Weekly Study Questions: Sermon on the Mount #6
Lasting Love
Sermon on the Mount (CGS#6) – Matt. 5:43-6:4
INTRODUCTION: The Sermon on the Mount was given on a hillside somewhere around Galilee. The topography of Galilee is made up of large rolling hills, steep cliffs, and tall plateaus, all making their way around the body of water the region is known for, the Sea of Galilee. The topography of the region is less important than the political environment. Galilee was a hotbed of Jewish resistance against the Roman Empire. Jesus was not the first person in the region of Galilee to claim to be the Messiah. Around 6 AD, Judas of Galilee founded the Zealot political party and led a violent revolt against Rome. Yes, that is the same Zealot party that one of Jesus’ inner twelve disciples belonged to, Simon the Zealot. This region was not only used to political speeches on the sides of mountains, its people had come to expect and long for them. Why? Eventually, one leader would come who would indeed throw off the Roman oppression and restore Israel to the greatest point of its history, the reign and rule of David. That is the backdrop in which Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount. They were looking for a political king, and up to that point, no one had done the things that Jesus had done. Miracles and teaching with such authority that exceeded even the most powerful in their society, the Scribes and Pharisees. So, when Jesus begins with the beatitudes, they must have been so confused. Why is he saying those who mourn and those who are persecuted are blessed? You can imagine their confusion when Jesus gets to the part where he says that you are to pray for your enemies and that your acts of service and charity are to be done in secret instead of in public like the religious elite. This is not how the Messiah was supposed to talk. He was supposed to remind them that their enemies (Rome and its sympathizers) needed to be overthrown and made to bow at their feet. That they were the faithful ones, and God would bless them and make them wealthy for their public acts of charity. Jesus says the opposite, though.
What’s Jesus’ advice? Love and pray for your enemies. Jesus’ teaching here is rooted in the very thing he was engaged in through his incarnation. He was loving his enemies. See, humanity had, like Adam long before, rejected God. In our sin and rebellion, we seized what we thought was life-giving freedom only to find death and separation from God. Jesus’ very earthly mission was an act of loving those who had made themselves opposed to God, and his act of love was so complete and radical that he gave his life for his very enemies. All so that they could be called friends. See, Jesus’ instructions in this passage are rooted in the very action of his earthly life and ministry. As a Christian, Jesus isn’t asking you to do anything that he hasn’t already done. We’ve talked over the course of this series about the motivation of the Christian both to love God and love others. That motivation is love received. Here is the way that the Apostle John would write it, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jn. 4:19) Simply put, Jesus asks that you replicate the very thing you experienced in your salvation. Love your enemies. How do we do that? Pray for them.
The thing that we have to be able to recognize is that loving, forgiving, and praying for someone who has hurt, wronged, or persecuted us doesn’t mean that we sweep the wrong they’ve committed under the rug. Again, let look to the gospel for clarity here. God doesn’t sweep our sin under the rug or minimize it as no big deal. No, our sin required Jesus giving his life so that we might be saved. God never says that our sin is “no big deal.” So when we forgive, love, and pray for those who have hurt us we still recognize what was wrong, was wrong. And it shouldn’t happen again. But because we have received transforming love, we do not let those wrongs build up and cause corrosive bitterness that eats away at us. Obeying Jesus here requires us to embrace the posture of a servant, and faithful servants serve out of love received.
GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What was a moment in your life where you began to realize and understand the depth of God’s grace in relationship to your sin? How did that impact your view of God and others?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How have you seen God at work in your life this week? Have you enjoyed him? Have you heard his voice and the leading of his Spirit? Big ways or small ways.
- What about Jesus’ words in this passage stand out to you? How do they challenge you? How do they encourage you?
- Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (5:44).
What practical challenges does this command present in today’s polarized world, and how might obedience to it shape our witness as “sons of the Father” (v. 45)? - In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus warns against practicing righteousness to gain human praise.
How can we discern whether our acts of generosity or service are truly motivated by love for God rather than a desire for recognition?