Devotional Thoughts on
The Sermon on the Mount
Stricken With the Word
“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” (Matthew 7:28–29, ESV) How do we view and respond to the Word of God? Matthew recorded that the crowd that gathered was astonished at Jesus’ teaching. The…
Wise or foolish?
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24, ESV) In life, we must ask ourselves some questions. Are we wise or foolish? On what have we founded our lives? Jesus stated that these two questions are vitally…
To Do the Will of the Father
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”(Matthew 7:21, ESV) When we study the Scriptures, we often see paradoxical things. These are principles or statements with apparent contradictions. Yet, they are truths presented that if…
Healthy Trees Produce Healthy Fruit (Matthew 7 :17-19)
“So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:17–19, ESV) When we lived in New Hampshire, there…
Covert Operatives
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15–16, ESV) We are all concerned with security now days. We lock our doors. We get anti-virus software for our computers. The…
Warning Sign Holders Wanted
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14, ESV) Imagine that you are…
Imagining Won’t Fix Things
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV) If you were a teen in the 60’s or 70’s, you would have heard a song written by John Lennon in 1971, “Imagine.” The song hit number three on the…
Father Knows Best (Matthew 7:7-11)
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11, ESV) In the 1950’s there was a television show titled, Father Knows Best.” It featured a middle-class family and dealt…
When to Cast Pearls
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6, ESV) On a couple occasions I have had contact with people who came to me for spiritual advice under false pretenses. Once a fellow called me on the…
To Judge or Not to Judge (Matt 7:1-5)
“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5, ESV) Yesterday as we looked at Jesus’ teaching regarding judging, we concluded that this principle, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” deals with the issue of…
Do Not Remove the Twaddlers (Matthew 7:1-2)
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, ESV) In a cornfield, there once was an ear of corn. The ear of corn looked at itself and thought, gee what a model…
Do Not Fret (Matthew 6:25, 33)
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” . . . “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and…
Vision Problems
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, ESV) I was meeting…
The Treasure Trove
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(Matthew 6:21, ESV) I read a story once about an old pastor of a country church. He was not paid very much by the church. He and his wife lived in an old country shack with poor insulation and a fireplace for heat. One very…
Fasting
” And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:16, ESV) It is interesting that Jesus, in giving the principles of the Kingdom, stated, “And when you fast.”…
Deliverance From Evil
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13, ESV) Once I had a job at US Steel inspecting the slag pockets on the Open Hearth Furnaces. It was dangerous as we opened the access to the running furnace at the ground level. The problem was that the operators on the…
The Greatest Debt
“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12, ESV) God has blessed Chris and I to get out of earthly debt. We would never be able to make it on Social Security if it were not so. However, there are many that get so far in debt that they…
For the Needy
“Give us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11, ESV) I have heard many people say I don’t pray for myself. I don’t want to waste God’s time on my problems. I pray for others. This comes from either a prideful impulse or a lack of understanding on the character of God. God is Omniscient…
Reign Now
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, ESV) We live in an ideologically divided world. In our country the division is seen in moral choices. The issue is one of truth and authority. Some see that man is the supreme authority over all and others see…
Familial Connection
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9, ESV) Jesus in teaching us to pray presented a model for prayer. Men have labeled it the Lord’s prayer. Yet others more appropriately have titled it as the Disciple’s Prayer. Jesus stated, “Pray then like this.” The purpose of this, “The…
Persistent Prayer?
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them” (Matthew 6:7-8a, ESV) The previous devotion considered the issue of repetition in prayer. Yet this teaching brings up a question? Does the teaching that…
Meaningful Prayer
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7, ESV) In my previous devotion, we looked at two reasons that prayer will miss the mark in connecting with the Father. The first was an obvious one,…
Missing the Prayer Connection
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5, ESV) In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught some…
Not for Show
” “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, ESV) The expression “Drive for show, putt for dough,” comes from the golf world. It means that the most productive part of the…
The Love Hate Dilemma
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:43-44, ESV) In His sermon explaining the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus again presents a precept that contradicts the way of…
Get Right Not Even
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ” (Matthew 5:38-40, ESV) The fifth principle of the…
Integrity
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:37, ESV) The fourth principle of the Law that Jesus discussed is that of telling the truth. The Jews were not to bear false witness. To this, Jesus stated the following. “Again, ye have heard that it hath…
Marital Permanence
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31–32, ESV) In my senior year of pursuing…
Avoid Temptations of the Heart
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better…
Making Things Right
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24, ESV) In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clarified the intent…
The Heart of the Matter
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You…
Requirement for Citizenship
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20, ESV) After speaking of Salt and Light, Jesus presented the second main point in the Sermon on the Mount. He stated, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,…
The Light of the World
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may…
Saltiness
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Matthew 5:13, ESV) Immediately following Jesus’ introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, He brought forth the first major point. The children of the kingdom have a purpose. To explain this, He presented two…
Happy Are the Citizens of the Kingdom (Matthew 5:3-12)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3, ESV) Many today say that Christianity is not about blessing and happiness, and in one context, they are right. Salvation does not guarantee us health, wealth and fame. Yet Jesus begins this Sermon with a statement of fact about the…
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Renewing the Heart 