Matthew 6:24-34
Jesus said, "Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth...Store up treasures in heaven...," (Matthew 6:19-20). In today's text, Jesus doubles down on this radical attitude toward the power and riches of this world. As though he anticipates common-sense objections from his disciples, Jesus teaches that there is no justification for making the "necessities" of life our highest priority. Instead, our first thought and devotion must be to how we can serve the Kingdom of God with what God has given us today​.

Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus's resurrection proves the reality of the Christian hope for eternal life beyond death. It also demonstrates the divine power available to help Christians live Jesus' way now. Jesus calls Christians to store up treasures in heaven, because that is where our hearts will be. We also hear him saying that our hearts will have immense resources to serve God faithfully and to love others well. We need to be sure that we are investing out devotion, our time, and our money in that eternal hope.

Matthew 6:1-18
Disciples of Jesus serve the Father, who is unseen. Therefore, Christian service is most genuine when only the Father knows about it.

Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus reveals the keystone for everything he has been preaching so far in the Sermon on the Mount. To be righteous is to imitate the Father in heaven. Since the Father always loves his enemies, those who truly are God's children do the same.

Matthew 5:38-42
This "turn the other cheek" teaching from Jesus is correctly recognized as calling Christians to non-resistance. Over the years there has been some controversy over whether this passage means that Christians cannot fight in wars or defend their homes and family from threats to life and property. While it is possible that Christians must consider this passage in such situations, it is also important that Jesus does not include those kinds of threats in his illustrations of how to practice the Christian principle of non-resistance.
In this study, we notice that Jesus calls his followers--anyone who wants to practice what is genuine righteousness--to follow his lead in coming alongside others as friends. These others are those who treat one's self wickedly, such as an insulting and belittling slap in the face or a lawsuit to forcibly claim property from you. Jesus earned a reputation as "friend of sinners," and he calls us to do likewise.

Matthew 5: 33-37
"Cross my fingers, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" As kids, we might have vowed this silly vow to assure someone else that they could believe what we were telling them. As adults, we have other rituals: "Put it in writing"; "Shake on it"; or, "I promise." In the teaching in this part of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls Christians back to God's righteous way of simply telling the truth. Always. Only the truth.

Matthew 5:31-32
Since the beginning of marriage, people have debated the legitimate reasons for divorce. These debates have only increased in modern America due to "no-fault" divorce laws. Disciples of Jesus must answer those questions by starting with what the Lord has taught on the matter. In this brief part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs disciples in a way that transcends the debates and moves us to live in the light of the Gospel.

Matthew 5:27-30
It is tempting for disciples of Jesus to let their eyes wander to things they might never let there hands reach for. Jesus teaches his disciples to recognize this as a sign that the heart continues to need his transforming power for righteousness. This is exactly what he came to provide for all who will believe in him.

Matthew 24:6-8
Russia's invasion of Ukraine this week provides an occasion of "Bible prophecy" advocates to speculate that certain End Times prophecies are being fulfilled. They want to say that Putin's actions prove that Jesus is about to return. Faithful Christians must pay careful attention to what Jesus has said about such things. Jesus taught his disciples to always watch and wait for his return, because he will come without warning, "like a thief in the night."

Matthew 5:21-26
Jesus teaches that the full understanding of the commandment, "You shall not murder," is that God condemns even our being angry with someone. Therefore, Jesus teaches his disciples to devote themselves to helping one another resolve their anger and make peace as soon as possible.