He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
What a great word. Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to have the kingdom of the heavens? Do you want a kingdom of righteousness, do you want to see God, do you want to be called the children of God? How should you respond if people slander and insult you?
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
How does salt lose its saltiness? Why would someone put a light under a bowl? This is not the right way to respond to persecution. If people falsely say all kings of evil against you is your response to hide your light? Do you wash away the salt from your
speech? Do you stop showing mercy? Do you stop making peace?
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The apostasy refers to the people of God falling away from the word of God and from His commands. It refers to a time when people will set aside the commands of the Lord and teach others accordingly. The rapture cannot come until there is a falling away first, this is so that there is a clear distinction between the faithful servants and the unfaithful ones. Thyatira is where Satan has set his throne, it is a big temple that claims to speak for God. They tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and teaches the Lord’s servants to worship idols and commit fornication. The Lord calls it the “synagogue of Satan”. When you set aside the commands of God and teach others also you are one with God’s enemy. However, when the rapture comes and the Lord takes the church in Philadelphia then those who are in the synagogue of Satan will come and worship at their feet confessing that God was truly in their midst. So there is a contrast between Philadelphia, the meek ones and Thyatira the overbearing ones. A contrast between those who are poor in Spirit, knowing only what the Lord tells them and those who know better than God and know which laws to keep and which they can set aside. There is a contrast between those who are mourning, having suffered in this lifetime, and those who lived in luxury during this age. How can your righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? You need to show mercy. As you have done it will be done to you. You judged others with mercy, you also will receive mercy at the judgement. How can we see God? Your heart must be single, no worshipping of idols, no mixture with the world. Then when they insult you and say every evil thing about you falsely you can give thanks and praise to the Lord that you have been found worthy to suffer for His name in this age. You know that your reward will be great in that day when the Lord comes.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[ a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[ b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[ d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
If you are not pure in heart, if you do not see God, then you will not be able to see God in His people. Treating God’s people in a way that is insulting, mocking, contemptuous and scornful. This is a very clear indication that you do not see God, your heart is not pure, and you need to deal with the stones in your heart.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Get your priorities straight.
God is not interested in your gifts and offerings if your brothers and sisters have something against you. This is why I have repeatedly used the NBA as an example. You can’t be profiting from slavery in China while preaching to others about the horrors of slavery. First deal with the things people have against you, then you can offer your gifts and sacrifices at the altar.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
I have heard that the ratings for the NBA are down 70% over two years ago. Their response is to do away with being “woke”. That is a mistake. The problem is that they are “woke”; it is that they are complicit. They have to deal with their involvement with China and until they do they will pay the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[ e] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[ f] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
You should not disconnect verse 29-30 from verse 31-32. When a man and woman are married they become one flesh. It is possible that you have become unequally yoked. Your spouse, or your job could cause you to stumble. The world has become lawless, the mortgage crisis proved that there were businesses that were pushing employees to sin. [There is an interesting little scene in the movie “The Incredibles” where the super hero is working for an insurance company and goes through great gyrations to explain to a widow being robbed of her home how to navigate the bureaucracy to get treated fairly. Because of this he gets fired by his boss.] The Lord makes it clear here, cut off these toxic relationships. If your job is causing you to do something that bothers your conscience get some fellowship, turn to the Bible and prayer, but if you are clear cut it off. The mark of the beast is an excellent example. Great pressure will be put on people to get the “mark of the beast”. You won’t be allowed to buy or sell without it. But the “mark of the beast” is similar to a brand that we put on cattle. It signifies you belong to him. It is not worth being cast into hell with him for eternity to be able to buy and sell.
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[ g]
We have a covenant with God. The Lord purchased you and enacted that covenant with His blood. All you need to do is defer to the Lord. Jesus is Lord means that “if the Lord wills” is an excellent response in all situations.
