The Sermon on The Mount (Part II)

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Jesus warned as He began His public ministry in Gali­lee” – Matt. 4:17. “His message quick­ly spread, and huge crowds came to hear Him from Galilee, from nearby Syria and the Decapolis, and from as far away as Jerusalem, Judea, and east of the Jordan River” – Matt.4:24- 25

INTRODUCTION

We publish this week, part two of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 where Jesus teaches a large group of potential followers what it really means to follow Him and be a part of God’s kingdom. The sermon as we have intimated, contains a powerful and practical revelation of the principles and standards by which God expects we all to live. Living up to these standards is only possible through faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

Please enjoy and pass it on to others!

DIVORCE

“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

OATHS

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be sim­ply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. – Matthew 5:33-37

RETALIATION

“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. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. – Matthew 5:34-42

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

“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 makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heav­enly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-48

GIVING TO THE NEEDY

“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. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is do­ing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-4

THE LORD’S PRAYER

“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. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“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, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their tres­passes, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

– Matthew 6:5-15

THE WORD OF GOD!

To be continued!

All Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (ESV)

Stay blessed!

Stay blessed!

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Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com

Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org

By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author