Bible Study February 25, 2013

Hey Gang,

Two weeks ago we began a new series on "What it Means to Follow Jesus." This series of lessons is taken from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Here is the issue: There are some people who profess to follow Jesus but live lives that look no different from unbelievers. And there are others that follow Jesus just to find spiritual comfort and satisfaction, but not to be spiritually transformed or obedient. As believers, we need a clear understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Following Jesus or being a disciple is more than being religious; it's being in a right relationship with Him. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus presents a clear description of discipleship, and what it means to follow Him, but when you read the latter part of Luke chapter 9:57-62, Jesus seems to actually turn three men away, that clearly expressed a desire to follow Him. Why would He do this? Maybe there is more to following Jesus than people think. Jesus draws a RADICAL distinction between the religious of His day and those that are true followers.

Luke 9:57-62
Are you really sure that you want to follow Jesus? 

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What if I told you that my goal in this study, this week is to talk you out of following Jesus. Why in the world would I do that? Why did Jesus do it? Jesus does call you & me to Follow Him, but do we understand what this really means? When Jesus taught the disciples on a hillside, what it means, there was a RADICAL difference in what they thought it meant. You and I can choose to continue with business as usual as it relates to the Christian life, enjoying success based on the standards we defined or the culture defines. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed Him and really obeyed Him.

In our last lesson we read the basics of what Jesus said His followers should look like - Jesus began by teaching the Beatitudes. Remember:

1. Attitude: Poor in spirit, mourn, gentle, righteous
2. Character: Mercy, pure in heart, peacemaker, persecuted
3. Influence: Salt & Light 

Was being poor in spirit, mournful, gentle, and righteous what you thought it was? Jesus introduced the importance of an attitude change before character - in other words, a change must occur on the inside before a change can occur on the outside. 

Jesus raises the bar with some pretty high expectations for you and me, today - if, we are going to follow Him. He points out that just addressing our sinful actions isn’t good enough; we have to dig deeper and make sure we measure up to His standards in our hearts. Jesus says, don't just wash the outside of the cup. Now, before you start feeling overwhelmed, or ready to walk away, remember that Jesus Himself promises to equip you to do anything He calls you to do. Is it worth it - you will have to be the judge on that.

 

What This Lesson Is About

This week we look at the high standards Jesus set for His followers – standards that are met not by mere outward conformity to rules but as a result of a Christ-changed heart. We can learn to recognize that though Jesus’ expectations are exceedingly high, with God’s help, we can commit to live by His standards. With the foundation laid, (The Beatitudes) Jesus was ready to declare the high expectations He had for all who truly were His disciples.

What exactly does this mean?

I. AFFIRM SCRIPTURE’S AUTHORITY – MATTHEW 5:17-19

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus shattered the self-righteous approach and the religious framework of the culture. He exposed the weaknesses of the mindset that assumes it knows what God thinks and how to obey Him.


Who are we to interpret God’s standard?

• Our job is to obey God, and to let Him show us how.

What is Jesus’ relationship to Scripture?

• He fulfills the Scriptures, validates, completes, or finishes. In Jesus, God actualizes His Word, meaning He makes it to exist in fact and in reality through an act. The goal of Jesus’ mission is fulfillment. He does not simply affirm the law and the prophets but actualizes the will of God that is declared in them from the standpoint of promise and demand. All the law and the prophets find their fullest meaning in Jesus.
• Jesus was positioning Himself as an authority that exceeded even that of the scribes and Pharisees and the misguided interpretations collected by the rabbis.
• All Scripture is totally true, trustworthy, and authoritative. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is its focus and through whom comes its ultimate fulfillment. The truth of Scripture is superior to human interpretation or religious traditions.

What is the relationship of a disciple of Jesus to Scripture?

• The most useful disciple for the kingdom is the one who lives by and teaches others to live by the commandments of God.
• Disciples of Jesus are to submit to the authority of Scripture, live in conformity to its message, and teach it to others faithfully.

How would you answer the question, “If we are saved by grace, are we expected to keep the Law?”

• Does your answer begin with, “Yeah, but or No, but?” both yes and no require a bit of qualifying and explaining. A good approach is to begin with Jesus’ statements in 5:17-19.
• Jesus warned not to assume He had come to destroy the Law or the Prophets (meaning the Old Testament Scriptures). Evidently some did assume Jesus was throwing out the Law.
• Jesus did persistently violate legalistic, inferred, man-made rules. Jesus did ignore traditional washing rituals (not required in Scripture) that emphasized outward rather than inward cleansing (Mark 7:1-16). But Jesus kept God’s rules. Both Old and New Testaments show God’s expectations. Discern the principles behind God’s commands; then apply.
• Jesus affirmed that Scripture has authority for life. We can trust it to be our guide no matter how difficult our circumstances become.

4 ways to understand the Beatitudes:

1. They are a code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct for all believers.
2. They contrast kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary).
3. They contrast the superficial "faith" of the Pharisees with the real faith Christ wants.
4. They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new kingdom.

Why do some prefer the New Testament over the Old Testament? What does Jesus’ teaching in 5:17-19 imply about our approach to the Old Testament? Should we understand the Old Testament as much as the New Testament?

• If Jesus affirmed the eternal value of the Old Testament, then so should we.
• Do you know of any popular beliefs about God and Jesus that are not actually true according to Scripture? Holy sounding views such as “God helps those who help themselves” can become accepted, though not in Scripture. What are the dangers of building life around non-biblical principles?

How would you complete this sentence: 

It’s worth it to live according to Scripture because ___________________________.

• It’s withstood the test of time, it will be there until the end, and Jesus affirms it.

How can we inadvertently teach others to break “one of the least of these commandments?” What is Jesus’ purpose with this warning (5:19)? What value does the Old Testament have to a believer’s life?

• Try not to get wrapped up in whether you fall into the “least of these commands” category; instead, focus on why God gave a particular rule and how to follow it with heart. Each point in the Law matters.
• Explain that “the kingdom of heaven” is made up of those who have been saved by Jesus. It includes when and where God works.
• Refusal to know and practice the Bible causes me to miss the best God has to offer. My disobedient behavior also blocks others’ blessings and brings them pain.
• Be known for truthfulness rather than deception, forgiveness rather than retaliation, love rather than hate.

II. RISE ABOVE MEDIOCRITY – MATTHEW 5:20, 48

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.



What would you call mediocrity?

• A so so follower, one of low value, ordinary.

How good is good enough? You might avoid the big sins, but what about sins of the heart? Can your righteousness be better than the most morally upright person you know? Why compare yourself to people when you can always find someone stronger or weaker than you are?


What does it mean to be righteous?

• To act in a way that is in accord with some standard of behavior. The key is determining what that standard will be.

What was the standard of righteousness based on for the scribes and Pharisees?

• Human standards. There practices were admirable, looking from the outside. But if people could see on the inside, as Jesus could, they would not see a changed heart. They were motivated not so much by a longing to glorify God as by their desire to call attention to themselves. Self-focused individuals obviously are not allowing God to reign supreme in their lives. No one with that attitude or disposition will enter into the kingdom of heaven.
• Our standard of behavior is not to be other people no matter how good they appear to be.
• Our personal efforts at righteousness through our good works are not adequate for being in a right relationship with God; neither are they the way to heaven. True righteousness comes from being in a right relationship with God wherein He is our Father and we are His children.

Who were the scribes and Pharisees?
 

Understand who the scribes and Pharisees were: They were the experts in religious law. They were the standard, so for Jesus to call for a righteousness that exceeded the scribes and Pharisees was shocking to His listeners – some would have wondered, how could that be?

1. Scribes – copied and preserved the Law for future generations. They were also teachers of the Law. In Jesus’ day, they interpreted the Law when there was a debate about someone breaking it. Scribes were often Pharisees, but you didn’t have to be a Pharisee to be a scribe.
2. Pharisees – literally meant “separated ones” because they kept their distance from disobedient people, pagan practices, or anything else they thought would distract their study of the Law. That doesn’t sound so bad, but they apparently did so with wrong attitudes. (last week’s “Choose Right Attitudes” poor in spirit, mournful, gentle and hunger and thirst for righteousness) The Pharisees developed an oral tradition that took their own interpretations of God’s Law and made those interpretations just as important as the Law.

Jesus says that unless your righteousness is better than the scribes and Pharisees – you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

• Our standard of behavior is not to be other people no matter how good they appear to be.
• Who is the most moral, upright person you have ever known? What was it about that person’s life that made them so admirable? What makes a person’s righteousness genuine rather than like that of the Pharisees?
• Jesus was illustrating that He Himself is the standard – not the religious people around us.

Then Jesus raises the bar when He says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”



Can you be perfect just like God?

• You can’t be God, but you can be the complete person He designed you to be. This happens only through His Spirit.

Why would Jesus call us to be perfect as God is perfect? How is this even possible?

• Most people tend to give up when they feel the standard is impossible (Samples: students who struggle in school or kids of parents with unrealistic expectations). But this standard is meant to energize and empower us.
• Distinguish how to call on God’s power rather than try to reach Jesus’ standards on our own. Remember that the purpose of the Beatitudes began with an inner change to produce an outward character. It’s futile to follow God’s laws outwardly without letting God change your heart.
• Our personal efforts at righteousness through our good works are not adequate for being in a right relationship with God; neither are they the way to heaven.
• True disciples are not satisfied with mediocrity but always strive to live by God’s high standard, which is nothing less than being like Him, especially in the way we relate to all people.

III. GO BEYOND SUPERFICIALITY – MATTHEW 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-34a, 38-39, 43-44

Jesus gives six examples here that show that true righteousness goes beyond what people can see.

1. 21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.




2. 27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.



3. 31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.




4. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;



5. 38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.



6. 43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,



How does Jesus contrast the traditional interpretations of His day?

• Jesus gives six examples here that show that true righteousness goes beyond what people can see – beyond the superficial. Jesus is emphasizing again that what we choose inside affects what happens outside. The challenge is to seek to understand and apply the intent of God’s instructions not merely the letter of the law. Jesus surfaced the traditional interpretation of the law and then by His explanation gave the law its fullest expression of true righteousness.
• Righteousness and living godly lives are matters of the heart, not mere external obedience to rules.

Was Jesus giving a new or modified version of rules?

• Jesus exposed the superficial view of God’s law practiced by the scribes and Pharisees.
• In all six examples, Jesus showed that obeying the letter of the law is not enough. Hidden sins like anger, lust, grudges, and arrogance are just as serious as the ones people can see.

Why do we tend to consider outward sin (outbursts, murder, adultery, lying) to be worse than hidden sin (anger, lust, grudges, arrogance)? What happens when we begin to ignore the sin in our hearts that others can’t see?



Outside religiosity won’t do it. Only changes of the heart will work. We’ll never find or give joy unless we match our lives to Jesus’ expectations. Self-righteousness is a fruitless and frustrating pursuit. But God-empowered righteousness is a delightful journey. From Genesis to Revelation are examples of people who chose to match their lives to God’s standard. They weren’t perfect but they were on a sacred journey.



Conclusion:


1. Jesus did not just give a long list of rules to follow. He showed the heart of each command.

2. Jesus calls for righteous living in all areas of our lives, not just actions, but motives and thoughts.

3. It is only through Jesus’ power that we can control anger, take captive impure thoughts, be faithful to spouses, be people of integrity, forgive when offended, pray for our persecutors.

Jesus says that those who follow Him will be: more righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees, in fact they will strive to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect. How? By going beyond the superficial - by understanding that it's what happens inside that matters most.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord Jesus, I want to be Your disciple and I want the blessing that comes from following You. However, Lord, the demands You make are high. I cannot do it on my own. Praise Your Name, I don’t have to. Give me Your grace to be more like You. Amen

This will not be an easy study this week and it will require prayer that Christ will show us what He wants us to know and truly understand.

Hope to see you Monday evening! Bring your Bibles and invite a friend.

David