Summer on the Mount - Part 1

Summer on the Mount - Part 1: The Good Life Big Idea: The life Jesus calls blessed is not always the life the world calls successful. Scripture: Matthew 5:1–12 Supporting: Psalm 1:1–6; Jeremiah 17:5–8; Luke 6:20–26; Philippians 3:7–11 Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by confronting what we desire. Before He teaches us how to live, He redefines what kind of life is actually blessed. The Beatitudes are not a list of natural personality traits or religious achievements; they are a vision of life in the Kingdom of God. Many of us are chasing the life the world calls successful while missing the life Jesus calls blessed. We chase comfort, control, approval, achievement, and image, only to find that those things are not strong enough to satisfy the soul. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the phrase, "the good life," what picture comes to mind first? Where do you think that picture came from? 2. Which Beatitude feels most disruptive to the version of success our culture celebrates? Why? 3. Ad you think about comfort, control, approval, achievement, and image, which one is most tempting for you to treat as the thing that will finally make you okay?