Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 5:27-32), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• The Triune God is relational in his being. He cares about our relationships, and he has told us how to live in them. What he has told us about how to relate to others goes deeper than just our words or actions—he wants us to relate to each other from pure hearts. Why do you think that is important to God? Why does a sin like adultery (whether the outward performance of it or the lust of the heart) lead to hell? In other words, what’s so bad about adultery?

• Jesus says that the root of sins like adultery is in our hearts, and he suggests that we need to cut out our hearts (spiritually speaking) if they cause us to sin. Only with Jesus can you cut out your old, dead, sinful, heart—and still live, and receive a new heart. The Gospel declares that your self-centered lust died with Jesus on the cross: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). What is it like to believe this? How does believing this open up possibilities for new and blessed life with God?

• Jesus is the faithful Bridegroom united to a faithless Bride (sinners in the church). His faithful heart is yours through his Spirit given to you. Sanctification means growing to live more and more with reference to him in all your relationships. How has Jesus been faithful to you? Whether you are married or single, how has his faithfulness changed your sexual faithfulness? In what ways are you concerned to promote the sexual faithfulness of others in your life?

• FOR THE CHILDREN: Maybe it is God’s good will that someday you would be married, and maybe it is God’s good will that you wouldn’t. Do you have a good example of a marriage that you can think of? What do you think is good about it? Do you have a good example of a single person you know? What do you see in that person’s life that makes you think it would be good to be single? Where would you turn to learn how to live as a Christian married person or a Christian single person?