Before Whose Eyes

Matthew 6:2-6, 16-18

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Before Whose Eyes -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series:  The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:2-6, 16-18
11 June 2017

Deep Sheet:  Sermon Study Questions
1.   In the words of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, why is this passage so “painful” or “uncomfortable”? How does it drive us to Christ?
2.  What are some of the reasons for fasting in the Old Testament? How should Christians think about this practice?
3.  Discuss the examples of showiness and secrecy given by Jesus. How can we be more “secretive” in our religious practice?
4.  Why does the concern for the approval of others when doing good deeds essentially constitute a lie? What is the alternative?
5.  Why does the discussion of rewards ultimately boil down to faith? How is practicing our righteousness before others to be seen by them an act of unbelief?

Righteous Religion

Matthew 6:1

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Righteous Religion -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:1
4 June 2017

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.   What do people typically mean when they accept “spirituality” but reject “religion”? What can be problematic about this distinction?
2.   Consider the fact that Jesus presupposes certain practices of righteousness. What role do “disciplines” play in your understanding of the Christian life?
3.   Discuss practices that we can put in place for helping others, relating to God, and mortifying our flesh.
4.   Why does Jesus use the language of caution in this verse? In what ways can practicing our righteousness be dangerous?
5.   How is the behavior described in 5:16 different from what we find in 6:1 as it pertains to doing our deeds before others?|
6.   What is the reward replacement that happens when our practices are “before other people in order to be seen by them”?

Loving Like Father

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?

Operating Under an Offense

Matthew 5:38-42

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Operating Under an Offense -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series:  The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:38-42
21 May 2017

DEEP SHEET:  Sermon Study Questions
1.  What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”? Read and discuss Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, and Deuteronomy 19:21.
2.  In what ways is this law of retaliation just?
3.  How were the religious leaders and teachers of Jesus’ day reworking / perverting / twisting this Old Testament law?
4.  Why is it so difficult not to retaliate or seek revenge when we are insulted or offended in some way?
5.  Why should this passage not be interpreted as standing against Christians serving in the police and military? Discuss Romans 13:2-4.
6.  In what ways do vv. 39-42 call us to non-retaliation, to relinquish our rights, to die to self, and to prioritize the good of others? How might Jesus’ words be applied in your situation? How does Romans 12:19-21 also encourage us?
7.  How does 1 Peter 2:23-24 give us the supreme example of and reason for this way of life? Why is hoping in God so essential?

Speaking the Truth

Matthew 5:33-27

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Speaking the Truth -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:33-27
14 May 2017

DEEP SHEET:  Sermon Study Questions
1.   How would you describe “the deceptive practice” of the Scribes and Pharisees in regards to oaths? Discuss Matthew 23:16-22.
2.   In what ways do we sometimes exhibit the characteristics of these Scribes and Pharisees?
3.  Does your “yes” or “no” mean anything, or do you find yourself having to rise to a higher level of truthfulness through the use of some kind of oath?
4.  Why is swearing by heaven, earth, etc. really no different from swearing by God’s name?
5.  How does the end of v. 37 alert us to the schemes of Satan? Discuss how Satan works through our exaggerations, pretensions, dishonesty, and misleading and unclear speech.

Adultery Rightly Understood

Matthew 5:27-30

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Adultery Rightly Understood -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series:  The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:27-30
30 April 2017

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   Why do we have a tendency to think of adultery as merely external?  What does Jesus have to say about the heart?
2.  How do Jesus’ words bring together the 7th and 10th Commandments (Exodus 20:14, 17)?|
3.  Why should Jesus’ teaching on adultery humble us and draw us to the cross?
4.  How do the eyes both follow and inform the heart?  Discuss the examples of Job (31:1, 9) and David (2 Samuel 11:2-4).
5.  What would it look like for you to make a “covenant with your eyes” (Job 31:1)?  Discuss what it means to avoid repeating, gazing, dwelling, imagining, and pursuing.
6.  Why do these verses represent such a serious indictment of pornography in particular?  Discuss the negative effect of pornography on one’s marriage.
7.  In response to vv. 29-30, what do you need to cut off or dig out of your life in order to protect yourself from the destructive power of sexual sin?  How does Romans 8:13 encourage us to fight without relying on our own strength?

Murder Rightly Understood

Matthew 5:21-26

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Murder Rightly Understood -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series:  The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:21-26
9 April 2017

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1)  In what ways had the scribes and Pharisees subtly weakened and watered down God's truth on the topic of murder?
2)  According to Jesus' definition, are we all murderers?  How does this passage bring out the truth of Romans 3:23 and point us to the Savior?
3)  How seriously do you take your anger?  How does Jesus' words challenge you to rethink it, confess it, and repent of it?
4)  What make Jesus' anger expressed in various places in the New Testament different from what's in view in this passage?
5)  What is Hell?  Read and discuss the following passages on "the hell of fire" (v 22):  Matthew 13:42, 50; 25:46; Mark 9:43, 48.
6)  What does this passage teach us about the priority and urgency of reconciliation?  What are some concrete scenarios in which this can be practically applied in our own lives.

The Christ, the Law, and the Christian Life - Part 2

Matthew 5:19-20

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The Christ, the Law, and the Christian Life - Part 2 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:19-20
2 April 2017

DEEP SHEET:  Sermon Study Questions
1)  Read Romans 3:20 and discuss how the Law renders a guilty verdict.
2)  How does Jesus fulfill God's Law "in his disciples"?  What do Romans 7:22 and 8:4 tell us?
3)  Why don't Christians keep the ceremonial laws associated with the sacrificial system?
4)  What are some unhealthy pitfalls when it comes to relating the Law to the Christian life?
5 )  Who were the Scribes and Pharisees?  In light of Matthew 23:1-36, what was the problem    
      with their understanding of "righteousness"?

The Christian Impact

Matthew 5:13-16

The Christian Impact --  Lonnie Bell
Sermon series: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:13-16
19 March 2017

DEEP SHEET:  Sermon Study Questions
1)  What is the assessment of the world that is implied in vv 13-16?  Would you say that you have an accurate view of the world and its value system(s)?
2)  What is the primary function of salt noted in the sermon, and how does this serve as a metaphor for Christians in society?
3)  What are some of the effects of light?
4)  How can we become either contaminated or concealed?  What role can persecution or private spirituality play in the latter?
5)  What is the ultimate purpose of our being salt and list in the world?  Do we want people to see our good works?