DISTINCT: LIVING ABOVE THE NORM

DISTINCT: LIVING ABOVE THE NORM 90

Don t Blend. Don t Compromise. Be distinct. If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too? We all heard that from our parents; some of us likely have even said it to our own kids. The point is simple: just because everyone else is doing it doesn t make it right. The problem is, though, we like to fit in. Ever since we were kids, we wanted to like the right kind of music, wear the right clothes, and use the right technology. In other words, we want to jump off the cliff because everyone else is doing it. As disciples of Jesus, we were made to be different. To stand apart. To live in such a way that it s clear we aren t bandwagon crowd-followers; we re followers of Jesus. That fact makes us stand apart distinct from the crowd. When we started following Jesus, everything about us changed, whether we recognized those changes or not. We have a new heart. We have new desires. We have new attitudes. And all of that newness stands in sharp contrast to the old. In His most famous sermon, Jesus helped His followers both then and now to see just how different God made us to be. In everything from our character to our relationships to the way we love other people, we were made to stand apart from the crowd. Just as it was for those who heard the Sermon on the Mount for the first time, every day of our lives is filled with opportunities for us to compromise and blend into the norm. Or to be distinct. Michael Kelley Michael Kelley is a husband, dad, author, and speaker. He serves as the Director of Groups at LifeWay Christian Resources, and in all those arenas, is trying to help people have a holistic view of what it means to be formed in Jesus. Michael is the author of Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life and Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal, which tells the story of his 10-year-old son s battle with leukemia. Michael blogs at michaelkelleyministries.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91

Distinct: Living Above the Norm As you lead your group through this study, help them know CHRIST and His gracious work, live as contributing servants in the COMMUNITY of faith, and engage the CULTURE without losing distinction. Note in the group plans the icons (below), which identify activities to help group members connect in specific ways to Christ, Community, and Culture. Christ Community Culture Christ Christ is the standard and model for how the truths in the Sermon on the Mount are to be lived. Obedience to God s Word comes as we enjoy time in His Word. 92

Community The church is strengthened as we seek reconciliation in all things. Purity is not practiced in isolation. Righteousness, purity, and faithfulness are seen in how we act around each other. Culture Believers are to unashamedly represent Christ as His salt and light. Loving our enemies is such a foreign concept to the world, yet it points to the love we have experienced in Christ. Helping you move from where you are to where you want to be. This is your passion for your class or group. Yet helping different individuals each take their next step to grow as disciples is challenging. The Transformational Discipleship Assessment (TDA) is a quick and easy tool to help you discover how you and the members of your group move from where you are to where God wants you to be. The assessment is online, which allows each group participant to take it in the comfort and privacy of their home, office, or even their mobile device. Discover more at TDA.LifeWay.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 93

DISTINCT: LIVING ABOVE THE NORM Session 1 Distinct in My Character Matthew 5:1-12 Session 2 Distinct in My Influence Matthew 5:13-20 Session 3 Distinct in My Approach to Conflict Matthew 5:21-26 Session 4 Distinct in My Relationships Matthew 5:27-32 Session 5 Distinct in My Reactions Matthew 5:33-42 Session 6 Distinct in My Love Matthew 5:43-48 Songs, Magazine Articles, and Book Excerpts are available online to support this study. Go to BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. Here are some examples: Session #4 Made for Each Other Matt and Lauren Chandler proclaim the power of God s love in their marriage. Session #5 Not Perfect, Just Forgiven Gracia Burnham shares how faith can survive 376 days of captivity in the Philippine jungle. 94

SESSION 1 DISTINCT IN MY CHARACTER The Point Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. The Passage Matthew 5:1-12 The Bible Meets Life You are being manipulated hundreds of times every day. We typically don t use that label, but that s exactly what happens every time you watch a commercial, read a billboard, or get an Internet pop-up ad. Each and every one of those messages is trying to convince your subconscious mind of two things: 1. You are not as happy as you could be (or should be). 2. You will be happier if you drive this car, watch this show, buy this product, and so on. It makes sense that marketers and advertisers go after our happiness. Who doesn t want to be happy? But what if being happy isn t the ultimate goal? What if there s something better? As we ll see in today s Scripture focus, Jesus told His followers what life in His kingdom will be like. Will it be happy? Not exactly. It will be something far better. It will be blessed. The Setting Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus gathered disciples around Him and began to teach them differences between commonly accepted religious truths and the fuller real truth from God s perspective. Though He taught His disciples, crowds gathered around to hear Him speak. Jesus began with what we call the Beatitudes, a series of blessings that most people would not have considered blessed. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95

What does the Bible say? Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed (v. 3) The word blessed literally meant to be fortunate, happy, or joyful as a result of circumstances, or even more significantly here, as a result of and with emphasis on divine favor. Poor in spirit (v. 3) Poor primarily meant economically disadvantaged; symbolically, it meant lacking in spiritual significance or being inferior. Combined with in spirit, the phrase is synonymous with being humble. 1 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He began to teach them, saying: 3 The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. 5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. 7 The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. 8 The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. 9 The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 96 SeSSion 1

THE POINT Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes ENHANCEMENT: Display Pack Item 7, Distinct, to introduce the major theme of this study, along with the specific focus of each session. Notes DISCUSS: Question #1 on page 77 of the PSG: What was the happiest time in your life? GUIDE: Direct group members to The Bible Meets Life on page 78 of the PSG. Introduce the themes of happiness and blessing by reading or summarizing the text or by encouraging group members to read on their own. ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Supplement The Bible Meets Life by playing a handful of popular commercials on a laptop or tablet or by instructing group members to search for and play specific commercials using their phones. As you watch each commercial, encourage group members to consider the following questions: 1) What product is being sold? 2) How does the commercial connect this product to your desire for happiness? Note: Be sure to select commercials that are appropriate for the members of your specific group. Lean toward commercials that are humorous, and lean away from commercials that are focused on sexuality or exploitation. GUIDE: Call attention to The Point at the top of page 78 of the PSG: Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. PRAY: Transition into the discussion by thanking God for the blessing of His Word. Specifically, praise Jesus for the blessing of His Beatitudes and the critical truths contained in His Sermon on the Mount. TIP: When helpful, use this Notes column to record additional discussion questions, concepts, and activities that connect the study content with your specific group. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97

5 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Matthew 5:1-6 1 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He began to teach them, saying: 3 The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. 5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. READ: Matthew 5:1-6 on page 79 of the PSG. Read the text out loud or ask a volunteer to do so. RECAP: Highlight the first two paragraphs on page 80 of the PSG in order to introduce the main theme of this study and this session: This sermon is like a grenade tossed into the bunker of what we think it means to be happy in today s culture. The poor in spirit are blessed. Those who mourn are blessed. The gentle are blessed. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. According to Jesus, being blessed is more than just happiness; it goes deeper than ordinary emotion and it s driven by more than mere circumstance. While the people in Jesus day like people in our own day might have thought blessing came from being healthy, wealthy, and wise, understanding what true blessing means is one of the things that makes Christians distinct. Enduring happiness, or blessedness, comes with a life lived in a way that pleases God. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What do Jesus teachings in this passage reveal about the kingdom of God? 98 SeSSion 1 DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 80 of the PSG: What is your understanding of what it means to be blessed? GUIDE: Use the last paragraph on page 99 of this Leader Guide to emphasize the theme connecting the blessings mentioned in verses 3-6. TRANSITION: As we continue with Jesus words in verses 5-7, we ll find more blessings that turn conventional wisdom on its head.

THE POINT Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. Matthew 5:1-6 Commentary [Verses 1-2] It is impossible to overstate the impact of the Sermon on the Mount on the world as a whole, not merely Christianity. This was Jesus radical description of what life in the kingdom should look like for His followers. In Matthew s introduction, he referenced the crowds that were present. These crowds constituted admirers, perhaps, but not necessarily followers of Jesus. The primary audience for the sermon was Jesus small band of disciples. [Verse 3] Jesus began the sermon with series of nine statements, each indicating the joy of absolute dependence on God. Jesus began each statement with a Greek term makarioi, which most translations render blessed. In this list of nine, Jesus was not offering an evangelistic program so that non-believers would know how to get into the kingdom of God. Neither was Jesus offering the rewards that would come to those who exerted effort in order to be humble, meek, or merciful. The Beatitudes indicate the characteristics of those who already are in relationship with Christ and are participating in His presence. Jesus offered the first blessing on the poor in spirit. Jesus pointed to those who recognize their desperate need before God and trust Him alone for all their needs material, spiritual, or otherwise. Jesus promised them the kingdom of heaven. Those who recognize their great need before God already begin to experience the blessings of the kingdom in its fullness. [Verses 4-6] The second Beatitude offers a blessing on those who mourn. Jesus stated the promise in the future tense: they will be comforted. In Jesus presence, those who suffer can experience comfort, but they also have the promise of an even greater future when every tear will be wiped away (see Rev. 21:1-4). The third Beatitude speaks to those who are gentle. The Old Testament background in Psalm 37:11 suggests that the term Jesus employed is virtually synonymous with humility: But the humble will inherit the land. With the fourth Beatitude, the image of hungering and thirsting depicts desperation and yearning for that which is necessary for survival. The object of the desperation in this case is righteousness. Righteousness is built off of the same Greek stem (dik) as a word for justice and thus can refer to fairness or justice, particularly in the sense of God s putting right that which is unjust. In the context of Matthew s Gospel, however, it seems to have more the sense of upright behavior (see Matt. 1:19; 3:14-16). The consistent theme that ties these first four Beatitudes together is the promise that God blesses our dependence on Him. Whether it is our humility, our mourning, our meekness, or our hungering and thirsting for what God requires of us, God blesses those who recognize in every area of life that without God we are helpless and hopeless. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 99

10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Matthew 5:7-9 7 The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. 8 The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. 9 The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. DO: Direct group members to complete the activity Feeling Blessed on page 81 of the PSG. If time permits, encourage volunteers to share some of the major blessings in their lives. What are the major blessings in your life? Use the space below to record as many blessings as you can think of in a couple minutes. What does your list of blessings communicate about your life? READ: Matthew 5:7-9 on page 79 of the PSG. GUIDE: Direct group members to read the first two paragraphs on page 82 of the PSG in order to see how the cross represents our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationship with others. RECAP: Read the third paragraph on page 82 of the PSG as a transition from the vertical Beatitudes (vv. 3-6) to the horizontal (vv. 7-9): ALTERNATE QUESTION: Which of the attributes in these verse do you find easiest to live out? In verses 3-6, Jesus described the kind of person who is blessed vertically in his or her relationship with God. These next attributes show us what happens in horizontal relationships as a result. DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 82 of the PSG: When have you felt the cost of choosing to show mercy, be pure, or make peace? TRANSITION: Verses 10-12 conclude the Beatitudes with more connections between living distinctly and receiving God s blessing. 100 SeSSion 1

THE POINT Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. Matthew 5:7-9 Commentary [Verse 7] The next three Beatitudes move away from our own neediness and toward how Jesus disciples should respond to the needs of others. The word used for merciful has to do with an attitude of compassion that results in action on behalf of a person in need. For those who demonstrate mercy, Jesus promised they will be shown mercy. The image Jesus painted is of an open hand reaching out to others with mercy and also able to receive mercy from God. The alternative is the person whose hand is tightly clenched, refusing to reach out to others. [Verse 8] The heart in the New Testament is the center of a person s will and emotions. It s the innermost part of a person. The phrase pure in heart has to do with integrity that is internal and deeprooted, as opposed to the type of external purity that the Pharisees promoted. The pure in heart are those who live with integrity even when no one is watching. In order to understand what Jesus meant by they will see God, consider the words of Psalm 24:3-4a: Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart. In order to see God a person must stand in God s presence, a situation only possible for those with inner purity. [Verse 9] It is important to remember that as Jesus spoke these words to His Jewish disciples, Israel was under Roman occupation. In fact, for 600 of the last 700 years their land had been occupied by foreign oppressors, whether Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, or Romans. An ongoing sect of Jewish revolutionaries, called Zealots, sought to free Israel from Roman domination through violent revolution. In the context of the constant rumbling of war and violence, Jesus announced it is the peacemakers who are blessed. The call to be a peacemaker could constitute a more passive posture of non-violent resistance, or it could prescribe a more active pursuit of peace by working to bring reconciliation between opposing parties. Jesus taught patient, nonviolent resistance later in the Sermon on the Mount when He taught the proper response to someone striking the cheek or taking your coat (see Matt. 5:38-42). He also modeled it in His suffering and crucifixion. On the other hand, Jesus also modeled active engagement in a hostile situation in order to bring about reconciliation. Paul described Jesus sacrificial death as making peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20). Thus, Jesus promised blessing on those who do whatever is necessary to bring about peace. Jesus promised that such people will be called sons of God. To be called a son of God is an extraordinary designation. It means we ve been adopted into God s family with all the rights and privileges of His child. We were all spiritual orphans, but now in Christ we have become children of God and coheirs with Christ. Those who strive for peace and reconciliation show the family resemblance to the God of all peace. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 101

15 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Matthew 5:10-12 10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. MATTHEW 5:10-12 on page 79 of the PSG. DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 83 of the PSG: What are some ways Christians experience persecution in today s world? GUIDE: Use the second paragraph on page 103 of this Leader Guide to help group members understand that Jesus words in verses 10-11 apply specifically those who are persecuted because of their relationship with Him. RECAP: Highlight the first two paragraphs on page 83 of the PSG: ALTERNATE QUESTION: How have you experienced a blessing after choosing to go against the flow? This is the first time in these verses that Jesus gave a command. That s because all of these characteristics are representative of something that s happened inside us. When we come to Christ, we are fundamentally changed at the deepest level imaginable. We are citizens in a new kingdom, and in that kingdom we have new values and new definitions. In other words, we are citizens in God s kingdom, but we still live in this world. So Jesus commanded us in verse 12: Be glad and rejoice. DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 83 of the PSG: How do we help one another choose joy when others mistreat us because of our faith? GUIDE: Refer back to The Point of this session: Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. If time allows, encourage group members to share any final thoughts or questions. 102 SeSSion 1

THE POINT Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God. Matthew 5:10-12 Commentary [Verse 10] The Beatitudes conclude with two promises to those who are persecuted for the sake of the kingdom of God. Jesus warned His disciples: People will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them. You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. You will be hated by everyone because of My name (Matt. 10:17-18,22a). These words were fulfilled not only in Jesus own trial and crucifixion, but also in the lives of Peter, James, John, and the other apostles (see the Book of Acts). And Jesus words continue to resound with relevance. It s worth noting that Jesus promise is not for any persecution, but specifically persecution as a result of standing for righteousness. In this context, Jesus envisioned persecution as a result of a person s relationship with Him. It could also indicate harassment or suffering as a result of advocating for God s will in the world. The promised blessing brings the audience back to the promise in the initial Beatitude. To both the poor in spirit and now the persecuted, Jesus promised that the kingdom of heaven is theirs, present tense. [Verses 11-12] Jesus then expanded on the idea of persecution: You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Interestingly, Jesus switched from the third person ( those, they, their ) of the earlier Beatitudes to the second person you. The switch to second person moves Jesus instructions from the generic to the particular, from the general to the specific. The disciples gathered on the mountain with Jesus that day would face insults, persecution, and slander as a direct result of their identification with Jesus. Jesus urged them to be glad and rejoice for two reasons. First, your reward is great in heaven. Jesus did not specify the nature of the reward. While in this present evil age we long for larger mansions and more stuff, perhaps we should think more in terms of nearness to Jesus as the greatest reward of all. The second reason for joy was the honor of identification with the prophets. The prophets were the heroes of Jesus Jewish audience. Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah might have adorned the walls of young Jewish boys rooms rather than sports or rock stars. Ultimately, Jesus did not issue His disciples an abstract set of moral imperatives. Rather, He issued a call to follow Jesus example for in His life and ministry Jesus embodied these virtues perfectly. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 103

5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes GUIDE: Direct group members to page 84 of the PSG. Encourage them to consider the following options for seeking God s blessing (rather than worldly happiness) this week: > > Allow God s Word to bless you. Memorize Matthew 5:3-6 and pray through Jesus words every day. > > Bless someone else by serving them. Choose one relationship this week in which you want to model what it means to be blessed. Serve that person in a tangible way. > > Allow someone else to bless you. Share with someone you trust about a tough situation you are walking through. Ask them to help you choose to be glad and rejoice in the middle of that situation. Wrap It Up TRANSITION: Read or restate the conclusion from page 84 of the PSG: Christians are different; they are distinct. They display that distinction in their dependence on God, their actions toward others, and the way they respond to difficulties. So, are you ready to find something bigger than happiness? PRAY: Conclude by verbally submitting yourself to the principles Jesus taught in the Beatitudes. Confess your desire to live distinctly as a member of God s kingdom in this world. 104 SeSSion 1