Matthew 6:25-34 Have you felt anxious in the past two weeks? If so, you are not alone. Nearly 75% of the population say they have. Anxiety is pandemic. What is the antidote? That is what Jesus teaches his disciples in this next part of the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:19-24 Would you say you are materialistic? The society in which we live is preoccupied with money and stuff – getting more money, having the latest version of everything, pursuing a higher standard of living, being more comfortable. Materialism is the majority religion. But it cannot be ours, if we are disciples of Jesus.
Matthew 6:1-18 Whose approval are we living for? If we live for the approval and praise of others, it will damage our health – physically, emotionally, but also spiritually. As disciples we are to live for the audience of one – for our Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:17-48 What does walking with God actually look like? Some give the impression that obeying God’s Law is just Old Testament religion, and that the life of discipleship today is very different. But Jesus doesn’t see it that way. Obedience still matters.
Matthew 5:1-16 All of us want to make our short lives count. We don’t want to just fill in time on the planet. We want to make an impact, leave a legacy, make a difference. But how? In this passage Jesus tells us how to make the biggest impact – an eternal one.
Matthew 4:12-25 In the selfie, self-obsessed culture in which we live, the danger is that the Christian message gets distorted and becomes all about me. But Jesus’ message was about the kingdom of heaven, and ours should be too. This coming reality should shape everything.
Luke 1:77-79 The prophet Malachi foretold that one day ‘the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings’. At Christmas we celebrate the coming into this dark world of that promised sunrise in Jesus, and we give thanks for the blessings which radiate out in the heavenly sunbeams.
Luke 2:10-11 To many people the Christmas story feels very remote – angels appearing to shepherds; a virgin giving birth. It feels a very long way from our experience. But there’s an emotional bridge between us and those distant events – fear and joy. We have plenty of fears, and we would like more joy. This passage tells us how it can be ours.
Matthew 4:1-11 When were you last tempted? How did it go? Did you give in, or did you stand firm? All of us struggle with temptation, and if we’re looking for help, this passage is an obvious place to go. And we’ll look at that, but ‘tips for facing temptation’ is not the main point. To find out what is, have a listen!
Matthew 3:1-17 Some people think that our world has no future. If they’re right, then nothing we do ultimately matters. But John the Baptist said that the future is the kingdom of heaven, and so what we do now matters hugely. We need to repent and come to Jesus.
