Matthew 5:13-48 Questions

Day 1

1. Read Matthew 5:13. People who are living the lifestyle mentioned in the beatitudes will be _________. Why do you think this is mentioned right after being told that we will suffer persecution?



2. What is the value of salt?



3. What useful qualities does salt have?



4. What happens when salt loses those qualities?



5. Read Matthew 5:14 - 16. What are useful characteristics of light?



6. What are people supposed to see in our life?



7. What should happen when they see our good works?



8. How can we be salt and light? What will happen when we are salt and light?



9. Are you the kind of salt that retards corruption and the kind of light that dispels the spiritual darkness around you and reveals the truth and life of Jesus? Do you ever cover your light, or do you let it shine so that God can be glorified?



Day 2

10. Read Matthew 5:17-18. What was the purpose for Jesus coming to earth?



11. Read Matthew 5:19. What did Jesus say we should do about the law?


12. What is the Christian's relation to the law of God?



Are there degrees of commandments?



13. Read Matthew 5:20. Why did God give us all of these standards and laws? What is the purpose?



14. Did the Pharisees and scribes (teachers of the law) understand the purpose of the law? (Luke 18:9-14)



15. Who were the scribes (teachers of the law) and Pharisees? If we have to have a righteousness that exceeds them, we ought to know who they were. We studied about them a little in Matthew 3.



16. What was the nature of the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? If we're going to find out what true righteousness is and it has to be more than theirs, what was their qualifications for righteous? (Matthew 23:23, 25; Mark 7:7)

Day 3

17. Have you ever, or do you find yourself living a superficial religious life, going through the motions but it's not for real inside?


18. What is the nature of the righteousness that Christ requires?



19. How is the righteousness that Christ requires obtained? Where do you get that kind of righteousness?


20. What happens to people who do not obtain the righteousness that God requires, who don't ever take God's righteous gift, but who religiously work hard to get into God's Kingdom?



21. When Jesus said 6 times in Matthew 5, "You have heard", who do you think the speaker was that they had heard these statements from?



22. How was Jesus' teaching different from those they had heard from previously?



23. Read Matthew 5:21-22. What is the difference between what man sees as murder and what God sees as murder? What is the relationship between anger and murder?



24. What are the consequences of murder according to the Bible?



Day 4

25. What kind of anger is Jesus talking about in Matthew 5:22? What is the consequence?



26. What kind of sin is Jesus talking about when he used the word "Raca", and what is the consequence? (v. 22b)



27. What sin is Jesus talking about when a person calls someone a "fool" in Matthew 5:22c? What is the consequence?



28. Read Matthew 5:23, 24. What does God want us to do before we give gifts to Him? What kinds of gifts could we be bringing to God?



29. Read Matthew 5:25, 26. If we have a conflict with someone or owe someone money, what should our approach be?



30. Have you ever come to church to worship while you had bitterness in your heart? Is your worship ever hypocritical because you are holding grudges or someone has something against you? If yes, what needs to be done?



31. Read Matthew 5:27-30. How was Jesus' standard on moral purity higher than that of the Pharisees?



32. At what point is adultery committed?



33. How can we keep pure?



Day 5

34. It has been said that women do not have difficulty with immoral thoughts? Is that true? How can we keep our thoughts under control?



35. How important is it to control our thoughts and actions? Vs. 29



36. Does Jesus mean literally we are to cut off our hand or pluck out our eyes if they cause us to sin?



37. Read Matthew 5:31, 32. What was Jesus standard for marriage?


38. What does the Bible say about divorce?


What was the purpose of a certificate of divorce that Moses writes about in Deuteronomy 24?



39. What is adultery? What is the difference between fornication and adultery? Why is it such a serious thing?



40. What is your standard for marriage (your marriage if you are married)? If someone is talking about wanting to get a divorce how would you counsel them?



Day 6

41. Read Matthew 5:33 - 37. What is an oath? Is it ok to take an oath? What should the standard be for our promises and our word?



42. Read Matthew 5: 38 - 42. How are we to treat those that mistreat us, insult us, who are demanding of us, who trample on our rights or who ask for something that belongs to us?



43. Read Matthew 5:43-47. What does it mean to love our neighbour?



44. Why are we to love our enemies and pray for them?



45. Do you have an example where you have loved an "enemy" or has God shown you something you could do with a present enemy?



46. Read Matthew 5: 48 What is the ultimate standard that we are to follow? What does that mean?