040 - Matthew Bible Study

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.31-32 'Attitude in Marriage...' '31-Now it was said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce'; 32-but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.' First off, let us determine if we are looking at whether or not The Lord Christ Jesus is affirming divorce here or not... Remember, the context of what we have been being told thus far in the sermon on the mount: -It starts out with the fact that we are told the attitude and the demeanor of those who are truly in the kingdom... -Then we are told that we are to be light and salt in the world... -Then we are warned of the issue of our heart, and in that shown how we are to act amonst one another [which is the section we find ourselves in]... Here in our current section, we have been considering: -Harboring ill will/contempt toward someone is murder in the heart... -Lusting after a woman is adultery In the heart... Pleasure is not a primary focus for anything at all... Thus, it seems that we are not necessarily looking at Christ affirming divorce here, or not... -That would be more in Matthew 19.8-9... -We might still glean a couple things here, though... Matthew 19.8-9 tells us: '8-He said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9-And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.' Which ties back into how we are to treat everyone in purity in Christ... *** So, if this particular passage is not a passage for divorce, what are we being told then? In remembering that we are not to harbor ill will/contempt toward our fellow man, well even in the most intimate and closest of inner-personal relationships we must not harbor contempt there either... -We are to treat even the closest person in our lives in purity just as the rest of mankind... Once again, as we are told in 1 Timothy 5.1-2 : '1-Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather plead with him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2-the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.' Purity in any and all relationships is what we are looking at... -Which ties into the beatitudes, the very beginning of the sermon on the mount... If we look at a woman with lust, we have already committed adultery with her in our heart... -If we act this out, then we actually commit adultery in the physical... This actually ties into the deeds of the flesh, as well as what we are told in 2 Timothy 3.1-7: '1-But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come.2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5 holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these.6 For among them are those who enter into households and take captive weak women weighed down with sins, being led on by various desires,7 always learning and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.' In focusing on ourselves, and taking pleasure from what others can do for us, and taking from them in order to satisfy our own lusts and desires, we are no longer functioning in a give-give relationship, we are then taking from others... It starts with lusting after someone whom we have no right to, to then, if we get into the deeper relationship of marriage, not having a proper attitude, which then leads to us wanting to divorce from them cause they do not satisfy our lusts and desires and pleasure anymore... We are also seeing that there are consequences for actions taken... -If a man divorces, and the ex-wife remarries, she is an adulteress... -It would stand to reason that the man, at the very least, is committing sexual immorality... What we can glean from this, to just touch on it: -If the woman has committed adultery [or sexual immorality of some sort], she is an adulteress and divorce... This is relationships tainted by sin... ***Deuteronomy 24.1-4: '1-If a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, 2-and she goes out of his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, 3-and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, 4-then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh, and you shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance.' 2026 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.27-30 'Discipline...' '27-You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; 28-but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29-But if your right eye make you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30-If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw if from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.' First off, lust is not explicitly sexual... -Lust is a deep longing and yearning for something... -You can lust after power and wealth and anything else, just as you can lust sexually after a person... But in the context of what we are being told here, lust is used to indicate lusting sexually after someone As we have been discussing, lusting after someone is akin to ill will/animosity toward someone, which is murder in the heart toward someone... -Thus, if you are lusting after someone in your heart, you are murdering them in your heart... Lusting after someone is taking from said person... -It is desiring pleasure from them to gratify your own pleasure... -You are coveting what you perceive then can give you... '29-But if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30-If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw if from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.' When it comes to sin and dealing with sin, we tend to try to make methods of how to cope with sin and deal with sin habits... -Some go as far as to just say that sin habits are ok so long as we just love God, and do things that are clearly forbidden in Scripture... -Just look at how same gender relationship are affirmed in modern day 'Christianity', and how even we have women and homosexuals being in 'church' leadership... Unfortunately there is no simpler answer than simply to say: 'STOP IT!!!' The problem is that we let our emotions and feelings and experiences get in the way... -We base our understanding of things off of that which we perceive, and what we alone understand... -As Ecclesiastes tells us: '...The eye is not filled with seeing, the ear is not filled with hearing...' In all reality, we are supposed to be living sacrifices where we deny self daily...disassociate with ourselves... -Mortification of the flesh... -Live a disciplined life... -Both of these things are really foreign to us in our modern culture... Discipline -The training of people -A branch of knowledge Let us take a look at how the woman perceived the tree in Genesis 3.6: -She saw the tree was a delight to the eyes -She saw the tree was good for food -She saw the tree was desirable to make one wise She was making deductions based off of her lusts and desires [pragmatism], rather than simply obeying Yahweh... As 1 John 2.16 puts it: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life... Again, we are to simply 'STOP IT!!!' -We are not to pursue feelings/pleasure -Such things are self focused -Feelings and emotions are to be governed by The Word of Yahweh, and solely focused on Yahweh... Our emotions are to be kept in check, goverened by The Word of Yahweh -We are to be renewed in the mind, not conformed to the world... -Take every thought captive -Think on that which is holy and pure Feelings [pleasure] might arise from this, but feelings are not the end goal... -In all reality, we may never feel Yahweh and/or His glory -To be honest, I am not even sure what that means to 'feel Yahweh' of 'see the beauty of His glory' -I do know that we are to obey though, no matter how I feel about it... This leads us back to being disciplined -We are not to seek out pleasures in order to satiate our own lusts and desires... Pleasure is not a primary focus for anything at all.. Pleasure is a strong force that we can be blinded by because we can focus on our own desires rather than praising and worshiping Yahweh... -Ecclesiastes warns us that everything is meaningless apart from glorifying Yahweh and keeping His commandments [which is the very thesis and closing statement in the book]... -Also in 1 John 2.15 tells us: 'Do not love the the world, nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of The Father is not in him.' The will Dependence on Christ Realizing that we have nothing in and of ourselves [that we have no strength; must be broken of self] Its not the strong who persevere... -It is solely through Christ who strengths were anyone perseveres... -We are given self-control...via The Holy Spirit; hence self control being one of the manifesting works of The Holy Spirit in a person Maintaining Discipline: Remembering that we are, in fact, poor in spirit, which ties into the very first thing that Christ says in the sermon on the mount... -We ought to remember that we have no strength in and of our selves... The only way to have true strength is to: -Abide in Christ -Through prayer -Being in the Word continually [being renewed in the mind] -Godly Counsel, gathering of the brethren We also need to remember that the Word of Yahweh was written for us, and no to us... -The contents of the Bible are way over our head, and we need Yahweh Himself to allow us to understand... -As Yahweh says to Habakkuk: 'I am going to show you things that you will not believe, even though I am telling you...' -We are not to come to the Word of Yahweh trying to find out what it says to us, or what it means to us... The whole point here is that we need to understand that we are completely dependent upon Yahweh for every single thing, even properly understanding His Word... -This should humble us, and make us not rely on our own understanding, or our own subjectivity... We need to stop relying on self, on our feelings, on our experiences... -We are to rely on Yahweh, through His Word, which can only be done through The Holy Spirit... -Also...I am not saying 'Let go, and let God...'. That is a wrong thought... As we are told in Philippians 2.12-13: We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure 2026 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.25-26 'Brothers – Neighbors...' '21-You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not murder' and 'Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.' 22-But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says, 'Raca' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23-Therefore if you are presenting an offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24-leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.' '25-Make friends quickly with your opponent at law whilst you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and to be thrown into prison. 26-Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.' A question arises here: Who is our brother? '...[if] your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the alter and go...' The Lord Christ Jesus tells us that the brethren are those who do the will of The Father. -Matthew 12.49-50: '49-Stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, 'Behold My mother and My brothers! 50-For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.' John 13:35 tells us: 'By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.' But, we have to look a little beyond this. We are further exhorted in Romans 12.17-18: '17-Never paying back evil for evil to anyone, respecting what is good in the sight of all men, 18-if possible, so far as it depends on you, being at peace with all men...' Why? Because, we cannot act one way with one group of people, and another way with another group of people. -We are not to be 'two-faced'... Now, let us look at another question here: Can we really [or are we really] supposed to have deep relationships with the outside world? Our relationship with the brethren is going to be different than our relationship to the outside world... -But once again, we are supposed to have the same attitude toward the whole of mankind... -If we come to worship Yahweh, and we have animosity and in-fighting amongst one another, or even our neighbors, how can there be true worship? 1 Timothy 5.1-2 tells us: '1-Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather plead with him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2-the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.' Here in this passage, we are exhorted to treat all in purity... -We are not to be sharp with anyone... -We are to treat all in purity because the whole of mankind is created in the image of Yahweh... But then again, only those who do the will of The Father are our actual family. -So what do we do here with '...if our brother has something against us...' I think it is safe to deduce that we are to make sure to act in a proper manner, and we are to not have animosity against anyone, and try to make sure no one has anything against us either... -Both our fellow brethren, as well as the outside world... Well, first we must remember that we are not to harbor animosity against anyone, not just the brethren in Christ, but we are not to harbor animosity against anyone... -Murder is akin to ill will/animosity from the heart, and we are commanded to not murder anyone... We are supposed to keep peace as much as possible with all mankind... -This actually ties in with how we are to be lowly, merciful, and peacemakers... -When we are worshiping God, we are not to be harboring anything against one another... Ill will and animosity really flow out of our self focus and self will because we think that we are the center of the universe, and that everyone should bow down and worship us... -We see this in the mindset of: I will live my life with no regard for how it effects you, and you have to deal with it... Once again, we should recall what agape actually is. 1 Corinthians 13.4-7 '4-Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; 5-it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; 6-it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with/in truth; 7-it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [Love never fails]' Why consider this? Well, if we look at this, this is the template for how mankind is to interact with one another... -This to be our internal demeanor toward the whole of mankind: both the brethren and the outside world But, how this plays out in action is a little different, cause how we show our love to the brethren in action differes from how we show agape to the outside world If we are truly of Yahweh, we are in the family of Yahweh through Christ... -We are adopted as sons, joint heirs with/in Christ -We are slaves of Christ; slaves to righteousness If we are not truly of Yahweh, we are of the world... -We are in the family of the evil one -We are slaves to the evil one, to sin, to the world system... In the family of Yahweh, we exhort one another, sharpen one another, admonish one another [when needed]... -This is how we interact with fellow brethren To the outside world, the only way we show agape is to, as Paul states, '...knowing the terror of The Lord, we urge men to repentance...' -Something to note here again: Giving things, feeding the poor, toy drives...These are not love in and of themselves... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved https://www.gotquestions.org/first-be-reconciled-to-your-brother.html

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.25-26 'Make Peace with Your Opponent at Law...' '25-Make friends quickly with your opponent at law whilst you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and to be thrown into prison. 26-Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.' This actually ties in with what the heavenly hosts declare to the shepherds: 'Peace on earth and goodwill toward men with whom He is well pleased...' Reminder: The Law of Yahweh is to show us that we cannot adhere to the Law of Yahweh on our own... The good works that we are to walk in start from the inside... Responsibility vs. ability -We are responsible to repent and believe... -We do not have the ability nor the capacity to do so... The only ability we have is if God is working is us through The Lord Christ Jesus under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... In looking at outward works without understanding the spiritual reality, we then tend to base our understanding of salvation on the 'good works' we do, and we do not focus on God and the work that He does through Christ, through The Holy Spirit... What we are being told here comes after we are told that ill will toward our fellow man is murdering someone in our heart... -If we actually understand the moral portion of the Law, in being told that ill will is akin to murder, we should see that ill will really covers that whole second table of the Law...the last 6 commandments... The summation of the Law is to love Yahweh with every fiber of your being, and the second is like it...to love our neighbor as ourselves -Love, once again, is not a feeling or an emotion... -On these two Laws hang the whole of the Law and the prophets... If we do not love our fellow man, then the love of The Father is not in us... -As we have discussed: -Love for the brethren is to exhort one another to not be found with an evil heart of unbelief, exhort one another to good works, if we see a fellow believer in need, help out -Love for the outside world is to exhort them to repentance. As Paul says: 'Knowing the terror of The Lord, we urge men to repentance.' Whilst soup kitchens, toy drives, and giving blantkets away is lovely in the humanitarian aspect, these things to not save. The only showance of love we have for the outside world is the gospel message: 'That we are to be reconciled to God The Father, through The Lord Christ Jesus, under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit, solely through the Word of God...' Which leads us to our passage at hand: Make friends [be at peace] quickly with your opponent at Law... -Make friends -Quickly -Opponent at Law Why are we told to make friends, or be at peace with our opponent at Law? -We, by default, have an opponent. By default, the entirety of mankind is in opposition to Yahweh... -The whole of mankind if guilty in the sight of Yahweh... Peace is not a feeling... -Peace is a legal standing before Yahweh, which can only be accomplished in and through Christ... -Peace cannot be achieved to God by man. It is impossible for man to make amends to Yahweh in and of ourselves... What we are told here in this passage is actually the call of the gospel: -Be reconciled to God The Father... -Through the substitutionary atoning work of The Lord Christ Jesus... -Under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... Back in Matthew 5.17-18, we discussed how the Law if fulfilled in Christ, and is not abolished... -If we are not in Christ, we are still under the Law... -If we are under the Law, we are required to fulfill the Law, from the heart...not just actions... -Responsibility vs. Ability The Law is meant to show us 1-the fact that we have transgressed the righteousness of Yahweh, and 2-our inability to adhere to the Law of God, 3-it is to show us our sin... Romans 8.7-8 tells us: '7-...because the mind set on flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8-and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.' -Isaiah 53 'All we like sheep have gone astray, each one of us has gone our own way...' If we are not in Christ, we are still under the Law... -If we are under the Law of God, there is absolutely no way that we keep the Law, yet we are required to keep the Law... -In our natural state, on our own accord, we will be cast into hell for all eternity rightly and justly by Yahweh for not keeping the Law... -Those who are cast into hell will be there until they repay the debt that is owed to Yahweh... -Every single one of us owes Yahweh an insurmountable debt that we cannot pay off, let alone begin to repay... Quickly whilst you are on your way... -It is appointed a man one time to die, after this comes the judgment [Hebrews 9.27].... The only time for repentance is whilst we are here on earth, in this mortal coil... -Once we are shed of this mortal coil, we will all stand before the judgment of Yahweh... A few passages to keep in mind here: -Isaiah 1.18: 'Come now, and let us reason together,' says Yahweh, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.' -Isaiah 55.6-7: '6-Seek Yahweh whilst He may be found; call upon Him whilst He is near. 7-Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.' -Hebrews 3.15: '...Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.' Once again, please keep in mind that we cannot reason with Yahweh on our own... -If we are unregenerate, we cannot and will not come to Yahweh at all. It impossible for the dead to generate life spontaneously... -But, it is a call nonetheless, one that is to be proclaimed. If it is rejected, it merely proves the deadness of a person. If it is responded to, praise Yahweh cause He is at work in said person... So that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge... -And the judge to the officer... -And to be thrown into prison... -Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.... There is a judgment, and it is Yahweh through Christ who judges. The Law is the perfect and holy and righteous standard which displays the very holy nature and holy attributes of Yahweh. -This Law is required for His creation to walk in, as mankind are in fact image bearers of Yahweh [Yahweh does not need it, but requires it]... -The Law is to be kept at all times, every second of every minuet of every hour...Non-stop [The Law is unrelenting, and unceasing]... The problem is that mankind by default, in our natural state on our own accord, '...all sinned in/through Adam'... -We are born slaves to sin, the world system, and in the family of the evil one... In this, we need to understand that every single one of us owes an un-payable debt to Yahweh... -Every single second that we are alive, from the point of conception to the point of our death, is in the red in and of ourselves [in the red means to be in debt]... We are commanded to love Yahweh with every fiber of our being, and to show this in how we interact with our fellow man [in regards how the Bible says, not in a pragmatic manner]... -In only thinking of ourselves, and harboring ill will toward our fellow man, we show beyond a shadow of a doubt that we actually do not love Yahweh at all, let alone with every fiber of our being... Now...those who are not in Christ will be thrown into prison, having been judged, until the entirety of the debt is paid in full... *We all deserve to be cast into hell for all eternity... If we are in Christ, the debt has already been paid in full. -Hence Christ crying out on the cross: 'It is finished...[or paid in full]' But, if we are not in Christ, the debt is still yet to be paid... -This begs the question: 'How can we even begin to pay what is owed, let alone pay if full the fullness of the debt that is owed?' How can we repay to Yahweh the glory that has been stolen from Him? How can we repay every single evil intent from our heart, which is continual? How can we not just repay, but cleanse every second of our existence, from conception to death? Those who are cast into hell will be there for all eternity cause the debt can never be repaid by us. -As this passage tells us: ' Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans...' 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.21-48 'What is Love?' Men are the leaders: 1 Corinthians 11.3-16 Emotions -Emotions must be governed by the Agape [benevolence] of Yahweh... -Emotion = Attitude toward something... -Feelings flow out of emotions.. In a sense we must also be stoic, which is antithetical to our modern culture... -Stoic means: to endure pain/hardship without showing feelings or complaining... [regal; mature] We must be Christians... -It is not we must act Christianity out, But we must be Christians... Matthew 22.36-40: '36-'Teacher, what is the great commandment in the Law?' 37-He [The Lord Christ Jesus] said to him, 'You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38-This is the great and foremost commandment. 39-The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40-On these commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets'.' Love is a main theme throughout the entirety of the Bible. Seeing as this is the case, there must be a proper and accurate understanding of love... -Unfortunately, we do not understand what love really is... -We are not even supposed to focus on our self in love... -In fact, the word 'love' itself is a word that we have used in place of the four Greek terms, which means we have dumbed down 'love'... -To further this, we have exchanged the actual meaning of love from what it really means to mean: 'It is a selfish emotional infatuated feeling, which only make us feel 'good' continually'... There are actually four words that we, in the english, have condensed down to one simple term: -Agape: Unconditional benevolence;charity; unconditional moral sense; a fond affection; tenderness; impartial charity... [impartial] -Phileo: Affection or attachment; comradely; devotion -Storge: Not used in the New Testament. Familial affection. When we are told that they are without love in Romans 1.31, it is the opposite, we are being told they are without natural affection. -Eros: Not used in the New Testament, but this is the kind of 'love' that we equate with love, a feeling based passion... John 3.16 For God so loved the world... 1 Corinthians 13.4-8: '3-If I give all my possesions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4-Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; 5-it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; 6-it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with truth; 7-it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endues all things...[Love never fails]' Something to note here: Giving things, feeding the poor, surrendering yourself...These are not love in and of themselves... Galatians 5.22-23: '22-But the fruit of The Spirit is love [agape], joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.' Agape: Unconditional benevolence;charity; unconditional moral sense; a fond affection; tenderness; impartial charity... -When we are told that Yahweh is love, we are being shown the chief attribute of Yahweh, and from this chief attribute the rest of His attributes flow out of, the 'negative' attributes are a direct response for transgression against Yahweh's holiness... -It is only because Yahweh first loved us that we love [1 John 4.19] -Affection means to care for something... -One of the definitions of 'Affection' is to be affected by something, when Yahweh bestows His affection upon us, He affects us by changing us, thus being affected, we now have devotion and attachment to Yahweh... It is from this unconditional benevolence of Yahweh where the rest of the attributes of Yahweh flow out of... -It might not be in the specific order that is listed, but Agape is first... -The good attributes flow out of the Agape of Yahweh, the negative attributes being a response against the sinner... Delight: Extreme satisfaction... Joy/Rejoice Joy: Joy is being able to focus on God through The Lord Christ Jesus with no thought of self; to be able to walk in sanctification... -After hearing, then we are sealed [which includes faith and belief]... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.21-48 'Our Actions Matter [from Intent to Action] [part 002]' The Law of Yahweh is to show us that we cannot adhere to the Law of Yahweh on our own... -When we are told that we are not to have ill will toward our fellow man, that is to show us that we do in fact have ill will toward our fellow man from our heart... -This tie in with '...hungering and thirsting for righteousness...' The good works that we are to walk in start from the inside... Genesis 6.5-6: '5-Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6-And Yahweh regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.' Responsibility vs. ability -We are responsible to repent and believe... -We do not have the ability nor the capacity to do so... The only ability we have is if God is working is us through The Lord Christ Jesus under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -The fruit of The Spirit... The good works that we are to walk in start from the inside... -Out of the heart so speaks the mouth... -Whilst we can make a list of humanitarian efforts and call them good works, they are not primarily good works... -Good works on their own do not equate with salvation, there can be moralistic works done without being regenerate, but without The Holy Spirit working in a person, these are not good works... In looking at outward works without understanding the spiritual reality, we then tend to base our understanding of salvation on the good works we do, and we do not focus on God and the work that He does... Once again, we see The Lord Christ Jesus raising the standard back to where it needs to be, because the standard is actually perfection from the heart continually... -We are told that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... -They had a piety in their actions, and thought themselves right with Yahweh; but inside they were spiritually dead... Good works do not start with outward actions... -Good works start within us via the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -Good works also must start with our focus on Yahweh with the express purpose to glorify Him, and walk in the newness of life, and not focus on ourselves anymore [which is antithetical to our natural condition where we only focus on ourselves all the time]... -As we will see later on in Matthew 7, there is no room for self in entering through the small gate. It requires the total and complete abandonment of self... -Then they flow out in how we view one another, and interact with one another; hence The Lord Christ Jesus first exhorting us to not have ill will [animosity] toward our fellow man... If we look at the ten commandments, the tenth commandment is do not covet... -To covet means: To greatly desire [to lust after], to find beauty in; to lust after that which belongs to another... -This is the through-line through the other 9 commandments... Ill will and animosity really flow out of our self focus and self will because we think that we are the center of the universe, and that everyone should bow down and worship us... -We see this in the mindset of: I will live my life with no regard for how it effects you, and you have to deal with it... There is no room for loving self in loving Yahweh... -Everything belongs to God: our bodies, the things in our possession, even our very souls...everything belongs to God, and we are not to focus on the creature but The Creator... In having our focus on The Creator, and understanding everything belongs to God, we are not supposed to have animosity toward one another... Leviticus 19.16-17: '16-You shall not go about as a slanderer amongst your people, and you shall not stand against the life of your neighbor; I am Yahweh. 17-You shall not hate your neighbor in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, and so not bear sin because of him. 18-You shall not take vengeance, and you shall not keep your anger against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.' We can reprove, correct, and call out someone who is sinning and will not repent... -We are not to hate them, or sin because of them, or slander them, nor take vengeance... -When we reprove, correct, and call out sin, that is actually loving...and is actually a good work... Only Yahweh is allowed to hate the sinner, which He does because of sin... -Yahweh's hatred is holy, righteous, and just and is a directed at those who have transgressed His Agape...which the entirety of mankind has done... Furthermore, when we think of love, we tend to think of it as an emotional infatuated state, and we are then told to revel in that feeling...all of which is self-focused and self-serving... -The only kind of 'love' that semi fits this description is 'eros'... -We are commanded to 'Agape', and 'Philio' really flows out of 'Agape' -'Agape' is unconditional benevolence and charity -For The Father so showed His unconditional benevolence and charity upon the world that He sent His only begotten Son... '25-Make friends quickly with your opponent at law whilst you are with him on the way, so that your opponenet may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26-Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.' Make friends [be at peace] with your opponent at Law, lest you be handed over to the judge... This is actually the call of the gospel: -Be reconciled to God The Father... -Through the substitutionary atoning work of The Lord Christ Jesus... -Under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... The Law if fulfilled in Christ, and is not abolished... -If we are not in Christ, we are still under the Law... -If we are under the Law, we are required to fulfill the Law, from the heart...not just actions... -Responsibility vs. Ability The Law is meant to show us our inability to adhere to the Law of God... Romans 8.7-8 tells us: '7-...because the mind set on flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8-and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.' If we are under the Law of God, there is absolutely no way that we keep the Law, yet we are required to keep the Law... -In our natural state, on our own accord, we will be cast into hell for all eternity rightly and justly by Yahweh for not keeping the Law... -Those who are cast into hell will be there until they repay the debt that is owed to Yahweh... -Every single one of us owes Yahweh an insurmountable debt that we cannot pay off, let alone begin to repay... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.20-48 'Our Actions Matter [from Intent to Action] [part 001]' '21-You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not murder' and 'Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.' 22-But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says, 'Raca' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23-Therefore if you are presenting an offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24-leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. The Lord Christ Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.16-17: '16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 17-Do not think that I have come to abolish The Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.' We have been discussing how we are to be light and salt in the world, and that this is shown through our actions... -Let your light shine, let people see your good works... We also see that there is actually a manner in which we are to act in, namely that we are required to obey Yahweh in our good works, which He prepared for us to walk in... Also, the Law is not to give life, and the Law cannot save... -The Law is to shut everyone up under the Law, and is to show us our sin, and is to drive us to Christ... -The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Christ, and it is Christ alone who has fulfilled the Law... -This ties into, or flows out of, how The Lord Christ Jesus says that the Law is not abolished, but fulfilled; and how we are told that our righteousness is to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... We are being show just how strict and relentless the Law of Yahweh actually is... -From this, we are to see the fact that we are poor in spirit, we are morally bankrupt, we are totally depraved... Let us consider Galatians 3.21-24 once again: '21-Is The Law then contrary to the promise of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22-But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23-But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. 24-Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.' If we are truly of God, we have been given new life... -In having been given new life, God has given us a new nature... -Thus we are slaves to righteousness, and are to act in like manner [obedience is required] Now, this next section shows us samples of how we are to act amongst one another, and we are given compare and contrast statements of how natural man looks at what was said, but what is actually required: -You shall not murder [v.21] -You shall not commit adultery [v.27] -Certificate of divorce [v.31] -Do not make false vows [v.33] -Eye for an eye [v.38] -Love your neighbor [v.43] To keep this in context, let us remember what we are told in Matthew 5.20: 'For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.' From this, we are being told that we are to act in a manner that is better than the scribes and the Pharisees. Now, we might think that this is supposed to be something that we can achieve in and of ourselves. But we have to remember the phrase: Responsibility vs Ability We are responsible, but as we have been seeing in our studies, we are not able... -Any command that is given in the Bible by God is to show us our inability... -Even when The Lord Christ Jesus tells us to '...Go and sin no more...', this is to show us that in and of ourselves we do and will continue to sin... In being told that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, we are lead back to the very first part of the Beatitudes: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...' -We are to be broken of ourselves, and we must see out inability Just on a side note, bad morals corrupt good character If sin is left uncheked, it gets worse and worse This also ties into the church body, if you let sin continue, it does effect the body This beginning portion of this section is another key portion, from which the others really flow. Here in Matthew 5.21-22, we are told: '21-You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not murder' and 'Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.' 22-But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says, 'Raca' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell...' Love your neighbor as yourself... -We are self focused and self serving, and we only loo for our best interest... -We are to look outside ourselves... Ill will toward someone is the opposite of being lowly and merciful... -Instead of looking at others with compassion with the aim of being reconciled to God The Father, through The Lord Christ Jesus, under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit – Ill will looks at others through our own perceptions... -Where God judges impartially; we judge partially, we judge with a bias.... -We can only judge the actions of others; Yahweh judges not only the actions, but the heart as well... -There is no possible way that any of us can judge the heart... Calling people names, questioning their character and motives, bearing false witness against them, being jealous of them, defamation of character, wishing people harm, having violent thoughts toward others...These are all examples of ill will toward fellow man... '23-Therefore if you are presenting an offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24-leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.' If we come to worship Yahweh, and we have animosity and in-fighting amongst one another, can there be true worship? We are supposed to keep peace as much as possible with all mankind... -This actually ties in with how we are to be lowly, merciful, and peacemakers... -When we are worshiping God, we are not to be harboring anything against one another... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.17-20 'Obedience is Required...' '17-Do not think that I have come to abolish The Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18-For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from The Law until all is accomplished. 19-Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20-For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.' First and foremost, how does this tie into the overarching passage that we are looking at: -First we are given what is means to be in the kingdom via the Beatitudes... -Then we are told that if we are truly of God, we are actually salt and light in the world [which actually ties in with being a 'peacemaker']... -Now The Lord Christ Jesus is telling us that the Law is not abolished, but fulfilled; and that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... Why? If we remember, in the Beatitudes, we are told 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...' -This shows that there is a Law that is out there and must be obeyed...and that apart from Yahweh working in us, we cannot even hunger and thirst for it... Romans 2.14-15 tells us: '14-For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a Law unto themselves, 15-in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them...' Mankind is created, and in being created we are subservient to the purpose in which are created for... -What is this purpose that we are created for? -We are created in the image of Yahweh, which means that we are supposed to glorify Yahweh in everything that we do... -Or as The Lord Christ Jesus sums up the Law: Love Yahweh with all your heart, with all your soul, with all, your might, and with all your strength... -There is to be no thought of self at all, we are supposed to fully focus on God with every fiber of our being... -What this also means is that we are to obey...How are we supposed to glorify Yahweh if we are not being obedient to Him? Philippians 2 tells us: 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you both to will and work for His good pleasure...' Responsibility vs ability... As we look at our passage at hand, let us also consider a couple other passages that parallel this passage: John 1.17 tells us: 'For The Law was given to us through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' Galatians 3.21-22 '21-Is The Law then contrary to the promise of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22-But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.' The Law is quite important, so much so that The Lord Christ Jesus says tells us in no uncertain terms that He did not come to abolish The Law... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.13-16 'Salt and Light of the Earth...' '13-You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men.14-You are the light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hidden; 14-nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' Here we move from being called 'Peacemakers' to being related to 'Salt and Light' for the world... -We must note that it has nothing to do with who we personally are, or what kind of work we do... -Rather, it has to do with the fact that we are of Yahweh through Christ under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -The whole purpose of being of Yahweh is that we might reflect the glory of Yahweh in order that all focus and attention turns back to Him, and never upon us... '13-You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men. Sat is a preservative, and a seasoning -People are not saved by those who are truly of God, rather it is God who saves through His work in those who are truly His, specifically in that those who are truly of God are ministers of the gospel which is to be proclaimed... -Thus it is through the proclamation of the gospel where the preservation comes from. After all, faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ; and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation... -Ultimately it is The Holy Spirit who saves through the proclamation of the gospel, and it is none other than The Holy Spirit who opens the hearts of those whom The Father wills through the proclamation of the Word of Yahweh... If salt has lost its function, or does not function in the manner in which it is supposed to, then can we actually call it salt? -No, if salt loses its abilities as a preservative [or seasoning], then it is useless... -The Lord Christ Jesus says that if it is good for nothing, then the best use for it would be to throw it out to be tramped under foot... -If a Christian does not act in obedience to God, if a Christian does not make disciples of others, what good is that Christian [or is said person even a Christian to begin with?] -If a 'Christian' acts as the world acts, does as the word does, and is not renewed in the mind...is said 'Christian' useful, or useless? As the MacArthur study Bible points out: 'Pure salt cannot lose its flavor or effectiveness...' As salt here is an illustration of one who is a Christian, a true Christian will act in the manner in which he/she are supposed to... -Not perfectly here on earth, but it will be a pattern of life... -The Lord Christ Jesus says 'Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' and not do as I say?' -If we are truly of Yahweh, our desire will be to obey, and we will struggle and yearn to obey, and to cry out to Yahweh... If we look at the parable of the 4 soils, the first three are representations of those who are not Christians'... -The first one is one who does not even claim to be a Christian... -The second and third soils are those who claim to be Christian, with the third soil fully believing he/she is a Christian... -But the second and third soil are not true Christians, or pure salt [as described here in Matthew 5.13], rather they are corrupted salt that does lose its taste and effectiveness, which ultimately does prove that they are not truly Christian... -A word of caution here, we can only compare a persons actions to what the Bible says, we cannot judge a persons heart... Continuing on in this section, we read: [Matthew 5.14-16] '14-You are the light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hidden; 14-nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' Here we are told that those who are truly of Yahweh are likened unto lights of the world.... -A lights purpose is to illuminate... -What we are told here really ties in with what we are told in John 1.7-8: '7-He [John the Baptist] came as a witness, to bear witness about The Light, so that all might believe through him. 8-He was not The Light, but he came to bear witness about The Light.' -C.H. Spurgeon says: 'Wherever there is faith in Christ, there is light, for Jesus Himself said that those who follow after Him would not walk in darkness [John 8.12]. Genuine faith in Christ turns a person from darkness to marvelous light and transforms him into light in The Lord so that the light pours forth from the windows so as to be seen by others. The believer is appointed to be a lighthouse to others, a cheering lamp, and a guiding star. His light will be increased as he learns more of Christ. He will be able to impart more instruction to others when he has received more. But even whilst he is a beginner, his faith in Jesus is, in itself, a light.' Light cannot [and should not] be hidden... -This ties in with how pure salt cannot lose its efficacy, light cannot be hidden... -In our natural state, on our own accord, we are devoid of light [we are without light]... -If we are truly of Yahweh, we have imputed light in us from The Lord Christ Jesus, thus we are to do everything as unto The Lord... -If we try to hide said light, we should ask 'Why are we trying to hide it?' or even wonder if the true Light resides in us... The works that we do ought to be governed by the light... -If we are truly of Yahweh, we are told in Ephesians 2.8-10: '8-For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; 9-not of works so that no one can boast. 10-For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.' -Good works do not save, good works show salvation being worked in and through us... -The MacArthur study Bible states: A Godly life gives convincing testimony of the saving power of God. That brings Him glory.' Our obedience, our walking in the good works is not that people would look at us, but look to God The Father who is in heaven... -This is why there has to be a proclamation of faith accompanied by good works. Otherwise, actions on their own are merely humanitarian efforts with no merit, and no pointing people to The Lord Christ Jesus... -Furthermore, the obedience to Yahweh in The Lord Christ Jesus is not grandstanding and doing humanitarian efforts. Obedience to Yahweh starts inwardly, between ones self and Yahweh, then flows into the most minuscule daily activities, which then leads to our interactions with others in our daily interactions, primarily. John 17.15-16: '15-I [The Lord Christ Jesus] do not ask You [God The Father] to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16-They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.' Everything that we do is supposed to glorify Yahweh...Everything... -The very purpose of mankind even existing is cause we are created in the image of Yahweh, which means that we are glorify Yahweh in every single thing that we do... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved