Sermon Discussion Guide: 10/20/24
Sermon Recap
Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Big Idea: Do not murder, because God loves life.
Summary: After declaring that He is the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament pointed to and anticipated, Jesus proceeds to display how the Law flows from the heart of God, instructs the life of those in the kingdom of heaven, and is perfectly embodied in Christ Himself. Jesus begins with the command "do not murder" but quickly identifies that the specific command is simply one prohibition that reflects a much deeper and pervasive quality of God—namely, that He loves life. Therefore, Jesus equates the violent act of murder with the heart of anger and words of contempt and dishonor toward another image-bearer.
As Jesus reveals the heartbeat of the command that is bound up with the character of God, He shows how that heart is intrinsically intertwined with the wisdom of the kingdom. Wisdom that understands the heart of the command walks in patterns that pursue reconciliation. Pursuing reconciliation, as Jesus sees it, is an integral act of worship, it's an act in which we take the initiative, and it's aggressive in its pursuit of restorative resolution. All of this flows from a renewal of the heart that comes from knowing and abiding in Christ and His kingdom.
Discussion Questions
1. How have you heard this passage talked about in the past? Are there any other significant points made that help in understanding this passage? Was there anything that you've heard about this passage that was in contradiction to the message preached?
2. Do you find it easier to identify anger (and sin in general) in others rather than the sin that is in your own heart and life? Why do you think that is? How should you respond to that?
3. Jesus takes the sin of anger and includes the whole spectrum from name calling to murder as deserving of the judgment of hell. Do you rank sins, especially anger, as more or less "bad" and therefore allow some things in your life that Jesus would say should not be there?
4. What are the actions or situations that most irritate you and elicit anger from your heart? Why do you think that is?
5. How cognizant are you of the anger in your heart, and how have you trained/disciplined yourself to recognize and respond to the anger in your heart in a godly way?
6. Do you struggle taking the initiative in repairing relationships? Why or why not?
7. What are lessons that you have learned about repairing relationships and pursuing reconciliation with others? Maybe you have lessons of failure, or maybe you have lessons from "successes" (by God's grace of course!).
Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Big Idea: Do not murder, because God loves life.
Summary: After declaring that He is the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament pointed to and anticipated, Jesus proceeds to display how the Law flows from the heart of God, instructs the life of those in the kingdom of heaven, and is perfectly embodied in Christ Himself. Jesus begins with the command "do not murder" but quickly identifies that the specific command is simply one prohibition that reflects a much deeper and pervasive quality of God—namely, that He loves life. Therefore, Jesus equates the violent act of murder with the heart of anger and words of contempt and dishonor toward another image-bearer.
As Jesus reveals the heartbeat of the command that is bound up with the character of God, He shows how that heart is intrinsically intertwined with the wisdom of the kingdom. Wisdom that understands the heart of the command walks in patterns that pursue reconciliation. Pursuing reconciliation, as Jesus sees it, is an integral act of worship, it's an act in which we take the initiative, and it's aggressive in its pursuit of restorative resolution. All of this flows from a renewal of the heart that comes from knowing and abiding in Christ and His kingdom.
Discussion Questions
1. How have you heard this passage talked about in the past? Are there any other significant points made that help in understanding this passage? Was there anything that you've heard about this passage that was in contradiction to the message preached?
2. Do you find it easier to identify anger (and sin in general) in others rather than the sin that is in your own heart and life? Why do you think that is? How should you respond to that?
3. Jesus takes the sin of anger and includes the whole spectrum from name calling to murder as deserving of the judgment of hell. Do you rank sins, especially anger, as more or less "bad" and therefore allow some things in your life that Jesus would say should not be there?
4. What are the actions or situations that most irritate you and elicit anger from your heart? Why do you think that is?
5. How cognizant are you of the anger in your heart, and how have you trained/disciplined yourself to recognize and respond to the anger in your heart in a godly way?
6. Do you struggle taking the initiative in repairing relationships? Why or why not?
7. What are lessons that you have learned about repairing relationships and pursuing reconciliation with others? Maybe you have lessons of failure, or maybe you have lessons from "successes" (by God's grace of course!).
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