Way Of Jesus Studyguide

THE WAY OF JESUS g The Sermon on the Mount by Sue LeBoutillier Copyright © 2021 Sue LeBouƟllier Published by: Calvary Chapel — Ontario, Oregon g The Way of Jesus g The Sermon on the Mount The book of Proverbs speaks of many possible paths a person might take in life. These paths are called ways — the way of evil — the way of the wise — the way of folly — the way of the sluggard — the way of the righteous — the way of death — the way of life. In fact, these ways are menƟoned 50+ Ɵmes in Proverbs. They always refer to a person’s course of life, which is based on cumulaƟve decisions. I’ve oŌen said that a person’s enƟre course of life is not cast, based on one or two decisions. But, over Ɵme, our accumulated decisions, habits and mode of operaƟon do determine our course of life. Through Jesus’ words in MaƩhew 5-7 (that we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount), He gave instrucƟon about a way of life that would bring blessing to the follower on earth and glory to God in Heaven. Following the Way of Jesus would not replace Scriptures like the Ten Commandments, which were familiar to His audience; rather the Way of Jesus would breathe fresh life into that ancient path, and bring new perspecƟve to Godly principles that may have grown cold and stale. If a person followed the Way of Jesus, they would be different... … than the religious people like the Scribes or Pharisees. … than the pagans who had no understanding of the true God. Following the Way of Jesus would give purpose to their lives on earth, and please their Father in Heaven! These three chapters from the Gospel of MaƩhew can have the same effect on us that they did on the original hearers. Whenever we sense that our spiritual path has become a liƩle cold, or a liƩle black- and-white; it’s Ɵme to dwell in the red-leƩer words of the Bible and dive straight into what Jesus said. THAT is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about — the heart of the maƩer!

Take a look at our topics for the next 8 weeks: Week 1 IntroducƟon The Way of Jesus Week 2 MaƩhew 5:1-16 The Way of Blessing Week 3 MaƩhew 5:17-32 The Way of Righteousness Week 4 MaƩhew 5:33-48 The Way of Humility Week 5 MaƩhew 6:1-18 The Way of Prayer Week 6 MaƩhew 6:19-34 The Way of Peace Week 7 MaƩhew 7:1-20 The Way of Seeking Week 8 MaƩhew 7:21-29 The Way of Wisdom This will be a verse-by-verse Bible study in a four-day-a-week format. As a bonus, over the course of these eight weeks, you’ll write out the enƟre Sermon on the Mount in your own hand. So, pick up a note- book or preƩy journal for wriƟng your verses each day. Your first step will be to watch the Week 1 IntroducƟon video with your Study Guide open to p.4-5. There are discussion quesƟons on p.6 that follow that first video. AŌer you’ve done that, the remainder of this study guide is intended to be completed independently before you aƩend a group or watch/listen to the teachings for subsequent weeks. If you’re meeƟng with a friend or small group, the ideal method would be to study the Scriptures on your own first (including wriƟng in your journal), then watch/listen to the teaching (privately or in your group), then discuss the week’s lesson and pray together about applying the passages to your life. May the Lord richly bless you as you study His Word! Sue LeBoutillier sue@ccontario.com The best translaƟon of the Bible to use is the one you understand best, and using more than one translaƟon can be a useful aid In your study! This study guide was created using the ESV (English Standard Version). To watch the video teachings for this Bible Study go to: ccontario.com/womens-studies or YouTube.com/calvarychapelontario

Use these pages as you listen to the Week One teaching video. (www.ccontario.com/wow-sermon-on-the-mount) If you are studying in a group, the quesƟons on page 6 may provide some good discussion starters following the video. a The Way of Jesus conveys the same content as the Law given to Israel through Moses. But that Law was external and challenging to follow. God promised in Jeremiah 31:31 that something new would be coming — the New Covenant. This would be different from the Old Covenant in that He would put His law _________ _______ and write it on their ________________. a St. AugusƟne said the Sermon on the Mount was probably the: best _____________ least ____________________ and the least _________________ a Among the first red-leƩer words of Jesus in the Gospel of MaƩhew, two that we should take note of are: ______________ and _________________ a MaƩhew 5:3-11 are called The BeaƟtudes from the LaƟn word ______________, which means ________________________. a The first beaƟtude is Blessed are the _________ in ___________. Week One — Introduction Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. What is it about the Sermon on the Mount that makes it so interesƟng for people to study and so difficult to obey? 2. How did you respond to rules when you were a child? Have those responses created habits toward either legalism or rebellion that hinder you from applying the Way of Jesus now? 3. Jesus’ public ministry began with the invitaƟon to Repent (MaƩhew 4:17). Why do you think some may find this unneces- sary, or even offensive? 4. You probably know what it is to be poor in bank account; but how would you describe someone who is poor in spirit? 5. Read 1 Peter 5:5-6 and explain why being poor in spirit is essenƟal to be included in the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed: More than a temporary or circumstanƟal feeling of happiness, this is a state of well-being in relaƟonship to God that belongs to those who respond to Jesus’ ministry. The poor in spirit are those who recognize they are in need of God’s help. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.1 —ESV Study Bible

Before you even begin your first lesson on the next page, set aside about twenty minutes to read through all three chapters in one siƫng: As you read the text, ignore the verse and chapter separaƟons and consider this as a message straight from Jesus. Picture yourself siƫng on the hillside, and concentraƟng on every word Jesus was sharing, just like a disciple on a retreat with Jesus. Any disciple, who would repent and follow Jesus and take to heart the message He was conveying, would have a roadmap for the way in which they were to live — The Way of Jesus. Poor in Spirit The Beatitudes Possess Kingdom of Heaven

Do you ever wonder if you’re on the right track in your spiritual life? I mean, you believe Jesus is God’s Son — you’ve asked Him to forgive your sins — you’re trying to make good decisions in life, but there is a nagging liƩle voice that sƟll quesƟons whether you’re missing some- thing because you don’t always feel super blessed. And, ChrisƟans are supposed to be blessed people. Maybe you don’t overthink life that much; but it’s not necessarily a bad thing to ask yourself, “Am I truly following the Way of Jesus and am I happy about it — am I blessed?” Remember, the phrase blessed also means happy or fortunate. So YOU, my friend, are one fortunate girl, simply because you are following the Way of Jesus! I know it’s not all that simple, and I know our feelings get in the way, and we have difficulƟes and disappoint- ments, but this first lesson should help us to remember how blessed we truly are, as we dwell on all of the wonderful benefits of following Christ. a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:1-6 in your journal. In His opening words, which we call the beaƟtudes, Jesus defined some characterisƟcs followed by some benefits that would be true of His followers. There are nine of these unique statements and each one begins with “Blessed are.” In your journal: · Underline each characterisƟc (i.e., poor in spirit) and print it on the leŌ most porƟon of the stair steps on p.7. · Circle the conjuncƟon ‘for’ in each of the sentences which helps you disƟnguish the characterisƟc phrase from the benefit phrase. · Underline each benefit (possess the kingdom of heaven) and print it on the right most porƟon of the corresponding step on page 7. We worked through verse three in our introducƟon, so this week we’ll pick up the text from there. Week Two — The Way of Blessing Day 1: (v.4) It seems a bit ridiculous to say, ‘Happy are those who mourn’, but essenƟally, that’s what Jesus said, ‘Happy are the unhappy’. But the crucial quesƟon is, What are we unhappy about? In the context of this message, and noƟng the first characterisƟc, ‘poor in spirit’, what type of mourning is Jesus talking about? What is being mourned over? (Read 2 Corinthians 7:10 for insights.) (v.4) What blessing does God offer for those who mourn in this way? · How can this posiƟvely affect your life? (v.5) Using a dicƟonary, define meek or meekness. · Think of ways in which Jesus demonstrated meekness while on this earth: (v.5) What blessing are the meek to receive? (Read MaƩhew 19:28-30 for insights.) (v.6) A sincere hunger/thirst for righteousness might be understood from a couple of different aspects. Let’s consider some of them: · First, when a person comes to the end of themselves, (oŌen through difficulƟes), it’s common for them to develop a sudden hunger for God in their life. Read Psalm 107:5-9 and summarize this example of hungering in this way, followed by saƟsfacƟon. · Second, when we walk with Jesus, we have a longing to be right with God. Read Romans 3:21-24 and explain how our hunger to be righteous in God’s eyes is saƟsfied: · Lastly, we also find that we develop a greater desire (hunger and thirst) to be in right standing with people. Read Ephesians 4:21-29 and list a few of areas, where we might be convicted to deal more righteously with people. Our appeƟte for all of the above may ebb and flow, but God is faithful in our lives. He will gently convict us, help us grow our appeƟtes and then work in our lives to saƟsfy our hunger and thirst for what is right.

a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:7-10 in your journal. (Follow the same instrucƟons as yesterday for marking in your journal, and filling in the chart on page 7.) Let’s dig into the next four BeaƟtudes today… (v.7) This is the only beaƟtude that promises reaping what has been sown! · Define mercy: · Explain why you would want to receive it: (v.8) What is the blessing promised for the pure in heart? · It makes a person wonder how you get a pure heart. Read Psalm 32:1-5. What did the Psalmist do that enabled his heart to be made pure again? · How does clearing your heart of things that stand between you and God, help you to see God, or hear God? Day 2: (v.9) There is a blessing promised to peacemakers. · It is true that ChrisƟans can play a role in keeping peace between people. Read James 3:17-18, and bullet point the characterisƟcs that promote peace between people: · But there is another aspect of being a peacemaker, and that is helping people make peace with God — helping people to know God. Read Daniel 12:3. What are people, who turn many to righteousness, likened to in this passage? As we arrive at the eighth beaƟtude, there is a sharp change in tone, from the more gentle ChrisƟan aƩributes like mercy, purity, and peace, to persecuƟon. Anyone who follows Jesus will be persecuted— it is part of the Kingdom! (v.10) We can be rightly or wrongly persecuted in life. But, in this passage, why will the followers of Jesus be persecuted? Read John 15:18-20. From this passage, and the 8th beaƟtude, what type of persecuƟon should we expect if we walk in the Way of Jesus? Why?

a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:11-13 in your journal. (Mark the final beaƟtude following the same instrucƟons as previous days. Circle the phrase, salt of the earth, in orange.) In this world, there are natural forces like gravity that silently hold our universe together. These forces take place in the background of our lives without our noƟce. There is also a spiritual force at work in the background, as common as gravity, and as infrequently noƟced. It could be described as the tension between the supporters of the Kingdom of God and the supporters of the kingdom of this world. (v.11) Explain the spiritual tension we should be expecƟng: (v.12) With what ancient group of people do we share our experience of persecuƟon? Now, we transiƟon into the first of two metaphors, which helps us understand our privilege to influence people along our path. (v.13) In the days of Jesus, before refrigeraƟon, salt was used as a preserving agent to keep meat from roƫng. What other posiƟve qualiƟes of salt can you think of? Jesus said to be happy when we're persecuted for our faith, because: 1) it takes our eyes off earthly rewards, 2) it strips away superficial belief, 3) it strengthens the faith of those who endure, and 4) our aƫtude through it serves as an example for others. We can be comforted knowing that God's greatest prophets (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel) were persecuted. —Life ApplicaƟon Study Bible2 Day 3: (v.13) With the benefits of salt in mind, explain why salt is a great analogy of a believer’s role in society. · List one or two pracƟcal and specific ways you can act as salt, where you spend most of your Ɵme (work, school, family): (v.13) One concern, which is expressed in this verse, is that of salt losing its taste or salƟness. · What might cause this to happen in a believer’s life? · What steps can you personally take to guard against this? a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:14-16 in your journal. (Circle the phrase, light of the world, in orange.) Today’s verses are very popular! Children’s songs, devoƟon books and album Ɵtles have all been inspired by the idea of Jesus’ followers becoming the light of the world. Day 4:

Read John 8:12 — Who is the light of the world? Read MaƩhew 5:14 — Who is the light of the world? (v.14) How can we be acƟvely spreading the light of truth in the world? List specific ways: Walking in the light and leƫng your light shine are common sayings, but becoming a light-bearer isn’t always fun and games, as the final beaƟtude about persecuƟon teaches us. Read John 3:19-21 Salt is to the prevenƟon of decay. as Light is to _______________________. · Why would allowing the light of Christ to shine in our lives tend to draw persecuƟon? (v.16) What is the ulƟmate goal of allowing our light to shine? When we consider all these verses this week, and all the ways we are blessed in our walk with Jesus, it seems like a very small thing to give in return to make sure our lives are both salty and bright, so that others may give glory to God the Father!

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Can you honestly say that you have an appeƟte for the things related to God’s Kingdom? Or, do you more oŌen crave things pertaining to the kingdom of this world? 2. If you don’t hunger and thirst for righteousness, what might you be filling up on, which dulls your appeƟte? 3. Read Colossians 3:1-2. What simple truth contained in these verses might set your appeƟte on the right track? 4. Salt causes people to crave water. Give an example of how the salty life of a ChrisƟan may cause someone to crave Living Water. 5. What situaƟons may tempt you to put your lamp under a basket? 6. Ask the Lord for specific direcƟon on how to be salt and light in your corner of the world, and share your plans with your group.

Those listening to Jesus were likely familiar with Hebrew Scriptures. When Jesus said they were to be the salt of the earth or the light of the world, that did NOT sound familiar. They may have wondered if Jesus was bringing an enƟrely new teaching or even a new religion. As if He could read their minds, Jesus began to forƟfy His message with familiar Scriptures to clear up any confusion. He assured them He was not bringing a new teaching that abolished the Law, but He would rather fulfill the Law. By following the Way of Jesus, they could experience an even deeper and stronger righteousness than what they learned from the religious people around them — the Scribes and Pharisees. The Way of Jesus would eventually allow their righteousness to bubble up from the life of the Spirit, who would be within them, rather than from the laws that had been forced upon them. It was the same righteousness but from a different source. a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:17-20 in your journal. · Mark any words related to the Law or commandments with a green underline. · Put a square around the contrasƟng words abolish and fulfill. These verses lay a meaningful foundaƟon for all the passages that begin: ’you have heard that it was said’ (referencing what was wriƩen in the Law and Prophets). As each new topic was menƟoned, Jesus elaborated on the heart of the maƩer and how to live it through the Spirit, rather than through the leƩer. There are two disƟnct parts to these four verses: · V.17-18 speaks of Jesus’ relaƟonship to the Law. · V.19-20 explains our relaƟonship to the Law. (v.17-18) Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to ____________. He did not intend for His life and message to be a replacement for the Law, but rather a compleƟon by demonstraƟng God’s Holy character. Week Three — The Way of Righteousness Day 1:

Read GalaƟans 3:23-26: · What was the role of the Law? · What event changed the role of the Law in people’s lives? · How would you say Jesus fulfilled the Law? (v.19-20): If we only possessed these two verses to understand God’s plan, we would be in trouble. Praise God, we have the whole Bible! We know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, not its killer. Our response should be similar — rather than thinking the Law of God is old and outdated, we realize it sƟll represents the holiness of God. Read MaƩhew 23:25-26: · Explain the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Where was their focus? · How would it be possible for a follower of Christ to exceed that righteousness? Explain the necessary shiŌ in focus.

a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:21-26 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, you have heard it was said, in green underline. · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline. · Put a box around the words murder, angry, insults and connect the boxes with a line to show their relaƟonship. Today, we study the first of six fairly familiar topics from the Hebrew Scriptures. Each new subject in this chapter begins, “you have heard that it was said.” Remember, Jesus wasn’t destroying the Law, but rather deepening our understanding of it, so that we could appreciate how perfectly it described the character of God. What is the key topic of this passage? _________________________ Read Exodus 20:1-17. Which commandment was being referenced? (v.22) Jesus likened murder to ______________. Explain what those two have in common: Anger, insults, and name-calling are considered bad manners by just about everyone. Parents correct their children for such behavior; but the punishment given for insults or name-calling isn’t anything like the punishment that would be given for murder! So it might be challenging to connect anger to murder. The reason for this difficulty is that we tend to categorize sins in our own way. We think anger is kind of bad, but not really bad. In other words, if we indulge in a liƩle verbal meltdown — no harm, no foul — we just tell ourself to be more careful next Ɵme. But what Jesus expressed here was that anger contains the seeds of murder, and under the proper condiƟons, may germinate and spout. Day 2:

· What are the proper condiƟons that may cause you to become angry and flare up against others? This can be a sensiƟve topic for some women, who have struggled to submit their thoughts and their tongue to the rulership of Christ. Many of us have suffered bruised or broken relaƟonships that may have been iniƟally damaged in anger. Not every strained relaƟonship is the result of anger; but anger will make every relaƟonship strained. (v.23-24) What types of people in strained relaƟonship are these verses referring to? (v.23-24) Describe a modern parallel for this type of situaƟon: Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-22. Combined with MaƩhew 5, explain God’s perspecƟve on ChrisƟans parƟcipaƟng in worship or even communion (described as offerings in v.23), when they aren’t even on speaking terms with a brother/sister? Now for the difficult applicaƟon: · Is there someone who has something against me? · Do I owe someone an apology? · Have I damaged a relaƟonship with my tongue? Today is the day to take steps to repair and reconcile!

(v.25-26) Between what types of people is this strife described? (v.25-26) How does this situaƟon differ from that in v.23-24? V.26 leads us to believe the accused may actually be guilty. Have you known people who simply cannot say, ‘I was wrong’ or ‘I’m sorry I messed that up’? Admiƫng fault or culpability is a rung on the ladder of humility that we cannot skip. · Have you recently done something wrong, either intenƟonally or unintenƟonally, and need to admit your fault to someone? · Do you owe someone an apology for your error? · Is there a situaƟon where you just need to be humble? Today is the day to take steps to repair and reconcile! a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:27-30 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, you have heard it was said, in green underline. · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline. · Put a box around the words adultery, lust, and sin, and connect the boxes with a line to show their relaƟonship. What is the key topic of this passage? _________________________ Read Exodus 20:1-17. Which commandment is being referenced? Look up a definiƟon of both adultery and lust. Explain the similariƟes and differences: In the same way that anger contains the seeds of murder, could we say that lust contains the seeds of adultery? How do those seeds germinate and sprout? (Read James 1:14-15 for more insights.) Day 3: (v.29-30) What is the literal remedy given by Jesus for the body parts that lean toward this sin? Obviously, cuƫng off a body part is not the answer here. Explain the types of acƟons Jesus meant by His illustraƟon. Be specific so you can discuss in your group. Read these verses and make note of anything that gives you further insight or inspiraƟon: Psalm 101:2-3 — Romans 13:11-14 — Titus 2:11-13 — We can appreciate the potenƟal for our eye to cause us to sin; but honestly, as women, we know that the visual arena is probably not as big of a temptaƟon for us as mental areas. We know that our thought life is primarily where the seeds of adultery might find good soil. Making the applicaƟon: · Is there anything that I indulge in that could lead me to lust? · Is there anything I say or wear or do that could lead men to lust? · Do I entertain vain imaginaƟons that I need to cut out of my life? Today is the day to take important steps toward inner righteousness!

a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:31-32 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, it was also said, in green underline. · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline. · Put a box around the words divorce and adultery, and connect the boxes with a line to show their relaƟonship. What is the key topic of this passage? _________________________ Some situaƟons in our lives have the tendency to germinate in the heart and quickly outgrow the boundaries of the heart. They spill out and affect people around us — most oŌen with tragic results. That is the case with today’s topic — divorce! Hardly anyone’s life has escaped the sorrow of marital conflict, infidelity, or divorce — either personally or through family members. For this reason, we proceed with tenderness and sensiƟvity, so as not to inflict pain upon pain. (v.31-32) Which marriage partner was Jesus talking to? Read MaƩhew 19:3-9. The Jewish men of Jesus’ day were introduced to various methods, popularized in religious circles, that allowed them to do what they wanted AND look as though they were sƟll honoring God. No doubt this cerƟficate of divorce had been suggest- ed as the means for a man to put away his wife, while maintaining a good standing with God. · According to v.8, why did Moses allow divorce? · According to v.9, what was Jesus’ concession regarding divorce? Day 4:

Read Deuteronomy 24:1-4 to understand what Jesus may have been referring to with His words, ‘it was also said.’ If those were the only verses in the Bible concerning marriage and divorce, what sort of misuse might have sprung from them? Rather than Deuteronomy 24 giving permission for divorce, perhaps it could be paraphrased this way: “Husbands, if you are so heartless as to put your wife away, at least give her a legal cerƟficate so she can remarry and not become a desƟtute woman. Oh, and by the way, if you make that decision—it’s for good! You can’t say, ‘I don’t want her’ one day and ‘maybe I’ll take her back’ on the next day.” Read Genesis 2:21-25. What are the instrucƟons for the husband in that passage, and by implicaƟon, for both partners? It’s obvious that many men had jusƟfied their behavior and perhaps even misused the Jewish Scriptures to support their acƟons. RelaƟon- ship responsibiliƟes aren’t always easy to uphold. Both men and women oŌen act on the whisperings of their sinful hearts, rather than digging deeper for the power of the Holy Spirit. Just like the Jews of Jesus’ day, we want to make our acƟons appear as though all was done properly on the exterior. The enƟre Sermon on the Mount was intended to cause us to take inventory of the moƟves of our heart. A marriage relaƟonship is a bond between a man and woman that should reflect Christ and the Church. Jesus (our groom) will never cast us aside. We may willingly walk away — but He will not divorce us from His family. As a follower of Christ, our lives should represent the same aƫtude.

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Read Romans 8:2-4. Explain how this passage helps us understand how we fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. 2. What are some subtle ways we might actually encourage each other to bend or break God’s Law, therefore dishonoring Him? 3. We know that being angry with someone leads us down a dangerous path. But what about those innocuous insults that can seem more like complaining. Discuss the danger of speaking casually of another in such a manner. How does this desensiƟze us toward those seeds of murder? 4. Explain the effect it would have on a ChrisƟan’s spiritual life to conform to our culture’s broad definiƟon of sexual purity and narrow definiƟon of sexual sin. 5. How would you answer a ChrisƟan friend, who promotes sexual fantasies as healthy because they may prevent physical affairs? 6. Discuss some ways you might encourage a ChrisƟan friend, who has been on the receiving end of an unwanted divorce.

In this lesson, Jesus advanced three more topics: oaths, retaliaƟon, and treatment of enemies. Just as we would expect, the Way of Jesus exalts the heart of the maƩer above the requirements of the Law. a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:33-37 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, you have heard is was said, in green underline · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline · Put a box around the words swear/sworn, oath and say What is the key topic of this passage? _________________________ This is the fourth topic that reaches back into the Hebrew Laws. It’s not a direct reference to a commandment; however, there are two Old Testament Scriptures that are worth reading at this point: LeviƟcus 19:12 Numbers 30:2 It’s clear that God never intended for His people to go around making promises and then not follow through. An accurate summary might be: “if you promise it — do it!” Here in MaƩhew, Jesus challenged the extravagant oath-making that had become fashionable — swear- ing by Heaven, or by God’s Throne, or by His Footstool, etc. Read MaƩhew 23:16-22. Write a sentence or two about the games that the Scribes and Pharisees were playing with their promises: Oath taking is really a patheƟc confession of our own dishonesty. Why do we find it necessary to introduce our promises by some tremendous formula...unless we know our simple word is not likely to be trusted. —John R. W. StoƩ4 Week Four — The Way of Humility Day 1:

What connecƟon do you see between taking oaths or making vows, and the previous subject of marriage/divorce? Jesus always goes right to the heart of the maƩer — seƫng aside the games, the technicaliƟes, the escape clauses. Read James 5:12 and complete this sentence: “let your ______ be ______ and your ______ be ______.” Give that a try this week — no lengthy explanaƟons — no promises — no exclamaƟon for believability — just answer with a simple yes or no, and then follow through, doing what you said you would do. a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:38-42 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, you have heard is was said, in green underline. · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline. This fiŌh subject can’t be described quite as neatly as previous ones, but consider one or two words that might represent the subject maƩer well: Read LeviƟcus 24:17-20. Jesus referenced this LeviƟcal Law but then shiŌed the aƩenƟon to a heart aƫtude, which would eclipse the Law — a willingness to suffer personal loss rather than cause another to suffer. The purpose of the LeviƟcal Law was to serve jusƟce and limit compensaƟon for vicƟms to realisƟc proporƟons — if someone broke your arm, the limit of punishment would be their broken arm — but honestly, what would that accomplish anyway? Over Ɵme, people began to use this principle as jusƟficaƟon for revenge. Day 2:

RetribuƟon doesn’t usually bring out the best in people. Those who believe themselves to be vicƟms, rarely act with sound judgment. Read Romans 12:14-21. Now, read the important phrase earlier in the same chapter (v.2), Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. The transformaƟon of our mind is the first step to following the Way of Jesus! We so desperately need the mind of Christ to lead us in deciding how to treat those who have mistreated us — or even just annoyed us (like one who begs or one who asks to borrow). · To reflect God’s character, how should we treat our enemies? · How should we respond to our enemy’s needs? · When is it okay to avenge ourselves? · What is the danger (v.21) if we do not follow these precepts? (v.39-42) Reread the examples given by Jesus and write two modern- day equivalents: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:43-45 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, you have heard it was said, in green underline. · Mark the phrase, but I say to you, in red underline. · Put a box around the phrases that represent difficult people: one who begs/borrows; enemy and those who persecute. With each new topic, we’ve looked to the Old Testament to get a glimpse into Jewish thinking. This Ɵme you might ask, ‘Where in the world does it say to love your neighbor and hate your enemy—is that really in the Old Testament?’ The answer is NO. But, once again, human nature has a tendency to hear what it wants. Read Psalm 139:19-22. If you wanted to build a case for haƟng someone, do you think you could find a way to twist a Psalm like this? · Whose enemies are really spoken of in this Psalm? · Now go on to read v.23-24 of that same Psalm. What was the Psalmist really expressing through the enƟre text? · Speaking of the Law—read Exodus 23:4-5 and summarize what the Law DID command for people, who live in community with others: Day 3:

Back in MaƩhew 5:44, what two things did Jesus command regarding our enemies? ...so that you may be ____________________________ (v.45) How is God leading you to act on this passage? Perhaps an act of kindness toward a difficult person? Maybe an olive-leaf to begin restoraƟon of a broken relaƟonship? Note what God is showing you: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 5:46-48 in your journal. · Put a heart over the words love in v.43-46. Even though there isn’t technically an Old Testament Law that says, ‘love your enemies’, it is the heart of God to love and show mercy to all people — to cause the sun to rise and send rain on the just as well as the unjust. In fact, the idea of loving your neighbor (whether friend or foe) is foundaƟonal to the Way of Jesus. Read MaƩhew 22:36-40. Why do you think Jesus said that all of the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments? (v.46-47) Jesus described a certain group of people—those who are easy to love and easy to get along with. Name a few of these types of people in your life: Day 4:

You probably have another group of people in your life — irregular people — difficult to be in the same room with, much less love. As you reflect on these two groups, ask yourself: · In what way have I treated people in these categories differently? · What adjustments does God want me to make, as I walk more in the Way of Jesus? We may get the mistaken noƟon that acƟng like Jesus should come naturally to ChrisƟans. AŌer all, we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us — shouldn’t we be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? When our relaƟonships suffer, we wonder what’s wrong with us and we may even begin to worry that we’re just not cut out for the ChrisƟan life. Read Titus 2:11-12. That verse reminds us there is training involved. Training is intenƟonal — it doesn’t just come about on its own. List two areas of relaƟonship, where you think God wants you to train in godliness, and note how you intend to do that training. 1) 2)

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Do you have a reputaƟon of doing what you say you will do? If not, in what area(s) do you desire to improve your dependability? 2. Read Philippians 2:3-8, which might be described as the Way of the Cross, rather than the way of revenge. Share a situaƟon where you have been clearly wronged and God has shown you how to respond with humility. 3. As a ChrisƟan, how does one balance protecƟon of home and family with Jesus’ words in v.39, “Do not resist the one who is evil”? 4. What encouragement would you give to a friend who said, “I simply cannot even be kind to my enemy, much less love them”? 5. The character of God is such that He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. What hinders us from doing the same, and how can we begin to overcome those hinderances? 6. Explain how the simple act of praying for your enemy may enable you to love them.

We’ve arrived at the most familiar, and maybe the most misused, verses of the Sermon on the Mount — The Lord’s Prayer. The same chapter that contains the familiar, Our Father who art in Heaven, also contains a warning against reciƟng empty phrases! a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:1-4 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, when you give, in green underline (circle give) · Mark each word secret with a green circle · Mark each word reward or no reward with a red circle · Put an “H” over the word hypocrite · Mark the last 10 words of v.4 with a squiggly underline Any honest ChrisƟan can admit they someƟmes have a propensity to be more concerned about how spiritual they appear to others than how intenƟonally they live to please God. We just naturally love to receive aƩenƟon and admiraƟon from other people. (v.1) Warnings in life are useful, so it’s fiƫng this chapter begins with the word: ______________. According to this verse, and from personal experience, what are some bad moƟves for doing good things? (v.1) What is the result of doing good things with bad moƟves? Reread MaƩhew 5:16. At first glance, it could seem like a stark contradicƟon to our current verse, but let’s think a liƩle... · What is the heart of the exhortaƟon in MaƩhew 5:16? Week Five — The Way of Prayer Day 1:

· What might that mean in your day-to-day life? · What is the heart of the exhortaƟon in MaƩhew 6:1? · What might that mean in your day-to-day life? Verse 1 is a thesis statement for a trio of devoƟonal pracƟces. Read the verses indicated, and write each topic on this chart: ChrisƟan PracƟces MaƩ. 6:3-4 ____________________________ MaƩ. 6:5-6 ____________________________ MaƩ. 6:16-18 ____________________________ Write the last ten idenƟcal words in each of those passages: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ As Jesus shared on those aspects of devoƟon, He didn’t suggest that His disciples begin to give or pray or fast; He seemed to assume they were already doing those things. The point was how they would do them. As always, Jesus went right to the heart of the maƩer. (v.2) Write a handful of words/phrases that described how the hypocrites would give: (for example “loudly”) (v.2) In what ways have we adopted any similar methods in our culture?

(v.3) What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘When you give to the needy, do not let your leŌ hand know what your right hand is doing’? Jesus used the word hypocrite in each of the passages on giving, praying and fasƟng. Write a dicƟonary definiƟon: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:5-8 in your journal. · Mark the phrases, when you pray, in green underline (circle pray) · Mark each word secret with a green circle. · Mark each word reward with a red circle. · Put an “H” over the word hypocrite. · Mark the last 10 words of v.6 with a squiggly underline. The second topic of this secƟon is prayer. Assuming we already pray, the focus here is on how we pray. (v.5) Describe how the hypocrites prayed: (v.5) What seemed to be their main concern? (v.7) Describe how the GenƟles (pagans) prayed: Day 2: (v.8) Since Jesus’ direcƟve was, ‘Do not be like them’, how should a true disciple of Jesus be different in the maƩer of prayer? (v.6) Jesus’ followers should be driven by different moƟves, and should walk in a different way. List as many single words as you can that would describe praying with a heart of true devoƟon: (v.6) Each Ɵme Jesus commented on the acƟons of the hypocrites, He also menƟoned their reward. Contrast the reward of the hypocrite with that of the true disciple of Jesus: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:9-15 in your journal. If you had never heard the phrase, The Lord’s Prayer, you would assume it was the prayer that The Lord prayed. That would be a good guess — but actually, the prayer our Lord prayed was recorded by John in his Gospel, as Jesus was praying to His Father in Heaven before He was betrayed. This prayer in our lesson is more like a blueprint, giving us an outline of how we should pray, aŌer the contrast of how we shouldn’t pray (note the Pharisees and GenƟles in v.5-7). Let’s study this prayer as a paƩern—not a recitaƟon: Day 3: (v.9) “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name” Explain how our prayers should be directed and why. With what type of aƫtude, relaƟonship or approach should we begin? (v.10) “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heav- en” AŌer worship, whose cause should we be interested in? To whose will are we to surrender our day, our ambiƟons, and our life? (v.11) Jesus encouraged His followers to bring their peƟƟons to the Throne of God. Beside being a basic need, what does daily bread imply to you? Read Exodus 16 (the account of God giving daily bread to His people in the wilderness). With this in mind, what was Jesus teaching about our frequency in prayer? What aspects of our daily lives/daily needs do these verses address? v.11 __________________________________________ v.12 __________________________________________ v.13 __________________________________________ In the same way that we need daily supplies for physical life (v.11 food, shelter), we also need daily supplies for relaƟonal life (v.12 wisdom, paƟence, forgiveness); AND, we need daily supplies for spiritual life (v.13 to overcome temptaƟon)!

I love how Jesus makes everything simple and genuine. Prayer is honoring our Father in Heaven; seeking HIS will as part of HIS Kingdom, and asking that our physical, relaƟonal and spiritual needs be met with HIS grace. Prayer is not mindless babbling like the heathen, as if to impress God; or a drama meant to impress people. It’s just authenƟc, daily communicaƟon with our Father. (v.14-15) We only have one sentence leŌ for today. As we aƩempt to figure out what a passage means, it can someƟmes be helpful to eliminate what it does NOT mean. 1) We know this is not a formula for salvaƟon because we know our salvaƟon is a free giŌ based on God’s grace. It is NOT based on our choice to either forgive or not forgive other people in our life. (Read Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:4-6) 2) We also know that this sentence does not mean that God refuses to forgive individual sins we’ve commiƩed unƟl we perfectly forgive others around us. (Read 1 John 1:9) So, what DOES it say? Let’s ask another quesƟon — what happens between two people when there is a trespass (a careless word for example)? What is that relaƟonship like? What is fellowship like? Once that trespass is confronted, resolved, and forgiven, how does the relaƟonship improve? If I am not in fellowship with God, I cannot pray effecƟvely. But fellowship with my brother helps to determine my fellowship with God; hence, forgiveness is important to prayer. —Warren Wiersbe 5 a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:16-18 in your journal. · Mark the phrases, when you fast, in green underline (circle fast). · Mark each word secret with a green circle. · Mark each word reward with a red circle. · Put an “H” over the word hypocrite. · Mark the last 10 words of v.18 with a squiggly underline. The final topic is fasƟng, with the same consistent paƩern: · How the hypocrite conducts himself in ChrisƟan pracƟce · The hypocrite's reward · How someone following the Way of Jesus is different · The follower’s reward. (v.16) Write a handful of words/phrases that describe how the hypocrites fasted: (for example “sad face”) (v.16) What was this person’s moƟve? (v.17) What do you think Jesus really meant when He said, ‘Anoint your head and wash your face’? Of these three ChrisƟan pracƟces in this week’s lesson... a) Which is the easiest or most common for you to parƟcipate in? b) The least common—most difficult? Day 4: c) Which is the easiest pracƟce for you to become hypocriƟcal—like an actor, or stage player, all show and no heart? In what ways do you sense God refining your moƟves to beƩer enable you to walk in the Way of Jesus? Using your own everyday vocabulary, write a prayer below that follows the model that Jesus taught. Customize it to your own physical, relaƟonal and spiritual needs. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciƟng Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditaƟng on His promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieƟes by pouring them into his bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things. —John Calvin6

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Why do you think it’s so tempƟng to make sure other people know about our giving and think well of us for it? 2. V.8 says, ‘Your Father knows what you need before you ask’. Logic would return the quesƟon, then why ask? What are some compelling reasons that it’s good to talk things over with God? 3. Certainly praying aloud with others is a good pracƟce. What is the balance between corporate prayer and secret prayer? 4. Can you describe a Ɵme or situaƟon when you were impressed by someone’s prayer? Do you think it was their intenƟon to impress you or did you just want to learn to pray like them? 5. Is it always a wrong moƟvaƟon to pray simply because it’s the prearranged Ɵme to pray? 6. What are some pracƟcal advantages that come from keeping our spiritual disciplines secret?

The first half of chapter six highlighted the Way of Jesus in the areas of prayer, giving, and fasƟng. The second half conƟnues with more pracƟcal maƩers near to our heart like money, possessions, and ambiƟons. The way we handle these aspects of our lives determine whether we walk in the way of peace or in the way of anxiety. a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:19-21 in your journal. · Mark the phrases, treasures on earth/in heaven, in green under- line · Mark each word treasure and heart with a circle and draw a line to demonstrate their connecƟon. (v.19-20) What are the two possible domains for us to invest in? (v.19-20) Explain the durability of treasures laid up on earth: The pracƟcal wisdom of laying things aside for future use is obvious to us. It was even more obvious for an agriculturally-based society. In farming, there is a Ɵme for planƟng and a Ɵme for harvesƟng, and the harvest needs to be stored in order to last unƟl the next one. With Jesus’ words in mind, read the following passages and note what the Bible does and doesn’t teach, regarding laying up treasures on earth: Proverbs 6:6-11 Proverbs 21:20 Day 1: Week Six — The Way of Peace

1 Timothy 5:8 (v.21) Why do you think there is such a strong bond between our hearts and our treasure? a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:22-24 in your journal. · Circle the word eye and the phrases, eye is healthy, eye is bad. · Mark the contrasƟng words darkness and light with a box. · Mark the phrase, two masters, with a green underline, and the words God and money with a box. Jesus already explained that our hearts become aƩached to our treasures. If we treasure things here on earth, our heart becomes trained toward those things; but if we treasure those things related to God’s Kingdom, our heart will follow us there as well. (v.22) AŌer focusing on the heart, Jesus turned the aƩenƟon to what other body part? (v.22) What role does your eye play in your normal life? Worldly ambiƟon has a strong fascinaƟon for us and the spell of materialism is hard to break. Jesus helps us to choose well...surely we may say that to lay up treasure in heaven is to do anything on earth whose effects last for eternity. —John R. W. StoƩ7 Day 2:

It can be said, without light, there is no sight. If a person’s eye is not healthy enough to let light into the body, what would be the result? (v.23) Now consider the spiritual analogy: If your eye is healthy — if it actually lets the light in — your whole body will be full of light. List some pracƟcal ways we can proacƟvely have healthy spiritual eyes that will let the light in for our whole body to be spiritually healthy. Read 1 John 2:15-16. Here is a warning against allowing the influence of the world to dominate the desires of the eyes. What result would you expect if that influence were allowed to conƟnue unchecked? (v.24) What are the two opposing masters we all encounter in life? The Bible actually speaks of money and riches quite a bit. I think God knows our vulnerabiliƟes. He’s not impaƟent or harsh with us, but as we study His Word, we see our temptaƟons more clearly. Read these passages and note any wisdom you find for your own way of life: Psalm 119:36

Luke 16:10-14 1 Timothy 6:6-10 James 2:2-4 a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:25-29 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, do not be anxious, with a green underline · Mark each anxious with an “A” above it. Don’t worry! Don’t be anxious! Have you ever felt those exhortaƟons were useless because the habit of worry was already deeply rooted in your life? Nonetheless, you obediently wrote the words, do not be anxious, in our journal. But note of the first word you wrote — THEREFORE! You know the saying, ‘What is therefore — THERE FOR?’ Think of it this way — if I said, “I already put your clothes in the dryer, therefore, they are dry,” you would have dry clothes because of what happened previously — they were put in the dryer for you. Jesus was explaining that their anxiety could be done away with because the previous quesƟons were seƩled: · Where is your heart and treasure? Heaven (not earth) · What is the desire of your eyes? God’s Kingdom (not pleasures) · Who is your master? God (not money) Do you see the great importance of establishing the locaƟon of your treasure and deciding who is your master? · If we are able to set our heart on Heavenly treasure, fix our eyes on the Kingdom, and make God our master… · Then (therefore), we don’t need to worry or have anxiety about our life. Day 3:

Circle the number that best represents your level of worry or anxiety in recent days: (least amount) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (most amount) (v.25) What areas of worry have you indulged in, before you realized this truth expressed by the Way of Jesus? Read these passages, and note anything addiƟonal they teach about worry, trust, faith, health, lifespan? Proverbs 3:5-8 Proverbs 14:30 1 Peter 5:6-7 a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 6:30-34 in your journal. · Mark the phrase, do not be anxious, with a green underline · Mark each word anxious with an “A” above it. · In verses 26, 30, 32, double underline heavenly Father or God and circle the verb that directly follows it. Let’s make that into a chart: Verse Subject God’s AƩenƟon 26 birds Heavenly Father ____________ 30 lilies/grass God ____________ 32 you/me Heavenly Father ____________ Day 4:

It may be tempƟng to think of this passage as a charming liƩle piece of poetry. We all think our terribly important lives are much more complex than birds or flowers. Even when Jesus tells us, Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, that promise can bounce right off our worry-filled heart and we keep right on worrying. (v.32-33) By nature, all humans are seekers, but we seek differently... · The people of the world (GenƟles) seek _____________________ _____________________________________________________ · Followers of Jesus seek __________________________________ _____________________________________________________ If we are chronically anxious, which of the above do we resemble? It’s like choosing sports teams, you’re either on team A or B, but not both. In our seeking, we’ll either resemble the people of the world or we’ll demonstrate the nature of a child of the Kingdom. · How might seeing yourself as God’s child inspire you to stop being anxious? · What do you think Jesus meant in saying, Seek first His kingdom? · Specifically, is there some aspect of worldly seeking and worrying that God is encouraging you to leave behind to seek Kingdom things?

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. How would you answer someone who asked you how, specifical- ly, they could store up treasures in heaven? 2. What do you think about when you are free to think about anything you want to? 3. How does chronic worry demonstrate a lack of faith in God? 4. What effect does a lifestyle of anxiety have on a person both emoƟonally and physically? 5. Verse 34 speaks to our concerns for the future. What is the difference between planning for the future and worrying about the future? 6. In what areas has the Holy Spirit nudged you to place your trust firmly in God’s Hands and not worry about the outcome? 7. It’s common to hear someone describe the power that anxiety has in their life. In what pracƟcal ways can a ChrisƟan exalt the power of God over anxiety?

Seeking good for ourselves, seeking good for others, and even seek- ing out the sin, the problems and the complicaƟons in our own lives in order to remove them, are all part of walking in the Way of Jesus. This last chapter begins with an oŌen-quoted and rarely-understood phrase about judging. Even those who don’t read their Bible seem to know this verse — and seem to have an opinion about what it means! a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:1-5 in your journal. · Mark the words judge/judgement/measure with a blue underline. · Mark the contrasƟng words speck/log with an orange underline. · Mark an “H” over hypocrite. Living in community with people is tricky! People have a tendency to be complicated, and even misbehave from Ɵme to Ɵme. The Way of Jesus shows us how we are to behave toward people who misbehave. (v.2) What two words seem to be used as synonyms in this verse? Slivers can someƟmes be tough to find because they are usually Ɵny. In our house, we’ve been known to get out the magnifying glass so our tweezers can find those nasty liƩle sƟnkers that really get under our skin (so to speak). I imagine specks are fairly difficult to locate as well, and you have to be really looking to find them! (v.3) What somewhat humorous problem does the person have who is making judgements? Day 1: Week Seven — The Way of Seeking (v.5) What did Jesus say should be the remedy? (v.1-2) What reason did Jesus give for refraining from judging others? Jesus used the word hypocrite again, which we previously learned meant a play actor—someone acƟng a part that is not genuine. The use of this word helps us realize that the judgments we’re to refrain from, cannot mean the mere disƟnguishing from right and wrong. It also cannot mean discernment between good and bad. If that were the case, we would HAVE to be play-acƟng since we would need to pretend we didn’t noƟce someone who was obviously sinning—we would HAVE to be a hypocrite. Let’s use other Scriptures to help us understand more about making a proper judgment, or having proper discernment: John 7:24 Romans 2:1-3 1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Philippians 1:9-10 James 4:11-12

What commonaliƟes do you find between today’s verses and MaƩhew 5:7? Write a short summary about what judgement looks like for the one who is following the Way of Jesus: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:6 in your journal. Yesterday’s passage contained one of the most frequently quoted sentences from the Bible and today’s verse is one of the strangest. It’s a bit startling to hear Jesus refer to people as dogs and pigs. Let’s try to discover what it does mean, by eliminaƟng what it doesn’t mean. (v.7) Based on what you might have already learned about clean and unclean animals in the Jewish diet, who might the people be who were referred to as dogs or pigs? Day 2: The command to judge not is not a requirement to be blind, but rather a plea to be generous. —John R. W. StoƩ 7 (v.7) What do you think pearls might be a symbol of? Read MaƩhew 28:19-20 and summarize the command given: This could lead some to think that all evangelism is good evangelism, whereas Jesus’ words here help us understand there comes a Ɵme for discernment to be applied to sharing the valuable message of hope. Even Jesus Himself was silent on some occasions, and told His disciples to turn and symbolically shake the dust from their feet, if met with an unreasonably hard heart. (Mark 6:11) Read Acts 18:5-6. Explain how the Apostle Paul used this principle with the Jews in Corinth: Read Colossians 4:5-6. Explain how you might put the Apostle Paul’s exhortaƟon into pracƟce in your life: a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:7-11 in your journal. · Double underline the phrase, Father who is in heaven. Our daily interacƟon with people requires a big dose of discernment. There is no beƩer place to receive what we need, than to head straight to our Heavenly Father. The Way of Jesus means that we are invited to... (v.7) _________ and it will be given, ___________ and you will find ____________ and it will be opened to you. (v.8) For everyone who asks ____________, the one who seeks _____________, and to the one who knocks it will be ______________. As we follow the Way of Jesus, we find that we’re presented with both an invitaƟon and a responsibility to lean into God’s benevolence and His resources for everything we need for our daily lives and interacƟons. And, God will not disappoint us! The Way of Jesus should open up the path for us to think of God as our Father in Heaven — not just our Creator, not just a higher power, not just the Law-giver — but someone with whom we have a parent/ child relaƟonship — someone we run to for advice and insights, as we’re navigaƟng the twists and turns of our relaƟonships and our needs. From v.9-11, summarize the analogy between human parents and their children, and God and His children: Day 3: (v.9-11) Explain why Jesus was certain we could rely on our Father in Heaven to provide what we need in life: Read the following verses, and note addiƟonal insights on seeking God, as well as wisdom and discernment: I Kings 3:9-12 Proverbs 28:5 James 1:5 List three requests that you can be sure God will always answer: · · · a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:12-14 in your journal. · Mark contrasƟng words you find in orange (narrow/wide, etc.) . Today’s passage begins with another well-known verse. We oŌen call it the Golden Rule. There are many variaƟons of the Golden Rule — even Confucius is credited with having said, “Do not do to others what you would not wish done to yourself.” But Jesus put this rule into a posiƟve tone. Why is that significant? Because it becomes acƟve — proacƟve! If I said, Don’t do harm to anyone today, it might be fairly easy for you to keep to yourself and just do nothing. (AŌer all, we’ve all learned how to quaranƟne.) But, if I said, Do good to someone today, you would have to proacƟvely live in such a way as to bless someone else. I think this is the heart of that command — walk in the Way of Jesus and leave a blessing behind you! (v.12) Do you have a relaƟonship that is strained or broken? How can you apply this simple direcƟve this week to begin a repair? (v.13-14) List all of the opposites or contrasƟng words that you see in these two verses: Day 4:

These sentences focus on entering. If you diagrammed the first sentence of v.13, it would simply say, YOU ENTER. The message is that everyone, as they travel through life, will make decisions about which path they choose to enter through. · In what sense is the gate of ChrisƟanity narrow and the road hard? · In what ways is the world’s gate wide and the path easy? Read Joshua 24:14-15. This is part of a speech Joshua made to Israel about the choice set before them, as they entered the land God promised to them. In what ways were their choices at that Ɵme similar to your choices today? “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your god that I command you today, by loving the Lord your god, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandment and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and mulƟply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.” Deuteronomy 30:15-16

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Share an everyday example of one profitable judgement, and one hypocriƟcal judgment: 2. In what ways could throwing our pearls before swine actually damage our own faith? 3. V.7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you.” Is that a universal promise? Why or why not? Use at least one other Scripture in your explanaƟon. 4. Have you had an answer to prayer aŌer a long season of asking, seeking, and knocking? Explain: 5. Think of a Ɵme you have been the recipient of the rule of love and share with your discussion group how it impacted you. 6. We’ve all heard variaƟons of the statement, ‘There are many ways to God’. Why do you think people bristle at the idea of there being only one gate to life that is relaƟvely narrow and hard, and few find it?

Life is full of decisions. Remember the 35,000 choices we make each day? Well, it seems that Jesus wrapped up His sermon highlighƟng the importance of those decisions and the role that spiritual wisdom plays in following Christ. It began with the choice between the broad road and the narrow road. Now, in these final days of study, we’ll consider more choices: · Whether to be influenced by true teachers or false. · Discerning between good fruit and bad. · Becoming a talker only or one who does the works of God. · Building your foundaƟon on the solid rock or on shiŌing sand! a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:15-20 in your journal. · Mark every occurrence of fruit, good fruit, bad fruit in red. False prophets and disingenuous people are nothing new. They’ve been among us since Jesus’ day and even long before. They will conƟnue to be around unƟl Jesus returns. So, we should understand how to recognize them in order to avoid their influence. (v.15) Explain how it is that false teachers/prophets can present themselves so decepƟvely: (v.16) How are we to recognize a false teacher or prophet? (v.17-18) How can the quality of fruit give us insight into the health of a tree? Week Eight — The Way of Wisdom Day 1:

It’s interesƟng that this warning about false teachers follows closely behind the choices in gates (narrow or wide). A good teacher should point us to the narrow gate, right? · Have you ever found yourself capƟvated by a ministry/teaching that seemed compelling, but you realized it was actually a false teacher promoƟng the wide gate? Explain. Obviously, we need to use judgment to determine whether the fruit of a prophet/teacher is good or bad. (v.16-20) How would you explain, in your own words, the proper use of judgment (discernment) in this maƩer, compared to what we previously studied in MaƩhew 7:1? a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:21-23 in your journal. · Mark the words says and does with a box. Each day we choose whether we will merely say we are ChrisƟan, and lean on all the Churchy things we do to reinforce that idea; or whether we will actually do the will of God. Doing good things, posiƟve things, ChrisƟan things isn’t bad or empty; but Jesus made the disƟncƟon here between merely doing ChrisƟan things and doing the will of God. Day 2: (v.21) Note the contrast in Jesus’ descripƟon, as He separates people into two categories: · First category — says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’. · Second category — does the will of my Father. (v.22) Circle the word that describes the amount of people in the first category and write it here: ___________. (v.22) During their lifeƟme, how do you think these normal church- goers felt about their acƟviƟes (done on God’s behalf)? · What are some modern acƟviƟes that could be subsƟtuted for the phrases, “prophesy and cast out demons”, that people might engage in to please God from the flesh? (v.23) Jesus explained that something was clearly missing from their lives — knowing God and being known by Him. AŌer all, what could be more terrifying than Jesus saying, Depart from me, I never knew you? The Way of Jesus is a way of wisdom. We’re not naturally born with wisdom, we need to seek it along the way, and then do something with it. From the Scriptures given below, idenƟfy the two words that become very useful in our ChrisƟan life, as we seek to please God: Romans 10:17 — Faith comes by ________________ the Word. James 1:22 — Be ______________ of the Word.

Read the following passages and note anything relevant to truly knowing God and honoring Him with your life, your words, and your acƟons: John 10:27-30 Ephesians 3:17-21 1 John 4:16-19 a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:24-27 in your journal. These last red-leƩer words of Jesus present our final challenge in wisdom — will we become listeners of Godly instrucƟon without puƫng it into pracƟce, or will we apply the truth and make it our foundaƟon for life as we follow the Way of Jesus? (v.24-26) IdenƟfy the acƟons of each person in this parable: · Wise man: · Foolish man: · Describe the difference in Ɵme/effort there may be in building on top of sand, as opposed to digging down to rock: Day 3:

· Describe the elements of nature that came against each house: · How did the storm reveal the true difference in construcƟon, while normal observaƟon made them appear very similar? · How does this analogy play out in our lives with the type of foundaƟons we have chosen? (Don’t just write a Sunday School answer, but really consider what this means for your life. In what area do you need to take the Ɵme to dig a deeper foundaƟon?) a READ and WRITE MaƩhew 7:28-29 in your journal. Well, you have now officially wriƩen out the enƟre Sermon on the Mount in your own hand. All that is leŌ is a brief aŌerword, describing how people reacted to all the things Jesus had taught. · What was their response? Day 4:

· What characterisƟcs did you noƟce in this teaching that made Jesus seem like someone who had authority? · What do you think the responses of the religious people (the Scribes) were? We certainly want to be counted among the people who respected Jesus’ authority. None of us wants to be in the same category as merely religious people, who only pay aƩenƟon to outward, tedious rules and don’t understand the maƩers of the heart! The Way of Jesus should change us and mold our character to resemble Jesus — to act more like Jesus and serve more like Jesus. There was a popular song recorded years ago by the Imperials: You’re the only Jesus that some will ever see, You’re the only words of life, some will ever read So let them see in you, the One in whom, is all they’ll ever need! 8 How inspiring! We all understand our weaknesses and sin but rather than allowing ourselves to be idenƟfied by our sinful nature—let’s run daily to the ONE who has power to change us into HIS likeness. Jesus called us to be light of the world... ...someone might see God’s light shining through us. Jesus called us to be salt of the earth… ...someone could be rescued from the decay of the world by us. Jesus called us to be a city on a hill… ...someone may see God’s glory shine through our deeds. Jesus called us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us! ...someone may need the soŌening of our gracious response Thank you for joining us as we yield ourselves more to walk in The Way of Jesus!

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Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Why do you think broad gates and false prophets may be so appealing to people today? 2. Online Bible studies are readily available in today’s culture. Do you think most women take the Ɵme to invesƟgate the author/ teacher to inspect their fruit before siƫng under their ministry? 3. Have you come across more false teachers who seemed like wolves, or more who seemed at first to be like sheep? 4. Why is it so easy for ChrisƟans to mistake Church acƟvity or ministry acƟvity for actually doing the will of the Father? 5. What type of storms have you endured in your life that have revealed areas, where you had hasƟly built upon sand? Explain the way in which God revealed this to you: 6. Share one area of renewed wisdom or discernment in your life as a result of studying these chapters.

RĊċĊėĊēĈĊĘ ESV Bible verses… Scripture quotaƟons are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Cross- way, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permis- sion. All rights reserved. NIV Bible verses… Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTER- NATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 1— ESV Study Bible, MaƩhew 5:1, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers., Wheaton, Illinois 2— Life ApplicaƟon Study Bible, MaƩhew 5:11-12, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 3— Believers Bible Commentary MaƩhew 5:17-18, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee 4— StoƩ, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, IVP, Westmont, Illinois, 1978, p. 102. 5— Warren Wiersbe Bible ExposiƟon Commentary (BE Series) - New Testament, Volume 2. 6— Calvin, John, Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible www.studylight.or.commentaries/cal/maƩhew-6.html. 7— StoƩ, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, IVP, Westmont, Illinois, 1978, p. 154. 8— The Imperials, Legacy, Word DistribuƟon 2004

The following WOW Bible Studies wriƩen by Sue LeBouƟllier are available through the Calvary Chapel Ontario bookstore, and through our online store at www.ccontario.com. · Genesis —Divine Design, From Eden to Egypt · Exodus—Divine Deliverance, From Egypt to Sinai · Numbers—The Wilderness Way, From Sinai to the Jordan · Joshua —The Path of Promise, From the Jordan into Canaan · Judges — A Time of Turning · Ruth—Walking with My Redeemer · 1 Samuel — The Coming King · 2 Samuel — The Reigning King · 1&2 Kings (Part One)— Solomon and the House of the Lord · 1&2 Kings (Part Two)— Learning from Leaders · Esther — When God Works in the Shadows · Jonah—The Call of Compassion · The Way of Jesus—The Sermon on the Mount from MaƩhew · Simply Jesus—The “I AMs” of Christ in the Gospel of John · Acts—Walking in the Spirit, The First Days of the Last Days · GalaƟans—Finding Grace in a Demanding World · Ephesians— Finding Purpose in a Confusing World · Philippians—Finding Joy in a Disjointed World · Colossians—Finding Stability in a Changing World · Titus—While We Wait · James—Real Faith for Daily Life · 1 & 2 Peter—Hope, Holiness and Humility in a HosƟle World · 1,2,3 John—Light, Love and Logic, Lessons from the Apostle John Women of the Word Bible Studies