reflection and discussion questions: 

1. Review: Phil invited us to reconnect with prayer and rejoicing last week.  For prayer, he suggested diving back into the Lord's Prayer – how did that go for you, or did you pray differently?  Music is a simple and easy way to rejoice – did any particular piece of music inspire you this week?  Share your experiences (frustrating or otherwise!) with your group, if you're responding to these questions in a Life Group.

2. Take a moment in prayer, welcoming the Spirit's presence.  Then begin digging deeper into Ralph's message from this past Sunday by re-reading Matthew 5:13-20.  Which words, ideas, or passages hit home for you?  Why?​

3.  Ralph suggested that vv. 13-16 (salt and light) and vv. 17-20 ("your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees") sound like subjects for two separate messages.  Do you agree with Ralph that there is actually a very real connection between the two?  If so, what is the connection?  If not, why not?

4. How do Jesus' proclamations to us – "You are the salt of the earth" and "You are the light of the world" – lead us into a place of humility?  (Hint:  Salt dissolves when it's applied; light is never really seen.)  Does this change the way you understand these passages?  In what way?

5. If Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), how can we be the light of the world?  In Ecclesiastes we often spoke of "the upside-down gospel" because in that book we see that trying to figure out what life means without God is like trying to grab a handful of vapor, mist, hevel.  Ralph suggested that what Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount is "the inside-out gospel."  Can you explain what he meant by that?  (If you wrestle with this, move on to the next question and see if that helps!)

6.  Dallas Willard said that "righteousness" is best understood as "true inner goodness."  How is this different from the way we normally view righteousness?

7. When Jesus says that our "righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees or you will never enter the kingdom of heaven," He seems, on the surface, to be making entry into the kingdom really difficult.  Do you think that's what He is doing?  What is the point, and how in the world can we live a more "righteous" life than Billy Graham or Mother Teresa (spiritual giants of recent years)?

8.  Read Romans 3:21-26 and 4:16-22.  What is the relationship between faith and righteousness?  Where does Jesus fit in the picture?  Does understanding Willard's idea of "true inner goodness" help you understand all this more clearly?  (And remember Ralph's "homework" assignment:  Read all of Romans 3-4 this week!)

9.  Close your reflections by considering again our big questions for this series:

   1. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?

   2. Where is He calling me to obedience?

next week's passage: Matthew 5:21-26

helpful resources for the sermon on the mount: