Read Matthew 7:13-14 and do the following exercises:
- What do you think the “narrow gate” and “narrow road” refers to? What other passages in the Sermon on the Mount (Chapter 5-7) also refer to this theme?
- Compare and contrast the previous passage (v7-12) with this one (v13-14). How are they similar? How are they different?
- What one word would you choose to summarize v7-12? What one word would you choose to summarize v13-14?
- How do these passages challenge your understanding of faith?
Read Matthew 7:7-12 and do the following exercises:
- “If, then, you who are evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will God in heaven give you good gifts?” For some this this is the hardest lesson of all: believing that God will give us what is truly good in life. Take some time to be honest with yourself – what is keeping you from believing that God is truly good and trustworthy?
- Are your deepest beliefs determined by your experiences of life, or by scripture, or something else?
- How does our truest, deepest concept of God determine the way in which we treat others?
- If someone were given the task of determining your beliefs about God based solely on how you treat the poorest among us, the richest among us, and your enemies – what conclusion would they come to?
- What is your prayer after reading this lesson?
Read Matthew 7:1-6 and do the following exercises:
- Perhaps more than anything else, Christians are known in our culture for being judgmental and hypocritical – two of the very things Jesus condemns in this passages. Why do you think that is?
- All of Chapter 6 could be summed up with the words “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (6:33). How does Jesus’ teaching about seeking God above all else provide a logical foundation for being the kind of people that don’t judge?
- Read Romans Chapter 14 and 1 Corinthians Chapter 5. What are the similarities with Jesus’ words? What are the tensions? How can we reconcile the tensions between Jesus and Paul’s words in Matt 6/Rom 14 on the one hand and Paul’s words in 1 Cor 5 on the other? How do we know when it is and isn’t appropriate to judge?
- Take some time to write out the ways you tend to judge others inappropriately. How can “seeking God’s kingdom first” help you let go of these issues?
Today is our day to practice worship together. If you’re not part of Ikon Community, get together with a group of friends and practice the following exercises:
- Eat together
- Receive communion together (choose a reading from John 6:43-58, or 2 Cor 11:23-26, a liturgical book like the Book of Common Prayer)
- Read all, or some portion of the beatitudes from Matthew 5:1-12 or Luke 6:17-26, together and share your experiences from your exercises this week
- Pray for anyone in need
Again, continue the prayer exercise we started Wednesday using the Lord’s prayer as an outline (Matt 6:9-13) but today do it in a group. Find at least on other person to pray with (feel free to gather a larger group of people if you like). Set aside 20-30 minutes together and start by reading the Lord’s prayer out loud. Then, pray freely through the model of the points and themes of the Lord’s prayer in your own words together. Pay attention to what the other person prays and use each others words and petitions as a catalyst for adding to one another’s prayers. Group prayer can becomes like a group conversation, a group brainstorming session, or a musical collaboration – complete with a life and rhythm of its own. Try to find that rhythm together.
Continue the prayer exercise we started yesterday using the Lord’s prayer as an outline (Matt 6:9-13). However, today take one line or phrase from the Lord’s prayer that captures your heart most and use it as a starting point for your prayer. Spend 15-20 minutes praying. Try to dig a little deeper than normal in your prayer time.
We’ve just completed the middle portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapter 6), which compellingly portrays the central life of one who lives squarely in relationship with God – who is Himself the “blessing” and the “reward” that Jesus speaks of.
At the very center of this middle piece of Jesus’ great Sermon we find the chief activity of the people of God: Prayer (v9-18). If the blessing and reward of the Kingdom is God Himself, then there can be no activity that can replace prayer as the chief duty and delight of Kingdom people, for prayer is where we join with God through a conversation of the heart.
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Read Matthew 6:25-34 and do the exercises below:
- Reflect on a time when you believe God sovereignty provided for your needs in an unexpected way. Write it down or share it here.
- Think about the chain of events that had to occur in the example you brought to mind. How many people were involved?
- Read Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35. How are these passages a fulfillment of Jesus’ teachings here in Matthew 6?
- What would it take for that kind of community to be cultivated today? Who would benefit from that kind of community? Who wouldn’t benefit?
Read Matthew 6:19-24 and do the following exercises:
- What are the recurring words or themes in the three images Jesus uses?
- What are the parallels between this section and the previous teaching from this chapter on giving, prayer, and fasting (v1-18)?
- The best way to find out what you really “treasure” is to ask yourself what you spend most of your thoughts and time on – because these are the most expensive decisions of the heart. Take some time to write down a list of the things you genuinely pursue with passion. So, what do you pursue most? What needs to change?
- What if these three lessons (v19-24: treasures in heaven, the eyes are the lamp of the body, and serving two masters) are teaching exactly the same lesson as the passages that came immediately before (v1-18: giving, prayer, and fasting). What would that lesson be?
