Matthew, 5:33-48
Gene Fuqua · Aug 12, 2007
Sermon on the Mount, No. 07
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492603605266

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Thank you, Lord, that we have this time together to focus on your beloved Son and to know you and know your way better, your ways, by your Spirit. We depend on you, Lord, and trust you to guide each one of us in your truth. We just thank you for these dear ones that are visiting with us today. And we thank you for this new baby, this grand baby, Lord. We thank you for the life that you, these young lives that you bring into each of our families, these babies and children. We praise you that children are your heritage. We pray this child will grow to know you and become a dear servant of yours.

We pray, Lord, that you'll guide And be with those who are away from us today. Give them safety. We thank especially the kings. We pray that you will give them a good, safe time. And others that we don't know of, we pray that you'll just protect them and bring them back home here safely. Commit to you this time now and thank you for it. Now in Jesus' name, amen.

Alright, we've been studying, as you know, the Sermon on the Mount, where almost today we should finish the fifth chapter. Matthew and then next week Brad will be taking on beginning chapter 6. As we look at this passage it has been said that on one occasion Sir Winston Churchill said this, what a happy world this would be if we all lived according to the Sermon on the Mount.

Now what could be a little wrong with that statement. What would you say? What have you learned so far? You can't live according to that. Why can't you? Tell me why, Winnie. What is your problem? Keeping the law. So there's a legal element to this. There's a very Jewish element. Yes. Yeah. And so, well, You find it difficult, huh? Okay.

Well, it's so good that we're learning to distinguish between law and grace. The law had a moral code, and there's a moral code that we see here in this sermon. But we've been learning that this sermon is a moral ethic or moral code for those who are anticipating going into the kingdom. And the Lord is helping to do what with the law here? Do we remember what is it he's doing? Is he giving some new laws or what is he doing? Yes. Yes. That's good. Yes. Yes. Yes.

And we've been learning that he came to clear up those teachings that were being done by so many in that day, where they had confused things with adding extra things. You know, today we have some religious groups that have added traditions. Tradition, tradition. And so, people who go to those churches and all, they're living a bunch of traditions.

They don't know, they don't have a clear idea of what God, what Christ has said. For instance, for salvation. And there's nothing here in these passages about salvation, nothing about the spirit of God's empowerment, which we know of course for the church age we have the spirit in us.

And so this has been really a great study so far. What else, anything else you've learned so far? Yes, so he's clearing up things. The wonderful thing is, you know, the Lord said, the words I speak to you are spirit in their life, you know. It really was different from these other rabbis. There's life to what Christ spoke. But here, he's talking to these Jewish people, these Jewish disciples, and helping them to understand how they should live in anticipation of the Canaan. Is there something there that we can see that would carry over into the church, or what have we learned about that? Yes. Yeah. Yes.

So these Jewish people, those that were really godly, When you look in their lives, and you look at those in the Old Testament, and we look at those that carry over into the beginning in the New Testament who are still under the law, these people like us, put yourself in that place, they realize their inadequacies. That's why the Lord began in Matthew chapter 5, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You know, those who realize it, those who are hungry and thirsting for righteousness, They will be filled.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, the Lord said in Matthew 6.33, I believe it is. His righteousness.

So to the spiritual ones, to the ones who are thinking spiritually, those who have been renewed spiritually, And I think that's a key word of the Old Testament saints. They were, they are, I shouldn't call them saints, but believers. They had this renewing that had happened. And so they were able to understand and they knew that there was a righteousness that they didn't have.

And certainly they had the sacrifices to take care of their sins and they had that in mind, as they went along, that there was forgiveness with God that he may be feared. As David said, if thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, who can stand? But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And they knew that all these laws, even though they failed, they had the sacrifices, and they knew that God was a merciful God. And that, as Abraham said, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? They knew that God would show mercy to them. Alright, let's look at today's lesson now as we begin here. The Law of Oaths. So now the Lord is going to clear up this thing about oaths. Matthew 5, verse 33.

Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I say to you, make no oaths at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be yes, yes, or no, no, anything beyond these is of evil."

So we think back now to Leviticus 19.12 which says, You shall not swear falsely, by my name, so as to profane the name of your God, I am the Lord."

The Mosaic law allowed the taking of oaths, but the Pharisees went beyond what the law permitted by endeavoring to make an oath valid on the basis of swearing by God, or by the earth, or Jerusalem, and their earth was open to their oath was open to their interpretation of this law. They tolerated people having mental reservations and giving oaths. So they would allow people to lie, in other words, to get by with it. The Jews had been misusing this command and they were saying that this command does not say you shall not swear falsely.

They took it to mean that if you attach God's name to it, it must be true. But if you swear to something being true and leave off the name of God, it's acceptable to not tell the truth. And so the Lord here is saying that this is not the correct interpretation of the command. Whether or not the Lord's name is attached to an oath or not, yes means yes, no means no, just simply tell the truth. That's the idea of it. The third commandment, as you know, says that you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

For the Lord will not hold him unpunished who takes his name in vain. I think of this sometimes when I hear people take God's name in vain. Bev and I were over to the Titanic exhibitions on Friday, and we were over there, and this little four-year-old, maybe five at the most, says, Oh God!

It's just, you know, everywhere you go, you know, one of the people that I work with in the school system uses that terminology all the time. You know, my, my God or God is always, I mean, just like every fifth sentence, I'm looking for the opportunity, the right time to say the right thing. So I don't get fired in the process to help her because she's my boss lady. It's hard, isn't it?

But it's a day of people just taking... But these people, they were lying and trying to figure out a way to get by with lying. But they knew better than to use God's name in their oath. So these Pharisees that figured out how they could lie just don't use God's name.

When we look at this, the Lord wants these Jews to uphold and honor His name, and His name in Scripture is always a revealing of His nature. For example, He's holy, He's just, He's omnipotent. His name reveals who He is, and there are many other things that we could spend all day studying about His name. His many attributes and characteristics are seen in His name.

So whenever the ancient scribes copied the sacred manuscripts, he would stop before writing the name of God and bathe himself all over, then return to his writing table with a new hither unto youse pen, and then proceed to write the name of God in whatever form it appeared. It was always in holy awe and reverence that a scribe even read any of the names of God. This is a quote by Laman Strauss.

So when the Lord says here in these statements, make no oath at all, an oath is a solemn attestation of the truth, that one's word, without a doubt, they're speaking the truth. To make an oath also, another definition of this is an irreverent or careless use of the sacred name. So the Lord is telling them to just speak the truth. And you don't really need an oath. When He says don't make an oath, or make no oath at all, He's saying just speak the truth. So you don't have to say, I swear on the Bible. You ever hear anybody say that?

Yes, what? Oh, please don't. Are you going to do it? Move away. I'm interested in his words. What about the wedding notes? When you get married, Is that a note that you're taking if you get married? Are you looking to get out of it? What did you say? You know, every marriage situation is a little different. So I'm not you'll have to get some records now. We'll have to figure out if you went under oath or not.

Yes, but I think if you look at what he's talking about, you know, it's again the context you spelled out. Basically, here's here's a way to say it. I can say it and sound like I'm telling the truth. And here I'm sounding like not. Jesus wasn't forbidding taking of oaths in the sense of the ways that we do it in certain contexts in our culture. marriage, courts, whatever. But what he's talking about is that whole system of here's how you say it and make it sound like you're telling the truth, but it's really not. And then here's this other thing where you go and say the name of God a whole bunch of different ways, and then that counts. Or mix it up and somehow sound like it and really slip away from it. So it's not really forbidding taking those. Yes. Did you have your fingers crossed when you took your oath? OK, Tom. Thomas.

Would you say that this telling the truth is for us today, or is that just a joke? No, you know, we can just talk anyway, right? Scripture says, speak the truth in love, right? The New Testament. Speak, yes. Well, I think that's one of the cases where you look at it, we have confirmation from the epistles. Yeah, speak the truth. Yeah. Do you know how to know a Texan is telling the truth? He always precedes it by this statement. I'll tell you what. Yes Nancy.

Yes. So, but in love, the New Testament, I believe, says in love, you know, sometimes the truth can, you know, we need to, you know, it can really hurt sometimes. So it needs to be done with love. So sure. Did you have something there? OK. All right. Let's go to page. Are we on page three already? I already turned my page, I guess. I was listening to this can of worms here. Alright, now this kind of helps a little bit more along that line.

The words that the Lord has here have been misinterpreted. They've been interpreted by some groups and individuals to mean that one does not take a legal oath in court. The Lord's point here is the importance of truthfulness. In legal proceedings, one is often required to take an oath to indicate one's promise to speak the truth. When one takes an oath in court, it's simply just an affirmation that he or she is speaking the truth. I'm affirming the truth. So the Lord is not saying that we can't make a vow or state an oath in court when we're just affirming that we're going to speak the truth. It's a shame that you have to do that these days, but some people take the oath and they still lie, as you know.

So when scripture is compared with scripture, it's evident that there are passages where oaths are allowed by the Lord. For example, Paul, the apostle, affirmed or confirmed his testimony on several occasions by calling upon the name of God for a witness.

2 Corinthians 1.23 is an example. He says, but I call God as a witness. as witness to my soul that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth."

Also you see another example in Galatians 1.20 and in Philippians 1.8. Swearing with an oath is not condemned by the Lord unless it is deceitful or untruthful or needless.

You know Hebrews 6.16, I don't have that reference on your notes, but that's a great verse. For men swear by one greater than themselves." I think of this sometimes when I hear people say Jesus Christ and swearing. I think, well, they're just swearing by the greatest one. I don't like to hear them do that, but they swear by the greatest when they swear by him. Men swear by one greater than themselves. 2, 7-8 says, And all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine dignified, sound speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Anything further on those? Yes.

This is nothing to do with those. You need to not stand there. And the reason is that this time you're not getting any grip on you. There's something electronic going on here. There you go. OK, I'll come over here. Last week you weren't here, some of you. I got wet. We had a real non-dry message last week. We had the same problem starting, but it's not too bad, I don't think. Okay, laws regarding retaliation. Looking forward to studying this section, anybody? Okay.

You've heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Okay, let's go back to Exodus 21, 22, and 25. And this says, if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

While the Pharisees interpreted an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, as a basis for personal vengeance and retaliation, it was never intended that this commandment be taken as grounds for one's personal vengeance. So this command had to do with judicial things. Punishment for a crime was to be done in a court of law. And the punishment for the crime was to fit that particular crime that was committed.

The Lord says here, but I say to you, again he's clarifying things, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. I believe that when we look at this 39-44 now, this passage, that this goes back to verse 23 and 25. Look at verse 23 in your Bibles there. The Lord says, Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you. And then he says in verse 25, Make friends quickly with your opponent. at law while you are with him in the way.

We talked about that last week, I believe. So I think he's going back to this passage, the idea of not letting the law go to its limit. So he's saying here, now in this verse, it does not have to do with self-defense. This verse pertains to personal insults.

One of the means of dishonoring a person was to slap them on the face. A slap on the face was not an injury. It could be just a mild slap. And the thing that was intended by this slap was to insult the person. A person would slap on one cheek and then backhand them on the other. Go back the other way. Or they could do that. And Jesus is saying not to retaliate for an insult. And let the insult be complete. In other words, if they go one way, just let them finish it. Turn the other cheek.

Yes. I'm back on the other side. All right. You can't hear it, but it makes noise. Oh, it does. OK. Thank you. God's will for me to be over here. Sorry, folks. I spit. No, not really. I had a professor like that in college. He did have that problem. We stayed away from the front row. Sorry, Marilyn.

Okay, alright. So the main thing about this thought is to, this is about insults and not assault. Verse 40, If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. So we have this picture. Is it working? It just shut off. OK. But someday maybe you can see it. Vern came up with this wonderful picture that showed a man with his garment on. But it showed a picture about this. OK.

The shirt refers to an inner or under garment. in Jewish context. The coat, in this context, along with this other word for shirt, means outer garment. It was used by the poor as a sleeping blanket. So the first word is shirt, ketone, and the second coat, emation. This verse again has to do with legal proceedings among the Jews.

If someone wanted to take the disciple's inner garment for some offense, the disciple was to part with it willingly. He should be willing to part with his outer garment as well. However, under the Mosaic Law, a person's outer garment was something that he or she had the right to retain, Exodus 22, 26, and 27. If you ever take your neighbor's cloak, and that's that word hamelten, As a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets. Yes. The picture's on. Good. Vernon, since you found this picture, why don't you explain that?

The one on the left there is a picture of a fisherman on the edge of Galilee. This is where he was cast off from near the shore. Anyway, they take off their long coat. That would just get possibly wet and heavy. So they'd just take it off and leave it on the shore and he's got on this undergarment, just so that we had a translated, you know, coat and shirt. The coat would be the outer garment that he'd leave on the shore and the undergarment would be basically kind of like a pair of long johns that he'd have at where he was working. Okay. So Jesus said he'd give them both. Okay. Okay. All right. So verse 40 is a statement in the form of a hyperbole. I hope you notice that.

Jesus did not desire for the disciples to go about naked any more than he desired them to cut off their hands or pluck out their eyes, as we studied about last week. He wanted them to be generous and open handed. That's the idea, you know. And especially if you owe something, don't begrudge giving them what is due to them and give them more even. Verse 41, whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him too. It's the same idea here.

This verse has to do with official demands. This was part of the Roman law that a Roman soldier could insist that a person carry his goods for one mile. What the Lord is saying here is that if the law requires you to go one mile, go two miles beyond what the law requires, or go one more mile beyond that, in other words, go two miles. Puffability in God's sight is to go beyond the command in serving him and others. The scripture says, whatever you do, do heartily as unto the Lord, not unto men. And the Lord gives an example over there in the Gospels also of the servant, you know, who was serving, that he, after he that he was to do, he gives the idea in another place that if you're serving, that you are to, if you just do what you've been commanded, then say I'm an unprofitable servant.

So the idea is that if you want to be profitable, go and do more than what's just commanded. Think of that with children, you know, they, okay, take out the trash. Well, on the way out, if you see some other trash, it wouldn't hurt to pick it up if you want to be profitable, you know. So, all right.

Verse 42, give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. The Lord taught his disciples living under the law of Moses to give what others requested of them, assuming that it is within their power to do it. This was to apply to loans as well as gifts. Exodus 22-25 If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him, you shall not charge him interest. Leviticus 25-37 You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor your food for gain.

Deuteronomy 23.19 says, you shall not charge interest to your countrymen, interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned as interest.

So the law required that these disciples have a generous spirit. As Bev and I were looking through this lesson the other day, and she was helping me proofread as she always does, the doorbell rang. And I thought, oh, do I have a student or somebody I forgot?

I went to the door, this little neighbor girl who we've talked to and befriended, just said hello to her here and there, just know her in just a general way. She said, may I borrow two sticks of butter? And we were just on this passage in this area. So, Pam happened to have some butter in the freezer and she wanted to make a cake for her mother. And she was a young teenager and she didn't have a driver's license or an ability to go down to the store. She wanted to surprise her mother. So really, she's like a poor kid, you know, you might say. So anyhow, Bev handed it to her. And by the way, she said, you don't need to return that.

So, you know, it was very interesting. The Lord had that happen while we were studying about this. OK. Yeah, well, maybe so. Okay. Deuteronomy 15, 7 through 11 says, if there's a poor man with you, if there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers in any of your towns in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother, but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need and whatever he lacks.

Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near, and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing. that he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin to you. You shall generously give to him, and your hearts shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. So the Lord doesn't ask these disciples to give everything away. You see this idea like Proverbs 22, 26, and 27. Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become guarantors for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you? So there's a bed left at least.

During the church age, this age that we're in now, we're to do good as we have opportunity. Also, we understand that our giving is to not be done from necessity, but cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9, 7, Each one must do just as he has purpose in his heart, not grudgingly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 8.12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

And Galatians 6.10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

It's so good. That's a wonderful verse. As we have this opportunity. You may never have the opportunity again. I remember when I was a teenager, or younger, this friend wanted to borrow my suitcase, my luggage, for a trip. And I took it to them. That very night as they were packing, the wife died. Had a heart attack and died. And I thought, I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to get that to them, and last chance to see them. And I don't remember the details now, but I just remember that I had this opportunity, you know.

And the Lord just allows us certain opportunities, and sometimes we may never have them again. So as we have opportunity, it's good to give and to realize that the Lord is giving us an opportunity to be blessed. We're already blessed in Christ Jesus, but to really encourage other people.

Yes, Vern, do you have something? I was going to say, just the word opportunity comes out. Yes. Yeah, that's good. And I think it's so good if our young people can understand opportunities. I think our opportunity to do good, to go to celebrate a birthday, celebrate a Father's Day or a Mother's Day, those opportunities to do good can pass by. You may never have them again. Alright, the law of love.

This is a good one. Verse 43 down through 48. 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, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He causes His Son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

Luke's account, which Nancy's group on Tuesdays, they had studied this passage from, it's a little more detailed. But I say to you, and it's Luke 6, 27-36, but I say to you here, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also. And whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He Himself is kind and ungrateful He himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

So, as we go back to the Old Testament, Leviticus 19.18, this is what is said there. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord. So the Lord here in the Sermon on the Mount, he does not disown any of the commandments of the Mosaic Law. And he is repudiating the Pharisee interpretation of the commands. The Pharisees defined neighbor and enemy in these three ways. They said that neighbor means fellow Jew and enemy means Gentiles. Wow. They said that it was all right to have an internal hatred toward those considered to be enemies. They also said that neighbor means fellow Pharisee, and any non-Pharisee would be an enemy, and notably the Sadducees.

So the Lord gives us the great example of love toward enemies. That's as I think of His love. Romans 5.10, if while we were enemies, speaking of us in this age of grace, if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. It's reported that on one occasion, we're at chapter 6 here, I've turned too many pages. OK, let's go to Colossians one twenty one. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."

That's a wonderful thought when you think of the love of God, the perfection of His love. He has a love for us, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And I think He's giving them a picture, these disciples, of what He really is, what God is like, and His love. The Lord says here, you are to be perfect.

The godly disciples who knew the Old Testament knew that all of their righteousness were as filthy rags, Isaiah 64, 6. And they are also aware of such truths as Jeremiah 23, 6. And this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. Isn't that a wonderful truth to know that those who were godly, they knew that, that the Lord was their righteousness. They see that God must do everything for them for salvation. So, the New Testament epistles have the promises of our completeness in Christ, and we study that so much here, I think we're all pretty well familiar with that.

Like Colossians 2.10, For in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. It's a wonderful truth, isn't it? So these disciples, when you go back to them and see that they had, the Lord is telling them things that are going to cause them to realize their need and their adequacy.

I think that any of them that were godly or realized, just like Peter, you know, when the Lord revealed himself there, I think it was out on the boat, and he saw something about Christ that he had never seen before. He said, Lord, depart from me. I'm a sinful man. You know, I think the same with these disciples who are following the Lord. These things that He's telling them, they realize that they come short on a lot of these things, that they're not loving as He would want them to love.

And I think it just motivates a person. And we find the same motivation in our lives, that we, in our age, church age, that we need Him and be dependent on Him every day to live and to do what He would have us in the way of love. Look at 2 Corinthians 3, 5-6, not that we are adequate in ourselves, to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. I think the King James says our sufficiency is of God. Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. So we in the church today look to our Lord for practical outworking of His will. By His inworking, by His Spirit. So the epistles give us some wonderful things here. We have Ephesians 4, 15 and 16 through 16 and then 29 and Romans 12, 14 through 21.

Are there any questions that came to your mind during this that you want to bring up or additions to this study? Nancy, you guys have studied this, so anything new that we haven't covered today? I have a question. Okay, Marilyn, go ahead. When the Jewish, when they added all these laws to the Bible, did they have it in like a book or something? Was it called something? Oh, those 613, you're talking about those laws? Well, they had the Old Testament. No, the ones that weren't in the Bible. Oh, I see. Well, Vern, what do you know about that? Anything about those extra things that were extra biblical? They actually called it the Oral Law. That's why Jesus would talk to him about the traditions, what they would pass on from one to the next. It actually was not so extensively written down until after the New Testament.

Some rabbis started to write things down, but the idea was The disciples memorized everything that they were taught by their rabbi, word for word. Well, it was more to have it in your mind, that was their thought. Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn't a literacy issue, it was a question of, if I have it memorized, then I have it in my heart. That's their thought. Since they were always arguing among themselves, how did they ever agree on what to put down? No, what they did is they wrote down all the disagreements. They did? Yeah.

And when it was compiled, what was that called? Well, you have the Mishnah, there's various parts of it, the Gemara, the different parts of that traditional writing, the Talmud, and other larger terms that you see. All right, good, all right. Just thinking about this study and going through it has really motivated me to think about the Old Testament believers and these disciples and how they would feel by listening to these things.

It certainly was a clearing of the mind for them, a clearing to realize it's not quite as complicated as the Pharisees have made it. to know that the Lord is offering some encouragement. Matthew 4, for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. They received their empowerment from the Word of God, I believe. They were encouraged by the Word, as you and I are. As we stay in the Word, it encourages us. It leads us in paths of righteousness, and then we begin to see it's His righteousness, and I believe that they knew this too, that it was His righteousness.

They were beginning to have their eyes open to see this. And it's a wonderful thing to know that even for them, God wasn't trying to perfect their old man. The law was used to shut every man's mouth. And these things that seemed so difficult to them, I believe, only drove them to seek God in a way that He would have them to seek and find their sufficiency in Him.

Let's look at these passages and then we'll be about done here. Ephesians 4, 15 and 16 for us. But speak the truth and love. We are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body being filled and held together by what every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Romans 12.14-21 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved.

But leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. that motivate us to see things from the disciples in the New Testament, these disciples, how they were living and how they were to live in light of the kingdom that's coming.

And now, Lord, we thank you that we can learn from these things, that there are some things there that you work in our life like meekness through the Spirit. We thank you so much for the Spirit who works in us to will and do your good pleasure. We thank you Lord that we're under grace and not under law and that we can yet not be lawless but be controlled by your Spirit, led by your Spirit each day. Pray that as we go about this week that we'll be able to walk being led by your Spirit and applying these truths that are for us to your glory. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.