Life Group Notes – February 27, 2022

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All Nations Church

Life Group Study

Jesus Said – Matthew 6:19 – 34

 Generosity and Principle of Tithing

Week of February 27^th,  2022

Study by Wayne Arcand

 

Setting priorities is a concept we are all familiar with. We all set priorities, whether consciously or unconsciously. We prioritize how we spend our time and where we spend our money. Every time we choose to do something, we are making that activity a priority. The question is, am I setting priorities that are centred on me and what I want, or am I setting priorities based on my understanding of what God desires for my life. When we are in a right relationship with our Lord, our priorities are correctly set, and I believe the whole issue on worry in the following verses becomes a non-issue. Trust is the antithesis of worry. We cannot trust God to provide and worry about him providing at the same time.

 

In this study, we are encouraged to think about our motives, our priorities and where we place our trust.

 

Matthew 6:¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, 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. If your eyes are healthy^[a] your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy^[b], your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:22 The Greek for ‘healthy’ here implies ‘generous’.

Matthew 6:23 The Greek for ‘unhealthy’ here implies ‘stingy’.

 

1. In life and in financial planning, we are encouraged to define our priorities, set goals, and make a plan to achieve those goals. Matthew 6:19-21 encourages us to set priorities that are eternal in nature.
   1. What is the difference in priorities between a life style that stores up treasures on earth versus a life style that stores up treasures in heaven?
      1. Where is our priority to be?
      2. Does this suggest it is wrong to save money and plan for the future? What would a guiding principle be from these verses?

• Where does family rate in our priorities? Consider this question in light of your commitment to family vs work vs hobbies vs other commitments you may have taken on.

2. Consider Deut.8:17,18  “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
   1. Why is it important to remember the truth of this verse?
   2. The consequence of pride in one’s accomplishments can be read in Daniel 4 concerning Nebuchadnezzar  He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.
      1. From this example, what could be the result of not giving God the credit for what he is doing through you?

 

3. As the church, we who are followers of Jesus, are called to support those whom God has called to serve him as Pastors and Evangelists. We use the talents God has given us to earn a living in ways that honour him, and out of appreciation for the Lord’s blessing in our lives we become a blessing to those God has called to preach the good news of eternal life through our Lord and Saviour. 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
   1. How does Ephesians 4:16, “From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”, support the teaching from 1 Corinthians 9?

 

4. In Matthew 6:24, explain what is meant by, “you cannot serve two masters”? Consider the following questions:
   1. Do I find it easier to trust God in some areas of my life than in others?
      1. In what areas is it most difficult to trust God?
      2. Do my actions line up with what I say my priorities are? Are my priorities ones that honour the Lord with my time, talent and resources?

 

5. Matthew 6:25-34 will be considered together. Let us explore the concept of worry versus concern.
   1. Explain the difference between being worried about something and being concerned about something.
   2. Can you find examples in scripture where God was worried?
   3. Can you find an examples of a time when God was concerned?
      1. What was the circumstance and what was God concerned about?
         1. What did he do about it?
      2. Does this suggest it is okay to be concerned about something? Why?
   4. What does worry cause us to do?
   5. What does concern cause us to do?

 

6. Read verse 33. The word ‘seek’ is the present imperative tense. It is a command to fulfil a continuing obligation.
   1. What does it mean to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness?
   2. What changes in us when we seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness? Consider this in light of our priorities.

 

For Reflection: If I made a list of activities I am involved in and the places my money goes, would these line up with what I say my priorities in life are? Do these priorities line up with God’s priority for my life? If not, what do I have to change to live a life that honours God in all areas.