1. Who were the people involved in your coming to know Christ personally? How did the lives, actions and words of those specific people influence you?

2. Read Matthew 5:13-16. What are the basic metaphors Jesus utilizes here? Who is the ‘you’ in these verses? Who does Jesus mean by ‘the earth’ (v13) and ‘the world’ (v14)?

3. These punctuating metaphors are meant to set the beatitudes in context. How does that context inform the significance or meaning of the beatitudes for Christians?

4. In the sermon, we explored how the ‘salt of the earth’ metaphor encourages disciples to be incarnate as well as distinctive. Review these concepts together. What does it mean to be incarnate and distinctive? How are these aspects held in tension with one another?

5. The final warning in v13 is NOT about losing salvation, but rather about the church losing purpose and value in the world. Can you think of an example where a Christian or Christian community lost focus on being incarnate and/or distinctive? How did it affect their work and witness in the broader community?

6. Alternately, consider times when you’ve seen the church alive and “salty” - engaged and distinctive in the world. What is the fruit of that sort of community? How do people respond to a church like that?

1. Think of a time you experienced pressure, hostility, or exclusion because of Christ. How did you respond?

2. Read Matthew 5:10-12. What examples or types of persecution are mentioned here? Which of those have you experienced or personally seen happen? What other forms of persecution have you seen or heard about?

3. How does Jesus expect his disciples to react under persecution? What are other potential responses? How might you personally be tempted to respond to persecution?

4. Read Matthew 10:16-18. In the sermon today, we were encouraged to underline the words “sending you out” (v16), “for my sake” (v18) and “bear witness” (v18). What do these key phrases tell us about the role of persecution in the church and in the world?

5. What rewards does Jesus promise to those who experience persecution on account of him (for help, see Matt 5:10, 12; 10:22, 28-33)? What promise is most precious to you personally? Spend time worshipping Jesus together as a group, and praying for those who are experiencing persecution right now.

• You can learn more about the state of persecution at https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/

• Watch Jesus shift from '3rd person (Matt 5:10) to 2nd person (Matt 5:11) below:

• What’s your go-to strategy for managing conflict?

• Read Matthew 5:9 and Psalm 34:14. What parallels do you see in these verses? How does understanding peace as “solid and flourishing wholeness” form your approach to handling difficult relationships?

• Houston highlighted three ways the New Testament talks about applying the gospel to personal relationships: apologizing, forgiving others, and making peace between brothers. Are any of these harder for you than others? Do any come easily?

• Jesus is the Peacemaker who reconciles God with man and man with man. What takeaways do you have from this week’s passage?

1. When is it difficult for you to live out in your actions what you believe in your heart? Why the difficulty in those settings?

2. Read Matthew 5:3-8. In your own words, how does the 6th beatitude (v8) relate to the ones before it?

3. “Pure in heart’ may refer to an inward purity vs outward or ritual purity.
   Read Matt 23:25-28. What would it look like for these Pharisees and scribes to heed Jesus’ instruction? What does it look like for us? How can you tell if a person whose life is outwardly correct is truly pure in heart?

4. “Pure in heart” can also be thought of as righteous cleanliness vs sinful defilement, which affects our standing before a holy God.
   Read Psalm 24:3-4 and Hebrews 10:21-22. How do we get our hearts pure before God? What keeps people from drawing near to God?

5. A third way of thinking about the '“Pure in heart” is in terms of a singleness or integrity of devotion and desire.
   Read Psalm 86:11-12. How many times does David reference the Lord (by name or pronoun - ‘you, your,’ etc) in these two verses? What does that tell you about his focus? What does he mean by the prayer, “Unite my heart to fear your name”?

6. Think of someone you know who is pure in heart. What are the distinguishing marks of that person’s life?

7. Read 1 John 3:1-3. What do we learn in these verses about the promise of seeing God? What do we learn about the connection between that promise and personal purity?

1. Who has been an instrument of mercy in your life? What have been the effects of mercy in your experience?

2. Read Matthew 5:7, 6:9-15, and 7:1-2. Summarize Jesus’ teaching on mercy and forgiveness together as a group.

3. In his sermon, Robb mentioned two common ways of dealing with problematic people: Retreat (avoidance or capitulation) and Retaliation (combative confrontation, enmity). Where do you see these strategies playing out in society, or in your personal sphere of relationships? What alternative does Jesus offer us?

4. Read Matthew 18:21-35. What was Peter apparently looking for when he asked his question (v21)? What effect would Jesus’ answer have had on Peter?

5. What is difficult for you concerning Jesus’ teaching on mercy and forgiveness? What can your group be praying for you regarding the practice of mercy and forgiveness in your own life?

Click here to hear the song Thy Mercy My God

*Some questions taken & altered from John Stott’s The Beatitudes: Developing Spiritual Character

1. Read Matthew 5:3-6. In your own words, explain these first 4 beatitudes to one another. What does each mean? How do they relate to one another?

2. Why is self-righteousness unattractive? Why does unrighteousness lead to chronic dissatisfaction? Why are these alternatives to true righteousness so prevalent if we know how valueless they are?

3. In the sermon today, Robb described 3 aspects of Biblical Righteousness. Take a moment to review each one below and explain in your own words what they are. Which of the three did Robb say is Jesus’ focus in Matthew 5:6?

   • Legal standing (Phil 3:9)

   • Justice in society (Isa 1:7)

   • Personal practice (Matt 5:10, 6:1)

4. What does it look like to hunger and thirst for righteousness? How would you tell if this hunger were present in a person? In yourself?

5. Jesus was sinless, and yet he hungered and thirsted for righteousness. What did it look like in his life? (see John 4:32-34 for help)

6. Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst will be satisfied. Read Revelation 19:6-9. What is the role of righteousness in these verses? What is the tone of the passage?

7. What keeps you from passionately pursuing righteousness in your own life? What needs to change for your own pursuit of righteousness to advance?
   
   Vote for Fat Bear Week! https://explore.org/fat-bear-week

1. Read Matthew 5:1-5. What does it mean to be meek? How does “meek” build on the beatitudes that came before? What is the blessing for the “meek”?

2. Houston argued in the sermon that “the meek are those who are disciplined in gentleness to receive all things as from God.” How is this different from how you thought about meekness before? Is there anything you would add or clarify?

3. Do you find it difficult to be meek before God? With others? Do you tend to be too compliant or to build up your own strength? How might this beatitude invite you toward Christ-likeness?

4. Read Matthew 11:28-29. This is the invitation from Jesus to his disciples. If he is the perfection of this virtue of meekness, how does that change your approach to growing in it?

1. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. What does this heavenly vision reveal about the nature and character of God? How does Isaiah respond to this revelation? What happens when he recognizes and mourns his ‘unclean lips’?

2. Read Matthew 5:4 and 2 Corinthians 7:10. How does Isaiah’s experience in the previous passage relate to Jesus’ second beatitude about mourning? How does it relate to Paul’s teaching on godly grief?

3. In the message today, Robb showed the ‘Growing Cross Diagram’ (below). Take a moment and review the diagram together. What is the relationship between our willingness to acknowledge faults and our capacity to see Jesus clearly?

4. In the message today, Robb mentioned a number of strategies we can implement to avoid mourning our sin: hiding, hustling, flaunting, accusing, and shrugging our shoulders. Can you think of any other strategies people use to ‘manage’ their sin, instead of confessing and repenting in godly sorrow? What is your own faulty sin-management strategy? What would happen if you stopped depending on faulty strategies?

5. Reflect on Jesus’ examples of mourning in John 11:35 and Luke 19:41. How does his grief over our sin and brokenness differ from the way we often respond when we encounter sin in others?

• Click here to see the article in Christianity Today that Robb mentioned in today’s sermon.

1. What’s your favorite ‘Rags to Riches’ story? Why do you think these stories are so popular in our culture? How does our love of ‘upward mobility’ affect the way we practice our faith?

2. Read Psalm 34:6, 40:17, and Isaiah 66:2. How do these OT texts inform our understanding of Jesus’ term ‘poor in spirit’ in Matthew 5:3? How would you define the term in your own words?

3. Martyn Lloyd Jones said, “There is no one in the kingdom of God who is not poor in spirit.” Why is it impossible to enter the kingdom without this character quality?

4. Read Luke 15:11-32. Which character illustrates ‘poor in spirit’? What actions help us to know? Which character illustrates the opposite attitude?

5. In what areas of your life are you inclined to ‘write your resume’ to prove you are self-made and self-promoting? What will repentance look like for you if you are going to be conformed to the character of Jesus?

1. Read Matthew 5:1-2. Who are the main characters in this scene? If you are in a group with children (or young-at-heart adults!) consider dividing up and acting out these two verses. Why do you think Jesus went up on the mountain? If you were there that day, which group would you be in and why?

2. “Discipleship happens in the context of the crowd.” In what way do you feel comfortable living out your faith in front of others? In what ways is it uncomfortable?

3. Read Matthew 5:3-12. Why do you think Jesus framed these Kingdom values as blessings? What does it reflect about the heart of God toward his people?

4. Take a moment to reflect on the character qualities and corresponding promises of each beatitude. Is there one that is particularly attractive to you? One that is particularly challenging or confusing? Share with the group.

5. How do we conform to the standard set in these verses? In Sunday’s sermon, Robb mentioned 3 ways. Which is most challenging for you personally?

   • Behold him and keep beholding. (1 John 3:2)

   • Repent and Believe (Mark 1:15)

   • Lean in to community (2 Corinthians 3:18)

6. “The beatitudes sketch out for us the character of Christ himself.” Spend time together as a group in worship, praising Jesus for the holy King we find him to be in these verses.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

• A NOTE ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN:
  ”Many scholars think that Matthew probably recalls Moses' revelation on Mount Sinai (Exo_19:3) here. If so, Jesus' superior revelation also makes him superior to those who "sit in Moses' seat" (Mat_23:2); the One greater than Moses, first encountered in Mat_2:13-20, has begun his mission.”
  © 1997 by Craig S. Keener, IVP New Testament Commentary.

• For a 41 day personal devotional on the Beatitudes: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/17207-love-god-greatly-beatitudes

1. Recall a time when you felt homesick, or when the blessings of home felt out of reach. What was going on in your life? What did you long for most? What do our longings tell us about ourselves?

2. John 1 refers to Jesus as ‘the Word’ in verses 1 and 14. If you knew nothing about the Bible, what would be your understanding of the Word from these opening verses of John’s gospel?

3. The word translated ‘dwelt’ in John 1:14 is a word that literally means, “pitch a tent.” Review the passages from this morning’s sermon about:

   • Tent (Exodus 33:7-10)

   • Tabernacle (Numbers 9:15-18)

   • Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1; Ezekiel 10:18-19).

   In what ways are these various structures distinct from one another? What do they have in common? What story do they tell about Jesus?

4. What is the significance of the Word becoming flesh? How does it make you feel when you think about God the Son identifying with exiles and outsiders?

5. John says, “we beheld his glory.” Read John 12:23-33. What do you think John means when he speaks of Jesus to be glorified? What does it mean to behold his glory? Take some time to worship Christ together as a group.

1. This Thanksgiving weekend, take some time to share with the group a word of gratitude. How can we be thankful even in difficult seasons?

2. Read Daniel 12:1-4. These first verses in chapter 12 are the final verses of chapter 11’s vision. After the rise and fall of many kingdoms (chpt 11), what happens at the end of the vision (chpt 12:1-4)?

3. Chapters 11 & 12 speak of great hardship coming for the people of God before deliverance. Why is preparation for persecution a necessary part of discipleship? What kinds of persecution might you face for the sake of Christ?

4. Daniel 12:2 is considered one of the clearest promises of the resurrection in the Old Testament. Why is the resurrection an important and necessary component of the gospel? Why do you think it is so often overlooked?

5. What specific instruction does Daniel receive in this chapter (vv 9, 13))? What do you think is meant by the command, “Go your way.”? How might we follow David in heeding this instruction today?

6. Spend some time reflecting together on the major themes of Daniel as you remember them. What has God shown to you personally? To your group as a whole?

   • Some questions adapted from Exalting Jesus in Daniel (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) by Dr. Daniel L. Akin. B&H Publishing Group.

• Of the three ways to escape from hard circumstances, which one do you most often choose? avoid (ignore, medicate), deny (sometimes by hyper-focusing on what you can control), or collapse?

• Is there a circumstance that you’re facing right now that feels like it is beyond your control? What it is? If you don’t have one presently, what is one that you have experienced in the past?

• Where are you at right now in your thinking about prayer? Do you see it as powerfully effective? Do you see it as an obligation? Do you not believe that it works, so you don’t pray?

• What is encouraging to you from Daniel 10 as you think about prayer? That God moves when we pray, or that Daniel was strengthened when he prayed, or that Daniel heard God’s declaration of love for him as he prayed?

• One of the debates about this passage is whether or not that man in linen described in lots of detail in the beginning of the chapter is a high-ranking angel or if it is the pre-incarnate Christ. Regardless, this sight of a heavenly being floored Daniel, even more than the vision of the calamity floored him. Right now, are you able to see God as bigger than your calamity, or does catastrophe look bigger than God?

• Share one thing that you want the group to pray for this week, and next week, check back in to see how God worked.

1. Read Daniel 9:1-14. In the sermon, Robb talked about confession as ‘same-saying’ or agreeing with God about Him and His deeds, as well as us and our deeds. What specific truths does Daniel confess about God? About Israel?

2. Daniel gives us a model of corporate confession in these verses. In our hyper-individualistic culture, we are not naturally inclined to praying on behalf of ‘our people.’ What might a corporate confession look like for our nation or our church community? Take some time to practice praying this way together.

3. Read Daniel 9:15-19. How does God’s righteousness (v16) function in the economy of this prayer? How does it function in the previous confession (v7, for instance)? How would you explain this tension to someone new to the Bible?

4. Read Daniel 9:20-23. What do we learn from Gabriel here in his personal address to Daniel? How does God respond to the kind of posture & prayer undertaken by Daniel in this chapter?

5. Read Daniel 9:24-27. This passage is plagued with obscurity about time line beginnings and endings, but what is clear is that the work of God will be completed (v24, 27) in the fullness of time (v25a, 26b) through a Messiah or Anointed One (25b, 26a). How do you think this word affected Daniel? How does it affect you today, reading it after the death and resurrection of Jesus?

For more reading, consider this article by Michael Chase, as well as this chart outlining the most common 4 interpretive lenses for Daniel 9 - both published by Crossway.

1. Have you ever had the experienced hardship, only to realize after the fact that God had prepared you for it in advance? Share your story with the group.

2. Read Daniel 8:1-14. Describe each kingdom. What characterizes them? What about the little horn of v9ff? Why does God give such specific detail about the rise and fall of these kings and kingdoms?

3. Several times these kings are described as virtually invincible, with language like, “no one could stand against him” and “he shall succeed in what he does” (vv4, 7, 24, 25). Why do you think these kings are depicted this way? How might it affect the posture and strategy of the saints who endure their wrath?

4. Antiochus IV Epiphanes is understood to be the ‘little horn’ of vv9, 23ff. If you have time, read the account of him in 1 Maccabees 1. What similarities are there between his reign of terror and other evil world leaders that have come and gone in history? What can we learn about the spiritual forces behind these world powers by observing them?

5. Daniel 8 is God’s provision to help the saints endure hardship with hope and faithfulness. Pray for believers around the globe who are today facing fierce persecution. Pray for Christ’s return and the restoration of all things.

In a world that fills us with information constantly, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused by the narratives and the different versions of the truth. There is a need to see sin for what it is, and to act in allegiance to the risen Son. The goal of this week is to take beginner’s steps as a community group towards fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil. Make a modest goal as a group and invite one another into it. Be patient with yourself and with one another as the Spirit works in you through this.

Gather together as a community group in a comfortable setting. Say a quick prayer to invite God to lead and guide your time together. Then spend a few minutes in silence.

Spend a few minutes catching up on life, then talk through the following debrief questions:

1. Did you listen to the sermon? What did you think?

2. How familiar were you with Daniel 7? What do you enjoy? What frustrates you?

3. How does the idea of spiritual conflict make you feel?

Have somebody read Daniel 7. Talk about the following questions:

1. Jesus takes Daniel’s royal “Son of Man” title as his own, but fuses it with a suffering motif (see Isaiah 53). What aspect of Christ and his kingdom, then, is Daniel predicting in verses 13-14? How does this compare to the other four kingdoms?

2. How is Daniel affected by this vision (vv. 15, 28)? How does he learn its true meaning?

3. Take a look at this chart covering various interpretations of the four beasts in Daniel 7. What do you all think? How do you make sense of the symbolism?

Here’s a way to apply the passage this week:

1. Scripture Intake: Fight the beasts by filling your mind with biblical truth.

   1. Interact with the Scriptures regularly in community (1-2 times a week).

   2. Read the Scriptures on your own and/or as a family (daily).

   3. Develop your ability to understand and apply the Scriptures (e.g., join a Bible study, memorize verses, linger with the text on your own).

2. Confession: Fight the sin within by deepening your circle of friends.

   1. Confess your sins immediately to God. (1 John 1:9)

   2. Practice regular confession with a friend before taking the Lord’s Supper.

   3. Maintain an ongoing circle of friends who confess sin to one another, and remind one another of the gospel.

3. Silence & Solitude: Fight the world by strategic engagement.

   1. Turn off your phone and your radio during your commute.

   2. Buy an analog alarm clock and leave your phone in another room when you sleep.

   3. Pick a day for Sabbath rest (maybe Sundays!) and turn your phone off for 24 hours.

Talk through these discussion questions:

1. What’s your current practice for Scripture intake (i.e., hear, read, study, memorize, meditate), confession, and silence & solitude?

2. What’s the biggest obstacle to these things?

3. How can we as a community support each other in these areas?

1. Review the story of Daniel 6. If you have time, read the whole chapter aloud as a group. Why do you think this story connects so much with the hearts and imaginations of those who hear or read it? Why do you think it is so hard for some to believe?

2. Read Dan 6:1-5. Why is Daniel opposed by his contemporaries? Why should Christians who are serving God faithfully expect opposition? How does Daniel handle this opposition?

3. Daniel’s faithfulness to God led him to disobey the earthly king. In what kinds of issues should we be prepared to serve God rather than man?

4. God’s power is put on display in this passage. Who and what are shown ultimately to be under the authority of Daniel’s God? In what sense is this a missionary text? How does it point us to the nations?

5. Take time to pray for the persecuted church. Consider downloading the Open Doors Prayer App

Some questions adapted from Exalting Jesus in Daniel (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) by Dr Daniel L. Akin, B&H Publishing Group.

1. Read Dan 5:1-6. How do Belshazzar’s actions serve to mock God and his glory? What are some other ways we implicitly mock God’s glory?

2. Why do you think we are prone to view ourselves as indestructible or untouchable? How can you see this tendency in your own life? How and why does sin make us foolish?

3. Read Dan 5:17-23 How does God finally get Belshazzar’s attention? What kinds of things does God use to wake us up to the foolishness of our sin? How does it feel when he does this?

4. Read Dan 5:24-28. How does Daniel interpret the writing on the wall? What application can be made for our lives today from this prophetic word?

5. We don’t often like to talk about the judgment of God. Why is it important to wrestle deeply with this doctrine? In what ways might we consider God to be gracious for revealing himself as a righteous judge?

Some questions adapted from Exalting Jesus in Daniel (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) by Dr Daniel L. Akin, B&H Publishing Group.

1. Read Daniel 4:1-3. Who is the speaker? Who is the intended audience? How does this introduction set the stage for the chapter? In what ways do these verses correlate with Hab 2:14?

2. Review Daniel 4:4-27. What are the main elements of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and what do they mean? How long will Nebuchadnezzar be humbled (v. 25)? What would it mean for Nebuchadnezzar to be humble? What would be the telltale signs (see v. 27)?

3. Read Daniel 4:28-33. Verse 29 tells us that a whole 12 months separated the initial warning Nebuchadnezzar received and the judgment against him to bring about his humbling. What does this imply about God’s ways with us?

4. In his sermon, Robb said, “Politics matter to God.” How do you see this illustrated in Daniel 4? In what ways do kings and kingdoms matter to God?

5. Faith, Boldness & Meekness are our heritage as God’s people in exile. How does Daniel display these Christ-like characteristics in Dan 4? What present day scenarios challenge you to display these characteristics in your own life?

Read Ralph Winter’s essay, The Kingdom Strikes Back, here: http://www.foundationscourse.org/uploads/documents/reader/1_kingdom_strikes_back.pdf

Some questions adapted from Todd Wilson’s Daniel (Knowing the Bible) Crossway.

1. Read Dan 2:1-13. What even sparks the crisis that eventually finds its way to Daniel in v13? Why do you think this event is so troublesome to the king? To the Chaldean magicians?

2. Read Dan 2:14-24. In his sermon, Robb said, “Hope shapes our response to storms.” How do the king, the magicians, and the Hebrews respond differently to the crisis? How do the responses reveal the hopes of the characters involved? Which hopes are ‘good anchors’?

3. Read Dan 2:25-45. In what ways does Daniel ensure that God alone gets the credit for being the revealer of mysteries?

4. In verses 36–43 Daniel describes the content of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The parts of the statue represent four kingdoms, beginning with the “head of gold” (v. 38), which is Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. Daniel then sees that a stone strikes the image, destroying it (vv. 34–35). In light of verses 44–45, what is this stone? How does this relate to what Jesus says about his own life and ministry (see Matt 21:44)?

5. Read Dan 2:46-49. Nebuchadnezzar is amazed at what Daniel was able to reveal to him. He falls down prostrate and pays homage. But to whom? How would you qualify the king’s understanding of Daniel and his God?

6. How do your own habits reveal the false hopes in which you are tempted to trust? What action must you take in the future to refuse the false hope and trust in Christ instead? Share honestly with each other and spend time worshiping together and praying for one another.

   Some questions adapted from Daniel (Knowing the Bible). by Todd Wilson, Crossway.