In the first eighteen verses of this chapter, Jesus deals with the improper doing of righteousness. If you use the King James Version, you need to realize that the word alms found in verses 1 and 2 of that translation are derived from two different Greek words. The word alms in verse one should be […]
In this fifth chapter of Matthew, we have seen five perversions of the Law by the Jewish leaders, both past and present. They perverted what the Law taught concerning killing, adultery, divorce, swearing and retaliation. Now, we find them at it again, this time in the area of love. Never did they reveal their deficiency […]
“Late one summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulled his rig into an all-night truck stop. He was tired and hungry. The waitress had just served him when three tough looking, leather jacketed motorcyclist decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, one grabbed the […]
Someone said, “Looking for people of integrity in our generation could be compared to searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack. Indeed, it may be easier trying to identify a grain of salt in a snowstorm.” That is a bit of an overstatement, but there is some truth to it. People with integrity are […]
Matthew 5:31-32 (ESV) 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. The statement made by […]
It has been said that procrastination is the thief of time. I’m not sure who first said that, but it is true. We are all guilty of wasting time once in a while, but some have majored in the art of putting things off. Gloria Pitzer wrote, “Procrastination is my sin; It brings me naught […]
From the beginning, God has abhorred the sin of adultery. In Leviticus 20:10 we find that the punishment for adultery was death under the Law of Moses. In the eyes of God, adultery is such a severe sin that it is worthy of capital punishment. Why? Because the family is the strength of a nation; […]
Jesus begins this section of the Sermon on the Mount by quoting the sixth command of the Law of Moses, that is, “thou shalt not kill.” However, He wants us to know that the Law was meant, not only to prohibit the act of murder itself, but also to restrain the anger and bitterness that […]
Matthew 5:20 (ESV) 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus talks about our righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees, He was primarily speaking of the doing of righteousness. No matter how much a man claims […]
Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) 17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Jesus did not have an attitude of disrespect toward the Law, but rather, He honored it. He knew the law was divine because He was divine Himself. So, He […]