Skip to main content

{sermon on the mount}

 {sermon on the mount} 

HOW NOT TO BE RELIGIOUS_ 

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 

 
Not conforming to the world is a familiar New Testament concept. 
But it’s not so well known that Jesus also called us to not conform to the religious establishment... 

 
[Group discussion starter] A friend that you invited to this Bible Study has declined by saying that she finds all Christians to be hypocrites. What evidence is there that this is not true of the members of your group? 

 

In Matthew 5 Jesus taught us that our righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees (because they obeyed the letter of the Law, while obedience must include our heart)... and greater also than that of the pagans (because they love each other, while our love must include our enemies as well).  
Now, in Matthew 6 Jesus draws the same two contrasts when he talks about religion. He says that we should not be hypocritical like the Pharisees and not mechanical like the pagans...  

 
[Read Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-18] 

 

Jesus illustrates the principle of verse 1 by focusing on three religious practices: giving, praying and fasting. What images come to mind when you read about the hypocrites in verse 2? 

 

 
In verse 1 Jesus commands us “not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.” Yet in Matthew 5:16 he said, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds.” 
Is there a contradiction here? Explain. 

 
What does Jesus mean when he says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”? 
Why is this important? 

 

 
In what ways are we tempted to be hypocritical in our giving? 

 

 
In verse 5, what was wrong with the way that hypocrites prayed in Jesus’ day? 
In what ways might hypocrites pray today? 

 

 
Why and how is our praying to be different? 

 

 
How do you think the reward that the Father will give us (in verse 6) will differ from the reward we receive from others (verse 5)? 

 

 
In verse 16, Jesus just assumes Christians will fast (although few of us do). 
Why and how should we fast? 

 

 
Fasting was a way that people were trying to seek the approval of others. 
In what other areas are we tempted to seek the approval of people rather than God? 

 

 

 
How can this passage help to purify our own motives? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Disciple: Judas

  {Disciples} JUDAS ISCARIOT_   Turning away     The most notorious of al the disciples – and the one universally scorned – is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. His name appears in every list of the disciples (except in Acts 1), and it always appears last.   The other eleven are an encouragement to us because they show how common people can be used by God, even with all their faults and failures, to do remarkable things.   Judas, on the other hand, stands as a warning about the power of spiritual carelessness and pride, which can drag us away from loyalty to Christ.   Judas lived in close proximity to Jesus for three years.   He heard every teaching; he saw every miracle.   But in all that time his heart only grew harder.   The other disciples were being transformed, by Jesus, into passionate followers; Judas was being changed too...     [Group discussion starter] Have you ever had a friend or colleague that appeared to b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ephesians 5:21 - 6:9

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 5:21-6:9…   [Read Ephesians 5:21]   Paul addresses different relationship types (marriage, family, co-workers) when he writes to the Ephesians. Before he gets specific in his instructions, he gives a general one. What attitude are we supposed to have towards others?     What should submission look like in daily life?     [Read Ephesians 5:22-33]   In verses 22-24, why does Paul tell wives to submit to their husbands?     How does remembering that a wife is really submitting to the Lord affect submission to a husband?     In verses 25-33, how are husbands, in turn, to treat their wives?     How does comparing a husband’s love for his wife to how the Messiah loves the church remove any danger of the husband abusing the wife’s submission?       What ...
Post a Comment
Read more

{SEVEN CHURCHES} #3

  {SEVEN LETTERS}    The Attractiveness of Suffering_   Revelation 2:8-11     In the year AD 177 persecution broke out against the Christians living in what is today the French city of Lyon. Christianity had raised the suspicions and hatred of the Roman  bureaucrats who governed the city. The vicious persecution that raged, touched Christians at every level of society. After the persecuti on subsided, church father Irenaeus, arranged for a letter to be written to Christians in other parts of the Roman Empire describing the faithfulness of the  martyrs...   We  can’t  even begin to put into words, much less describe in detail, the  magnitude  of the persecution here: how the pagans raged so terribly against the saints, and how the ble ssed martyrs endured so patiently... To begin with, they nobly endured all the abuse the whole mob collectively piled on: screaming  at them, punching them, dragging them through the stre...
Post a Comment
Read more