Getting To Know You 1. What has been your take on all of the public discourse surrounding COVID, 2020 and the election cycle? How would you describe it? Explain. 2. What is something that frustrates you or makes you angry? Are you someone that has a short fuse, even keeled, or somewhere in the middle? Explain. 3. Watchman Nee said, “The Law requires much, but offers no help in the carrying out of its requirements. The Lord Jesus requires just as much, yea even more (Matt. 5:21-48), but what he requires from us he himself carries out in us. The law makes demands and leaves us helpless to fulfill them; Christ makes demands, but he himself fulfills in us the very demands he makes”. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 4. Billy Graham said, “Hot heads and cold hearts never solve anything.” Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 5. Looking back at your notes from this week’s sermon, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you? Digging Deeper 1. What is the anatomy of anger? What does anger potentially lead to? What does Jesus say that anger is equivalent to? How do emotions escalate? In what ways is anger a sin of the heart? What are the cultural illustrations that Jesus uses to articulate His point? How are you at emotional regulation? What about anger management? Explain. 2. What is the difference between the anger that Jesus describes here and the anger He displays in Matthew 21:12? How do you/should we reconcile the two? What is righteous anger? Who determines whether it is righteous or not? Explain. Has there ever been a time in your life that you felt that you had righteous anger? If so, what were the circumstances? Do we ever justify our personal anger as if it we righteous? Explain. In your experience, when something is articulated as righteous anger, how often is it? Explain. 3. How do horizontal relationships impact our vertical relationship? Can you have hatred, anger, animosity, or ill will towards others and be in right relationship with God? Explain. How many people do you know that operate this way? Do you ever do this? Is there anyone that you need to seek forgiveness and reconciliation from? How do we use the Matthew 18 principle when it comes to this area? Is this something that you do regularly? How often do you think this happens? Do you ever hold a grudge, bitterness, or resentment? What does this produce in us? What does Hebrews 12:14-15 say? Ephesians 4:31? Who does hatred, bitterness, anger, strife, etc.… hurt? How are you doing in this area? Is this something that you struggle with? Are you hurting yourself? What is the anecdote? 4. How do you respond to others that mistreat you? What illustrations does Jesus use? How often do we operate from an eye for an eye mentality? Explain. What is the end result of an eye for eye mentality? Who wins? How can you flip retaliation on its head and rise above it? What does this look like? Can we do this apart from Christ? Do you ever try? Are you successful? 5. How often do you demonstrate Christ like love in your life to others? Who are the people in your life that it is easy to show love to? Who are the people in your life that it is difficult to show love to? According to Jesus, how should we treat our enemies? What does that look like? How do we do that? How has COVID, 2020, and the election discourse demonstrated our humanity on full display when it comes to this topic? What would Jesus say to the dialogue and discourse we see in the media, on social media, and in our communities? No matter who you voted for, what have you thought, said, or acted towards the other candidate or political party? Was any form of love on display? 6. What illustrations does Jesus use in regards to loving your enemy? How does Jesus challenge Jewish thought? What was their view of tax collectors and Gentiles? What was Matthew’s occupation? What is the irony of Jesus illustration? When we love as God has called us to love, what happens? Who is glorified? Who is exalted? Who is blessed? Are we missing any blessings from God, because there is an absence of love? Growing Closer 1. Who is someone you shared the gospel with this week? 2. What have you been reading in your quiet times? 3. What has God been teaching you?
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