Congratulations! You did it!  You have completed this nine-week intensive study of the Sermon on the Mount! What a pleasure it has been to absorb the very words of Jesus Himself as He instructed us in the Kingdom Living. Here is a summary of the things we have learned over these past several weeks:

• We analyzed each of the Beatitudes deeply and learned how to apply them to our lives.
• We learned about being world influencers as women of God and what it means to be salt and light.
• We discussed the law and how Jesus Christ fulfilled the law completely rather than doing away with it.
• We examined ourselves and learned of true righteousness of the heart. Jesus taught us deeper application to the laws and teachings of old:
  • Murder vs. hatred, anger, and contempt
  • Reconciling broken relationships and forgiveness
  • Adultery, lust, and keeping our hearts and minds pure
  • Divorce and remarriage
  • Having integrity of speech
  • Showing mercy instead of revenge, and allowing authority to administer consequences when necessary
  • Loving our enemies
• Doing our acts of righteousness privately and humbly before God
  • Giving alms
  • Prayer
    • We also examined the categories of the Lord’s Prayer to guide our own prayers
  • Fasting
• Proper attitude toward money
  • Laying up treasures in heaven
  • Not allowing money to be our master
  • Seeking God first
  • Trusting God to take care of our needs
  • Casting our anxiety on Him
• Guarding what our eyes see to nip the progression of sin in the bud
• We studied and discussed judging at length, and it was so eye-opening!
• Wasting what is holy on “dogs”
• Being wary of false teachers
• Asking in prayer, receiving and not receiving, submitting to God’s will but expecting His very best for us, having bold faith
• The Golden Rule – treating others the way we want to be treated
• Entering through the narrow gate
• Building a solid foundation that will stand firm against the storms of life

This week, we studied the fact that “the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” It is popular in today’s culture to teach tolerance to the point of accepting that all roads lead to God. That it is OK to have faith in any religion as long as you simply have faith. The problem with that is that it is a lie. There is only one way to God – Jesus! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is that very gate, and we will find no other opening into the Kingdom of God than through Him.

Some may say we are intolerant or hateful for excluding other belief systems. Some may think we are arrogant to claim to have the only roadmap to God. But, that doesn’t change the fact that no one will see God except through Jesus. That is just the way it is. That is what is meant by the narrow gate.

Not only do some try to find their way in through other religions, but many also try to claim their place in the Kingdom of God through their own merits or works. They think that if they are basically good, that is good enough. However, all of our righteousness and good works amount to nothing but filthy rags on our own (Isaiah 64:6). We are all sinners and fall short of God’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). Our only hope is to have a perfect, sinless, and absolutely holy Savior to take our place.

Jesus Himself told us that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter heaven. Some will claim that they have done marvelous things in the name of the Lord, but He will tell them to depart and that He never knew them. Works will never be enough!

It is only by grace through faith that we can ever be right with God. There is no other way!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Furthermore, to complicate matters further, Jesus warned us to be wary of false teachers. They are like ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing who seek to devour the flock. There will be many who will tickle the ears with nothing more than a “feel good message,” and they will lull people into a false sense of security that will actually veer them completely away from God. There will be many who will use the Gospel for manipulation, to pump their egos, to fuel their greed, to elevate their need for power, or to spew a mean-spirited version of legalism that is far from the true heart of the Father.

Beware of these teachers. Dig into Scripture and discover truth for yourself. Don’t be deceived, but find out what is right by checking it for yourself.

Jesus concluded his sermon by teaching us of the importance of building our lives on a solid foundation. When we are doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22), we will have a strong foundation that will hold up against the storms of life. However, when we allow God’s Word to enter into one ear and out the other without allowing it to change our lives, we will be like the house on the sand that collapsed at the first gust of wind.

My heart is full as I contemplate all that we have learned over the course of these past nine weeks. I hope you have enjoyed this! If you have missed anything, you are welcome to review any of the weekly Bible study blogs or videos, as well as the small group discussions on our Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study. My prayer is that You will allow God’s Word to penetrate your heart deeply and to transform your life. This is the blessed life!

Week 9 Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of the questions we will be discussing this week in our small groups.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

QUESTION 1: Specifically, how is the gate small and the road narrow that leads to life? The ESV says that the “way is hard that leads to life.” In what ways have you fund this to be true? (Day 2)

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-16a ESV

QUESTION 2: Without saying any names, give some examples of “sheep’s clothing” that false prophets, who are really ravenous wolves, may wear that make it easy for them to deceive people. How can we tell the difference between a false prophet and a genuine prophet of God? (Day 3)

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21 ESV

QUESTION 3: What is the only way to enter? Does this mean that salvation is earned by what we do? Why or why not? Some people will do some amazing feats for the Kingdom of God and still not make it in. Why? (See Matthew 7:21-23 and Day 4, pp. 130-131.)

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 4:24-27 ESV

QUESTION 4: What are some examples of rain, flood, and wind that come into our lives? Describe a time in your lie when you found Christ to be a sure foundation? (Day 5, p. 135)

QUESTION 5: What impacted you most in this week’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount? What are the words of Jesus asking of you personally?

This concludes our study of Sermon on the Mount, by Jen Wilkin. Be sure to join us for Goliath Must Fall, by Louie Giglio, beginning November 6. You don’t want to miss this one!

God bless!