June 24, 2020
We are going to spend the next two weeks together as a church reading Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount! The Sermon on the Mount is the first of Jesus’ major teachings recorded in the gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus explains the ethics and values of the kingdom of Heaven as opposed to the ethics and values of the world. The values and principles that are to govern our lives as followers of Jesus and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven are wildly different from those that govern the various cultures of our world, including the culture in which we live.
Over the next two weeks, allow the words of the Lord Jesus to challenge the way you think, expose the worldly and idolatrous values and desires of your heart, and transform you to live in the new way that He has laid before us!
In this passage Jesus continues his teaching from verses 19-14 concerning how we must seek things of eternal value rather than earthly things. Here He confronts us in our anxieties and commands us to focus our attention on the kingdom!
Anxiety, worry, and fear run rampant in the world around us, especially in a season such as the one we face now. With COVID-19 and the fallout from it, either you or someone you know is likely facing hardship: the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one, fear of sickness or death, the inability to be with the ones we love due to quarantine, relational strife within families because of quarantine, loneliness…the list goes on and on. It is so easy and so natural for us to look around at the situation and be crippled by fear, overwhelmed with anxiety by the sheer weight of what is going on around us.
We cannot minimize or trivialize what people all around us, and we ourselves, are going through, and Jesus doesn’t call us to. But Jesus does call His people, those who would follow after Him and call Him Lord, to respond to these situations differently than the world does!
While the world remains bound up in anxiety, wondering if they are going to make it or if everything is going to be okay, Jesus calls His followers to entrust themselves to the sovereign care and love and faithfulness of the Father. He commands that we refuse to give anxiety a foothold. Rather than seeking after the things of the world that might give us some temporary comfort, Jesus calls us to seek God, His kingdom, and His righteousness above all.
When we make pursuing God and His purposes our first priority, Jesus promises that we will have what we need. Let’s trust in this promise and in His power to make good on it!
Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- What does it mean to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness”? How does seeking God above all put our anxieties to rest?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Oh how Your Word speaks to me and lifts my spirits up. My world as I knew it has been turned upside down and everything that I ever put value on has been stripped away. I have been in the deepest caverns of fear, sadness and anxiety that anyone could possibly imagine . And I have cried so many tears. But in all of this chaos and noise and gut wrenching fear, I hear Your voice calling to me. “Fear not, for I am with you. I love you. I will help you through this. Oh you, of little faith”. And then I wipe my tears and lift my eyes to the hills, to You, from whence cometh my strength. Oh, thank you for loving me and helping me and my family and all who believe and trust in You. For You are my kingdom, my power and my glory forever . I will never look at the world the same ever again. You have my heart and my love . In the name of Jesus, the most precious name I know. I pray.Amen
AMEN and HALLELUJAh!! Lord I come to you in faith. I live by faith not by sight. I trust in you to get me and my family and my friends through this pandemic and anxiety we are all going through. I pray for those who are going through this pain of not knowing what is coming next. Please give them the strength and the knowledge that you our Lord and Savior will get them through this season. I ask this in Jesus name Amen.
Lord Oh Lord Jesus listen to our prayers. May they be a sweet aroma to You Father. You are standing at the door and knocking. Oh come into our hearts and fellowship with us. Speak truth to us. May we understand why we are going through this season. Restore us Lord. Breathe life into those that a sick and heavy laden. I seek You Lord Jesus. I seek Your kingdom. In Your Name Jesus I pray Amen.
I will seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to me. I will not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
“I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear. I will help you.” Isaiah 41: 13
Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Lord, thank you for loving us we though we are undeserving. Thank You for guiding and directing our paths through these strange and heart breaking times. We have so many questions about what it happening and want to understand. Yet You are the answer. We are to trust and know You are God and You love each and everyone of us. I am lifting up a friend who is anxious about finding a job and learning her youngest child has Covid. Enable her to let go of her resentments for losing her job and focus on You. I ask for You to shower her and her family with healing blessings, guidance, and Your amazing love during this time. I pray that my family and friends who are suffering from health, anxiety, and financial issues receive and acknowledge Your abundance of light, love,, healing, and blessings. In Jesus name, the name above all names, Amen.
Lord, seeking You first gives us Your perspective, Your heart and Your wisdom on life, and in turn, we can rest in You as we lay our fears and burdens down — trusting You are enough!
Thank you, Lord, for being bigger than any of my fears and stronger than all of my weaknesses. In You, I am able.
In Your precious name I pray.
Amen and Amen.
I can testify of the truth of these verses. Everything I have ever owned brought brief pleasure but soon became just another thing and then a burden. Heaven is my destination.
This is a great passage for all of us today as we face the future with unrest and fear every day.
Father, thank you for adopting me into your kingdom. You have robed me in your righteousness. I pray today, not asking for me, but for my family and friends. Hear them, Father, in their despair. Comfort them with your Holy Spirit. Dry their tears. Sit with them and be attentive to their petitions. Hug them as only you can and whisper in their ear, “It will be OK.” Thank you for hearing my prayer today. Amen.
2 Tim 1:7 I haven’t given you the spirit of fear but of love, power & a sound mind! Thank you Lord for that!!
Thank you, Lord, for the truth of your word.
Thanks to God’s word and all the prayers that were expressed today. May we all continue to listen, obey and share God’s word with others.
Lord, help me stay on course with your kingdom agenda and sensitive to your correction as you get me back on track with you.
This teaching from Jesus as timely today as it was 2000 years ago. I love the eternity and perfection of the Word of God.
Matt.6:33″ But seek ye first the kingdom of God & His righteousness & all these things will be added to you.” That was the verse my husband & I claimed 52 years ago when we got married. The Lord never let us down-we never went hungry, without clothes or shelter. Thank you Lord for always providing for us.
Lord, thank you for this reminder today of continuing to seek You first. By recognizing who you are and what you can do, it keeps my focus on You and not me. My anxieties come from those times I’m trying to take care of things and I know full well I’m not capable. Help me on those days to allow you to work these things out for my good. You do a much better job!
Heavenly Father, I am amazed how much you care for me and surely will meet my needs.