How happy is the man . . . How would you complete this phrase? Psalm 1:1-6 gives us the answer if we are willing to listen. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: The Path, will help your group wrestle with the truth found in these passages about choosing the path that leads to true happiness.

Teaching Helps

• Since this is the beginning of a study of the book of Psalms, the following link provides an overview from Chuck Swindoll, which will help you understand more fully the scope and focus of Psalms. - CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
• The following video can be used as a part of your group time to help provide an introduction or a conclusion to your study of Psalm 1:1-6

We are in the thick of graduation ceremonies all around the country, which means there are hundreds, even thousands of commencement speeches that have been or will be delivered. In Matthew 28, the disciples have just “graduated”! Jesus has been raised from the dead and the disciples have traveled to Galilee to meet with Him. In just 3 days the disciples experienced Jesus’ crucifixion by the Romans, the empty tomb, and now stand face to face with the risen Lord. They are about to experience the highest moment of their time in “school” with Jesus Christ. They are asking what many graduates are asking today, "What do we do now?" This week's Explore the Bible Study from LifeWay will answer that question.

The disciples are facing a new future and their commencement or commission speaker is their beloved Teacher, the One whom they followed for so many years, the resurrected Christ! The charge they are going to be given is called The Great Commission.

I believe we have a great opportunity Sunday to have honest discussion about how we, as believers, should be on mission fulfilling The Great Commission. I have included some very challenging discussion questions that will help your group look beyond what they already know about this passage. Here are a few resources you might find helpful:

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The image above could be displayed to generate interest and discussion at the beginning of the session.

Some Worshiped and Some Doubted Explanation (Matthew 28:16-17)

We are left with some uncertainty about what Matthew means, owing primarily to the conciseness of his account. Perhaps it is best to conclude that, especially if the "some" refers not to the Eleven but to other followers, the move from unbelief and fear to faith and joy was for them a "hesitant" one. The Eleven, who according to the other Gospels had already seen the risen Jesus at least twice (Peter at least three times, Thomas at least once), respond instantly with worship on the occasion of this new epiphany, but some (others) hesitated—without further specification as to their subsequent belief or doubt. If this is what Matthew means, he may be using this historical reminiscence to stress the fact that Jesus' resurrection was not an anticipated episode that required only enthusiasm and gullibility to win adherents among Jesus' followers. Far from it, they still were hesitant; and their failure to understand his repeated predictions of his resurrection, compounded with their despair after his crucifixion, worked to maintain their hesitancy for some time before they came to full faith. Jesus' resurrection did not instantly transform men of little faith and faltering understanding into spiritual giants. - The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 8

Thought Provoking Commentary - John MacArthur Commentary - Matthew 24-28

John's insight and comments will challenge you to go further in your study as you prepare to teach:

"If a Christian understands all the rest of the gospel of Matthew but fails to understand this closing passage, he has missed the point of the entire book. This passage is the climax and major focal point not only of this gospel but of the entire New Testament. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in its broadest sense, it is the focal point of all Scripture, Old Testament as well as New.

This central message of Scripture pertains to the central mission of the people of God, a mission that, tragically many Christians do not understand or are unwilling to fulfill. It seems obvious that some Christians think little about their mission in this world, except in regard to their own personal needs. They attend services and meetings when it is convenient, take what they feel like taking, and have little concern for anything else. They are involved in the church only to the extent that it serves their own desires. It escapes both their understanding and their concern that the Lord has given His church a supreme mission and that He calls every believer to be an instrument in fulfilling that mission.

If the average evangelical congregation were surveyed concerning the primary purpose of the church, it is likely that many diverse answers would be given. Several purposes, however, would probably be prominent.

• A large number would rank fellowship first, the opportunity to associate and interact with fellow Christians who share similar beliefs and values. They highly value the fact that the church provides activities and programs for the whole family and is a place where relationships are nurtured and shared and where inspiration is provided through good preaching and beautiful music.
• At a level perhaps a step higher, some Christians would consider sound biblical teaching to be the church's principal function, expounding Scripture and strengthening believers in knowledge of and obedience to God's revealed truth. That emphasis would include helping believers discover and minister their spiritual gifts in various forms of leadership and service. 
• Adding a more elevated level, some members would consider praise of God to be the supreme purpose of the church. They emphasize the church as a praising community that exalts the Lord in adoration, homage, and reverence.

All of those emphases are thoroughly biblical and should characterize every body of believers. But neither separately nor together do they represent the central purpose and mission of the church in the world. The supreme purpose and motive of every individual believer and every body of believers is to glorify God.

The mission that flows out of our loving fellowship, our spiritual growth, and our praise is that of being God's faithful and obedient instruments in His divine plan to redeem the world."

Sacrifice. This is a word we use in so many situations - "I sacrificed my family time to complete this work project. I sacrificed my lunch money for a week to give to the needy. I sacrificed my vacation so I could be a part of this meeting. I sacrificed four years of my life for this degree." The list could go on and on. While we may view these as worthy sacrifices, they seem trivial when compared to those who give their lives for a cause, and when compared to the sacrifice of our Savior for our sins, they pale in comparison. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: Crucified, takes us back to the foot of the cross as we watch Jesus sacrifice His life as the final payment for our sins.

As you take your group through Scripture to the place called Golgotha and observe the excruciating, gut-wrenching, final hours of Christ's life, lead them to consider how they honor Christ's sacrificial atonement for our sins.

Adjusted Outline & Resources
I have adjusted the outline in order to focus on the context and the supernatural events taking place at Jesus' death. I have also added quite a few cross reference passages. Consider writing these passage references on a white board or assigning them in advance.

LOOK UP Illustration - National Peace Officers Memorial Day

• Does anyone know what type of Memorial Day is honored on May 15? (National Peace Officers Memorial Day).
• In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.
• There is a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. It was dedicated on October 15, 1991 and honors federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our nation and its people. There are more than 20,000 officers' names carved on the blue-gray marble walls featured at the Memorial, some dating back to 1791.
• Have any of you known a police officer who gave his life in service to others?
• We should never forget what these officers did to protect us, but today we will be remembering a very different kind of sacrifice: the sacrifice of a life to pay a debt incurred by our sin. It could not be paid by any of us but could only be reconciled, once and for all, through the sacrifice of a sinless human being – Jesus, God’s Son.

Matthew 27:38-44

• Matthew intended us to see the irony that this dying man was not only the king of the Jews but the king of all creation. Never was there a greater contrast than that between the treatment Jesus deserved and the treatment he received. He deserved the worship of all heaven and earth, but he hung naked and beaten, laboring for each breath on an instrument of torture and shame. – Holman NT Commentary - Matthew

Matthew 27:45-54

• Overview of the four supernatural events described in these passages based upon LifeWay's Explore the Bible blog post
• Three Hours of Darkness: Additional Discussion Passages - Amos 5:18; Amos 8:9-10; Exodus 10:21-23; Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 22:1; Isaiah 53:6; 59:2; Romans 6:23
• The Tearing of the Sanctuary Curtain: Additional Discussion Passages - Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Ephesians 2:18
• The Earthquake: Additional Discussion Passages - Exodus 19:18
• The Dead Raised: Additional Discussion Passages - 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Would you say most people are loyal today? You might respond by saying, "it depends on the circumstances." Being loyal is something man has struggled with for ages. It was loyalty to God, or the lack thereof, that led Adam and Eve to sin. They simply didn't want to be loyal to the One who created them, placed them in a perfect place, and gave them a perfect relationship with Him and each other. They wanted what they wanted; therefore, they didn't remain loyal. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: Loyal? focuses on the loyalty of three individuals - Jesus, the high priest of the Sanhedrin, and Simon Peter.

I have expanded the passages in this week's study to include Matthew 26:57-75 in order to capture the complete context of the narrative. Since our TARGET for this session is on the fact that following Jesus demands loyalty, I have used the passages to compare the loyalty of Jesus, the high priest, and Peter, emphasizing the following:

1.  Jesus was loyal to God, the Scriptures, and His mission as the Son. - Matthew 26:57-64
2.  The high priests would only give loyalty to a Messiah who met their own preconceived conditions. - Matthew 26:65-68
3.  Peter failed to be loyal, was repentant, and was restored by Jesus. - Matthew 26:69-75; John 21:15-25

Finding strength to continue to be faithful to God can be challenging when we face so much this world throws at us. We can become discouraged, we can succumb to temptations, we can choose to disobey God's will, or, we could just choose to sleep through it all! In this week's Explore the Bible Study: Do I Have the Strength, from LifeWay, we find the disciples, at the moment of the greatest spiritual conflict in the history of the world, sleeping! They were oblivious to the agony and need of their Lord and to the temptations they were going to face.

As you lead your group to study Matthew 26:36-46 this week, be sure to draw a contrast between the results of Jesus spending time praying and the disciples spending time sleeping. In order to illustrate this, I have included Matthew 26:47-56 in the teaching ideas. In these passages we see the following results:

• The evidences in Jesus life that His prayer time with His Father gave Him strength to do God's will: He did not fight; He did not try to escape; He kept the disciples from fighting; He did not call on more than twelve legions of angels - equivalent to an army of 72,000 angels - to fight on His behalf; He determined to fulfill all the Scriptures.
• The evidences that revealed how the disciples lack of prayer caused them to succumb to temptation: They drew their swords; A disciple cut off one of the high priest’s servant's ears; they all deserted Him and ran away.

Teaching Ideas