Description
In twelve inductive Bible studies, you'll dig deep into the startling and challenging message of the greatest sermon ever preached—the Sermon on the Mount.
Introduction
Getting the Most Out of Sermon on the Mount
This section introduces the topic, explains the structure followed in each study and offers tips for those approaching the study on their own as well as those participating in a group.
Session One
Unexpected Blessings
Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. What can you do to cultivate a healthy, hearty spiritual appetite?
Matthew 5:1-12
Session Two
God's Way to Make a Difference
What possible influence could the people described in the Beatitudes exert in this hard, tough world? What is one way you can begin having a stronger influence as salt and as light?
Matthew 5:13-16
Session Three
The Importance of Obeying God's Law
Some people claim that Jesus abolished the law for the Christian and that we are only responsible for obeying the "law of love." Yet Jesus defines Christian character in terms of righteousness. How should you study and apply the Old Testament Law today?
Matthew 5:17-20
Session Four
What's Wrong with Private Sins
Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seeks to deepen, not destroy, the Law's demands. In what situations might you need to "gouge out an eye" or "cut off a hand"?
Matthew 5:21-30
Session Five
Faithfulness in Marriage & Speech
How does Jesus' teaching about the seriousness of divorce contrast with the views you and your peers have held concerning marriage and divorce?
Matthew 5:31-37; 19:3-9
Session Six
How to Really Love Your Enemies
Jesus calls us to show our attitude of total love to an "evil person" and our "enemies." Nowhere is the challenge of the Sermon greater. In what situations might Christ's commands apply today?
Matthew 5:38-48
Session Seven
How Not to Be Religious
Which of your words and actions might a person find hypocritical? Jesus saw the worldliness of the nominal church and commanded the Christian community to be truly distinct from it in life and practice.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Session Eight
A Pattern for Dynamic Prayer
What are you pleased or encouraged about regarding your prayer life? What area do you struggle with? According to Matthew Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer as a pattern for us to copy.
Matthew 6:7-15
Session Nine
What God Thinks of My Ambitions
Will Christian faith make a difference as you set your ambitions? In this passage Jesus helps us to choose well.
Matthew 6:19-34
Session Ten
Relationships That Encourage
Matthew 7 shows that the Christian counterculture is not an individualistic but a community affair, and relations within the community are of paramount importance. Would people say that you have been an encouraging presence in the Christian community? Why or why not?
Matthew 7:1-12
Session Eleven
Detecting the Lies of Our World
Why do you think many people dislike the notion that there is only one true gate?
Matthew 7:13-20
Session Twelve
Making the Choice of a Lifetime
The final paragraphs of the Sermon teach that the issue of life and death on the day of judgment will be determined by our moral response to Christ and his teaching in life. On what basis do you expect to enter the kingdom of heaven?
Matthew 7:21-29
Total number of pages—79
John Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Saints Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. His many books include Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ. He is a coeditor of The Bible Speaks Today series, and wrote several individual volumes in the series. InterVarsity Press's John Stott Bible Study Guides are based on that series.