1. Review:  Last week's questions surrounded Pastor Marek's message on Psalm 42:1-4. What have you done this past week that has helped fuel your hunger for God?

2. Take a moment in prayer, welcoming the Spirit's presence. Then read Matthew 4:17-5:3, and consider what you notice about the surrounding context of Jesus's sermon. For example, who is it exactly that Jesus speaks this great sermon to, and what can we learn from that? 

3. Phil began by asking, "Church, where do we come from?" Take a moment and briefly survey Jesus's sermon in Matthew 5-7, and consider:  

   1. What stands out to me? 

   2. As God's people, citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, what does this tell me of the heart and culture of where we come from? 

4. Read Leviticus 18:1-4. Pastor John Stott wrote, ​"The Sermon on the Mount, then, is to be seen in this context. It describes the repentance and the righteousness which belong to the kingdom. That is, it describes what human life and human community look like when they come under the gracious rule of God. And what do they look like? Different! Jesus emphasized that his true followers, the citizens of God's kingdom, were to be entirely different from others. They were not to take their cue from the people around them, but from him"  Who do you most often take your cues from and why? How can you practice taking your cues from Jesus more?

5. Why do you think the very first words of Jesus' sermon were, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”? What do you think this means, and why is it so important? 

6. Can you recall a time when you were poor in spirit and experienced the Lord's blessing? 

7. ​Read Luke 18:1-4. What can we learn from this story of Jesus? 

8. Our Theme Verse during this study is Matthew 7:24, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Therefore each week we plan to ask:

   1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?​

   2. Where is He calling me to obedience?

Take a moment to pray and ask the Lord for guidance, mercy, and strength. ​