C)
A fulfilled heart.
Matthew
5v17-20 and Matthew 7v7-12
·
Legalism kills – so exceed
the law!
·
Our model: God is
generous.
Thoughts:
Is it right to ask what we ‘ought’ to do
or give and only go up to that limit? This is called ‘duty’.
But we are not bound by the Law . e.g. ‘What must we do or give to fulfil
the Law?’; rather, once we have
done ‘fulfilling’, we might ask ‘How can I exceed the Law’ - is this
‘joy’? Perhaps our giving should be ‘above’ the line. e.g. “X is my
minimum, I’ll give over and above that line”; as opposed to “X is my
maximum, I’ll try to get up to that limit.” We trust a ‘giving’ God; we
are fulfilled when we are like Him.
Can you
think of a gift that made you feel very special?
Ask -
Receive. Seek - Find. Knock - Opened door. (Matthew 7v7-8). Use
these words to inspire a time of worship and thanks to our generous
God.
Christ
came to ‘fulfil’ the Law and the Prophets.
The
Law: The OT is the
Gospel in bud,
the NT
is the Gospel in bloom.
The
Prophets: Jesus
fulfils their predictions.
Jesus
also fulfilled the Law by keeping it.
He was the first and last to do so.
Read Matthew 5v17-20 and 7v7-12
Questions:
1. What
does the OT Law seek to accomplish? Think of the Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20v1-17), how do they help us to live for God? Why do you
find them hard?
2. How can
our righteousness exceed that of the religious leaders of the time?
Consider Jeremiah 31v33 and Ezekiel 36v27.
3. What do
we learn about God in 7v7-12? Can you think of times when you have
especially experienced this? What does God love to give us? Are we
willing to receive?
4. What do
these verses tell us about our giving, praying and serving? Will
this bring you a fulfilled heart?
Extra Question:
“Christ added nothing to the Law, he
just kept it”. Does this help us or just make us feel inadequate?
Pray,
using Matt 28v16-20. Commission or ‘lay hands’ on each other for
wherever you will be tomorrow.
Challenging question:
The old
school report said, “satisfactory”.
Is that what
we desire for our Christian report?
The cost:
Is to be challenged and look again at what I
am doing.
My response:
Is to find ways to ‘break out’ and be
generous.
You might like
to read Matthew 5v1-12 before the next meeting. Also, in
preparation, different members of the group could take a verse each
from the next study’s ‘mini sermon’. What does it mean to them?
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