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Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 6
Matthew 5:27-32 In these verses, Jesus further develops the theme that our internal lives are as important as our external lives. The topic in these verses is our sexuality. Jesus uses a literary tool known as hyperbole to make his point. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally. For example, no one who says they are “hungry enough to eat a horse” expects to actually eat a horse. Hyperbole is used to drive a point home with a punch.
In these verses, Jesus wants to drive home to points. First, God’s view of our sexuality is not limited to what we do physically. While Jesus is not saying that impure thoughts are equal to adultery, He is saying that God’s concept of purity even includes our thoughts and desires. Honoring God with our sexuality just got a lot more difficult!
Second, Jesus wants us to know that this is a big deal. His words about gouging out eyes and chopping off hands are not literal prescriptions, but we should not dismiss the intent of the message. Handling our sexuality in a healthy, God honoring way is very important and sometimes strong, decisive decisions and actions are needed. You don’t need to poke your eyes out, but maybe you need to cancel the cable or stop associating with that friend…
Tough question about divorce
Hey, Journey Group Leaders...since many of you are going through the Sermon on the Mount material with Matthew's Book, you may bump into (or already did) some sticky questions about divorce and remarriage (Matthew 5:31-32). With so many marriages ending in divorce in our society, it's an issue we need to address with all grace and truth. Here are some official thoughts from CCC: The Historical Situation
At the time of Christ, the two prominent Jewish rabbinical leaders disagreed about the grounds for divorce that Moses gave in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. One leader attached sexual impropriety to uncleanness while the other more prominent leader took it much further where minor offenses such as the overcooking of dinner became legitimate grounds for divorce. In the case of Matthew 19:3-9, the intent of the question was to stir up trouble by getting Jesus to answer against one of the two schools of thought. Jesus answers them by reiterating the original intent of marriage as a life- long covenant and corrects the Pharisees statement that Moses commanded divorce with permitted divorce because of their hard hearts.
The Exception
Jesus is clear that divorce is wrong except for sexual immorality. The word immorality used here is a general term for sexual uncleanness. Jesus is telling us that anyone who divorces and remarries commits adultery unless immorality has occurred. Jesus, as He does throughout the Sermon on the Mount, goes behind the letter of the Law to the spirit of it. He says that divorce for any reason other than immorality leads to adultery. Let’s remember the Jews in the audience of Matthew 19 would have assumed that a legally divorced person had the right to remarry and never heard of a divorce that didn’t carry with it the right to remarry. The idea that God permitted divorce for sexual immorality but forbade remarriage occurred in the post-apostolic era when the view of sexuality became a necessary evil and celibacy was elevated as the most God honoring lifestyle. Not only was marriage discouraged by remarriage after a divorce but remarriage after the death of a spouse was forbid. Based on Jesus’ teaching, divorce is permitted on the grounds of sexual immorality and assumed the right of remarriage.
The Restriction
If a person divorces on grounds other than sexual immorality and remarries commits adultery. When two people whose divorces weren’t valid in God’s sight come together in marriage, they break their former marriage covenant and commit adultery. But this is not a continuing state; from that point on they are husband and wife. God recognizes two people as married when they have met the civil requirements, even if their divorces were not valid in God’s eyes. So when two people marry after divorcing on grounds other than sexual immorality, they sin against the covenant of the previous marriage at the first sexual union. But this occurs only once as the new marriage covenant now comes into effect. This view should never take away from the effect of Christ’s restriction as deliberate disobedience is a serious matter. Followers who truly love the Lord will not lightly ignore or disobey Him.
The Other Allowance
In 1 Corinthians 7:8-15, the Apostle Paul instructs single people to remain single and married people to remain married and a believer choosing to marry another believer is permissible. However, permission is given for divorce and remarriage on the grounds of the abandonment of a believer by an unbelieving spouse from verse 15. “But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” Whereas Jesus’ statements in Matthew were addressed to a Jewish audience under the Mosaic Law, Paul’s statements were to believers of Jewish and Gentile descent on the other side of the resurrected Christ. As the instance of Gentile believers married to unbelieving spouses occurred, some marriages were able to remain intact while other nonbelieving spouses may have wanted their believing mate to renounce Christ or end the marriage.
Based upon Matthew 19 and 1 Corinthians 7:15 we discover two grounds for divorce: sexual immorality and the abandonment of a believer by an unbelieving spouse. These two grounds for divorce are also grounds for remarriage.
Ministering To the Offender
We glorify God by showing love for the offenders. This is best demonstrated by treating them kindly, doing our best to lead them to repentance and forgiving them when they do. A mistake often made is to view divorce as the sin of all sins. People who have divorced on inadequate grounds and remarry have sinned, but their sin is just as forgivable as any other sin. People who disobey God in their divorce and remarriage must be shown love, even though we don’t approve of what they did. The aim should be their repentance and restoration to fellowship.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 5
Matthew 5:21-26 One of my daughters saw the title of this session on the TV screen and said, "I bet you never want me to watch the video that has the word 'stupid' in the title!" :)
In reality, we very much need to hear what Jesus has to say in these verses. Here, Jesus takes the teachings of the Old Testament and reveals how He is taking them to a whole new level. Much of the Old Testament laws were directed at the external life. Commands to not murder, not steal, etc. all dealt with external actions. Jesus takes those commands to a new level by applying them to the internal life. Most of us can say we have never murdered someone...but can we honestly say we have never reacted to someone out of anger or said hurtful things to someone? This is such a big deal that Jesus says it even interferes with our worship of and connection with God.
We live in a world that is quick to tear people down and hurt them deeply. Jesus calls us to live a life of love so strong (through His Spirit) that even we are angry, we don't cause hurt and pain to others.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 4
Matthew 5:17-20 This session touches on an important aspect of the Bible – the commands God has given. We need to avoid the extremes of making the commands the most important aspect of our faith (legalism) as well as dismissing them because of God’s grace through Jesus (Jesus, Himself, makes that clear in this passage).
One common mistake people make when trying to obey God’s commands, is starting with their behavior. They think, “If I just try hard enough, I can do what God says to do.” The truth is that we cannot obey God’s commands outside of God’s power in our lives and His transforming work in our heart and mind. When we encounter a command that we are not obeying, our first response should be to ask God to first change our heart and mind. Once our heart and mind have begun to change, our behavior will more naturally follow.
I love verse 20 because it highlights the great gift of God’s grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf. The admittance criterion into God’s Kingdom has always been perfectly obeying God’s Law. Without Jesus, that burden falls on us (and I, for one, fall very short of that target!). If people are trying to be good enough to get into heaven, it’s a sure bet they’ve already blown it more than once! Jesus lived that perfect life (this is what Jesus meant in verse 17, when He said that He had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets) so that He could die for us to pay the penalty our sins incurred.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 3
You Are Salt and Light Matthew 5:13-16
What does it mean to be salt and light? Generally speaking, salt is a reference to our efforts to fight against the sin and moral decay in our world (salt preserves) and light is a reference to the gospel message we share with people who do not know Jesus (Jesus is the light of the world).
There are a couple of things to focus on in this session. First are the "you are" statements. Jesus doesn't say we can be or will be, but we are the salt and light in our world. This speaks to not only His expectations of our lives, but also His belief in us to act as the salt and light of His Kingdom in this world. Jesus believes we can actually do it! Second, is the need to be both different, but also closely connected with the world around us. If we are too similar to the world around us, then we lose our saltiness and our light dims. If we are disconnected from the world around us, then our salt and light never impact those that need it.
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 2
Session 2 – You Are Blessed Matthew 5:1-12
I would say there are two things to focus on in this session. First (and this may be an internal focus for you as the leader) is the focus on these verses as blessings, not commands. Jesus is not telling us how to live in these verses. Rather, Jesus wants us to rethink our understanding of the “good life,” which brings us to the second focus. Many of us would say we are “blessed” when good things are happening to us. Jesus flips that around by saying that these hurting and dejected people are blessed. The key is this: we are blessed when we have Jesus regardless of what is happening in our lives. Is that how you and I truly view life?
Matthew's Book Leader Notes - Session 1
Session 1 – Start at the End. Wise and Foolish People Matthew 7:24-29
This session is pretty straight forward, but if we miss this point, it will impact how we read and apply the entire Sermon on the Mount. The speaker begins at the end of the sermon in order to highlight Jesus’ expectation that we actually apply these teachings in life. While we will certainly learn many great things in this study, we must never lose sight of Jesus’ expectation that we also live them out in our day to day lives.
Rebuild Discussion Guides
Week 8 - Lasting Change - This is the final discussion guide in the Rebuild series.