Daily Study Guide To Help You Grow In The Lord
Gospel of Matthew
Monday – Read Matthew 5:21-36
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
1. What do you think Jesus was referring to when He said, “You have heard that it was said...” verse 21? What the people would have been taught by the scribes and teachers of the Law concerning the teachings of the Law.
2. In the time of Jesus, where would you find it written “You shall not murder,” and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment,” verse 21? In the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments.
3. What do you think the statement “...shall be liable to judgment...” was referring to? In the context, it was talking about the punishment prescribed by the Law; the punishment a person would receive for breaking the Law.
4. What do you think Jesus was saying in verse 22? God’s intent in giving the Law that said “You shall not murder” was more than just keeping people from killing one another.
5. In verses 23 thru 25 Jesus gives two reasons you should make peace with your brother. What are those two reasons? To make your offerings acceptable to God and to escape being brought before the courts and charged with wrong actions.
6. Thought Question – What do you think is the primary message of Jesus in verses 21-26? God had a higher purpose in giving the Law than just keeping people from taking wrong actions against one another. He was giving a standard of punishment from wrong actions, but His desire was for people to love other people.
Prayer: Pray for a heart that sees people through the eyes of Jesus so you will always treat them like Jesus.
Tuesday – Read Matthew 5:27-37
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
7. What does Jesus teach about sin in verses 27-28? It begins in the heart.
8. What do you understand is the message of Jesus in verses 29-30? Sin is terrible and has terrible consequences. You should be willing to do anything to stay away from it.
9. What do you think was the purpose of giving the woman a certificate of divorce when you divorced her, verse 31? It was to protect her since the only reason the Law permitted divorce was for adultery and adultery was an offense punishable by death. You gave the woman the certificate to testify that you did not divorce her for adultery.
10. What do you think is the message of Jesus in verse 32? Your actions can put others in a position where they are likely to sin.
11. Why does Jesus say you should not take an oath? Because there are many things that you cannot control that may affect your actions and cause you to break your oath.
12. What does Jesus say about a child of God and his word, verse 37? His word should be his bond.
13. Thought Question – What do you understand is the primary message of Jesus in verses 27-30? Sin should be avoided at all costs.
Prayer: Ask God to help you understand the seriousness of sin and that it begins in the heart. Ask Him to help you have a pure heart.
Wednesday – Read Matthew 5:38-48
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
14. What do you think was the purpose of the “eye for an eye” statements of the Old Testament, verse 38? They were to keep people from doing more to get even. They restricted what a person could lawfully do to someone who wronged them.
15. Why does Jesus say you should “love your enemies,” verse 47-48? Because those actions are like God and prove that your are a child of God.
16. What do you think is the purpose of Jesus’ statement about God causing the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, verse 45? To help people understand God’s love. He gives and blesses all men, not just the ones that deserve it.
17. What principle do you think Jesus is teaching in verse 46 when He says, “Do not even the tax collectors do the same”? You, as a child of God, are not acting any better than one who is not a child of God, if you love only those who love you. Even evil, wicked people do that.
18. Thought Question – What do you understand Jesus is saying to you when He says “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Is He saying that you should never sin again? Why or why not? He is talking about being perfect in terms of your love for people. The topic is not what is sin, it is how to love like God loves.
Prayer: Ask God to help you love all people just like He loves all people.
Thursday – Read Matthew 6:1-6
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
19. What does it mean to “practice your righteousness before men?” How could you “not practice your actions before men” since you live among men? The Lord is not talking about where you do your actions; He is talking about the motivation behind your actions.
20. Why will you have no reward from your Father in heaven if you practice your righteousness before men? God does not reward people just for doing good deeds; He rewards for those who do good deeds with the right motives.
21. What does verse 1 teach your about your actions as a child of God? They must be guided by a pure heart; a heart that wants to do what is right to be like God, not to look good to men.
22. How would it be possible to “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” in giving to the needy or any other action since your actions are controlled by your mind? This was an exaggeration by Jesus to show how pure your motives should be; there can not be any wrong desire in your actions if they are to be right with God.
23. When you pray, do you go into your room and shut the door? Why or why not? Jesus is not teaching you need to go to a specific place to pray; He is teaching about the motive behind your prayers.
24. Thought Question – What do you think it means when it says that the Father “sees in secret,” verse 6? Just because you said something in your closet does not mean it would not be heard by God; He hears, knows all things. God would hear regardless of where you are and reward for right actions even if they were done in secret .
Prayer: Ask God to help you learn to pray.
Friday – Read Matthew 6:7-15
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
25. Does verse 7 forbid you from repeating anything in your prayers? Why or why not? The Lord is not talking about “what you pray,” but about “your motivation for your prayer.” If you repeat something because it is in your heart that is not what this passage is talking about. It is talking about repeating to show off, to impress men.
26. This model prayer divides prayer into two categories. What are those two categories? Things of God and things of men.
27. Do you think Jesus was teaching people to pray this specific prayer when they prayed? Why or why not? No, this is the model prayer showing the kinds of things people should pray for.
28. Since Jesus ushered in the kingdom when He died and ascended to heaven, should you be praying for the kingdom to come since it is already here? Why or why not? Even though the kingdom has come, there are still many who have not surrendered to the kingdom on earth. We should be praying for the kingdom to come into the hearts of people so they will submit to the King and be saved.
29. What do you think it means when we ask God to give us our daily bread? To ask Him for our needs for today, each day. There is no point in asking God for our needs for tomorrow because tomorrow may not come.
30. What do you think it means when we ask God to forgive us our debts? Forgive our sins which puts us in debt to the law.
31. Why do you think God says He will not forgive us if we do not forgive others? Because God first principle in dealing with others is being willing to forgive; not hold things against them as He holds nothing against us that we have asked forgiveness of.
32. Thought Question - If your Father knows what you need before you ask for it, why do you pray? Prayer is not to inform God; it is to remind you that you are dependent on God and need His acting in your life.
Prayer: Ask God to help you forgive others regardless of the way they have wronged you.
Saturday – Read Matthew 6:16-24
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared from you during your study.
33. What does it mean to fast, verse 16? To fast is to abstain from something. In the Bible it is generally speaking of abstaining from food to devote your attention to God.
34. Does verse 19 teach that it wrong for a child of God to accumulate treasures on earth? Why or why not? No, it deals with your heart towards the things you accumulate and teaches that earthly things have no eternal value.
35. What do you think verse 22 means? If you are seeking after the wrong things in life, then your eye, which stands for your heart, is bad and will corrupt all you do.
36. Why does Jesus say you cannot serve two masters? Because you will have a divided loyalty and God will not accept a divided loyalty.
37. Thought Question – Two times in three verses (verses 16 & 17) Jesus says “when you fast,” not “if you fast.” Do you think verses 16 thru 18 are teaching that a child of God has to fast? Why or why not? There is no New Testament requirement for a child of God to fast. Jesus assumes that a person who is a child of God will naturally fast, take times when they abstain from things to draw closer to God and says when you do, do them with the right motive.
Prayer: Ask God to help you develop a heart that desires to fast.
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