Today we are continuing our sermon series going through the Gospel of Matthew.

Why the Old Testament is Important:

1. The New Testament quotes it
Matt. 9:13, Rom. 3:28-31, 7:12, 1 Tim. 1:8-10, 2 Tim. 3:16, Gal. 3:21

2. It give us background and shows us God’s character
Rom. 4:15, 7:7, 1 Cor. 10:11-12, Rom. 15:4, Gen. 3:7, 10-11, 21

3. It proves we can’t earn salvation
James 2:10, Gal. 3:24, Rom. 3:20, Eph. 2:8-10

What Jesus teaches us about His Word:

1. He fulfills the law
Matt. 5:17, 7:12, Mark 7:14-22, John 1:17, Rom. 6:14, 8:1, 10:4, Gal. 2:16, 5:4

2. The Bible will never fail
Matt. 5:18, Luke 16:17, ps. 119:89-90, Is. 40:8, 1 Pet. 1:25, Matt. 24:34-35

3. We are to never relax the Bible
Matt. 28:20, 2 Tim. 4:3-4, 1 John 5:3, John 14:15, Gal. 3:13, 5:1

Getting Started

Take some time to read over Matthew 5:17-20 and pray.

- Have you ever read or heard about this before?
- What stood out to you as we were talking about it? What common misconceptions about God’s Word do the people around you struggle with?- As you think about God’s Word, what misconceptions have you had about it in the past?
- Have you read all of God’s Word?
- What’s stopped you from reading the entirety of the Bible?

Diving In
Many times the Old Testament, and specifically God in the Old Testament, gets a bad reputation.
- Have you ever struggled with reconciling what you know about God from the New Testament with the Old Testament? How so, and why is that?

- Do you still struggle with that? How do you think reading the Old Testament more, would help you with understanding who God is?
- How do you think reading the Old Testament more would help you to grow in your relationship with God?
- How do you think reading the Old Testament more would help you to rely on God’s sovereignty and provision?
- Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more popular to relax certain Biblical standards. What Biblical standards do you see the people around you commonly relax? Why do you think that is?What Biblical commands are you most tempted to relax, either for yourself or others? Have you ever relaxed any of those Biblical standards? Which ones, and why?

- Read 2 Tim. 4:3-4. Today, it is easier than ever to find a Bible teacher who will teach anything you want them to teach. How can you make sure that you are confirming what you are hearing is Biblical?

- Read 1 John 5:3, John 14:15, Gal. 3:13, and Gal. 5:1. One of the greatest takeaways from Jesus’ message about His Word, is that believers who understand His message and implement it into their lives, have the greatest freedom of all. Not freedom to do whatever we wish, but freedom from sin; freedom from trying to earn our own salvation; freedom from not knowing if we are saved or not. What kind of comfort does that bring you?Have you ever thought about obeying the Bible’s commandments as gaining you freedom before? What do you need to be set free from? How would implementing Christ’s message about His Word give you more freedom than you’ve ever had?

Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

CHURCH FAMILY NEEDS: Pray for the Ewing family; Jason unexpectedly passed away Tuesday evening. Pray for Jerry Jamrozy, who has bone cancer.

MISSIONARIES: This month pray for the Mishkins.


FAMILY OF THE WEEK: Each week we’ll pray for a different family in our church. This week pray for the Walters.

HILLSIDE HAPPENINGS: Pray that the church would continue to stay unified under Christ. Pray for our livestream and for the people joining us there. Pray for Casa Del Alfarero, the Spanish-speaking Missionary Church 5 minutes from our building.

CURRENT HAPPENINGS: Pray for the war in Israel.Pray for the war in Ukraine.

Attendance
In-person on 2/11: 55
Online views (through 2/15): 11

Giving
Online (2/5/24-2/11/24): $470 for general
In-Person on 2/11/24: $665 for general, $20 for missions
Total general needed weekly to meet budget: $1623

Ladies, mark your calendars for the regional denominational retreat! This year, it is happening on Saturday, March 2nd, at St. Mark Missionary Church. Please see Tammi for more details.

This is a great time to join a small group! Joining a small group is a great way to grow in your faith. There is a small group that meets on Sunday mornings, at 9:30am, and men’s and women’s groups that meet every other Tuesday evening. For more information, please see Pastor Josh.

The foster closet is running a book drive and would love to have your help! For more information, see the insert in the bulletin, or see April Rollf.

If you do not receive our weekly emails, announcements, and prayer requests, please join our email list! You can do so by going to hmcworship.com/im-new

TECH: Our worship team is looking for someone who would like to run sound and/or slides. Please see Pastor Josh.

WORSHIP TEAM: Would you like to help out on the worship team? Please see Carolyn Dodd for details.

PRAYER GUIDE: Will you be in prayer for Hillside? Prayer guides are available at the welcome counter. Also, if you would like to be a prayer advocate, please see Pastor Josh.

MAINTENANCE TEAM: Would you like to help out on the maintenance team? We need help inside and outside the building. Please see Jeff Soule for details.