Application of God's Word

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 5:31-37 Heaven is God's throne and the Earth His footstool, Jesus reiterated this as it was written in Isaiah 66:1 . Can we truly understand the magnitude of that concept? Can we even imagine what that means? If we can, the mere thought of swearing by heaven or earth wouldn't even

Right after speaking about Adultery, Jesus' next topic, surprisingly, deals with marriage and this is what he has to say in his sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:31-32 : 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. I can't think of marriage without thinking about my parents. They didn't believe in divorce, for better or worse they stuck it out even when they said they would leave, they stayed together. As children, my brothers, sister, and I growing up, we got to see what a real marriage

Can you truly commit adultery in your heart? Well, Jesus said you can and if He said it - it's the truth. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to reveal to us the sins of the heart and how those sins have eternal consequences. Let's continue our bible study on Matthew 5:27-30 . 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old,[ c ] ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[ d ] 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. Firstly Jesus looked at "Do not commit murder." Now he refers to another commandment, "You sh...

Matthew 5: 21-26 continues Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a pure heart. 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[ a ] 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[ b ] 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. 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 ou...

In Matthew 5:17-20 , during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals the purpose of His coming: 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. 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. The word fulfill means to accomplish, complete, or realize. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill what was written in both the law and the prophets. Therefore, we cannot ignore what was written in the Old Testament. Instead, Jesus is showing us that everyth...

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.   14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.   15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.   16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. In today's world, there is a constant search for purpose and meaning in this life. As believers, we should know our purpose, we should know who the Lord has called us to be and what we should do. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus has called those who believe in him and those who choose to follow him to be Salt and Light. I have often wondered why Jesus compared believers and followers to salt and light. There are many insightful commentaries available, and some explanations reson...

Jesus' sermon on the Mount covers a variety of teachings that provide valuable guidance for believers in their journey of faith. In Matthew 5 , Jesus starts with the Beatitudes and in this account by Matthew, our focus will be on the last beatitude.         11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Persecution can take many forms, and we may not always recognize it for what it truly is. To persecute means to persistently harass, oppress, torment, afflict, torture, annoy, or cause trouble for someone.  But Jesus says "Blessed are you" when they do these things to you for My sake .  The word  blessed means to be divinely favored, to have good fortune, and to be worthy of deep reverence and respect. We as believers are blessed when we are revile...