Matthew 5 - Let your Yes be Yes and Your No be No

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

Matthew 5 - Marriage is sacred and binding

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 worst 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

I Will Rise - by Chris Tomlin

This song is just beautiful! It reminds us that our time here is short, and in the end those who are the true believers and followers of Christ, will rise when He calls our names.

Matthew 5 - Adultery in the Heart

Can you truly commit adultery in your heart? Well Jesus said you can and if he said it - it's truth my brothers and sisters. In his sermon on the mount he continues to reveal to us the sins of the heart and how those sins have eternal consequences. Let's continue our bible study in 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 castit 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 shall not commit adultery."  With both of these commandments there was a consequence according to the law but Jesus is saying

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