Sermon on the Mount Part 14

Matthew Ch 5, esp 27-end

You can use the space below to type your own notes.

TAG questions

1. Icebreaker: What is the purest, most holy thing you’ve ever seen?
2. How does Mt 5:27-48 challenge your current walk with God?
3. What does God want you to do and to pray in response?

Group Discussion Questions

1. Ice breaker: Name one thing you think people seem to get wrong about you based on their first impression of you.
2. Head: Read Matthew 5:27-48. Which of Jesus’ teachings here do you find the most interesting or difficult to understand, and why? (Follow up: are there any of these we can better help each other understand?)
3. Heart: Why do you think Jesus, who is full of mercy, takes all these commands from God and seemingly makes them more difficult?
4. Hands: As you look through Matthew chapter 5, what parts of the chapter stick out to you as something you’d like to meditate more on or work on in your everyday life?

Group Leader Tips

• Pray for your group before and after you meet. Prayerfully work through the questions and bible passage yourself before you meet.
• At the beginning of your first time together, explain that these groups are meant to be discussions not lectures. Encourage the members of the group to participate. However, do not put pressure on those who may be hesitant to speak during the first few sessions.
• Avoid answering your own questions. However, leaders may set the tone by occasionally sharing their own answers without dominating the time or the discussion.
• Learn to accept silence in the group while they process your questions.
• Appropriately call upon quieter members when they seem to have something to share.
• Acknowledge and thank group members for their sharing. Redirect the group if they get off-topic too much.
• Don’t be afraid of controversy. It can be very stimulating. If you don’t resolve an issue completely, don’t be frustrated. Move on and keep it in mind for later. A subsequent study may solve the problem.
• You may need to divide the group into smaller subsets (men, women, pairs, etc.) to help the time and participation to flow.
• If possible, the group host should not also be the group shepherd/facilitator. This helps the group to eventually multiply as it grows larger.
• Look for ways to share the tasks in the group to help build a healthy discipleship culture. Look for the persons God may be leading to serve as apprentice hosts or shepherds.