Sermons

How To Do What God Calls You To Do Week 74 – Matthew 26:1-13 – 8/3/25

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a passage of Scripture where Jesus is getting His disciples ready for His second coming. 

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

In this part of God’s Word we see a woman serving Jesus in a unique way. After the disciples struggle with what she is doing, Jesus teaches them the importance of…

Doing what God calls you to do even when:

  1. It means giving your all

Matt. 26:6-7, 22:37-40, 6:19-20, Rom. 12:1, Deut. 15:10

  1. You’re criticized

Matt. 26:8, 5:44, 2 Tim. 3:12, John 15:18, 1 Pet. 4:12-14

  1. There are other good things to do

Matt. 26:9, Is. 6:8, Prov. 3:4-6, 1 Cor. 4:2, Heb. 11:6

  1. You’re not sure what role you’re playing

Matt. 26:10-12, 1 Cor. 3:6-10, 12:1-31, Rom. 12:6-8,

  1. When you think it’ll be forgotten

Matt. 26:13, 6:4, 2 Cor. 5:10, Luke 8:17, Heb. 4:13



Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 25:31-46 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • As you reflect on Jesus’ teaching to His disciples here, think about your own life. Are you clear on what God has called you to do? if not, spend time in prayer asking for God to make clear what He has called you to do. If you are clear, are you being faithful to do what He’s called you to do? 

 

Diving In 

  1. What would it look like for you to give God your all? Are you holding anything back from Him?
  2. Have you ever been criticized for doing what God has called you to do? How can you make sure that criticism doesn’t stop you from doing what God has called you to do in the future?
  3. Have you ever been distracted from God’s specific calling in your life, by other good things? What happened? How can you make sure to stay focused on what God has called you to do?
  4. Have you ever been faithful, but also felt discouraged because you didn’t know what role you were playing in God’s Kingdom? What happened? How can you better remember that if you’re doing something that God has called you, that you play a critical role in God’s Kingdom?
  5. Read Matthew 6:4. How would remembering this verse help you to be faithful to do what God has called you to do?

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?



 





 

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.

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?