Monday 27 May 2013

Weekly Challenge

Try to read the whole Sermon on the Mount in one sitting today. Make notes about what Jesus is teaching His followers to do then write down one small thing that you can change or do today to begin to put some of these teachings into practice.

 

Read:

Matthew 7:24-29,

James 1:19-27

Everyone who is consistently involved in public speaking knows that the conclusion is one of the most (if not the most) important parts of any speech. The conclusion is the part of the speech which is most likely to stay in the mind of the audience, the most likely to be remembered and the most likely to be acted upon. In this, the last section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proves just how masterful He is as a speaker and teacher by concluding with a gripping and chilling parable.

 

The point of Jesus' conclusion is exceedingly clear: those who build their lives on Him and live by His teaching are like those who build their houses on the rock, they will be able to withstand much. On the other hand, those who do not live by Jesus teaching are like those who build their lives on the sand. Because their foundation is weak and untrustworthy they cannot stand when tough and difficult times come their way.

 

This applies directly to our lives as followers of Jesus. If we truly follow Jesus then we must obey His teaching and live as He commanded us. We cannot merely listen to what Jesus says and claim that that is enough. We cannot say that we believe unless we can prove it by the way that we live. James echoes this same thought in James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says."

 

This should not undermine the wonder of what Christ has done on our behalf. We do not earn our salvation or make ourselves right with God by what we do. This should cause us to pause and reflect on what Jesus has taught in the whole of the Sermon on the Mount. If Jesus chooses to finish with this powerful parable we must seriously consider everything He has taught and seek to put it into practice. Which words is Jesus referring to in verse 24? How should we live to base our lives on the rock? This week as we take a broad look again at the whole of the Sermon on the Mount, consider how you might be able to put these words of Jesus into practice. Are you living on the rock now? Does your life reflect your faith in Jesus?

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray for the Presbyterian church at Warwick. Pray that God would raise a spirit of unity amongst the congregation and the leadership. Pray that God would raise up preachers and worship leaders from the congregation and that the church would grow as the gospel is preached and many come to faith in Christ.

¥ Pray for the ministry of Student Life on university campuses around Australia. Pray that God would use the students and leaders to preach the gospel faithfully and boldly so that many might believe. Pray that God would give wisdom to the leadership team that they might be able to make good decisions for the sake of His kingdom.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Read the whole of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) together as a group. Take turns reading if you need to.

2. What do you think is the main point Jesus is making in the sermon on the mount?

3. What would you say if you had to summarise the message of the Sermon on the Mount for a non-Christian?