Matthew 5:21-26

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Here in what is called Jesus' "sermon on the mount" we come to a section that I like to call PRECEPTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is where Jesus actually moves through 6 specific teachings taught by the scribes and Pharisees and then gives His teaching on each one. Each teaching is from the Law which Jesus says He will not abolish, but will fulfill. Each time he prefaces the teaching with something like "You have heard it said, but I say to you." The difference is very clear and deeply convicting.

1-MURDER 21 ``You have heard that the ancients were told, `YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and `Whoever, commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 ``But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, `You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, `You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 ``Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 ``Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 ``Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

This refers to a debtor's prison. Handle your conflicts to the best of your ability to avoid hurtful circumstances.

I don't think anyone would be against this teaching that a murderer ought to be sent to court for some accountability. Jesus takes the entire matter deeper. He is saying that murder is not committed simply on the social level between people (externally), but murder goes deeper into the heart (internally).

Jesus says: 1st Degree Murder-Everyone who is angry at another brother. The root of murder is in the heart-anger! Now, you will have anger, but don't hang on to it and allow it to fester. That will prove to be as destructive as the social act of murder.

2nd Degree Murder-Everyone who calls his brother "good-for-nothing". The word, Raca, has to do with attacking one's head, calling him stupid!

3rd Degree Murder-Everyone who calls another a "fool", this term has to do with contempt for a person's heart and character. Jesus covers the entire spectrum of anger!

Jesus then turns driving His point home by using an extreme illustration. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you. In other words, Jesus says that even the high act of worshipping God must not take precedence over your relationships with others. This is a powerful point! He will reiterate this dynamic later in this speech. You must understand that your relationships with one another is at the heart of God! Jesus sets out the procedure to follow. Leave your offering there-stop your worship or attention toward the Lord.

Go to your brother-seek out this offended one. Be reconciled to him-as far as it depends upon you. You may not accomplish full reconciliation in return. Then come and present your offering-now you are ready to face the God of gods.

Be careful not to act like a Pharisee and wrangle over words, like saying, "Well, I haven't really had 'anger' in my heart, maybe 'dislike' but not anger or called anyone 'stupid' or 'fool', therefore I have not done any of these things that are at the heart of murder.

GET OVER IT! You may not have murdered someone in society (an outward act), but you are guilty of murder through one or more of the degrees of murder (an inward act). NOW ACT UPON IT. THE JESUS WAY!

Matthew 5:17-20

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

I see this passage as containing the key to the entire book of Matthew. This is the primary theme of what Matthew intended to communicate to all who read: ``Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 ``For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 ``Whoever, then annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever, keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

After painting a portrait of blessed believers, Jesus begins more specifically answering the question in everyone's mind: "How does your teaching differ from what we've been taught?" He positions His teachings with the Mosaic Law. Jesus makes it clear that He does not nullify the Law in any way, but has come to fulfill it. To fulfill literally means to fill it full. Imagine an empty glass as the Law and filling up the glass with Jesus. The Law was the form and Jesus is the substance!

The Law of Moses spoke and illustrated Jesus throughout, then Jesus shows up to fill up the form set forth by that Law.

NOTE that Jesus in no way excludes the Jewish people and their Law of Moses, but only has difficulty with their application of it. In fact, Jesus presents Himself in an inclusive manner. He is always inclusive. Jesus unites. Everything and everyone else tends toward dividing. I don't know many people like this, like Jesus.

20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

NOTE that Jesus gives the requirement for entering the kingdom of heaven. Your righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. Wow! Is Jesus saying that we are to be more religious than these Jewish leaders? Not at all--just the opposite!

The scribes and Pharisees were some of the most religious people ever. Their religiosity was all about external matters-separation from sin and sinners and cleansing oneself. The Pharisees were known for: 1. Professing righteousness without possession of it! 2. Being hyper-critical-not hypocrites in the normal sense, but hair-splitters, nit-pickers, feather-pluckers! 3. Emphasizing the letter over the spirit of the Law-all truth and little grace! 4. Making absolutes out of non-absolutes-listing as many rules and regulations as possible! 5. Drawing the condemnation of men on righteous acts before God-such as praying, fasting, giving.

Jesus was not saying to outdo these super-religious people. He was saying that your righteousness must surpass their righteousness. I believe He is saying that your righteousness must go deeper-from the externals into the internals. Remember, God looks on the heart (internals) while man looks on the outward appearance (externals). Righteousness as Jesus teaches it is a matter of the heart and He will delineate how this works in the next few paragraphs.

If you are counting on your good behavior or looking spiritual to get you into the kingdom of heaven, then you will be very disappointed. Unless your righteousness exceeds (goes deeper-internal) than that of the Pharisees, you will not get in!

From this point forward, Matthew will use Jesus' teaching and many other incidents to illustrate that all externals ought to emerge out of the internal, that being must come first, then on to the doing!

Matthew 5:13-16

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Now that Jesus has described what it means to be a happy, blessed and fulfilled follower, He uses two dynamic terms to position us in this world-salt and light.

FIRST-SALT You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

NOTE Jesus says, "You ARE the salt of the earth!" It's not that you might be or you could be, but you ARE. Salt was used as a preservative to counteract the decay in meat. In order for the salt to be effective it must be out of the salt-shaker and applied to the meat. Salt is the invisible presence of God. It must be sensed! You're the salt in the world around you-the invisible presence of God among those you touch. Just by your presence there ought to be a preserving of purity, honesty and fairness.

Salt is: Powerful PURPOSE of loving God with all your heart! Powerful PRODUCTIVITY of losing yourself in Him! Powerful PERSPECTIVE of living in the underground! Powerful PARTNERSHIP of linking up with Jesus, the King!

Preach the gospel everyday--When necessary, use WORDS! That's salt!

SECOND-LIGHT You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot, be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

NOTE again Jesus says, "You ARE the light of the world!" Salt has a powerful invisible nature to it; light has more of the visible presence of God. Salt must be sensed-light must be seen! Light counteracts the darkness.

The visible presence of God consists of the energy of salt and the expression of light-IT MUST BE ATTRACTIVE AND AUTHENTIC! The core of this light can be found in loving your neighbor as yourself.

We are beyond the point where mere talk-no matter how sound-can make an impression. Demonstration is required. We must live what we talk, even in places where we cannot talk what we live. We stand again at Mt. Carmel (I K 18:20-40). THE TEST IS REALITY-AUTHENTICITY-THE GENUINE!

You ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the world. You are the invisible and visible presence of God on planet earth. Don't become tasteless as salt and don't dim out or cover up your light! Allow Jesus to be sensed and seen in you!

Matthew 5:10-12

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

#8 REJOICE IN PERSECUTION--To rejoice in persecution is to develop the big picture on all troubles-especially the stresses that others bring upon you! Life is full of stress and distress. Many of life's stresses are circumstantial! I recently read: "You know it's a bad day, when the sun comes up in the West, you jump out of bed and miss the floor, the bird singing outside your window is a buzzard, you put both contact lenses in the same eye, your pet rock snaps at you, the blind date turns out to be your ex-wife, your income tax refund check bounces, you put your bra on backwards and it fits better, and Suicide Prevention puts you on hold."

Note the reason for persecution. It's that same word we saw earlier-righteousness. As you hunger and thirst for righteousness-being like Jesus (allowing Him to live His life through you)-you will make people uncomfortable and they will pick away at you. Note the kinds of persecution mentioned here. It's insults, falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of the Jesus lifestyle you've embraced. And when you note who it is who is doing the persecuting in the New Testament against the early followers of Jesus, you will quickly find that this kind of persecution comes from other religious people who are jealous.

When Jesus, the Righteous One, came to explain the love of God to mankind, His simple message that He was the Gospel was just too easy. It didn't contain a system of do's and don'ts that normal religious groups do, so this made the religious people of the day uncomfortable enough to persecute Him terribly to the point of putting Him to death-to silence this simple one. If you are simply walking with Jesus, walking with others and waiting on Jesus to lead out in your life, you will face the same kind of criticism and backlash. Your simple faith will make others very uncomfortable, especially those who believe they have it all together. However, for those who are discontent, hurting, burdened down by the all of the religiosities in the world, you will be a welcome sight-a bright light of hope.

REFOCUS YOUR HEART--REJOICE IN PERSECUTION The pre-requisite necessary for you to rejoice in persecution is to refocus your heart! Your passion for filling up the hole in your soul with simply Jesus-for genuine satisfaction and fulfillment in Him-can set you up as a primary target for an onslaught of verbal persecution. When you begin to experience a sense of inner satisfaction and some level of fulfillment, you will find the jealousy and envy of others waiting to cut you down to their size-or lower!

Rejoice in persecution is the attitude that is necessary to stand up against this verbal barrage. The attitude is to take a bigger view of it all. Those who are verbally attacking you are hurting deeply within themselves. What is most encouraging is that they have noticed something about you. You are growing up! You are beginning to find a personal satisfaction that sets you apart!

Your response must be to redouble your efforts to refocus your heart even more. You'll need it to truly rejoice in the midst of this kind of persecution! Keep hungering and thirsting for that inner, spiritual satisfaction for your soul by walking with Jesus and walking with others! Then rejoice in persecution! This will drive your detractors nuts! Enjoy it!

BLESSED-YOU ARE TO BE CONGRATULATED! These 8 disciplines or attitudes are taken directly from the first seminar that Jesus gave on the hillside of the Sea of Galilee. They all begin with "Blessed" which means to be congratulated or to be filled with happiness! Take on these attitudes and make them your primary disciplines of life! Meditate on them and discover the great depth within them! They offer you the ingredients that will produce the most valuable and powerful emotional riches you could ever experience!

Note that every one of these beatitudes is different from your natural instincts. When you follow Jesus, you are walking to the beat of a different drummer. I have spent most of my life meditating and referring back to these 8 dynamics. Make them yours. Go back to them often. Maybe even memorize them and ask God to emblazon them on your soul.

Here's how it works: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. THEN, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. THEN, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. THEN, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. THEN, Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

NOTE that each of these beatitudes or disciplines run against the grain of popular lifestyles. Jesus paints a portrait of a blessed or happy follower. These are Kingdom disciplines and describe what it means to be like Jesus. You see, Jesus moves to the beat of a different drummer than this world. Follow Jesus and you will also be moving to this beat. It's the beat of the different drummer that turns those who dare to follow Jesus in this way inside out. And, when people are turned inside out by Jesus, the world will be turned upside down. CAN YOU HEAR THE BEAT?

Matthew 5:9

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

#7 RESTORE PEACE--To restore peace is to develop peace within your sphere of influence wherever possible! Be a peacemaker-make peace where there is no peace. Search for trouble, distress, brokenness and those who are living in pieces. Listen to those around you. There is a great void out there-a great need to be understood. In fact, you probably won't have to search, just listen and be aware! This is a strategic discipline that carries with it the dynamic message of the Gospel (Good News). This is Jesus-peace where there is no peace.

In order to restore peace you must see the other person's strengths. This proves that you are listening and truly understand. Seek answers for what's best for this person. Do what you can do to promote peace-making-love, trust, and forgiveness. The world around you is in such desperate need of experiencing inner peace. When I even casually mention forgiveness in a seminar session, I notice the light-bulbs switching on throughout the audience. People are in great need for healing-for knowing inner peace!

The story is told in Spain of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained. So the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last ditch effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: "Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father."

The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office over 800 "Pacos" showed up. They were all seeking forgiveness and love from their fathers. Believe me, there are massive amounts of Pacos out there looking for peace!

RENEW YOUR CONFIDENCE--RESTORE PEACE Note that being a peacemaker emerges out of the beatitude of meekness. So, how can you best restore peace in the world around you? The pre-requisite is to renew your confidence-develop the attitude of meekness. Remember that meekness is a quiet, controlled inner strength. You don't have a chance to be a peacemaker without that quiet, controlled inner strength. You see, without that attitude of meekness you have the tendency to be a reactor to people and things rather than be proactive, which is what restoring peace requires. Meekness is the inner strength that allows you to be a peacemaker! Restore peace and make people whole or remove yourself from this responsibility and leave the people around you in pieces. Choose to restore peace!

I like the simple prayer that says: "Dear Lord, as in the world I toil and through this world I flit. I pray make me a drop of oil and not a piece of grit!"

Well, are you a peacemaker or do you stir things up when you enter into the conversation? It isn't noble to stir it up and say, "Boy, did I tell them the truth and they were ticked!" You get no medals or pats on the back from Jesus with that routine. Anyone can stir it up. It takes a person walking, thinking and loving like Jesus to be a peacemaker.