Matthew 5 - Reconcile before it's too late

Matthew 5: 21-26 continues Jesus' sermon on the mount where he reveals further how important keeping our heart pure is.

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 out of there till you have paid the last penny.

The church I attended as a child put so much emphasis on being pure at heart before giving your tithes that before that part came up at every service, the pastor would say

Matthew 5 - Jesus Christ Came to Fulfill

In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus tells us what He came to do while giving his sermon on the mount.

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.
Fulfill means to accomplish, complete or realize. Jesus came not to do away with the law but to bring both the law and prophets to fulfillment.

It can be likened to a relationship. First, there is the initial period where

Matthew 5 - Believers are Salt and Light

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus sermon continues with comparing believers as Salt and Light.

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 of this life. As believers, we should know our purpose, we should know who the Lord has called us to be and

Matthew 5 The Last Beatitude

Jesus' sermon on the mount addresses so many topics for us as believers and for the non believers as well. In Matthew 5, Jesus starts with the Beautitudes and in this account by Matthew, I want to focus on the last beautitude that He spoke on.
       
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 comes in many forms and at times we may not see it for what it is. To persecute is to harrass, oppress, torment, afflict, torture, annoy and trouble someone persistently. But Jesus says "Blessed are you" when

Matthew 4 - The Battle of The Word

Matthew 4 tells not only of Jesus being tempted by the devil but also the beginning of his ministry. 

The very first verse starts off by saying, "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." This verse here conveys that this temptation was inevitable and almost a right of passage for Jesus, seeing that he was led up by the Spirit. This occurred right after his baptism which further illustrates that this was something that Jesus had to do. Possibly to show us that he himself was not immune to the temptations of