Matthew 6:25-34

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War Against Worry, Part 1 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:25-34
17 September 2017

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1. In what ways do you struggle/ have you struggled with worry? Discuss specific situations as a group.
2. What does it mean to say that seeking and worrying are inextricably tied together? How does this passage relate to the previous section dealing with our treasures, vision, and master, and how does that alter the way you think about worry?
3. What is the difference between healthy or even godly “anxiety” and the “anxiety” that Jesus teaches against here? (1 Corinthians 7:33, 34; 12:25; Philippians 2:20; 4:6; 2 Corinthians 11:28)
4. In what ways are Jesus’ disciples of more value than birds and wildflowers? What theological truths are in the background to this comparison? (Genesis 1:26-28; Matthew 7:11)
5. Why is worry both futile and harmful? How does it turn us inward, strangle us and weigh us down? Discuss instances where you have experienced these effects in your own life. (Luke 21:34; Matthew 13:22)

Matthew 5:43-48

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Loving Like Father -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:43-48
28 May 2017

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1. Which of the six examples/illustrations that Jesus gives in vv. 21-48 have most impacted you? In what ways is this final passage (vv. 43-48) climactic?
2.  How did the misinterpretations of the scribes and Pharisees give them a license to hate? Read Romans 1:28-32 and 3:9-20 and discuss the propensity of fallen humanity to hate.
3. Are there instances in your life where you’ve found it particularly challenging to “love your enemies” (v. 44)? Consider praying for current “enemies” during group prayer time.
4.  Why does praying for our enemies grow our love for them?
5.  What is the purpose that Jesus gives for loving our enemies? In what ways do we see God loving his enemies?
6.  What is the contrast that Jesus makes between the earthly and the heavenly as it pertains to love?
7. What does it practically look like to pursue perfection (v. 48), and how does this pursuit protect us from both sloth and pride?