But I Say to You

In one paragraph

This message was the continuation of a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Jeff walked through Matthew 5, covering salt and light, Jesus's statement on the law, and six illustrations where Jesus intensifies the commandments rather than removes them. The sermon closed on the word "perfect," and what it actually means for disciples who are still on the way. Jesus addresses his disciples as...

Read together

1. 1 Timothy 2:5 quoted at the start of worship to introduce the song about Jesus as mediator
2. Psalm 27:1 quoted as an encouragement during the song service
3. James 1:17 read before the offering as a word about God giving good and perfect gifts
4. Matthew 5:13 you are the salt of the earth, disciples as salt
5. Matthew 5:14-16 you are the light of the world, city on a hill, light on a lampstand
6. Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus came not to abolish but to fulfill the law, not one iota or serif will pass away
7. Matthew 5:20 righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven
8. Matthew 5:21-22 you have heard do not murder, but Jesus says anger and contempt also bring judgment
9. Matthew 5:23-24 leave your offering at the altar and first be reconciled to your brother
10. Matthew 5:25-26 come to terms with your accuser quickly on the way to court, until the last quadrans
11. Matthew 5:27-28 you have heard do not commit adultery, but looking with lust is adultery in the heart
12. Matthew 5:29-30 if your eye or hand causes you to sin, remove it, better to lose a part than go to hell
13. Matthew 5:31-32 whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality causes adultery
14. Matthew 5:33-37 do not swear oaths at all, let your yes be yes and your no be no
15. Matthew 5:38-42 eye for an eye replaced by turn the other cheek, go the second mile, give your cloak also
16. Matthew 5:43-45 love your enemies and pray for persecutors, as God sends rain on righteous and unrighteous
17. Matthew 5:46-47 even tax collectors love those who love them, even Gentiles greet their own
18. Matthew 5:48 be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect
19. Romans 12:18 as far as it depends on you be at peace with all people, cited alongside the reconciliation passage

Talk about it

1. Pastor Jeff described the church collectively as salt that can become tasteless or tainted when it blends in with the world around it. Where do you see that happening, and what does it look like when the church is genuinely distinct?
2. Jesus told his disciples that their good works should make people glorify the Father in heaven. Can you think of a time when you saw someone's actions point others toward God rather than toward themselves? What made that possible?
3. Jesus did not abolish the commandments but intensified them, tracing murder back to anger and adultery back to lust. What does it do to you personally when you realize the law reaches all the way into your heart and not just your outward behavior?
4. Pastor Jeff walked through Jesus's teaching on retaliation, going the second mile, and loving enemies. Which of those is hardest for you, and what would it actually look like to live that way in a specific relationship or situation in your life right now?
5. The word translated 'perfect' in Matthew 5 carries the idea of being developed into completion by going through the necessary stages, like an acorn growing into an oak. How does that understanding change the way you think about where you are in your own spiritual life?