The Sermon on the Mount: The Right Reward of Righteousness
Community Guide
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our current series: The Gospel of Matthew, "Apprenticing with Jesus." As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together.
Communion
Begin your time by taking the Lord’s Supper together. To facilitate your time, you can ask a group member to come ready with a short prayer or scripture reading or read the passage we’ve provided below. After reading (aloud), spend a moment in silence before taking the elements:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” – Matthew 26:26-30
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Sermon Overview
The rhythm of Jesus’ sermon, beginning in chapter 5, was a charge for his disciples to (1) embrace their calling, (2) create a contrast community, and (3) impact the world. His heart was that his people would “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). He wanted his followers to show off the transformational work that God would be doing within them through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, lurking under this transformation was the tendency within every human to bring glory to themselves. We have a predisposed desire to drop the reason for which God created us–to bear his image and make much of him–and seek the praise of people. Therefore, Jesus was warning his disciples to guard against the shallow praise of man and seek the praise (and reward) of God.
Questions
Give the group time to remember a time (or times) in which they did “right” (righteous) things–like giving to the needy, praying, fasting, or anything “right”–to draw attention to themselves. You might need to give an example of it in your life. Lead a discussion on the shallowness and brevity of the praise they received (the reward). Make sure to affirm the difficulty of keeping the praise of God at the forefront.
The key to making “right” things righteous revolves around the heart or the intention for why we are doing them. God sees these “secret” realities of our lives, the heart. In what ways does this truth make us uncomfortable (in a good way)? In what ways is it encouraging? Why must we keep the heart a priority and our acts of righteousness secondary?
Jesus never clarifies what exactly the rewards are or will be. We learn that they are permanent in comparison to the rewards of twisted, selfish acts of righteousness. So, as a group, work together to list some of the immediate and future rewards of pleasing God and not people.
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS
If you do at least one of these practices every day, you will not only become more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too! In your time together as a community, ask the questions, “Who did you BLESS this week? This time of sharing will keep the Great Commission at the forefront of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It will also provide the opportunity to celebrate and encourage one another on the journey.
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges, and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.