Flourish- The Sermon On The Mount: Sermon Study Guide #3- The Whole Bible?

READ Matthew 5:17-20

In this passage, we find the thesis statement for the Sermon on the Mount (some would say for the entire gospel of Matthew). Jesus’ thesis is two-fold: 1) The entire Bible – without exception – is the final authority on and the necessary guide to all human flourishing. 2) He came to bring into full reality in His life first and then in ours, everything the Bible says we should do - and in so doing to recover the true and full purpose of the whole Bible.

THE WHOLE BIBLE – ALL OR NOTHING 

By saying that he did not come to abolish the “Law + Prophets,” Jesus was saying, “I have not come to revise the Scriptures. I have not come to reject anything written in the Scriptures. But I have come to reclaim & recover – everything - to bring the whole & every single part, all to fulfillment.” This means that we don’t just need the parts we like, the parts we agree with, the parts we are comfortable with. We need everything. And more than that: Jesus is saying it’s all or nothing. If you take some of it away, you lose it all.

Jesus explains further. Until “heaven and earth pass away” not an iota or dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Not even the smallest punctuation mark or detail can be ignored! Jesus rules out selective obedience and acceptance. Though many parts of the Bible are difficult to accept and even more difficult to obey, when we are having a hard time with and disagreeing with the Bible – we take it on Jesus’ authority that it is true and good for us. 

THE WHOLE BIBLE VS THE RELAXED BIBLE  

Jesus says, “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” There are two main ways we relax the Bible – we build fences around it or we draw lines through it. We build fences around the Bible when we approach it thinking, “I’m only accepted, if I obey it all.” Jesus is saying that this approach – that of the religious leaders of the day (Pharisees/Scribes) -  actually leads to a relaxing of the Bible. They counted up every command in Scripture, made lists of dos and don’ts and taught people, “Stay on this side of the fence and you are good.” “Just don’t commit the act of murder or adultery.” “Fast at this time and for this long.” “Here’s what you can and cannot do on the Sabbath.” The problem is that these fences create distance from the spirit and purpose of the commands in Scripture by trying to manage the Bible by creating check lists and focusing on externals.

The other way we relax the Bible is when we say, “I’m already accepted as I am, so I don’t have to obey it all. Just relax, what’s everybody so uptight about?” The most common expression of this viewpoint is seen when we divide the Bible into two parts – the Old Testament and Jesus. But Jesus, even in the part of the Bible almost everyone accepts (the Sermon on the Mount) says, “If you want me and want to live this sermon, you have to have the Old Testament. It’s a package deal. Only when you have the whole Bible + surpass the most religious people you know in righteousness can you even enter the kingdom of heaven.”

THE WHOLE BIBLE- ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH  

Jesus’ approach is something entirely different from the legalistic and the lax approach to the Bible. It is not “I obey, so I’m accepted” or “I’m accepted as I am so I don’t have to obey.” It is “I wholeheartedly obey it all because I’m accepted by grace.” The lesson of the Pharisees/Scribes is that exposure + effort = never enough. We need an entirely new approach to the Bible.

In order for us to have a righteousness that exceeds the most serious religious persons, we don’t need a relaxed Bible, we need a fulfilled Bible. Jesus did not say - I came to enforce the whole Bible on you, but “I came to fulfill” the whole Bible for you. Understanding the difference between these two things is the key to the Christian life. The lesson of the Pharisees and Scribes is that exposure + effort is not enough to change us. We need to be changed from the inside to love what God loves and to joyfully surrender full reign over our lives to Him. The heart is changed as we see how Jesus fulfilled the Bible for us - through His perfect obedience, his sacrificial death and His empowering work in us (see Romans 8:1-4).

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions? Where do you stand regarding acceptance and submission to the whole Bible? In what ways do you opt for or struggle with selective acceptance and obedience?

Tim Keller writes, “Either it’s an authority over you or you are an authority over it. If there’s anything you dislike about it, it means you’ve put yourself in a position to judge any verse.” Do you filter through the Bible picking and choosing what you will accept or do you allow the Bible to filter you choosing what it will accept and allow?

2.     Jesus’ teaching here means that Christians should be able to say (about all their ethical and moral views), “I hold to this view and seek to live it out because this is my best understanding of what the Scriptures teach us about how to live and what’s best for human flourishing.” Where is this hardest for you? How does it help to take it on Jesus’ authority everything it teaches is true and best for human flourishing – even when we don’t understand?

3.     How do you most struggle with relaxing the Bible? Do you build fences around it? Or draw lines through it?

4.     What’s the difference between a relaxed Bible, an enforced Bible and a fulfilled Bible? How does knowing that Jesus fulfilled the whole Bible for us change us to want to obey and submit to everything it says? How does the Q+A below help us understand what this might look like?

Heidelberg Catechism #114 Q. But can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly? A. No.  In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments.

5.     How are you currently exposing your life to the whole bible? How can you grow in this area?

Flourish - The Sermon on the Mount: Sermon Study Guide #2 - Salt and Light

READ Matthew 5:1-16

The first 16 verses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount function as a two part introduction. In part 1 (v1-13), Jesus invites us to find the paradoxical flourishing and blessed life in ways and in places we would never expect. In the second part of his intro (v13-16), he tells us this invitation won’t make sense if we are only looking to flourish for ourselves. He calls his followers to live for more than their own flourishing but to live so others might flourish. Jesus paints a picture of the impact and influence the Christian community should have for the common good.

CALLING – THREE KEY WORDS

Verses 13 and 14 share an identical beginning. Though seemingly insignificant at first glance, these three simple words are packed with significance for the calling every Christian shares:

1. YOU (Y’ALL) – This “you” is plural. Jesus is speaking to a “y’all,” not to a bunch of individuals separately seeking to live out the call to bring flourishing to the world. A grain of salt won’t be noticed. A speck of light is easily missed. Collectively, salt and light are unmistakable. Every Christian is called. Every Christian is needed. The call is a community project.

2. ARE – Jesus doesn’t say “be the salt” and “be the light.” He says, ”You are the salt and light.” It’s a statement of identity: This is who you are.  What Jesus is saying is that those who are living the life of flourishing described in the Beatitudes (v3-12) WILL influence/impact the world for good. Their presence will be felt. They don’t have to do anything extra except to live the genuine Christian life and be present in the world. The impact will be inevitable.

3. THE – Here Jesus doesn’t say you are “a” salt or “a” light but clearly gives his followers a unique role in the world as the salt/light. The Christian community/church is God’s chosen and appointed vehicle to show others what it looks like to flourish under His rule and to invite them into this blessed and flourishing life. The church is God’s plan A to display his glory to the world. There is no plan B.

INFLUENCE – TWO PICTURES

Jesus provides two pictures of how a Christian influences the world for good – salt and light.

1.  SALT - Salt was very common in the ancient world and was used for many purposes.  Salt is mentioned a number of times in the Bible and is also used in different ways. Two uses that were the most common – as a preservative to keep food from going bad + as a seasoning to give food taste.

TO BE SALT WE MUST BE FULLY PRESENT   In order for salt to have its preserving effect, it has to be rubbed into the food. Frederic Bruner writes about this, “Salt a centimeter away from food is useless; Christians not living for people outside themselves are worthless.” To be salt, Christians need to rub into the life of people in the world around us – especially those places/people that are decaying, deteriorating or breaking down. We can’t withdraw or retreat; instead, we must be fully present.

TO BE SALT WE MUST BE DISTINCTIVE   The one thing that should never be said about the church in a community is, “I don’t taste it. Oh there’s salt in this? I couldn’t tell.” The one thing that should never be said about a Christian on an individual level is, “Oh and you’re a Christian? I never would have known!” To be fully present but not distinctive is to blend in and lose our gospel influence. To be distinctive but not fully present is to be absent and lose all opportunity for influence. Every church/Christian should be both fully present and distinctive.

2.  LIGHT - Light is a rich metaphor which can also mean a variety of things in the Bible. Light reveals what is true and draws people in. As the light of the world, Christians are to be visible but discreet.

TO BE LIGHT WE MUST BE VISIBLE –Jesus teaches that there should be a visible difference between the Christian community and any culture it finds itself in. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount provides examples of what this looks like. Christians should be visibly different with regard to how we handle sex, money, relationships. Our way of life should reflect God’s priorities and draw people in to learn more.

TO BE LIGHT WE MUST BE DISCREET – Jesus says the spotlight is not on us but on God and his glory. We don’t live in such a way to draw attention to ourselves but to God. This also means Christians should not expend energy on denouncing others who live and believe differently. Instead of focusing on things we say “no” to, Christians should focus their energy on living out what God says “yes” to and let others see what this looks like.

 Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.     When you read over verses 3-12 (the Beatitudes), what is your response to Jesus’ declaration that people who live these out are the most powerful force for good in the world? Does this excite you? Does this challenge you?

3.     The Beatitudes shows us that we will often make our most powerful impact when we don’t recognize or see it; not when we are at our best, but when we are at our most broken (poor in spirit, mourning). How does this encourage you?

4.     When it comes to influencing the world for good - Which do you tend to emphasize more – being fully present or being distinctive? Why are both needed? Where in your life might God be calling you to rub in?

5.     What might it look like for you to be more visible about your Christian faith + commitments while remaining discreet?

6.     Why is it crucial we remember that we can only be salt and light to the extent that we go into the world empty-handed (poor in spirit)?

Flourish- The Sermon on the Mount: Sermon Study Guide #1- Flourish

READ Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is probably the most well-known and influential part of the entire New Testament. Scholars tell us that Matthew recorded this sermon to give us an epitome, or summary, of Jesus’ teaching. It’s a place to start to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus and it’s a place to return time and time again to make sure we are on the right track. Jesus’ introduction to his sermon (known as “TheBeatitudes”) shows us his favorite topic – the blessed life. The word ‘blessed’ is hard to translate into one English word but the word that best captures what Jesus is talking about is “flourishing”.  The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ portrayal of what it means for us to truly flourish.

WHERE WE LOOK FOR FLOURISHING PEOPLE  

When Jesus began his sermon by saying, “Blessed are…”, the crowds were familiar with this kind of teaching. Other teachers and moral philosophers painted a picture of the “good life” in the same way. These descriptions were meant to cause the listeners to say, “Yes! That’s the life I want!” “That’s where flourishing people are found!” But Jesus’ description was not what anyone expected. If Jesus’ version of the blessed life is right, then we are looking for flourishing people in all the wrong places. In order to see how completely Jesus flips upside down our standard vision of the flourishing life, it’s helpful to see the beatitudes “in reverse.”

Where we look for flourishing people: Blessed are…

•        … the self-sufficient, for they don’t need anything or anyone.

•        … happy optimists, for they are never sad.

•        … the assertive and aggressive, for they get what they want.

•        … those who have arrived, for they can enjoy life & stop trying to change.

•        … the comfortable and safe, for they don’t have to deal with the broken.

•        … the outwardly successful, for they receive the approval of others.

•        … the winners, because they end up on top.

•        … the popular, because everyone likes them.

THE PLACES WHERE FLOURISHING PEOPLE ARE FOUND  

If flourishing people aren’t found where we expect, where are they? Jesus gives us four places to look for them.

•        At Life’s Low Points – Those who hit rock bottom, realize their spiritual poverty and reach out to God with empty and desperate hands -theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

•        Lamenting Loss – Those who grieve the pain and loss of life without feeling the need to put on rosy glasses - they will be comforted.

•      Among the Looked Over- Those who don’t become aggressive in asserting their rights no matter what the cost - they will inherit the earth.

•      With Those Who Lack Righteousness and don’t fake it or feed their hunger and thirst with the wrong things – they will be satisfied.

THE PLACES WHERE FLOURISHING PEOPLE ARE FORMED  

The next four beatitudes are less passive and more active in nature. They show us where flourishing people are formed:

•     In broken places and with broken people, they are showing mercy.

•     In the struggle with hypocrisy, they strive for alignment of their inner and outer lives.

•     Through conflict, they become peacemakers like the Father.

•     By being mistreated for doing right, they take hold of the joy of living for what is right, not what is popular.

HOW WE FIND FLOURISHING  

Jesus’ beatitudes are not commands. They don’t tell us what to do. Instead, they pronounce God’s blessing on the places where flourishing people are found and formed. But these are the last places we want to be found and to move toward! We spend so much energy avoiding and moving away from these things! The only way we can find the blessed life of flourishing is by first looking to Jesus (who perfectly lived and embodied this list). As we follow Him into these places, we find him bringing us blessing in places and in ways we never would have expected.

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.     The UN Happiness Report 2017 reported that the U.S. has fallen from 3rd to 19th in reported levels of happiness. In a special section on the U.S., the report said, “The United States can and should raise happiness by addressing America’s multi-faceted social crisis—rising inequality, corruption, isolation, and distrust—rather than focusing exclusively or even mainly on economic growth… In sum, the United States offers a vivid portrait of a country that is looking for happiness ‘in all the wrong places.’ The country is mired in a roiling social crisis that is getting worse. Do you agree that our country is in a social crisis? Do you think it’s related to looking for happiness “in all the wrong places?”

3.     What is your response to the beatitudes “in reverse?”  Is this your version of the blessed life? Do you think it is our culture’s version of human flourishing?

4.     Which of the four “places where flourishing people are found” most describes where you are at today? Instead of seeing this as something to be moved past or ignored, what might it look like to see it as a place where God is teaching you to truly flourish?

5.     Read over the four places where flourishing people are formed. Have you experienced blessing by moving into any of these places? Do you sense God moving you into one of these places? How so?

6.     Martyn Lloyd Jones said he would never talk to anyone about the specific moral teaching of the Sermon on the Mount if they weren’t first living in the beatitudes. Why would we need to be living in the beatitudes in order to be able to hear and obey Jesus’ teaching on anger, conflict, lust or worry?

Groundwork for the Soul: Sermon Study Guide #4- The Call

READ Matthew 4:18-25

There are many times in life when the questions of direction come to the forefront – “Where am I headed? Which direction should I go?” Which college should I attend? What should be my major? Where will I find my first job?  Should I stay in this career? Am I called to singleness, or should I get married? How should I educate and parent my kids? Now that I’m in mid life, what’s next?. When should I retire? As a retiree, how should I use my time?

The call of Jesus to follow Him is a call to consider what it means for Jesus to set the direction of our lives.

THE CALL  

It was a pursuing call. In Jesus’ day, the idea of being a follower/disciple of a religious leader/teacher or prophet was common but the standard practice was that disciples came to the teacher. The initiative was on the side of the disciple. Jesus completely reverses this. He takes the initiative and calls. The point is that it wasn’t anything in these men that caused Jesus to call them. No one comes to Jesus on their own initiative. We need to know that we are not the one in the lead. We come on His terms, not ours.

It was a personal call. Jesus’ call is simple and direct:  “Follow Me,” not “follow my teaching and ideas, my example, my rules, my cause.” The focal point is on the person of Jesus. It wasn’t so much about what Jesus had done up to this point but about who He was. There was something compelling, commanding and convincing about Him.

THE CALL TO FOLLOW  

When Jesus began his ministry by calling people to “Follow me,” He was inviting people to start a journey of living life under His leadership. This was the main goal and purpose of his entire ministry – to build a community of followers. This means that becoming a disciple is not a part of what it means to be a Christian - it is what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian is to be a disciple/a follower of Jesus’ leadership – What does this look like?

The call to following Jesus is costly. The four men highlighted in this text were not peasants living a life of poverty, they were businessmen making a good living by their hard work. To follow Jesus meant they “left behind” their “nets,” “boats” and even family/business partners. Following Jesus meant downward mobility for them. The lesson is that at each point in our lives when we are considering the call to follow Jesus - it will entail a cost.        

The call to follow Jesus is comprehensive. To become a disciple at this time meant you literally followed a leader/teacher around everywhere and all the time. When Jesus said, “Follow me,” he meant “come with me where I go, watch what I do, listen to what I say; bring all of your life into your relationship with Me.” The call to follow is the same today. We can’t separate off some of our life from Jesus’ call to follow – it involves all of life.

The call to follow Jesus is communal. Jesus never calls us to follow him alone. From the very beginning we see that though his call is very personal, it is also always communal. He calls these disciples in pairs. He formed and built a community of followers on mission.

THE CALL TO FISH  

When Jesus sets the direction of our lives, he calls us to join him in his mission. In his mission, people are the priority. Just as these four men were focused on fish as fishermen - where they are, how do we find them, how can we catch them -  so if they follow Jesus, they will be focused on people. Going to where they are, moving toward them and pointing them toward following Jesus.

What’s interesting to note is that Matthew ends this section of Jesus’ launching His public ministry with two very different pictures. Picture #1 – Four men heeding the call of Jesus. Picture #2 – Great crowds from the entire land of Israel hearing about Jesus. The fame and buzz is growing! Which one gets us more excited? The crowds + fame? Or the call of a faithful few? As the story continues, we learn that the crowds ended up turning on Jesus but the faithful few started a movement that changed the world! The call to fish is a call to “think small” and invest in the people God has put into our lives.

Questions

1.      What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.     Where in your life are you in need of direction or asking, “Where am I headed?”

3.     How might returning to the simple/personal call of Jesus to “Follow Me” help you refocus when you are confused, overwhelmed or discouraged?

4.     Costly Call - What might Jesus be calling you to leave in order that you might more fully & faithfully follow Him?

5.     Comprehensive Call - What might Jesus be calling you to incorporate that you’ve kept separate? What would following Jesus look like in this area of your life?

6.     Communal Call - Who might Jesus be calling me to follow Him with in this season of my life?

7.     Are there any ways you are struggling to “make people the priority” in your life? Are there specific people God may be calling you to invest in in order to help them to consider or continue following Jesus?

Groundwork for the Soul: Sermon Study Guide #3- Temptation

READ Matthew 4:1-11

Matthew Chapters 3 & 4 are all about the groundwork that was laid for Jesus to be prepared and ready to launch His public ministry.  Matthew (and the other gospels) are clear – undergoing and resisting temptation was an essential prerequisite for Jesus. Why would Jesus need to be led into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil himself? Answering this question clarifies the nature of Jesus’ redemptive mission and helps us understand the place of temptation in our lives.  

TEMPTATION

What is temptation?

Temptation, by and large, is a lost concept in our day. Maybe this was something people talked about in Medieval times or in Puritan England or America but it’s not viewed as a valuable part of our current moral & ethical conversation. When we do use it, we often refer to the temptation of food or sexual attraction in a harmless, all in good fun kind of way. For most people in our culture, temptation is a trivialized concept. But for a smaller subset of people, temptation is actually a magnified concept. For some religious groups, everything in the culture is a temptation to be avoided or feared. These groups create sub-cultures or go into hiding. To admit temptation or to fall into temptation is to feel like you’re a pariah or an outcast.

What’s the Bible’s perspective?

The story of Scripture tells us that the entire trajectory of human history was changed because of temptation. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve gave into temptation resulting in the entrance of sin and death into the world. The same is true for our personal stories - how we handle temptation can also alter the trajectory of our lives.  But the Bible also teaches that, though temptation is dangerous, it doesn’t define us. It’s a normal and expected part of our being human in a world where evil and sin exists. We could define temptation as anything that draws us away from God’s will and call for our lives. From this definition, we see temptation is distinct from sin and is ultimately relational – temptation lures us away from a trusting relationship with God Himself.

JESUS’ TEMPTATION  

Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness by the devil was a vital part of his mission to confront and conquer the power of evil and sin over us. There are three ways we see this:

1) It was a Reversal.  

The same Greek word, Peirazo, can be translated as trial, test or temptation depending on the context. This is important for understanding temptation because the same event can be a temptation from Satan to weaken our faith and, at the same time, a test from God to strengthen our faith in Him.

It’s crucial we know that temptation and the devil are not outside of God’s sovereign purposes & control. God actually turns the tables on Satan and beats him at his own game. In passing this test, Jesus is even more secure of His identity as God’s beloved Son and was better prepared to face the suffering, resistance and ultimately the cross.

2) It was Real.

Jesus’ temptation wasn’t a show. It is important to affirm Jesus was really tempted. Not only did Jesus experience real temptation, Jesus experienced temptation more fully and powerfully than any other human being who ever lived - because he never gave into it. Jesus knows the power and lure of sin better than anyone.

3) It was Representative. 

Matthew’s main point in telling this story is not to give us an example of how to resist to temptation but a champion who resists temptation for us. The two most tragic falls into temptation in the story of Scripture are Adam and Eve’s fall in the garden and Israel’s many failures in the wilderness journey. We see parallels to both of these failures in Jesus’ temptation.  The message is clear. Jesus is the true Adam and the true Israel – He resists where they fell. He has come to restore what was lost in Adam and to fulfill the calling Israel never was able to fulfill.

OUR TEMPTATIONS

Though Matthew’s main point is to show us Jesus’s victory over temptation for us, we do learn some important lessons about how we can handle temptation in our lives from this text.

First, we are encouraged to recognize temptation in our lives.

Just as in Jesus’ life, temptation often follows on the heels of spiritual high points and at times when God is calling us to something new. The devil went after Jesus’ weak spots and he goes after ours too. Do you know the ways you are currently most tempted to be drawn away from God’s will and call for your life? If we don’t know our weak spots, we’ve already been defeated.

Second, Jesus helps us see how temptation is resisted.

Jesus recalled Scripture (all from the book of Deuteronomy) to counteract the deceit and lies of evil. If Jesus needed to have the truth of scripture at the ready, we – all the more – need the word of God to fill our minds and hearts. Jesus also stood firm in remembering his baptism. Satan tried to undermine his identity (If you are the son…). Jesus remembered and stood firm in what was most true about him – he was God’s beloved son, in whom His Father was well pleased.

Third, Jesus’ temptation shows us how to recover when we fall into temptation.  

Recovering from a fall is one of the most important parts of spiritual maturity and growth. When we fall, we can either go deeper 1) into despair, self-focus, beating ourselves up, doubting and thus be weakened against future temptation OR 2) into the gospel, focus on Jesus, into repentance and thus be strengthened against future temptations. Jesus is the only one who resisted all temptation. His victory frees us to admit our struggles and failures and find grace when we fall. As Alister McGrath writes, “When we fail - as, sadly, we will - we need to allow God to put us back on our feet again and recommission us into his service. God has a long history of taking self-confessed failures and doing great things through them. Perhaps when we fail, we are most receptive to the grace of God.”

Questions

1.     What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.     Do you agree that the concept of temptation is largely a lost and trivialized concept in our culture? Or do you come from a background where you’ve magnified temptation as something that, if admitted, would have made you an outcast?

How does it help to know the Bible teaches that temptation is dangerous but never defines us?

3.     How might knowing that God turns the tables on temptation and uses it (as a test) to strengthen our faith change how we think about and deal with our own temptations?

4.     Look up Hebrews 2:14-18 & 4:14-16. Do you think of Jesus as someone who completely understands your greatest temptations? How does knowing that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness help us handle times when we are tempted or fall into temptation?

5.     “Matthew tells us the story of a champion, not an example.” What difference does it make knowing that this story isn’t a manual in how to resist temptation but a report of Jesus’ victory for us?

6.     Where are you currently most tempted to be drawn away from God’s will and call in your life? Jesus’ 3 temptations can be seen as representing 3 major weak spots where we are drawn away from God. Which do you most struggle with and how are you resisting?

·          Temptation of Pleasure + Comfort – “Turn the stones to bread” Does your temptation for the pleasures and comforts of life numb you to your deeper spiritual hunger for God’s living word?

·          Temptation of Praise + Credit – “If you love me you’ll make my life about me, my agenda, plans and success. If you don’t, I won’t trust you.”

·          Temptation of Power + Control – “You can have all power, if you worship me.” The temptation to look for security or control over our lives anywhere but in God always leads us into compromise/idolatry.

7.     Read the Alister McGrath quote above. How have you learned to recover from falling into temptation? Do you tend toward despair and despondency or have you learned how falling can drive us further into grace?