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We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re continuing in the Sermon on the Mount portion of Matthew, where Jesus teaches us about being a part of His Kingdom.
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The Golden Rule
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Today, we’re continuing on in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is in the midst of teaching what it looks like for people to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Today, we’re looking at what He has to say about Godly living. Scripture teaches us that we should:
1. Go to God with our wants
Matt. 7:7-11, 6:22, 21:22, 1 John 3:22, John 15:7, Mark 11:24
2. Do to others what we want done to us
Matt. 7:12-14, Luke 6:31, Rom. 13:8-10, Mark 12:29-34, Gal. 5:13-14, Lev. 19:18
3. Use Biblical discernment
Matt. 7:15-20, 1 John 4:1, Mark 13:22-23, Col. 2:8, 2 Pet. 3:17
4. Focus on our relationship with God
Matt. 7:21-23, James 1:22, Titus 1:16, John 15:1-11, John 6:40, James 2:17-26
5. Stick to God’s Word
Matt. 7:24-27, John 13:17, Luke 11:28, 1 John 2:3, 2 Tim. 3:16-17
Reflecting on God’s Word
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 7:7-29 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- Among Christians, what do you think is the most commonly made mistake when it comes to the 5 principles that we discussed in the message?
Diving In
Read over Matthew 7:7-11 again and summarize what Jesus is teaching in your own words.
- What prevents you from taking your desires to the Lord? Why is that?
- What does this passage of Scripture teach us about who God is, and why is that important?
Read over Matthew 7:12-14 again and summarize what Jesus is teaching in your own words.
- Verse 12 is sometimes separated from verses 13 and 14. Why do you think it is important that we read them together?
- How would it change the way you interact with others if you always kept verse 12 on your mind?
- How would it change your faith to always keep verses 13 and 14 on your mind?
Read over Matthew 7:15-20 again and summarize what Jesus is teaching in your own words.
- Looking back in your life, have you ever interacted with a false prophet? How so? Describe their fruit.
- How does this passage of God’s Word help you to stay on guard for your own faith? How would that help you to strengthen your relationship with God?
Read over Matthew 7:21-23 again and summarize what Jesus is teaching in your own words.
- Has there ever been a season of your life where you were doing good things, but neglected your relationship with God? What factors played into that?
- What would prevent you from becoming like one of the people that Jesus is describing in these verses?
Read over Matthew 7:21-27 again and summarize what Jesus is teaching in your own words.
- Take some time to think about your life, and what drives you to do what you do. Are those things driven by God, or other influences?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?