The first verse of scripture we read today at the beginning of this passage is undoubtedly the most famously known verse in the Bible among those who are not believers.  Yet unfortunately, though they know the verse well enough, they do not understand very well what it means.  For the unsaved, or even for the so called carnal Christian, it is the proof text that they hope gives accommodation to whatever lifestyle they chose to live. However, just a few verses further in this chapter, in vs 15-16, Jesus says that we shall know them by their fruits.  And so

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As most of you are aware, we are studying through the Sermon on the Mount, or what I like to call the Manifesto of the Kingdom of Heaven. And we are here today looking at the subject of fasting, as part of the Lord Jesus’s message. I find it ironic that on the day when we have scheduled a brunch to follow the service, we would be dealing with the subject of fasting. I assure you that was not intentional, even though it may seem that I might be angling to have more French toast left over for myself. That’s

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Prayer is spiritual communication with God.  Your body is engaged, your mind is engaged, but most importantly, your spirit is engaged in fellowship with God through prayer.  Prayer is spiritual communication from my spirit to the Spirit of God. Jesus said “God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. So I feel that before I can even talk about prayer this morning, I must address the more important matter of the necessity of being made spiritual beings. I want to relay something this morning that I recently wrote to someone in our

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As we have been studying the Sermon on the Mount, or what I prefer to call the Manifesto of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus has been giving the characteristics of those who are citizens of the kingdom.  And in that context, Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees then you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Now we all know that is a high standard, because the scribes and Pharisees were known for their fastidiousness in regards to the law. Jesus then addresses the whole issue of the law and the difference

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I want to focus our attention today on the last paragraph of chapter 5.  As most of you are aware, we are studying the Sermon on the Mount, or what I prefer to call, the Manifesto of the Kingdom of Heaven.  This is the first recorded sermon of Jesus Christ.  And in it He has elucidated the characteristics of the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.   One of the most striking statements that Jesus makes concerning the kingdom of heaven is He says that no one will enter unless their righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. 

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There is a trend to use verses of scripture such as the one we are looking at today, by taking them out of their context of all that is taught in the Sermon on the Mount, as a pretext for the social gospel. And unfortunately, in a lot of mainstream churches today, the social gospel is the only gospel that is being preached. The social gospel is applying the teachings of Christ not towards personal conversion but primarily towards social reform, especially as it relates to matters of social justice, environmental issues, race and gender relations, and even economic disparities

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As we continue in our ongoing study of the Sermon on the Mount, we are now in the middle of an exposition which Jesus is giving concerning the law.  Jesus has said that rather than diminishing the law, or abolishing the law, He has actually come to accomplish it and fulfill it.  And in regards to our responsibility to the law, He has said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees then we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. So to that point, in regards to how we must exceed the righteousness of the scribes

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