends that we "use" our spiritual disciples as intended - not to "show off" as the Pharisees

3 reasons we would fast

Whatever we choose to do, we may as well do it the best we can.

Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6, the Lord's Prayer

The 5 ways:

1. through the Bible
2. through others
3. through circumstances
4. through how we have been designed
5. through the Holy Spirit (saving the best for last)

Sermon on the Mount: The Lord's Prayer

"Give us the day our daily bread"

3 things:

Learn and live in dependance on God

Live in the moment, not stuck in the past or worried about the future

We are tapping into the Eternal

Sermon on the Mount: the Lord's prayer

Some Big Ideas:

God has revealed the spiritual reality to us - there is something more than just the physical world.

Our prayers unveil and "bring" to us spiritual realities.

Prayer gives us a resource to use when our physical resources have run out.

Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord's prayer)

Jesus continues his teaching on prayer, and we see that prayer changes us, our circumstances, and in today's episode, that when we pray, the Kingdom of God comes to us.

Praying for God's Kingdom brings to the forefront the question: is our faith self-centered, or God centered?

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6 - The Lord's Prayer.

Big Idea: Everyday regular prayer can take our normal happenings and change them to faith-building discipleship.

Notes:

• There are many times in the day that we can incorporate prayer - before meals and bed-time, before driving or heading to school/work, during a walk, run or drive.
• While it may seem repetitive, it can become a powerful tool to disciple our minds to worship the Lord, and think of his gospel.
• Prayer can be an act of worship.

The Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13. God is transcendent, He is close to us. Believing this leads us to deeper worship.

Notes

• God is transcendent, totally beyond our comprehension, but He reveals Himself to to us.
• He is the creator, but relates to us as a father.
• Holding this tension - Almighty and holy, yet relational and personal should cause us to praise and worship.