The Sermon on the Mount: Fulfilling the Law Pt. 2 – Anger & Lust
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our current series: The Gospel of Matthew, "Apprenticing with Jesus." As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)
Begin your time by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements or provide elements for the group. To facilitate your time, you can ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, or scripture reading, or assign someone to read the Apostles Creed we’ve provided below. For those of you that may not be familiar with the Apostles Creed, it is a proclamation of faith that has been recited throughout the years and has often been used as an act of worship and reflection prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper. It is a proclamation of what we as followers of Jesus believe. After reading this ancient creed (aloud), spend a moment in silence before continuing:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church (universal Christian church), the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHECK-IN (10 MINUTES)
As we focus on this series, we want to continue to create space for checking in on each other but doing so in a shorter amount of time. Take a few minutes to do a whole-person check-in (emotional, spiritual, physical) with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:
How can we pray for the needs of those that the Lord has brought into your life?
If the need arises, spend a few minutes praying for one another, asking God to meet needs and help each person carry what feels heavy right now.
overview
This week, we learned how Jesus saw his future kingdom people–God’s “family”–“fulfilling the law.” Specifically, in Matthew 5:21-30, Jesus focused upon the sixth and seventh commandments of the Ten Commandments. In each scenario he addressed, he showed that it was more than (but not less than!) not committing the acts of “murder” and “adultery.” God is also concerned with the intent of the heart. In fact, God’s family is identified by the transformation God foretold would happen in the hearts of his people through the work of his Spirit. And this inner work of writing the law on his people’s hearts is what sets them apart from all others.
Questions
How were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day making the demands of the sixth and seventh commands less demanding? For Jesus, “fulfilling the law” begins in the heart. Why is heart obedience (“unrighteous anger” and “lustful intent”) so much more “demanding” than simply controlling our external behaviors (“murder” and “adultery”)? In answering the last question, make sure to discuss why we need the Holy Spirit to “fulfill the law” in this way.
How did this “heart obedience” make God’s people distinct from the religious leaders of Jesus’ time (maybe look at the life of Jesus and his followers in Acts for illustrations)? How does “heart obedience” make us distinct in our time from other religions or philosophies? Make sure to relate this discussion to God’s people being “salt” (a preservative in a dying and rotting world) and “light” (a beacon of hope and a searchlight of truth).
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS (10 Minutes)
If you do at least one of these practices every day, you will not only become more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too! In your time together as a community, ask the questions, “Who did you BLESS this week? This time of sharing will keep the Great Commission at the forefront of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It will also provide the opportunity to celebrate and encourage one another on the journey.
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and for the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer (10 Minutes)
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.