蕭昶欣/英文/CFM/2月18-24日
1Pay attention to impressions you receive as you read Matthew 5 and Luke 6, and record them in a study journal.
2This outline can help you identify some of the most important and relevant principles in these chapters.
3By this point in His ministry, it was clear that Jesus’s teachings would be unlike what the people of His time were used to hearing.
4The poor will receive the kingdom of God?
5The meek will inherit the earth?
6Blessed are the persecuted?
7The scribes and Pharisees were not teaching such things.
8And yet to those who truly understood God’s law, these doctrines felt right.
9“An eye for an eye” and “hate thine enemy” were lesser laws (Matthew 5:38, 43), given to a people who were unwilling to live the higher law.
10But Jesus Christ had come to fulfill the lower law and teach a higher law (see 3 Nephi 15:2–10) designed to help us one day become “perfect, even as [our] Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
11Everybody wants to be happy, but not everyone looks for happiness in the same places.
12Some search for it in worldly power and position, others in wealth or in satisfying physical appetites.
13Jesus Christ came to teach the way to lasting happiness, to teach what it truly means to be blessed.
14What do you learn about obtaining lasting happiness from Matthew 5:1–12 and Luke 6:20–26?
15How is this different from the world’s view of happiness?
16What questions or impressions come to your mind as you read each verse?
17What do these verses teach you about being a disciple of Jesus Christ?
18What do you feel inspired to do to develop the qualities described in these verses?
19See also John 13:17; 3 Nephi 12:3–12; “Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes” (video, LDS.org).
20Salt has long been used to preserve, flavor, and purify.
21Salt also had religious meaning for the Israelites.
22It was associated with the ancient practice of animal sacrifice under the law of Moses (see Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19).
23When salt loses its savor, it becomes ineffective, or “good for nothing” (Matthew 5:13).
24This happens when it is mixed with or contaminated by other elements.
25As disciples of Christ, we keep our “savor” by avoiding spiritual contamination from the world.
26This allows us to fulfill our preserving and purifying work as the salt of the earth—for example, through sharing the gospel and being an influence for good in the world (see D&C 103:9–10).
27“Ye are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).
28The disciples may have been surprised to hear Jesus say that their righteousness needed to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 5:20), who prided themselves on how well they kept the law of Moses.
29But Jesus taught a higher law that not only elevates our actions but also the thoughts and feelings that inspire them.
30This higher law required much more: the heart, soul, and mind (see Matthew 22:37).
31As you read Matthew 5:21–48 and Luke 6:27–35, consider marking both the behaviors required in the law of Moses (“Ye have heard that …”) and what Jesus taught to elevate them.
32For example, what did Jesus teach in Matthew 5:27–28 about our responsibility over our thoughts?
33How can you gain more control over the thoughts that come into your mind and heart? (see D&C 121:45).
34See also “Sermon on the Mount: The Higher Law” (video, LDS.org).
35President Russell M.Nelson taught:“The term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means ‘complete.’ …
36The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means ‘to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish.’
37Please note that the word does not imply ‘freedom from error’; it implies ‘achieving a distant objective.’ …
38“… The Lord taught, ‘Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now … ; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected’ [D&C 67:13].
39“We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem so arduous and endless.
40Perfection is pending.
41It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord.
42It awaits all who love him and keep his commandments” (“Perfection Pending,” Ensign, Nov.1995, 86, 88).
43See also Philippians 3:13–15; 2 Peter 1:3–11; Revelation 3:21–22; 3 Nephi 27:27; Moroni 10:32–33; Doctrine and Covenants 76:69.
44As your family reads the scriptures together, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family.
45Here are some suggestions:
46Which principles taught in Matthew 5:1–9 could help your home be a happier place?
47You might focus on one or two as you study the Sermon on the Mount over the next few weeks.
48For example, what teachings do your family members find that can help them be peacemakers? (see Matthew 5:21–25, 38–44).
49What goals can you set?
50How will you follow up?
51To help your family understand what it means to be “the light of the world,” you could explore some of the sources of light in your home, your neighborhood, and the world.
52It might be helpful to show what happens when you hide a light.
53What did Jesus mean when He said, “Ye are the light of the world”? (Matthew 5:14).
54Who has been like a light for our family?
55How can we be a light to others? (see D&C 103:9–10).
56Why does the Lord want us to pray for those who have been unkind to us?
57How can we live this principle in our family?
58For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.
59Be observant.
60As you pay attention to what is happening in your children’s lives, you will find excellent teaching opportunities.
61Your children’s comments and questions throughout the day can also lead to possible teaching moments.(See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 16.)