This week’s bulletin YouVersion Bible App Listen to the podcast of this week’s message on Spotify
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a]destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[b]
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?[c] 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.
Today, we’re continuing on in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is in the midst of teaching what it looks like for people to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Today, we’re looking at what He has to say about our material stuff.
We should regularly take inventory of our hearts by asking ourselves the difficult questions of:
Matt. 6:19-34, Ps. 26:2, 134:23-24, 1 Pet. 1:6-7
1. What is taking up my physical space?
Matt. 6:19-21, 19:16-22, Luke 12:16-21, 33, James 5:1-3, Prov. 11:26
2. What is taking up my mental space?
Matt. 6:22-23, Prov. 16:3, 1 John 2:15-16, Luke 18:22, Phil. 3:12-14
3. What am I working towards?
Matt. 6:22-24, Prov. 11:4, 16:16, 23:4-5, Luke 18:24, Ecc. 2:26
4. What is taking up my time?
Matt. 6:22-24, Col. 4:5, Ps. 90:12, James 4:14, Eph. 5:15-16
5. Am I focused on things outside my control?
Matt. 6:25-27, John 13:7, 1 Pet. 5:6-7, Ps. 46:10
6. What do I find myself worrying about?
Matt. 6:25-34, 11:28-30, Prov. 12:25, John 14:1, 27, Ps. 55:12
7. When is enough enough?
Matt. 6:25-34, John 14:8-9, Ecc. 5:10-14, 1 Tim. 6:6-10, Heb. 13:5
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 6:19-34 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- What was your biggest take away from this message? Why?
- Take some time to think and pray about God helping you to take an inventory of your life and your heart. Ask God to point out the things in your life that don’t honor Him.
Diving In
- Read over Matthew 6:19-24 again. It is essential that we ask God for help when we take an inventory of what is taking up our physical space, brain space, and time. Which one of those is more difficult for you to control? Which one comes most naturally to control?
- What is taking up too much of your time during this season of your life?
- How can you be more intentional with what is taking up your brain space, physical space, and time during this season of your life?
- How would it change your life and your relationship with God if you were to better manage what takes up your physical space, brain space, and time?
- Read over Matthew 6:22-24 again. What are the top 5 things you are working towards in this season of your life? Are those intentionally focused on what you feel like God has called you to do during this season of your life?
- If you are working towards something that you feel like God doesn’t want you focused on (at least not during this season of your life), how can you be faithful to not be focused on that right now?
- If you feel like God wants you to focus on something that you’re not focusing on right now, what do you need to eliminate in your life, in order to focus on what God wants you focused on right now?
- How would being focused on the right things during this season of your life change you, and change your relationship with God? What else in your life would change if you were focused on the right things?
- Read over Matthew 6:25-34 again. Many of our tendencies as people is to worry about things. What are you most worried about in your life during this season?
- How can you hand over your worries to God better?
- How would being more content help you to worry less?
- How would worrying less change your life, and change your relationship with God?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?