AT THE FEET OF JESUS #2: REALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (Matthew 5:10-20)

At the Feet of Jesus - Jesus' Teachings in Matthew, Expository, Gospels, New Testament, Series

REALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

MATTHEW 5:10-20 – AT THE FEET OF JESUS – THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS IN MATTHEW #2

THE REALITY OF SUFFERING – Matthew 5:10-12

  • We will be rejected. Why? Vss. 10-11
  • We are to rejoice. Why? Vs. 13

THE REALITY OF SALTINESS – Matthew 5:13

  • Salt is a preservative. Keeps meat from rotting. Our world is rotting in moral decay.
  • How do we Christians act as a preservative? 1 Peter 3:15, Mark 16:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • Salt is a spice. Salt added to food adds flavor.
  • The world needs salt to spice it up, to give it the flavor of hope, the flavor of forgiveness, the flavor of righteousness. We are that salt. How should we go about being “spicey”?
  • Salt will make you thirsty. How can we go about being thirsty for God?
  • What does it mean for a Christian to lose saltiness? How are we different from salt when we lose our saltiness? Revelation 2:1-5

THE REALITY OF SHINING – Matthew 5:14-16

  • God is light. 1 John 1:5, John 8:12
  • As the moon reflects the light of the sun, we as believers should reflect the light of Jesus!
  • 14 – How are we “the light of the world”? In what ways should we not want to be hidden?
  • 15 – How do Christians “hide” their light under a bushel sometimes?
  • 16 – Remember, our good works should cause people to glorify God. That means our good words must accompany the good works. Colossians 3:17

THE REALITY OF SCRIPTURE – Matthew 5:17-18

  • 17-18 – Why might Jesus’ hearers have thought he was destroying God’s word?
  • There were three aspects to the law:
  1. Moral law – Behavior
  2. Ceremonial – Sacrifices for sin
  3. Judicial – Government – Israel was to be a theocracy under God.
  • How did Jesus fulfill the first two aspects of the law? When will He fulfill the third? Isaiah 11

THE REALITY OF SANCTIFICATION (BEING SET APART) – Matthew 5:19-20

  • 19 – Jesus is teaching against hypocrisy. We are to be doers of the word. James 2:22-25
  • 20 – Why might Jesus’ hearers be shocked over his comments about the Scribes and Pharisees?
  • Because Jesus has fulfilled the ceremonial law and will fulfill the judicial law, we are required to trust Him.
  • Because Jesus has fulfilled the moral law, we are to allow him to live His righteous life through us as believers. We must be Spirit-controlled. Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:16-26