The Sermon on the mount

reflection and discussion questions: 

1. Review: How are you doing at persevering, at "keeping going" like Phil talked about last week? Have there been any particular barriers or obstacles you've struggled with?

2. Take a moment in prayer, welcoming the Spirit's presence.  Then read over the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12). ​

3. In this week's Beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God," Ralph talked about the fact that "peace" in the biblical sense (shalom in Hebrew) means more than the absence of conflict – it means wholeness, completeness, perfect well-being. How has the presence of Christ in your life helped you know this peace, however imperfectly or inconsistently?

4. The opposite of peace is distress, fear, brokenness, fragmentation. Describe a time when you saw this in yourself. How did you (or how can you!) invite Kingdom-of-God peace into your life to heal your brokenness?

5. Read Philippians 2:10. Ralph said that the word for "workmanship" here is poieo in Greek, which means something closer to "poet" or "artist." How does it affect the way you see yourself as a disciple of Jesus to know that you are actually a work of art in progress? Does this awareness help you shift your focus more onto letting God finish His work in you rather than you working hard to finish what He began?

6. Ralph also said that, as we face the wounds that have been inflicted upon us, we have learned techniques to help us survive or cope with those wounds. But survival is not peace. Coping is not peace. Finding ways to manage or navigate our way around those wounds is not peace. Where do you need the healing, reconciling peace Jesus purchased for you on the Cross to come afresh into your heart and life today?

7. Read 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. We can't be "peacemakers" until we have received peace ourselves! Ralph told the story of his dad, who became a Christian later in life and became an ambassador for Christ – a peacemaker! – without even really trying. What is the key to becoming an effective ambassador for Christ? Can you think of a situation or a relationship in your life where you can stop trying to be an ambassador and just be who you are in Christ?

8. Read Ephesians 2:13-19. How does this change the way you view yourself in Christ? Perhaps more importantly, how does this affect the way you view others, especially those who are very different in their culture, opinions, etc.?

9. All of the Beatitudes are really promises of God. They aren't commands for us to keep. And yet, the "peacemakers" are promised to become children of God, meaning that peacemaking must be especially close to the very heart of God. Why do you think this is?

10. Finally consider, as we have been this entire series (Matthew 7:24):

    1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?

    2. Where is He calling me to obedience?

next week's passage: Matthew 5:10-12