Pulpit Curriculum: A Heart Change - Embracing the Kingdom Of God
August 18th – 24th, 2024
Sermon Summary
This sermon continues the discourse Jesus had with His disciples as He sought to alter their views of kingdom perspectives. The preacher reinforces that at this stage, Jesus was now more aggressively addressing theroot of the hypocritical behaviour which He attributed to a lack of faith in God. Jesus is teaching the disciples that the behavior exhibited by the “hypocrites” was from a need to find earthly validation and gratification when they should be more concerned with God’s approval. The teacher calls attention to the need for the listeners to do an examination of their heart’s desires, he encourages them to trust God’s faithfulness and to submit to God’s Sovereignty.
Verse of the Week
Matthew 6:33
33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you”
Going Deeper
Review: Matthew 6:19-34
1) The desires of our heart will determine the direction of our life and ultimately our eternal destiny” (Tom Tarrants - CS Lewis Institute). What is your understanding of this statement?
a) List two Scriptures that can be used to validate your answer.
2) The preacher in referencing Jeremiah 17:9 and Mark 7:21-23 concluded that “our biggest problem is not external butinternal; all of us have a heart problem”. Discuss how accepting this truth can propel the believer to firstly understanding his incessant struggle with sin and secondly guide his prayers and daily activities to seek to overcome.
3) “We learn to trust God’s future faithfulness, by remembering His past faithfulness”. What texts can be used from
Scripture to support this view?
4) Using Scripture as your guide, explain your understanding of God’s Sovereignty and the vital role it plays in the
believers trusting His faithfulness.
5) Using both texts in Matthew 6:9-13 and 19-34, write your personal statement of faith in God.
Assess Your Life
The following questions are meant to encourage personal reflection and identify areas for spiritual growth in your relationship with God. Ask yourself the questions, respond honestly, write down your responses, and then prayerfully seek God’s conviction and guidance to move forward to repentance and restoration. In your Small Group, or in discussions with your friends and family, be open to sharing your responses with others in a spirit of accountability and transparency.
1) Has your heart been regenerated - made new through repentance and the atoning blood of Christ?
1b) b If it is not, what hinders you from making the decision?
2) Are God’s priorities your singular focus? Is He the one your heart desires to please?
2b) If He is, what do you do to maintain this focus?
2c) If He isn’t, what are you going to do to correct it?
3) Has your relationship with God fallen in your priorities?
3b) Can you identify what caused the fall?
Application
One key objective of this Pulpit Curriculum is taking God’s truth as exposed in the sermon and helping people apply that truth in practical and intentional ways to plot a course toward obedience and transformation. This section is intended to achieve that objective.
1 What steps can you take to keep your heart in alignment with God’s desire?
2 What spiritual discipline(s) are you committed to working on this week?
Sermon Main Points
To truly pursue God and His righteousness, to take seriously the command to love Him above all else, we mustconsume ourselves with the things of God. We can keep our focus on this by:
1 Examining our Heart’s Desires (Matthew 6: 19-24)
The heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions and desires dwell. The heart informs our decisions which ultimately impact our actions.
2 Trusting God’s Faithfulness (Matthew 6:25-32)
It is usually the uncertainty, the dependency on ourselves to provide our own needs, that lead us to becoming anxious. But believers are encouraged to be dependent on God for ALL our needs, whether natural or spiritual.
3 ) Submitting to God’s Sovereignty (Matthew 6:33-34)
God is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present, in other words He is sovereign; He has complete control over all His creation, He has the knowledge, power, authority and the wisdom to do justly. Because of His sovereignty He knows exactly what we need and He is willing and able to provide, according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).
Sermon Reflection
What stood out for me in this sermon?
Jesus says that it is impossible to serve both God and
money - here are some of the reasons why:
One master commands us to walk by faith and the other
demands that we walk by sight.
One master calls us to be humble and the other to be
proud,
One master to set our minds on things above and the
other to set them on things below.
One master calls us to love light, the other to love
darkness.
The master one tells us to look toward things unseen
and eternal and the other to look at things seen and
temporal” (MacArthur on 6:24).
The heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions and
desires dwell. The heart informs our decisions which
ultimately impact our actions.
Our biggest problem is not external but internal; all of us
have a heart problem. (Mark 7:21-23)
What can I do to remember this?
Quotes
5 Day Study Plan
Use the Inductive Bible Study method to study these scriptures this week and remember to share with someone else.
Follow these steps
1. Observe the text.
(What do you see in the text? Look for answers to questions like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)
2. Interpret the text.
(What did God and the human author of the text want the original people reading this text to understand/do? Why?)
3. Apply the text.
(How do I need to change in my thinking, my affections, my attitudes, and/or my actions?)
Day 1 - Psalm 139:23-24
Day 2 - 2 Corinthians 13:5
Day 3 - Numbers 23:15-19
Day 4 - 1 John 5:14-15
Day 5 - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
For best results, this content should be read and prepared privately and then discussed in your small group or with family / friends. We were not created to do life alone - get connected with a small group and grow together.