CONNECT
If new people have joined your group, take time to introduce yourselves to each other.
1. What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the last few years?
2. What’s something you’ve been learning about yourself lately?

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
This is the third part in a message series titled Jesus at the Center of the Kingdom. The series covers the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. In the summer of 2024, we looked at Matthew 5. In the summer of 2025, we studied Matthew 6. We’re concluding the series this summer, studying Matthew 7.

Matthew 5-7 is most commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount because Jesus gave this powerful teaching from a mountainside (Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain… Matthew 5:1a ESV). The name simply points to where it happened, but the message is much more than a location. It’s an invitation to another way of life. It’s a call to a life of humility that restores and strengthens relationships, to a life of prayer that draws us closer to God, and realigns us with His purpose for our lives. It provides us a way to know what is true and who we can really trust. It’s a call to build our lives on the foundation of Jesus so we can stand firm when the storms of life come crashing in. Ultimately, The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ announcement of what His kingdom is like and what kind of people His grace is forming us to become. May we be these kind of people.

PRAY
Take a few minutes to quiet your heart and release the cares of the day. Take a couple of deep breaths and allow any tightness you feel in your neck and shoulders to relax. Then pray together, asking God to meet each of you right where you are. Ask Him to show you more of His beauty, His truth and His direction. Invite others to voice their prayers as they feel led.

GROUP TIPS
◾If your group has eight or more people, it might be helpful to break into circles of four or five for greater participation and deeper discussion. When you come back together, invite each group to share a few takeaways from their conversation.

◾Don’t worry if you don’t get to all the questions. Spend time reading and really thinking about what the Bible is saying and what God is revealing to you personally.

1. What imagery does Jesus use in this passage? Why do you think He chose those?

2. Why might unexamined sin make us poor judges of others?

3. What tone do you hear in Jesus’ words: warning, invitation, rebuke, mercy, wisdom or something else? Explain.

4. How do we hold together Jesus’ warning against judgment and His call for us to challenge each other? For further insight, see Proverbs 27:5-6, Luke 17:3 and Galatians 6:1.

5. What does a healthy, humble conversation about sin or weakness look like? Do you have an example?

6. Are you more likely to avoid addressing problems altogether, or to address them too quickly and harshly? Share an example.

7. What does verse 6 mean, and how is that connected to judgment and repentance?

8. When you feel judgmental or critical, which of these might be the most common cause: control, superiority, safety, being right, avoiding shame?

9. Jesus doesn’t say there is no speck in the other person’s eye. Why is that important?

10. What does the image of an eye suggest about vulnerability, tenderness, perception and trust? And how is this related to the command to not judge?

11. How might Jesus be protecting both the person with the speck and the person with the log?

12. What does it feel like to be judged? What does it feel like to be gently helped?

13. How might this passage change the way you talk about people in private?

14. Who in your life helps you see your own blind spots without shaming you?

15. These passages are directly related to being judgmental, having humility and the way we talk to each other. Read these and jot down some notes of what you see:

*️⃣ The Message is commonly understood as a paraphrase rather than a formal translation. NavPress explains, Eugene Peterson renders the meaning, tone, and force of the biblical text in fresh, idiomatic English rather than closely following the original wording. It can help familiar passages sound fresh again, especially for devotional reading. But for study, doctrine and memorization, a more formal or balanced translation such as NIV, ESV, NASB, CSB or NLT is safer.

LIVE IT OUT
Ask God what He wants to say to you, then spend a few minutes quietly listening for Him to speak. This could be a word or phrase from the passage that stands out to you, or a simple thought He brings to mind.

Based on this week’s lesson, God is calling me to _____________________________.

PRAY
Share what you sensed God saying to you and pray for each other.

SCRIPTURE MEMORY
Here’s a great verse to memorize based on this week’s teaching. Read it every day until you know it by heart. Trust God to bring it back to mind at just the right time!

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Galatians 6:1 (NIV)

App and the Daily Devotional
Spend time with God with the Daily Devotionals available on the App. You can also find Sunday Message resources and videos, leave prayer requests, give and more.

Why Jesus?
If you’ve never experienced God’s forgiveness and grace, we’d love the opportunity to talk with you about a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Email thepastors@brookwoodchurch.org or call 864.688.8200.

Additional Study Tools
For additional Bible Study tools, guides and devotionals, check out bible.com, youversion.com, biblegateway.com and blueletterbible.org.