Join us as we travel thru Genesis in our study of Creation. During this study we will be going thru the days of creation, studying what others believe to reaffirm why we believe what we believe and answering some of those creation questions that our class members have.  If you have missed a class download the notes for it below.

Week 1 – Creation 101 – Day 1

Chapter 9 is a continuation of the teaching of Jesus’ authority. 

• Why is this teaching important?
  • We are to remember that the book of Matthew was written to the Jews.
  • The Jews were looking for the King, what does the King have?
    • Authority
• Also, when Jesus spoke, He speaks as one who had authority.  Who has the greatest authority over their writings?
  • The Author
  • Book Fair analogy.  We want to find out what the author was thinking when he wrote something, go to a book fair in which the author will answer questions.  They may have written something and the readers have taken it completely out of context.  Jesus wrote the Bible.  The scriptures were given by Him, so when He taught with authority, He literally knew what He was talking about because, He wrote it.

1-8

• V1 – Likely Caperneum
• When taught this story, it is often taught as a lesson of good friendship. 
  • Mark 2:3-12
  • Luke 5:18-26 (Read)
  • This is okay to teach this, but this is not the main reason for the story to be presented in the Gospel
  • Palsy
    • Much like leprosy, the people of this time thought paralysis to be the effect of one’s sin in their lives.
    • We would think that the healing of the paralysis is the key need this man has.
    • Jesus does not heal the paralysis first.
    • V2 – Jesus speaks first to the man.  In all other healings thus far, the person in need or someone on behalf of the one in need speaks first to Jesus.  Why do you think He did this?
      • Jesus speaks to the man as an elder would.  Remember, Jesus is around my age at this time.
      • Jesus does not heal of the paralysis first, but of the sin.  Why?
        • Sin is out #1, ultimate sickness.
        • We all have this same sickness.
        • We tend to separate people into the “needs” and “need nots”.  We look at someone sick, or hurting, or living in sin with drugs or abuse, and we think they need Jesus worse than ourselves. 
          • This is the sin of the Pharisees and the sin of many Christians.
          • We are all just as sick as the man with palsy with the sin in our lives.
          • V3 – Note the “said within themselves.”  This means it was in their minds and not spoken aloud.  Jesus knew their thoughts. 
          • V4 – Jesus doesn’t accuse them of being confused, but of evil.  Why?
            • These men thought that only God could absolve someone of their sins, and they would be right in this assumption. 
            • The evil here is they were questioning the authority of Jesus. 
            • It is evil to question Jesus’ authority and deity.
            • V5 – Remember, the man is not healed of the palsy yet.
            • 6-8 – Jesus heals and the point of the healing is told.
              • V6 – His ultimate purpose’
              • V8 – Marveled and glorified God.

9-13

• V9 – Note the reference of the name Matthew.  In the Mark and Luke, this is told that his name is Levi.  Why is the reference different in the Gospels?
  • When Jesus would give his disciples a new name, why do you think this was done?
  • Matthew was given his name by Jesus after he came to know Him.  He was then a new person, with a new person, comes a new name.
  • The other Gospels tell of the tax collector named Levi, which is correct.  Matthew is the author of this book.  He is therefore referring to himself.  He has been transformed and when writing this, thought as himself as Matthew, therefore, he writes his book referring to himself with the name he now is known by.  Levi is gone, Matthew remains.
  • Tax Collectors
    • We have spoken about this before but just to reiterate.
      • Tax Collectors where some of the most despised people of this time.
      • This is not like our IRS, which we don’t like either, but not like the people then.
      • Tax collectors were traitors to their people.
      • Collected for those who had oppressed the people.
      • Imagine if China overthrew our government and took complete control, and I willingly went to work for the Chinese as a collector of taxes.  Not only did I collect for the Chinese, but took extra for myself.
      • V10-12
        • Matthew probably associated only with other tax collectors.  He would have invited those he knew to his home.  Who else would go?
        • V11 – Goes with previous story of the man with palsy.
        • Repentance is necessary for salvation.  Those who know they are sick, go to the doctor.
          • God is not in the business of numbers.  He is not in the business of seeing how many will come to church today, or how many will come to know Him today.  He wants all to come to Him.  If it is one today, then there is joy in heaven.  Luke 15:8-10
          • V13 – Speaking to Hosea 6:1-6
            • Jesus is almost saying, “They didn’t get it then, and you don’t get it now.”
            • Think about this, who would Jesus associate with if He were here today?

• There will be a central theme to the next couple of chapters that when understood going in, we will have a greater appreciation for.
  • Authority & Power
  • We have seen the authority of Jesus’ teachings.  Matthew 7 concludes in V29 how the crowds marveled at the authority in which Jesus taught.
  • We now see the authority in which Jesus has over the things of the world.  After all, He is the one who created it all.

1-5

• Leprosy
  • Leprosy is mentioned around 40 times in the Bible
  • God had given the Israelites very specific instructions on how to deal with leprosy and other skin infections (Leviticus 13).
    •  Anyone suspected of having this disease had to go to a priest for examination (Leviticus 13:2-3).
    •  If found to be infected “the leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’
    • He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone.
    • His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:45-46).
    • The leper then was considered utterly unclean—physically and spiritually.
• Incurable by man, many believed God inflicted the curse of leprosy upon people for the sins they committed.
• Highly Visible
• The people thought it to be high contagious and a curse.
• Leprocy was a repulsive, decaying disease.
  • Long and slow
  • Similar to Job’s suffering in appearance and smell
  • Difference is skin virtually dies.  Feeling is lost and sufferers waste away.
  • V2 – The leper calls Jesus “Lord” out of respect but unknowingly makes a truth claim and sees Jesus’ true authority. 
    • Note his asking Jesus, “If thou wilt.” Noting not if Jesus could but if He would.
    • Testimony of faith
    • V3 – Jesus touched him.  Unheard of to touch a leper. 
      • Note the immediate cleansing.  Contemplate how huge this is.
      • Visible cleansing.
      • V4 – Why not tell?
        • Jesus doesn’t want His ministry to be soley based on healing.  He came to heal for more than physical disease.  We are all unclean
        • He heals to point to His lordship
        • Told to show priests according to Levitical law. Leviticus 14:4-32

5-13

• A Centurion was an officer in the Roman Army over 100 men.  Every centurion mentioned in the Bible was a gentleman of high character and a sense of duty. 
• V6 – Pasly = Paralyzed
• V8 – Centurion recognizes that he is unworthy to ask Jesus to do this.
  • Makes an accurate assessment of Jesus’ power with only a word.
  • Notice that it is often the outsiders and demons who first recognize Jesus for who He is.
  • V9 – Why does the centurion tell Jesus of his level of authority?
    • He is noting Jesus’ authority over the things of the world, such as disease. 
    • The centurion knows what it is like to simply speak and word and have things done. The difference is that his power has limits
      • Who is the most powerful man in the world?  President
      • Take, for example, Harry Truman.  Truman had the power to drop the atomic bomb, but just shortly after he left office, he was forced to have people help him to the bathroom.  Our power has limits.
      • More notably, our power lies in offices, positions, and at the limits of our own knowledge.  Ultimately, it all ends
• Jesus’ power has no limits.
• V10-12 – Jesus is speaking not to the centurion but to the Jewish followers
  • V12 – It is not enough to be born a Jew as many think. 
  • Same goes for being born into a Christian home.  We, as Christians, are falling into the same trap that the Jews fell into.
  • V13  – Jesus is speaking directly to the centurion.  Key to this is the centurion’s faith.  Faith is the strength we have in God to trust and rely on Him.

14-17

• Fevers are still and especially in that time, very serious.
  • No Advil to take it away.  Fever either went away or killed.  Not much room for in between as we are accustomed to.
  • V15 – Fever left her and she arose and ministered to them.  No recovery, totally healed and recovered.
  • V16 – Note His word.
  • V17 – He took our infirmities and sicknesses as an example of His healings but also our sins

18-22

• Both responses of Jesus can appear cold and strange if taken out of context.
• What is Jesus saying to the scribe?
  • He was saying that the animals have homes, but to follow Me is to be constantly moving.  There is no massive estate to which we will be working from, but it will be hard and we will have no home but to travel constantly.
  • Is Jesus saying that it wrong to bury his father?
    • No, but to follow Jesus is not to do it in our own time.  When God wants us to move, we move.  We can’t follow on our own terms.
    • Luke 9:57-62

23-27

• When we think about this, it is truly a showing of Jesus’ power.
• Again, when something is written more than once in the Bible, it reiterates the need to put it in our hearts.  This same story is written in Matthew, Mark (4:35-41) and Luke (8:22-25).  Why do you think this is a focal point in Jesus’ ministry?
  • Storms would fall suddenly on the seas here due to the hills surrounding everywhere.  Winds would be great and sudden.
  • Jesus was sleeping.
    • Completely unworried.  Anxiety is the enemy of sleep
• Note that many of the disciples were fishermen.  They were used to this  and were still scared for their lives
• We would be just as the disciples were.

28-34

• Demons
  • Revelation 12:9 is the clearest scripture on the identity of demons, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
  •  Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in:
    • Isaiah 14:12-15 – ” How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
    • Ezekiel 28:12-15
    •  Revelation 12:4 seems to indicate that Satan took one-third of the angels with him when he sinned.
      • “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
    •  Jude 6 mentions angels who sinned. The Bible indicates that the demons are fallen angels who, along with Satan, rebelled against God.
    • Satan and his demons now look to destroy and deceive all those who follow and worship God (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
    • The demons are described as evil spirits (Matthew 10:1), unclean spirits (Mark 1:27), and angels of Satan (Revelation 12:9).
    • Satan and his demons deceive the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), attack Christians (2 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 5:8), and combat the holy angels (Revelation 12:4-9).
    • Demons are spiritual beings, but they can appear in physical forms (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). The demons/fallen angels are enemies of God, but they are defeated enemies. Greater is He who is in us, than those who are in the world (1 John 4:4).
    • Demons are very intelligent and knew who Jesus were before humans did.
    • V28 – Note that those possessed were “exceeding fierce”.  Very violent and others avoided going near them
    • V29 – Jesus was recognized.
      • Why do demons attempt to torment humans?
        • Not out of a hatred for humans but for a hatred of God
• “Art thou come to torment us before the time?” 
  • What is the time?
  • Demons know their time is limited
  • Why torment and not destroy?  There is no ultimate end.  Where will the demons ultimately end up?
• Note that Jesus does not answer their questions.
• V31 – tells us that demons must possess something.
• V32 – Again, through one word, “Go.”  Authority of His word.
• V33-34 – Why would those who have been tormented by the possessed men want Jesus to leave?
  • One may think that since pork futures took a huge hit that day, that they were unhappy that Jesus was responsible for the death of their swine.
  • Also a reminder that there are those who simply do not want what Jesus has to give.  He will open doors for us to receive Him and if those doors aren’t taken, the opportunities may not arise again.
  • Peace came to the village because of Jesus removal of the demons, whether appreciation was there or not, Jesus was there to help them.
  • We have to take that same attitude towards being committed to others and to assist even though we may not be appreciated.

The key tone to chapter 8 is Jesus’ authority but we have to note the power in which He performed His miracle; through His word.  The word of God is more powerful than anything we will ever imagine.  A simple reminder of what we have in our hands is that one, true Word.  Power is at our fingertips in ways we will never understand and all we have to do it open it.  I can only hope to apply that truth in my own heart just as I hope each of you do as well.

 V:1-5

• V1 – Often quoted and one of the most misunderstood verses of the Bible
  • Used by many as a convenient crutch
  • Context is everything
  • Tell me what you think this verse is referring to.
  • Question – would you hire a convicted child molester for a babysitter?
    • We have to make moral judgments
    • What is Jesus talking about then?
    • This is a warning of hypocrisy and self righteousness.
    • There has to be a balance of the necessity of moral judgment without becoming judgmental.
    • We fall into the trap, especially as Christians, where we think we can judge another’s behavior and judge the heart.  We cannot fall into that trap.  The Bible tells us over and over that only God can judge the hearts of men.  Not us.
    • Lastly, we have to remember that as saved individuals, our hearts are no better than anyone else’s.  We all have sin natures, the only difference is that ours is cleansed by the blood of Christ.

V6 – The reason we are to judge

• As God’s people, we are entrusted the gifts of God. 
  • He has given us the Word of God.
  • No dedicated preacher would throw good meat to dogs or give pearls to a pig.
  • The reason for judgment is not to condemn others but to minister to them.
    • Jesus spoke to every individual differently.
    • He did not have a memorized speech that was used with everyone.
      • Why then should we have a memorized “pitch” to all we have contact with?  We shouldn’t
      • The reason for judgment is to assess the condition of a person’s heart before sharing the gift of Christ.
      • You don’t go to a person who’s wife left them yesterday and say, “well, if you had Jesus, she wouldn’t have left.”  You judge the situation and the behavior of the person and minister accordingly.

V7-12

• What does Jesus mean here?
• Again, these are verses that are frequently taken out of context in our world today.
  • Warning of prosperity teaching.  This is not a promise of name it and claim it.
  • If we could, Christians would not get sick or die, but guess what, we do.
  • This is a very uplifting and positive section of the Bible
    • He will give in abundance when we ask, but what will He give?
    • Bread of life
    • Water to never thirst again
    • Righteousness
    • Wisdom
    • Grace
    • We don’t have to act a certain way nor does God have to be in a certain mood to grant our desires when we ask Him.  The God of Israel is not like the Greek Gods where if they were jealous or angry, they would then hurt or danger the humans.
      • God does not change His mood. 
      • He is good and righteous to grant our needs and requests.
      • “And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21.
        • Key word, “ALL”. 
        • V11 – We are fallen, yet we still give gifts and take care of our children.  How much more does God give gifts to us?
          • Think about going to the doctor, and getting a shot.  Especially as a kid.  We thought it was torture, but it was good for us looking back. 
          • How often do we want something, don’t get it and think our prayers are hitting a glass ceiling and falling down before it reaches the Lord, but later see that He had something better in mind?
          • Hindsight is 20/20
          • 7-11 seems to be out of nowhere.  Here we are talking about judging others and suddenly, Jesus is telling us that if we ask, we shall receive.  Why?
            • These verses have a two-fold meaning.  Yes, in all things, ask and ye shall be given, but also, whilst judging, we are to ask the Lord for discernment.
            • In all things of the Lord, we have to stay in prayer, and keep asking for help and guidance.  We have to continue to seek His will.
            • V12 – The Golden Rule
              • Many base their lives on this verse, Christian and non-Christians alike
              • This is not the sum total of Christianity. 
              • Simply, this verse is to govern our attitudes towards others. 

• In judging and dealing with others, we have to keep this in mind, otherwise, we will become proud and critical.
• Practicing the Golden Rule shows the love of God in our hearts, and helps us to help others.

V13-14

• Pretty self explanatory
• These are the two ways to eternity, to heaven and to hell
• The pathway to hell is easy
  • “Everyone does it” does not make it right
  • The pathway to heaven is not easy
    • We are a minority in this world.
    • This pathway may be lonely and costly.
    • Not easy to always follow Jesus

V15-23

• Not a new warning
  • Deuteronomy 13:1-9
  • Wolves – knowingly leads people away from the Gospel
    • We sometimes think that if we are wrong in our teachings, we are the wolves.  Not true, one who is simply misinterpreting the Word but has good intentions is not the wolf.  All, even the best of pastors, will teach incorrectly at some time. 
    • 2 Timothy 4:2-5
    • 2 Peter 2:1-10
      • Anytime there is more than one reference to something in the Word, means there is greater importance on this. 
        • How to be saved – in the Bible in many different portions
        • Love of God for us
        • False prophets
        • A good tree is known because it produces good fruit.
          • Bad trees can produce eye appealing fruit, but when bitten into, the truth is shown.
          • Bad trees also can cross pollinate and corrupt the good trees in an orchard
          • V19 – Ultimate judgment in the Bible is the casting into fire.
          • V21-23
            • My great-granddad told my mom, heaven is not as full as you think.
            • Many have a self image that they believe that they are holy, but compare it only to others, and don’t truly analyze their hearts according to the Word.
            • Some of the Harshest words in the Bible and should place fear in the hearts of those who don’t follow.
            • Third chair Christians
            • V24-27
              • Those who follow the Word will build a foundation in their hearts that cannot be corrupted or torn down.
              • Those who follow according to their own desires and give lip service to the Lord, will not be able to withstand all the world and the devil will throw at him. 
              • Our rock is the Word of God.  With it, all can be thrown at us, and we will withstand it all.

• V14-15 – We must pray having a forgiving spirit towards others.
  • Is Jesus saying that if we don’t forgive others, then God will not forgive us?
  • We do not earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others, but if we have truly experienced God’s forgiveness, the we will be willing to forgive others with an open heart.
    • Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
    • Colossians 3:13 – “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.”
• 1 John 4:7-21 – We show love and forgiveness to God by showing love and forgiveness to others.
• V16-18 – Fasting
  • We are not to tell when fasting to bring attention to ourselves. 
  • What is the ultimate purpose of fasting?
    • The purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.
    • By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ.
• The Pharisees would fast twice a week, Monday and Thursday (Luke 18:12) and made it known to all that they were fasting.  The purpose, to win the praise of men.
  • If spending time with God and focusing on Him makes us miserable, then what does that say for our relationship with God?
• When you want others to look at you and look at what you have or have done, you are receiving your reward now, and will not be rewarded in heaven.
• V19-24 – Possessions and Wealth
  • Jesus made it clear that the right attitude toward wealth is a mark of true spirituality.
  • Is it wrong to have wealth or things?
    • Jesus never magnified poverty or criticized the possession of wealth.  Look at the abundance of Job.
    • Jesus instead is talking about the sin of living for the things of this life.
    • We are to have the attitude that if we were to lose it all, it would be ok, and understand that our desires will never be completely fulfilled and be ok with it.
    • Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt,  etc. all have one thing in common.
      • Yes they are all dead, but ultimately, the things and wealth  they accumulated here on Earth are where?
        • Still here on Earth.
        • How many of us want to win the lottery?  We all think life would be easier if we have an abundance of things and money.  I found my happiest days were over the last couple of years of relying on God for everything and not having everything I wanted.
  • How, then, do we store treasures in heaven and what are these treasures?
    • We store treasures in heaven through many different ways as explained throughout the New Testament. We will be rewarded for:
      • Seeking Him through prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:6)
      • Submitting to your employer or leader (Matthew 24:45-47)
      • Self denial for His service (Matthew 16:24-27)
      • Serving those in need (Mark 9:41)
      • Suffering for His name (Luke 6:22-23)
      • Sacrifices for Him (Luke 6:35 & Matthew 19:29)
      • Sharing your time and talents to further His kingdom (Matthew 6:3-4 & 1 Timothy 6:18-19)
      • The extent of our treasures in heaven are unknown.  We know that we will receive rewards and treasures.  How do we know, because He said it was so.  Those of us who know Christ have one thing we ultimately seek; “Well done good and faithful servant.”
• V22-23 – Jesus is speaking about how we look at things.  Our heart, determines how we look at things. 
  • You will know where your heart is if you trace your treasures, or what you consider to be treasures.
• V24 – Mammon = Wealth
• 25-34 – Anxiety and Worry
  • Hits home to me.
  • Do not worry.  Worry is of the devil.
  • Anxiety is not a new human problem.
    • Elijah
      • 1 Kings 18 – Elijah stood before all and commanded the fire of God to fall and stood up to the prophets of Baal
      • 1 Kings 19 – Elijah fled from Jezebel.
  • Peter
    • Walked with Jesus, defended Jesus when they came to take him, but denied Him when asked if he was one that was with Him.
• Anxiety is not a new problem, but has turned into a way of life.
  • Multiple stress related diseases and drugs. 
• Anxiety is coupled with possessions and wealth here in the Sermon on the Mount.  Why?
  • Have you ever noticed that those who have more are relatively more anxious?
  • Covetousness will cheapen our riches but also cheapen our outlooks.
  • The person who pursues things other than God will worry more as they trust their riches instead of God.
• V27 – Interpreted in a couple of ways.  Will worry make you taller?  No, and the verse can be interpreted this way, but I believe that Jesus is stating that stature here is lifespan or years to one’s life.  Cubit is not quite 2 feet. 
  • This is a direct warning from Jesus about the correlation of worry to health and length of our lives.
• God is good and faithful to provide to us.  We are not to worry about the things tomorrow may bring, but to rely on Him and not of ourselves. 
• V34 – The average person is crucifying himself between two thieves.
  • The regrets of yesterday
  • The worries of tomorrow

Victory over worry comes through three things

1)      Faith in God – V30 – Trusting God to provide our needs

2)      Seeking the Father – V32 – Knowing He cares for His children

3)      Putting God’s will first – V33 – Put God first in our lives and He will meet our needs.

V9-13 (The Lord’s Prayer)

• Many have taken the Lord’s prayer to mean that we should pray this specific prayer.  Note in V9, Jesus tells us to pray in this manner, not to say this prayer.
  • Our prayers should come from the heart but we are to lift up our prayers in the manner in which Jesus will outline.
  • Note, if we just repeat this prayer and our thoughts are empty, then we are guilty of the vain repetitions Jesus warned us about in V7.
  • V9 – Our Father.  We are to address God as what He is, our loving Father. 
    • “Hallowed be thy name” – Let your name be kept holy or kept in reverence.
    • V10 – ” Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.”
      • What does this mean, “thy kingdom come?”
        • Although we live in different government regimes, or lands are controlled by many different people, God is still in control.  “Thy kingdom come” is referring to God’s absolute reign & His sovereignty in of His creation.
        • Note John the Baptist’s words, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (3:2)
        • The messiah was to establish the kingdom of Israel. 
• “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
  • A reminder to us that we are to pray for God’s plan in our lives and the world, not our own plan.
  • We are not in control.  Anyone who thinks they are, are sadly mistaken.  We frequently forget this.
    • We all think we have a certain amount of control in our lives, but the truth is, we have none.
    • Jesus is teaching us to pray that God’s will be done in our lives, not our own. 
    • We have to remember that while Jesus is teaching us to pray here, He knows where we are prone to wander.  The importance of this portion of the prayer is to be a constant reminder that we have zero control, which is frequently forgotten in the daily aspects of our lives
      • Jobs
      • Money
      • Relationships
      • Etc.

• V11 – “Give us this day our daily bread.”
  • Is this simply a request for food?
  • We all need God daily, for our daily provisions such as food and water but also for virtually everything in our lives.
  • Note the shortest verse of the Lord’s Prayer, is the one we tend to park on the longest in our prayers.
  • We have to remember that everything, EVERYTHING, we have is by God’s grace.
  • Example
    • Farmer
    • High Dollar, highly successful business man
      • The farmer grows everything himself.
      • Businessman buys whatever he needs.
      • Where does God come in to both of their daily lives?  Remember, everything we have, is by God’s provision.
• What is “common grace”?
  • The doctrine of common grace pertains to the sovereign grace of God bestowed upon all of mankind regardless of their election. In other words, God has always bestowed His graciousness on all people in all parts of the earth at all time.
  • Psalm 145:9 – “The LORD [is] good to all: and his tender mercies [are] over all his works.”
  • Matthew 5:45 – “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
  • Luke 6:35 – “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil.”
  • V12 – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
    • We live in a debt culture.
    • If we polled this class, most everyone would have to say that we have a certain amount of debt.
    • Jesus is telling us to pray to the Father to forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
      • If we are asking God to forgive our debts as we forgive others, then we have to keep in mind what it is we are asking.  I’m not as forgiving as I should, and Jesus is telling us to pray to God to forgive us as we forgive others.  
      • We often come back to this parable, but we have to again.  Matthew 18:21-35 – King forgiving the man who owed him millions and the man’s inability to forgive.
• Remember, the greatest debt is the debt we owe to God for our sin.  We are all debtors to Him, and no one has a higher debt amount to Him than another.
• Jesus is teaching us how to pray but also how to live.
• Question is, should we pray that our sins be forgiven or as Christians, should we give thanks to God that our sins are already forgiven?
  • Answer is: Both
  • Although saved, we are still sinners.  God has sent his son to die for those sins and by accepting Him as our savior, our sins are washed away.  Why then should we continue to ask for forgiveness?
    • When we sin, we offend God and grieve His Spirit. 
    • While God has ultimately forgiven us of the sins we commit, they still result in a blocking or hindrance in our relationship with God. A young boy who sins against his father is not cast out of the family. A godly father will forgive his children unconditionally. At the same time, a good relationship between father and son cannot be achieved until the relationship is restored. This can only occur when a child confesses his mistakes to his father and apologizes.
    • V13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
      • Does God lead us into temptation?
      • God does not revel in our failings and lead us into temptation to watch us fail.
      • God does, however, allow us to go through periods of testing.
        • Genesis 22:1-12
        • Hebrews 11:17-19
        • Job
          • Job’s great test wasn’t whether he could withstand the pain he was going through but to withstand the temptation to curse God.
• Temptation is not simply looking at food or drink and having a desire to partake.
  • The greatest temptation we go through is the temptation to not trust God  and to deny Him.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].”
  • Misused verse.  Through Christ, there is no temptation we cannot overcome.
• Which gives God the greater glory, that his people aren’t tempted or that His people are tempted but are delivered from evil by His grace through Christ?

• Note the use of plural pronouns throughout the Lord’s Prayer.  Why is this done?
  • When we pray, we are to remember that we are a part of God’s family of believers.  We can’t ask anything of God that would harm another member of the family.  If we are praying to be in His will, the answer will be a blessing to all of God’s children in one way or another.

• Keep in mind, we are still on the Sermon on the Mount
• The issues Jesus will deal with in Chapter 6 will continue to address our outward lives and inward lives.
  • Jesus is telling us that these two lives need to be aligned.
  • We will also see a repetition of the word “Father” when addressing God.  This is fairly new to the Jewish people.  Only 16 times in the OT is God referred to this way.  Jesus will refer to Him as the Father over 60 times.

V1-4 – Alms giving

• V1 – Verse starts with “Take Heed” = Beware. 
• We spoke last week about how the Pharisees would show off when praying and giving and we spoke about giving $100.
• We naturally want attention for the good things we do.  We want credit for our good deeds.  We may not do these things at first for the attention but the sin comes the repeated need for attention, seeking it, and wanting to be seen.
  • Our sinful nature can corrupt even the good thing of giving to the poor.
  • Does this contradict verse 5:16?
    • Lets read 5:16 again.
    • Lets go to the book of Acts 4:34-37
      • Barnabas gave the income from the sale of his land and everyone knew it.  It was not done for attention.
      • Now Acts 5:1-11 – Ananias and Sapphira gave their gift to seem more spiritual than they really were.
      • Pharisees were guilty of being self righteous.  Doing things to be seen. 
        • We talked about the parable Jesus used of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 
        • Self righteousness is a dangerous thing that we as Christians have to be aware of and protect ourselves against. 
        • We are all guilty of saying, “I may do …. But at least I don’t do ….”
        • If our motive is to serve God in love and please Him, then we will give our gifts without calling attention to them.  As a result, we will grow spiritually, God will be glorified, and others will be helped.

V5-15 – Prayer

• V5-7
  • The Bible is not opposed to public prayer.  Difference is to not pray publicly to be seen by others. 
  • Note in v5&6 the use of the word “when”, not “if”
  • It is wrong to pray in public if one is not in the habit of praying in private.  Others may think we are practicing prayers but are not true prayers, then this is hypocrisy. 
  • Hypocrite – a hypocrite deliberately uses religion to cover up their sins and promote their own gains.  A hypocrite is not one who falls short of their high ideals and sins occasionally. 
  • V7 – Use not vain repetitions.
    • What does this mean?
    • One may think that one shouldn’t repeat themselves when they pray, but this is not necessarily true.
    • All of us have a routine prayer we learn, and all of us have a particular style or use of words that we use every time we pray.
    • The danger of this is we speak the words without thinking.  The repetition is just that, repeating ourselves at every meal, bedtime, etc. 
    • Gentiles used these same repetitions in their pagan rituals.
    • A perfect example of this are Catholics
    • Remember writing papers in high school or college where the teacher asked for a specific word count.  Remember using words just to fill space? 
• V8 – The Father know what we need.
  • We tend to think we have to tell God what we need or He won’t know.
  • Why should we pray if God already knows what we need?
    • God intends prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations. We pray in preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13); to overcome demonic barriers (Matthew 17:14-21); to gather workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2); to gain strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41); and to obtain the means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19).

Matthew 5:21-26 (Murder)

• Refer to Exodus 20:13 – “Thou shalt not kill.”
  • V22 – Raca=Idiot, moron, good for nothing.
  • Jesus tells of holding anger against one’s brother.  Sinful anger must be faced honestly and confessed to God.  We must go to our brother and get the matter settled and do it quickly.  God knows what happens in the hearts when we carry such anger. 
    • It interferes with our relationship with Him and allowed to hold on, may turn into something worse, such as an act of aggression.
    • The heart can sin way ahead of the act.
    • Once again, Jesus shows an external gesture but the external is cancelled by the aggression of the heart.  Giving sacrifice is not enough when your heart isn’t ready to give the sacrifice.
    • The presenting of the offering was one of the many ways the Pharisees would show themselves “holy”
      • Imaging the offering plate and instead of giving $100, you give 100 $1 bills and throw them in one by one to show.
      • Jesus is telling us there is something more important than the offering.
• Just to be clear, Jesus is not saying that anger is identical to the deed of murder, so just because we are angry, doesn’t mean we might as well go ahead and murder.  He is saying that they are spiritually equivalent and harboring these thoughts and heart will lead to the act, which in the heart are the same.

Matthew 5:27-30 – Adultery

• Refer to Exodus 20:14 – “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
• V28 – Looking at a woman in lust is adultery when one is married, or looking at another where the only permissible way of looking at the other that way is to be married.
• Note this is directed at the male.  This does not give the woman free reign to do whatever she wants.  It takes two. 

• Jesus is addressing two things by addressing this to the male.
  • It is primarily the male’s obligation to uphold the bond of marriage.
  • Jesus knows men are more vulnerable to this sin.
  • The “look” is not a casual glance, but a constant stare with the purpose of lusting.  Letting the imagination run wild. 
  • V29-30 – Victory comes from purifying the desires and discipline.
    • The hand and the eye are the two “culprits” in this particular sin.  
    • Romans 12:1-2, 13:4
      • We need to avoid situations that may lead us to this sin.  We are all vulnerable
      • The ones who think, “Not me.  I would never,” are probably the most likely to fall into this sin.  We are still flesh and traps are everywhere.

Matthew 5:30-31

• V30-31 – Divorce.  This is a sensitive subject.  I would like to spend more time on in but in staying with trying to finish Ch5 today, we are going to hit this subject in Matthew 19:1-12 where Jesus goes in far more depth.  Keep in mind though, since it is spoken about more than once in the Word, makes a greater emphasis on what God tells us about the subject.

Matthew 5:33-37 – Swearing

• Refer to Leviticus 19:12 – “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD.”
• Our word should be enough.
• The Pharisees used several kinds of side-steps to avoid using God in swearing but would use the name of Jerusalem, heaven, earth, and some parts of the body.
• We are accustomed to being lied to or others not following through on promises. We also tell “little white lies” to cover up our lack of following up on our word. 
• We now have to have contracts written up for virtually everything for this reason.
• Jesus is teaching us that our conversations should be so honest, and our words to be so true, that we would wouldn’t need to swear to make people believe us.
• What is the definition of taking the Lord’s name in vain?
  • Any time we speak about God or use God’s name without thought of Him or calling upon Him is taking His name in vain.
  • It is a very serious thing to invoke the name of God and then fail.
  • Don’t fall into the trap of overpromising.
  • V36 – sometimes we even swear by things that are completely out of our control.

Matthew 5:38-42

• Refer to Leviticus 24:19-22 – “And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him [again]. And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I [am] the LORD your God.”
• The original law was a fair one.  It kept people from forcing the offender to pay a greater price than the offense deserved.
• Jesus replaced a law with an attitude.  Be willing to suffer loss yourself rather than to cause another to suffer.
• The person who retaliates only makes himself and the offender feel worse. 
• V39 – turn the other cheek.  We must stay where we are and not run.
  • It takes more faith and love to stand and take than to retaliate or run.
  • It takes a strong man to love and suffer hurt.  It is a weak man who thinks only of himself and hurts others simply to protect himself.
  • Proverbs 20:22 – “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; [but] wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”
  • Romans 12:17 – “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
  • Is this portion of scripture telling us to never retaliate or to be pushovers?
    • Jesus did not mean to negate all God’s laws and injunctions protecting us against violent crime or invading armies. Rather, Jesus is speaking here of the principle of non-retaliation to affronts against our own dignity, as well as:
      •  lawsuits to gain one’s personal assets (v. 40),
      • infringements on one’s liberty (v. 41)
      •  violations of property rights (v. 42).       
• Responding to hatred with love just might grab someone’s attention and afford us a chance to share the gospel. When we respond in a manner that is unnatural, it displays he supernatural power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:43-48 – Love of Enemies

• Refer to Leviticus 19:17-18 – “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.”
• V44 – Very hard thing for us to do.
• Jesus has defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly.
• We have to remember, He loved us when we were His enemies. 

1. Romans 5:10 – For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

• Jesus gave several reasons for uplifting our enemies.

1. This love is a mark of maturity, proving we are sons of the Father, not just little children
2. It is Godlike. V45 suggests that our love “creates a climate” of blessings that makes it easy to win our enemies and make them our friends.
3. It is a testimony to others.  V47.  God expects us to live on a higher plane than the lost of the world.

• V46-47 – It is easy to love others who already love you. 
• V48 – Not sinfully perfect.  Suggests complete maturity as the children of God.  God loves His enemies and seeks to make them His children.  We should assist Him.

Notice the sins that Jesus addresses.

1)      Anger

2)      Adultery

3)      Divorce

4)      Oaths (Swearing)

5)      Retaliation

6)      Love of one’s Enemies

Each of these things are still large issues in our society today.  It goes to show the hearts of men are the same now as they were then.  We were still prone to anger, lust, etc.  The largest difference of then to today is the allowance of grey areas in our culture.

1)      Murder is still killing of someone else, but we have opened up abortion, and assisted suicides.

2)      Adultery is ok if you aren’t happy with the other.

3)      Same goes for divorce

4)      We all make promises we don’t keep and swear by things we shouldn’t

5)      We retaliate with anger for someone infringing on us

6)      And we all harbor anger against those who are our enemies.

Everything starts with the heart.  We are to go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help in these matters, to avoid situations that ensnare us, and to be the Light in the world that we spoke about last week.  The sins above are addressed by Jesus because He knows we are prone to these sins.  Only by the Lord’s intervention, can we truly be changed in our hearts.  Continue to be lights in the world, pray for one another and for the hearts of men, and spend time in the Word.  It is only be these things will we be changed in our hearts and become what He would have us be.

V 13–16 – Teaching on the salt and the light.

• Frequently, those teaching on the sermon on the Mount will separate the passages that follow the Beatitudes as if Jesus is starting an entirely new lesson.  The verses to follow lift up the previous verses and are all connected.
• Jesus has two audiences:
  • Disciples
  • Those who have followed and are overhearing.
  • V13-14 each begin with the word “Ye” to say that Jesus is speaking to those who come to Him in faith, such as His disciples.
  • V13 is an indictment on those who fail to be as the Beatitudes describe.    God’s expectation of us.
    • Salt was a high commodity in those days.  Salt was used to cure and preserve meat as there were no freezers or any other way to preserve meat at the time.  People had to eat either freshly killed meat, or salt it.
    • This verse would have made excellent sense to the people of the time.  There were two places one would get salt.
      • Dead Sea – Could not be used.  Too many contaminates and have virtually no taste.
      • Ocean
• A Disciple of Christ is likened to the Dead Sea Salt.  A disciple who doesn’t look or act like a disciple is useless to the Kingdom.
• “It is good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.”
  • Warning of easy belief or nominal Christianity.  Those who claim to be Christians and may have at one time accepted Christ but have a superficial response to the faith.
  • Second and Third chair Christians.
  • V14-16 – Light of the World
    • The Church is the light in the darkness of the world.  Israel was to be the light.
      • Isaiah 42:6 – “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;”
      • Isaiah 49:6 – “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
      • Christ fulfilled this promise to be the light where Israel has not yet fulfilled. Romans 2:17-29

• Satellite Map of the world at night.
  • Notice how a majority of the map is dark.  Light on the map shows a concentration of people and electricity.
  • Just because there is no light, doesn’t mean there are no people.
  • Light = Gospel Preaching.
  • Light cannot be hid from the satellite, nor can light of Christ be hidden from the world.
  • V15 – We take light for granted.  A flip of the switch and it’s on.  Christ is saying that we should not hide our witness.  We are not to cover up our beliefs or way of life from the world, but to let it shine for all to see.
  • V16 – This is a command to the followers.  This is why we do good works.  Not for attention or glory but to glorify Him.

V17-26 – Law

• By the Law of Moses, God revealed His standards for holy living.  The Pharisees defended the law.  Jesus said that true righteousness comes from exceeding the law.  Not just doing enough.
• V17 – Jesus starts with “Think not”.  This is a warning to the believer.  The warning is told because He knew there would be a temptation to think the law was abolished.
  • We tend to look at the law as a negative thing.
  • Romans 7:6-12
  • Jesus came to fulfill, not abolish.  He bore the curse of the law.
    • Galatians 3:13 – Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
• Jesus was the only person to ever perfectly follow the law.
• V18 – Not one iota of the law will go away until all is fulfilled.
  • Jesus was and is the perfect fulfillment of the law.
  • Not all has been fulfilled as of yet.  Not until His return will all that has been prophesized be fulfilled.
  • What purpose does the law serve?
    • Ultimately, the law makes us yearn for Christ.
    • V19-20
      • Goes back to the belief that now we are under grace and are no longer bound by the law. 
        • God did not have a plan A(Law) and a Plan B(Grace)
        • Romans 6:1-14
        • Christ has brought about a “new” law.  What is the “new” law in comparison to the outlook of the law before Christ?
          • Christ’s new law is a harder law to follow.
          • The OT law was about doing and being.  NT Law is a law of the heart.
          • In the old covenant, as long as one didn’t act out one of the sins of the law, no law is broken.  Jesus tells us that breaking the law in our thoughts and desires is equal to the act.
          • The moral law of God has not changed.  Nine of the ten commandments are repeated in the NT. 
            • Exception being the Sabbath, which was given as a sign to Israel.
            • V21-26 – Murder
              • IN verses 21-48, Jesus took 6 important OT Laws and interpreted them for His people.
              • V21-26 deals with murder.
              • V22 – Raca=Idiot, moron, good for nothing.
              • Jesus tells of holding anger against one’s brother.  Sinful anger must be faced honestly and confessed to God.  We must go to our brother and get the matter settled and do it quickly.  God knows what happens in the hearts when we carry such anger. 
                • It interferes with our relationship with Him and allowed to hold on, may turn into something worse, such as an act of aggression.
                • The heart can sin way ahead of the act.
                • Once again, Jesus shows an external gesture but the external is cancelled by the aggression of the heart.  Giving sacrifice is not enough when your heart isn’t ready to give the sacrifice.

Ultimately, Christ wants us to be more like Him.  To glorify Him and to be the light in an otherwise dark world.  In order to truly glorify Him, our hearts must be right with Him first.  You can be the best liar in the world, but people can see through you if you lack sincerity.  Churches today still preach the law as shoulds and shouldn’ts, but without the right hearts, those law abiders don’t share the love of Christ as He would have us share.  We have to stop, accept Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to work within us and give in to the Love He has for us and then, our lives can transform others.

• Wisdom of the world are the Beatitudes in reverse.
• As we spoke last week, many of the Beatitudes’ promises may not be seen until we go to be with the Lord.  The blessings we receive after our death goes to the blessing of our salvation.  It’s hard to imagine death without Jesus Christ. 

V8 – “Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

• This is not the first time we have heard this in the Bible.
  • Psalm 24
  • How do we attain a pure heart?
  • Our ultimate aspiration as a Christian is to obtain a pure heart, but this is the hardest of the beatitudes thus far.
  • In this wording, heart is the seat of our character, the antithesis of our moral character and being.
  • It is impossible to be pure on our own.  Only purification comes from the blood of Christ.
  • Ezekiel 36:22-27
    • Promise of a new heart
    • The ultimate insanity is thinking we can do anything ourselves to be with God.
    • This particular beatitude is impossible for us to do.
      • We cannot be pure until we go to be with God.  Our own flesh does not allow for purity.
        • When we go to heaven, we will have a single , solitary focus on God.
• We all know impurities.  Even the most righteous of us sin.  We even sin in our dreams.
• Purity is a gift from Christ.
• Purity of heart is the kind of promise that makes our life purposeful. 
• If truly pure, we would only care about the joy of knowing God.

V9 – “Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

• Children of God are those who being reflect His honor.
• This is purely a relationship beatitude.
• This is the beatitude that people think they understand the most, but most miss it’s understanding.
• Peacemaker is not a pacifist. Nor is it a description of someone who would win the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Let’s look at history.  History is written based on war. 
  • 1900-now on board.
  • Peace is not simply people putting a stop at shooting at one another.
  • Peace is where hostility is removed.
  • As we said earlier, peace isn’t pacifism.  If anyone deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize, it was Roosevelt and Churchill. 
  • Are we, as the church, to be a church version of the UN?
  • What does peacemaker mean then?
  • The church doesn’t have a military mission.
  • We conquer with the Gospel Alone
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
    • As peacemakers, we are to be ambassadors to Christ.
    • The peace we make is between the Creator and His creation.
    • Fighting is in our nature.  Little boys will always turn anything into guns.
    • How can we not fight when the weak need defending?  Evil needs to be defeated.  Fighting is sometimes necessary.  Pacifism wouldn’t have stopped Hitler.
    • Virtually every war is someone defending themselves from someone else.

V10-12 – Three go together.

V10 – “Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

• 1 Peter 2:9-25
  • Leaders are to live a righteous life as it will raise the character of the entire population.
  • We will be persecuted for doing the right thing.  It is very easy to get in trouble for doing the right thing.
  • Why should we do the right thing even though we know we may be persecuted for the action?
    • Christians are to do this for others to say “Something has caused them to live this way.”
    • Gospel depends on our lives not killing our testimony with our actions.

V11 – “Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

• Notice the use of the word “ye”.  Christ is talking directly to His disciples.
• Christ is speaking to those who are following Him and are persecuted for following Christ.
• There is a current scandal in our churches today.  The scandal is cheap grace.  Grace was not cheap.  We all tend to talk about the Gospel as something cheap.
• Revile=great insult. Not name calling but a deep assault of character.
• Persecution goes to the agony many Christians have suffered.
• People of the world want to be in control of their own lives. We believe in a higher control and should be prepared to receive the persecutions of the world. 
• We have to remember that the Gospel is not for making good citizens, especially when it contradicts the Word. 
• Christians are called hate mongers when we speak out against homosexuals or abortions.
• Note what Christians have done compared to other religions groups who are popular to the world.
  • Hospitals, charities, churches, shelters, etc.

V12 – “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

• Lifting from v10&11
• Those who suffered the most will be rewarded the most.
• Those who have suffered are not along.
• 2 Chronicles 36:11-16 – Jeremiah rejected
• Acts 7:51-58 – Stephen speaking to the council after being brought by the elders and scribes.
• Two men who preached God’s word and were persecuted for it.  Their reward is great in heaven.
• Brings a great deal of comfort to us to know that though we may receive persecution, we can have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ultimately, there will be conflict between our dedication to Christ and the world.  Why? Because we are different than the world and have different attitudes and motivations.

• The world praises pride, not humility.
• The world endorses sin.
• The world is at war with God and God is seeking to reconcile and make them His children.
• We must expect to be persecuted when our outlook is a direct opposite from the world’s view.  Through this persecution, we have to remember that others are watching us.  Our testimony and handling of persecution is a direct reflection of the light of Christ in us and ultimately, we know how it ends and can’t forget that fact.