Matthew 5:38-48 | Forgive Like Your Life Depends On It | Sermon on the Mount

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Life Group Guide QUESTIONS

SERMON OUTLINE

The Heart of Forgiveness

•       Forgiveness ___________ is intricately linked to forgiveness ___________.

•       One of the biggest stages we have to illuminate the gospel is in how we treat our ___________.

Jesus’ Revolution Revisited

•       Jesus has come to liberate His people from ___________, (that’s the vertical reality) and to lead us home to God. He has come to reclaim our ___________, and to teach us how to be citizens in His kingdom (that’s the horizontal implication).

Christian Forgiveness – A Definition

•       “Entrusting those who have wronged you to God’s ___________, and then praying God would treat ___________ as He has treated ___________.”

The Gospel Glimpse:

•       Jesus won His enemies by ___________ His rights.  We are called to do the ___________.

Forgiveness and the gospel

1.                   ___________ yourself and ___________ to God

2.                   Focus on ___________ of God’s ___________

3.                   Forgive like your life ___________!

LIFE GROUP QUESTIONS

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

1.        Do you have a favourite plant/tree/shrub? Why?

2.        When you’re away from home for long periods, what helps you feel a sense of home or connection to it?

QUICK REVIEW

1.        Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?

2.        When you think about someone who has hurt you deeply, which is harder for you: (1) Entrusting them to God’s justice? (2) Praying for their good? Or (3) Letting go of your “right” to be vindicated?

READ SCRIPTURE

Matthew 5:38-48

1.        How does this passage highlight God’s presence in our world?

2.        What does this passage say about our broken human condition?

3.        How does this passage call me to make change in my life?

DIGGING DEEPER

1.        READ Matthew 5:39-41. Letting yourself be struck, giving up your coat, or walking the extra mile aren’t about avoiding a fight. They are deliberate choices to give up your right to get even. Why might this kind of response matter in the way God’s kingdom works?

• READ Philippians 2:1-4. Paul commends disciples of Jesus to live a life of selflessness.  How do Paul’s words help you further understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:39-41? What is Paul not saying we should do?

 2.        READ Matthew 5:42, Psalm 24:1, Colossians 1:15-16. In a self-entitled culture that prizes self-preservation, Jesus calls us to give and to lend freely. How does embracing the truth that “everything belongs to God” reshape the way we view and use our possessions? How does that view leave you challenged?

• READ Luke 12:13-21. Jesus tells this parable to confront assumptions about wealth and security. What truth about possessions is He revealing? What warning, or invitation, do you hear in it?

 3.        READ Matthew 5:46-47, Loving those who love us comes naturally; loving those who do not notice us, or may not even like us, is far harder. Where have you seen this reality play out in your life?

•   Have you ever felt that you were on the “not being loved” side of a relationship? What was that like?

•  READ Luke 10:25-37. In light of the example of the Good Samaritan, are we truly loving our neighbors? What evidence do we have, that would confirm we are?

TAKING IT HOME

READ Matthew 5:48, 1 John 4:19-21. Jesus wants to transform our hearts to reflect the perfect love of our Father. Spiritual growth begins not with flawless behavior, but with a heart shaped by His unconditional love. Where is God inviting you to grow this week? What intentional step could you take toward deeper spiritual maturity?

PERSONAL REFLECTION

READ 1 Peter 4:7-11. In our very privileged corner of the world, in the Fraser Valley, we have some many things to be grateful for, but as well, we face many challenges that we might not fully realize.  If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll have to admit that loving and serving others – whom we do not know – doesn’t come naturally.  As we grumble about being stretched, we fail to see that it’s our ultimate goal to bring God all the glory He deserves.  Where have we done that? Where have we not done that?