Lesson 3 - The Sermon of Jesus on the Mountain (2nd Qtr 2016)

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.

I'm glad you joined us today

as we continue a series of studies

on the Gospel of Matthew.

Our topic today: The Sermon
of Jesus on the Mount.

It's going to be a great blessing,

and we're especially happy

that one of our team, Stephanie,

is going to be teaching today.

Stephanie, we are looking forward

to a great study.

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Derek) And we're glad that each one of you

has joined us for our study today.

It's been a great series, hasn't it?

I notice people ask, "It's not

the same people every time?"

No, but we're all studying, and this

Gospel of Matthew, I think

the biggest challenge is we could take

a whole series of studies

on just one section,

like the Sermon on the Mount,

but we have to look at the big picture

and the message that Jesus is giving us

through His sermon in Matthew.

So, we want to pray that God would bless.

Before I do, though, I want to welcome

our Hope Sabbath School members

around the world.

Thank you for writing to us.

You can write to us at [e-mail],

and we're always happy to know

how God is blessing your lives.

Gerard writes from the Cameroon.

He says, "Hi, Hope Sabbath School team.

I'm a church member in the Cameroon.

I like to spend my time studying

with Hope Sabbath School,

and I now have an iPhone, and I'm ready

to get the Hope Sabbath School app."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, I think we have the iPhone

Hope Sabbath School app in 137 countries,

and we have the Android app,

which is only more recent;

that's, I think, in 150 countries.

So, we're glad, Gerard, that you're

going to get the Hope Sabbath School app

for your iPhone, and it's great

because you click, and the most

recent program opens up.

He concludes by saying,

"Hope Sabbath School is like
a river of blessing for me,"

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "...and I'm learning more

about the Word of God.

My dream is to be with you one day live

in this amazing Bible study."

Well, you know if you come over here

when we're filming, Gerard,

we would love to have you

on our team, but you're just as much

a part of Hope Sabbath School
right there in the Cameroon.

And I want to invite you
and everyone else watching,

think about gathering a group together.

You can download the outline,

the same outline that Stephanie

will be using today in our study,

from our website, hopetv.org/hopess.

You can download the outline,

or you can watch the program
with a group of friends;

hold up your iPHone for them, Gerard,

but get a group of people watching.

We can share what we've learned together.

Here's a note from Pavel.

Anybody want to guess where Pavel is from?

(Team) Russia.

(Derek) He's from Russia, that's right.

How did you know?

He says, "Greetings, Hope Sabbath
School, from Russia.

We always watch the
Sabbath School discussion

and truly enjoy it.

Our younger daughter, Veronica,

Consistently asks me to send you a message,

so, here it is."

Here comes the message from Veronica:

"I was sitting in the kitchen

and enjoying your songs; I like you.

My name is Veronica, and I'm 5 years old."

Well, it's good to know

we have Hope Sabbath School members

who are 5 years old, right?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thank you, Veronica,

for your message,

and we hope you will sing our new

Scripture song, "Praise Him
in the Heights."

You can download that
from our website, too.

"I'm watching you every week,"

continues Veronica, "with my mom and dad.

Thank you for the songs.
I love them and I love all of you."

Well, thank you so much, Veronica!
We love you, too.

And your mommy and daddy, thank you

for being part of our Hope Sabbath
School there in Russia.

It's amazing what a variety of people

we have watching, isn't it?

Grace writes to us from China,

and she says, "I often translate

Hope Sabbath School for my mother

who teaches a Sabbath School

in a small church in Beijing.

So, this is what we are talking about,

making Hope Sabbath School available

in other languages.

It's already happening by individuals.

Remember a recent email
from someone in Russia.

Her husband was translating for her.

"Please pray for my family so that we

can all love and reverence God."

Wow.

"These days there are many temptations

for people of all ages,
especially young people.

Pray for us so that we can have
the wisdom to follow God.

God bless you."

Well, we'll do that, Grace.

God bless you there in
the great country of China.

May God bless your witness
to those around you.

Here's one last really encouraging
email from Christian.

Now, that name has special significance,

as you'll discover in a minute.

Christian is from Malawi, and Malawi

is right there in the heart
of Africa, right?

"Dear Saints," that's an encouraging title.

"Dear Saints, I'm happy to God

for using Hope Sabbath School
to bring a change to my life.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) This is wonderful.

"It has really made an impact on my life

since I grew up a Muslim, and I never

found the truth as I found it now.

Now I have decided to follow
Jesus and be baptized.

(Team) Amen! Praise God.

(Derek) Wow.

"As I am speaking, I am now

a true believer in Bible truth.

Thank you for the mission you're doing

in cooperating with Jesus Christ

in saving lost sinners like me."

Is that powerful?

(Team) Amen. Praise God.

(Derek) "May the Good Lord bless us all,

and now you understand."

He has another name, but he's
been given a new name.

His name is Christian.

Thanks for writing to us, Christian,

from Malawi, and we just want

to praise God for the way
He's leading you,

not only for your salvation but to be

a blessing to those around you.

Right now we want to sing
our Scripture song.

It's word for word from Psalm 148.

So, it's 3,000 years old, but it's got

a new tune; I hope you'll enjoy it.

"Praise Him in the Heights."

Let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) And for those of you
who don't know,

in Hebrew "Praise the Lord"
is "Hallelujah!"

So, what a beautiful, ancient,

Scripture song with a message
with a message for us today.

And, Stephanie, as you lead us

in this important study, "The Sermon

of Jesus on the Mount," I know in the end

we are going to say, "Praise the Lord!"

because it's really encouraging news.

So, why don't you lead us in prayer
as we begin our study.

((Stephanie) Let's bow our heads.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much

for giving us this opportunity
to study Your Word.

We just ask that, as we study Your Word,

You would send Your Holy Spirit

to guide us and to direct us,

that at the end of the study, Lord,

our lives would be changed, and we

would have something to share

with those around us.

In Jesus' name, amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Stephanie) So, our study today

is on the Sermon on the Mount

according to Matthew, but we also know

that Luke records this Sermon on the Mount

as well, and there are some
differences that we see.

Before we go looking into looking

at some verses, we do some differences

between the account of Matthew
and that of Luke.

What can we learn from the differences

that we see?

Notice that Matthew is how
many chapters it spans over?

(Derek) Three whole chapters.

(Stephanie) Three whole chapters,

and that's over 100 verses.

And Luke spans over how many verses?

(Derek) I think there's 30.

(Stephanie) Just around 30.

So, what can we learn from the differences

that we see there, anyone?

(Derek) You know, Stephanie,

it's interesting that even in the 30 verses

of Luke some things are new.

So, that tells me that probably

neither of them has everything.

If Jesus taught all day on the mount,

that the Spirit's guiding
them to share some insights.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Derek) It's not a video.

(Stephanie) That's right.

(Derek) Guided by the Holy Spirit,

which is interesting because then

we ask, "Why did the Holy Spirit

inspire Matthew to include what he did?"

but there's probably much more.

(Stephanie) So, we've learned that

it's thought-inspired right?

It's not exact word-by-word inspired.

Was there someone else?
Go ahead.

(Kyle) It's like the four Gospels

are all a little different because each one

has a different perspective.

God uses each personality
to bring a new insight,

and He puts it all together
for a more complete picture.

(Derek) And, Stephanie, I just want

to catch you because I understand

what you are saying about inspired
versus word-for-word.

I think Matthew and Luke are writing
down the words Jesus said.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Derek) So, it's a little different

from the prophet being given a vision

like Daniel, and he writes it

in his own words, rather than
being dictated.

I think here Jesus may have said

different things in different ways

during the day, and for some reason,

which maybe we'll discover in our study,

Matthew decides, "I'm going
to record some of these."

By the way, he was there, right?

He was an eye witness, Matthew.

(Team) He was.

(Derek) Luke has to talk to eye witnesses,

and so he, guided by the Spirit, too,

gets some other insights,

but I think the Holy Spirit's definitely

given us a reliable account
of what Jesus said.

(Stephanie) Amen.

Is there a difference in the audience

that Matthew and Luke are speaking to?
Yes, Olric.

(Olric) Matthew's Gospel,
from our research,

is more targeted to a Jewish audience,

so in his Gospel he tends to play up

more Jesus' kingship, and in his rendering

of the Sermon on the Mount it is

a little longer than Luke's version

because we know in those days

a king is the person invested

with the authority to enforce the law,

keep the law in the land like the lawgiver.

So he spends a little more time on that

as opposed to Luke, who was writing more

to Gentiles, but he wanted the Gentiles

to see the law in a way that was

more applicable to them.

So he did not include many of the things
that Matthew was about.

(Stephanie) So, would you say that

in Matthew some of the very detailed

renditions that Matthew shares
connects with the Jews?

(Olric) Yes.

(Stephanie) ...in a way that is powerful?

(Olric) Yes, indeed.

(Stephanie) All right.

Let's go ahead and jump into
Matthew, chapter 5,

and we'll read verses 17 through 19.

And, Joshua, if you would be willing

to read for us those first three verses

in Matthew, chapter 5,
verses 17 through 19?

(Joshua) Absolutely, and I'll be reading

from the New King James
Version; the Bible says:

(Stephanie) So, what are we
talking about here?

We're talking about the Law of God, right?

(Joshua) Yeah.

(Stephanie) This is the introduction

to the Law of God that Matthew
is talking about.

Let's go and look at a few more verses,

and then we'll consider some questions

as they relate to the verses that we read.

In Matthew, chapter 5:21-22.

Olric, would you read that for us,

Matthew, chapter 5, verses 21 and 22.

And then we'll read verses 27 and 28.

(Olric) Reading from the New
Living Translation:

(Stephanie) Wow, that's pretty strong.

(Olric) Verses 27 and 28?

(Stephanie) Yes, go ahead and continue on.

(Stephanie) So, do you see a pattern?

What is the pattern that you see
in these verses?

Go ahead, Tricia Lee.

(Tricia Lee) Well, first if we
were wondering, "Well, what law

is he talking about," it's clear
as we kept reading

that he's talking about the
Ten Commandments

that the people at the time believed,

prided themselves in being
able to keep, and you start to understand

more about what Jesus meant when He said,

"I've come to fulfill," to give
a clearer understanding

of what it truly means to keep the Law.

And at the time, they were more concerned

about the outward physicality of behaviors

that proved that they
were observing the laws,

but here Jesus starts to point
to what's happening in our hearts,

in our minds, in our thoughts,
and kind of showing that

breaking the Law or even sin
doesn't just occur in an action,

it kind of starts in our hearts
and our minds.

So, again, in fulfilling that Law,
He's really kind of peeling back

what they thought was the reality
in showing that it's much deeper

than they thought in just the behavior.

There's something that's happening
in the heart that only He can come

and help them fix or
help them actually be.

(Stephanie, Team) Yes.

(Stephanie) Did you have a comment, Jason?

Go ahead.

(Jason) Yes, I'm looking at this here,

and it talks about how He didn't come

to destroy but to fulfill,

because Jesus could be accused

of these new teachings
as destroying the law,

but what He's saying is,

"Look, I'm not destroying the Law;

I'm showing you what it really means."

So, He's not saying what
was said of old is untrue;

He's saying what was said of old,
it is true, but also this.

So, you have a very limited picture

of what the Law is, but this is

a greater understanding,
a greater fulfillment

of what the Law truly is.

And that is what He is doing
here in the sermon.

(Stephanie) He's expounding on that.

Yes, Missy.

(Missy) From the fall of humanity,

you know, they had perfection in Eden.

Then came the fall.
They fell so far.

Humanity just, fell, fell, fell,

and so, step by step, through Scripture

you see how God is taking them

step by step back to His ideal

until you could see the fulfillment

of the Law in Christ when
He came to humanity.

And it was supposed to be a revelation

of who God really was.
You know, opening our minds

to what the Law really meant.

(Stephanie) Yes. Nathan.

(Nathan) Keep in mind that Matthew
is writing to Jews...

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Nathan) ...and Moses was
the great hero as the lawgiver.

Moses went up on the Mount Sinai

to receive the Law from God,

and then he gave it to the people,

and the people did their best

to keep the law, but Moses was the one

who lead them out of slavery
and into the Promised Land, right?

So, the "deliverer."

(Stephanie) Right.

(Nathan) Now Matthew is showing

Jesus is the One who went
up on the mountain

and now expounds upon the Law.

He's the new Moses, showing them,

"Okay, you received the Law

on the mountain from God
through Moses,

now up on this mountain Jesus

is saying, 'Let me show you what

this Law really means and how

it applies deeply inwardly,

and then you're going to be free,

not just from Egypt
but from the slavery of sin...'

(Stephanie, Team) Amen. Wow.

(Nathan) '...when we get to the depths

of what the Law means deep in the heart.'"

(Stephanie) And I want to go
to another passage

before we leave the teaching
of Jesus about the Law of God.

We'll move to Matthew 5:43-48,

and, Kyle, would you be willing
to read that for us?

Matthew 5:43-48.

(Kyle) I'll be reading from
the New King James Version.

The Bible says:

(Stephanie) Wow.

There's a lot in that verse.

What do you pull out from those verses?

Go ahead, Joshua.

(Joshua) I will say that it's this aspect

of Christianity that's the most difficult.

You know, if you compare this
sort of command from Jesus

in comparison to the Ten Commandments,

the Ten Commandments
actually look pretty easy.

You know, if you tell me I'm supposed

to love my enemies, do good to those

who are persecuting me, it's like,

"Are you serious?"

But at the same time we have to think

about the fact that people

outside of Christianity judge us
based on this sort of thing,

not simply how many times do you

go to church in a week or how many

Bible verses do you know,

but it's in our character and in the way

that we treat others.

(Stephanie) Wow, yes.
Go ahead, Juliana.

(Juliana) Actually this summer I was

traveling around in Europe and happened

to interact with an individual on a train.

And, somehow we got to talking
about this kind of stuff,

and he told me, "You know, Christianity

is supposed to be so much more
radical than it is.

So many people, they focus just

on the Ten Commandments,

but what about the Sermon on the Mount?"

And it kind of goes along with what

you are saying, like, people

from the outside are looking
at us, and, it's like, wow!

This is what Christianity
is supposed to be.

And I think that he was completely right,

that we should be looking a lot more

at the Sermon on the Mount for many

of the things of how we should

interact with other people.

(Stephanie) So isn't it interesting;

I think Jesus was trying to move us away

from just a head knowledge
to a heart knowledge, right?

(Team) Yes. Amen.

(Stephanie) A heart experience.

(Derek) You know, I think, Stephanie,

something Jason said earlier is

really important because some Christians

get confused and say the Ten Commandments

doesn't matter; we just need
to love, but that's absurd.

That's like saying, "Don't hate people,
but you can kill them."

"Don't lust after someone, but you
can commit adultery with him or her."

It's not that.

The Commandments stand.

But, as Tricia Lee was pointing out,

God is calling us to a much
higher standard.

In fact, to be honest, it's
an impossible standard

if we're going to do it

in our own strength because we know

how feeble we are.

(Stephanie, Team) Yes.

(Derek) It's going to take a miracle...

(Stephanie) Exactly.

(Derek) ...so that, as Joshua pointed out,

people will look, and they'll actually see

Jesus reflected, right?
Instead of us.

(Stephanie) And that happens as a result

of the head knowledge going
to our hearts, right?

And that's the next section that we

want to move into, this outward conformity

versus an inward conversion.

And, I'd like us to move
to Matthew, chapter 5, verse 20.

Go back to Matthew, chapter 5, verse 20,

and, Missy, would you read that for us?

(Missy) I am reading from
the New Living Translation:

(Stephanie) So, I think this is coming back

to what Juliana was saying.

People expect something more than

just a check off, right?
they want something real.

(Olric) But it's not just the realness.

Notice here he says,

"Unless your righteousness

exceeds their righteousness, what was

their righteousness that was
not sufficient for God?

Their righteousness...mind you,

righteousness means "right doing."

So, they had the outward expression

of doing right, but at the same time

the inward conversion was not there.

What they were doing was not from a heart

that genuinely loved God and loved people.

So you find that a lot
of what was being done

looked right to the folks on the outside,

but God knew that the heart
was not transformed.

So, Jesus is saying,"It's not just

to do right on the outside; I want

your heart to be in
the right condition also."

That means that your actions

will be inspired and motivated
by the right desires.

(Stephanie) So, it starts in the heart,

it starts in the mind, and then
our actions follow.

Go ahead.

(Kyle) I'm just going to add
onto what he said

because the Pharisees, they had
a scale of how...

They said, "Okay, this is a sin and this

is worse and worse and worse,
and this is a good deed,

and this one's really good,
and this one's really, really good."

And they almost would balance and say,

"If your good deeds outweigh

your bad deeds, then you earned

righteousness in God's sight."

So, it was this whole outward way

of building up themselves, basically,

to feel like they were good
and accepted by God.

But Jesus comes, and He says,

"That's not what it's about.

Every amount of human
righteousness is inadequate."

The only thing is the
true heart righteousness

that you were talking about, Pastor Derek.

That is only from the Holy Spirit.

And that's a total transformation

of character; true perfection
in God's eyes.

(Stephanie) By the way, those who

were listening, because we look at it,

and we say, "Oh, it has to exceed

the righteousness of the Pharisees."

Well, we know what the righteousness

of the Pharisees looked like,

but for those who were listening,

the Pharisees were on a high level.

(Team) Right.

(Stephanie) So, for them, they were

thinking, "Whoa!
For us to exceed that --

we can't even match them!

How do we exceed that?"

So, what is Jesus trying to teach?

And, also another question that I

would have, too, is that,

have you ever tried to earn
the favor of Christ, of God?

I mean, let's be real.

Have you ever been in that situation?

Please be willing to share, I hope,

a time when you've tried to do that.

What was that like?
Go ahead, Tricia Lee.

(Tricia Lee) Your first question

about how could they exceed the
righteousness of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees, you're right.

They were very good at doing
what the law required,

and the different requirements
that they made,

but they did not love God,
and they did not love other people

other than themselves.

And we find that that was what God

was trying to teach them was that,
at the heart of the commandments,

loving the Lord more than anything else

and loving your neighbor as yourself,

and they completely missed all of that.

So, the "checking of the boxes" meant
nothing because they didn't love God.

They crucified Him, tried to kill Him
at every chance they could.

They did not love their neighbors;
they were the ones walking past

the Samaritan on the road
and these people.

I think that it's hard because, as humans

and even as you grew up as a child,
you learned that if you study hard

and you get a good grade,
or if you do this then you get a reward.

So, it goes against the way even society

runs and functions, that,
if you do something then

you get something.
An action has an equal reaction.

But here God is showing us that
it really doesn't depend upon you

or me or us, it all has to depend
upon Christ, and that's where

the faith comes in.

So, it's the faith, it'is the obedience,
it's all depending upon Christ.

It's really His righteousness
that's working in us.

And I think what happens,
at least for me, is that...

and I'm sorry...it's just that
once you are honest with yourself,

and when you realize, "I keep
trying, and I keep failing,

and that's not good enough,"
at some point you just have

to get tired of trying and
failing, and you realize

it can't depend upon me anymore.

I have to reach out to somebody who I know

was successful in this life,
and it was Christ.

(Stephanie) And who has
the power to do it.

(Tricia Lee) Exactly.

(Stephanie) To get us out of the mess.

And I think we've all
been there, haven't we?

(Tricia Lee) Yeah!

(Stephanie) We realize that we need Jesus.

Andrea, you wanted to share?

(Andrea) I only wanted to reflect

a little bit on your question, which was

how would we express if we have been

in a similar situation where we felt

we needed to do something in order
to earn God's favor.

And I recall I was a teenager and have

sat in church many times listening

to baptismal appeals and calls
to give our lives to Jesus.

And, as the pastor's daughter,

it was something I would
listen to very frequently.

However, I had the feeling or a tendency

of thinking that I have to be
very prepared to make that step.

So, for years I have resisted the call,

and I have considered that

I'm not ready yet, or
I'm not good enough...

(Stephanie) Wow.

(Andrea) ...until I was 17 when I started

to meditate more upon this decision,

and decided I have to make this step

even if I'm not feeling quite ready,

and the Lord will take care of the rest.

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Andrea) I cannot tell you how blessed

I felt afterwards.
It was the best decision of my life.

(Stephanie, Team) Amen.

(Derek) You know what Jesus said,

Stephanie, in the Sermon
on the Mount just a little later.

He said, "Seek first the Kingdom

and His righteousness."

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Derek) And really what Tricia Lee

is saying is righteousness is a gift,

back to that miracle of new creation

that we talked about in a previous study.

God is going to change us from the inside

so that we are motivated by love,

even in the keeping of the Commandments.

Love to God and love to those around us.

And that's a miracle of the new creation.

(Stephanie) And I believe
John, chapter 14:15

tells us a little bit about that.

John, chapter 14, verse 15.

And, Nathan, would you be willing

to read that for us?
John, chapter 14, verse 15.

(Nathan) Right. I'm reading
from the New King James Version.

John 14 and verse 15:

(Stephanie) Wow.
Very simple, right?

(Team Member) Very plain.

(Stephanie) So, how does your attitude

towards God's law change when you have

this trusting, loving relationship

with Jesus as your Savior and your Lord?

How does that change?
Olric?

(Olric) You want to keep it because,

when you have this love relationship

with God, I compare it to a marriage.

You know, for those who are
married here on the set.

You know, you have your spouse,
you exchange vows and so forth.

And, you know, some folks,

they may be married for
30 years, 40 years, 50 years,

and sometimes we question and we ask them,

"How did you "guys"
maintain that relationship,

that connection, the
obedience to the vows?"

And they just say to me,

"It's very simple:
I love the other person.

That's why I do what I do."

So, when you are in that love relationship

with God, you want to do the things

that pleases Him the same way He likes

doing things that blesses you.

So, you are motivated by a love for God,

that is what really propels
you to obedience.

(Stephanie) The heart's been changed.

(Olric) The heart's been changed.

(Stephanie) The heart's been changed.
Missy and then Nathan.

(Missy) I see Scripture as God

in continual pursuit of humanity,

"Look at me; look at my face;

look at what I've done for you.
Please, keep your attention on me.

Look at what I've said in My Word.

Get to know me."

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Missy) When we are able
to hone in on that,

the Law is a natural
result of the relationship.

(Stephanie) Powerful.
Nathan.

(Nathan) Well, I love this woman.

(Derek) You better tell the people

that that's your wife.

(Nathan) This is my wife, and, you know,

if I do something that
hurts her, that hurts me.

To see my wife hurting

because of something I've done

would break my heart.

So, when we're in love with the Lord,

we realize that when we break
His Law we're hurting Him.

He's given us His Law because
He wants us to be happy.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Nathan) And when I wander away

from that Law that He's given, which is

a Law of freedom, a Law of liberty,

and it's a Law that brings joy to my life,

I know that not only am I hurting myself,

but I'm hurting Him.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Nathan) So, my love for Him just propels

me into naturally obeying the Law

because I don't want to break His heart;

I don't want to hurt Him, as well.

(Stephanie) Okay, Joshua, and then

we'll go to Tricia Lee, and then
we have to move on.

(Joshua) I believe that we not only serve

a holy God but we serve a practical God.

So, when I look at His Commandments,

I see that even if I weren't a Christian

it would be in my best interest
to still keep these Commandments.

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Joshua) So, if you think about what it

would be like to murder someone, and what

you would have to live with after that,

and if you know what it feels like

to commit adultery and see the effects

of that trickling after, if you look

at each and every Law, you'll see,

"Wait a minute.
He's not telling me

to keep these Laws as
hoops to jump through

in order to make it into Heaven,"

but it's for our own good and for our
best interest to keep these Laws.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Tricia Lee) Something that Missy

and Joshua mentioned
about getting to know God

and what's in our best interest,

I think that the Devil's deception is that
we would think of God as someone

who is out to get us, someone
that cannot be trusted.

And if He's a Being that is not
to be trusted or, you know,

wants to hurt us, then I don't care
about what He's saying, I don't care

about His Laws, (that breaking them)
is not good for me.

When we do exactly what Missy is saying,

try to get to know Him, allow Him
to enter our lives, and we see who He is,

like, how Jesus came, the best
example, a revelation of the Father,

He lived a whole life, when
we see the life of Christ,

how could we not want to be more like Him?

How could we not want to see
truly who the Father is,

and then everything He's saying
starts to make sense as things

for our best interest, as
things that will help us

be in a loving relationship with Him.

So, even Christ coming and expounding
and fulfilling the Law

was us seeing the Father as who
He really is, not the deception,

not the lies, the angry God
with lightening and thunderbolts.

When we see that, then the Law
starts to be something beautiful

for our best interest and something that
helps us be in a good, loving,

strong relationship with Him.

(Stephanie) We have full confidence...

(Tricia Lee) Yeah, yeah.

(Stephanie) ...that He has
the best interest in mind.

We need to move on to God's ideal

for His children, which somewhat connects

with what we've already
been speaking about.

Matthew, chapter 5, verse 48, and, Nicole,

if you would be willing to read that

for us, and then we'll follow it up

with Luke 6:36, and, Nancy, if you
would read that one after Matthew 5:48.

(Nicole) Okay, Matthew 5:48.

I'm reading it from the New International
Version, and the Bible says:

(Stephanie) And then Luke 6:36.

We're looking at these two
in conjunction with each other.

(Nancy) Okay, and this is from the
New King James Version.

(Stephanie) All right, what is
Jesus asking us to do?

(Olric) Be like God.

(Stephanie) To be like God.

He's asking us, may I mention it this way:

He's asking us to do the
impossible without Him.

It would be impossible without Him.

You understand what I'm saying?

But He's giving us the strength to do it,

so, it's not impossible, but without Him,

if we're trying to do it as only head
knowledge, it is going to be impossible.

(Derek) And, you know, Stephanie,

sometimes people read that like,

"Be perfect," and think that's the way to

make God love us, right?

Never quite good enough.

That's not what it's saying at all.

(Stephanie) Right.

(Derek) That's why Luke's wording

is different is important.

He's saying, "I want you to reflect

the beauty of my Father's character."

And what does it look like?

Jesus said, "If you want to know

what the Father is like, look at Me."

So, He's saying, "I want you to
reflect my character to the world,"

and that is not to earn His love.

He already loves us.
It's out of that loving relationship.

(Stephanie) Yes.
Go ahead, you wanted to say something.

(Andrea) I also wanted to add

to what Elder Morris said, that this
perfection that God is calling us to

is not so much a state of sinlessness

as the spiritual maturity to which we need

to attain, and the Lord can
help us to attain that.

And, of course, at each state

of the Christain's experience,

there is a different level of maturity

because what is perfect for
a grade one student to add 2 + 2

is not perfect for a grade five student

or a grade eight student.

So this perfection is where we are at;

if we just fulfill what God requires
us to do at that stage,

we have attained to God's ideal.

(Stephanie) Amen.
All right, Olric.

(Olric) Let me encapsulate
what she's saying.

At each stage, God reveals light to us.

He reveals more of Himself to us.

Perfection that is being talked about here

is the progressive state
of growth, Christian maturity.

A plant starts out as a seedling,

but then it grows to a big tree
and bears fruit.

A baby starts off walking on fours

and mumbling, but eventually
they grow, and they walk on legs,

and now they can talk well
and do things for themselves.

There is maturing; there is growth.

God's ideal of perfection is that
you should continually grow.

Not that you reach a stage here,

where, "Hah! You're perfect.
Now you don't need to go any further."

No.

His idea of perfection is
progressive Christian maturity.

(Stephanie) So, let me...
Go ahead, go ahead, Kyle.

(Kyle) You know, somebody
might be worried,

"Well, I'm not perfect, and I
have all these faults,"

and my only thing I think we
could all say: "Look to Jesus."

(Stephanie/Team) Yes.

(Kyle) Look to Jesus, because Jesus,

as we look to Him, "If ye love Me,

keep My Commandments," He says.

The only way that we can truly grow

in likeness to Him is to fall in love

with Him, and how do we
fall in love with Him?

By looking to Him, spending time with Him.

(Stephanie/Team) Yes.

(Kyle) That is so key because otherwise

we're just going to try
to earn our righteousness,

and that will never get us anywhere.

So, we must look to Jesus.

(Derek/Team) Amen. Yes.

(Stephanie) Beautiful, beautiful.

So, my question, I think we already have

an answer for it, but my question is:

Is this a means of salvation

or an evidence of a living,
loving connection with Jesus?

(Olric) Simple.

it's an evidence of a living connection

with Jesus, not a means to salvation.

(Stephanie) All right.

Will you share with us a
verse that supports that?

(Olric) Galatians 2, verses...

(Stephanie) Galatians, chapter 2.

So, Olric, you'll go ahead and read

Galatians, chapter 2,
I believe, 20 and 21.

(Olric) Galatians, chapter 2,
verses 20 and 21?

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Olric) Reading from the
New Living Translation,

the Word of God says:

(Stephanie) Wow.

Another verse, another
promise that we can share.

Someone out there, as Kyle was saying,

may be wondering, "How do I do this?"

"How is this practical?"

Yes.

(Derek) Let me just say people may not
know who wrote the Galatian letter,

but Saul of Tarsus, later
called Paul the Apostle,

he had gone down that road
of trying to earn righteousness.

(Stephanie/Team): Yes.

(Derek) He said, "I was
flawless," you know?

But he was killing people
who believe in Jesus.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Derek) So, he understands
the miracle of his changed heart.

And I just want to emphasize,

I know it is one stage and then another,

but it's a miracle at every stage.

(Stephanie/Team): Amen. Yes.

(Derek) For us to be who God's
calling us to be, is a miracle.

(Stephanie) It is.

(Derek) And Paul would be the first one

to say that it is a miracle.

That's why he says that
if anyone is in Christ,

she or he is a new creation.

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Derek) Because he's seen it himself.

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Olric) It's key that in that verse

is mentioned Christ now lives in me.

He says, "It is no longer
I who live, but I died.

I surrender self and the old way,

and I accept Christ in my heart,

and He changes me internally.

Now what I do is motivated by love."

So, it is very important
to see the transformation.

(Stephanie) Would you share with us

a time when you experienced

or you saw someone who represented

the character of Christ.

What impact did that have on you?

You saw someone had
the character of Christ.

What was the impact on you, or what was

the impact when someone saw

the character of Christ in you?

What impact did that have on you?

(Derek) Stephanie, I was 7 years old...

(Stephanie) Go ahead.

(Derek) Oh good, if I can
just share real briefly.

...and my teacher in Form 2
(this is back in the UK)

was full of the love of Jesus.

I was only privileged to go

to a Christian school for four years,

but that one year with Christine Emmerson

my teacher changed my life...

(Stephanie) Wow.

(Derek) ...because she was
full of the love of God.

And when you see that, and I think

that's the ultimate witness,
it's not just what we say.

When the love of God fills a heart,

we just say, "I just
want to be like that,"

and that person says, "Well, I'm

a follower of Jesus, so follow Him."

(Stephanie) Amen.

Reflecting the light of Jesus.
Nancy.

(Nancy) My dad is full
of the love of Jesus.

And, you know, what he does is he studies

the Bible in the morning, a chapter

in the morning, and a chapter

in the evening, a chapter in
the New, a chapter in the Old.

I like to think about it

as him "marinating" his life
in Jesus, you know?

It's a cooking term, when you take

some meat or some tofu, and you put it,

you know, in all of those
sauces and things.

Well, that's what he does with his life,

and so everything he does
is covered in Jesus.

(Team) Amen.

(Nancy) He's been a great example to me.

(Derek/Stephanie) Amen.

(Team) Praise God.

(Stephanie) I'm guessing that he's been

on his knees praying often,

and I think that's the section that

we want to move into next.

We've talked about the head knowledge,

and that it reaches our hearts,

and, as a result, our hands or our actions

produce what has already happened inside.

Now we are going to talk
about how we sustain that,

and that is by spending
time with God in prayer.

So, Juliana, if you would read

Matthew, chapter 6, verses 5 through 13.

Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 through 13,

talking about Jesus teaching on prayer.

(Juliana) I'm reading from
the New King James Version:

(Stephanie/Team) Amen.

(Stephanie) What important lessons

can we learn about prayer
from Jesus' example?

Go ahead, Tricia Lee.

(Tricia Lee) I like that we're counseled
not to have vain repetitions,

so, there were practices that heathens
had at the time but also was part

of the religious practices
to repeat certain things.

"The more I say it, then
the more likely God will hear,"

but here this model, in its
simplest way, is a conversation.

I think, even in talking to God, we are
acknowledging that He's hearing us.

We're not just saying phrases out,
and hoping they go somewhere.

We're actually speaking to another
Being who can hear and understand

and wants to have a conversation with us.

(Stephanie) So, we have full confidence

in the Person that we love and trust.

(Tricia Lee) Yes.

(Stephanie) Amen.

Nathan, and then we'll go to Olric.

(Nathan) I can't miss the distinction

Jesus is making between people who pray

to be seen by others, and it's not just

what they say but where they
are when they are saying it.

They're out on the street corners,

versus people who are praying in secret.

He says, "Go into your room and pray

to your Father who is also in secret."

So, in other words, what He's showing us

here is this is an intimate time.

I'm sorry if this sounds a little

too far fetched, but just like

a married couple behind closed doors

and the intimacy that they share.

They are having quiet time
or conversation, you know.

No one else is there, and this is

the same way, He says, "With your Father

in Heaven, you are behind
closed doors, intimate communion."

It's just you and Him.

You're not showing off to the world.

You're not doing this before others.

You're having quiet time.

So, Jesus wants us to be having

intimate communion
with our Father quietly.

(Stephanie) Just to think that

He's willing to spend quiet time with us.

(Team) Amen.

(Stephanie) The God of the universe.

I mean, think about that.
That's powerful.

(Olric) It's very key that Nathan

points that out because in
verse 16 of that same chapter

He uses the word "hypocrite."

He says, "Don't fast as the hypocrites do."

That word is a key word,

because in the Greek it means an "actor,"

you know, someone who puts
on a show, a performance.

So, what is Jesus saying about these
individuals who pray to be heard

by many people or use many words
to look religious and so forth?

He's saying, "You're just acting,"

and my Bible says to me, "If you harbor

iniquity in your heart, God
will not hear your prayers."

This was a problem with the religious
leaders and those who were doing it

for outward show; the heart wasn't right.

(Stephanie) Right, He was asking

for an inward change.

Go ahead, Nicole.

(Nicole) Just to take it
a little differently,

you can also teach someone how to pray,

so when I look at this verse
and I look at this text,

I think about children and make sure

that we instill within our children

the desire to pray and the need to pray.

We have to teach them how to pray

and how to spend that time with God,

so they can then grow to a place

when they can spend that
quiet time in their "closets"

knowing what they're to say.

So I think that we should really remember

that we all have to teach
our children how to pray.

(Stephanie) I agree.

(Derek) You know, I'm thinking,
in the light of what Nathan said,

in the little book "Steps to Christ,"

it speaks about prayer as the opening

of the heart to God as to a friend.

That's very personal.

Even the Lord's prayer could become

a vain repetition, if you
just repeat it ten times

and think that God will hear
you by saying it ten times.

In fact, if you look at the Gospels,

Jesus prays a lot of different prayers.

(Stephanie) He does.

(Derek) He is opening His heart
to His Father as to a friend.

And I think what I'm hearing

in this great Sermon on the Mount,

just like with loving obedience,

is when you love God you
want to talk to Him.

(Stephanie) Yes.

(Derek) And you want to listen, too.

(Stephanie) You have
an open communication.

Juliana, and then we need to move on.

(Juliana) I was just going
to say really succinctly

that what this says to me,

and I guess why I choked up
trying to read it,

was that it says we have
a direct connection.

(Team Member) Amen.

(Juliana) We don't have
anything else in the way.

(Stephanie) That's right.

(Juliana) That the God of the universe

wants to talk to me and
wants me to talk to Him.

(Derek) Amen.

(Stephanie) Wow, that's powerful.

Let's move on; Matthew, chapter 7.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Matthew, chapter 7, and
we'll go to verses 24 to 27,

and, Jason, would you read that for us?

Matthew, chapter 7, and we're moving

into our last section of our study

that is "Living What We Learn."

Go ahead.

(Jason) I'll be reading from
the New King James Version,

Matthew, chapter 7, verse 24 through 27.

(Stephanie) What is Jesus'
appeal in these verse?

What is Jesus' appeal?
Missy.

(Missy) Trust and obey, Just listen

to what He has to say and do them.

It's just simple.

(Stephanie) Yes.
Go ahead, Joshua.

(Joshua) I would just say to build

your foundation on Christ.

Essentially, if you look
at family structures,

it never made sense to me as to why

atheists get married, you know?

Think about it just for a second.

Just picture that in your
mind for a minute.

How is it, if you're not focused

on the love of Christ and the beauty

of His Word and the understanding

of His heart rather than your own,

how is it that you can unite yourself

in a marriage and try to build your family

on a structure that cannot stand,

that's built on worldly
principles that are like sand?

They can change at any time.

They are weak.
They are futile.

So, when I think about
that in my own life,

I say, "Okay, I have to build
my foundation on Christ."

(Stephanie) Amen.

(Joshua) Because outside of that,

everything else is just going
to be a wreck, you know,

and it's really that simple.

I think it's a lesson to us to just say,

"Okay, let's go about things

in the smartest way
possible," and this is it.

(Stephanie) Amen.

Nathan and then we'll come up to Kyle.

(Nathan) Jesus is comparing
two kinds of people here.

Both of them heard His Word. He says,

"Whoever hears these sayings of Mine

and does them," and then He says later,

"Whoever hears these sayings
and does not do them."

So it's not about just
hearing and knowing,

it's actually about
putting it in practice.

He says, "The one who puts into practice

these teachings of Mine, this is

solid rock foundation that you can

build on, and it's trustworthy,
so build on this.

But if you hear it and don't do it,

whatever you're building on is like sand."

(Stephanie) Right.

(Nathan) It's not a solid foundation.

(Stephanie) You won't
make it through the storm.

(Stephanie) Kyle.

(Kyle) I'll just add to what Nathan said.

Just to think that this whole time

in Matthew 5 we've been
looking at, you know,

Jesus' standard of righteousness versus

what our human standard is.

And if we build our lives
on our own righteousness,

on our own works, then it's like sand.

We have no real foundation.

The only Rock is the Rock
of Christ's righteousness

that can get us through the storm.

So, you know, it all connects;

it's dependence upon Him,

even the prayer thing.

Prayer is all about dependence on God,

and depending on His righteousness,

on His character in our hearts,

will give us the foundation that will

carry us through that storm.

(Stephanie) Amen.

Tricia Lee, did you have a
comment you wanted to share?

(Tricia Lee) I was just reflecting on what
Juliana mentioned about the invitation

to connect with the Lord, "our Father."

Even in reading this, I just feel as
though personally I would be a fool

not to accept that invitation, that
the great God of the universe came,

sent His Son, went to all this length
to show me who He really is,

to show me what His Law means,
to show me how to love other people,

who wants to love me and
wants to accept my love to Him,

and He's just giving me
the simple way to Him

that I have to be kind of silly in
seeing all of this and then saying,

"No, I'd rather build it my own way."

It just really feels like it's just a
heart-felt invitation, and that, wow,

how do I respond to that.
I was just thinking about that.

(Stephanie) So I want to move on.

We have one more verse to read,

and that's John, chapter 13:17.

I'll ask Tricia Lee if you
would read that for us.

The question is, why does Jesus want

us to live in harmony with His Word?

(Tricia Lee) John, chapter 13, verse 17.

I'm reading from the New King
James Version, and it reads:

(Stephanie) Tricia Lee, I think that is

what you were talking about.

(Tricia Lee) It's a blessing.

(Stephanie) God wants us to be happy.

(Team) Amen. Yes.

(Stephanie) It has to go from the head

to the heart, to the
hands, and to the "how."

How do I do that?

By spending time with Jesus

and falling in love with
my Savior and Lord.

Then what happens?

When you're sharing with others,

doesn't it make you happy?

You're in the will of God.

There's no better peace than that.

Go ahead, Olric.

(Olric) Let me just wrap
this study here together.

We see clearly Jesus is saying,

"The law is important, you must keep it,

but I don't want you to keep it

from an unconverted heart because

to do that is to do it with a heart

that is not connected to the love of God,

that is devoid of the right
motives and right thoughts."

So, keep the Law but make
sure the heart is converted.

Why?

Because when you do
that you build your faith.

(Stephanie) Our faith is
built upon the Rock, yes.

And our eyes are fixed on Jesus,...

(Team) Amen.

(Stephanie) ...the Author
and Finisher of our faith,

and we share that with joy in our hearts.

What a God.
What a God we serve.

Thank you so much for this lesson

and for sharing today.

(Derek) Thanks, Stephanie.

You know, the Sermon on the Mount ends

by saying they were astonished

at His teaching because He taught as One

having authority, and really our authority

comes from that living
connection with God, doesn't it?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) And I want to challenge you,

as you think about this message,

I have to be honest.

If I look at God's ideal,
it's an impossible standard

unless a miracle happens in my heart,

that God's grace not only saves me

but transforms me into that follower

of Jesus that He wants me to be,

to reflect the beauty
of His character to others.

That's God's plan for you and for me.

Why don't we pray that that
miracle can happen each day,

not only for our blessing but
the blessing of those around us.

Let's pray.

Our Father in Heaven, we're astonished

at the teaching of Jesus, to
know how much You love us

and how much You want to
work in us and through us.

Oh, Lord, forgive us where we have tried

to build our own righteousness,

to build on sand instead of
on Jesus the Solid Rock.

Please, accept our lives now

and work in us and through us

as we follow you with love in our hearts,

is our prayer, in Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.

We are learning a lot from
the Gospel of Matthew.

Take what you learn and
share it with those around you.

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