Commissioned

Q6. (Matthew 5:48) In the context, what do you think verse 48 means for the Christian? Verse 48 instructs us to continuously strive for perfection, as we imitate His life here on earth. Is perfection taught here? Perfection in the sense that we are complete in Jesus Christ. Does maturity express the idea best? Maturity move us towards perfection. How about the doctrine of "sinless perfection"? "Sinless perfection" comes when we are transported from this earth and are at home with Our Heavenly Father in Heaven. How does verse 48 relate to verse 45? God treats both born again Christians and evil men with the same love and He requires us to do the same.

Q5. (Matthew 5:39-44) If the principle that underlies verses 39-42 is found in verse 44 and 22:39, are there times we must defend ourselves physically against evil men in order to fulfill the principle? What might be some examples? There are time when we must defend ourselves against evil men, for example in cases where your country is at war and you're called upon by the government to protect your country.

Q4. (Matthew 5:38-42) If we were to assume that Jesus is teaching on retaliation and revenge rather than pacifism in verses 38-42, how would you sum up his teaching in a single sentence? Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Q3. (Matthew 5:39-42) What do Jesus' examples or tiny cameos in verses 39-42 have in common? He wants us to do more than is required of us by our enemies, by those who are trying to use us, by those who are trying to take advantage of us. Rather than turn on them with resistance and retaliation we are to -- in love for them -- give them more than they require. Someone has said that if we were to carry out verses 39-42 literally, we would aid and abet evil. Do you agree? Sometimes in reaching people to come to Christ you have to go where they are to bring them out. In so doing, you may appear to be aiding and abetting evil. How should we take these examples: As case law? As hyperbole? As a series of aphorisms or adages? In another way? In each of the examples given, we are to look at every situation and discover how we can show Christ's love to the person who is attempting to cause damage.

Q2. (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:15-21) What was the purpose of the "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" regulation? To regulate retaliation. To restrain man's vindictiveness. One should not exact a punishment more than what the perpetrator caused. Is this law designed to be administered by a court or judge, or by an individual? The law is designed to be administered by the court. Is it designed to govern judicial action or personal action? It is designed to govern judicial actions.

Q1. (Matthew 5:33-37) What does it mean: Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no? The phrase means that when you make a promise, or a vow you are obligated to keep it. If we obeyed this command, what would be the result in our speaking? In our credibility? When we speak, the people that we speak to will know that they can trust us to carry out the action as long as it is within our power. Our credibility is intact.

Q6. The Church has always been supportive of those who are hurting or scarred. In Christ, we help people make the best of what is sometimes a difficult situation. What can you do to extend Christ's healing love to someone who is struggling in his or her marriage? What can you do to bring healing to someone who is or was divorced? The thread that binds us together is love. As brothers and sisters in Christ we are our rother's keepers and in such cases of divorce we must extend love to each party, and refrain from being judgmental. As much as the Lord allows us us should be there to bring healing to the situation, encouraging reconciliation; but when reconciliation is not forthcoming we should support them in the decision that is made.

Q5. (Matthew 19:9) Does a person who has remarried after a divorce that wasn't caused by marital unfaithfulness, live in a perpetual state of adultery? Should that person divorce or separate in order to get back into God's will? How can he or she get back into God's will, or is that no longer possible? Entering this lesson I admit that the thought entered my mind, interesting that this is one of the study questions. According to Matthew, Jesus did not contradict remarriage. Hence, I would say that the person who remarries is not living in a perpetual state of adultery. Both parties to a divorce can get back into God's will by simply repenting and asking for God's pardon and living out the rest of their lives in Christ.

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it? The disciples reacted negatively to Jesus' teaching because it left no room for a misunderstanding of God's intention for marriage and His explanation that the Mosaic law was only given because of the hardness of men's heart.

Q3. (Matthew 19:7-8) According to Jesus, does the Mosaic law command divorce? No, the Mosaic does not command divorce. The Mosaic law merely accomodated the sinfulness of man's heart -- it is not part of God's original plan. Does it allow or regulate it? The Mosaic law regulated the divorce. Why does it allow divorce at all? The Mosaic law allowed the divorce because of the hardness of men's heart. What was God's original intention ("from the beginning") for marriage and divorce, according to Jesus? According to Jesus, God's original intention ("from the beginning") for marriage was that there be no separation. This intention is clearly given in Matthew 19:4-6: 4 And He answered and said to them,

Q2. (Matthew 19:4-6 quoting Genesis 2:24) Do people need to be Christians to be joined as one flesh? No, people do not need to be Christians to be joined as one flesh. Is this making into "one flesh" accomplished by a religious ceremony or by natural law? This making into "one flesh" is accomplished by natural law. From the beginning marriage is God's established institution, a kind of "natural law" based on God's intention for marriage and the way he made human beings. Of those who have entered into a first marriage, what percentage do you think have been "joined together" by God, according to Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:6? One hundred percent (100%), of all marriages, according to Jesus' statement are couples "joined together." Jesus tells us that it is God's intention for marriage is that the man and woman be joined in an indissoluble union, "one flesh."

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-32; 19:1-12) With whom did Jesus side: Rabbi Hillel or Rabbi Shammai? In answering the Pharisees Jesus' explanation for the giving of the bill of divorcement, were in accordance with the stricter school of thought, Rabbi Shammai's. What exception does Jesus give to his prohibition of divorce? The exception Jesus gave was in the case of sexual immorality, as he said in Matthew 19:9. How does this exception relate to Deuteronomy 24:1-4? The exception Jesus gave in Matthew 19:9 calls for stronger reasons for divorce, not just because a husband decides that he no longer finds his wife pleasing but only if she has committed adultry.

Q5. (Matthew 5:27-30) The spirit of our age is very accepting and approving of lus+ According to Jesus' words, how seriously are we to take lus+? How does agape love help us combat lus+? According to Jesus' words, we are to take seriously lus+. He commanded that we love each other as we love ourselves. When we love them with agape love we honor them and we honor Christ.

Q4. (Matthew 5:28) Sex is very closely tied to our core sense of person. This means that as we are healed in our view towards sex, it goes a long way toward making us whole inside. How would you counsel a brother who shared with you that he had trouble with pornogr*phy? How can you protect yourself against temptation over the Internet? At the beach or poolside? With your TV? For the brother who has found himself drawn to pornogr*phy my counsel to him would be to remove himself from the source of the temptation. If the access to **** is through the internet, he can install software that will block pornogr*phic material. The same is also true for cable, the cable channels can be blocked. He needs to block the accesses and fill the time with positive things. As the Apostle Paul told the Philippians, think on those things that are profitable, those things that a virtuous. To maintain a heart that is pure the brother must usthe weapons of prayer, scripture reading, and fasting. The same is true for my protection against this sin. Immerse myself in the Word of God, prayer, fasting and in doing the things that He has called me to do.

Q3. (Matthew 5:28) What is wrong with pornogr*phy? What is wrong with going to prostitutes? Who are the victims of this "victimless" activity? Pornogr*phy is wrong because it defileth a man. His heart becomes impure with sin as he lus+ and breaks the commandments of God. Goint to a prostitute is wrong because it embraces a deception of the devil, who tries to portray the sin as okay. We are all victims of the "victimless" activity, as it touches all society and we pay the price even though we are not directly involved.

Q2. God purposely created us with a good and natural sexual desire. How do we distinguish between that God-given sexual desire and forbidden lus+? The distinction of a good and natural sexual desire and a forbidden desire revolves around the sacred bond of marriage between a man and a woman. When the desire is within the marriage it is good and natural, anything else is forbidden.

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-30; Exodus 20:17) What is the point of similarity between adultery and lus+? What is the difference? How does lus+ break the Tenth Commandment? Both adultery and lus+ are sins that begins in the heart. The difference is that in lus+ the act is not physically carried out whereas in adultery there is an action. The tenth commandment is broken because it is coveting.

Q5. (Matthew 5:21-26) Verses 21-22 are about murder, anger, and insult. Verses 23-24 discuss some fault against one's brother. Verses 25- 26 discuss settling a civil suit before going to court. What is the overarching theme of Jesus' teaching in our entire passage, verses 21-26? In Matthew 5:21-26, the overarching theme of Jesus is that man should have a righteous relationship with his brother. Our thoughts and actions should be to bring about good fellowship; bringing honor and glory to God.

Q4. (Matthew 5:25-26) What is the point of Jesus' parable of settling out of court? Who are we supposed to settle with, according to this parable? What does "settling" entail? What are the reasons that we should settle? In Jesus' parable of settling out of court, He is saying that reconciliation should be done quickly before God has to settle the matter. If God settles the matter at his bar of justice, that judgment will be exacting and harsh punishment. According to the parable, we are to settle with those we have offended. "Settling" in this parable means to obtain the offended one's forgiveness, to be reconciled with them. This we do before is becomes a burden on our family and friends.

Q4. (Matthew 5:25-26) What is the point of Jesus' parable of settling out of court? Who are we supposed to settle with, according to this parable? What does "settling" entail? What are the reasons that we should settle? In Jesus' parable of settling out of court, He is saying that reconciliation should be done quickly before God has to settle the matter. If God settles the matter at his bar of justice, that judgment will be exacting and harsh punishment. According to the parable, we are to settle with those we have offended. "Settling" in this parable means to obtain the offended one's forgiveness, to be reconciled with them. This we do before is becomes a burden on our family and friends.

Q3. (Matthew 5:23-24) What's wrong with worshipping while a brother has something against us (or us against a brother, Mark 11:25)? What is the appropriate action for us to take? How far should we go to bring about reconciliation with someone whom we have offended? Are there any situations that we shouldn't try to resolve? Or that we can't resolve? It is wrong for us to worship God while a brother has something against us or, if we have offended a brother because it shows that we are holding unforgiveness in our heart. Jesus has commanded that if there is a wrong between you and another person, go and be reconciled with that person then you can come and worship Him. If we approach a brother to be reconciled and he refuses then we are to take another believer with us to the brother. If the brother again refuse to be reconciled, then we have done our part and need no longer feel that you are under the curse, but you are free to forgive him and worship God. There are no situation that we should not try to resolve. If it is within our power to do so then it is up to us to make the effort.

Q2. (Matthew 5:21-22) Why does Jesus treat calling someone a fool in the same classification as murder? Does this mean that murder is no worse than an angry insult in God's eyes? How would we act differently if we actually believed that angry attitudes towards others are viewed by God as murder? Jesus treats calling someone a fool in the same classification as murder because both are in danger of the fire of hell. Calling someone a fool is not showing them love, in fact you show contempt for the person and displays anger in the heart. For the person who has murder in his heart and anger both are condemned by God. Because both are view by God as unrighteous, our attitude should be that of ensuring that our heart is pure and that our attitude towards all people is that of love.

Q1. (Matthew 5:17-20) Can you see any tendencies in the church today to effectively "abolish" the Old Testament from our Christian faith? What does a "Christian" legalism look like in a church? What does it look like in a church where there are no moral standards and no obedience expected of Christians? In the church today, the tendencies are to ignore some of the teachings of the Old Testament rather than "abolish" it from the Christian faith. "Christian" legalism in the church is conformity to the Mosaic law for salvation rather than belief that salvation is through Jesus Christ. In a church where there are no moral standards and no obedience expected of Christians is not a church of God and therefore such people cannot be called "Christians". "Christians" are called "Christians" because they exhibit the character of Christ in their daily living.

Q4. (Matthew 5:13-15) How do verses 13-16 relate to verses 10-12? How does hiding our light affect the glory of God? Why must glory and suffering go hand in hand? Was Jesus' suffering necessary? Is ours? What does this have to do with Romans 12:2? Bearing the light of the gospel might bring persection. When we let our ligh shine it brings glory to God as lives are changed through the gospel message. Jesus himself suffered because he brought the Word from His Father to a people lost. Jesus' suffering was necessary to bring salvation to the world and to obey the will of His Father (Rom.12:2).

Q3. (Matthew 5:14-15) In the parable of "the light of the world," Jesus notes the stupidity of lights being hidden under bowls. Concerning what danger in the life of a Christian disciple does Jesus warn us in this parable? In this parable Jesus warns the disciples that their light, of the gospel, brings eternal life to all who comes to Christ when they hear the gospel and receive Jesus as Savior.