Love Without Boudaries

Love Without Boundaries

Sermon Discussion Questions - May 7.2023

1.     Read Matthew 5:38-42.  In this passage Jesus gives 5 mini vignettes.  Speak about how each might be misinterpreted and what you learned from Sunday’s message.

5 mini vignettes

#1.  Eye for an Eye.      #2.  Turn the other cheek.      #3.  Give them your coat too.

#4.  Go the extra mile.            # 5.  Give to anyone who asks of you.

2.      Read the following passages in Leviticus.  How did Mosaic Law answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

·          Leviticus 19:15-18.  Who is your neighbor?

·          Leviticus 19:33-34.  Who is your neighbor?  What insights do you get from this passage that might relate to the issues of immigration in the United States?

3.      Read Matthew 5:44-45.  If the command to “love your neighbor” cannot be found anywhere in the Old Testament, where does Jesus get the idea and what is he pointing to?

4.      Read Matthew 5:46-47.   What message is Jesus wanting to get across to his followers here?

5.      It seems foreign to use the word “enemy” to describe people in our life.  It’s not a word that we use very much.  It doesn’t pop into our pattern of thinking towards people today.  We often want to pretend, “I don’t have any enemies.”  But Jesus seems to be including us all, suggesting that everyone has an enemy.  We all have people in our life histories who….

·         Say unkind things – ridicule, put down, gossip, slander, falsely accuse.

·         Treat you poorly like you don’t matter. They ignore or slight you.

·         Actively seem to work against you or stand in your way of success and moving forward in life – try to hold you down, hold you back on purpose. 

Who might be your enemy today – that person who you never thought about praying for or doing an act of kindness for?

6.      If Jesus commands each of us to pray for and love our enemies, how might you take action this week in response to His command?

7.      Read Matthew 5:48. Have you ever struggled with understanding the meaning of this verse?  Why do you think Jesus placed it here in his sermon, and what is his message to his followers?