Session 5
Matthew 6:19-34
Memory Verse: Matthew 6:33
Our priorities reveal what’s important to us.
The things we value are the things we treasure.
They determine how we invest time as well as
the money.
If priorities are not in line with godly values,
anxiety and stress naturally result.
For example, people experiencing severe poverty
have different needs than those who enjoy financial security,
yet both groups can end up worrying about money.
The key to overcoming worry lies in prioritizing
a faith relationship with God through Christ.
That’s a simple way of describing discipleship.
Discipleship cannot be limited to Bible study and prayer,
although those disciplines are foundational.
Being Christ’s disciple means living out biblical principles
that find their basis in trusting the Lord.
If we love and trust the Father, our values will not be
wrapped up in material things, but in fellowship with Christ.
Common types of household debt include
mortgages, car loans, student loans,
and credit cards.
Debt is any money you owe a person or a business.
Money experts talk about good debt and bad debt.
They describe good debt as debt you can leverage to build wealth.
Bad debt, on the other hand, is debt used to purchase items that lose value over time.
Or, it is any debt you are unable to pay.
Many people today are drowning in bad debt because of misplaced priorities. (PSG, p. 49)
Regardless of where individuals stand on the issue of debt,
we can agree that humans are prone to let material possessions dominate our lives.
When we do, the world steals our proper focus from God and we fail to trust Him like we should.
This is the second of three sessions drawn from Jesus’s Sermon
on the Mount.
Pack Item 11 (Handout: The Sermon on the Mount)
Share this information from page 50 of the PSG to help set the context for Matthew 6:
In chapter 6, Jesus contrasted sincere religious activities
with the insincerity of those He called “hypocrites.”
Jesus was speaking of motivation.
The hypocritical scribes and Pharisees were motivated by selfishness and pride.
They performed acts of piety for the attention and accolade of others.
Jesus’s followers were to engage in acts of devotion
out of a desire to glorify God.
In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus touched on topics like
benevolence, prayer, and fasting.
The real key to living as a Christ follower in this world
is trusting Him with all your heart.
That’s going to be the focus of this session.