"The Good Life" - Week 23

Week 23 - Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18

Give. Pray. Fast.

Three simple disciplines.

Yet every action has a list of motives behind it.

Have you ever noticed how masterful we are at disguising our true motives? You are so brilliant at this that you can even disguise your motives from yourself. You can pull the wool over your own eyes.

Jesus continues the conversation about deep righteousness. Righteousness is to be done for an audience of one, but most of us play to audiences of hundreds and thousands. What does it look like to practice righteousness in a way that only God can reward us? If you find out, let me know.

As you dwell in Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18 this week, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:

1) In our culture, what are examples of how humans give, pray, and fast so that others can see how "righteous" we are?

2) Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." How do you reconcile these two passages?

3) In this passage, Jesus seems to give people what they want: the praise of people or the reward of God. What drives you to do acts of righteousness?

4) How do we begin to combat our tendency to act for the praise of people? How does Jesus prompt us to change our behavior?

5) How does this passage challenge our behavior on social media, (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?

6) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?

Overflow Break

I'm taking a two-week break from the Sermon on the Mount to preach on Littleton's theme for the upcoming year. I'm preaching on the theme of "Overflow."

I'll be posting back in a couple of weeks, but we'd love to see you at Littleton this Sunday if you're in the area!

"The Good Life" - Week 22

Week 22 - Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemies...
But I say to you, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

I could be wrong, but I don't remember anywhere in the Old Testament where followers of God were called to hate their enemies. Do you?

I wonder how that tradition began.

But regardless of the normalcy of the hate we hold for enemies in our world, Jesus doesn't want us to get comfortable with hate. Instead we are called to love and pray for our enemies.

Perhaps you have a hard time thinking of your enemies. Perhaps you believe Christians shouldn't have enemies.

But Jesus had enemies...and he served them.

This picture has captured my imagination for several years now.

What would it look like to serve our enemies on a global scale?

But likely a more important question is: What would it look like to serve our enemies on a daily, personal scale?

International peace is unlikely without personal peace in our own lives.





As you dwell in Matthew 5:43-48, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:

1) Who are your enemies? Do you have any? Who considers you to be an enemy?

2) How might the Old Testament command to love your neighbor have turned into a saying that allowed hate for enemies?

3) What feelings do you have about the picture above?

4) How does your baptism change your outlook toward your enemies?

5) What are some practical ways we can learn to love our enemies?

6) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?