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Matthew 6:9-13 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Lord's Prayer (Pt. 2)."

We all long for a better world. God’s kingdom breaks into the kingdoms of the world in a transformative way. The kingdom is not the same thing as the church. They do overlap, but they are not equal.

Think of it like this…The kingdom of God is the ruling/reigning of God from his sovereign capacity over the entire world. The church is the visible kingdom of God made up of Christians who compose the body of Christ. What this basically recognizes is the visible and invisible nature of the kingdom of God!
The focus of our sermon is two-fold: to look at the dynamics of the kingdom of God, and to explore why it is an important part of our prayer life.

As a congregation of God’s people, in this prayer, Jesus challenges us to reflect on our own lives and to consider how we can participate in the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

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Matthew 6:9-13 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Lord's Prayer (Part 1)."

Jesus had just condemned the hypocritical way of praying. He had also talked about the concerns about prayer and how to pray. In today’s passage, Jesus now provides a model or framework on how to pray.
In Christian history, there has been much discussion on whether this is only an outline, or if it should it be prayed word for word in order to be effective. Our lesson today explores the first part of this iconic prayer.

OUR FATHER
God is first presented as the “distant” creator in Genesis 1. But then in Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let us make man in our own image.” This is a glimpse into the Godhead, or Trilogy: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Though not used often, the Father image of God is presented in the Old Testament. Our lesson explores why this identification of God is so important.

…WHO IS IN HEAVEN
Literally, the one who is the heavens. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of heaven, and in this prayer, distance between heaven and earth is closed! The words, “in heaven” remind the one who prays of God’s spiritual, heavenly nature.

…HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME
The hallowing of something makes it sacred--to sanctify, to make holy, to consecrate, or to set apart. Curtis discusses the historical and cultural aspect of this phrase, and then its usage in the Old and New Testaments. Psalm 20:1-7 is great biblical foundation for understanding the power of God’s name.
When we pray, we remember the very personal and near God we are praying to, and we offer Him reverence and worship by intentionally “hallowing” God’s name and recognizing His Majestic Being when we pray!

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Matthew 6:16-18 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus' Teaching on Fasting."

To understand Fasting, we start with a definition: fasting is to deny physical eating or pleasure to draw closer to God. Three Biblical examples are David, Esther, and Jesus.

The purpose of fasting is to seek God's guidance (Acts 13:2-3) and to express repentance and sorrow for sin (Joel 2:12-13).

Curtis summarizes the history of Christian practice and the spiritual benefits of fasting.
1.Fasting encourages closeness with God by deepening our relationship and dependence on Him
2.Fasting can give us clarity and focus in prayer, helps clear distractions and brings about spiritual breakthroughs
3.Fasting together can strengthen the community
4.After 4 references to fasting in Acts, fasting disappears from the rest of the New Testament and presumably falls out of practice.

Curtis provides some practical guidance for fasting. (1) There are three types of fasting: Absolute, Partial, and Corporate. (2) It is helpful to incorporate prayer and reading of scripture during fasting. (3) Setting goals and intentions when fasting. (4) Approach fasting with grace, not legalism.

Concluding the lesson with practical applications, Curtis calls us to examine our motives and practices concerning fasting as well as any other religious practice. This is an invitation to pursue a deeper, more genuine relationship with God through fasting. Note that fasting is not a spiritual practice such as baptism or the Lord’s Supper (communion), but it is one among other spiritual practices that have room for flexibility.

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Matthew 6:5-8 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus' Teaching on Praying."

We are not to pray like the hypocrites, a word for actor that comes from ancient Greek theater. Jesus listed two places where those seeking attention would go to pray: synagogues and street corners. And Jesus instructs Christians to pray in secret, spending alone-time in communication with God. Another admonition was not to pray with empty phrases as did some pagan religions who tried to "wear down" their gods with numerous repetitions of the same request over and over (to fatigue the gods).

We pray because God knows us inside and out, and He understands the limitations we humans have. He knows and loves and responds.

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Matthew 6:1-4 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus' Teaching on Giving."

A. Jesus addresses 3 acts of piety/righteousness that can be exaggerated for show. These are giving alms, praying, and fasting (or other acts of devotion).
B. The wrong motivation is repeated three times: to be seen by men, and to be praised by others.
C. If you approach your faith this way, you will receive no reward from our Father in heaven.
D. External practice of religion means they “have received their reward.”

Jesus’ teaching on giving emphasizes…
1. Giving is part of our religious life and practice.
2. Giving is not to be done in order to show off
3. Giving should never draw attention to self
4. Giving is not kept track of to show others what we have been doing.
5. Giving properly engaged, done in secret, will be rewarded by God.

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Matthew 5:43-48 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Be Perfect As God Is Perfect."

Continuing his sermon on the mount, Jesus turns the audience toward a hard truth. God expects them to be better than the examples they had at that time--most Pharisees were NOT good examples of God's expectations for His people. They were harsh and exacting, particularly when it came to Gentiles and the occupying tyrants of Rome. Jesus contrasts their pitiful examples with the real expectations of God.

Curtis provides 9 practical examples of how to put this lesson into our lives. He also goes into the word study of what Jesus meant by "be perfect."

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Matthew 5:21-26 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus' Teaching about Anger."

Anger is mentioned 14 times in the New Testament. Here are a few for us to look at:
•Galatians 5: 19-21 – Works of the flesh (include wrath, hatred, strife)
•Eph. 4:26 – Put a time limit on anger
•Eph. 6:4 – parents, don’t provoke your children to wrath
•1 Tim. 2:8 – pray without anger
•James 1:19-20 – slow to wrath, man’s wrath doesn’t work God’s righteousness.

Rich Walters wrote a book called Anger: Yours, Mine, and What to Do about It, 1981. He wrote that Anger is a form of communication: emotion carrying information which you can interpret and them make use of.

When Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount, he used the concept of leaving an offering at the altar to represent worship. Worship must be done with a “right heart.” How we translate our emotions, say anger against or from another person, needs to be righted by translating that anger into information that we can then use to resolve the conflict positively. That’s part of “taking every thought captive.”

Setting up educated priorities based on the New Testament and then applying them is a prerequisite of worship, according to this section of Jesus’ sermon. Jesus is warning us that we must come to terms to settle the “debt” (or issue, disruption, dispute).
What happens to debt that is deferred or ignored?
•Gets larger
•Becomes a glaring problem
•Unlawful and unethical
The long-range effect of unresolved anger comes with parallel impacts. It negatively affects your worship (and possibly that of others).

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Matthew 5:17-20 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Fulfillment of the Law & Prophets."

A. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus underscores why he came.
B. Jesus indicates his relationship to the Law and the Prophets
C. His coming did not threaten the practice of the law and prophetic messages.
D. Significant insight regarding Jesus’ roll of fulfillment.
E. He clearly understood his role.

Instead of thinking about the Old Testament as something that was done away with, it is more correct to think of the Israelite covenant pointing to and finding its fulfillment in Jesus, who inaugurated the new covenant.

"Fulfillment” theme is most prominent in Matthew’s gospel.
A. The law will not pass away until heaven and earth pass away.
B. So permanent a part of God’s revelation that it will not disappear.
C. Even a jot, tittle, yod, hashmark under a vowel will remain.
D. Interesting tip of the hat by Jesus to the meticulous method of scribes copying the law.
E. Fascinating that God historically used the scrupulous copying methods of the scribes to make sure that Scripture has come down to us, transmission by God’s attendance.