Sermon on the Mount

What are you doing in secret?

Matthew 6:1-34

Matthew 5:6;6:1 paradox?

Our motivation should be to glorify God and uplift his image! Truth be told we do things a lot of times for our benefit or to look good in front of people (Matthew 6:1)!

Vs. 2, 5, 16 - Jesus assumes that you are praying, fasting, giving to the poor. Jesus is confronting the reasons why you do what you do. What is your motivation and what are you expecting in return. Praise from men or praise from God!

What does it look like to have the wrong motivation? Jesus says in Matthew 6:1, "beware". We have to stay vigilant and check our motives. How much do you do in private the things you do in public!

People that do things for image are hypocrite! Your not worshiping God to perform or check off a box!

What do you do when you get a little free time? Is your first thought to spend more time in prayer or reading? Why not? Our relationship with God should be motivated by desire and not obligation.

Vs. 4, 6, 18 - God sees, recognizes what you do and rewards you!

Three choices. Choice between two treasures, two visions, and two masters! Store up treasures in earth or heaven? The good eye or bad eye (generosity or single mindedness). Focusing on Jesus. Choosing God or money? You cannot serve both, you must choose.

Vs. 25 - "Therefore" Jesus connects these two passages. Trusting God and letting go of worry. Lets fight materialism in our lives and get focused on the Kingdom of God!

Sermon on the Mount

The sermon on the amount brought old teaching into a new perspective. Jesus taught through Old Testament law the necessity of a relationship with God from the heart. Living for God as not a set of rules but of rather living in obedience from a motivation that comes from the heart!

Matthew 7:13-14

The narrow gate is narrow not because someone has to be perfect in obedience to enter it. The gate is narrow because people would rather be a good person outwardly and ignore the matters of the heart.

Matthew 7:15-20

If your making bad fruit you don't belong to Jesus. Followers of Jesus are identified by their fruit! You can argue doctrine but you cannot argue the fruit that someone bares. What type of fruit are you bearing?

Matthew 7:21-23

Up until Jesus arrived, the more religious you were and the more legalistic you were was viewed as security in God. Jesus shocked them with this teaching that challenged their views and called them to righteousness from the heart vs a list of laws to keep!

Matthew 7:24-27

Our foundation is the law and if we live by it we will be able to withstand the troubles of this world! The law and what we build on is important. We build our life on Jesus from the deeds we do in the open to the thoughts and attitudes of our heart! We start our foundation from the heart and we build with the heart!

I Tell You The Truth

Jesus started many passages with, "I tell you the truth"!

Matthew 8:5-13

The truth statement from Jesus in this story is that faith is about lordship! The centurion, a military man understood lordship! He understood that Jesus was given the authority to grant his request! Lack of faith is a symptom of forgetting who is in charge and who has all power and authority!

Have you forgotten who is in charge?

Jesus was amazed. Jesus is use to dealing with people who doubt his authority and Lordship! Even his own disciples questioned his authority at times!

Mark 10:13-16

Divorce was the hot topic of the day. To the religious leaders of the day, this topic was a top priority and yet Jesus demonstrates his willingness to not compromise on Gods word and yet not neglect what really matters. No one is more hurt through divorce than children! Most people divorce for selfish reasons and disregard the pain and emotional trauma the children go through!

Strange living in Strange Times

Two realities can be true at the same time! Your reality is a lot of times based on your perspective. As christians we living a physical reality in the word and a spiritual reality in heaven!

1 Peter 2:11-15

We are to live as though we speak a different language, have a different culture, different values! We are to be aliens and foreigners in this present age!

1 Peter 4:7-11

Through intense persecution Jesus calls us to love deeply! He teaches us how to do this. Practice hospitality and use your God giving gifts to help and serve others.

Everything we are and everything we do should be used to glorify God!

Submission in Marriage

How does our world feel about marriage? Our world really insults marriage. How its no good, doesnt meet needs, old fashioned...etc!

Statistics and studies show that marriage has a lot of positive benefits physically and mentally. For example married men are 250% less likely to commit suicide. People who are married recover from illnesses faster. Many more examples like these.

Ephesians 5:21-33

In marriage and in christian life in general, submission to Christ is required. Humans and human authority are not worthy of submission; however, through Christ we are called to submit.

Jesus never commanded us to submit when someone is worthy. Submission starts with Jesus and he is worthy of our submission!

Submission does not mean the loss of power. Although a wife is called to submit to her husband without losing her power and does not mean that a man has more power. The roles are equal in Gods eyes. Jesus took the role of a servant with losing all power and authority!

This is a miss understood concept in the world.

God does not call women to be submissive in the work place, in government or and any other secular place. He makes this call only in the sanctity of marriage.

Men have a harder time with servant leadership and woman generally have a harder time with submission. God designed marriage this way for a reason!

Do people look at your marriage and think look at the way he loves her and look at the way she submits to him? Our marriages should point the people around us towards God. It should stand out from the world!