Lesson 7, Anger and your Brother

Sunday School Lesson for the Adult Class

Witnessing as Jesus and the Bible instructs us to witness

VII. Anger and your Brother.                                       Matthew 5:21 – 26

          A. Jesus reminds of the law, then expounds it.   Matthew 5:21, 22

If a person obeys the commandments but wishes evil, or longs to give into lust, is that person truly just?

Are you justified to obey the letter of the law, but not the intents of it?

Jesus was removing all false interpretations of the law. The law was external, but the Spirit of God was internal.

          B. Gift to God while living in sin.                        Matthew 5:23, 24

What good are our outward or external motions of Christianity if our heart is far from God?

          C. Don’t let a standing disagreement hurt your light of the Gospel. Matthew 5:25, Luke 12:58

          D. Uttermost farthing.                                         Matthew 4:26, Luke 12:59

If we as Christians cannot rectify our wrongs and sins after being forgiven of such great sins ourselves by Jesus Christ, what example is it for us to let sins and hardships exist between us and our acquaintances?

Lesson 6, Jesus Fulfills the Law and Prophets.

Sunday School Lesson for the Adult Class

Witnessing as Jesus and the Bible instructs us to witness

VI. Jesus fulfilling the Law and Prophets                    Matthew 5:17, Romans 8:3 – 6, Romans 10:4

People might say that the original commandments, or the Old Testament no longer matter, but this is not true, Jesus life didn’t destroy the Old Testament but fulfilled it.

          A. Jot and tittle                                                    Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17

We serve a savior that leaves nothing undone. Most prophecies have been fulfilled, but there a some yet to come.

          B. Commandments and Heaven                          Matthew 5:19, James 2:10

Do the Old Testament commandments matter? Are there degrees in Heaven?

          C. Righteousness of God matters, not man        Matthew 5:20, Romans 10:3

Christ was speaking in a way the Pharisees didn't speak about the Jewish faith. Christ was speaking in such a way, except for John the Baptist, no one had spoken in hundreds of years. The Old Testament prophets for the most part were despised by the ruling class of Israel. Many leading Christians today may look down upon the rightful interpretation of the Bible.

Who matters when it comes to our discipleship and how we tell Gods word?

Lesson 5, Seasoning and Light of the World

Sunday School Lesson for the Adult Class

Witnessing as Jesus and the Bible instructs us to witness

V. Christians are the seasoning and light of the world                   Matthew 5:13 – 16

          A. Salt of the earth                                                        Matthew 5:13, Luke 14:34, 35, Mark 9:50,

If you are not full of God’s power and spirit are you any good for spreading the Gospel? Luke 14:33

          B. Light of the World                                                    Matthew 5:14, Luke 8:16, 11:33 – 36

Notice that we ARE the light and salt and not merely ‘have’ the light or salt. Once we accept him as our savior, we have a purpose that exists whether we choose to serve him or not. We can hide our light or salt, but we cannot remove it; we are made those things by Jesus Christ when we accept him.  –From ‘Cost of Discipleship’ Dietrich Bonhoeffer pg. 116

          C. City set on a hill -               When you are traveling at this time in history, you long for the cities. The highways and byways are where the robbers and bandits are. Traveling at night has its own hazards when there are no lights or electricity.

Do people look forward to our presence? Do people see us a haven in a sinful and dangerous world?

          D. Hidden candle -                  We can hide our lights, but it goes against common sense, the point of the candle, nature, and our God-given purpose.

          E. Light to the whole house - We are always to be a light everywhere we go, all the time.

          F. You let your light shine for God’s glory -       God gets the honor and glory if we are a light for him.

          Is there any self or ego in being a light for Christ?

Lesson 4 in Matthew, the Beatitudes

IV. The Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount                Matthew 5:1 - 12

            A. After attracting a following he begins to preach     Matthew 5:1, 2, Luke 6:20

Is a Christian’s work done in the church or outside the church building? Church is for worship and teaching, but Christ preached and taught in the church and evangelized outside the church.

Did Jesus convert more in the synagogues or outside them?

          B. The Beatitudes                                                Matthew 5:2 – 12, Luke 6:20 – 23

                   1. Blessed are the poor in spirit

                   2. Blessed are they that mourn

                   3. Blessed are the meek

                   4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness

                   5. Blessed are the merciful

                   6. Blessed are the pure in heart

                   7. Blessed are the peacemakers

                   8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

                   9. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you

                             a. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of discipleship chapter 6 expounds this well.

          C. The opposite of the Beatitudes – Proverbs 6:16 – 19

                   1. proud look

                   2. lying tongue

                   3. hands that shed innocent blood

                   4. heart that deviseth wicked imaginations

                   5. feet swift running to mischief

                   6. false witness

                   7. he that soweth discord

Can we be successful in winning souls to Jesus without these characteristics described in the beatitudes?

Does Christianity require that we are willing to suffer for the cause of Christ? (Verse 12)

Does the ‘American’ or ‘modern’ way of life conflict with the beatitudes?

I believe (the Great Commission in Matthew Chapter 10) that Christians are better to suited to witness when they have been taught to witness; not to go uninformed of God’s word.