Matthew

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Mat 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those poor in spirit are they that are humble in spirit. Blessed means happy. Happy are they that are poor in spirit. They recognize they are not good in themselves and need help from the Lord. They are more likely to seek the Lord for salvation as opposed to the proud who think they have need of nothing.
need. The only one to fill that need is the Lord. The gospel is to be preached to the poor because the poor and humble are most likely to receive it. They are truly blessed indeed for they shall inherit God's kingdom. Usually the poor in material possessions but rich in the spirit, is also blessed. We live in a day of the prosperity gospel which leans heavily toward despising the poor.

I see rich churches and poor struggling ones. The rich are haughty and claim that God blessed them and made them that way assuming the poor ones are out of God's favor. Not so. God may allow some to be rich to see if they will help their brethren. We must never assume the poor are out of God's favor. That is the very opposite of what the scriptures teach.

1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1Ti 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Happy are they that mourn for sin and are grieved when they see evil prevail. Happy are they that mourn because the world has turned aside after Satan and do not fear the Lord nor regard His word. They truly shall be comforted by the Holy Spirit and comforted in eternity when Jesus returns to reward the faithful who kept the faith and did not deny His name.

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Happy are the meek or those that have a quiet gentle spirit. They will inherit the earth in the day the Lord returns. God resists the proud and haughty that assume they are rich, increased with goods and have need of nothing. The meek shall inherit God's blessings, not the proud.

Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do
not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

To hunger after righteousness is our goal. To those who desire holiness and righteousness in their lives, they shall receive and be full. There is a danger of coming to Christ for salvation and then living any way the flesh desires. We are to seek the righteousness of Christ continually. It is not a one time thing. We need to be filled with the spirit constantly. We must hunger and thirst for the things of the spirit of God. When we do, we receive more and more. God will surely give to all who diligently seek Him.

2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

If we forgive men their trespasses, God forgives us. When we show mercy, God shows us mercy. There is a story Jesus tells about a man who was forgiven by his creditor but refused to forgive a fellow servant:

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay
me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

They shall see God because the sin which separated them from God previously has been washed away by the blood of Jesus and they continued in the faith, not turning back into the lusts and impurity that they had before coming to Christ. They kept themselves pure. They shall see God.

1Timothy 5:21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by
partiality.
1Ti 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

We are not to return to the corruption of sin after we have found salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We are to be sanctified which means both being set apart and cleansed to be in the Lord's service. We now live for Him in holiness and sanctification. This is not taught as it once was but just because we do not teach it does not make it null and void.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Hebrews confirms that without holiness no person shall see God.

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peace makers are the total opposite of those that are carnal and walk in the flesh. I use to know a lady who loved making peace. Instead of repeating evil, she would repeat good things. For instance, if one person would compliment another person, she would be quick to tell the other person the good that the first person said about her.

The flesh wants to hear gossip, repeat gossip and sow discord. The flesh loves to see two people dislike each other hoping to benefit by siding with the offended person thus making a friendship based on mutual dislike of another person. This is not good. If we have two friends who are angry with each other, we need to work toward their reconciliation not try to benefit by their estrangement.

I remember one lady who wanted her friend's boyfriend for herself, so she went to the boyfriend and told things the his girlfriend had said behind his back in girl talk and confidence. It split the two up. The two girls who once had a close friendship was separated. All three relationships are now split. I remember warning the guy involved that he should never listen to a person who tries to break up a friendship by repeating something said about him behind his back. He listened and allowed his relationship to be
destroyed.

Gossip can destroy a church worse than a fistfight. We are not supposed to use false flattery and say things that are not true but to speak and criticize a person behind their backs does not do one bit of good either for the hearer or the one being talked about. It does no good for that person since they don't hear it. This is evil, God forgive us but we are all guilty of this at one time or another and it is not good. It can't possibly edify or heal a church.

The exception to this of course is when a person teaches a false doctrine and a whole congregation needs to be warned. If a person is a predator or someone who would endanger another's life, well being etc., then we may have to say something to keep the innocent from harm. In normal everyday life in dealing with people, though we need to walk in love and not sow discord among the brethren. Endeavor to make peace and we will be blessed of God.

Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

To be persecuted for the kingdom of God's sake will be rewarded highly at the Lord's coming. Peter talks of this:

1Peter 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is
acceptable with God.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men.

If we sat down to eat and the food was bland with no salt, we then take the shaker and salt our food only to discover the salt had lost all flavor. I've never had this to happen myself but if it did, we would see what this saying of Christ is all about. If believers lose their testimony, water down their message and have no power, we become good for nothing. We will make no impact upon society and no souls will be saved.

The letters to the seven churches in Revelation is a good example of what can happen when a church falls away from its first love, gets into false doctrine, compromises with the world, becomes dead spiritually, gets rich and comfortable and so forth. In all cases the solution was merely to repent. Repent means change, turn around go back to the first love, make all things new and live in righteousness.

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

John wrote for us to walk in the light as He is in the light. We are supposed to be the light of the world not dull, dead and polluted. We are suppose to shine the light of Christ from within us and out so that others may find the light of the gospel. We are not to hide the truth or suppress the truth covering it up with unrighteousness.

We can do this by teaching or adding doctrines that the Lord did not give thereby covering up the simple gospel that saves the soul. We can do this by teaching truth but not living it in our own lives thereby bringing reproach upon the gospel so that others will reject it because of what they see in us. We can do this by being afraid or ashamed of the gospel and not sharing it with the world around us.

Either of the above methods will stamp out the light of the gospel and people will not be saved.

Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

This is to be done in a way to bring glory to God not self but our lights must shine so that people see Christ in us and see that we are different.

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

The death of Jesus as a sacrifice for sin, fulfilled all the law that condemned us to eternity in hell because we broke that law in some point during our lifetime. Jesus paid the price and fulfilled the requirements of the law so that we could go free from the condemnation of the law and not be lost for eternity. He didn't do away with it making it of no effect. Instead He fulfilled it so that all who accept what He did and believe in Him will inherit eternal life. They will not have to pay for their own sins because He paid that for them in His sacrifice on the cross.

Animals were sacrificed in the Old Testament law as a substitute for the people that sinned. The law says that the soul that sins shall die. Animals were sacrificed in their place. The blood of animals though could not take away sin permanently. As soon as they sinned again, they would have to make another sacrifice. Jesus made the final sacrifice so that the one who believes in Him can be cleansed of sin by the blood of Jesus and have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome and not return to sin. Animal sacrifices pointed to this perfect way but the power was not in man to give him complete victory over sin and its condemnation.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The commandments are still in effect but after we come to Christ, we are given power over the desire to sin if we keep yielding to the Holy Spirit and resist the temptation to return to sin. The commandments are instead written upon our hearts. God's word comes into our spirit or our inner man. We get a new desire to serve the Lord and not sin.

Jeremiah foretells of this day:

Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in
their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

This promise is to Israel and as a nation they have not yet come to this good way but the new birth was given also to the Gentiles and what is promised to Israel in those verses can be for anyone who comes by way of Jesus Christ, repents of sin and receives God's spirit in their lives. We become born again by the spirit of God.

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Religion will not save anyone. We can try on our own without Christ as long as we want but nothing we could do would be enough to save us from the penalty and condemnation of the law that says we have sinned.

We must be covered by the righteousness of Christ. When we confess our sins, God forgives our sins, we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ and then we are clothed not by our own righteousness but by the righteousness of Christ.

That is the only way our righteousness can exceed the so-called righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. We must have the righteousness of Christ. We must be born again by the spirit of God. It is freely given to all who will believe in Jesus and trust in Him to save them from sin.

Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be
in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

We have to be careful not to allow the root of bitterness inside us after we come to Christ. First of all we can love everyone and never harm anyone and still be lost without Jesus Christ but after we come to Christ we are capable of still getting angry and allow roots of bitterness to ruin our testimony for Christ. We then can become salt without flavor and our lights will be very dim and will not point anyone to Christ.

Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

This shows our giving is to be with a pure heart and our relationship with our fellow believers should be without malice, envy, bad feelings or hate. Our gifts are vain if we are giving without having love.

Mat 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Mat 5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Be very quick to make restitution and not be estranged from a brother or sister in the Lord. Forgive and make things right if an offense is made.

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This is a strong message but if Jesus said it, it is true. Adultery is still an offense that will destroy the soul if it is not repented of. God looks on the heart so even if we desire these things in our heart, it is adultery.

This may be one reason that women need to dress modestly and not dress to incite lust in men.

Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body
should be cast into hell.

Stay away from things that cause our weaknesses to surface. If we are a former alcoholic, stay away from places that serve alcohol for example. Whatever can cause us to forsake Christ and return to the world, should be what we should stay away from.

If one marries a wife and a former girl friend cause him to weaken his faithfulness to his wife, then stay away from that former girl friend.

Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body
should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is
divorced committeth adultery.

This is one part of God's word that we have desired to get around. People that want to divorce and remarry love to quote John 3:16 and trust in God's salvation but still ignore what Jesus says here. It is adultery to divorce and remarry whether we like it or not. We can be forgiven of this if we forsake this desire in our hearts but if we merely ask forgiveness but still desire to divorce and remarry, the sin is still there and we are not forgiven.

It is not sin to divorce and not remarry by joining oneself to another but we may cause the one we divorced to remarry and then cause them to sin. The exception to this rule is in the case where a spouse is guilty of fornication or sexual impurity, having an affair, etc. If a spouse also wants to leave and we can do nothing about it, we are not under bondage in that case either according to the writing of Paul.

If a person has done all these things before coming to Christ then he or she can be forgiven and cleansed of sin just like the woman at the well in John 4. After Christ though, there should never be divorce and remarriage if at all possible. However, we can't force this on anyone. If the unbelieving depart they depart.

1Corinthians 7:10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
1Co 7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
1Co 7:12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
1Co 7:13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
1Co 7:15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

Like I said though this sin can be forgiven but if we are really glad we divorced and remarried and glad we sinned in that manner and are not really repentant, then we are still guilty. If we are truly sorry that we couldn't make it work, sorry that we sinned against God and we grieve that we broke His law, then I believe that is true repentance that can be forgiven.

Mat 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Mat 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

It is better not to make promises or vows because we do not know what tomorrow may bring and we don't want to become liars. All these sins can be forgiven if we come to Christ but we are to forsake the sins and not keep doing them. My Dad used to say, "If the its the Lord's will". He would never make a promise.

Mat 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Isn't that the truth? Foolish jesting and idle talk causes more trouble than we can imagine and it does not edify the believers. Some people call this stuff fellowship but its not biblical fellowship.

"Let our speech be always with grace seasoned with salt that we may learn how to answer every man." Let us strive to be edifying and fruitful with our words. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in the sight of the Lord."

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Vengeance, law suits, getting even with people must go if we belong to Christ. Rather we should suffer the wrong rather than be the one doing the wrong. How grievous it is to hear of churches suing one another.

I read where a Christian writer of a certain song sued a church for using his song without permission. How grievous that was to read about.

Here is what Paul writes about this:

1Corinthians 6:6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
1Co 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be
defrauded?
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

That brothers and sisters in the Lord is true holiness.

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Perfect love casts out all fear. If all of us would be made perfect in love, we would not commit adultery, we would not be suing anyone at law, we would not be taking vengeance and we would not break the least one of the commandments. The answer to the whole law is to love the Lord with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves. If we could do this, we could keep the whole law. This brings us into a state of perfection. Perfect love will not gloss over sin but rather reprove sin but it will forgive, it will not want vengeance and it will love the souls of the enemy.

I remember a preacher's wife that was murdered several years ago in Akron Ohio. When the men who did this were sent to prison, that preacher went to visit them and said that he forgave them.

I know not many of us could handle that much love and compassion but it is a good example of the love that Christ had for us when while we were yet sinners (murderers, fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, thieves, and haters of God) Christ died for all those sins and more. Faith in Him brings to us a new nature and power to NOT SIN. We still can sin but the power is available that we do not have to yield to sin.

Paul writes:

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even
so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Our righteousness can only be greater than the Pharisees by going through Jesus Christ and being covered by His righteousness. Praise God for this great gift given to all who will just simply receive it.

Matthew 6