Matthew 6:8

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Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ~ Matthew 6:8

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 6 which is the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. As we have noted many times before, the Sermon on the Mount is largely sanctification teaching. Sanctification is the process whereby God inculcates His culture into our soul, resulting in the changing of our soul. Our soul is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. Sanctification happens in us when we chose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. This is known as justification which is a one time event. Once we were welcomed into God's family through believing in the Lord Jesus, we began to learn the value of turning away from the self life which we were given by the slithery serpent in the Garden of Eden. Justification gets us into heaven and sanctification gets heaven into us.

In our last study the Lord Jesus began teaching on the essential nature of prayer. Prayer is to us as believers in Christ the most important activity for our spiritual growth. Without prayer, which is talking with God, the born again believer can appear to not even have been born again. This is why we read in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, "1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly (carnal). For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?" Carnal Christians are those who have yet come to see the intelligence behind obeying God, thus they obey themselves and their lustful desires that are yet within them.

In today's verse we read, "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." 

These words are a logical outflow of a personal relationship with God. The Lord Jesus provided for all a contrast between those who have no personal relationship with God and those who do. Those who do not have a personal relationship with God are religious. They are those who think that through their good behavior, they are earning God's favor. At the end of their lives, their hope for heaven will be dependent upon their performance whether it was good enough or not. This is why they were noted as having drawn attention to themselves while they prayed, repeating certain words over and over. All of this was an attempt on their behalf to impress men and God. Of course, for those who depend on their good behavior to be made right before God, they will be sorely disappointed because no fallen human can be good enough for God to pronounce them just or righteous in His eyes. This is exactly why the Lord Jesus had to die on our behalf.

The combination of the words "Father" and "knows" are key to this verse. Throughout the Gospels, the Lord Jesus made more than 150 references to God as "Father." The Lord Jesus invites everyone into this most intimate of relationships, teaching us to address God as "Our Father." God as our Father is not just a metaphor; it is who He is to us. It signifies that we are in relationship with Him. We belong to Him and He to us. It’s a privilege given to us in our adoption as His children by God. In John 1:12 we read, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." 

This means the goal of redemption was our sonship. We don’t see people in the Old Testament referring to God as Father because man’s sin made it impossible to be God’s children. But everything changed with the incarnation of Christ. It’s through the work of Christ on our behalf that we are welcomed into the family of God. The only way we ever have the right to call God "Father," is because He has adopted us through His Son. The biblical message of sonship is rooted and grounded in this concept of adoption, that only Christ is the natural son of God. And only if we are in Christ do we become sons of God.

The word "knows" in today's verse was written in the perfect tense meaning God knows everything before we even mention anything to Him. Since this is the case then why do we need to ask of Him anything? God knew that we needed to be saved, but He didn’t just save us because the need existed. Rather, He first requires us to believe and receive His salvation through faith in His Son. This faith, with its object as the God of the Bible, is essential for a personal relationship with God to begin. If God gave us everything that we needed simply because the need existed, we would take Him for granted and our hearts would not be engaged. It is through the exercising of our will through our faith in the Lord Jesus that we grow in intimacy with God. This is why the children of Israel turned away from God and they became presumptuous, arrogant, and dismissive of a personal relationship with God. Their hearts weren't engaged.

The last two words of today's verse "ask Him" are most instructive. God expects us to make our prayers known to Him without any religious notions or performance to then wait upon His response in His own good timing. We often struggle to understand prayer. We have been known to "claim healing in the name of Jesus." It is true that we are physical beings with physical needs, but God may have a purpose for our lack. To claim healing for something when it is not God’s will is then an implicit attempt to thwart God’s will. We, also, have been known to ask of God for wealth that is not spiritual but carnal. Granted, He meets our needs as He has promised, but He has never promised to make us wealthy. This is to say that if a believer in Christ is wealthy, God has made him wealthy for a reason, but we should not be bent on asking God to make us wealthy.

In the moment, we may not understand the reason for our financial trials, physical afflictions, loss through death, or other such things that profoundly and negatively impact our lives, but we should never question God’s goodness through these trials. The bent moments in our lives are designed to produce questions or prayers. We want conclusion more than process, but it is in the process that we get to know God in the most profound ways. The universe, after all, does not revolve around us. We must trust that His plan is perfect and that what He does is perfectly in accord with His perfect plan for our individual lives.

Martin Luther once said, "Prayer is much more God instructing us than ever is it God being instructed by us." Prayer is saying oh God, I come to you with the needs of my heart. Prayer is giving God the opportunity to manifest His power, His love and  His concern in and through our yielded lives. God will always do or allow things that we will not welcome, but it is through these most difficult of moments that we get to know Him best. Through our trials, if we learn their purpose which is to commune with Him, we will begin to see His hand and we will begin to see His wisdom in causing and/or allowing such things into our lives. It has been 56 years since my mother died when I was five years old, and I am still discovering His wisdom in and through it. And, the ultimate goal in it all is that I might be granted a greater intimacy with Him, an intimacy that I can describe for others in helping them along in their journey with God.

When we pray with a sincere and humble heart, God, according to Matthew 6:6 will reward us. The reward is intimacy with Him through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel prayed prayers that never got beyond their own minds because they didn’t go to the Father through the Son. Prayer is not about using the exactly right words or saying something

in precisely the right way or talking for long enough so
that God will hear us and do what we want. No, prayer is the sharing of our souls with God who is poised to address the gapping needs found therein. If we view prayer the way the religious leaders of Israel did, then we will have completely missed the heart of prayer. But, if we view it as a means to intimacy with God, then we will find ourselves arriving upon something that is substantive and that lasts forever.

Matthew 6:5-7

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5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ~ Matthew 6:5-7

Today, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. As we study this sermon we must distinguish between our justification and our sanctification. Justification is a one time event and our sanctification is a life-long process. You will remember that our justification before God was solely garnered on our behalf by the Lord Jesus when He paid the penalty for our sin on His cross. Our sanctification is that process that we entered into after becoming justified before God by believing the death of the Lord Jesus garnered our rightness before God. Sanctification is a process whereby God is removing from the believer the wrong thinking of this world and replacing it with His culture through His Word and His Spirit. The goal the Lord Jesus had in saying what He said in our passage for today was to strip his hearers naked of any self-righteousness so they would be solely defined and motivated by the mercy of God. 

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

Having previously taught about "charitable deeds," the Lord Jesus turned His hearers attention to the essential subject of prayer. He instructs us to avoid praying hypocritically which literally means to be "two-faced." The Lord Jesus admonishes us to pray to God in private without trying to impress others. The religious leaders of Israel were known to pray often while standing in the synagogues and standing out on the corner of the streets and praying loudly enough to be heard and seen by others. Essentially, they prayed not to God but to themselves and to others. Their goal was to impress others with their prayer life. The religious fail to remember that God knows our heart and our thoughts before we even make them known. 

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Here again, the Lord Jesus confronted religious hypocrisy which is the greatest enemy to having a personal relationship with God. The real issue is that of inauthenticity. The shutting of one's door here underscores that prayer is a tool given to us by God which enables us to growing in personal intimacy with Him. We are to talk with God without any fanfare or any accompanying ears or distractions. They pray in such a way so that others will see and note their supposed superior righteousness. Sadly, the religious pray not to God but to others. 

What sets Christianity apart from religion is that we are admonished to bring our honest and vulnerable hearts to God to be engaged with Him, especially when we pray. Religion teaches that we have to earn God's favor and maintain it. The Lord Jesus came to buy us completely back to God. With our complete purchase, we have been given a heart for Him. With the engagement of our heart, we will earnestly seek His heart thus experience authentic and personal and intimate relationship with Him. Essential to such intimacy is a heart that cries out to Him in search of His will for our lives.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

The words "vain repetitions" are found only here in the Bible. It means to babble out many words without heart engagement. Religious prayers that are prayed are prayed pointlessly. Motive is the issue here once again. Shouting out repetitive words or phrases somehow makes people think they will be perceived as more holy than others or maybe more in tune with God. However, the Lord Jesus underscores just the opposite is true when we pray without our hearts engaged. Ultimately, the real issue is: Who is defining us? When we are being defined by God, when what He says determines our actions, it is then that we can be aligned to His will which is the ultimate purpose of prayer. Prayer is essentially giving our heart to God and receiving His in return.

Matthew 6:1-4

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"1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." ~ Matthew 6:1-4

Today, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 wherein God granted us a peak into His culture. His culture operates with an entirely different value system than the kingdoms of this world. Foreign to this world is the Lord Jesus' way of thinking which includes "blessed are the poor in spirit or blessed are those who mourn or blessed are the meek, or blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." This world which is under the control of the evil one doesn't think God's way. There is not one paragraph in this sermon that doesn't demonstrate the stark difference in the value system of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the evil one.

Through His words the Lord Jesus drove His hearers to the realization that they’re inadequate to garner God's approval. In these words He reminded them that they desperately needed a Savior, and of course, He will then offer Himself to them. That’s the same message He has for you and me. The world is full of religious people who are lost because they are a facade. They are a facade because their trust is in the facade of self.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."

For the hearers of these words that day, charitable giving was considered a sacred duty. The word the Lord Jesus used translated "charitable deeds" describes the kindness someone shows to someone who really needs a helping hand. The key word here is the word "before" which reveals the audience before whom one is giving to another. The Lord Jesus warned, "Take heed" which means "Watch carefully." We must watch carefully whenever we do something good for someone in need, so that we do not do it to be noticed by others. Giving is dangerous because the flesh loves to be worshipped which can very easily become our motivation. 

The words "your charitable deeds" takes us back to Matthew 5:20 where the Lord Jesus said "your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and pharisees." No amount of "righteousness" that we can muster has never been good enough to garner God's favor. In fact, there is nothing from fallen man that can produce this type of a response from God. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven." Understanding our total inadequacy to please God and the futility of attempting to earn His favor based on our own actions is foundational to a proper understanding of God's grace. It is only when we have been instructed by God's grace that we begin to lose the motivation of self which is what keeps us from being defined and blessed by God.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

The danger behind giving in order to get a slap on the back leads to hypocrisy which undermines everything the Lord had taught in this sermon to this point. Hypocrisy is rooted in deception and the worst deception is self-deception. This type of thinking is so myopic that we fail to be defined by the eternal. Living for the praise of others makes us enslaved to them. In fact, we can very easily become addicted to their worship. This gets especially problematic when some praise us for doing something while others criticize us for doing the same thing. When we repeatedly do things based on what others think, we find ourselves inauthentically living in fear, not freedom.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

The Lord Jesus referred to His "Father" ten times in the first sixteen verses of this chapter. He did this to remind us that if we are not living by faith in the Father, we are living a life of futility. In context, the Lord Jesus placed His finger on the root of the problem which is the way of the evil one who isn't out to get us to follow him directly. No, he gets us to follow him indirectly by getting us to follow ourselves. The root problem of sin is self-worship and its remedy is worship of God who defines us by the truth if we let Him. 

This worship emerges out of a proper understanding of the cross of Christ. His cross symbolizes death to all of rebellious man's selfish desires. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is good news because it means that perfect love triumphed over sin and death. The cross reminds us that sin and death will not have the last word. The cross teaches us of the utter uselessness of all our works for righteousness which is what frees us to live out of the freedom God's grace has delivered into our souls. Being freed from the opinions of others positions us to be defined by the love which is perfect and complete. The blessing or God's reward here is that we grow increasingly in our intimacy with the Father, so much that He defines us. As much as we are being defined by God will be the degree that we will truly be free.

Matthew 5:43-48

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"43 You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." ~ Matthew 5:43-48

Today, we conclude our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus has shown us how we are justified in the eyes of God through His cross only. In addition, He has taught us about how we are sanctified in our relationship with Him. Whereas justification gets us into heaven, sanctification gets heaven into us.

In v.43-45 of today's text we read, "43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

This is the last of the six "You have heard it was said" statements the Lord Jesus utilized that day in order to show the difference between religion and having a personal relationship with God. This "You have heard it was said" statement reveals what the Law of Moses said regarding love and hate. Whereas the Bible doesn't say,"hate your enemy," the religious leaders of Israel taught this concept. This is why the Lord Jesus quoted them to show that God never said it. It is true that the LORD does say, "love your neighbor." The problem comes in with finding the correct definition of our neighbor. Then the Lord Jesus said, "love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."  That is hard. Of course when we do this, it reveals that we are sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. And, if we are to do this, we must be given to prayer often. Our connectedness to God will determine whether we do it and show that we are children of God or not.

I've discovered it's awfully hard to hate someone when I am praying for them. The best remedy in the context of someone who is a thorn in my flesh is prayer. There is a reason that John Bunyan once said, "Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." Corrie Ten Boom said it like this, "When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy." 

Prayer is essential if we are to somehow be like God. When we get to heaven we will discover the most effective thing we ever did while on this earth was to pray. When we pray, it is not so that we can get what we want from God. Rather, prayer is a way of connecting with Him and realigning our hearts to Him and His will. The more we talk and spend time with someone the more we get to know them. The same thing happens when we spend time in prayer connecting with God. The more time we spend talking with Him, the closer we will become to Him! And, when this happens we will reflect Him to others.

In v.46-47 of today's passage we read, "46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?"

The religion of Judaism had flattened God’s commands to one external dimension in order to justify such sins as hate, lust, divorce, lies, vengeance, and anger. But God's culture is much deeper than that. That day the Lord Jesus gave a classic look at superficial religion. There were certain things the religious leaders did not do, but below the surface they were full of dead men’s bones. It is the heart issue that always concerns the Lord, and that’s the issue that He addressed on that mountain that day. Everybody can love people who love them but when we love those whom we do not mix well with, then we will know that we are getting somewhere. The Lord Jesus doesn’t conquer by killing. His kingdom is different than any other. His kingdom is only realized in the broken and yielded souls of those who have come to faith in Him. We cannot accomplish His kingdom in and through our lives, He must. He is the source of our ability to love even our enemies.

In v.48 of today's passage we read, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

At a very early time in my walk with the Lord, I realized I could not be perfect. That prompted me to ask God, "Why do you call me to do something that I cannot do?" First of all, we shouldn't be surprised when God calls us to perfection because that is all He knows. It would not make any sense if He called us to anything less. Second, we need Him even in our attempts to reach toward perfection because He is the strength of our lives. Even the breath we breathe came from Him.

The Lord Jesus won us by dying on the cross. It was He who said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends." As a door, the perfection the Lord Jesus demands drives us to our need for a righteousness that is not our own. It drives us to look to the Lord Jesus for our justification and sanctification. The role we play in both our justification and sanctification is placing our faith in Him. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Matthew 5:38-42

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"38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." ~ Matthew 5:38-42

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus taught a large group of people who had followed Him up on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. As mentioned before, the Lord Jesus used six "You have heard it said" statements in order show that the culture of God was greater and better than even the best of the cultures on this earth that man had developed. 

In v.38-39 of today's passage we read, "38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."

Here, the Lord Jesus again turns to that which was heard and understood by all who were present that day. He referred here to a precept out of the Law of Moses itself, but He will provide additional insights into what God values. The precept is an "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." It is found first in Exodus 21:24. It is then repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. This law is largely known as the Lex Talionis or the law of retaliation. The punishment is given to resemble the offense in both kind and degree of severity. It is a right standard for deterring violence and providing safety to a community. If someone knows that he will have his eye plucked out for plucking out someone else’s eye, the chances are that he will restrain from doing that. This also goes for pretty much every action that will be repaid in kind. When one understands that his actions against someone will lead to like punishment, he will normally use wisdom and restrain himself.

Exodus 21:24 specifically addresses the murder of an unborn child. The obvious point is that there is a child in the womb considered to be a human being. Abortion is a great sin against human morality, and it is something that can never be condoned when placed in the light of Scripture. God advises that we use great wisdom in how we evaluate such moral matters. What is legal does not necessarily equate to what is right. We must use Scripture as our standard for understanding what is morally acceptable or not.

In v.39 the Lord Jesus said, "And I, I say to you." The law of Moses found in the first five books of the Bible was given to keep society in check. It is proper, good, and holy. However, the words stated now by the Lord Jesus provide for how things should ideally be handled to avoid escalation of a matter. The context is that someone has committed evil against another. The answer of God to this situation was to be arrived upon out of Israel's relationship with the Lord. Israel had offended the Lord in ten thousand ways in the pages of the Bible. And yet, the Lord remained gracious to them, forgiving their sins and keeping His covenant with them. He expects man to do likewise.

The word translated as "slaps" is rare in the Bible, being found only here and in Matthew 26:27. In this verse, it means to strike someone with the palm of the hand. The Lord Jesus said that when being slapped on the right cheek, a person should then turn and offer the other cheek. The word signifies a dynamic change from one direction to another. In other words, the turn should be obvious in order to catch the attention of the one who slapped the right cheek. The obvious signification of such an act is to quell the temper of the person who slapped. It can even lead to shaming him for doing something that was obviously uncalled for. 

In v.40-42 of today's passage we read, "40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."

Again, the Lord Jesus provided for those who had gathered to hear Him that day better teaching than the teaching they had been given by the religious leaders of Israel. Here, the Lord Jesus addressed the disposition of the human heart. So often when we have people who are needy, our tendency is to withdraw, to get a little bit farther away, to see them on the other side of the room and go to the other side, not wanting to be caught in a situation. The Lord Jesus says, our hearts should always be shaped by His affection for others. Not unwisely, but to give to meet needs.  

The tunic was a garment that provided covering to the skin. Sort of like a t-shirt today. The cloak was an outer garment worn over the tunic. It would be the more expensive of the two garments. The law suit was for the tunic alone, and yet, the Lord Jesus directed His hearers to go the extra mile and hand over our more expensive outer garment as well. This would demonstrate the gracious nature that God had displayed toward them. Like the previous examples, it is a means of extending oneself to someone who has mistreated us. In such a case, the Lord Jesus directs us to extend ourselves beyond what is expected, and be known by grace.

God has gone the extra mile for rebellious man. He not only sent the Lord Jesus to this earth, He offers us forgiveness of sin through His Son's willful death on the cross. The word "asks" really means demands, providing for us a pathetic picture of arrogant man who thumbs his nose up to God. And yet, God remains faithful to His offer of salvation to all who would come to Him. At every turn in the Sermon on the Mount, the Jesus has led us to despair over our sin. In doing so, He wants us to see how impossible it is in our own sinful selfish hearts to do what He has demanded in the Law of Moses. He has promised forgiveness and righteousness to those who turn to Him. Once we realize that we can't fix ourselves, the hope is that we will turn to Him as our Savior. And in so doing, we will reflect His likeness as is instructed to even those who deliberately hurt us. This is the way of grace!

Matthew 5:33-37

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"33 Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." ~ Matthew 5:33-37

Today, we continue our study on the Sermon on the Mount, a sermon the Lord Jesus gave in order to instruct His hearers of their religious notions. At the beginning of this teaching the Lord Jesus spelled out how we enter into a personal relationship with Himself; through our recognition of our spiritual bankruptcy. It is out of our utter bankrupt state spiritually that we turn to Him for His free gift of forgiveness of sin. This is where our relationship begins and it is furthered as we grow in our relationship of trust in Him to accomplish His will in and through us. This process is called sanctification which is different than our justification. The only thing that justifies us is His work on the cross of Calvary.

Most believe their good behavior earns favor with God. This is not biblical. In today's passage, the Lord Jesus attempted to help His hearers to see the freeing nature of the truth. In order to reach this goal, the Lord Jesus directed His hearers to their practice of making oaths. Those who heard the Lord Jesus that day knew that when they swore on something, that meant they had to do it. In the first century people made oaths for all sorts of reasons. This is why God had made it clear in the Old Testament that man should not make any oath by the name of God. So the people swore on all sorts of things to make their claims believable. The real issue the Lord was addressing that day was man's inability to trust.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'"

Truth and trust go hand in hand. It is essential to any relationship that truth reigns therein. Again, the Lord Jesus utilized another of the six "you have heard it said" statements used in context that day on that mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. He used it in order to draw a contrast between the words of the Lord and the words of men. Even though man may be convinced that being a man about our words is one of the wisest things we do, we are not consistent in doing so. Through these six statements of contrast, ultimately, the Lord Jesus was trying to help the people see that their fallenness limited them in their understanding of the truth which led them to believe that they somehow earned God's favor through their good behavior. In addition, the Lord was addressing the self-righteous approach to others that we all have been known to employ. Humility is a must if we are to enjoy meaningful relationships with Him and with others.

With these words the Lord Jesus revealed His main point which is the condition of the human heart. Often when we make oaths because we have lost control and we want to regain it. We have all said to God, "If you will get me out of this, I will never do this again." There are times when we want others to act a certain way, and we employ these same kinds of tactics to get them to go along with our will, only to be found manipulative. The old law said that when we dress up our words by taking an oath, we had better be telling the truth. But, as is always the case, the Lord Jesus went deeper. He went to the heart of His hearers which had been dragged away from the truth by the evil one. A large part of our sanctification, which is a long and arduous process, is learning to be defined by truth.

In v.34-36 of today's passage we read, "34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."

The Lord Jesus then told His hearers not to even make oaths at all. He tackled the little tricks we use by directing us to our real problem within our hearts, our desire for control. When things don’t go our way and we wish it were different, when we desperately feel out of control and we want to force things to turn out according to our will, we use certain words or tactics to manipulate those with whom we are in relation. We sometimes even bend the truth to get our way. Of course, these tactics are dysfunctional and they never produce the desired end we long for. And, all of this does not happen without consequences. When we use our words to bend the truth, people get hurt, relationships get fractured, and trust is undermined. This is what the Lord Jesus was addressing that day. But, when we are being defined by the kingdom of heaven, we will relate with others differently. To be defined by the kingdom of heaven is to obey the King of heaven. The solution the Lord Jesus provides us is for us to be truth tellers! Once we come face to face with our tendency to bend the truth in an effort to control our world, the cure is simple, behave in the way God desires to define us with the truth.

In v.37 of today's passage we read, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.'"

When we speak just the truth, we protect our relationships. When we are honest we avoid giving the enemy a foothold in those relationships. When we tell the truth, we will have nothing to hide. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." The truth itself is the enemy of the evil one. When we only speak the truth, we will live in and out of the truth. The Lord Jesus desires to transform hearts with His truth so that we can accept the truth even when it is about us. He wants to embrace us with His truth so that we can embrace Him and others sincerely through the truth. The incredible thing about embracing the truth is that it is nowhere near as scary as we fear. All those things that we want to hide, those areas that we would love to change, they melt away when we embrace and are defined by the truth. And, the greatest truth of all is that God loves us no matter what. I can say this because it was the Lord Jesus who earned our acceptance in the first place. This is the truth, the truth that our justification in Him makes us right before the holy God. And, it is this truth which forms the foundation of everything else in our lives.

Matthew 5:31-32

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"31 Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." ~ Matthew 5:31-32

Today, we return to our study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. In this sermon the Lord Jesus laid out His culture by providing definition to the questions about that which is truly real. After giving us a description of the process involved in the changing of our hearts in the context of a relationship with Him, the Lord Jesus utilized six "You have heard it said" statements. He did this in order to reveal to His hearers the difference between the words of God and the words of men. Ultimately, the Lord Jesus was trying to help the people see their lack of their ability to earn God's favor through their good behavior. He also was destroying the self-righteous system of the religious leaders of Israel. 

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'"

Again, the Lord Jesus was providing His hearers an outline to His culture which is the truth. And the truth is, the health of any society is determined by the health of the families found therein. And, the health of the family is determined by the health of the marriages involved. God says to the most important relationship in a society, "Do not commit adultery." This seventh of the Ten Commandments protects the sanctity of each marital relationship. As we have mentioned, marriage between a man and a woman was the first relationship God established. Since the marriage is the most important building block to a great society, God gave the seventh commandment in order to protect it.

The greatest threat to any marriage is adultery. In Deuteronomy 24:1-2 we read, "If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something indecent in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house. 2 When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife."

The Lord Jesus used this Old Testament passage to show that even though He had given His culture to man in the Old Testament, sinful man was incapable to substantiate the truth. This is why Moses allowed a man to divorce his wife, especially if "he found something indecent in her." This indecency was something that brought shame to her husband resulting in producing a desire within him to no longer desire her. This was what was allowed by the Lord through Moses but, as we see in Mark 10, this was allowed by God due to the hardness of the people's hearts. In fact, from the very beginning of the creation, God's intentional design was that a woman and a man remain married til death did them part. To do otherwise and remarry was to be guilty of adultery.

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."

In this verse we see that the words of the Lord Jesus were set against the Law of Moses. But this was not His intent at all. And, it was not that the Lord contradicted that which He had previously given. Rather, the Lord Jesus told the people that Moses allowed for divorce because of the hardness of their hearts, meaning that God knew that the people would rebel against Him. So here, in today's passage, the Lord Jesus explained what the standard of God actually was by explaining His standard from the very beginning. 

With this in mind, the Lord Jesus next said, "whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery."

The word "except" here means there is one exception to the rule of marriage and that is adultery. The woman, having been dismissed by her husband for a reason that is insufficient in the eyes of God, is now to be considered an adulteress. By the way, this is true for the man, as well. As such, the person who marries the one who is guilty of adultery. This clearly reveals that God still saw the original union in the light of His original intent.

In Genesis 2:23 we read, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh." 

We cannot understand divorce unless we understand marriage. We will never understand how God views a separation until we understand how He defines the union itself. Herein do we find that God had brought together a man and a woman with permanency in mind for their sake. From the very beginning God ordained monogamy between a married man and woman. God said, "A man shall leave his father and his mother, cleave unto his wife; they shall be one flesh." There is no ending to that, they were meant to continue to be one flesh til their deaths. 

When two people are glued together they become one single individual, and so it says, "they shall be one flesh." So marriage, as God designed it, was to be the perfect melding of two people together into one. Intimacy is the goal. This is true in every dimension, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, sexually. Every marriage is meant to be undergirded by the commitment made before witnesses til death do them part. God's goal for marriage was and has always been that of perfect intimate oneness. This is the foundation of a God-defined marriage. As God's culture is inculcated therein society flourishes in that context.

God created mankind to worship Him, but man rebelled, falling victim to Satan, sin, and death. God then called Israel as His prototypical nation, but they, like the first humans, hardened their hearts against God and His truth. This was man's problem that the Lord Jesus came to remedy. The subject of divorce was used of the Lord Jesus as a microcosm in the Sermon on the Mount in order to address the root problem within the heart of rebellious man. Just as a marriage relationship transcends the two people who are involved in it, it also reflects God’s redemption to this fallen world. In the Lord Jesus Christ, the kingdom of heaven has drawn near to sinful man. The loving God has pursued fallen mankind as a husband pursues his wife. God has made His salvation available to everyone willing and honest of heart. The only question is: Are we honest, humble and willing enough to receive His free gift?

Matthew 5:27-30

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"27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ~ Matthew 5:27-30

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 5 where we find the second of six "You have heard it said" statements from the Lord Jesus as He was teaching those who had gathered to hear Him. The Lord Jesus utilized these six comparative statements in order to help His hearers to recognize the difference between the words of God and the words of men. Of course, the words of men here was the commentary the religious leaders had added to God's word. This commentary had turned the people away from the full meaning of God's word. Here, the Lord Jesus was trying to help the people see their lack of their ability to earn God's favor through their good behavior. He also was destroying the self-righteous system of the religious leaders supposed holiness which was nothing more than arrogant self-righteousness. Even though our sin is forgiven and God sees us perfect through the Lord Jesus, the fact is we are sinful on the inside and we are capable of the worst things.

In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, "27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

In an attempt to help His hearers understand that they are not sinners because they sin, they sin because they are sinners, the Lord Jesus utilizes the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery."  While the sixth commandment, "You shall not murder" protects the sanctity of life, the seventh, "You shall not commit adultery" protects the sanctity of relationships.  Marriage was the first human relationship that God established. So to protect it, the commandment was put in order.

In today's passage the Lord Jesus takes it a step deeper into the sinful human heart. He said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The word "lust" is written in such a way that we know it to be a purposeful glance meaning our hearts are filled with adultery. Our hearts, if not being given to the Lord, desperately wants to find an object to which to attach in our  fantasies. The Lord Jesus is saying, "It is when we are actively looking for the person to lust after that we are already found guilty in our souls before God."  

Our sinful human hearts are vile and not to be trusted more than the Lord. In this context the sin had happened in the heart long before it was acted upon. The Lord Jesus spoke these words to show us there is no one who is more righteous than another. He said these words to tell us that our problem is too deep for our self-righteousness to handle. The Lord Jesus always takes us to the heart of the matter. With the Lord, it is not about the external, it's about the internal. The problem is always in the heart. That's where the expressions of our sinfulness begin. The heart is the soil for the seed of sin to germinate and to grow. Adultery always begins first with lust which is generated typically for men visually by what we see. We are stimulated visually to act upon it.

In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

It was the intension of the Lord Jesus to startle His hearers. He said these words for the sake of shock because that is the reaction we should have to the sin that separates us from God. We should be shocked and repulsed by our sin, even as believers in Christ. According to the teaching of that day, the right hand or the right of anything was considered the best not because right handed people are better than left handed people but because most people are right handed and that's the arm of strength and that's usually the dominant area of the physique.

So to say if you're right-handed or you're right-eyed, if anything in your life is causing you to sin even if it's precious to you, you need to deal with it. You need to cut it out of your life. It could be things that you watch or it could be places that you go. It could be the websites that you frequent. It could be certain behaviors you need to cut out of your life, cut off from your life. It could be a relationship.

Of course we wonder in our hearts, "why?" Then the Lord Jesus said, "It's more profitable for you that one of your members perished than for your whole body to be cast into hell." Sometimes we must deal with our sin in a radical way. We lack the ability to see beyond. And since we do, we value our lives here on earth far more than we do our existence into eternity. When we turn our backs on sin, even though we are wretched to the core, and we invite God's rule in our souls, we will gain His heart for others. Who wants to violate someone they love? Of course, if it is lust that is another story. 

The phrase "cause you to sin" is descriptive of bait in a trap that enables one to snare its prey. The Lord Jesus was saying, "Whatever it is in your life that causes these vile, evil thoughts, get rid of them." Of course, this is impossible for anyone to do without His abiding help. This is why He had to live in us. Having invited the Lord Jesus to come into our lives, we now have a new nature, a new heart. And we do not need to follow the pandering of our own lusts. We can know victory over even our lusts. If a man or a woman is without the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she hardly stands a chance in this arena.

Matthew 5:23-26

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23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. ~ Matthew 5:23-26

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus is teaching those who had gathered before Him overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 5-7 is known as the Sermon on the Mount and in it the Lord Jesus describes the application of the kingdom of God to the heart of the believer. In Proverbs 4:23 we read, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." God always starts with our heart because He knows our hearts are the core and the essence of our being. 

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

In our previous study we considered the words of the Lord  Jesus about how sin is deeper than the various actions that we employ which do not measure up to the truth found in God's Word. The Lord Jesus is the only one who can see into the human heart. The problem of the fallen human heart is that it has been infected by rebellion, sin, and death. We are naturally at odds with God. This is why the Lord Jesus came to this earth, to remedy our problem at the cross of Calvary. With that remembered, the Lord Jesus in today's passage introduces the altar. The word "altar" points us to the ultimate reality and that is worship of God. What we worship the most is what we love the most and that is what defines us most.

The word translated "bring" is a word used to describe an offering or a gift. More often than not, this word is used when referring to gifts or offerings presented to God. Then notice that the offering is offered upon "the altar." This is specifically referring to an altar for sacrifice. Literally, it describes a person bringing an offering to God at the temple where atonement was made for sin. Regardless of the type of offering, the person delivering the offering is coming before God. 

Then the Lord Jesus added, "and there (you) remember that your brother has something against you." Notice that the Lord said, "your brother has something against you." After saying for us to first be reconciled to our brother, we are to then come and offer our gift to God. Notice we are to first go and then come. We are not to just come to worship; we are to come to worship in an authentic way. Self-examination enhances our worship of God. Before we go to worship God, we must examine our hearts so that our worship is genuine and authentic.

We do well to deal with any ill-will we might have with a brother in the Lord before we go to worship because such angst can hinder the involvement of our hearts. There is no greater threat to our worship of the Lord than unconfessed sin in our hearts. If our hearts are in a bad state with our brother, it will affect our fellowship with the Lord. In 1 John 4:20-21 we read, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."

The scribes and pharisees were most concerned by their appearance and their supposed piety before the people was of the highest value to them. The religious are always concerned about externals but God always points us to the heart of the matter which is the matter of the heart. The conscience of the religious leaders of Israel towards the things of God and proper fellowship with others was sorely lacking. Therefore, when they came forward with a gift, it would be with their head held high and in a manner that would make everyone stop and watch them. To them, the external act was what mattered even though they had heart issues. 

The Lord expects harmony among brothers and sincerity in our hearts. As for the word translated "reconciled," it is found only here in the Bible. It means to change thoroughly. For example, one is to mentally reconcile with those with whom there is ill-will. But that mental state can only happen when there is a harmonious agreement between the offended party and the offender. This internal state of being properly prepared to approach the altar is a must if we are to treat our worship of God as we should. 

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison."

The word "agree" is found only once in the New Testament. It gives the sense of being well-minded or being quickly well-minded toward your brother. This is met with the words, "while you are on the way with him." With these words the Lord Jesus gave a real-life example of how things are so that the precept just stated is understandable to His audience. God's ultimate desire for you and me is that we are at harmony with Him and others and that harmony encourages others to worship God.

From here, the Lord Jesus said, "lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison." Imprisonment is the destination of those who are not willing to humble themselves before God to the point of dealing with their sin. And, the worst imprisonment isn't a place, it is a condition where sin reigns. This is bad because we know that the goal of sin is to destroy us.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

It seems the Lord Jesus here presents a situation in which a person owes money to another and has not fully repaid. He encourages such a one to come to an agreement with the one to whom something is likely owed, lest that adversary deliver him up to imprisonment. This was a surety if the person did not paid the last penny or the smallest unit of Roman money. There will always be accountability and this is why the truth will always prevail. Once imprisoned the person’s lot would be set and there would be no release until the money, no matter how small, was paid in full.

In context, the Lord Jesus is making a point about the surety of the truth. By its very nature as the truth, the law demands to be upheld. But we are fallen and to fall short of sustaining it means we will be condemned. So, by the nature of the truth the standard is set, and only perfection is acceptable by God. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:12-13, "Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned 13 For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law."

Thank God that He went on to say in Romans 5:15-17 which reads, "15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

Matthew 5:21-22

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21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!" shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, "You fool!" shall be in danger of hell fire. ~ Matthew 5:21-22

Today, we continue our study of the most famous sermon ever. It is the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. In this sermon, the Lord Jesus Christ explained how one enters into a relationship with God, and how as a result, God inculcates His culture into us who believe in Him. Beginning in today's passage, God provides a series of six comparative statements beginning with the words, "You have heard it said." Through these comparative statements the Lord Jesus reinforced the fact that no one gets into heaven through their good behavior. The emphasis here is firmly placed upon the condition of the heart. Here, the Lord Jesus peeled back the layers to show us what the heart of one being changed by Him looks like.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'"

The words "You have heard that it was said to those of old," reveals the fact that religion is life-less. This statement points us to the oral traditions of the rabbis of Israel, not the written Word of God. The Jewish religious leaders had somewhere along the way lost touch with the Lord and they emphasized their interpretation of God's Word over His Word. This led to cold religion which placed emphasis on the behavior of man rather than the person of God. When the Lord Jesus came, He never quoted a rabbi which literally shocked His hearers because every rabbi quoted some other human authority. 

In this verse the Lord Jesus isolated the sixth of the ten commandments. The sixth is the first commandment of the second half of the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our relationship with God and the final six deal with our relationships with people. The Hebrew word translated "murder" is often mistranslated as "kill." The last half of this verse, "whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment," was not a part of the original passage in Exodus 20:13. These words were the Jewish religious leaders commentary on Exodus 20:13. The commentary that was given by the ancient rabbis was heartless and lacked life. But, this is what the law does, it makes us hopeless. It is this hopelessness that prepared us for the One who came to ransom us. If we have not been crushed by the law and thus are not prepared for the gift, we go the way of the rabbis. 

In Romans 4:5-8 we read, "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.'" 

To impute is to assign. The law demanded the imputation or the assigning of sin, yet, the Scriptures speak of the non-imputation or the non-assigning of sin. There has always been something beyond the law that brought man to this blessed state of broken preparedness. This is what God has taught us all throughout the Scriptures, that something from the foundation of the world has rescued us from the condemnation of the law. And, that something is the Lord Jesus Himself. Once the Lord Jesus died on the cross in fulfillment of the Law of Moses, God could then pour out His grace upon the broken. This non-imputation of sin came through the assignment of the Lord Jesus who came to shed His blood on our behalf. This is what makes us holy before God, our brokenness leading us to faith in the Lord Jesus and His shed blood.

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."

The state of anger that leads to the act of murder makes one liable to the judgment of God. In Ephesians 4:26 we are told "to be angry and do not sin." Here, the Lord Jesus was not telling His hearers they could not be angry. He was telling them that the state of anger towards a brother that could lead to murder is essentially murder, just as the act of coveting that leads to theft. As He always has, God looks at the state of our heart. The actions that follow do not necessarily have to occur for there to be the imputation of sin. This is exactly the reason for the tenth commandment, coveting. We are not to allow our hearts to come to the state where we have the desire to do what may then be acted out. Understanding this, the Lord Jesus next said, "And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council."

The word translated "raca" is found only here in the Bible and it signifies proclaiming a person as foolish. Here, the Lord Jesus, once again, pointed to the state of the heart. If someone calls his brother "raca," it is because he has murderous intent in his heart. And, if he acted out that intent, he would be liable to condemnation for having committed murder. The one harboring a safe haven in his heart for hatred is always in danger of Hell. That is unless he has been covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus.

As always, God is most interested in the heart. We can appear righteous on the outside yet wretched and wicked on the inside. Even though my sin has been forgiven, I am still wicked on the inside. Paul reminds us that it is the letter that kills. And, it is the Spirit that gives life. God doesn't look at the externals. He looks for broken hearts. The scribes and Pharisees thought that because they didn’t murder, they were all right, but they had hatred in their hearts and they did not even know it. The cause of their problem was that they were religious which made them phony, plastic and legalistic. They failed to teach that conformity to God’s law is a matter of the heart, not simply a matter of the outside. They were concerned with what they didn’t do. God was concerned with what they were on the inside. 

We miss God when we see the law as not an end in itself. Those trapped in religion do not understand that the law was given by God to break us. Many do not understand that the goal of the law is to bring our hearts to the place where we see the Lord for who He is. Our problem is that due to our fallen condition we cannot totally live up to the law. This is why the Lord Jesus came. He came to substantiate the law on the behalf of all those who are honest and humble enough to not only recognize and admit our need for the Savior but also to cry out to Him for His help because He is the only Savior!

Matthew 5:19-20

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19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 5:19-20

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus had just told His disciples that the righteous requirements of the law would be fulfilled by Him on their behalf. In fact, He told them that not one jot or tittle would go without being fulfilled. This meant their salvation would be procured by Him through His perfection before God. In the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 the Lord Jesus taught about what it looks like to enter into the kingdom of God. His Kingdom abounds with His righteousness that is totally different than that of the kingdom of the religious leaders of Israel. His kingdom triumphs over the sin and the death that was ushered into this world through Adam in the Garden of Eden.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

It was at this point that the Lord Jesus began to reinforce the fact that no fallen man can measure up to His righteous demands. To not live up to the least commandment and then to teach others accordingly would render that person the least in the kingdom of heaven. Most believe that if their good behavior outweighs their bad behavior then God will see fit to allow them into heaven. This is not the teaching of the Bible. A relevant example of this were the religious leaders of Israel who gave their entire lives to understanding what it meant to be good enough to get into heaven. Understanding it and doing it are two very different things. For those who think they might be "good enough," they must ask themselves "How good is good enough?" Clearly, the religious route wasn't enough. In fact, it is arrogant to think any fallen man could measure up to the truth. The idea that we can be good enough also reveals how low of a view we have of the righteousness of God.

You will remember the Lord Jesus began this chapter with the words, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit." Then He said, "Blessed are those who mourn."  It is always the person who realizes he is spiritually bankrupt before God or that he is not good enough, who is postured to see that he cannot be good enough. Humility is a must for anyone to see this. When we recognize that before God we are poverty stricken and are broken which is what results in our mourning over our hopeless condition, it is then that we are positioned to see that we cannot be good enough. It is out of this posture that we are positioned to embrace the repentance of which John the Baptist preached. 

With reference to being in the kingdom of God, it is clear throughout the Bible that our faith in the promise of God unto salvation given to all who believe is what makes us right with Him and thus in His kingdom. Of course, the ultimate gift of forgiveness and sonship with God comes through the cross of the Lord Jesus. So, it is through His perfection both displayed through His perfectly lived life and His perfect sacrifice on the cross that makes us righteous and acceptable before Him.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

In that day, most considered the religious leaders of Israel to be the epitome of righteousness. But, that was the evaluation of men. The righteousness of the religious leaders seemed better than that of the average guy but it wasn't good enough when evaluated by God. Even though someone like the Apostle Paul who was a Pharisee was blameless before the law concerning righteousness, even he could not enter into the kingdom of heaven without placing His faith in the Lord Jesus. The reason is found in Habakkuk 2:4 which reads, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."

The word translated "just" means righteous. It is only those who live by faith in the God of the Bible who are pronounced by Him as righteous before Him. To trust in one’s own merit through obedience to the law is what the Scribes and Pharisees did and it was not enough according to the Lord Jesus. This religious view of the religious leaders revealed their faith was in themselves. Therefore, only by faith in the completed work of the Lord Jesus can a man possess the righteousness that exceeds the most meticulously faithful observer of the law, such as the religious leaders of Israel. 

This is the reason the Apostle Paul penned in Galatians 6:14-15, "14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation."

Matthew 5:17-18

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17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ~ Matthew 5:17-18

Today, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. In the previous verse, the Lord Jesus told the disciples to let their light so shine that others see their good works causing them to glorify their Father in heaven. Now, He brings up words that are so misquoted and misapplied within the church that even cults have used them to teach falsely. Such is the case with false teachers who take God's words out of their context and build whole systems upon them.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."

The Law of Moses and the Prophets were given by God to the people of Israel. These words of the Lord Jesus in today's passage were given to Israel, as well. No other people on the planet were given these laws but the people of Israel. The teachings of the Old Testament were specifically given to the nation of Israel by God to provide His culture to them. Throughout the Bible we see a major distinction between Israel and the Church. This is important because there are certain promises given to Israel that weren't given to the Church.

The context in today's passage was of the Lord Jesus speaking the law to the people who were under the law. The Lord Jesus was telling the people of Israel that they should not perceive that His mission was to destroy the law or the teachings of the Old Testament prophets. That was not His mission, and nobody was to accuse Him of conducting His ministry otherwise. The Lord Jesus was born under the law, and He had no design or intent to set aside its teachings that were given to Israel primarily through Moses.

False teachers down through the centuries have used these words of the Lord Jesus to teach that everybody, even Christians, must adhere to the Law of Moses in order to be made acceptable before God. These have a high view of themselves and a very low view of the truth because no fallen sinner has ever or will ever measure up to the righteousness requirements of God. This is why the Lord Jesus came to this earth to be born under the law so that all who believe in Him could realize the acceptance of God through His perfectly lived life and His sacrifice upon the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. 

The Lord Jesus came to fulfill or to sustain the righteous requirements of God given through the law and the prophets. The phrase "law and the prophets" is synonymous with the entirety of the Old Testament scriptures. It's a nickname for what we call the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. Formally, the Jews divided up their scriptures into three sections; the first is what they call the Torah which is the law. The second are the Nevi'im which are the prophets, and the third, the Ketuvim, which are the writings. In God's eyes, the law is binding on Israel as much today as it was when Moses gave it to them at the foot of Mount Sinai. Due to the fact that no one can fulfill the Law of Moses, the Lord Jesus came to rescue sinful and hopeless man by fulfilling and substantiating the truth on the behalf of all who claim as Savior the Lord Jesus. 

In Romans 8:1-4 we read, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

It was through the Lord Jesus Christ that the law’s requirements were met on the behalf of hopeless man. In Colossians 2:13-14 we read, "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." This does not mean that the Law has been set aside. No, our requirement to meet it has been fulfilled by the Lord Jesus. He did this so that we could enjoy through Him the blessing of being sons and daughters of God.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

After preparing the ears of His disciples and the Jewish folks who had gathered to hear the Lord Jesus teach, He continued to underscore the absolute necessity of the Law of Moses. The problem had been created by two things, the Fall of Man and the fact that the Jews believed that their adherence to the Law of Moses was what made them right in the eyes of God. For some reason they lost sight of the fact that the Old Testament sacrifices made them right before the Lord and that the Law of Moses could not make them right before Him due to their inability to adhere to it. 

In today's passage, the Lord Jesus assured us that He would substantiate the teachings of the Law and the Prophets so that we could realize their teachings in a practical sense everyday. This is why He said, "one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." The Greek word translated "jot" is found only here in the Bible. It is the Greek word "iota" which equates to the smallest Hebrew letter. It would be easy to miss a jot when transcribing a document. The "tittle" is even smaller than the jot and it is the little protrusion on Hebrew letters. It seems to be most insignificant but for those who know the truth, it is huge because even the fulfillment of the smallest letters made us perfect in the eyes of God through the Lord Jesus.

Sadly, for those who fail to come to Christ for forgiveness, they are condemned by the Law of Moses. Any individual Jew who comes to Christ is freed from the requirements of the law. And, for all who reject the free gift of God through the Lord Jesus, there remains no salvation. However, there is coming a day when the people of Israel will fully recognize the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. This is noted in many Old Testament passages, especially in Zechariah 12:10 which reads, "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."