Lesson Six: Discussion Guide for Group or Individual Use (click more)
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have provided for us to come together to hear from you and have fellowship in your Word and to learn and apply your Word to our hearts. We need you, Lord. We need your grace all the time. We praise you for your goodness and your love and mercy. Please open our hearts to you and to one another and lead our discussion. Help us not to fear, but to put all of our hope in Christ. Help us to remember there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. May you be glorified in all our thoughts and words and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I. LECTURE
Will someone share how the Lord used the lecture to speak to your heart? Did anyone have any questions or concerns about the lecture? If you ever have a question or something is unclear, please let us know. We want to serve you in any way we can!
II. PLEASE READ THE MAIN POINT FROM THIS WEEK’S HOMEWORK
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, as both God and man, sets forth the foundational truths and principles of kingdom living. It was intended to turn our world upside down. The standard is so lofty it appears unattainable, and many have written it off as just an ideal. Yet Jesus offers Himself as the door into this new kingdom and the way to live this truth and this life. Yet our flesh resists. All of us will fall short of this mark. It is a standard He knows none of us are able to keep. So, He kept it for us perfectly and then went to the cross to die for our violations of His standard. When we trust in Jesus and are saved, He also gives us His power to be able to live out the standard. When one life is radically changed because of Jesus Christ and His Word – there is revival! May we live out His words in His power and may there be revival in our hearts and homes!
III. QUESTIONS FROM THE HOMEWORK
Go through the homework, occasionally calling on women. Read scriptures aloud. After asking a question, remember to allow a brief period of quiet “wait-time” to give women a chance to think before answering. After pausing, if no one shares, go ahead with your answer, rephrase question, and/or move on.
DAY ONE Devotion: On the Mount
1. Would someone please share what spoke to your heart from Day One?
DAY TWO
2. Quiet Moment - Please read Luke 6:17-20. Who was there? Who would truly hear His words? How did they respond?
3. Going Deeper Question #1 – Would someone please share the portion of scripture the Lord used to speak to your heart from Matthew 5:1-20?
4. Question #1 - Would someone share the definition they wrote for one of the Beatitudes?
DAY THREE
5. Quiet Moment - Have you had anyone cast insults at you or spurn your name as evil for the sake of the name of Christ? What was it like? What do you feel now? If you haven’t been persecuted for the name of Christ, what comes to your mind when you think about it happening to you?
6. Going Deeper Question #1 - Will someone vulnerably share where you struggle with one of the topics from the Sermon on the Mount?
7. Question #3 – What area(s) in your life do you think needs to be addressed?
DAY FOUR
8. Quiet Moment - Would someone please share the short prayer they wrote?
9. Going Deeper Question #1 – Again, will somebody vulnerably share where you struggle with one of the topics from the Sermon on the Mount?
DAY FIVE
10. Quiet Moment - How do we respond to those who are our enemies? What do you feel like doing or tend to do? What does Jesus say we are to do?
11. Going Deeper Question #1 - Which command or standard was the most surprising or shocking to you? What was surprising?
12. Question #2 - As you read the last few verses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, what does He emphasize?
13. Question #2 - Where are you doing the most new construction? Your home on the earth (or sand) or your home on the rock? What additions or updates have you added recently?
IV. PLEASE RECITE YOUR SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSES TOGETHER
V. TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART TIME
We will now focus on taking God’s truth to our hearts and bringing it to life. James 5:16a states; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” And 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Please turn to your Taking the Truth to Heart and Bringing It to Life page. We will each have 3 minutes so that every woman will have a chance to share. Please record one another’s confessions on the Taking the Truth to Heart Guide on the following page so you can pray for one another throughout the week. Leaders, please set the example by going first.
VI. PLEASE CLOSE IN PRAYER
