Through the Bible - Matthew

Father God, we do thank You, as we just sang, for all that You've done for us, Lord. As we look at the Gospels over the next several weeks, I pray that You would remind us of the great things that You have done. Lord, the wonderful, awesome Gospel that we have, this good news. Would You teach us tonight? Would You guide us through Your Word? Give us insight, we pray. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now, I set up the computer to record for two hours tonight, so we're going to be here for a while. Well, I don't know; we'll see. Open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew. How many of you read through the book of Matthew this week? All right, praise the Lord, a couple of you.

The Gospel of Matthew: we've spent the last year studying through the Old Testament. We've considered the creation of the world. We looked at the calling of Abraham, the conception of the nation of Israel, the captivity of that nation, their exodus from Egypt, and the establishment of the covenant and the priesthood. We looked at their entrance into the promised land.

Once they were in the promised land, we watched as Israel regressed spiritually. As they regressed, they retreated before their enemies. In their retreat, they would cry out to God, and ultimately, they would repent and return to the Lord. However, we would see them relapse, retreat before their enemies again, and then repent, only to relapse and retreat once more. This cycle of relapse and repentance continued over and over again during the time of the judges.

Eventually, they came to the point where they called out for God to give them a king. We looked at the rise of the monarchy and saw Saul, David, Solomon, and all the different kings throughout the ages of Israel. It was during that time that the role of the prophet came to the forefront. Over the last several months, we have looked at the prophets and considered the messages that these prophets would bring.

The children of Israel. As we come into this new section in our study of the Bible, going through a book a week in the New Testament, there is an important question we need to ask at the outset: What makes the Old Testament old and the New Testament new? It seems like a pretty simple question, but there is such a significant change between the 39th book of the Bible and the 40th book.

We considered that 400-year period of silence last week, and we saw that God was not really silent. He was still working behind the scenes, although He wasn't speaking to His people. This drastic change brings a completely new revelation to the people, not just to the children of Israel. The Old Testament primarily focused on the nation of Israel, but now we come to a time where God is speaking to the whole world once again. As we've looked through the prophets, we see that God's message was intended for the world from the beginning, and He desires to send that message into all the world.

So, what makes the New Testament new and the Old Testament old? For the answer, if you would, turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 1 gives us probably the best answer in the Bible to that question. Starting at verse 1, the author of the book of Hebrews says, "God, who in past times and in diverse manners spoke in the past unto our fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things, and by whom also He made the worlds.

Being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of majesty on high, He was made so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name.

The Old Testament is about God, but the New Testament is also about God. The whole of the Scriptures look to and point to God. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to man through men we call prophets. He spoke in languages that these men could understand. We saw that all the way back in the book of Genesis when God called Abraham. He spoke to him in his own native language, which was very likely Hebrew.

I want you to go. I want you to leave your father's house, your kindred, and your family, and go to a nation, to a land that I will tell you of. And so, he began to follow God. There, God revealed to this man, Abraham, His will.

In the book of Exodus, we see that God spoke to another man, a man by the name of Moses. There, He reveals Himself as the great I Am, a loving God who desires to take care of His children. He heard the cry of His children coming up from Egypt. Through these men, these prophets, God also reveals His character.

The two key things that we see in the Old Testament are that God reveals Himself through men and that He reveals His nature, His character, and His will. He desires that we would get to know who He is and to have fellowship with man. We saw through the establishment of the priesthood and the tabernacle in the wilderness that God desired to tabernacle in the midst of His people. He wanted to dwell right there among them so that they could know Him and He could know them.

He revealed Himself to them through many mighty miracles and in powerful ways. He made the way open for them to have some sort of interaction with Him, to have fellowship with Him. However, that fellowship was veiled. God gave them the priesthood and the sacrifices so that they could draw near to Him, but there was always a veil between the presence of God and man. Yet, He still said, "I want to be able to fellowship with you."

When we come to the New Testament, the primary difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that it is still the same God. In fact, we see in the book of Malachi, chapter 3, that God says, "I am God, and I do not change." God has not changed from the Old Testament to the New. However, the way in which He reveals Himself to man has changed.

When we speak to someone who speaks a different language, we often use a translator. There are always things that are lost in translation. It can be very difficult to express something to someone who doesn't fully understand your language. When we look at the Old Testament, God is repeatedly revealing His love for mankind. He says through the prophet Jeremiah, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Yet, there is something that is lost in translation regarding that love.

Wouldn't you agree that the way man expresses and understands love is different from the way God expresses love? We look around our world, our nation, and our society today, and there are many people speaking a lot about love, but the demonstration of their love is often flawed. So, when God says to man, "I've loved you with an everlasting love," in some way, it is kind of lost in translation. In our day, when we talk about a God of love,

We talk about a God who kind of tolerates everything. People say that because He's a loving God, He just doesn't care what you do. Obviously, that's not true when we look at the Old Testament. Jesus has come to reveal God in a more full and personal way.

Notice what we read in Hebrews chapter 1. Think about the crazy ways that God revealed Himself in the Old Testament. We saw how He spoke to Amos through a basket of fruit. We see how He spoke to Isaiah through visions. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. God speaks in diverse manners, doesn't He? He spoke in past times and diverse manners to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, He's spoken to us by His Son.

We gain a better understanding of who His Son is when we read that He was appointed the heir of all things. He owns, controls, and has authority over everything. When we read "all things," there's nothing that is outside of the rule and authority of all things. He is the heir of all things. He also made the worlds. Jesus, the Son of God, was involved in the creation of the world. He is the brightness of God's glory and the very express image of His person. If we want to know what God looks like, what His character is like, what His nature is like, and what His will is like, it is demonstrated through the life of Jesus Christ.

He upholds all things by the word of His power. We will look at this more fully in a few weeks when we get to the Gospel of John. We will discuss it further when we get to the epistle to the Colossians. Jesus is the one who upholds all things by His power when He, by Himself, took care of our sins.

Now consider in the Old Testament that the children of Israel's sins could be dealt with, but it took many sacrifices. Remember months ago when we went through the book of Leviticus and considered the cost of purity, the cost of the approach to God? Thousands and thousands, even millions of sacrifices were made throughout those 2,000 years of the Old Testament, the Old Covenant system—sacrifice after sacrifice.

Yet here we read that Jesus, the Son of God, by Himself doesn't just cover our sins. He purges them. He takes them away. He purged our sins, and now He has sat down at the right hand of majesty on high. As we go through the Gospels, we will see that the last words of Jesus on the cross are the word "tetelestai" in Greek.

And it means it is finished. When He had finished that work, He sat down in a position of rest, being made so much better than angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. God reveals Himself, as we will see over the next 27 weeks, in the New Testament by His Son. Most specifically, this revelation occurs in the Gospels. After the Gospels comes the establishment of the church in the book of Acts, followed by God speaking to His people through the apostles as they wrote letters, which we call epistles.

I know sometimes people get it mixed up—apostles and epistles—but an epistle is a letter written by an apostle. An apostle is one who is sent. Sent by whom? Sent by Jesus. In Matthew chapter 28, He tells His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples—learners, those who are followers of Jesus Christ. He instructs them to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you. He assures them, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The epistles are the writings of the apostles who were followers of Jesus and had sat at His feet for over three years as He ministered.

We will delve into this whole topic over the next several months. When we look at the word "testament," it literally means "covenant." The first 39 books of the Bible deal with many covenants. In fact, we have looked at a lot of covenants, but we haven't taken much time to discuss them in detail. We have covered them rather quickly.

We have seen the Adamic covenant in the book of Genesis, the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic covenant. You may wonder, what in the world are all those? They represent God's covenant with mankind as a whole through Adam, then with mankind as a whole through Noah after the flood. Next, there is God's covenant with a specific people group under Abraham during his time. God renews and establishes a broader covenant with that group of people through Moses, the Mosaic covenant at Mount Sinai. Finally, God establishes a covenant with one man in that nation through his line, David, promising that through his line would come the Messiah, the coming one, the Christ.

As we go through the Old Testament, we see this promise mentioned time and time again. There was the Old Covenant, which primarily speaks of the covenant established with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.

There, that covenant involved the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the tabernacle. It was the way that God could be approached by man. Remember, God wants to have fellowship. He wants to have a relationship with you and me. He would come down to approach man and made a way for man to approach God.

Now, when we get into these next 27 books, after we've finished the 39 books of what we call the Old Testament, we begin to talk about the New Testament or the New Covenant. But where did this idea of a New Covenant and a New Testament come from? One of the first things we need to note is that it came from Jesus. In fact, in Matthew chapter 26, it is seen in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that Jesus talks about this New Covenant or this New Testament.

In Matthew chapter 26, verse 28, on the night that Jesus would be betrayed, as he sat with his disciples in the upper room partaking of the Passover, he took bread and broke it. He gave it to his disciples and blessed it. He said to them, "Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you." Then he took the cup and gave it to his disciples. Before he gave it to them, look at verse 28. He said, "For this is my blood of the new covenant," in some translations called the New Testament, "which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Jesus said this is the blood of the New Covenant. They understood blood and the Old Covenant under Moses from Mount Sinai. But now Jesus himself says this is the blood of the New Covenant.

However, it's not just a New Testament idea. It's not something that Jesus made up when he came on the scene; it is also spoken of in the Old Testament. Turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah. In Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31, God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah. He says, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke."

Although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord, this shall be the covenant that I will make. Now notice, God here tells us what the Old Covenant is. He reveals what He is talking about when He says the Old Covenant. It is not the Adamic covenant under Adam, or the Noahic covenant under Noah, or the Abrahamic covenant under Abraham. It is the Mosaic covenant that God made with the children of Israel, and how He is to be approached by animal sacrifice, in the temple, by the priesthood.

God says, "That's the covenant that I made with you, but you broke it. So I'm going to make a new covenant." What is this new covenant going to look like? This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. Verse 33 states, "I will put my law in their inward parts, I will write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people." They shall teach no more every man his neighbor, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall know me from the least of them, even to the greatest of them, saith the Lord.

Notice this: this is God's new covenant. "For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Under the old covenant, as the writer to the Hebrews tells us in the book of Hebrews, there always remained a remembrance of sin. There was this conscious understanding of our old nature and our sin, even after a sacrifice was brought. Yet here, God tells us, "I'm going to establish a new covenant, and under that new covenant, I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

The prominent covenant in the Old Testament was the one made with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. It was there, through Moses, that he brought it to them and explained how they were to approach God. But God tells His people through Jeremiah that a new covenant is coming. Not just Jeremiah, but Ezekiel speaks about it. In Ezekiel chapter 36, Isaiah speaks about it, and we see it in many of the other prophetic books. God was going to establish a new covenant with His people.

When we come to the 40th book of the Bible, we begin to see what this new covenant is all about. We call the story about this new covenant "gospel," which means good news. Is not what we read there in Jeremiah 31:34 good news? God says, "I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more." That's good news, isn't it? Praise the Lord, this new covenant has been established. Now, what is it that brings the new covenant?

Again, Matthew 26:28 states, "This is my blood of the new covenant, of the New Testament." Hebrews also talks quite a bit about this, and we will see it when we get to the book of Hebrews.

Now, we come to the Gospels, the 40th book of the Bible, which represents a distinct change from the last book, Malachi, and all the books that preceded it. There is a very clear change that takes place as God begins to speak to His people, not through a prophet, but He Himself becomes a man, just as the Old Testament looked forward to.

It is important to remember that when we look at the four Gospels, which are the foundation of the New Testament, we need to recognize that these are accounts of the life of Christ, but they are not biographies. They do not provide in-depth biographies; they do not tell us everything about His childhood and upbringing. They do not cover every day and all the things that Jesus did while He was on earth. They are not comprehensive accounts either.

The Gospels primarily focus on His ministry. They do not talk a lot about anything before His ministry. Some of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—mention a little about what happened before Jesus was 30 years old, before He began to teach, preach, and perform miracles. However, not much is known about what Jesus did during those early years.

Interestingly, there has been a lot of discussion over the last several years about what we call the apocryphal Gospels or the Gnostic Gospels. The Da Vinci Code was a significant factor in bringing these to the forefront. There are many different books that are called Gospels about Jesus, such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Barnabas, among others.

When you begin to look at these texts, you will find that they were actually written much later than the ones we have before us—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Their stories are often far-fetched and strange. Some of them attempt to fabricate stories about what happened in the early years of Jesus, presenting all kinds of bizarre narratives.

What is it about the books we have that we can stand upon? We need to recognize that they are not comprehensive. They have a primary focus and goal. The real focus and goal of these four Gospels is the last week of Jesus' life, including His death, burial, and resurrection. In fact, one author once said that the Gospels are passion narratives with long introductions, emphasizing the passion of Christ during the last week of Jesus' life.

and then his resurrection. Why do they focus on that? Well, Paul tells us in the book of 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrection is the important focus of the good news. If Christ be not raised from the dead, then we are all dead in our sins, as the Scripture says. If Jesus be not raised, then the new covenant has not been established: "I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." Christ had to die, but not only did he have to die, he had to raise from the dead. Why? Well, he prophesied that it would happen, and it is the very sign and miracle that proves that he is God.

As we will see as we go through these passion narratives, they come with extended introductions. They provide a lot of information at the beginning, but why? Why is there so much information about Jesus' ministry, his miracles, and the message that he preached? Notice that there is just enough information in these chapters that precede the passion of Christ, the last week of his life, to substantiate the truth of his message and his ministry. How is that? We will see this when we get to the Gospel of John. The theme verse of the Gospel of John is John 20:31. He says that all these miracles that Jesus did were written so that you might know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that you might believe in his name and have life. Ultimately, the whole purpose of everything that leads up to his death, burial, and resurrection is to substantiate who he really was and to prove that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

But another question arises: why are there four Gospels? Why not just one? Or why not twenty? Why don't we have a whole bunch of different Gospels that speak to or about the life and ministry of Jesus? That would be a good question. I want to consider, just briefly, before we get into the Gospel of Matthew, why there are four of them. We will see this in more detail as we begin to go through all four of them over the next month. They really give us a fuller understanding of who Jesus is, what he did, and what he came to do.

When you read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you'll see that they are not identical. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are pretty close; they cover much of the same material but from different angles and understandings. Two of the four Gospels were written by apostles who followed Jesus, and two of the four Gospels were written by men who were not apostles but had a close identification or relationship with the apostles. It is pretty well understood.

They got their story from the guys they hung out with. Luke was a guy who traveled and ministered with Paul, while Mark traveled and ministered with Peter. In one sense, you could say the Gospel of Luke is the message of Paul; it is the Gospel of Paul. In another sense, you could say that the Gospel of Mark is the Gospel of Peter because they probably received their understanding of what Jesus did through those two apostles.

The Old Testament prophets reveal this coming Messiah over and over again. It is interesting to look at how they reveal Him, detailing what He is going to be like and who He is going to be when He comes. In Zechariah, specifically in chapter 9, we see that the Messiah, when He comes, is going to come as a king. Zechariah 9:9 states, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes unto you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding upon a donkey, the colt and the foal of a donkey."

We know that when the Messiah comes, Zechariah reveals that He would come as a king. Zechariah also reveals in chapter 6 that He would come as a man. In Zechariah 6:12, it says, "And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch. He shall grow up out of His place and He shall build the temple of the Lord."

Thus, Zechariah reveals that the Messiah, when He comes, will come as a king, but He will also come as a man. The prophet Isaiah further reveals that not only would the Messiah come as a man and as a king, but also as a servant. In Isaiah 42:1, it states, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my elect one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon Him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."

Again, in Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah says, "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high."

That's just before we read Isaiah 53, which clearly pictures the coming Messiah and the suffering servant. Zechariah says, "Behold the king, who is a man." Isaiah says, "Behold my servant, who shall deal prudently." But Isaiah also reveals another thing about the coming prince in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 9. When the Messiah would come, he would be a king, a man, and a servant. Isaiah 40, verse 9 says, "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain, O Jerusalem, and bringest good tidings. Lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God."

Verse 10 continues, "Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work is before him." The prophets, as they speak about the coming Messiah, reveal that he, number one, would be a king. This is interesting because the Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus as the king. In fact, Matthew chapter 21, verse 5 quotes Zechariah 9:9 as Jesus enters into Jerusalem: "Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy king cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon a donkey, the colt, the foal of a donkey."

The Gospel of Matthew was written by a Jewish man named Levi, who is writing to a Jewish audience and revealing that Jesus is the Messiah, the prince, the king prophesied in the Old Testament. When we get into the book tonight, you'll see that there are almost 130 references to Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfills in the book of Matthew. It was a book written by a Jew to a Jewish audience to show that Jesus is the king.

However, Jesus was also revealed as coming as a man. The Gospel of Mark reveals that Jesus is the servant. Remember, Isaiah revealed that Jesus would come as a servant, the Messiah. The theme verse of the Gospel of Mark is Mark chapter 10, verse 45, where we read, "For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many."

The Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus as the king that was prophesied in the Old Testament. The Gospel of Mark reveals that Jesus is the servant that was prophesied in the Old Testament, and he primarily writes to a Roman audience.

Now, the theme verse of the Gospel of Luke is found in Luke chapter 19, verse 10. There we read, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." In fact, in the Gospel of Luke, you will see that the title "Son of Man" is used for Jesus over and over again. This title is also used in the Gospel of Mark, but only about six times. In contrast, it is used over twenty times in the Gospel of Luke because Jesus, as the Old Testament prophet revealed in Zechariah chapter 6, verse 12, would come as a king and as a man. Thus, Luke reveals that Jesus is that God-man, and he writes primarily to a Greek audience because Luke himself was a Gentile. He was a Greek man, a doctor from Greece, just like Dr. Nick.

The Bible also reveals in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 9, "Behold your God." When we look at the Gospel of John, the theme verse is John chapter 20, verse 31, which states, "Behold, these good works are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." John reveals that Jesus is the one fulfilling the prophet Isaiah when he says, "Behold, God is coming. Emmanuel, God with us," as he comes to tabernacle in our midst.

So, why are there four Gospels? They are to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, showing that Jesus would be a man, that he would be the king, that he would be a servant, and that he would be God Himself here to tabernacle in our midst. Each Gospel was written to different audiences: the Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience, the Gospel of Mark to a Roman audience, the Gospel of Luke to a Greek audience, and the Gospel of John is written to all audiences. This is why, oftentimes, new believers are told to read which Gospel? The Gospel of John.

However, we will see when we get into the Gospel of John that it is not entirely an easy Gospel to understand.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very closely related in the way that they were written. We call them the synoptic gospels. They give a clear synopsis of relatively the same material. In fact, if you look at a book, I highly recommend that you explore some of these books called Harmony of the Gospels. They provide charts that show how the gospels measure up to each other, highlighting where they are the same and where they differ. There are some great ones out there; probably any one that you find would be a good choice.

You will see that much of the material covered in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke is the same. They differ in some ways, especially in the wording of different passages and the chronology of events. It is important to remember that the gospels are not chronological; they do not follow a perfect timeline and jump around to different topics.

The gospel of John is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is not like the synoptics. In fact, some have said that there is over 90% new material in the gospel of John. John provides a beautiful view of Jesus interacting one-on-one with people, such as the woman at the well, Nicodemus, Nathaniel, the man who was lame for 38 years at Bethesda, and the blind man in John 9. These one-on-one interactions of Jesus with different individuals, including the woman caught in adultery, make it a beautiful book to study. We have been going through it on Sunday mornings for almost a year.

However, tonight our focus is the gospel of Matthew. Although it was not the first one written, it makes sense that it is the first one in the New Testament. It serves as the logical bridge from the Old Testament to the New, revealing that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming that were given by the prophets in the Old Testament. As I mentioned a few minutes ago, there are almost 130 references to the Old Testament in this book, and it presents a very logical thought progression as you go through the gospel of Matthew.

This logical progression makes sense because of its author. You meet the author in Matthew chapter 9. He was a man by the name of Levi, which hints at his tribal affiliation. Levi was from the tribe of Levi. Now, what was the role and function of the tribe of Levi? They were the priests. It is interesting to note that Levi's job in Matthew chapter 9 was that of a publican. Publicans are those in the New Testament who collect taxes from everyone.

Publicans are the ones who collect taxes. I borrowed that idea from someone else. Now, this guy was a publican; he was a tax collector. What did the scribes and the Pharisees say about tax collectors? They were sinners. Interestingly, the scribes and the Pharisees were sinners too, but they didn't recognize that. They had a hard time seeing it, as you can observe when you go through the Gospels.

Levi, from the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, had become a Benedict Arnold. What is a Benedict Arnold? He is a traitor, a turncoat. The Jews viewed publicans as turncoats because they were collecting taxes for the Romans, whom they hated. They did not like being under Roman rule and oppression, so they looked down upon tax collectors as though they were sinners.

There is another notable tax collector in the Gospels: a wee little man named Zacchaeus. The people did not like tax collectors. It is interesting because Jesus hung out with tax collectors and sinners. If you are a tax collector here tonight, that’s okay; Jesus would have hung out with you. Some people in this room may not want to associate with you, but Jesus would have.

I want you to think about that for a moment. Levi was from the priestly tribe, and it was their role to be the priests in the nation. However, he turned away from his role and became a tax collector. We can only speculate about what led him to make that choice. My speculation leads me to think that as he grew up in a nation where the priests had turned away from God and were doing wicked and vile things, he probably looked at his family and the priesthood and said, "I don’t want to be a part of that. It’s all baloney." He likely concluded that it was just a farce and decided he did not want to be part of that nation.

Somewhere along the line, he made the decision to become a tax collector. Then, Jesus called this tax collector, saying, "Come, follow me." Levi left all that he had and followed Jesus. Publicans, the tax collectors, often kept great records, similar to the scribes. This makes sense, especially as you go through the book of Matthew, which contains five lengthy discourses of Jesus. Notably, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 are known as the Sermon on the Mount.

I think that Matthew was uniquely gifted and prepared by God to be the kind of person to record a message like that. They didn't have tape recorders and computers to record the message in that day. They had scribes who would write it down, and Matthew was one of those who kept a record of what Jesus said. Not only in the Sermon on the Mount, but throughout the Gospel of Matthew, one of the other discourses that Jesus gives is through parables. In fact, without a parable, Jesus didn't speak to the multitudes. Levi was uniquely gifted and prepared by God to keep a record of these parables.

When we get into Matthew 24 and 25, we encounter what we call the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus speaks about things that are to come, including the end times. This is another discourse of Jesus recorded faithfully by Matthew.

The book of Matthew is divided into various outlines, and some of them are quite lengthy. One outline that I really like divides it down simply. The first four chapters of the book of Matthew deal with Jesus' past. While there isn't a lot of information given, it does tell us about His genealogy, which traces all the way from Abraham through David down to Christ. The Davidic Covenant was a promise that God made with David, stating that the Messiah would come through him. Matthew shows how Jesus comes through the line of David and back to Abraham.

The genealogy of Jesus also reveals two very interesting things. There are two Gentile women mentioned in the genealogy. One of them is Rahab, whom we meet in the book of Judges. She was the woman who hid the two spies that came into Jericho. I have a hunch that one of those spies was the one she ultimately married, and there is a Jewish tradition that supports this possibility. Rahab was in the line of Jesus, which is interesting. She is the one who hid the spies and had the scarlet cord hanging in her window, symbolizing the coming Messiah.

There is another Gentile woman mentioned in the genealogy, which is intriguing because this Jewish man, Levi, who recorded these things, was writing for a Jewish audience. It is very interesting that he would highlight these women.

These two women, one of whom was Ruth the Moabitess, are from the Book of Ruth that we studied. We see that she is given as one of the people in the line of the Messiah, the line of the Christ. This leads us to the advent of the King and the announcement of the King coming.

In the first few chapters of Jesus' life, we see that He fulfilled the prophecy of going down into Egypt and coming out of Egypt. Additionally, in these chapters, Jesus fulfills all righteousness as the one who would prepare the way of the Lord. Isaiah chapter 40 spoke about this one who would come to prepare, and that is John the Baptist. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and as He came up out of the water, the dove, the Spirit, descended upon Him. A voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Following this, Jesus went into the wilderness to be tested and tempted for forty days. This brings us to Matthew chapter 4, where the first division of the book takes place. In Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, we read that from that time, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The first division of the book deals with the preparation of the King, covering chapters 1 through 4, verse 16. However, at chapter 4, verse 17, it begins the preaching of the King.

From that time, Jesus began to preach, and from chapter 4 all the way up to chapter 16, we have the preaching of the King. Now, I want you to look at chapter 16 of Matthew, verse 21. What does it say at the beginning of that verse? "From that time forth, Jesus began to show His disciples how He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and raised again the third day."

Notice that Matthew chapter 4 states, "From that time, Jesus began to preach," while Matthew chapter 16, verse 21 says, "From that time, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem." And so now,

After that point, we see Jesus set Himself like flint to go to Jerusalem to fulfill the new covenant and the gospel. The Gospel of Matthew divides into three sections: the preparation of the King, which spans Matthew chapter 1 through chapter 4, verse 16; the preaching of the King, from Matthew chapter 4, verse 17 through chapter 16, verse 20; and finally, the passion of the King, which covers Matthew chapter 16, verse 21 through the end of the book.

You can divide it up like that, but remember, I mentioned that this whole book is built on a lot of discourses that Jesus gave. You can further divide the book into another four subcategories. Turn to Matthew chapter 7. After the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 7, notice what we read in verses 28 and 29. It came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings—underline that phrase—that the people were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority and not as one of the scribes.

This is the first subdivision here. When Jesus had finished these sayings, what sayings? Well, the Sermon on the Mount. Remember, in Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, He began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Then, in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, He gives this beautiful discourse, which we will try to discuss a little bit in the remainder of our time tonight.

When Jesus had finished these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority, one who had jurisdiction. The word is "exousia" in Greek, and it means as one a king would have jurisdiction over a region. Jesus taught as one who had authority.

During the time that Jesus came, just before His coming, there was what was called the Midrash and the Mishnah. Maybe you've heard those terms before. Primarily, the Midrash and the Mishnah were written during that time before Jesus came. They consisted of a lot of rabbis' commentaries on the law of God. By the time Jesus came on the scene, most of the teaching was simply reading what the rabbis said: "The rabbis say this, the rabbis say that." This makes perfect sense when we read in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5, "You have heard that it has been said..."

By them of old, you shall not kill. But I say unto you, Jesus now speaks to them as one who has authority. You have heard that it has been said of old time, you shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you. He taught not like the rest of the scribes, who just quoted the rabbis and said, "Rabbi Ben Judah says this," and "Rabbi so-and-so says this," and "this is what the Midrash and the Mishnah say." No, Jesus taught as one who had authority, and the people were astonished by it.

We read that phrase, "when Jesus had finished these sayings." Now turn over to Matthew chapter 11, verse 1. It came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding His disciples that He departed thence to teach and preach in their cities. We see that when Jesus had finished these sayings in Matthew chapter 7, here again, when Jesus had finished instructing His disciples, we must ask what He instructed them about in Matthew chapter 10.

At the end of Matthew chapter 9, Jesus saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They went about and fainted. Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew chapter 9, verse 37, "Truly, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." He then instructed them to pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth laborers into His harvest. They had no idea they were praying for themselves because in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus tells them to go out into the world. He gave them power—again, the same word for authority, jurisdiction, exousia in Greek. He gave them authority over unclean spirits and sicknesses and told them to go out and preach.

He didn't tell them to merely cast out demons and heal the sick. No, He told them to preach, and as a sign that their preaching was true, He gave them authority over unclean spirits and sicknesses. The miracles of Jesus were to substantiate the message. We always need to understand that when we read through the Gospels, the miracles that Jesus performed were to substantiate the message. He did not come just to heal the sick or even raise the dead. If that were the only purpose of His coming, after He had died, the work would be done. He came to preach. Mark chapter 16 tells us that where this message...

Jesus goes into all the world, and signs will follow those who preach this message and this Gospel. If you want to see God do miraculous things, get out on the mission field. If you want to see Him move in powerful and miraculous ways, go with Donna down to Belize or venture into the mission field where people have not yet heard the message. I guarantee God substantiates His message still today with the miraculous. I hear testimonies of it all the time, of God doing powerful things, even raising the dead to prove that His message is true.

Why don't we see it a lot here in America? I would say that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are abundant here. The message is present; people have heard it. A lot of times, we don't see the same kind of miracles that they are witnessing in the third world, but they are happening here; we just don't see it quite the same way.

When Jesus had finished these sayings in Matthew chapter 7, and now in Matthew chapter 11, He had finished instructing His disciples and sent them out into the cities of Israel. He tells them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Notice what He did: it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of commanding His disciples that He departed and went and preached in their cities. I find it interesting that He sent them out into other cities while He went and preached in their cities.

We see this same phrase used in Matthew chapter 13, verse 53. It came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed. Matthew chapter 13 is where we see many of the parables of Jesus spoken, and even before that, as Jesus speaks in Matthew chapter 12, there are parables as well. After He had finished these parables, we read that He departed from there and came into His own country. He taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished, and they said, "Whence hath this man learned all this wisdom and these mighty works?" Where did all this come from?

He stopped speaking in parables and now goes to teach in the synagogues in His own country. When it says "His own country," it is referring to the region where He is ministering, which is Galilee. From that point on, we see a lot of Jesus' ministry in Galilee.

We see it in Matthew chapter 19. Jesus ministers in Galilee from chapter 13, verse 53 onward, and then he ministers in Judea. Now, when we come to Matthew chapter 19, verses 1 and 2, it says, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that he departed from Galilee and came into the coast of Judea beyond the Jordan. Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there."

From Matthew chapter 13 until Matthew chapter 19, Jesus is ministering in Galilee, and now he moves down to Judea. He begins to move ever closer to Jerusalem to fulfill the primary purpose of his coming, which we saw in Matthew chapter 16.

This outline kind of goes like this: the preparation of the King in Matthew chapters 1 through 4, the preaching of the King in Matthew chapters 4 through 16, and the passion of the King from Matthew chapter 16 until the end of the book. It also divides further into the discourses of the King. He finishes the sayings of preaching the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7. He instructs his disciples in Matthew chapter 10 and completes his instructing of the disciples. He finishes his parable ministry in Matthew chapter 13, and then he begins to minister in Galilee. After finishing his time of preaching in Galilee, he moves down into Judea to complete the work that he came to do.

With the remainder of our time tonight, I want to look a little bit at some of the discourses that Jesus gives in this powerful book. So, turn to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5 is the longest of any of the discourses or teachings that Jesus gave in any of the Gospels. This does not mean that it is the longest teaching he ever gave, but it is the longest one recorded for us. It is called the Sermon on the Mount, and the reason it is called the Sermon on the Mount is given to us in Matthew chapter 5, verse 1.

Consider the occasion of this teaching, this message. What caused him to teach this? Jesus sees the multitudes, just as we see in Matthew chapter 9 at the end of the chapter. He saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion for them. Here, he sees the multitudes, goes up into a mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. Please circle that word.

Disciples. Because it's important to recognize that Jesus is primarily instructing and teaching His disciples. This is speaking to followers of Christ, and this has everything to do with the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven.

As you read through Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, and study the Sermon on the Mount, you will see that this is the sermon, the message of the kingdom of heaven. It is directed to the disciples, those who would inherit the kingdom of heaven. It addresses how they are to live in this physical world. Jesus deals with physical matters such as murder, adultery, and covenants. He discusses how we are to physically come before God in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. He also addresses our physical receiving of things from God. He says not to worry about what you will wear, what you will eat, or where you will sleep. God will take care of those things.

This message focuses on how you and I are to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. To be quite honest, when you read through this sermon, it seems impossible. If you try to live the way that Jesus instructs in this message, you will find that it is indeed impossible.

Remember who Jesus' disciples were. Were they religious folk? No, they were common men—tax collectors, zealots, and fishermen. These were just ordinary guys in Israel that Jesus was speaking to. As a result of seeing the multitudes, He spoke to His disciples because He knew that His time on earth was short. He recognized that these men, whom He was investing in and discipling, were the very ones who would reach the multitudes that prompted Him to speak.

So, He was preparing them for how they were to live. Seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain, and when He had sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Remember, I mentioned that Matthew is a Jew writing to Jews. He understood his Jewish audience, which is why he constantly refers to it as the kingdom of heaven and not the kingdom of God. Why is that important to a Jewish audience? The name God is one they do not utter. Thus, He speaks primarily of the kingdom of heaven, which is the kingdom of God. There are a few times...

Where you'll see the kingdom of God mentioned in this book, you'll also see the kingdom of heaven. 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 you when men shall revile and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

These first twelve verses are called the Beatitudes. The word "blessed" means "oh how happy." We read here, "Oh how happy are the poor in spirit." You might look at that and say, "How is that quite possible?" Well, it's the poor in spirit—the one who recognizes their poorness of spirit. The one who recognizes that they have nothing that will get them into heaven. It's that person who inherits the kingdom of heaven.

Why? Because there's no way that you and I can religiously get into the kingdom. Remember, the most religious man that lived during the time of Jesus was very likely Nicodemus, the teacher in Jerusalem. He came to Jesus by night in John chapter 3, and Jesus said to him, "Unless you are born again, you will not see the kingdom of heaven." That probably blew his mind. I think his mind just started racing after Jesus said that. This religious guy, who was of the Pharisees, was confronted with a profound truth.

In this sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to his disciples—common men who looked up to the Pharisees—"I say to you, except your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven." I think that his disciples' hearts probably sank when they heard that.

But what is Jesus trying to get men to come to? He's trying to get them to come to poorness of spirit. He wants us to recognize that there's no way we can get to heaven in and of our own strength. When we recognize our poorness of spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Why? Well, it's when that person who recognizes their poorness of spirit begins to mourn over their own poorness of spirit. They cry out.

What am I going to do? Remember, that was the call of the men in Acts chapter 2 when Peter speaks the gospel to them. He cuts them to the heart with the gospel of truth and the law, and they say, "What must we do to be saved?" These were religious men who said this, and they mourned. Blessed are those—oh, how happy are those—that mourn. Why? They shall be comforted. By whom? The Comforter, the God of all comfort, as Corinthians reveals. Jesus sends His Spirit, which is the Comforter, the Paraclete, and so they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. What does it mean to be meek? A meek person recognizes their poorness of spirit, mourns over their sinful condition, and comes to the place of meekness where they recognize, "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

Going on from there, he says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." You need to recognize that these Beatitudes are a progression. It begins with the poorness of spirit, which moves into the place of mourning and weeping for our poorness of spirit because we can do nothing. It involves recognizing our own wretched, wicked condition of meekness. At that point, we begin to hunger and thirst. "God, if it's not You, it's nothing. I can't do it on my own. I hunger and I thirst after righteousness."

And what's the promise? Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Then godly characteristics begin to be built in them. Blessed are the merciful. How does God define His name in Exodus chapter 34? The Lord, the Lord God, merciful.

Do you want to see the fruit of the Spirit in your life? The path is the poorness of spirit, mourning over it, the meekness of our own lives, and then hungering and thirsting after righteousness and being filled by Him. When you're filled by Him, then you begin to see the fruit of the Spirit: merciful, and they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart. What do we receive from God when we come to Him poor in spirit, mourning over our sinful condition, meek, and humbled before Him, crying out for Him to do something? What does He give us? Ezekiel 36:26 says, "Behold, I will give you a new heart." Blessed are the pure in heart. Well, who is pure in heart? Only someone who has received a new heart from God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. They shall have the opportunity to come into His presence. There is no one.

That will come before God without a pure heart. You must be born again; you must receive a new heart and the imparted Spirit to see God. Blessed are the peacemakers. Remember, He is the Prince of Peace, and it is God who gives us peace. As we begin to receive this pure heart from Him as merciful individuals, we are also given peace to go and make peace with other people.

Now, this is not specifically speaking of world peace or national peace. This has to do with the ministry of reconciliation that you and I, as ambassadors of Christ and believers in the Lord, have been given. We can reconcile others to God. How? By the preaching of the gospel of peace. We can be those who bring peace between God and man by sharing the gospel of peace with those who are in opposition to God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake. This shows us that the peacemakers spoken of here have nothing to do with national peace. When you are a child of God bringing the peace of God—a peace treaty between man and God—out to mankind, they are not going to like it. They are going to fight against you. So, this is not talking about national peace. There have been many Christians in our day who have gotten into this whole idea of Christian pacifism. Peace is great, but we are never going to establish peace here on earth until the Prince of Peace comes. Anyone who is in opposition to God will not stand; they will be destroyed.

We want to make sure that we establish peace with other people and God through the gospel of peace. Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Some people are persecuted for being foolish. Some are just persecuted because they do not obey the laws and rules, and then they claim they are being persecuted. No, you are just acting foolishly. However, when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake, there are those who are persecuted because they are followers of Christ and peacemakers. Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.

He wants us to remember that if you are persecuted here on earth, this is not all there is. He turns us back to focus once again on heaven and not on this earth. Yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Reward awaits in heaven. This momentary light affliction, whatever persecution you may face in this world—even if they plucked your fingernails out and skinned your skin off your body—the most painful thing you could ever imagine here on earth is nothing in comparison. This is why Jesus always wants to fix our focus on things above, for Christ is. We should not get so bogged down with the things here on earth. Anyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Blessed are you! Oh, how happy! Why? Because we can look through the suffering to the sanctification and ultimately the salvation. So, blessed are you; rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Then He turns to His disciples and says, "Listen, you have a mission. You have a goal on this earth. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Is it therefore good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men? You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light unto all that are in the house." As a result of this, He says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We are to do good works for others to see so that they will glorify God.

Now, this is a powerful one: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Jesus is the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall not pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least of these commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Do you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven? Well, it starts with the Beatitudes. It begins with poorness of spirit, recognizing that you are nothing and that you mourn over your sin. Weep because you can't fix it. Become humble before God, cry out for His righteousness, and He'll fill you. You will begin to see the fruit of the Spirit. Furthermore, He says, "Whosoever shall do the law, keep the law, and shall teach men so, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Listen, our lives, if we are Christians, need to be in line with the life of Christ.

How did Jesus live? He walked in perfect righteousness. You may say, "Well, I can't do that." You're right; you can't. Look at what the next verse says: "Except your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven." We need to have greater righteousness than that of the scribes and the Pharisees—greater righteousness than the most religious person you can think of.

What is Jesus saying when He makes this statement? We need to remember what Jesus said about the Pharisees. He said, "You guys are whitewashed tombs, full of dead men's bones. You clean the outside of the cup, but what you leave is the inside defiled." They were men who had external righteousness but lacked inward purity.

Where does inward purity come from? We just saw here, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." Where do they get a pure heart? From God. "Behold, I will give you a new heart" (Ezekiel 36:26). So when Jesus says your righteousness needs to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, it needs to be the righteousness of Christ in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 63, I believe it is, that we need to be clothed with His righteousness. Paul says that we're not to stand in our own righteousness, which comes by the law, but in the righteousness which is by faith. We receive His righteousness. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive the righteousness of God in Christ.

Jesus begins to explain what He means when He talks about exceeding righteousness here in verse 21, where He says, "You have heard that it has been said of old time, 'You shall not kill,' and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of judgment." This was the teaching of the Pharisees and the scribes: that those who were righteous on the outside should not perform the act of murder, because if they did, they would be in danger of judgment.

But I say unto you, whosoever is angry with his brother—remember, Jesus turns it from the external to the internal. He says it's not just about the external physical act of murder; it's the internal heart of anger. "Whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of judgment, and whosoever shall say unto his brother, 'Raka,' shall be in danger of the council, and whosoever shall say, 'Thou fool,' shall be in danger of hell fire."

In response to that, what should we do when Jesus directs our attention away from the external?

External actions of the law relate to the internal heart of the law. What should be our response? Well, look at verse 23: "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and you remember that your brother has ought against you, leave your gift before the altar. Stop your religious external service, go your way, be reconciled to your brother, and then come offer your gift."

Furthermore, He says, "Agree with your adversary quickly while you're in the way with him, lest at any time your adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer cast you into prison. Verily, I say to you, you shall by no means come out until you have paid the uttermost farthing."

He says, "Listen, you've heard that it has been said the law is only external, but I say it's about the heart." As a result, this is what you need to do: if you've got a problem with your brother, deal with it.

You have heard, in verse 27, that it has been said of old time, "You shall not commit adultery." They were only focused on the physical act of adultery, but I say unto you that whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart.

So, what ought we to do? Well, if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and cast it far from you, for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. If your right hand offends you, cut it off and cast it far from you, for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

This is the call: if adultery is not just about the physical act but has to do with the internal heart and lust, then what should you do? He says to take drastic action against sin. Do whatever it takes to distance yourself from that which is causing you to trip and fall.

It has been said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement." In verse 31, He speaks about something that the people of the day were doing—giving a writing of divorcement. But I say unto you, again speaking with authority, that whosoever shall put his wife away, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.

Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, "You shall not forswear yourself," but I say to you, "Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; neither by earth, for it is His footstool."

Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your communication be yes, yes, and no, no; for whatsoever more is evil.

Again, He says, "You have heard that it has been said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you that you resist not evil. Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. If a man shall sue thee at the law to take away thy cloak, let him have that cloak also. Whosoever shall compel you to go a mile with him, go with him twain. Give to him that asks of you, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn him not away."

You have heard that it has been said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say unto you, love your enemies and bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. Why? That you may be the children of your Father. This is what it looks like to be a child of God, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends His rain on the just and also on the unjust.

For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans do the same? If you salute your brethren only, what more do you do than others? Do not even the publicans do so? Notice this verse 48: highlight it. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

All of this is speaking about external physical actions as a child of the Kingdom of Heaven. What does it look like here on earth to be a child of the Kingdom of Heaven? That's what it looks like. You see, a lot of times we want to just talk about the spiritual things—praying, fasting, and reading our Bibles—but the Gospel is very practical.

If a person has been transformed, coming to God poor in spirit, mourning over their sin, crying out to Him in humility that He would fill them with righteousness, listen: if you've been given a new heart tonight, you've been given the Holy Spirit of God. You have been given the power of God to live the way that He's called you to live.

You may say, "Well, no, I can't do that." Well, you're lying as it relates to the Scripture; that's a lie. God says, "By My Spirit, I've given you power to do these things that I've called you to do." As we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of our flesh. As we walk in the Spirit, we will experience and show forth the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control—all those things that there is no law against.

We will let our light so shine before men that they will see our good works and glorify our Father.

Our Father in heaven, I'm not saying here tonight, as we wrap up, that we, by our righteousness, will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. No, we have no righteousness. We come to Him poor in spirit, and He gives us His righteousness.

As one who has received the righteousness of God, as one who has become a child of God, our lives, our actions, the way we talk, and the way we live should mimic and show forth the life of a child of God—the characteristics of God—because He dwells in us.

If tonight you find yourself tripping up in sin constantly, if you have a sin that so easily ensnares you and you find yourself falling to it repeatedly, there is the power of the Spirit. If you're a child of God tonight, the power of the Spirit dwells in you. However, you may not be yielding to that power; instead, you might be yielding to your flesh and the desires of your flesh, not walking in the Spirit.

How then do we yield to the Spirit of God? We come to Him willing to obey. We say, "God, I desire to do what You've called me to do," and we ask Him, "Lord, give me Your strength in this situation. Give me Your patience in this situation." God will always answer that, and He'll give you an opportunity to exercise it. At that moment, you have a choice: to rely on His strength or your own.

What if you fail? We all fail; we all do. If we sin, we're told in 1 John 1:9 to confess our sins to the Lord, and He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

I'm going to tell you something tonight, and you might say that's just too easy, but I want you to understand what the Bible says. If you find yourself angry with your brother, sister, or spouse, and you're murdering them in your heart, what should you do? Try really hard not to do it? No, confess it to the Lord. Take it to Him every single time you're tempted to be angry with your spouse. Bring every thought captive to Him in obedience to Christ, and confess it to Him. Agree with God that this is sin, and it's even the sin of murder. You say, "Lord, I am murdering this person in my heart. Would You please forgive me?" He is faithful to forgive and to cleanse. That word "cleanse" means to prune or sanctify.

You bring it to Him in confession, and He will begin to remove it. It is yielding yourself to Him to be pruned by Him. If you have a problem with lust and you are committing adultery in your heart, stop calling it just a little thing. Bring it to God and say, "This is the sin of adultery, and I confess it to You. I pray that You take it away." I guarantee that if you repeatedly bring it to Him in confession, He will remove it from your life.

I have heard the funniest things over the years that people try to do to keep themselves from anger, lust, or whatever it may be. One guy once said that he put a rubber band on his wrist, and every time he had a lustful thought, he would snap his wrist with that rubber band. He probably had red wrists constantly, but he couldn't deal with the sin. He was trying to beat it down.

What do we need to do? We come to Him poor in spirit, weeping over our sin, humbled before Him, calling it what it is, and crying out, "God, would You give me Your righteousness?" And what does He do? He gives us mercy, His character. He gives us a new heart and makes us a new creation. That is the good news of the Gospel. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I am burdened, Lord, because I know that some of my brothers and sisters here in this church, even in this fellowship right here tonight, are still living under the law. They are still trying to do righteousness instead of being righteous. Lord, we are righteous not because of what we've done, but because of what You did on the cross. We are righteous because You have indwelt us.

Lord, we've been made holy tonight, just as we saw in Matthew 5:48, that we are to be perfect, we are to be holy, even as You, our Father in heaven, are perfect and holy. Lord, we are just dirt; we can't be holy because of the things that we do. But I remember that in Exodus chapter 3, there was dirt, and You told Moses that it was holy ground because Your presence was there. Lord, You've made us holy tonight because You indwell us. As You look at us tonight, Your Word says that You see us as perfect, without...

We see all the blemishes and spots, and I pray that you would stir our hearts to be poor in spirit tonight. Let us weep and mourn for our sin and bring it to you humbly, saying, "This is sin, Lord. I don't know what to do. I need your righteousness."

Lord, you will fill us; you promised to do it. I pray that you would loose my brothers and sisters from the law. You always show that it has a purpose: it is to bring us the knowledge of sin, and boy, it does a good job. It shows us just how horribly we are.

But, Lord, it's also supposed to point us to you, the one who deals with our sin. I thank you that you have removed our sin as far as the east is from the west. You didn't merely come to cover it up; you came to completely remove it, wipe out the thought of it, and remember it no more.

Thank you that you have done this great work. We praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Yes, thank you.