Studies

X-treme Religion

Q: How many of the 10 commandments can our group name? (Ex 20:1-17)

Q: How important do you think these are today?

Matthew 5:17
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Q: So how did Jesus fulfill these commandments?

Q: More importantly, what does he expect from us in regard to them?

Matthew 5:20
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

- The Pharisees and teachers of the law were really religious people!

Q: How can our righteousness surpass that of extremely religious people like the Pharisees?

- It’s one thing to strictly control our actions…
- But it’s something altogether different to be in control of our heart & mind!
- Consider what God told Samuel:

I Samuel 16:7
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Q: What kinds of evil things can be completely hidden from people in our hearts & minds? (discuss this)

Mark 7:21-23
21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”

Q: How often do you think people do these things in their heart and mind?

So we clearly have a problem…But Jesus is looking for righteousness in our hearts!

Q: So how can we possibly deal with things inside us like this?

I John 1:8-9
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

- Confessing our sins – the things no one else can see – is what changes us!

Q: But why is it so hard for us to be open about our sins?

The only way we can really change what’s going on inside of us is by being open…
- That means confessing our sins to one another (see James 5:16)
- Without doing this, your righteousness will never surpass the Pharisees’
- And if your righteousness doesn’t surpass that of the Pharisees, Jesus said you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven!

Practical challenges:

- Study the Bible 1-on-1 with someone in this group
- Make a decision to get open about what’s in your heart