Chapters (Correspond with messages preached on the following eight Sundays: October 4 November 22, 2015)

Transcription

1 1 Kingdom Living Matthew 6 & 7 Care Group Bible study Chapters (Correspond with messages preached on the following eight Sundays: October 4 November 22, 2015) 1. Authentic Spirituality (Matthew 6:1-18) 2. Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:5-15) 3. Two Treasures (Matthew 6:19-24) 4. Cure for Anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34) 5. Specks & Planks (Matthew 7:1-6) 6. Ask and You Will Receive (Matthew 7:7-12) 7. The Choice We all Must Make (Unavoidable Choices?) (Matthew 7:13-27) 8. Amazing Authority (Matthew 7:28,29) INTRODUCTION At the end of Matthew 5, Jesus challenges his followers to Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. But he immediately follows this goal with a warning, 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). Jesus had just described true righteousness the righteousness which surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (Matthew 5:20) - as it affected our relationships to one another. Now he directs our attention to true righteousness in our relationship to God.

2 WEEK 1: Giving, Prayer, and Fasting (Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18) 2 It seems that the greater the demand for holiness, the greater the danger of hypocrisy. The striving for righteousness before our heavenly Father can easily turn into a quest for external righteousness and honor before people. As Paul asked Christians in Galatia: Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10). Jesus illustrated his point by focusing on abuses of the 3 main acts of Jewish piety: giving, prayer and fasting. In each instance Jesus begins with the accusation hypocrite. He then exposes the abuse, announces the hypocrite s reward and, finally, describes the true nature of worship. Jesus taught that the mere appearance of religion without substance would rob one of heaven s reward and ultimately consume all the righteousness and purity in one s spiritual life. As one author stated, Many Christians are better Pharisees than they are Christians. Questions for Discussion 1. What new section of the sermon on the mount begins with Matthew 6? 2. What does Jesus say about doing the right thing for the wrong reason? Is the spirit of giving, praying, and fasting as important as the practice? 3. Describe some of the subtle ways by which we seek the praise of people for what we do. 4. How do the commands in this section relate to performing for the audience of One? What is the antidote for the chief sin that is addressed here? In what ways do churches and non profit organizations use this sin to motivate people to give? 5. Does Jesus condemn any and all acts of charity that are made public? Explain. 6. What is meant by do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing? 7. How does Jesus teaching here and in 5:42 on giving to the needy influence you and your attitudes towards the poor? What keeps us from giving more to the poor? 8. Why does Jesus tell us to pray in secret? Must all prayer be done in a secret room? Explain.

3 3 9. Though public prayer in church gatherings is commanded in scripture (see Acts 1:14; 2:42; 1 Timothy 2:1), in which circumstances might public prayer in a church service be contrary to the spirit of Jesus instructions in these verses? How do flowery prayers hinder the development of disciples? 10. Are there moments in our public worship when our chief interest is in making an impression and not on genuine worship? 11. If God knows what you need before you ask him, why should you ask him at all? What sense does prayer really make? Are we mainly to talk for our own edification and encouragement? Why or why not? 12. Why have many Protestant Christians eliminated the practice of fasting? What was the purpose for fasting? Should Christians fast today (see Matthew 9:15)? 13. Compare and contrast the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5 - Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl and let your light shine before others - to his teaching in Matthew 6 - your Heavenly Father who sees in secret will reward you and do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. What is the difference between religion for show and faith aglow?

4 WEEK 2: The Lord s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) 4 What should our prayers be like? Jesus warned of being like the Gentiles who believed their many words would insure their being heard by the gods (See 1 Kings 18:26-29). Ecclesiastes 5:2 warns us, Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Instead, Jesus invites us to follow his example and let our prayers be in simple faith, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Jesus then illustrated the nature and content that should characterize our prayerlife: This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven. In Luke s gospel (Luke 11), this prayer is given in response to a request from the disciples for Jesus to teach them how to pray. This model prayer may be divided into two halves: the first half uses the pronoun your and the second half uses the pronoun us. How ironic, however, that the very abuse about which Jesus was warning has so often been committed using the very model he gave us. The Lord s Prayer is probably the most abused prayer ever uttered. Let s not make that mistake. For our prayer to be a genuine act of righteousness, it should be without pomp or show, directed to God and not men, primarily private and without empty words and repetitions. Questions for Discussion 1. Someone has noted that in the 6 short petitions of this prayer, Jesus gathers up the whole of life and encompasses all of time. (Darrell Johnson, Fifty-Seven Words That Change the World). Agree or disagree, and why. 2. As noted above, the first half of the Lord s Prayer uses the pronoun your and the second half uses the pronoun us. What is the significance of this order in which Jesus places the petitions? Why not reverse the order? 3. Note that all the verbs (action words) in the prayer are in the imperative mood; that is, they are commands be hallowed, come, be done, give, forgive, lead not, deliver. Does this mean we can order God around? If not, why is each petition in the command mood? 4. Why might the Father image of God be a problematic one for many people in our day? How can we make it make a less of a problem for such people? 5. Does the expression in heaven mean that God is far away? What and where is heaven? What do you think?

5 5 6. What does the word hallow mean? What does it mean to hallow the Father s name? What about our lives and words hallows the name of our Father? What desecrates and besmirches it? 7. In what sense are we asking that the Father s kingdom should come? Why are we asking for the Father s will to be done here on earth? How should this prayer affect our living? 8. Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? Why do we seek to be independent of God? Why should we ask God to give us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? 9. Jesus teaches us to ask, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. What does the word as mean? And why do you think the petition asking for forgiveness is the only part of the prayer that Jesus singles out for further comment? 10. Is it possible to be truly forgiven and yet harbor an unforgiving spirit? Can you think of a parable Jesus taught to demonstrate the relationship between being forgiven and forgiving? 11. If the Father we meet in Jesus would never intentionally lead us into temptation, why did Jesus teach us to pray Lead us not into temptation? That is, why bother asking God not to do what God would never do? How can you resolved this difficulty? (Hint: the second half of this petition but - interprets the first). 12. The conclusion of the Lord s Prayer as we usually pray it For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever was added by the church long after Matthew had published his gospel. Even if it wasn t part of the original prayer as Jesus taught it, why is it a fitting end to the prayer as we usually pray it?

6 WEEK 3: Two Treasures/Visions/Masters (Matthew 6:19-24) 6 In chapter 6 of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned his disciples attention to two life-rules of the Kingdom of heaven. In the first lesson, it was noted that the disciples of Christ must be pure and honest in their religious service to God. Their piety must be free of religious hypocrisy and performed only to please the heavenly Father. Jesus now turns to the disciples relationship to the material world and, especially, the role wealth should play in the Christian s life. It has always been a problem for the Christian to balance a spiritual life in a material world. It is so easy to either become an ascetic with an evil view of that which God has made (Col. 2:21-22), or else to become a materialist with God and spiritual matters becoming crowded out (1 Tim. 6:17). In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus identified the thorny soil as one who is obedient to the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful (Mt. 13:22). The overriding question each of us must ask ourselves as we study this section is To WHOM or WHAT do we dedicate our lives? Questions for Discussion 1. Read the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:15 21). What is the context of this parable? What did Jesus condemn him for? Storing his harvest? What is the key verse in this passage? How does this relate to the Sermon on the Mount? 2. Name other parables that warn of the danger of wealth. 3. According to the Bible, how does one store up treasures in heaven? What advantage does this have over accumulating earthly possessions? Why are we uncomfortable with the concept of rewards in heaven? 4. Jesus seems to make it sound like you can t seek wealth and God at the same time. Does he really mean this? Is he speaking figuratively, literally, or just exaggerating? Can wealthy people serve God in actual fact? Were there any rich, righteous people in the Bible? If so, who? 5. The love of money can be a pretty subtle thing. Both the rich and the poor can love money. Can you describe a time in your life when you were deceived about this, and when the light in you was really darkness? According to Jesus, could desire for money damn a person (Luke 12:15 21)? 6. How should we view the material blessings we receive?

7 7. Why is money such a danger to people? 7 8. Is taking out an insurance policy to cover almost any contingency a violation of trust in God? 9. Is dealing in the stock market or investing in gold legitimate for a Christian? How about buying lottery tickets? Or gambling? 10. Why does Jesus call serving God and money together absolutely impossible and not merely improbable? 11. What concrete steps can we take to avoid the allure of materialism when advertising bombards us?

8 WEEK 4: Cure for Anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34) 8 If the love of money and worship of material things can destroy the soul of both rich and poor, so can worry and unfounded anxiety. Jesus realized that the poor man s goal for perfection could be as easily diverted by worldly motives as that of the rich. Whether rich or poor, young or old, black or white, or any other distinction, nothing must be allowed to turn us away from our aim to be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. As one approaches this text, he must realize what Jesus meant by do not worry. There are things a Christian MUST be concerned about if he is to be responsible before God. But there is a spirit of worry that is irresponsible and sinful. Paul wrote, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil. 4:6). To help clarify the point, notice Webster's definitions of two key words: concern something of importance to one; worry a troubled state of mind, uneasiness. God expects us to show concern, but not to the point of a troubled mind crippled by needless anxiety. Questions for Discussion 1. What point does Jesus make with his twin parables of the birds of the air and of the flowers of the field? Is the point trivial or is it valid? 2. Does Jesus teaching imply that, if we really have enough faith in God, we don t have to work, since God will take care of all of our needs? 3. How many times in this passage does the phrase do not worry, do not be anxious, or take no thought occur? In what way does excessive worry border on sin? Are worry and trust exact opposites? 3. Why does Jesus mention the pagans in verse 32? What point is he making? How should a Christian differ from a pagan, according to Jesus teaching in this passage? 4. What emotional and faith effect does the phrase, your heavenly Father knows that you need them, have in your life? 5. Twice in the immediate context, in Matthew 6:8 and 6:32, Jesus insists that our Father in heaven already knows what we need. If this so, it should help us to trust God to take care of our needs. But then, if he already knows our needs, why pray about them, as Jesus urges in Matthew 6:7-13?

9 9 6. What is the command in verse 33? How must our seeking God differ from our seeking of food and clothing, according to this verse? What is the promise found in this verse? 7. Give some examples of how we today have become so concerned about our livelihood (getting enough to eat and drink) that we have forgotten the art of living. 8. If you are comfortable doing so, share briefly with others in your small group something you are worried about right now or have been recently. 9. Think for a moment about the worry you just shared, rather than the problem that is the occasion for your worry. a. What, if anything, are the benefits of worry in such a situation? b. On the other hand, what are some of the dangers that worry may pose in this situation?

10 10 WEEK 5: Specks and Planks (Matthew 7:1-6) Of all of the commandments of our Lord, hardly any are more consistently broken, neglected, or misunderstood as his command: Do not judge (Mt. 7:1). Jesus prepared the groundwork for this command with his earlier instructions regarding mercy, loving ones enemies, and forgiving others that God might forgive us. It seems that it is human nature to point out the faults of others. In so doing, we seek to pat ourselves on the back and lift ourselves up by criticizing and cutting others down. When someone says, See how BAD HE IS! he really says, Look how GOOD I AM! We become critical and judgmental when we seek to justify ourselves through legalism or when our own spiritual life begins to weaken and deteriorate. It has been correctly said, When religious people begin backsliding, they begin backbiting. The critic hopes that by pointing out the errors of others, he can somehow deflect attention from his own sins and shortcomings. The ultimate tragedy comes when we become completely unaware of our own hypocrisy. The Pharisee never saw himself as a critic and faultfinder. He was the righteous defender of orthodoxy! But sadly he had become the sincere, sinful hypocrite! Questions for Discussion 1. Have you ever caught yourself severely criticizing another Christian behind their back or to their face? What is the attitude that underlies fault finding? How can the psychological concept of projection motivate harsh judgment? Why must Christians show love in the face of a brother s or sister s failing? 2. Read a similar passage in Luke 6: According to Matthew s account, what is our fate if we measure out big heaps of judgment with a critical spirit? According to Luke s account, how can measuring be both positive and negative? What should we measure out instead of judgmentalism? 3. What about this parable is humorous? Why do you think Jesus compares a speck of sawdust with a plank? What does the speck represent? What does the plank represent? According to this parable, when is it okay to remove a speck? When is it not okay? 4. The verb judge (Greek krino ) in 7:1-2 has a range of meanings in Scripture, including (a) to discern; (b) to judge judicially; (c) to be judgmental (d) to condemn. Which of these 4 possible meanings of judge is intended in Mt 7:1-5? How do you know?

11 11 5. What Old Testament character was guilty of judging others when he was the one who was guilty? 6. Is it possible never to judge? 7. William Barclay said we should not judge because We are not good enough, we do not know enough, and we do not love enough. How does this impact understanding Jesus teaching? 8. If an erring person, called up short by you, replied with Mind your own business. You ve got your faults too!, how would you respond? 9. How do we decide whether we are legitimately judging and discerning or illegitimately finding fault and censoriously picking flaws? 10. In Jesus day, what did dogs and pigs have in common? What would holy food and pearls have in common? Read Matthew 10:14; Acts 13:44 51; 18:5 6; and 28: In what kinds of circumstances did believers turn away from a continued sharing of the gospel? To what kinds of people did they continue their witness? 11. How does one decide at what point to cease offering the gospel to a person calloused against it.

12 WEEK 6: Ask and You Will Receive (Matthew 7:7-12) 12 Some Christians argue that if the church has failed in any area to restore the practices of the New Testament church, it is in the area of prayer. We have been deceived by our modern world to deny much of the power of prayer. We pray with the attitude that What will be, will be! and expect nothing to REALLY happen as a result of our petitions and requests to God. And when nothing does happen because of our lack of faith (James 1:6-7), it only re-enforces our belief that prayer is powerless. But Jesus demands a different philosophy from his disciples as he gives us this incredible promise, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Mt. 7:7-8). Do we really believe it? Three terms are used by Jesus to describe the zeal with which we are to approach our heavenly Father - ask, seek, and knock. Each term denotes a further phase of our struggle. We first ask, then we go out and diligently seek, and finally we approach the door boldly and knock (Heb. 4:16). Ours must be an active search for God s will in our lives. Sometimes God wants us to move beyond the asking stage to the searching stage. Sometimes we have to knock strong and loud on those closed doors before they will open. God has not promised us a MasterCard with unlimited credit, but he has promised to answer us when we seek him with all our heart. And the promise is For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Someone may ask, Does God always answer His children's prayers? Yes, but it may not be the way we want them answered. It has been correctly said that God answers prayers in three ways: Yes, No and Not right now! God knows what's best and will answer accordingly. Therefore, if you lack the qualities Jesus demands, then ask for help to obtain them. So often we do not have simply because we do not ask (James 4:2b-3). Questions for Discussion 1. What do the words ask, seek, and knock have in common? What distinguishes them from each other? Does one word convey more intensity than another? What is the significance of the present, continuous, imperative tense of these verbs?

13 13 2. Which lesson is taught in both the parables of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5 10) and the Widow and the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1 6)? How do these relate to the commands in Matthew 7:1 2? 3. What do these verses teach us about God s relationship to us? What do they teach about God s characteristic response toward us? How does this differ from a cynical view of God? 4. What can be inferred about your view of God by what you pray for and how you pray? Why is a positive understanding of God important to be able to pray with faith? 5. The ask/seek/knock saying of 7:7-11 constitutes three breathtaking, parallel promises. Based on context, what restrictions on the thing requested or sought and the character of the petitioner might we infer? 6. Why doesn t God always immediately answer prayer? 7. Suppose someone says, My prayers were not answered. What would you reply? 8. How should a person respond whose prayers are not answered the first, second, or third times? What about the fifth time? Or the seventieth or one hundred and seventieth? 9. What are some of the intellectual and (theo)logical roadblocks that we erect on the path toward genuine prayer? And what are some of the obstacles in our lives to committed and persistent pursuit of God? 10. Trying to keep religion simple, some say, Just follow the Golden Rule. Is Matthew 7:12 a sufficient guide for ethics or not? How does this verse relate to the previous 5 verses?

14 WEEK 7: The Choice We All Must Make (Matthew 7:13-29) 14 In Matthew 7:13 and following, Jesus begins summarizing his great sermon on the mount. In relationship to God, we must choose between his way or man s way. Many people want to straddle the fence with one foot in the world and the other in the church. It is falsely believed that as long as you re not too bad, you ll be O.K. Just attend services every now and then, participate in the Lord s Supper when you can, contribute to the church occasionally, and in the Judgment Day Jesus will welcome you in with open arms. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Jesus offers one way to salvation and only one way, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Mt. 7:13-14). If a danger exists in finding the right way, it also exists in being led astray. Jesus said of the Pharisees, You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are (Matt. 23:15). Just because one claims to follow God doesn t mean he actually does. Therefore Jesus warned, Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves (Mt. 7:15). We must be careful about those who claim to be proclaimers of God s will when in fact they are not. Some may come as faithful and sound gospel preachers, but in reality they seek a following after themselves. Paul warned the Ephesians elders of such individuals (Acts 20:29-31). What is it that makes a person a true follower of Jesus? It is not what some people think, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 7:21). We can perform all kinds of righteous deeds, have all kinds of Bible knowledge, and claim complete loyalty to the Lord as evidenced by great miraculous signs, but if we do not KNOW him - or are KNOWN by him - it is all in vain. The important question in the Judgment Day will not be How many works have you done? but How have you responded to the will of the Father? As Jesus draws his sermon to a close, he summarizes his entire message with one simple question: Upon what will you build your life? He demands a verdict; what will your answer be to his call?

15 15 Questions for Discussion 1. If Jesus teaching about the narrow gate and the narrow road to life is to be believed, what change would this make in how you conduct your life? What difference would it make to how you witness to your neighbors? How might it affect your opinion of universalism, the belief that in the end almost everyone will ultimately be saved? 2. What is meant by the statement, You can t back into heaven by backing out of hell? 3. How might the wide gate be easy initially but become complicated quickly? 4. Is broadmindedness toward others beliefs and ideas a virtue or a vice? 5. Is the church in danger today of overestimating the joys of knowing Jesus and underestimating what he demands? Should we tone down the gospel s demands to make the gospel palatable to inquirers? 6. Jesus says that one s inner self will eventually become apparent (Matthew 12:34). What kinds of fruit might be clues to a false prophet? What is the difference between judging (Matt. 7:1-2) and looking for fruit? 7. How is it possible to deceive yourself, so that you presume that you are doing when you are only hearing? (see James 1:22 25). How might it be possible to prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles in Jesus name and not enter the Kingdom of heaven? 8. Does Jesus require obedience of his disciples? (John 15:14). Is there a kind of true Christian who believes, but does not obey? How do you justify Jesus requirement of obedience with Paul s teaching that salvation is a gift, not because of works, lest anyone should boast (see Ephesians 2:8 10)? 9. Identify some of the foolish and sandy foundations on which people construct the house of their lives nowadays. 10. How can having Christian parents, belonging to a Christian church, growing up in the Christian tradition lull one into not making a definite decision for the kingdom and its King?

16 16 WEEK 8: Amazing Authority (Matthew 7:28-29) The reaction of those who listened to Jesus sermon was amazement. Never had a Rabbi taught the people in such a way; there was something definitely different about this Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus taught as one having authority, unlike the scribes. Jesus taught the people God s Word in a way that was alive and fresh. Jesus was full of grace and truth. He spoke truth with authority, and the people heard it, loved it, and then responded to it. Matthew sets out clearly in his gospel to establish the authority of Jesus. For the Jews, the Law of Moses, the Pharisees and scribes, and the Temple had been the sources of spiritual authority; but with the coming of Jesus, all authority in heaven and on earth now resides in him (Matt. 28:18). The scribes had taught the people about the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses with the emphasis on the rules and regulations. Jesus taught the people the whys of the rules and regulations with the emphasis on the people. When Jesus spoke, life finally made sense. Jesus taught practically; he never spoke religious nonsense, and he answered life s most complicated questions in simplistic ways because it was truth, and did it in a way that a simple person could understand. Jesus taught graphically; he never spoke the truth in a dull or boring lecture. He painted pictures and told stories. Jesus knew that using visuals and illustrations would help the people learn and retain what He was teaching them. Jesus was a master teacher. The scribes would quote the authorities to sustain their points; Jesus sustained his by the power of a living example. He still lives as both the source and the model for our lives today Questions for Discussion 1. A fun question: did you have a favorite teacher growing up? Share one of your fondest or funniest memories from your school days. 2. How did people react the way they did to the teachings of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, and why? 3. Authority means the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine, a power or right delegated or given; authorization. Who gave Jesus such power? How does he command authority?

17 17 4. In Christ s day, the teachings and the sermons from the Pharisees were boring and more like a list of endless rules. Instead of preaching something new, they would just preach more rules. Have you ever been in a church like this? If yes, and without being judgmental, what was it like? 5. What do you think would be people s response if Jesus were among us, teaching today? Would we be shocked by His teaching? Why or why not? 6. Thinking back on the sermon on the mount, both chapters 6 & 7 and what you can remember from Matthew 5 (the beatitudes and all the you have heard but I say statements): what has most amazed you about his teaching? 7. Reviewing the demands of the sermon on the mount, are they practicable today, or unattainably high, or simply impossible? 8. Some people believe that Jesus was only a good teacher or a prophet but not the Son of God or the Savior of the world. How would you respond to someone who believed this way? 9. How can we hear Jesus teachings today in a way that is fresh, alive, and relevant? 10. How important is it for us to read the Bible to learn Christ s teachings? What are some practical ways we can be better stewards of Jesus teachings? What would this look like in our lives?