Class Lesson September 2, 2012

Hey Gang,


This week we begin a new series on "What it Means to Follow Jesus." This series of lesson will be taken from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. As believers, we need a clear understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Some who profess to follow Jesus live lives that look no different from unbelievers. That doesn't sound right. For others, following Jesus is a way to find spiritual comfort and satisfaction, but overlook the call to be spiritually transformed and radically obedient. That doesn't sound right either. Following Jesus or being a disciple is more than being religious; it is being in a right relationship with Him. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus presented a clear description of discipleship, what it means to follow Him. This week we start with the basics!

The Basics of Life 

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Professional athletes, musicians, accountants, and even medical doctors always go back to basics when they seek to improve or deal with a difficult situation. Our Christian walk is no different. To keep Christianity from becoming something Jesus never intended, we must go back to His words about the kind of people we should be.



Many people, even in the church, do not grasp what it means to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. They assume it’s just a matter of thinking the right thoughts about Jesus, doing the right things, and avoiding the wrong things. But foundational to being a Christian is a personal relationship with Jesus that changes us from the inside out – then reflecting that reality in the way we live.


In our lesson this week, Jesus is the talk of the town! Read Matthew 4:23-25

It was very tempting for the disciples to be proud or to feel important that they were so close to this man who everyone was coming to see, hear and be healed. So, Jesus sits down on a mountain-side to teach them what it really means to follow Him and it's not what they think. Position, authority and money are not important in God's kingdom - what matters most is faithful obedience from the heart. 





I. CHOOSE RIGHT ATTITUDES – MATTHEW 5:1-6

The Sermon on the Mount

5 When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He began to teach them, saying:

The Beatitudes

3 “The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. 5 The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled.

Jesus begins with words that seem to contradict each other and God's ways of living usually do contradict the world.


 

What does it look like to be poor in spirit? How is this a positive attribute?

• Humility that comes from honest self-evaluation. Opposite of self-reliance or pride.
• Total dependence on God.
• The greater our physical needs, the greater we as humans tend to look to God. Being rich in material goods has an extremely negative chokehold, preventing us from seeking spiritual things! We do not see or admit to our need, depending on ourselves rather than upon God! Being poor in Spirit is to be humble and surrendered, where we do not look to ourselves, but to God. It is the realization that we are sinners, having no righteousness of our own. We are saved by the grace and mercy of God alone.

What does Jesus want us to mourn about? What does this mean?

• Jesus did not specify what mourning He had in mind. In the context of the other Beatitudes, mourning over our sins of commission and omission might be appropriate. To realize how we have messed up life.
• We confess to God our sorrow for our sins and shortcomings on a daily basis.
• David gives us a prime example of this after his adultery with Bathsheba (Psalm 51:3-4).

What does Jesus mean by being gentle? Is this where I’m supposed to be meek or weak?

• It conveys the notion of being sensitive, considerate, and courteous, meek, and humble.
• Gentleness puts the focus on others rather than self.
• This inner attitude stems from a spiritually educated awareness of what’s real, what’s right, and what’s important.
• Unbelievers see this as losers not winners.
• We daily and even hourly practice death to self-centeredness and self-will. We cease seeking our own honor and glory. We cease fighting for our way in all things. We accept God’s will without fighting. We pray moment by moment, “Not my will but Your will be done.”
• I accept the following circumstance in my life and I am thankful for them as the will of my all-loving, all-powerful Father.

What does it mean to “hunger and thirst for righteousness”?

• This righteousness is the righteousness of Christ through which God views us believers (justification).
• It generates the inner desire to make right choices, say right words, and do right actions, which is part of God’s work to make us more like Christ.

Why does Jesus want us to “Choose Right Attitudes” before we can “Show Godly Character”? Why might Jesus have named inner attitudes before outward relationships? (5:7-12)

• It’s not choose a blessed attitude and out pops a blessing. Instead, it’s “a long obedience in the same direction”. In this process, blessings grow like interest in regularly deposited savings.
• These are all choices, not feelings. They summarize what happens in life. When we mourn over wrong we find steps to goodness. When we choose gentleness during squabbles, we find solutions. As we live life with Jesus, all of His character traits (humility, gentleness, a desire for righteousness, etc.) increasingly begin to show up in us.

What would it take for you to become a more humble and surrendered Christian to God, so that you do not look to yourself, but to God in all things and in all ways?

• Jesus Calling September 2nd

II. SHOW GODLY CHARACTER – MATTHEW 5:7-12

7 The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. 8 The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. 9 The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

While the first four Beattitudes focused on inward attitudes, the last four concern outward relationships.

 

Being merciful involves forgiving, but it also includes a loving response to the miserable and helpless. How do you feel when you are challenged to show mercy but you don’t want to? What do you do?

• Mercy acts to meet the person’s needs. What might be some examples at work, to your children, to your spouse or to others?
• How does the mercy we’ve received from God in the past and we will need in the future impact this struggle to show mercy to people day-by-day. As God’s children we have received mercy, and this equips us to extend mercy to others.
• Have you ever encountered someone in a distressing situation and had a burning desire to help? When we act of that compassion, we are both blessed and we become a blessing to someone else. Merciful actions may involve kind and helpful words, practical deeds, money, shared tears or a combination of all those.
• Mercy is a choice and not a feeling. We choose to see another’s situation and to invite God to show us how we might help.

Jesus said to be pure in heart. What are obvious sins that make our hearts impure? What are less than obvious sins that do equal damage to the purity of our hearts?

• Obvious examples: sexual misbehavior, open greed, anger, grudges.
• Less obvious: manipulation, cruel motives, lack of discipline, calling attention to self with holy words.
• How can we keep a heart pure from these obvious and less obvious sins?

What attributes make you resemble your parents? How are your children like you?

• Those you imitate.

How does choosing to make peace show you’re like God? What are other family-of-God resemblances?

• Like father, like son.
• God leads redeemed sinners to help others be reconciled to God as well as to one another.

What’s the difference between being “persecuted for righteousness” and punished for wrongdoing?

• Disciples of Jesus are expected to display an external behavior that flows from the internal change they have experienced through devotion to Him.
• Living for Jesus is not always popular and can lead to rejection and even persecution by others.
• The Lord will honor faithful living with His blessing, sometimes on earth, but certainly in heaven.

III. USE YOUR INFLUENCE – MATTHEW 5:13-16

Believers Are Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Jesus stressed believers’ influence in the world by declaring, “You are the salt of the earth”.



How do you see your influence as salt to the world?

• Salt to give flavor has to be added to something. We cannot impact worldly people by avoiding them. We need to be the most upright, friendly, available, thoughtful, considerate, and helpful people on the block, on the job, or on the team.
• Our saltiness can make others thirsty for Christ.
• If a seasoning has no flavor, it has no value.
• If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God.
• Christians should not blend in with everyone else.

How would our culture be impacted if the church no longer lived as salt and light? How can we use our influence in the world?

• Followers of Jesus are expected to make a positive influence on the world that leads others to see that following Jesus brings life and light.
• Followers of Jesus ought to be identified by the good works they do.
• Followers of Jesus do not draw attention to themselves by what they do but lead others to give glory to God the Father.

God's more concerned with who you are than what you do.

Conclusion

Many people have a distorted view of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Some of that confusion comes because of the incongruent lifestyle of some who claim to be Christian disciples. A mismatch exists between their attitudes and outward actions, especially in relationship to other people. Though they claim to be disciples of Jesus, they are failing to make a positive impact on their world. That certainly isn’t what Jesus had in mind.

Prayer of Commitment

Father, I ask You to do Your holy work within me that I may do the kind of things that point others to You and bring You glory. Amen

I hope that everyone has had a blessed week and that you are ready for Labor Day! This Sunday we begin a new series of lessons on what it means to follow Jesus. I think this is a pretty important series as we learn from the Master Himself - be in prayer this week that we all will sit at His feet and listen and learn! 

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan