Matthew Chapter 5:1-24
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
- The beatitudes clearly show that walking in humility is vital to following Jesus. A person who lives out their life with the beatitude mindset isn’t invested in the treasures of this world, but instead they are laying up treasures in heaven. These are people who prioritize living for God even if it cost them. These are people who have taken up their cross and live a life that makes Jesus their Lord and his purposes more important than their own.
- When a person is walking in the spirit, they will display all of these as part of their new nature.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
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.
- Salt preserves meat and adds flavor to food… it also has health properties…it’s used to remove bacteria and reduce swelling… and when added to water and placed over heat the steam can help a person who is congested to breathe better… and it regulates the body as an essential electrolyte. The use of salt as a metaphor for the effects of having Christians in the world is amazing to ponder. We as Christian do bring so much to the world by being in the world… we are containers filled with Jesus, and the blessing God pours out on us also blesses those around us. I think of Joseph after he was sold into slavery in Egypt. He joined Potiphar’s house and his house began to prosper greatly. When Joseph was thrown in to prison, he prospered there and became the head of the prison. When the time was right, he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was made Pharaoh’s second in command… Pharaoh prospered as a result. The “salt” of Joseph saved Egypt, people surround Egypt and Joseph’s own family which is Israel. Everyone who Joseph worked for and with, knew he was blessed of God, and they knew this blessing on Joseph was spilling over onto them. Nebuchadnezzar knew Daniel was blessed by God, and Nebuchadnezzar honored the God of Daniel.
The most humbling and sweet thing my husband said to me was that he knew I was right with God because of how blessed our lives were… that God was always blessing us.
When we are being the salt that Jesus is referring to, it will stand as a witness pointing people to Jesus…our lives will be a praise to God. This isn’t something that we “make happen” through an act of our will and works of righteousness… this is the result of a regenerated heart by the Spirit of God.
What will follow this regeneration is the beatitude heart. Here is where the sword cuts away the truth from the lie… salvation through grace because of what Jesus did when he died on the cross produces this kind of regeneration when we completely surrender to him and accept him as our savior…. but when we attempt to walk this out in our flesh we don’t become regenerated, but instead we become religious…we have no flavor of God in us.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
- If you turn on even a tiny light in a completely dark room, it fills the room with light. The light goes everywhere. When Jesus is the light inside of us, everyone is going to know.
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.
- We need to share the light inside of us with the world. We do that by sharing the gospel with others and living a life that honors God.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
- Potiphar, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar knew it was God who was blessing them because of Joseph and Daniel. Joseph and Daniel lived a life for God no matter what the cost. Their testimony for God was the way they lived their lives. There is a lot of discussion in the body of believers about salvation by Grace or by Works…. and truthfully the Bible doen’t clearly indicate which position is the answer to the question because…. we’re asking the wrong question. What if the Bible isn’t completely clear because God knows that those who are truly born again will live a life filled with good works… not to obtain salvation, but because this is the new way of the regenerated man. Fully grace saved him, but it also regenerated a new man who bears all the fruit of the spirit and lives a life of beatitudes. This new man’s salvation and regeneration is by grace, but it causes works to manifest as a by product of salvation. This is why Joseph and Daniel’s good works were attributed to God’s hand on their life….because if was God shining through them.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
- Jesus was not coming to get rid of the Law, he was coming to be the fulfillment of the Law. The Law defined what sin is and the penalty for sin is death…so in order to make atonement a sacrifice had to be made. The Law didn’t provide continuous sin forgiveness, so when Jesus says he came to fulfil the Law, he is saying that his death on the cross will fulfil the Law completely and we who accept him as our savior have grace and continuous sin coverage because of Jesus’s blood. When you look at the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant you see the 2 tablets that contain the 10 commandments listing all the sins under it…and on the mercy seat the blood of the animal sacrifices covering the 10 commandment tablets…the blood covering the sins of mankind…a shadow of things to come. When Jesus came and died on the cross, he provided the fulfillment of this once and for all.
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.
- Another reason why replacement theology is unscriptural. Jesus/God is not abandoning his covenant with the Jews, here Jesus says plainly that not one jot or tittle of the Law will be left unfulfilled. A jot or a tittle is like a dash or a period in the written Law…. so not even the smallest element of the Law is going to be left unfulfilled. The Law wasn’t given to the gentiles…it was given to the Jews so it looks like Jesus is saying that the covenant still stands.
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.
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.
- The scribes and Pharisees knew the law very well…but they didn’t know God.
- I remember when I was a young Christian and had just joined a church. We were at a member’s meeting, and I was chatting with an elder and my pastor’s wife. The topic of praising the Lord in heaven came up, and I said we would cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus. This elder sister, I’ll call her sister R, laughed at me and said, “No I am not!” She looked at Sister Anne, the pastor wife… laughing at me for what she believed was a silly baby error. Sister Anne said, “Actually, she’s correct…we will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus.” The laughter stopped and sister R said, “I never read that!” She was clearly annoyed. I noticed she did this a lot to me. I was paired with her to bring food from our food bank to a woman who was struggling… the woman had given me a list of things she ate, and I passed it on to Sister R. Sister R said, “Too bad, she gets what she gets.” Sister R lived a moral life, she worked in the church doing good works with the women’s ministry… she was there at church for every service… she knew the word, and yet she missed the heart of God. This is what a modern day scribe or Pharisee looks like.
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
- Here Jesus is going to show a parallel between a person who simply knows the Law and one who knows God and what the Law intended. Jesus brings up the 6th commandment.
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.
- Jesus gives another example of sin against a person that brings judgment on you… being angry with someone for no reason.
- Another example is to call someone an idiot (Raca) putting them in danger of the council.
- Calling someone a fool places a person in danger of hell.
- These are all things that put strife in a relationship between people… if you have unrighteous anger, start calling people names and insulting them… this can lead to bigger sins like murder.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
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.
- If you are going to being a sin sacrifies to the alter and you have this kind of strife for another person in your heart… you need to go settle your issues with them first, then come back and leave your gift on the alter. If you attempt to leave your gift without purifying your heart with others, you aren’t leaving the gift for the love of God, you are acting religiously like the scribes and Pharisees…. and like good old sister R.
Angie's Bible Study 