Small Group Study Guide

Transcription

1 Small Group Study Guide South Park Church 1330 S. Courtland Avenue Park Ridge, IL

2 Matthew 5 7 A Study of the Sermon on the Mount The Importance of Small Groups South Park Church exists to help people walk with God, connect as family, and love people in Jesus name. When we talk about connecting as family, we re talking about building deep relationships with our brothers and sisters in the family of God. A small group is a place for you to grow in love for God and a few others. It s a place where you share joy and sorrow, search the Scriptures for wisdom, care for one another, and commit to praying for one another. If you have new members in your small group, getting to know each other may be more important than getting through the study questions in the first few weeks. Consider giving attention to the following: 1. Complete the Group Covenant found at the end of this study guide. 2. Share personal testimonies of salvation or times of significant spiritual growth. Have long-term members of the group share before new members share. 3. What have been the defining moments of this small group? 4. What role does prayer have in this group, and how have you seen God answer prayer? If you want to take this group to a new level, read and apply any of the following one another s : John 13:34-35; Romans 12:16, 13:8, 14:13, 15:14, 16:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10, 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:11, 12; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2, 32; 5:19, 21; Philippians 2:5; Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 18, 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 3:13, 8:11, 10:24-25, 13:1; James 5:9; 1 Peter 1:22, 3:8, 4:9, 5:5, 14; 1 John 1:7, 3:11, 23, 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 5 1. If you want to get everyone involved, consider starting each week with this question: What was the most significant event in your life this past week? Answers should average about 30 seconds. The leader should go first to model how to answer. 2. Don t let prayer be an afterthought squeezed into the final few minutes of the study. Plan your time so that you can praise God for who He is, thank Him for his blessings, ask Him to apply the study to your lives, and intercede for members in your group. The Unfolding Series and the Church Calendar Our church always celebrates two of the high points on the church calendar: Christmas and Easter. But we rarely observe the seasons of preparation known as Advent and Lent. Christians throughout history and around the world observe theses seasons as a way of understanding the unfolding story of Jesus and the church. The Lectionary is a Bible reading plan that helps us follow these seasons. Unfolding Advent (December 6 24) A time of anticipation and preparation for the coming of the Messiah Unfolding Epiphany (December 27 January 10) Recognition that the Messiah has come to reveal God in the flesh Kingdom (January 17 March 20) Learning about life in the kingdom prompting repentance, prayer, and renewal during the season of Lent This study guide covers January 17 March 6 Outreach Weekend: Make Room is March 13 Palm Sunday is March 20 and celebrates the revelation of Christ as King Resurrection (March 25 April 24) A celebration of Jesus victory over death and the grave a victory that is shared by all his followers as the Spirit comes to dwell in us. Covers the Passion Week, Ascension, and Pentecost This calendar provides wonderful opportunities to follow reflective, spiritual patterns in our lives. A practice you may have noticed on Sundays is the reading of a Psalm during corporate worship. Keep your eyes and ears open for links between that Psalm and the sermon text of the day. We are praying that our personal and group study will cause us to resemble Jesus more and more.

3 Baptism Baptisms are occasions when the gathered church hears stories of how Jesus is changing lives. It is a time for us to announce that the old had gone and the new has come. It s a time to celebrate rebirth and new life in Christ. If you are considering baptism, we want to help you prepare. Visit to learn more, register, and begin preparing. Membership Starting in February, we will be offering a self-guided study to become a member of South Park Church. You can register and pick up a study guide at the Welcome Center. An elder will be in contact with you through the process to answer questions and encourage you along the way. Suggested Resources Here are some of the books being used to prepare the sermons in this series: The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew by D. A. Carson The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by C. S. Keener Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 by Tom Wright The Story of God Bible Commentary: Sermon on the Mount by Scot McKnight Series Big Idea: What would it take to bring God s dream for the world into reality? Jesus gives us his answer in Matthew 5-7. It means letting God s Kingdom unfold in our family, work, play, prayer, finances, sexuality, stresses, and conflicts. It means confessing Jesus is Lord in all of life. What kind of disciple does Jesus want me to be? What kind of small group does Jesus want us to be? What kind of church does Jesus want us to be? What power is available to me and us through the Holy Spirit? Week of January Matthew 5:1-16 People who live Jesus values stand out in the world. 1. Take a look at who was in the crowd (Matthew 4:23-25). How might their life circumstances influence how they hear the beatitudes? 2. Some people read the Sermon on the Mount and conclude that Jesus teaching is impossible to follow. And at the time that Jesus taught before the cross, resurrection, ascension, or coming of the Holy Spirit it would be. Jesus ethical vision was only practicable through the Power of the Pentecostal gift of the Holy Spirit who took human abilities to the next level and human inabilities and turned them into new abilities (McKnight, 14). How should the history of salvation noted by McKnight influence our reading and application of the Sermon on the Mount? 3. What might Matthew want his Jewish readers to remember from their history when he notes that Jesus went up on a mountain and began to teach? (see Exodus 19:1-6) 4. How does Jesus feel about people who are sick and oppressed as reflected here and throughout the gospels?

4 5. What are the living conditions of blessed people? (for fresh perspective, see The Message translation at biblegateway.com) 6. What does Jesus say is possible in the face of poverty, mourning, and persecution? 7. How are the values of the kingdom different from the values of the world? 8. Where in the world is there persecution today? 9. Where does your identity come from while you are in difficult circumstances? 10. Re-read the beatitudes, which one most draws your attention? How is Jesus inviting you to live into it? 11. Who do you know that embodies one of the beatitudes? How might you bless that person? Be specific. Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 51:1-17 Week of January Matthew 5:17-26 Kingdom living means pursuing reconciliation. So we need to be listening more carefully in our churches to this question: How do church folks read the Bible? Some people read the Bible formationally; they read with heart open to receive from God at a spiritual, intuitive, devotional, and relational level. Others read the Bible informationally; they read it to know what it said and many such people have acquired the original languages so they can examine tenses, cases, and sentence structure. Others read the Bible canonically; they read it with their ears open to the rest of the Bible. Others read the Bible historically; they only want to know what Jesus intent was in his world or what Matthew s intent was in his context. Others read the Bible sociopragmatically; they read it to foster and further their own political, theological, ideological, or social agenda. Others read the Bible according to what their guru says; they read it usually in a group, or a church, a sect, or a school of thought according to how their favorite teacher or prophet or charismatic leader teaching the Bible. Thus, a Catholic, a Calvinist, an Arminian, a Barthian, a Hauerwasian, an N. T. Wrightian, or a John Piperian reading of the Bible, so they say, would look like this you can fill in the blank. Is there a right way? Or are there only ways of reading the Bible? Are some ways better than others, or do we simply read the Bible for ourselves? We can learn to transcend our own readings of the Bible by focusing on how Jesus read the Bible. What does he say? (McKnight 66). 1. How did Jesus and the Apostles read the Bible? (Matthew 5:17-20; see also Luke 24:25-27, 44-49) 2. Raca is a Greek term of strong abuse that means empty-headed fool. Though you can likely think of modern equivalents, they are better left unsaid.

5 3. Compare the audience s perspective on righteousness to Jesus perspective on righteousness (5:20). What is Jesus trying to do: lower the standard, raise the standard, discourage his audience, or something else entirely? 4. Trace Jesus progression of thought. He starts with murder but then digs under the surface. Where does he go? What is he doing? 5. Governments and organizations are governed by laws which are relatively easy to legislate and measure. But Jesus teaches something different and more difficult. What does he want to penetrate? Kingdom Living 6. What is it that Jesus prioritizes more than worship in 5:23-24? 7. What principles of reconciliation does Jesus offer? 8. Who have you seen model reconciliation? 9. What does justice look like in the kingdom? 10. How does the life and death of Jesus transform our view of justice and relationships? 11. We all have examples of conflict that hurt a relationship. Can you share a story of a conflict that made a relationship stronger? 12. Examine your heart. Is there anyone you need to reconcile with today? It is likely best not to mention who until you have approached that person directly. Week of January 31 - February 6 Matthew 5:27-48 Kingdom living means loving your enemies. 1. The following passages provide context for Jesus teaching on marriage: Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 24:1; Malachi 2: To learn more about South Park Church s commitment to preserving marriages, see pages 5-6 of Relational Commitments found at the bottom of this page: 3. How, if at all, does it affect your hearing of this passage that Jesus never married? 4. What happens if you flip Jesus words from negative to positive in verses 27, 34, and 39? What does he want? 5. Step back, what kind of person is Jesus trying to form? 6. How does verse 44 related to verses 27-42? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 32

6 7. What are the differences between love and lust? Brainstorm a list: Week of February 7-13 Matthew 6:1-15 Life in the Kingdom means pursuing closeness to the Father when nobody s watching but Him. Love Lust 1. Jesus pounds the hammer down on hypocrisy. His instructions are designed not to create scrupulosity but to criticize the ostentatious behaviors of those who do things to be seen like the Pharisees and teachers of the law (see Matthew 23) and to urge his followers to engage God and others directly (McKnight, 154). Who would be a modern day equivalent of a Pharisee or teacher of the law? (Be careful how you answer.) 8. Who are your enemies? And let s be honest, often it is the people closest to us who we fight with most. 9. Which beatitudes would help you apply Jesus words about adultery, marriage, and loving our enemies? 2. According to Jesus, what are the potential dangers of doing good works and prayer? 10. If we re going to act like Jesus, then we need to follow the patterns, practices, or habits of Jesus life. What habits will help you grow into Christlikeness? 3. What was Jesus prayer life like? (Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 10:21; 11:1; 22:39). Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 121

7 4. What reward are you looking for when you give and pray and serve? Week of February Matthew 6:16-24 Life in the kingdom can be fuller with less. 5. What reward does Jesus promise us? When do you get it? 6. What resonated most with you from this week s message? What would you like to discuss further? At the heart of the Sermon is a section on spiritual disciplines because Jesus expects his disciples to practice charity, praying, and fasting. Jesus, however, doesn t command almsgiving, prayer, or fasting but assumes them. The central issue that provokes Jesus is an act done to be noticed as pious and to gain a reputation. Disciplines are done with eye, heart, mind, and soul focused on God. Fasting had been abused at least since the days of Isaiah 58. Zechariah, too, asked, When you fasted was it really for me [God] that you fasted? (Zechariah 7:5) (McKnight, 195). 7. What are the dangers of getting really good at spiritual practices? 1. Besides food, what else might it be helpful to fast from periodically? 8. When you recite the Lord s Prayer do you find it to be an empty routine or a meaningful ritual? How do we avoid the dangers Jesus mentions? 9. How can prayer be more personal, relational, and soul stirring? Add to this list: pray in community, walk and pray outside, let Scripture reading become prayer, expect God to speak, listen to your favorite worship music, etc. 2. What kind of perspective on life is Jesus trying to get us to develop? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 95

8 3. What makes for godly fasting and ungodly fasting? 4. What is treasure in heaven? 5. Where is your heart invested? What do you want your heart to be invested in? 6. How would your life and passions be different if your treasures were in heaven? Week of February Matthew 6:25-34 Kingdom living is caring about what Jesus cares about. Most people in antiquity had little beyond basic necessities food, clothing and shelter. Because their acquisition of these necessities often depended especially in rural areas on seasonal rains or (in Egypt) the flooding of the Nile, they had plenty of cause for stress even about food and clothing. (Keener) 7. How is your heart already engaged in heaven? How can that increase? 1. How does care for the needy in the early church relate to this passage? (Acts 4:32-37) 8. What is something that you valued years ago that is now worthless or not important to you? What does this say about lasting value? 9. Are you willing to stand in front of your possessions and ask, How can I glorify God with this? 10. What kind of fast does God want us to practice according to Isaiah 58:1-14? 2. Jesus walked through life convinced that the Father cared for him (6:26). What examples can you think of that model this? (consider Matthew 8:20 and others) 11. Practice: Try fasting this week for 1 meal: Use the time you would take to prepare, eat, and clean up to pray through Psalm 23. Read it slowly, personally, and prayerfully. Let it prompt specific praises and personal requests. Some people may find journaling helpful in staying focused. 3. Why did Jesus talk about birds and flowers? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 23

9 4. What does our culture and your neighbors worry about? 5. The original audience was concerned about food and clothes. What do you need? 6. How do you feel about Jesus telling you not to worry about your life? (Matthew 6:25) 7. What are the top 3 priorities in your life right now? Week of February 28 - March 5 Matthew 7:1-12 Kingdom living means valuing relationships. Pigs and dogs were considered unclean animals (Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22), which had no appreciation for valuable things (Proverbs 11:22). Pigs typically ate the vilest foods, and dogs were scavengers, consuming even human blood. Stray dogs were known to growl at those who tossed them food as well as those who ignored them. The image would thus be forceful and beyond dispute for ancient hearers (Keener). 8. What have we learned in the Sermon on the Mount so far about Jesus priorities? 9. What is one step you can take this week to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness? 1. Think through verses 7:1-6 from Jesus perspective. He had no log to remove from his eye, yet how did he approach people? 10. What troubles are you worried about that take you away from seeking the kingdom first? 2. What is sacred to Jesus? 11. Augustine (A.D ) said, Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee [God]. How can you consciously and continually find rest in God? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 130

10 3. What do you think of when you hear the word judge? 4. Make a list of what this passage tells us to do and not to do. 5. When someone else has done something wrong, what do you want? When you re the one who has done something wrong, what do you want? 6. How does humility fit into this passage, and how does it grow inside someone? 7. How do these contrasting word pairs help you make sense of this passage? Condescension vs. Coming Alongside Condemnation vs. Judgment 8. What do we learn about God in 7:7-12? Week of March 6-12 Matthew 7:13-29 Jesus is the ultimate judge of true disciples. 1. The teachers of the law never claimed as much authority as Jesus had (7:24 27); they derived their authority especially from building on previous tradition (Keener). What amazes you most about Jesus teaching in Matthew 5-7? 2. How would you summarize what matters to Jesus in 7:13-27? 9. Consider verses 7:1-2 and 12. When I have a blind spot, how do I want someone to approach me? 3. What does Jesus want us to expect if we re going to follow him? 10. What have you received from the Father, and how does that transform how you relate to others? (7:9-12) 4. What test does Jesus give for identifying false prophets? 11. Discuss what must change in our way of thinking to promote a desire to first ask and seek for things that transform our inner nature, trusting that our personal well-being will naturally follow? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 131

11 5. Have you ever picked apples or other fruit? What did you look for? 6. Since we re called to identify false teachers, how is this different from judging that Jesus tells us not to do in 7:1? 7. If prophesying, driving out demons, and performing miracles are not the will of the Father, what is? (7:21-23) The purpose of a group agreement is to promote open dialog resulting in shared expectations. After initial discussion, group members should have time to reflect between meetings. The agreement can then be finalized in a following meeting. Leader(s): Apprentice(s): Group Members: Small Group Agreement 8. What are the dangers of not identifying false teachers/disciples? 9. What are the dangers of identifying false teachers/disciples? 10. What are the marks of a true disciple found in 7:13-29? 11. How do you respond when following Jesus is hard: surprise, discouragement, resignation, joy, other? What might help you respond in a better way? 12. What has been most challenging, most encouraging, or most meaningful to you in your study of the Sermon on the Mount? Last Sunday s Worship Reading: Psalm 31:1-5, Values: please discuss the following and modify to fit your group. Acceptance: Accept one another (Romans 15:7). This is an environment where people should feel free to be themselves and safety to share openly without fear of condemnation. Teachability: Teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16). There must be a willingness to learn from one another. Availability: Serve one another (Galatians 5:13). This requires a willingness to be available to meet each other s needs. Faithfulness: Be devoted to one another in love (Romans 12:10). This is reflected in consistent attendance at group meetings and events. Effort is made to inform the group when a member will be absent. Logistics: 1. When will we meet? (day of the week, frequency, start and end time) 2. How much time will we give to study/discussion, sharing, and prayer during each meeting? 3. Where will we meet? 4. What will we study? 5. Will we be open to new members? 6. How will we share roles? (Examples: hosting, facilitating discussion, prayer, social events, service projects, etc.)

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