In His sweeping depiction of kingdom citizenship, Jesus utters some of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. Most of us have only encountered the Sermon on the Mount in fragments, considering its subdivisions as complete teachings in their own right—a study on blessedness; a reflection on the Lord’s Prayer; a discussion of religious devotion, money, ambition, and relationships.
What if we navigated these three chapters in Matthew as they were originally heard? What if we read them as one cohesive, well-ordered message, intended to challenge us to think differently about what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
This 9-session study will give you the opportunity to do just that. Come and learn from Jesus, just as His disciples did. First released in 2014, this study is now updated with new teaching videos from Jen Wilkin.
Features:
- Verse-by-verse study of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount for group or individual study
- 8 weeks of personal study featuring illuminating questions to help you focus on and understand Scripture
- 9 teaching videos, approximately 35–45 minutes, available via redemption code printed in the Bible study book
- Tips for leading a Bible study group and weekly discussion guides
Benefits:
- Gain a thorough understanding of Jesus's longest recorded message
- Study the Sermon on the Mount as a complete unit rather than in fragments
- Learn how a disciple of Jesus thinks, speaks, and acts
Video Sessions:
- Week One: The Kingdom of Heaven (43:40)—In this video session Jen introduces you to the Sermon on the Mount - some of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture. Most of us have only encountered the Sermon on the Mount in fragments, instead of as one cohesive, well-ordered message, intended to challenge us to think differently about what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
- Week Two: Who is Blessed? (51:08)—Jen dissects the eight short statements that form the opening to Jesus's longest recorded message—the Beatitudes. You will look at them with fresh eyes, asking yourself why, of all the ways Jesus could have begun His inaugural address to His disciples, He begins with a list of blesseds.
- Week Three: A People of Influence (42:22)—This session focuses on Matthew 5:13-20 where Jesus talks about the influence believers are to have on the world around them. He does so with two simple illustrations drawn from everyday life: salt and light. As spiritual salt, we prevent moral decay. And as spiritual light, we promote the growth of righteousness.
- Week Four: “You Have Heard That It Was Said . . . ” Part 1 (38:49)—Jesus turns His attention to the Law itself, beginning with murder and adultery and answering the question, What does the righteousness of a follower of Christ look like? You will be challenged to a deeper obedience to the Law, one in which both your actions and your motives are pure.
- Week Five: “You Have Heard That It Was Said . . . ” Part 2 (42:15)—Having examined the root sins behind murder and adultery, Jesus now turns His attention to three further areas of the Law that had been taught in harmful ways: divorce, oaths, and restitution. Is a divorced woman who remarries an adulteress? Is it a sin to swear an oath in a court of law or to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Should we allow our enemies to take advantage of us to our harm?
- Week Six: Secret Righteousness (50:52)—In previous verses from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has focused on teaching "a deeper obedience to the don'ts" - don't murder, don't commit adultery, and so on. This week He begins teaching a deeper obedience to the "do's." The focus will shift from considering what it truly means to do the wrong thing to what it truly means to do the right thing.
- Week Seven: Where Your Treasure Is (37:24)—Jesus turns His attention earthward, challenging us to think differently about how we relate to the money, possessions, and other earthly treasures that consume our time and energy. Jesus intends to free us from the misconception that worry and anxiety are normal in the life of a disciple, and to gently direct us to a better way: trusting Him to supply perfectly the needs of His children.
- Week Eight: Do Unto Others (36:40)—You will consider the way you view the sin of others, as well as your own sin. While worldly judgment seeks to condemn and reject, godly judgment seeks to heal and restore. You will learn that your Heavenly Father is a "much more" Father who does not deny His children their earnest requests for spiritual daily bread. And you will learn that the Golden Rule asks us to show love to others not merely as they deserve, but beyond what they deserve. It is a call to love preferentially as Christ loves us.
- Week Nine: A Foundation That Endures (41:02)—In this session Jen focuses on the end of the Sermon on the Mount and how Jesus masterfully draws His sermon to its conclusion in Matthew 7:13-29. Jesus poses a series of contrasts that will challenge them to consider whether they resemble a citizen of heaven or a citizen of earth: two kinds of gate, two kinds of teachers, two kinds of servants, and two kinds of foundations.
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