Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount continues into chapters 6 & 7. We are taking a longer time in our walk with Jesus because His teachings here are worth the stopover. The last verse in chapter 5 perhaps is the “Divine Standard of Life,” when He says, “Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
With that statement in mind, we are now going to launch into the “Temple of Truth” as Jesus continues His enumeration on man’s reach for the higher altitudes of spiritual life. (Excerpt: Thompson Chain Reference Bible, Section 4222, Use the “Temple of Truth” document)
As we read through each of these remaining sections, we want to examine some key elements of Jesus’ teaching that we can apply to our lives today. Following each main point, a box is provided for you to answer, what does this mean to you?
Giving to the Needy: Matthew 6:1-4
- 6:1: Be careful not to do your acts before men.
- 6:2: Do not announce your gift with trumpets
- 6:3: Do not let your right hand know what the left hand is doing.
- 6:4: Make your giving in secret for the Father will reward you
Prayer: Matthew 6:5-15
- 6:5: Don’t pray on street corners for recognition
- 6:6: Pray privately
- 6;7; Don’t babble just to be heard
- 6:9-13: The Lord’s Prayer (See Lesson 10 Supplement: A Prayer for All Ages & All Peoples)
Fasting: Matthew 6:16-18
- 6:16: Do not look somber. . . to show men you are fasting
- 6:17: When you fast. . . don’t make it obvious by your looks.
Do Not Worry: Matthew 6:25-34
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6:25: Do not worry about your life
- 6:33: But seek first His kingdom. . . and all these things will be given to you
- 6:34: Do not worry about tomorrow . . . each day has enough trouble of its own.
Judging Others: Matthew 7:1-6
- 7:1: Do not judge others
- 7:2: For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged
Ask, Seek, Knock: Matthew 7:7-12
- 7:7: Ask and it will be given to you
- 7:7b: Seek and you will find
- 7:7c: Know and the door will be opened for you
- 7:12: Do to others what you would have them do to you.
The Narrow & Wide Gates: Matthew 7:13-14
- 7:13: Enter through the narrow gate
- 7:14: Narrow is the gate that leads to life and few that find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit: Matthew 7:15-23
- 7:15: Watch out for false prophets
- 7:16: By their (false prophets) fruit you will know them
- 7:17: Every good tree bears good fruit
- 7:21: Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter heaven, only those who do the Father’s will.
The Wise and Foolish Builders: Matthew 7:24-29
- 7:24: A wise man builds his house on the rock
- 7:26: A foolish man builds his house on sand.
Tracing our Steps. Let’s use this time to trace our walk with Jesus. Think about this time in His life and remembering what He did for you and me. Use this space to jot down your feelings about your walk today