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One of Jesus' best presentations of God's way for life is found in
Chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew. He calls us to a higher standard. It is reproduced below
for you. |
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OUTLINE
A The Picture of Life, 5:1-16
B The Precepts for Life, 5:17-48
1 The law of Moses, 5:17-20
2 The law of murder, 5:21-22
3 The law of reconciliation, 5:23-26
4 The law of adultery, 5:27-30
5 The law of divorce, 5:31-32
6 The law of oaths, 5:33-37
7 The law of nonresistance, 5:38-42
8 The law of love, 5:43-48
C The Practice of Life, 6:1-7:12
1 In relation to almsgiving, 6:1-4
2 In relation to prayer, 6:5-15
3 In relation to fasting, 6:16-18
4 In relation to money, 6:19-24
5 In relation to anxiety, 6:25-34
6 In relation to judging, 7:1-5
7 In relation to prudence, 7:6
8 In relation to prayer, 7:7-11
9 In relation to others, 7:12
D The Evidence of Life, 7:13-29
II THE PREACHING OF THE KING, 5:1-7:29 (Luke 6:20-49)
A The Picture of Kingdom Life, 5:1-16
5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him,
2 and he began to teach them, saying:
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 sons 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.
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 by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A
city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
B The Precepts for Kingdom Life, 5:17-48
1 The law of Moses, 5:17-20
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 I tell you the truth, 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 Anyone who breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the same 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.
2 The law of murder, 5:21-22
21 "You have heard that it was said to
the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry
with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother,
'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in
danger of the fire of hell.
3 The law of reconciliation, 5:23-26
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your
gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there in front of the
altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25 "Settle matters quickly with your
adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he
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 I tell you the truth, you will not get
out until you have paid the last penny.
4 The law of adultery, 5:27-30
27 "You have heard that it was said,
'Do not commit adultery.'
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 sin,
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 sin,
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.
5 The law of divorce, 5:31-32
31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who
divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces
his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and
anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
6 The law of oaths, 5:33-37
33 "Again, you have heard that it was
said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to
the Lord.'
34 But I tell you, Do not swear 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 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your
'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
7 The law of nonresistance, 5:38-42
38 "You have heard that it was said,
'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil
person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if someone wants to sue you and take
your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go
with him two miles.
42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not
turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
8 The law of love, 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said,
'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what
are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.
C The Practice of Kingdom Life, 6:1-7:12
1 In relation to almsgiving, 6:1-4
6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of
righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from
your Father in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the needy, do
not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets,
to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let
your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
2 In relation to prayer, 6:5-15
5 "And when you pray, do not be like
the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners
to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is
done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling
like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows
what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one.'
14 For if you forgive men when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.
3 In relation to fasting, 6:16-18
16 "When you fast, do not look somber
as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell
you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head
and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to men
that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.
4 In relation to money, 6:19-24
19 "Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If
your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that
darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
5 In relation to anxiety, 6:25-34
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is
not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not
much more valuable than they?
27 Who of you by worrying can add a single
hour to his life ?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in
all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of
the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32 For the pagans run after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
6 In relation to judging, 7:1-5
7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be
judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of
sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me
take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of
your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
7 In relation to prudence, 7:6
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do
not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then
turn and tear you to pieces.
8 In relation to prayer, 7:7-11
7 "Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 "Which of you, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask him!
9 In relation to others, 7:12
12 So in everything, do to others what you
would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
D The Proof of Kingdom Life, 7:13-29
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For
wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through
it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road
that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good
fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a
bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many
miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never
knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its
foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
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