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One of Jesus' best presentations of God's way
for life is found in Chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew. He calls
us to a higher standard. It is reproduced below for you.
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OUTLINE
A The Picture of Life,
5:1-16
B The Precepts for Life, 5:17-48
1 The law of Moses,
5:17-20
2 The law of murder,
5:21-22
3 The law of
reconciliation, 5:23-26
4 The law of adultery,
5:27-30
5 The law of divorce,
5:31-32
6 The law of oaths,
5:33-37
7 The law of
nonresistance, 5:38-42
8 The law of love, 5:43-48
C The Practice of Life, 6:1-7:12
1 In relation to
almsgiving, 6:1-4
2 In relation to prayer,
6:5-15
3 In relation to fasting,
6:16-18
4 In relation to money,
6:19-24
5 In relation to anxiety,
6:25-34
6 In relation to judging,
7:1-5
7 In relation to prudence,
7:6
8 In relation to prayer,
7:7-11
9 In relation to others,
7:12
D The Evidence of Life,
7:13-29
II THE PREACHING OF THE KING, 5:1-7:29 (Luke 6:20-49)
A The Picture of Kingdom Life, 5:1-16
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat
down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for
they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you
when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
"You are the salt of
the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and
trampled by men. "You are the light
of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a
lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven.
B The Precepts for Kingdom Life, 5:17-48
1 The law of Moses, 5:17-20
"Do not think that I
have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything
is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of
the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be
called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches
these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you that
unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers
of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
2 The law of murder, 5:21-22
"You have heard that
it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders
will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that
anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again,
anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin.
But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
3 The law of reconciliation, 5:23-26
"Therefore, if you
are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother
has something against you, leave your gift there in
front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come
and offer your gift. "Settle matters
quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you
are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and
the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into
prison. I tell you the truth, you
will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
4 The law of adultery, 5:27-30
"You have heard that
it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that
anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart. If your right eye causes
you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
5 The law of divorce, 5:31-32
"It has been said,
'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
But I tell you that
anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes
her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman
commits adultery.
6 The law of oaths, 5:33-37
"Again, you have
heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath,
but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not
swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it
is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
And do not swear by your
head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be
'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
7 The law of nonresistance, 5:38-42
"You have heard that
it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not
resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to
him the other also. And if someone wants to
sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to
go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks
you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
8 The law of love, 5:43-48
"You have heard that
it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of
your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who
love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing
that? And if you greet only
your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do
that? Be perfect, therefore, as
your heavenly Father is perfect.
C The Practice of Kingdom Life, 6:1-7:12
1 In relation to almsgiving, 6:1-4
"Be careful not to
do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do,
you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to
the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth,
they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the
needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be
in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you.
2 In relation to prayer, 6:5-15
"And when you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the
truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into
your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not
keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of
their many words. Do not be like them, for
your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how
you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily
bread.
Forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
For if you forgive men
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive
men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
3 In relation to fasting, 6:16-18
"When you fast, do
not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to
show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full. But when you fast, put
oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be
obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is
unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
4 In relation to money, 6:19-24
"Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp
of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad,
your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is
darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve
two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.
5 In relation to anxiety, 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and
the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you
worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not
labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not
even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown
into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after
all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well. Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.
6 In relation to judging, 7:1-5
"Do not judge, or
you too will be judged. For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you. "Why do you look at
the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the
plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there
is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take
the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother's eye.
7 In relation to prudence, 7:6
"Do not give dogs
what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may
trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
8 In relation to prayer, 7:7-11
"Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks
receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be
opened. "Which of you, if his
son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? If you, then, though you
are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
9 In relation to others, 7:12
So in everything, do to
others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
the Prophets.
D The Proof of Kingdom Life, 7:13-29
"Enter through the
narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. "Watch out for false
prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will
recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise every good tree
bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear
bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you
will recognize them.
"Not everyone who
says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he
who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on
that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them
plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
"Therefore everyone
who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise
man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did
not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears
these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell
with a great crash."
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed
at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their
teachers of the law.
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