Prepare - Can You See It?

Can You See It?

Matthew 6:18-34

God wants to work through you. You have been invited to prepare the way of the Lord. As you do, God moves in such a way that people will see God’s salvation. This week we will discuss how God put within you a capacity to prepare the way for him to work in order to change the world.

1. Read Luke 3:4. "Prepare the way for the Lord…Then all people will see God’s salvation.” Reflect on how you can use your unique gifts to pave the way for God's work in your community and beyond.

2. Read Matthew 6:18-20. Jesus is trying to get us to see what we don’t normally see. What is he telling us about the Father? What does this mean to you?

3. Read Matthew 6:21-23. Your eye—what you see, gaze at, and pay attention to—is like the lantern of your entire life. What are the “unhealthy” things that many people focus on? Do you recall what Pastor James said we focus on?

4. Read Matthew 6:24. Notice that Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” Why do you think Jesus said ‘money’ and not ‘the devil’?

5. Read Matthew 6:25-32. Among other things, Jesus commands us to ‘not worry.’ Jesus is trying to teach us that money will never be the source of security and that God's promises and character are our only source of security. What do these verses tell us about God?

6. Read Matthew 6:33. Focusing on God as our ultimate provider shifts our perspective from what we lack to what we have been blessed with. How are peace and security found through focusing on God as our ultimate provider?

7. The invitation to give is not a call for what we do not have but a call to use what we already possess. Read Matthew 6:32–33 NCV. "32 Your Father in heaven already knows all your needs. 33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well." Can you share a time when you submitted everything to God: your life, your hopes, your dreams, and your future? How did that affect your life? How much more do you need for God to work through you?

Next week, we will take up the Expansion Offering. It isn't about how much you give, but it is about your willingness to place something of yours in God's hands to prepare for God to use it in a way that will bring him glory. Take some time this week to pray about the next step you feel God is calling you to take.