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Following Jesus – Looking At the NEW! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the February 9, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: Looking At the NEW!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 6

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1 (NIV)

As one called by Jesus to “Come, follow me”, Matthew gives us great teaching on what it looks like to live a life which follows Jesus.  As Jesus sat down on the mountainside to teach His followers, including us, He takes teaching from God’s Word and makes it sound new.  As we look at what He teaches which is new, we find that He shares with us about taking a new look at the . . .

  • Needy:  Matthew 6:1-4

    • As we are called to look at the needy, God wants us to have a new direction in that the focus is on helping people rather than on making a name for our self.  While not really a new concept, it is a new approach compared to the way the people had seen the needy being used for the benefit of others looking good rather than actually being helped.  When we choose to follow Jesus, we must look at the needy with the eyes of Christ which seek to lift them rather than exploit them. 

  • Eternal:  Matthew 6:5-18

    • As we are called to look at the eternal, God wants us to examine the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting that were meant to help us grow in relationship with Him.  Prayer and fasting were normal activities in the lives of those who would have gathered around Jesus but for many the practices had simply become religious routines rather than eternal relationship.  When we choose to follow Jesus, we must look at the eternal as something we desire with enough intensity that we are willing to be real in our conversations with God and at times choose to go without some things of this world in order to pursue God more deliberately.

  • Wealth:  Matthew 6:19-34

    • As we are called to look at the wealth, God wants us to see Him and His kingdom as that which is valuable above all else.  Sometimes this requires a change in our practices, and sometimes it requires a change in our motivations.  Do we really seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, or are we more worried about our self.  When we take this new look at wealth, we discover the worry of tomorrow has no place in disrupting today.  When we choose to follow Jesus, we recognize our relationship with the living God fills us with a greater wealth than any of the riches of this world could ever bring.

Today, how will you care for the NEW?