April 17, 2022
The Conspiracy of God | Hide and Seek
Our message series, The Conspiracy of God , will take us through the Sermon on The Mount.
A conspiracy involves a secret power at work behind the scenes, undermining those that currently hold sway. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is God’s invitation to participate in his great conspiracy by apprenticing to Jesus.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
Matthew 6:25-34
Message Questions:
- Are you prone to worry? What do you worry about most often?
- How strong is your sense that your Heavenly Father loves you? What feeds the sense of His love? What subtracts from it?
- Jesus seems to be suggesting that we “open our eyes” or “go for a walk” as an antidote for worry. What is it about birds and wildflowers that could be corrective?
- What does it look like for a person to “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness?” What has been moved to SECOND place in your life because Jesus has become FIRST?
- How reassuring is it to hear Jesus tell you, “Each day has enough trouble of its own?” Is there subtle reassurance in there somewhere?
Extend your small group discussion with the expanded guide for today’s message. It includes more questions and soul training practices for you and your small group.
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
Empowered Baptism is recognized throughout the Church as the beginning of a ‘God thing.’ John’s baptism was a visible demonstration of the start of a new life — clearing out the junk to prepare for what God was about to do. Jesus’ baptism reveals the true heart of baptism: God’s desire to bless and express His delight. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the start of the Kingdom. Ordinary women and men were now filled with the Spirit of Jesus to continue on the ministry Jesus started.
