Jesus calms worried hearts by pointing us to the fact that we live under the care of our Heavenly Father who sees all that we need. We are to seek for the more important matters of life. We are made to be in God’s eternal kingdom. And so we seek that and God will make sure to handle what we need. 

Jesus gives the warning about idolatry and how possessions end up possessing us and capturing all our attention and worship.

Jesus tells his disciples how he desires for them to fast, not to gain favor with men, but to do so in honor of our Father in Heaven.

Jesus expands on the topic of prayer and how he wants his disciples to posture and approach prayer. Not as something to gain favor with God, but to approach in trust as beloved children and ask for those things that God desires to give. 

Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount with the topic of piety. He focuses his last triad on three aspects of righteousness. Giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting. 

His intent is to focus on the motivations for doing good works. He expects his people to do them but how they do them matters. How we do them shows that we are either faithful or self-serving. 

Jesus notes that the Father will work it all out in the end and to spend our time serving him faithfully. 

The 5th petition has us asking God for forgiveness. 

We see that forgiveness with God is also tied with forgiving others. In effect, we ask God for the Gospel to impact how we relate and treat others. 

Forgiveness is not something that humans can generate. It is a gift that God gives. Not because we deserve it, but because our Heavenly Father is gracious to us. So we also extend that gift to others. 

Jesus gives us the attitude and action we should have toward our enemies. To love them and care for them as God our Father does. 

We are called to be perfect, complete. This is rhetorical demand of the law and it is also the gift that Jesus comes to give to us by his life and atonement for us. 

God is our Creator and cares for our daily needs. He gives and we don’t even realize it. But here we pray that we would and that give thanks for it! 

Thy will be done! This is a battle cry as we enter the fray of the enemies of God who would seek to deter God’s kingdom from coming and from us being made holy! 

As Jesus continues the discussion during his Sermon on the Mount, he moves into oaths and retaliation. 

He fights ideas popular in his day about ranking oaths and getting even. Things still popular today . As salt and light Jesus wants to live in a way that doesn’t fit this age but does fit the age to come. 

As we put our lives out in risk, we hope and pray for God’s vindication.