1. Briefly review the Beatitudes in Lesson 3 (link above).
2. Read verses 13-16. Remember that when the Bible was written, there were no chapter and verse markings and no separation between sections. The passage we know as verses 1-12 flowed directly into verses 13-16.
Make the connection between the Beatitudes and 13-16. In what ways could 13-16 be considered the culmination of the Beatitudes? How does God shaping you into all the character qualities in the Beatitudes make you into, or equip you to be, the salt of the earth and the light of the world?
Do verse 13 and verses 14-15 describe the state of saltiness and light in the positive (“Be like this.”) or in the negative (“Do not be like this.”)? List the negative and/or positive statements about each. How could someone who claims to be a Christian lose her saltiness or her light? Is Jesus talking about false converts or genuine Believers who stray into a season of sin, or both? Why?
Carefully examine verse 16. Could this apply to saltiness as well as light? If a friend asked you what this verse meant, how would you explain it to her? What if your friend then directed your attention to 6:1-4, and said, “Aha! The Bible contradicts itself! 5:16 says to let others see your good works and 6:1-4 says not to practice your good works before others.”? How would you explain to her what these two passages mean and why they are different?
3. Read 17-20 in light of 1-16, and in light of the concept from our last lesson that Jesus preaching Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes probably evoked comparisons to Moses coming down from the mountain and giving the Ten Commandments.
What three word phrase do most of the Ten Commandments start with? How many of the Ten Commandments end with a blessing? Compare this with the Beatitudes. Which two word phrase does each Beatitude begin with? How many of the Beatitudes end with a blessing? Compare the hard edge specificity of the Commandments (lying, murdering, idolatry, etc.) with the more open ended, less specific Beatitudes (poor in spirit, merciful, etc.) Are the Ten Commandments stated in the negative or the positive? The Beatitudes?
Imagine you’re a law and order Pharisee with all of the above on your mind. You’ve been a “no no” guy all your life. You’re worried Israel might fall back into the sins that sent them into exile in the Old Testament. And now you’re listening to this new guy on the scene preach what sounds like it might be a softer and gentler, love and peace, “hippie” version of the Ten Commandments. You have questions for Jesus. What are those questions?
How does Jesus answer your questions in 17-20? Is He preaching license or that obedience to God does’t matter? Using your cross-references in this passage, what is Jesus trying to convey to the people and to the Pharisees about righteousness and obedience? What is the heart of the Law?
Some people incorrectly think 17-20 mean that New Testament Christians must keep the Old Testament civil laws (no shellfish or mixed fabrics, put a parapet around your roof, etc.) and ceremonial laws (feasts, festivals/holidays, etc.). How would you refute that idea? What are some other passages of Scripture you might bring to bear on this question? When Jesus originally spoke these words, was He talking to Christians under the new covenant or Jews under the old covenant?
How was Jesus the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets? How had legalism so corrupted Judaism that many of the Jews, scribes, and Pharisees were unable or unwilling to accept Jesus as the Messiah – the fulfillment and culmination of the old covenant?
Homework
Consider this thought:
The prevalent false teaching of Jesus’ day was legalism, and the false teachers (Pharisees) accused Jesus and His followers of antinomianism when they taught obedience to God and His Word. The prevalent false teaching today is antinomianism, and today’s false teachers accuse Jesus’ followers of legalism when they teach obedience to God and His Word.
Do you agree or disagree? Why? How can Christians avoid both legalism and antinomianism and follow Christ obediently from a heart of love?
Suggested Memory Verse
Each week, I’ll provide a suggested memory verse from that week’s study passage. I encourage you to copy, save, or screenshot it. Use it for your screensaver or wallpaper, your social media cover photo, or print it out and stick it somewhere you’ll see it often.
1. Briefly review the background to the Sermon on the Mount in Lesson 2 (link above).
2. Read Matthew 5:1-12. This passage is usually called “The Beatitudes”. How did it happen that Jesus had crowds (v.1) following Him? How did John the Baptist’s ministry (see Lesson 2, link above) help prepare the hearts of the people to hear the Beatitudes? What was the thrust of his message, and what is the thrust of the Beatitudes?
3. Carefully examine verses 3-12. Each Beatitude is written in a three part format. Identify and describe each of the three parts.
4. What word do verses 3-11 start with? What does it mean to be blessed? Who is doing the blessing, who is receiving the blessing, and how does being blessed impact a Christian’s life? (Hint: Use your cross references, and search the word “blessed” in a good concordance.)
5. Make a list of the middle part (the state of being or heart attitude) of each Beatitude (poor in spirit, merciful, etc.). What do each of these words or phrases mean? Use your cross-references and make every effort to define each term yourself first, but if you’re a new Christian or new to the Bible, here’s a little help if you get stuck (scroll down to “Related Topics”).
Read, examine, and consider all of the “middle parts” of the Beatitudes together as a unit. Write a 2-3 sentence synopsis of the middle parts. Are the Beatitudes like the spiritual gifts in that everybody gets at least one, but nobody gets all of them (ex: You’re a peacemaker, but I’m meek.)? Or art the Beatitudes more like the Fruit of the Spirit in that all Christians are supposed to embody everything on the list? Explain your answer. If you answered that the Beatitudes are like the spiritual gifts, list the Beatitudes that only some Christians are meant to embody, and explain why that Beatitude doesn’t apply to all Christians.
6. Make a list of the “third part” (the consequence or blessing) of each Beatitude (receive mercy, called sons of God, etc.). What do each of these words or phrases mean? (Use your cross-references.) Would you characterize these consequences as similar to one another, or very different from one another?
Read, examine, and consider all of the consequences of the Beatitudes together as a unit. Write a 2-3 sentence synopsis of the consequences. Do all of these consequences apply to all Christians who pursue holiness? Why or why not?
7. How many Beatitudes (3-12) are there? If I said to you, “In some ways, the Beatitudes are to the New Testament / New Covenant what the 10 Commandments were to the Old Testament / Old Covenant,” would you agree or disagree? Why? Consider the content, context, and audience of both Christ’s preaching of the Beatitudes and Moses delivering the 10 Commandments to God’s people. Compare the way God’s people in the Old Testament regarded the 10 Commandments with the way Christians regard the teachings contained in the Beatitudes. Think about these passages as you answer these questions. How might Jesus delivering the Sermon on the Mount have reminded the people that God had promised to raise up for them a prophet like Moses?
Homework
Once you have finished the lesson, you may wish to listen to this series of sermons on the Beatitudes by John MacArthur.
Use the Beatitudes as a prayer guide this week, asking God to increase your Christlikeness in the state of being / heart attitude parts, and thanking Him for blessing you with the consequences of each.
Suggested Memory Verse
Normally, in this section, I will provide you with a suggested verse from that day’s passage to memorize. But today, I want you to pick. Was there a certain verse that particularly impacted you, comforted you, or that deals with a heart attitude you’re praying God will grow you in? Work on memorizing that verse this week. If you’re more advanced in Scripture memory work, or if you just want to challenge yourself, consider memorizing verses 3-12.
Starting with our next lesson, all suggested memory verses will be superimposed on the image above. If you like everything to match (like I do!), you’re welcome to grab the image above and put this week’s memory verse (of your choosing) on it using a photo editor. (And if you’re really obsessive about matching – again, like I am – I’ll be using “Syncopate” font in grey.) Use it for your screensaver or wallpaper, your social media cover photo, or print it out and stick it somewhere you’ll see it often.
1. Briefly review the the introductory questions and materials in Lesson 1 (link above).
2. Read Matthew 1-4. How do the events in these chapters lay the groundwork for Jesus to preach the Sermon on the Mount? What sort of overall context do chapters 1-4 provide for the Sermon?
3. As you read chapters 1-4, notice Matthew’s emphasis on prophecy fulfilled. Make a note of each fulfilled prophecy mentioned and think of them as points on Jesus’ “résumé”. How do each of these fulfilled prophecies point to Jesus’ qualifications to fill the position of Messiah, thus giving Him the divine authority to deliver the Sermon on the Mount?
Besides these instances of fulfilled prophecy, list any other verses that demonstrate Jesus’ qualifications – as God, Messiah, holy, etc. – to authoritatively deliver the Sermon on the Mount. (Hint: Here are a few to get you started.)
4. Explain the various ways God protected and preserved Jesus’ life and safety in chapters 1-4 so that He would be able to fulfill His earthly ministry (chapter 5 and beyond).
5. Why, besides the fact that it fulfilled prophecy, was it necessary for John the Baptist (chapter 3) to “prepare the way of the Lord”? What were some of the things he did to herald and introduce Jesus’ coming, and how did this prepare the hearts of the people to receive Him? What was John’s message to the Pharisees and the people?
Carefully examine 3:7-10. Do any of these ideas or phrases sound familiar as something Jesus Himself later said? Use your cross-references and look up the passages in which Jesus said or taught the same things.
6. How were each of the following significant in laying the foundation for Jesus’ earthly ministry?
Jesus’ baptism
Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness
Jesus relocating to Capernaum
Jesus calling the disciples
Homework
Carefully examine 4:1-11. Which Scriptures does Satan quote to Jesus? Does he rightly handle those Scriptures or use them out of context to further his own agenda? Why is it wrong to use Scripture this way? How does Jesus combat Satan’s temptations and Bible twistings? What is significant about Jesus’ use of the phrase “It is written”? Think of a situation in your life in which you could use rightly handled, in context Scripture to fight temptation or to stand against false teaching. Find a way to put that into practice this week. Use Scripture like Jesus used Scripture, not like Satan used Scripture.
Welcome to our new study, The Sermon on the Mount!
What does God’s Word teach us about thinking biblically and developing Christian character? Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew starts off with a list of character traits God blesses (the Beatitudes), then fleshes out how to submit to Scripture in real life scenarios in order for the Holy Spirit to grow us in those godly character traits. For the next several weeks, we’ll be working our way through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.
Our lovely title pic for the study was designed by Tammy Athey. The photo is her own, captured in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Many thanks to all of those who worked so hard on your entries for our title pic contest. You ladies were very creative and did some outstanding work!
There were too many entries to share all of them with you, but here are a few “honorable mentions”:
Lindsey Portugal
Melody Castle
Kendra Bennett
Kati Champlin
Sabrina Deeter
If you’re new to using my Bible studies, just a few housekeeping items and helpful hints:
The studies I’ve written (you can find all of them at the Bible Studies tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page) are like “training wheels”. They’re designed to teach you how to study the Bible for yourself and what kinds of questions to ask of the text so that, when you get the hang of it, you won’t have to depend on other people’s books and materials – even mine – any more. To that end, I do not provide answers for the study questions in the studies I’ve written.
My studies are meant to be extremely flexible and self-paced so that you can use them in the way that works best for you. You can do an entire lesson in one day or work on the questions over the course of the week (or longer). You do not need to feel obligated to answer all (or any) of the questions. If the Holy Spirit parks you on one question for several days, enjoy digging deep into that one aspect of the lesson. If He shows you something I haven’t written a question about that captures your attention, dive in and study it! Those are ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word. This is your time to commune with the Lord, not a school assignment or work project you are beholden to complete in a certain way by a certain deadline.
I will post a new lesson on the blog every Wednesday, so there is nothing to sign up for or commit to. Simply stop by the blog each week, or subscribe to the blog via e-mail to have the lessons delivered to your inbox.
I use hyperlinksliberally. The Scriptures for each lesson will be linked at the beginning of the lesson and in the lesson questions. As you’re reading the lesson, whenever you see a word in a different color text, click on it, and it will take you to a Scripture, article, or other resource that will help as you study.
All of the studies I’ve written are suitable for groups or individuals. You are welcome to use them as a Sunday school or Bible study class curriculum (for free) with proper attribution.
You are also welcome to print out any of my Bible studies (or any article I’ve written) for free and make as many copies as you’d like, again, with proper attribution. I’ve explained more about that in this article (3rd section).
Introduction to The Sermon on the Mount
Before we begin studying a book of the Bible, it’s very important that we understand some things about that book. But even though we’re not going to be studying the whole book this time, we still need to know…
Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.
Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.
What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.
What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?
What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.
When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of biblical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.
So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the Sermon on the Mount, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.
Read the following overviews of the book of Matthew, taking notes on anything that might aid your understanding of the book, and, particularly the Sermon on the Mount and answer the questions below:
1. Who wrote the book of Matthew? How do we know this?
2. Approximately when was Matthew written? What is the geographical setting of the book of Matthew? Here are some maps (scroll down to “Matthew”) that may be helpful as you study through the book of Matthew.
3. Who is the original, intended audience of the book of Matthew? Describe the historical setting (historic events, politics, sociology of the time, etc.) of Matthew.
4. Which genre of biblical literature is the book of Matthew: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, or prophecy/apocalyptic? What does this tell us about the approach we should take when studying this book versus our approach to books of other genres?
5. What is the theme or purpose of the book of Matthew?
6. What are some of the major topics of instruction in the book of Matthew? How do these topics relate to the theme of Matthew?
7. What are some ways Matthew points to and connects to Jesus?
8. What else did you learn about Matthew or the setting of this book that might help you understand the Sermon on the Mount better?
Take some time in prayer this week to begin preparing your heart for this study. Ask God to grow you in holiness and in following the exhortations of Christ as we study together The Sermon on the Mount.
Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.
So it is by way of this email that I ask you to pray about my request to disciple me as a young woman in accordance to Titus 2.
You are so dear, and your e-mail was so sweet. I would love to say yes, but sadly, I cannot. Please see #10 in my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs.
I would love your thoughts on the study of Scripture using the sentence diagram method. I have never tried it but it does look interesting. However I do not want to get into a mess of confusion.
If reading the phrase “the sentence diagram method” just gave you a fond or traumatic flashback to 7th grade English class, then you pretty much already know what it is. It’s taking a Bible verse and diagramming it – either grammatically (with all the little lines for adverbs and adjectives and conjunctions and whatnot), or conceptually (blocking it out according to concept and how those concepts connect.
If you’d like to see an example, click here. (FYI- This link does not mean I’m recommending this site. She endorses and/or has connections to several false teachers.)
If you’re a grammar nerd or language aficionado like I am, this is method is probably right up your alley, and if you need to employ it from time to time to better understand one of Paul’s numerous lengthy run-on sentences, then go for it!
My only counsel would be, don’t make this your only method of Bible study. For the most part, you need to be reading and studying the overall meaning, concepts, and application of larger passages of Scripture, not focusing on dissecting one verse every day. It’s kind of like cooking supper. You need to focus on fixing the whole meal every night rather than pouring all your focus into mincing that clove of garlic into perfectly symmetrical cubes.
I am convicted because I have not been faithful to be a witness for the Gospel. I get tongue tied even with family! I just want to be faithful like the Apostle Paul. My problem is getting started……I know the Good News and want to share. Can you help guide me? I was invited to church and heard the Word preached and the Holy Spirit convicted me of my guilt as a sinner. Can I just invite someone to church?
What a wonderful encouragement it is to encounter a sister with a zeal for sharing the gospel! If it makes you feel any better, a lot of us have the same experience when it comes to sharing the gospel. Let me see if I can offer a little help:
While we are all commanded to share the gospel with the lost, there are some people who are just really gifted at it. It comes as naturally to them as breathing, they never get flustered, and they make it look easy. I’m not one of those people, but I can point you to a couple of brothers who are: Ray Comfort and Todd Friel. Head on over to the Living Waters YouTube channel and watch a few thousand videos of Ray walking up to strangers and sharing the gospel. Subscribe to Wretched on your favorite podcast platform, and listen in to the “Witness Wednesday” episodes with Todd. These are the kinds of guys you should look to and be learning from when it comes to “cold call” evangelism.
Remember that walking up to a stranger and verbally sharing the gospel is not the only way you can evangelize:
If you have unsaved children at home, they are your primary mission field. They’re just as lost and dead in their sins as any stranger on the street.
Ditto for teaching children at your church. Pour the gospel into those kiddos every week.
Tracts. Get a bunch and carry them around in your purse. Leave them behind at the store, the doctor’s office, the gym, wherever you go. Hand them to people personally when the opportunity arises. I highly recommend the Bezeugen Tract Club and tracts from Living Waters.
If you’re on social media, share the gospel on your timeline. Write it out in your own words, share Scripture, or share links to gospel presentations. Here’s our gospel page at A Word Fitly Spoken. It has a text presentation of the gospel and a couple of videos if you’d like to share them.
It is absolutely fine to invite someone to church (assuming you go to a doctrinally sound church) or any other Christian event where the gospel will be clearly and biblically presented. I would only quibble with people who call inviting someone to church “evangelism”. That’s not evangelism. Evangelism is when you actually share the gospel with someone (which every Christian should do when the opportunity presents itself). Inviting someone to church is inviting her to a place where she’ll be evangelized.
Should I attempt to bribe/beg/force my teenage sons to go to church? My husband is no longer attending or leading the family spiritually. My sons and I do Bible study together, but they have no other church experiences.
Wow, this is such a difficult position for you to be in. I’m so sorry. I’ve taken a moment to pray for you and your family, and I would ask everyone reading this to pause briefly and do the same.
I would strongly encourage you to set up an appointment with your pastor to discuss this. Giving wise counsel to those he pastors is part of his job. You could also more thoroughly explain your situation to him and he could give you better informed counsel than I can.
Not knowing the dynamics of your situation, the best I can tell you is that I don’t see anything in Scripture that would say it’s a sin to offer your sons something they want or to excuse them from a certain chore or something like that in exchange for them attending church.
I’m not sure “beg” and “force” are words I’m comfortable with in the parent/child relationship. You are the parent. You are the one in authority and responsible to God for your children. When you tell them to do something, they should respectfully obey you. Period. “Begging” and “forcing” shouldn’t even be part of the equation.
That being said, I think it would be good and healthy for you to sit them down and have a serious, loving talk with them, explaining that, because you love them and want what’s best for them, you want to urge them to come to church with you. You can also explain how much their attendance would mean to you (just be careful not to guilt or manipulate them). And, since you’re teaching them the Bible, you might want to spend some time on Hebrews 10:24-25. But when you’ve had this talk with them, especially if they’re older teens and not Believers, you will probably need to leave the decision up to them. This is something it would be good to get your pastor’s guidance about.
If a woman were to speak at a church on the issue of abortion, would that fall into the category of a woman exercising authority over men?
No, the issue here would be whether or not she’s preaching to men or instructing them in the Scriptures, not whether or not she’s exercising authority over them. Someone giving an informational talk on a certain topic isn’t exercising authority over anyone, regardless of the venue, the sex of the speaker or the sex of the audience.
It’s a little difficult to answer this question due to the lack of details. Is this woman simply a member of the church who wishes to address the congregation, or is she a special guest speaker from a pro-life organization? Is her talk taking the place of the Sunday morning sermon? Is she going to be going at it from a “professional” angle (ex: stats on abortion, stories about moms who chose life, pro-life legislation), or is she going to get up and preach a sermon on Psalm 139?
It would be perfectly biblical for a special guest speaker to give a professional informational talk (not preaching/teaching the Bible) in any time slot other than when the sermon usually takes place (Tuesday night, during a special Sunday luncheon, etc.). (Because a- nothing should take the place of the preaching of God’s Word, and b- you don’t want her or anyone in attendance to be confused that she’s preaching the sermon.)
It would also be fine a woman who’s a member of the church and does sidewalk counseling or volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center or even a woman who has had an abortion (and repented of it) to speak about her experiences in a “personal testimony” sort of way.
But when it’s time for biblical instruction and admonition from the Scriptures about abortion, that’s the pastor’s job.
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
