Search Results for: commands of Christ

Lust is adultery. Radically protect yourself from it.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. Matthew 5:27-30

In our day pornography has become an epidemic.  There may have never been a time when this command has been more ignored.  If we are followers of Christ then we need to look at people as Christ did.  As Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:1-2: “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.  Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

Reconcile before you pray.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,  leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:23-26

It can be easy to forget that our relationship with God has a lot to do with our relationship with others.  In fact, it is difficult to separate the two.  As John says in 1 John 2:9-11: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.   Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.  But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”  Let us do all we can to live at peace with others so our prayers may be unhindered.

As Paul says in Romans 12:17-19: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”

Do not be angry with a brother.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Matthew 5:21-22

This is one of those passages that brings to mind the famous Mark Twain quote: “It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that bother me.  It’s the parts I do understand.”  It is very clear.  As James puts it in James 1:19-20: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or Prophets. I came to fulfill them.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

God’s revelation of Himself and His will in the Old Testament was not abrogated by Jesus.  Instead it was amplified, and clarified, and made possible by Jesus.  Just knowing about these things is not enough.  They must consume us.  We can now have intimacy with God and know Him from within and hear Him constantly through His Spirit.  We can not just know about His ways but actually live in them through the power of His Spirit.

Let your good deeds bring glory to God.

Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

As children of the good God, we must display His character and be good as well.  This will result in good deeds.  These must be done in such a way as to glorify our heavenly Father and not to bring attention to ourselves.  He is the source of our goodness and must be acknowledged as such.

Rejoice when you are persecuted for My sake.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. Luke 6:22-23

In a broken world, up is down.  In the present world, still awaiting full restoration and redemption, aligning ourselves with the righteous and good King of all creation will result in being hated and mistreated.  This is actually a good sign.  We need to rejoice in such treatment for His sake.  It will result in eternal reward that far outweighs our temporary suffering.  It demonstrates we are on the right side.

Do not be amazed at My authority.

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.  Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself.  And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:24-29

Jesus had been explaining that the healings He was performing and, indeed, all His activities were sanctioned and even commanded by God the Father.  The Father had given Jesus all authority, including the authority to judge all people who ever lived.  He had authority to condemn and punish and authority to justify and reward.  He had authority to give life, not just temporarily but eternally.  Therefore, we must not be surprised at anything He does.  God has given Him all authority.

Go and learn what it means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

“Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:13

Jesus said this in explanation to why He was spending time ministering to the despised tax collectors rather than “good” people.  Those who recognize they are not good and cannot be good and respond to Jesus’ offer to make them good are why He came.  He doesn’t want people to cover their brokenness with religious activity without affecting the heart.  Instead, he wants them to be changed by His grace and then to offer that same grace to others.  He wants humble hearts which in gratitude show mercy to others in the same way they were shown mercy.

Repent and believe the good news.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

The Kingdom of God has come to earth through Jesus.  His work in restoring creation is now in process.  He has begun the process of seeing His work done again on earth as it is in heaven.  He commands us to voluntarily change our minds and our lives to allegiance to Him and alignment with His reign.  This is good news.  He will right all wrongs.  He will fix all that is broken.  He gives us the opportunity to join Him in ruling the renewed world forever.  Our only alternative is to continue in our brokenness and, in the end, be forced to acknowledge His rule and face punishment as His enemies.

You must be born again.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”  Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ John 3:3-7

This is obviously not something that can be achieved by human effort.  This is by the will and power of God.  The Holy Spirit is the means and the evidence of this new birth.  The life of the Kingdom cannot be lived through the flesh.  The indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving.  We must enter the Kingdom by Him and live the Kingdom life by Him.  The fruit of the Spirit and one or more gifts of the Spirit will be evidence of it.