Lesson 1504

(Lesson 1504)(11-16-15) Matthew 5:33-37

"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: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

The best lesson that can be taken from today's short quote is that we are to always be honest and humble in our conversation, never swearing an oath upon God or anything else in heaven or earth. ~

Lesson 1503

(Lesson 1503)(11-15-15) Matthew 5:31-32

"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 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."

Today's lesson is a short and simple one, it establishes that there is only one reason for a married couple to be granted a divorce in the sight of God. A married couple can divorce ONLY if one or the other in a marriage union commits adultery.

In order to establish what constitutes adultery, we should think back to the earlier lesson wherein Jesus said that if we look upon someone other than our husband or wife with lust in our hearts, we are equally guilty of adultery as if we had actually made physical, sexual contact with another person. That reality very clearly relates, given the inherent sin nature of mankind, the impossibility of staying absolutely faithful to a marriage partner as faithfulness is defined in this lesson.

Again, I believe the purpose Jesus established by proposing this lesson is to demonstrate that we (All of mankind) cannot abide by the actual letter and intent of Old Testament law. I believe Jesus, by proposing this series of lessons, was demonstrating the need for His perfection which can be imputed into us all through faith in Him.~

Lesson 1502

(Lesson 1502)(11-14-15) Matthew 5:27-30

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 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. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if 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."

Today's quote, much more than simply definines what constitutes adultery, it demonstrates how impossible it is for an inherently sinful human race to live up to the standards established in Old Testament law.

Today, there are many who believe that in order to commit adultery one must actually engage in sexual contact with someone other than one's own husband or wife. As we see in today's quote, that is not at all true. If anyone, with lust in his/her heart, merely looks at someone other than husband or wife, that one is just as guilty of the sin of adultery as is one who actually has physical, sexual contact.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" is another one of the specific Ten Commandments that were given to Moses by the hand of God.

I believe that in this series of lessons, Jesus intended to demonstrate how utterly impossible it is for inherently sinful mankind to be eternally saved by obeying the letter of the Old Testament law.

I believe Jesus intended to demonstrate the need for a one-time-fits-all redeemer who could stand as an unblemished, perfect intercessor, or sacrifice, between the sinful nature of mankind and a loving, forgiving God.~

Lesson 1501

(Lesson 1501)(11-13-15) Matthew 5:21-22

"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: 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."

In today's quote Jesus compares the Old Testament commandment, "thou shalt not kill" to His two "great" commandments that are stated in Matthew 22:37-40; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.".

The comparison determines that one who harbors anger toward his/her "brother", cannot possibly love that "neighbour" as he/she loves him/herself and therefore is equally as guilty before God as one who commits murder.

I know this may sound ridiculous to some, but it is precisely what meant to demonstrate in today's quote. Those who kill are in danger of "the judgment", equally, those who harbor anger toward a brother or sister, is in danger of "the judgment". Both offenses carry the same penalty before God, according to the words of Jesus Himself.

There are more comparisons that will further establish the truth of this analysis as these lessons progress.~

Lesson 1500

(Lesson 1500)(11-12-15) Matthew 5:21-48

"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: 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. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 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. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 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. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if 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. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 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. 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: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 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. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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; 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. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Even though there are many individual lessons in today's quote, (We will begin tomorrow covering them on by one.), the full quote has one overriding lesson.

The overall point of what Jesus said herein was to establish the difference between the rules of the old law as compared to the rules of His new law of faith.

As was noted in yesterday's lesson, in order to comply with the entire intent of the old Hebrew law, one must only obey the two commandments laid out by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

If we give the responsibility of our individual sins over to Jesus Christ and indeed love our neighbors as we love ourselves we will have obeyed the entirety of both the old law AND the new law set forth in today's lesson and in Matthew 22:37-40.

If, and when, a lost soul takes on the righteousness that is imputed into him/her by Jesus Christ through faith in His redeeming sacrifice, he/she presents him/herself as perfectly righteous before God. Faith equals righteousness; "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3) ~

Lesson 1499

(Lesson 1499)(11-11-15) Matthew 5:17-20

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

We should make note that today's quote was directed to the Jews who, like Jesus Himself, were still bound to obey Old testament law until it was completely fulfilled by the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. It was not addressed to Christian people, nor was it addressed to the Gentiles.

We should also note that Jesus put a time limit on the law when He said, "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED. Jesus said, in essence, that until He had completed His soul saving sacrificial ordeal and thereby fulfilled the entirety of the law, the law would remain in full affect.

This is very important because there are many today who contend that the commandments of the law still remain in effect for Christian people today, which is simply not true. Jesus made it explicitly clear that in Christian law there are only two "great" commandments; "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

Again, in essence, Jesus said, for those who would accept Him and later be called Christians, the two commandments were the ONLY commandments within the new law of Christian faith.~

Lesson 1498

(Lesson 1498)(11-10-15) Matthew 5:1-16

"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 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. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 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. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

In order to accomplish everything that God requires of us we need only place our absolute faith and trust in Jesus Christ and obey those things He laid out for us in today's quote.

Today's is such a beautiful lesson and was one of my mother's favorites~