TODAY:

Sermon on the Mount: Part 1 - A New Kind of Kingdom

BIG IDEA:

Jesus calls his followers to a new way of life - one that is transformed on the inside and therefore visible on the outside.

SCRIPTURES:

Matthew 5:1-16, Matthew 23:25-26, Proverbs 4:23, 1 Samuel 16:7, John 15:8

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Q: Up to this point in your life, what specific parts of the Sermon on the Mount have been impactful for your faith? Why?

Q: How do the Scriptures/concepts from this week help you grow as a disciple who loves God, loves people & serves the world (lives on incarnational mission) in everyday life?

Q: Based on these Scriptures, how can you move from unbelief to belief, from just knowing to actually doing in your life?

Be With Jesus / Love God (UP)...

Q: Read Matthew 5:3-16. How is Jesus calling us to a new type of kingdom? How is this different than the kingdom of the world?

Q: What does it mean to be “poor in spirit?” How is this 1 Beatitude foundational to understanding & living out the others?

Become Like Jesus / Love People (IN)...

Q: What attributes of Jesus do you see in the Beatitudes?

Q: What attributes of Jesus do you already see evident in your life? Which ones are you needing to grow in to better reflect Him?

Do What Jesus Did / Serve the World (OUT)...

Q: What are some areas of decay and darkness around you? Is your tendency to run away from that or to run towards it?

Q: What can you do to shake salt and shine light in these places?

NOTES & QUOTES

“The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived.” Augustine of Hippo

“This sermon does not teach men and women how to live to get into the kingdom but how men and women in the kingdom should live.” Christ-Centered Exposition

“Mercy comes from mercy. Our mercy to each other comes from God’s mercy to us.” John Piper

ACTION STEPS

While meditating on Matthew 5:3-16, ask & respond to these questions.

1. How are you in need of His presence & healing? Talk with Him.

2. What attributes of Christ are you demonstrating well, or poorly? Study Him.

3. What areas of decay & darkness around you need salt & light? Go & do with Him.