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Today I will be concluding the messages on the Sermon on the Mount, which are a total of ten messages. If you listen to them again (from the first to the tenth message), you will understand the truth in the messages more clearly. Verses 13-27, these 14 verses teach us an important truth: We must make a choice. These 14 verses contain four choices: 1. The Choice of Two Roads 2. The Choice of Two Trees 3. The Choice of Two Pronouncements 4. The Choice of Two Foundations. Jesus reminds us, the listeners, we have to make a choice after hearing the truth.

I. The Choice of Two Roads 7:13-14

There are two roads – one is the narrow road, those who enter through the narrow road will find eternal life; another is the wide road and this road leads to death. Both these roads lead to eternity, one to eternal life, another to eternal death. Today, we must make a choice – will we choose the road of eternal life or death? From these two verses, we can learn three principles:

1. God’s road is narrow, not wide.

God’s truth is not an easy road to take. Prayer isn’t easy, reading the Bible isn’t easy, giving isn’t easy, to always put God at the center of our life isn’t easy, because all these isn’t what our flesh love to do. Our flesh loves pleasure and acclaim. Paul reminds the believers `I beat my body and make it my slave’. To take the narrow road is to take the difficult path, a path of discipline. Do you know that the word discipline means to temporarily give up pleasures and enjoyment? A disciplined person is one who is willing to give up temporary pleasures in order to attain a better goal. For example, a sister who would like to have a slim body is willing to give up the luxury of sleep and pursue her exercise regimen instead. She is willing to give up mouth-watering food (like lechon, peking duck, siao-long-pao, etc.) to eat only fruits and vegetables. It is the same in the spiritual journey, we must practice discipline. We must be willing to give up temporary pleasures, give up that wide road, and walk the narrow path, because that is the path to eternal life!

2. God’s road is not the minority following the majority.

We must remember that the majority of people choose the wide path, yet that is the path to destruction. Only a few are willing to choose the narrow road, the path of eternal life. Therefore, we cannot follow the majority rule to determine which path is God’s path. The Church is not the place for observing democracy (the majority rule); neither must the Church take the path of autocracy. The Church must take the path of God. After coming back from spying the land of Canaan, ten of the 12 spies said they must not enter the land, only two said they must enter the land. In choosing to let the majority rule, with ten against two, the people ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 long years. God’s path is not a path of democracy, God’s path is the path of Truth. We must choose according to God’s Word (the Truth), and not how many people are taking the path. If we hope to seek the majority’s approval, then we will definitely not take the narrow path of life.

3. The Most Important Part of the Road is the Destination.

These two roads (narrow and wide paths) lead to eternity, but one leads to eternal death, while the other to eternal life. Therefore, what is important is not the roads themselves, but their destination. For example, I want to go to a certain place, and there is this road which will take me to my destination, but this is a difficult path; even if it is difficult, I will still take that road. On the contrary, if another road is smooth and easy, yet it will not take me to my destination, I cannot take that road. The most important part of the road is its destination, not how easy or difficult it is. The Lord Jesus said there are two destinations: one is eternal life, the other is eternal death. If you want eternal life, then you must take the narrow road. If you take the wide path, then you will end up at eternal death. Which path are you on?

II. The Choice of Two Trees 7:15-20

The main point of this passage is in verse 15 which warns believers of false prophets. If a pastor proclaims that since we are saved, we can enjoy life to the utmost, we can eat, drink and be merry, indulge ourselves, and that we do not need to restrain our desires because we are a free people, we will immediately sense something is wrong with the pastor. We will not believe nor accept what he is saying. However, when pastors who are actually wolves in sheepskin, pray and preach with all forms of seeming godliness, we unknowingly become deceived. Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets.” How do we watch out for them? Jesus tells us a very important guideline in verse 18, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” The true and the false cannot be seen via the external appearance, but through a person’s life. When a tree is abundant, its fruit will be good.

This year, I went to the Dumaguete Christian Church as a speaker in their 75th anniversary celebration. One time, the brethren there brought us to their fruit garden. When I first saw the fruits, I didn’t feel like eating them because I never liked that particular kind of fruit, since I have tasted them here in Manila, and I felt they weren’t anything special, sometimes, they even taste bitter. However, upon trying them, I can say that those were the most delicious fruit of that variety that I have ever tasted. Alex was with me and he agreed that the fruits were especially delicious. The fruits sell for P 150 per kilo. I also tasted other kinds of fruits from their garden and those were similarly good. Later on, I found out that the soil in this place were exceptionally rich. From the fruits, we can know that the tree is good.

Jesus tells us to pay attention to the fruit of a person’s life for that is the manifestation of the inner man. Paul told Timothy that a recent convert may not become an overseer, meaning a new believer cannot be a leader in the church. When we see a new believer’s spiritual life growing very fast, and he quickly takes on different ministries, joins every fellowship and training class, gives generous offerings, then we conclude immediately that he is a potential! During election, we immediately nominate him and elect him as a deacon. Paul said do not do so, because such persons have not gone through a time of testing, their life is still not mature enough. We must see the fruit of their life, and not just how active they are. I have already said before that to know a person, it is best to ask the people who live with them in the home- their helpers, their family members. If they are loved by their workers, then they aren’t too bad, because inside the home our true selves are revealed for all to see.

This is also a choice we need to make – what kind of trees should we be? Good or bad? This is the question of life. I have mentioned before that we are salt and light, that we cannot try to be salt and light. If our life is not light nor salt, we can never act as salt and light. Similarly, if our life is not a good tree, we can never bear good fruit. How can our life bear good fruit? Verses 13 -14 says: “Enter the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” The road you choose will determine whether your fruit is good or bad.

III. The Choice of Two Pronouncements 7:21- 23

The Lord Jesus tells us there are two kinds of declaration. The first group says to the Lord, “Lord, Lord.” They recognize that Jesus is their Lord, they are a people who have entered the kingdom of heaven. Another group says to the Lord, “Lord, Lord.” They seem to know the Lord Jesus as their Lord, but they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. In this passage, we see two main points:

1. Men without the Holy Spirit and without the Life are able to do God’s work , too – Matt 7:22 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?’ but the Lord will reply, “ I never knew you.” We must understand that some people may do many things for the Lord, but not belong to the Lord. In today’s terms, they may preach, pray, shepherd a church but they do not know the Lord of the Church. Because these things can be learned – preaching, prayer, leading a church, but life cannot be learned. Because life is being, not doing.

2. Only those who obey God’s will can enter the Kingdom of Heaven – Jesus said it clearly, only those who do the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. This helps us understand an important truth: Serving God is not a mark of spiritual life. Obedience to God’s will is the true mark of spiritual life.

Remember the story of how Saul was rejected by the Lord? The Lord wanted Saul to kill all the Amalekites, including all their cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys. However, although he killed all the Amalekites, Saul spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best cattle and sheep. When Samuel rebuked Saul, Saul reasoned that he kept the best of the sheep and cattle so as to sacrifice to the Lord. Let us not judge first whether his argument is true or not. Let us presume that it is true; still, the Lord was not pleased. Samuel replied, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

What does the Lord want? Does he want us to go and preach the gospel, to drive out evil spirits, to perform miracles? Do you think you can do better than the angels? What the Lord wants is our obedience. I am a father. Do you know what five aspects of our children’s lives parents pay a lot of attention to? 1. The children’s health 2. The children’s education 3. The children’s conduct 4. The children’s career 5. The children’s marriage. When these five aspects of our children’s life are going well, then parents feel comforted; but we will not be truly happy unless we see our children serving the Lord. Only then, will we find true joy. John 3:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” We find great joy in seeing our children serving the Lord.

Similarly, our Heavenly Father is very pleased when he sees us obeying him. Spiritual obedience is a difficult lesson to learn. Many young people nowadays find it hard to obey, even leaders find it hard to obey. But we must remember, we cannot impress the Lord with our great accomplishments, but the Lord may be impressed by our obedience. This is a choice we need to make. Do you want to impress the Lord with your great accomplishments or with an obedient life?

IV. The Choice of Two Foundations 7:24-27

This passage speaks of the issue of foundation. Try to imagine two houses, from the outside, they look alike, they are both beautiful, neat, and attractive. The only difference is that one is built on rock, and the other on sand. We cannot see any problem while no rain, flood, or wind occurs, but when the rain comes, flooding occurs, and wind blows, we will realize how great the problem actually is. Most of us aren’t architects, but we understand this principle clearly because we all know that foundations are very important.

What is the foundation referred to in this passage? In referring to foundation, we immediately recall Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church. A house is built on its cornerstone, Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church. However, this passage is not referring to the Lord Jesus. This passage speaks of two kinds of foundation: the first is hearing and putting God’s word into practice. V.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.” This is foundation built on rock. The second one is hearing but not putting it into practice. V.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.” This is foundation built on sand.

James 1:19-25 discussed clearly the lesson on hearing and putting the word into practice –“ 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” A person who hears but does not do the word is a deceiver. It is just like a man, who after seeing in the mirror that there is dirt on his face, fails to go and wash it up. We look in the mirror in order to understand the problems we have, so that we can correct them. We listen to God’s Word so that it may shine its light upon our problems, so that we can make corrections. We have never heard of anyone looking into the mirror and refusing to clean up the problem he sees. But in the spiritual realm, such things happen, we deceive ourselves. After hearing, we realize our problems but we go away and do nothing about them. We hear the word but do not do the word. Jesus tells us that after hearing his teachings, we must make a choice, that is, you may either hear but not act on it, or hear and act on it. Either way, you’ve got to make a choice.

From chapter five to seven, the Sermon on the Mount discusses different choices we must make. Jesus wants us to make a choice. Will you practice what you have heard or not? May we all make the right choice, because we will all have to reap the consequences of our choices.

Two women brought their children to Malaysia’s Genting Highlands for a vacation, however, the real target of these women was the casino. So, they proceeded and gambled away all their money. Then, they borrowed 75,000 Malaysian money to try and regain what they lost. In the end, they lost it all. Not knowing how to get out of their predicament, they decided to commit suicide. But to commit suicide entails courage; lest one of them shrinks back, they tied themselves together. Someone saw them, and urged them not to jump. The hotel manager came and urged them likewise. The casino manager also urged them not to jump, promising them that they would be allowed to pay their debt gradually; the police came, too. Their children begged them not to jump, but all to no avail. After 3 to 4 hours of struggle, they jumped together to their death. On the ground, the people saw that they were tied up together and still holding onto each other’s hands. These women chose the wrong hand to hold on to, because they couldn’t save one another. If they had held on to the hand of Jesus, their end would have been very different. This is a choice we have to make in this life, whose hand will you choose to hold, whose words do you choose to heed?

Matthew concluded in 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowd were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Jesus had authority, not the authority of men, but spiritual authority. Whose words will you heed, men’s word or the word from heaven? You got to make a choice.

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The Sermon on the Mount’ standard gets higher and higher. When we have achieved a certain standard, the Lord will give us a higher standard, and the purpose is so that our spiritual lives will improve more and more. In Matthew 7:1-12, the Lord Jesus raised the standard even higher. Today, let us reflect on kingdom righteousness living. Matthew 7:1-6 reminds us we must not judge others; in Matthew 7:7-12 the Lord prompts us to pray without giving up.

I. Do Not Judge 7:1-6

In commanding us not to judge, the Bible is not telling us to cease from using our ability to discern, on the contrary, Christians must exercise discernment. We must know what is right and wrong. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus wants us to distinguish true from false prophets. 1John 4 tells us `do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’. We must distinguish between various spirits. There are times we see something wrong and we point it out, but others would caution us: `Do not judge.’ Actually, that is wrong. The word judge has a negative meaning, it means to intentionally malign someone, to backbite or condemn someone. But when we point out a wrong, we are not judging, we are simply giving warning or suggestions.

In saying do not judge, Jesus was cautioning us from maligning, backbiting or condemning others. He was not forbidding us from making correct assessments or constructive criticisms. Let me remind you that when we are tempted to judge others, we must learn to stand in their position and apply those words of judgment on ourselves first. We must ask ourselves: `If others say that of me, will I be able to accept it?’ If you say you cannot accept it, then please cease from judging the same of others.

Rev. Morley Lee said every one of us has weak spots and blind spots, but we must be careful not to have dirt spots. Weak spots are areas where we are weak, blind spots are aspects we fail to see, dirt spots however are sin. We have blind spots, that‘s why it is easy for us to judge others. May the Lord help us because we do fail to see what others can see. When others do things differently than we do, we must not judge too quickly. In vv.3-5, the illustration about the plank and speck aims precisely to instruct us regarding having proper perspectives.

This parable teaches us that all of us have blind spots, aspects of our lives that we fail to see. When David committed adultery and murder, he seemingly did not realize his sin at all. When the prophet Nathan rebuked him, the prophet narrated a parable: “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” David was dumbfounded. He rebuked others but couldn’t see his own sin. Isn’t this our very problem, even of our nation? We accuse others of corruption, but we ourselves are greedy for money. We condemn corruption but we ourselves engage in corrupt practices.

When I was preparing this message, I asked for the Lord’s mercy upon me. Often, I stand on this pulpit teaching others, but many times, I am rebuked by my own messages. When we demand justice of others, we must examine ourselves, too! We must remember that we are more similar than different to our fellowmen, meaning, the problems we have are more or less similar to that of others. Your problems are also other people’s problems, your struggles are also the struggles of others. When we see the weaknesses of other people, do not be quick to judge, because before long, you too will be judged.

Verse 6 tells us that though we are not to judge others hastily, we must exercise discernment. The truths in the Bible are comprehensive. The Lord said do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs, because not only will they fail to show gratitude, they may even turn and bite you. The dogs referred to here are not the domesticated ones, but wild savage dogs, and the pigs refer to wild pigs. They embody wicked people who not only refuse to listen to the truth, but even oppose the truth and persecute those who preach the truth. The Chinese say, “People of different inclinations cannot work together.” Of course, people with dissimilar aspirations will take differing paths. They cannot work together. We must have discernment. On one hand, we must not judge hastily, on the other hand, we must not easily compromise; instead, we must establish clear positions of our own.

II. Persevere in Prayer , Do Not Give Up 7:7-12

This passage is about prayer. The main thought running through these six verses is `persevere in prayer, do not give up’. Let us first explain the composition of this passage: Verse 7 is an invitation. The Lord said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Verse 8 seems like a repetition, but it actually is not; it is a promise. Verse 7 is an invitation, verse 8 is a promise and here lies the power of prayer. We pray because the Lord had promised us that if we ask, he will give to us; that if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, the door will be opened. The Lord for fear that we will not believe, gave us verses 9 -11. He explains this truth through an illustration about children asking for bread. Verse 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Verse 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!”

Earthly fathers are not perfect, yet they do their best to grant their children’s requests; how much more our Father in Heaven who is perfect and all-powerful, won’t He help his children? When we study this passage in parts, we begin to understand its structure. Verse 7 is an invitation (to pray); verse 8 is a promise (the power of prayer); v.9-11 is a guarantee (assurance in prayer). The Lord will certainly answer our prayers, but the way he answers may be different from our expectations. How does the Lord answer our prayers?

1. In His Time

God is God, He is in absolute sovereign control of everything. He has his own time frame. When we pray, the Lord answers us according to his own good time; even if it may seem like bad timing in the eyes of men. The story of Lazarus is a story that portrays this truth clearly. Lazarus fell ill and was about to die. Martha and Mary asked Jesus to come but not only did Jesus fail to go to him immediately, he in fact arrived two days late. When he arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. However, Jesus said that it was so that God’s Son may be glorified through it. God’s glory was powerfully manifested in the resurrection of this four-day old, dead and decomposing man.

Do you believe that God’s timing is the best? In Genesis, when Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he asked the cupbearer to remember him and help him get out of prison, but the man totally forgot. As a result, he remained for two more years in prison. Such injustice! However, after two years, he was summoned to meet Pharaoh, and ended up becoming the prime minister of Egypt. If he had left prison two years earlier, would it have been easy to find him then? Thousands of years ago, there were no TV’s, no telephones, no internet, it would have been extremely difficult to find a person. The Lord let him linger in jail for two more years and in the end, the Lord demonstrated His glory.

2. In His Way

We may pray, but the Lord alone is the God who does marvelous things. He answers our prayers according to his ways. Sometimes, his ways may be totally different from our expectations, because the Lord’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, the Lord’s ways are higher than our ways. Paul prayed that he might travel safely and smoothly to Rome, but he went there in chains. Sometimes we want to have a son, but we give birth to a daughter instead. Sometimes we want a daughter, but then we get a son. Let us simply believe that the Lord’s ways are best, accept it by faith!

Joseph was sold to Egypt by his brothers, but after 13 years, he became the prime minister of Egypt; not only did he save the whole of Egypt, he even saved his whole family. When his brothers sought his forgiveness, he said, “Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” The way God works is totally different from our way. He doesn’t work according to our ways, He answers our prayers according to His way.

3. God Uses the Method of “No but Yes”

Sometimes God uses the method of ‘No but Yes’ to answer our prayers. What does ‘no but yes’ mean? Paul said there was a thorn in his flesh. What was this? There are many interpretations, but this thorn brought Paul much suffering. Paul prayed and prayed. He prayed three times that the Lord may take it away, but the Lord seemed not to answer. In the end, God told him, `No’, but added, “My grace is sufficient for you.” The Lord meant that He was not going to take away the thorn but He would give Paul enough strength to cope with it. And so, the thorn no longer became a problem for Paul, because the Lord’s grace helped him overcome the difficulty. This is the meaning of `no but yes’. Sometimes, it may seem as though the Lord does not answer our prayers, but in its place He grants us grace to be able to face our problems.

4. God Makes Use of Your Obedience

Some people say: `Prayer will not change God’s will, it will only change the person who is praying.’ Let me modify it this way: `Prayer will not change God’s eternal, predestined will, but it can influence the time frame for God’s fulfillment of his will.’ In the Bible, we see that because of men’s prayer, God delayed the execution of his plans. Jonah’s story is the clearest example of this. The Lord wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and announce that after 40 days the Lord was going to destroy the city. But Jonah was not willing to go and seemingly it was because he hated the Ninevites since these people were Israel’s enemies. However the fact is Jonah wanted to see Nineveh destroyed. Then, why wasn’t he willing to go? Jonah knew the Lord all too well, he knew that the Lord was a God full of mercy and compassion; he knew that the Ninevites had only to repent, and the Lord would postpone his judgment. That is why Jonah headed for Tarshish instead.

And Jonah was right, for after the Ninevites repented, the Lord heard their prayers and put off the destruction of Nineveh. Prayer will not change God’s eternal, predestined will, but it can influence the time frame for the fulfillment of his will. However, it is vital that the man who seeks the Lord in prayer be obedient to His authority, acknowledge His sovereignty, and seek His grace and mercy, just like the people of Nineveh did. Simply put: `God answers the prayer of a man who is obedient to Him.’ Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane can be called the best example of a prayer of obedience: `Not my will, but yours be done.’ What great obedience this showed! The Lord Jesus was Almighty God, did he have to obey? He was equal with God, did he have to obey? But the Lord said: `Not my will but yours be done.’ Can there be any prayer more submissive than this one?

May the Lord help us. Let us not be quick to judge. Let us persevere in prayer, and not give up.

The post Sermon on the Mount (9) – Kingdom Righteousness Lifestyle (Matthew 7:1-12) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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Today, let us study Matthew 6:19-34. These 15 verses instruct us regarding two issues: 1. how to solve the problem of money and 2. how to solve the problem of worry. Money and worry are two of life greatest problems. Here, Jesus teaches God’s children on how to handle the problems of money and worry:

I. How to Solve the Problem of Money v. 19-24

Jesus gives us a “do not…but instead” principle regarding how to handle money. What is the `do not’ here? He says do not store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. And according to Jesus, what should we do instead? He says instead we must store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus counsels us to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth; for treasures on earth are but temporary, they depreciate in value and cannot be brought along with us when we die.

In contrast, treasures in heaven are eternal. Jesus wants us to reorder our values, in such a way that we do not allow ourselves to become slaves of money, but instead be masters in control of our money. We must not attach too much importance on the present life, rather we must live for the next life. The Bible is not against our possessing wealth, but it warns us against putting our trust in money. 1Tim 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” This is the value we must have of money. Sometimes, we see people wearing branded clothes or driving expensive cars, and immediately we would judge them as people who love the world. Actually, a person’s love for the world cannot be gauged from his material possessions. Greediness and materialism is a question of the heart. I hope you understand that everyone’s values are different. Branded clothes and expensive cars are not the main issue, what is important is where your heart is; for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. We all agree that money is good. Money has at least three kinds of drawing power:

1. Money itself has drawing power – “The rich has more voice.” Is this true? We do not have to go far, just look at Philippine society. Many organizations are led not only by the talented but also by the rich. The more money you have, the more powerful your voice will be. People would listen to you more. Although the Church isn’t a social organization, but the rich ones among us undeniably do receive more attention, this is the drawing power of money. However, I hope rich believers will not only draw people through their money but also through an exemplary life.

2. Money has purchasing power – Money is good because it increases our buying power. If you have money, you can buy whatever you want. Many years ago, people said: “Money is not all-powerful, but without money, it is difficult to do anything.” As long as you have money, on the material aspect, you can have anything. Money is good!

3. Money gives people power – What kind of tickets do you buy when you take a plane? Economy. When Cebu Pacific gives special promos, we become so pitiable – we wait by our computers from morning till evening. But if you have money, you can just book first class. First class customers enjoy special privileges. They are allowed higher weight limit for their luggage, they ride in luxurious first class cabins and are given superior service. As a first class ticket-holder, you simply walk in when you board the plane while everyone has to cue up in economy class. Money can avail us many privileges.

Because money brings a lot of privileges, it blinds people to its true value. Money must be viewed with spiritual perception. This is what verses 22-23 teach. When our spiritual eyes are unhealthy, our whole body will be full of darkness, we will not be able to see the true value of many things. Money has value only on this earth. When we leave this life, money loses all of its value, unless we know how to invest it in heaven. Money is not evil. Investing is not wrong either, but we must not allow money to enslave our hearts. Our hearts can certainly become bound by money.

Verse 24 warns us of this. Who is the master of our hearts – is it God or mammon (wealth)? “The Old Man and the Sea” is a famous novel. In the story, the old man caught a big fish from the sea; it was so big that the boat couldn’t contain it. This was the old man’s greatest accomplishment in life, but how could he bring it home? The old man tied the fish to the boat’s tail-end and started for home. However, a shark appeared and started to bite the big fish. The old man took his oars and fought the shark. After a whole day’s battle with the shark, the old man lost all his strength. In the end, he decided to let go and the shark ate the fish up. By the time he arrived home, only a skeleton was left of the fish. The old man hung up the skeleton and let it sway in the wind. Then he went home and slept. The fish was too big it wouldn’t fit into his boat, and so it was devoured by the shark. Isn’t it the same with money? We have so much money that it seems inexhaustible, but still it gets spent away and nothing’s left in the end. Let us ask the Lord to give us only enough to keep our hearts from becoming greedy. Use money wisely, invest it in eternity.

II. The Problem of Worry 25-34

Worry is the disease of the modern age. We are a generation of worriers. We don’t know how to trust the Lord. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Two kinds of worry are indicated here: 1st, there is the worry about life – what to eat, what to drink. We worry about our basic needs. Then, there is worry about living – what to wear. We worry over the things we need for daily living. Life comes from God. Since the Lord gave us life, won’t he give us what we need for life?

When I was young I often heard my mother say: “Heaven created man, Heaven will take care of man.” In the past, mothers had more than 6 or 7 children. In those days, they didn’t have house-help and they didn’t have much economically, yet their children grew up fine nonetheless. Nowadays, with the first child, a woman already complains: `So difficult.’ With a second child, she’d say: `Life is difficult.’ If the husband wants another child, she’d say: `Go have one yourself.’ Why? Our worries have increased. We worry about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, about the children’s education, and so on and so forth. The more we think the more afraid we become. But the Lord said, “Who of you can add a single hour to his life by worrying?” Of what use is worry? The Lord said, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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.” The Lord is reminding us that if that is how He takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, which neither labor nor spin, and do not have eternal life, how much more he will take care of us, his children. Don’t you think he will take care of our life and our needs?

Jesus concluded, “You of little faith!” This is an issue of faith. Verses 31-32 tell us that our heavenly Father knows our needs. If we review the 300 years of Church history, we will feel ashamed because after doing so, we will realize there hasn’t been a single Christian who had to beg for his food. Christians were very diligent, not only did they not experience lack, they helped others, including the Romans. O Church! We must leave good examples and be debt-free people. Brothers and sisters, many times we worry about our material needs because we want too much, we would even borrow money to buy things we desire, and so we end up deeply in debt. If that is the case, who wouldn’t be worried?

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us a secret: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” To seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is the secret to overcoming worry. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is wherever God’s power is clearly manifested. When a man trusts in the Lord, he will naturally submit the lordship of his life over to God; when that happens, God’s power will be manifested in his life. What is God’s righteousness? This is God’s will, God’s justice. When a man is willing to obey God’s will, he will not lack; the Lord will supply his needs. The Lord supplies the needs of men for three reasons: 1. They are God’s children 2. They really have a need 3. They are willing to use God’s given resources to help those who are in need. Verse 34 concludes “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is indeed not easy to overcome worry, let me share three principles:

1. Learn to live simply – Do not desire to have everything and life will be simplified, our worries will also decrease. Have you ever thought about your retirement? When you reach 65, you may still be able to live for another 20 years. How much money do you think would be needed for your daily subsistence in those twenty years? Singaporean researchers said one would need at least 1million Singaporean dollars, which would be about 30 million pesos. And so, people work extremely hard in order to set aside money for their retirement years. Actually, the experts are wrong. A person won’t need that much money in his retirement years. When a person reaches 65 and beyond, do you think he would still maintain his present lifestyle? At 65, would you still be able to eat abalone, roast pig, prawns…; sometimes, we are misled by all the advertisements. We think that if we don’t buy a certain thing, taste the latest delicacy, then we are missing out on something. We have been deceived. Young people love to drink coffee, and it has to be Star-bucks or UCC. Why? Not because the coffee is specially good, but because it is specially expensive. These young people, taken in by advertisements, feel like it lessens their status if it is not Starbucks. Actually, we have a choice, we may or may not choose to patronize the products or certain brands, but if you feel like you cannot do without them, you have already been deceived.

2. Have the attitude of a steward – Actually everything is not mine, including my money, my clothes, my car, my children…everything has only been entrusted to me by God. He is the true master, not me. If you have this attitude, would you still worry? Let me share a testimony. The Lord knows my heart, I am not boasting. The Church use to lacked a lot of things, and back then, when I saw that I had what it needed, I would bring out the item and let the church use it – my camera, my video cam, my computer, etc.; because I know everything is from the Lord. If we have such a perspective, we will not worry too much.

3. Have a correct concept of the Last Days – Do you believe that the Lord will return? Do you believe that the Lord will return anytime? If you truly believe that, then your lifestyle will be transformed. Many believers live as if there is only this life and no future life. What do I mean? They say they believe there is a God, but they do not live as if they believe there is a God. Let me ask you a simple question which you must answer sincerely from your heart: “Are you working hard for your retirement years or for your home-going (to heaven)? Many people work hard for their retirement years, but retirement is not the Christian’s last goal in life. Our last goal is going home to heaven. Some people save a lot for their retirement. How about us, what have we done for the kingdom of heaven? This life is but a journey, do not spend too much time worrying about this life’s gains and losses. Do not forget we are a people with a promise of eternity.

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Today as we study Matthew 6:1-18, let us reflect on three things: 1. Giving 2. Prayer 3. Fasting. Why do we need to study these three matters together? These three things are covered by the same principle.

Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

This principle is very evident, one that Christians must live out. Then verse 2 says “So when you give to the needy…”; verse 5 “And when you pray…”; verse 16 “When you fast…” Clearly, Jesus used three illustrations in verses 12-18 to teach us that we must be careful in whatever we do; especially our good deeds, that we must not do them for show, to earn praises from men, or we will lose our reward in heaven. When we give, we must give generously; when we pray, we must pray fervently; and when we fast, we must fast properly.

I. Give Generously (2 – 4)

Giving is a very important teaching in the Bible. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, we can find many scripture passages regarding giving. God’s will is that we help people who are in need.

Deuteronomy 5:11 “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” There will always be poor people in the land. If the Lord has blessed us abundantly, we must help those with less in life, especially if they are our brothers in the Lord. Psalm 41:1 “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.” When you give to the poor, the Lord will repay you when you find yourself in need, too. Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” To lend to the poor is to lend to the Lord, the poor may not be able to pay you, but the Lord himself will repay you and he will even add on interest. The Bible by no means opposes believers from giving. After we become Christians, we must use our money to help those who are truly in need. However, the Bible, is opposed to hypocritical giving.

1. Do not announce it with trumpets. What does announcing with trumpets mean? It may refer to an actual blowing of trumpets. The Jews blow a trumpet to summon the people to an assembly. The hypocrites blow their trumpets, and before a crowd, they announce: `We must help those who are in need.’ For example, after a flood disaster, they will blow the trumpet and call for an assembly, saying: `We must donate and help those poor people.’ They would even make the first contribution, but the Bible tells us these people are intentionally seeking honour from men. We must understand there is nothing wrong with blowing of trumpets, with giving to charity, nor calling out loudly for men to do good, but what is important is the motive behind it. Are our hearts pure? When we give, we must give generously; when we give, is there any other motive behind our giving? If so, we are being hypocritical.

2. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. This is an impossible thing, how can the left hand not know what the right hand is doing. We all know that whatever we do, it is not our left or right hand commanding itself to do things, our brain is the one giving the command. This is but a metaphor to caution us about our giving. When we give, we must not seek to broadcast it , but do it quietly and privately. We must give with a pure heart. But we ask, should all giving be done anonymously? How about in cases when some people wish to give in memory of their parents or to be a precedent for others to give?

Brothers and sisters, we must not become legalistic. What is important is the motive of our hearts. If we become well-known for the Lord’s sake or famous for encouraging others, then, that can be pleasing to the Lord. Some people give anonymously and that is very good. But some anonymous-givers maybe the most arrogant people around. Some anonymous-givers look down on those who do not give anonymously. They feel they are more righteous by being anonymous-givers. We must understand it is not giving anonymously or not that is the issue, the motive of our hearts is the issue here. When we read the bible, we will discover that it mentions names of some people, while some names aren’t mentioned at all. The widow who gave two mites and the little boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish were not named. Mary, who poured perfume on Jesus, was mentioned. We see therefore that being anonymous or not isn’t the point, the point is why we want our names mentioned? Why do we want to be anonymous? Are our hearts pure?

II. Pray Fervently (5-14)

There is nothing wrong with giving, and neither with praying. We may pray in the church, but when we pray, we must truly pray. Prayer is not a competition. Prayer is not letting others see that we know how to pray. Jesus said that when we pray, we must not love standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to pray. Devoted Jews pray at specific hours three times a day. But for some reason, certain people happen to always be by the street corners when the time for prayer arrives. Street corners are where many people pass by, thus, everyone can see them and hear their prayers.

Jesus said these people intentionally want others to see them because they want the praises of men. They want men to commend them as godly men. Jesus advises us against such conduct, instead, to pray sincerely when we pray. When we pray, especially before a group, Jesus alerts us against two temptations we may fall into:

1. Pray with fine-sounding, spiritual-sounding words. Prayer laden with fine-sounding adjectives and terms may project a depth we want to show, but it is not prayer. Sometimes, pastors can be tempted in this manner, too. We tend to add on many bible verses and spiritual-sounding terms to make our members feel that their pastor can really pray well; but this is not praying at all, it is but an act. Jesus said when you pray, we must pray fervently. Do not turn prayer into a public show.

2. Prayers cannot be too short. We think short prayers sound deficient, so we try to put in many different terminologies to make our prayers longer, in fact we add theological terms thinking it is a good way to make the listeners feel that our prayer is full of substance. But we forget, we are praying to God, and the Lord will not be moved by our high-sounding phrases nor will He be shaken by our imposing theological terms. If a public prayer lasts for more than five minutes that is already too long. A three-minute long prayer is more ideal.

In verses 6-7, Jesus teaches us two principles on prayer:

Be sincere– pray in your room: Jesus said we must go into our room, close the door and pray to our Father who is unseen. Does this mean prayer can only be done inside our room? Of course not, prayer in your room means private prayer. It means out of men’s sight. Praying outside refers to public prayer. Jesus tells us that our private and public prayers are to be similar. We shouldn’t lengthen our prayers just because we are praying before men. The first principle in prayer is sincerity. Both our private and public prayers must be sincere.

Have substance – avoid repetitive prayers: Are repetitions really forbidden with prayers? Didn’t Jesus teach his disciples to pray often and not give up? When Jesus prayed thrice in Gethsamane, did he repeat his prayer? We can repeat our prayers, but the point here is that we must not deliberately repeat a prayer over and over, thinking that by repetition it will garner not only men’s but God’s attention. Unnecessary repetitions in prayer do not help one bit. However, it is alright to pray lengthy prayers; in the Gospel of John chapter 17 , Jesus uttered a long prayer, but He did not repeat any statement in his prayer. Lengthy prayers are alright but it must have substance.

Found in Matthew 6:9-13 is what we call `The Lord’s Prayer’. Actually this is not the Lord’s prayer, it is a prayer pattern which the Lord gave us. An actual prayer of the Lord is found in John 17. In `The Lord’s Prayer’, there are three vows and three petitions.

We had studied this before. If you weren’t able to hear the message on the topic, you may purchase a CD or VCD from the church office. Today, let us study only one phrase from the Lord’s Prayer: `Our Father in Heaven’. For the Jews, this was a new concept. The Jews call God, Almighty God. They do not call God the Heavenly Father. But we call God our Father. He is our Father, He loves us, He takes care of us, He disciplines us, because He is our Father. When we ask from our fathers, as long as it is reasonable, fathers as fathers will do their best to give us what we ask for. Sometimes, even when our requests are unreasonable, out of love our fathers may still grant us our requests. When we ask from our Father in Heaven, He will surely grant our prayers as long as it is in accordance with His will. However, sometimes we may have to wait. When we pray we must not forget He is our Father in Heaven!

III. Fast Properly (16 – 18)

And then Jesus said, “When you fast…” Giving, praying, and fasting are all spiritual disciplines. Jesus is not against our giving or praying, but Jesus opposes false godliness. The Jews observe regular fasting days within each year, such as the Day of Atonement, or national fasting and prayer day; sometimes when the nation encounters calamity or crisis, they will call for nationwide fasting. Fasting is a spiritual exercise. Fasting is observed for the purpose of giving oneself to prayer, not to lose weight. Fasting means to abstain from food and give oneself fully to prayer, to seek God’s guidance and blessing regarding a specific matter or problem. During Jesus’ time, this spiritual discipline became a form of self-exaltation. While before, it was a sign of humility, it gradually turned into a means for self-glorification.

Today, we do the same thing! There was a time we have what we call Sunday Dress Code. We dress up in our finest attires and try to look our best as a way of showing reverence for God. However, gradually, it became difficult to tell whether we are doing so in true reverence for God or to join a fashion contest. What is our motive? On the other hand, what also is our motive when we dress casually to attend worship services? If our motive is so that men will notice us, then it is hypocrisy.

Jesus told those who fast, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done n secret, will reward you.” Jesus tells us not to show off, not to look somber, not to disfigure our faces in order to attract attention to our fasting, with the desire to be praised for a godly deed. Jesus wants us to understand clearly what our motive for fasting is. Who are we fasting for – for God, for ourselves? If we are truly fasting for the Lord, we must conduct ourselves as in ordinary days, do not look somber, carry on as we normally do. All spiritual exercises can become an opportunity to show off, but such exercises would be in vain.

The main thrust of Matthew 6:1-18 is: do not confuse true godliness and godliness-for-show. We must ask ourselves a practical question: `Who am I trying to please with all my spiritual exercises (Bible-reading, prayer, giving, fasting…etc.)?’ When we examine ourselves honestly, we may find our hearts disturbed, however, it is then that we begin to truly face ourselves. These whole passage contains the following verses:

`v.4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’

`v.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.’

`v. 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.’

Jesus reminds us again and again that our Father sees what we do in secret. He sees and knows everything, so if all that you are doing is for the Lord, then you are blessed, because the Father will reward you. Are you seeking men’s reward or the Lord’s pleasure?

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The key point of Matthew 5:17-20 is: Our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law, meaning Jesus came to demonstrate the true meaning of the Law. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law added traditions to the Law. The Law + Traditions is the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, as a result, God’s Law lost its intended meaning. Jesus gave five examples to explain the point: (1.) about murder v.21-26 (2.) about adultery and divorce v.27-32. Today, we would like to study the other three examples: about taking oaths in verses 33-37; about an eye for an eye in verses 38-42, and about loving one’s enemies in verses 43-47.

I. On Taking Oaths v.33-37

This passage of Scripture seeks to teach us one main point: honesty in everything we do. This is not just about taking oaths. Some people explain this passage literally and say: Christians should not make any oaths at all. They cannot swear even in courts of law. However, these people forget that even the Lord swore and made oaths.

Psalm 89:35 “Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness – and I will not lie to David.” The Bible also allowed oaths, Deuteronomy 10:20 “Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.” The main issue is not taking oaths or not, but honesty. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law loved to play with words. They said: If you swear by Jerusalem, then you are bound by your oath. But Jesus said, “Do not swear at all if you cannot keep your promises. For you cannot make even one hair white or black. Your oaths will simply ensnare you. Your oaths will entrap you and turn you into a dishonest person.

Married couples in our midst, when you got married, did you sign a contract? A contract is a form of oath. You say: Whatever happens, in riches or in poverty, in health or sickness, I will always stay by your side. Did you think you could carelessly say that? Of course not. This is an oath.

But people nowadays are too careless, they seek divorce or separate for the flimsiest reason. Someday, these people will have to face the Lord’s judgment, because what they have uttered have become their own traps. Jesus told us a secret: verse 37 “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” It is very simple, let a yes be a yes and let a no be a no. This is the distinction between a truth and a lie. The truth is very narrow, if it is a yes it is a yes, if it is a no it is a no. However, a lie can be very broad, a yes can become a no, and a no can become a yes.

The truth is the truth, you cannot add to it nor take from it. No matter where you are in the world, there is only one version of it. That is why truth is very narrow as oppose to a lie. A lie is broad, a lie can have different versions. With the truth, there is only one edition, no matter where you are, no contradiction can come out. However, because a lie has many different editions, many contradictions will come up; in the end, no one would believe it. We must speak truth but do not make oaths.

There is another meaning to oaths, that is, we invoke a higher authority to prove the truth of our words. When you speak to someone and he refuses to believe you, you will say: I swear this is true. If you often need to do this, you are pitiable. It means no one believes you unless you swear. Just like some parents, if they do not raise their voices, their children will not listen to them. That is so pitiful! We must establish our integrity. May the Lord forgive us our lies in the past; from this day on, let us learn to be truthful people.

II. An Eye for an Eye V.38-42

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth comes from the teaching in Exodus 21:24. But we must understand that the purpose of this teaching was to prevent a bad situation from turning worse. Our hearts are evil, especially when we seek revenge. If someone injured one of your eyes, you would want to avenge yourself by taking his hand; if he hurts your hand, you want to take his head. Consequently, the cycle to settle scores gets worse and worse, so the Lord had to lay down a regulation -an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

But we understand that this rule is to not to be executed by any individual, but by the nation. This is the first thing we must understand. No one can seek revenge on his own. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth must be observed under the rules of the nation. Yet, Jesus teaches a new standard, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” What is Jesus saying here?

Non-Christians often use this verse to taunt Christians: If I hit your right cheek, you should give me your left cheek, too. If I hit you with a stone, then you must give me bread. If I want something from you, you must give it to me. I tell you, if you do this, people will take you for a fool. The central thought of this passage is: willingness to give up our rights. For Christ’s sake, we must be willing to give up our rights to our money, our time, our material possessions. Originally, we have a right to all these, but for the Lord, we become willing to lay them down. This is the way of the cross. Jesus teaches us that we must learn to give up our own rights for the sake of the Lord.

When we see others in need, oftentimes, we would do our best to help, whether it’s money, material things or our time. Most of us are very willing to help. But many times, it angers us when people take advantage of our kindness and compassion. This is what we cannot stand, isn’t it? When we see so-called Christians take advantage of Christian love, we become so angry. Some people would come to church and ask for help. They would narrate a sad story, making us unable to bear not helping them. But when we are willing to help, may the Lord also give us discernment and wisdom.

One time a man came into the church. He said he had nothing to eat and asked us for some money to buy food. One of my coworkers said, “Good, I will buy you food but you have to work. Please wash the church vans first.” Later on, I asked this coworker, “What happened?” She said, “He left.” I believe my coworker was right. He who does not work must not eat. We had all been deceived before, but may the Lord help us, may we not lose our hearts of compassion and willingness to help just because we had been tricked before. I’d rather be duped than lose my love and compassion for my fellowmen. Jesus said: Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

III. On Love for Enemies V.43-47

V.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ To hate your enemy is not the Bible’s teaching. No such verse can be found in the whole Old Testament. This is something that the Pharisees had added to God’s Law. Love your neighbor – for them, not only did neighbor meant only the Jews, it was narrowed down to only the people they love. Towards un-loveable people, such us the tax collectors, they showed no love. All of us would agree that loveable people are easy to love, because they are loveable; but it is a real challenge to love un-loveable people.

Jesus said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? During Jesus’ time, the tax collectors represented sinners, they were traitors of their nation, they were most hated by the Jews. Jesus said even the tax collectors had their own friends, people they love. If I love only those who love me, what is the difference between me and the tax collectors?

Jesus’ words truly hit the nail on the head. You may think that he is but using high sounding words, for how can we pray for those who persecute us, how can we love our enemies? But no, Jesus truly lived this out in his life. He became our example. When he was nailed to the cross, when he suffered great injustice, he said in a loud voice: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.

It is so easy for us to persecute a person, to criticize, to find fault with a man, but how difficult to forgive, to find the good in a man. Yet, this is not impossible. The secret is employing the right kind of perspective. There is a kind of lens called a binocular. You can see far-off things with it, but have you ever realized that binoculars have two sides? From one end, you can bring near and see clearly things that are far. But with the other end, you can make the view nearby look far, making it unclear. If you want to magnify others’ faults, you can surely see them clearly. But if you minimize others’ faults, you will realize these people are not all that bad.

Jesus talks of two different standards in this passage: One is the standard of today’s society – if you treat me well, I will love you. If you are loveable, I will love you. The other is the Heavenly Father’s standard – if you mistreat me, I will nevertheless love you. You are un-loveable, I will still love you. O Church! Our faith can only influence the world when people see its reality in our lives. Jesus said: You are the light of the world; you are the salt of the earth. We must fulfill our roles as light and salt. Do not allow the world’s standards to influence us. For the Lord, we must live a tall standard because we are children of the Heavenly Father. We must seek to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. This must be our lifelong pursuit.

In April 19, 2009, the Miss America Pageant was held in Las Vegas. There were 50 candidates from the whole United States. Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was a frontrunner in the pageant. On the night of the pageant, judge Perez Hilton, who is gay, asked her the question: “Do you agree that gay marriage should be legalized, yes or no, why?” Carrie was a Christian. She knew that if she said no, Hilton will surely oppose her, if she said yes, then she would be untrue to her beliefs.

In the end, she said: “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” When she gave this answer, Hilton showed disappointment, and right there, many in the audience booed her although there were also those who applauded and supported her answer. Hilton gave her no points and as a result Carrie came in only second. After the event, when she was interviewed, Carrie said: “By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith. I’m glad I stayed true to myself.” She said, “When I heard the question from Hilton, I knew if I told the truth, I would lose the Miss USA title. I had spoken from my heart, from my beliefs, and for my God. It was more important to me to be biblically correct than politically correct.”

We must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. May the Lord help us to live out our faith concretely! It is indeed difficult to love our enemies. It is impossible for us, but let us allow God’s love to fill us that we may be able to love others with his love. Let us pray!

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These thirty-one verses in Matthew 5:17-48 tell us a very important truth, that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. The passage’s main point can be found in verses 17 to 20 and Jesus gave us 5 examples to illustrate this point in verses 21-48.

How can our righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law? Jesus said, “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. 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.” What does `fulfill the Law’ mean? What is `the righteousness of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law’? What is `our righteousness’? We must first understand these before we can realize the true meaning of this passage.

The following pattern of discussion appeared five times in the passage.

v. 21 You have heard that is was said to the people long ago; v.22 But I tell you
v.27 You have heard that it was said; v.28 But I tell you
v.33 Again, you have heard that it was said; v.34 But I tell you
v.38 You have heard that it was said; v.39 But I tell you
v.43 You have heard that it was said; v.44 But I tell you

Here, we find there are two different kinds of standards, two different kinds of righteousness. “You have heard” refers to the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, while “but I tell you” refers to the righteousness we should have.

When Jesus said `fulfil the Law’, he meant that the true meaning of the Law will be realized. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law added their traditions to God’s Law, making it lose its true meaning. Our righteousness is the true righteousness of the Law, the righteousness Jesus fulfilled for us.

Jesus gave five examples to illustrate his point: about murder (v.21-26) ; about adultery and divorce (v.27-32); about making oaths (v.33-37); about eye for an eye (v.38-42) ; about love for enemies (v.43-47).

I. About Murder (v 21-26)

Jesus explained the true meaning of the sixth commandment – do not murder. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’” When a man murders another man, he will have to face judgment. But Jesus tells us before a man becomes capable of killing another man, anger would have had taken hold of him first. Without feeling any anger, a person cannot kill another man. Murder is a visible sword, while anger is an invisible sword. Jesus wants us to be careful with our anger. May we be angry? Of course we may, for anger can be righteous too; but we must be careful, for ours often is not righteous anger. Righteous anger is being angry for God’s sake. However, our anger is often for our own selfish reasons, which may even lead us to commit murder.

Jesus said anyone who says to his brother, `raca’ (meaning empty) or fool (stupid), is subject to judgment. Why? Is it that serious an offense? Jesus tells us that many murders happen because the murderers hated the victims first. Man is created in the image of God and possesses the dignity and glory of God, yet we curse them. We curse our fellowmen saying ungodly, unmanly, weird, fools or stupid and the result? We find it easy to kill them. How easy it becomes to murder another when we no longer see them as humans, instead, as animals or beasts.

During the Second World War, Hitler killed 600 million Jews. But before he killed them, he first despised the Jews, saying they are the lowest kind of animals, their blood are the dirtiest of all, they are the stingiest people on earth, they are like vampires who suck money dry from other people. He gave people the idea that Jews are the worst people on earth, that they are the stingiest people on earth. For over hundreds of years, people have continued to despise the Jews, and denied the image and glory of God in them. When men are viewed as without such dignity and even less than animals, it becomes easy to kill them.

Jesus stressed on the importance of peace among brothers. The Lord said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” If we apply it to our present times, it means, when you are on your way to the worship service, and suddenly remember that you have offended a brother; first, go to your brother and be reconciled, then come and worship in church. To worship the Lord is important, of course, but to be at peace with your brother as you worship is more pleasing in God’s eyes.

To apply it further, when you wake up in the morning and prepare for worship, and remember how you had lost your temper and hurt your wife or your children; go first to your wife and children and apologize, then come and worship in God’s house. For when there is anger in a man’s heart, how can his worship be acceptable to God? Without anger, one cannot commit murder. If we recognize that men are created in the image of God, we will not carelessly curse them. Let us remember that murder is a distinctly shaped sword while murder is an invisible sword, they are both frightening.

II. About Adultery and Divorce (v.27-32)

The seventh commandment is `do not commit adultery’. Nowadays, one night stands are very common. Having two, three, or even four mistresses is becoming a trend. Not only do people feel no shame, they even boast about it. But God’s Word will never change to suit the trends. While man valued God’s standard less and less, the Lord Jesus strengthened the essence of God’s Law. He said that not only must adultery never be committed in our deeds, we cannot do it in our minds or with our eyes at all.

Jesus said: “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus is pointing out the importance of purity. What does looking at a woman lustfully mean? The word `look’ means to observe or watch carefully. When God created mankind, man and woman were created with natural attractions toward each other, this is very normal. When Adam saw Eve, he immediately said she is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. Obviously, Adam was strongly attracted to Eve. Is this sinful? No. Jesus said we must not commit adultery in our minds, meaning, we must not violate women with our minds. When our minds violate women, we are breaking the 7th commandment `do not commit adultery’.

How do we solve this problem? Jesus said: “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. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if 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.” If we really do these, then, I am sure many will have no hands or eyes once we meet up in heaven. But the Bible is not saying that we literally gouge out or cut off our body parts, instead, it is telling us to deal with the problem of lust by making a clean break, to cut it off with a strong determination. Determine to not even think about it, because no man can win in the face of temptation. It is not that I do not believe in you, I am not saying you are not morally upright, but what I am saying is that given a perfect scenario for sin, all of us will fall. We will not sin now because there are many eyes looking at us, but when we are alone and no one is looking, how do we fare?

Immorality brings trouble into marriages, so, Jesus said: “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. 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.” Jesus explains the true meaning of divorce. Deut 24:1 `If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house.’ In the Old Testament law, divorce is permitted, but what is `indecent’? This is a very unique word, it may be translated as unclean or excretions. It is something which one excretes in the restroom. It refers to something very filthy. Verse 32 tells us that divorce apart from marital unfaithfulness causes the wife to become an adulteress. Jesus meant that marital unfaithfulness is the only reason, the only indecent thing, for divorce to be permitted. If not for marital unfaithfulness, the man only causes his wife to become an adulteresss.

During Jesus’ time, there were too many reasons people divorced – because they attached too many meaning to the word `indecent’. When a wife burnt the food she was cooking, when she doesn’t know how to cook, they call these indecent and divorce the woman. Some divorce their wife because the dish she cooked was too salty, some because their wife couldn’t satisfy their sexual needs. All these were not reasons acceptable to the Lord. Jesus said: “Anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” What did he mean by this? In God’s eyes, a divorced woman (not because of adultery) continues to be the man’s wife; it is forbidden for a man to marry her, if he does, then he commits the sin of adultery.

You may argue that this is unreasonable, yet this is the truth, this is not man’s teachings. God never forced us to marry, marrying was our own choice. Once we decided to marry, then we must take responsibility for our decision; if we do not, we will surely fall into sins of immorality or adultery. Over and over, men were marrying and re-marrying, as a result the Lord sent the flood and destroyed the men of Noah’s generation. Let us be warned!

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We are all familiar with this scripture passage. Jesus clearly defined our identity as Christians – we are the salt of the earth, we are light of the world. We must take note of a very important verb in this passage, “are”. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. Jesus is not saying we must be the salt and light of the world. This is an issue of life – if we are not salt, we are not light; no matter what we do we cannot become salt and light. Salt and light are our identity, we are salt and light. Salt cannot lose its saltiness, light cannot be hidden. We are salt, we are light. What are the uses of salt and light?

I. We are Salt

1. Salt Creates a Longing

We all know that if we take in too much salt, we will become thirsty. When we go out to eat, we often feel thirsty afterwards. This is because the restaurants put in a lot of salt in their dishes, they do this to make the dishes delicious and make us crave for them. If you like to play ball, you sweat profusely during play. It is not enough to drink water afterwards because you lose a lot of salt content. You would need to ingest salt in some form to replace your body’s needs.

When there is too much salt, it creates thirst; when there is too little salt, it also creates thirst. We are the salt of the earth, when people see us, do they feel a certain longing? Do they long to become a Christian too? This is the exhortation of the Bible for wives – if their husband do not believe the word, the wives may win them over by their behaviour, creating a hunger in the husband to become Christians. Jesus said: “…that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” From our lives, we must show the glory of God; this is the function of salt.

In the Old Testament, there was a woman named Naomi, her daughter-in-law was Ruth. We all know Ruth, yet ignore Naomi. Ruth was a Moabitess, who because of faith followed her mother-in-law back to Judah. She became the wife of Boaz, the great grandmother of King David. Ruth was really admirable. But Naomi was even more admirable, for Ruth came to know the Lord because of her mother-in-law. Ruth saw the glory of the Lord in her mother-in-law’s life, making her unwilling to leave her. She told Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God… May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

How can a pagan say your people will be my people, your God my God? Naomi was salt. She caused Ruth to feel a longing for God. We all know that the relationship of mother and daughter-in-laws are full of struggles. Daughter-in-laws do not like to live with their mother-in-laws, because two women fight over one kitchen, whoever controls the kitchen becomes the mistress of the house. Ruth said I will go with you, I will not leave you. Naomi must have been truly different, causing Ruth to desire to follow her. Naomi was salt.

In the New Testament, Jesus was salt of the earth, Matthew 4:18-22 records Jesus calling his four disciples (two pairs of brothers) to follow him. The first pair was Peter and Andrew. At that time, they were casting a net into the lake, trying to catch fish. Suddenly Jesus said, “Come, follow me.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Later on, Jesus saw James and John, they were preparing their nets. Jesus told them, “Come, follow me.” They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus had a special drawing power, so that people long to follow him – some left their boats, some left their nets, some left their parents to follow him, because Jesus was salt.

Brothers and sisters, we are salt. How many areas in our lives are desirable to others? But when salt loses its saltiness, men will not find anything desirable, in fact they will trample us, because we have lost our testimonies.

2. Salt acts as a preservative

In the Old Testament, when the people make offerings to the Lord, they add on a little salt. This becomes an everlasting covenant of salt, for salt acts as a preservative. It represents the indestructible covenant between God and man. Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. When we are at home, we are as preservatives in the home. When we are in the office, we are to act as preservatives in our workplaces. When we are in the church, then the church functions as a preservative. When we are out in the society, then there is preservative in the society.

We are the salt of the earth, we must be a firm rock in a turbulent stream and not be carried away by the tide. During Noah’s time, people were eating and drinking, marrying and remarrying. Eating and drinking and marrying are normal activities, but add the word `again and again’, then that is already indulgence of the flesh. This is a manifestation of people loving revelry more than loving God. We must not forget that this was the situation in the whole world. Nobody then would say you are doing wrong.

In fact, when everyone is doing it and you don’t, people will criticize you, and say you are pretending to be upright. People will persecute you saying you are a killjoy, you don’t know how to get along with your fellowmen. Noah was salt during his time. He was a firm rock against the turbulent tide of that time. He was not willing to flow with the trend, because he was the salt of the earth. Noah had three sons. The Bible tells us there were eight in his family who entered the ark. Why were there eight? Noah did not have three wives. Noah’s three sons didn’t have more than one wife each. One husband and one wife was Noah’s standard. When everyone were marrying and remarrying, Noah was not swayed. He acted as a preservative; he was the salt of the earth.

3. Salt acts as a harmonizing element

Mark 9:50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Salt acts as a harmonizing element. The Bible commands us to be at peace with each other. Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

The Sermon on the Mount says blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. We are peacemakers, not troublemakers. Wherever we go, we bring peace not trouble. We create peace not trouble. If everyone shuns you and it is not because you are holy, it could probably be because you are trouble, you have lost your peacemaking function! St. Francis’ prayer says: Make me a channel of your peace – Where there is hatred let me bring your love, Where there is injury, your pardon Lord, And where there is doubt true faith in You; Make me a channel of your peace; Where there is despair in life let me bring hope; Where there is darkness only light, And where there’s sadness ever joy.

II. We are Light

The Lord said: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. We are light, there is no question about that, but why do we are lights fail to shine sometimes?

1. Light under a bushel

What is a bushel? A bushel is utensil for measurement. Before, when people were poor, they don’t buy 25 kilos, 50 kilos of rice, they buy a bushel or two only. The vendor uses a bushel to measure an exact amount, no more and no less. So, a bushel represents being exacting or petty. We cannot shine for the Lord, if our light is hidden under a bushel, keeping accounts with others constantly. A petty Christian cannot shine his light for the Lord.

Abraham and Lot’s Story: When their wealth had increased, Abraham and Lot could no longer stay together. Abraham told Lot: If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left. You choose first. Lot did not waste time and immediately chose the plains, because Lot was very petty, he was good in accounting. They were both shepherds, and their flocks needed grass and water; there were plenty of water and grass in the plains. So Lot chose the plains. Abraham had no recourse but to go up the hills. We see then that Abraham shone his light for the Lord, and as for Lot’s light, it could not be seen at all.

This year, I went on a vacation with my family to Singapore. Because I was not familiar with the country, I asked my friend who lives there to make arrangements for me. When I arrived, he was already at the airport waiting for us. He brought us to the hotel and handed each one of us an MRT card with more than a week’s worth of train fare. Every night he would bring us out to eat in the best restaurants. We felt very embarrassed by his tremendous generosity, so I told him firmly not to come anymore on the next night. When we were to check-out of our hotel, we found out that he had already paid everything for us. We had booked two rooms and I knew that hotel rates in Singapore were very expensive. I felt very uneasy, so when I returned the MRT cards, I placed the payment for the hotel charges inside the same envelope. When he received the envelope, he immediately sensed what I had done and refused to accept it. But I insisted adamantly. I told him that if he does not accept it then I will not return to Singapore again. He had no choice but to accept my payment. But he immediately brought us to a restaurant and treated us again. My children kept saying that this uncle is so kind. He is a Christian whose light is shining. I’ve known him for a long time, and he is someone who has never been petty, his light is shining brightly.

How about us? Some Christians would keep account of every cent, every quarter. When they hear someone say something about them, they would immediately react and make a big fuss. Sometimes people would come and tell me their problems. Afterwards I would realize there was no issue at all. How come they make such big issues of non-issues? Where did our light go! Someone said: I can eat anything, beef, pork, fish, but I cannot swallow being shortchanged. Your light under a bushel cannot shine for the Lord. May we all learn to bear with being shortchange sometimes.

2. Under the bed

Mark 4:21 “He (Jesus) said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?” The Gospel of Mark added one more – under a bed. Some people put their lamps under a bed, such that it cannot shine its light. What does bed symbolize? A bed may symbolize at least two things.

1.A. Laziness

A bed is a place for resting. There is nothing wrong at all with resting. The Lord created the world in six days and made the seventh a day of rest, so that man could rest. But rest is not just an enjoyment. We rest in order to gather strength for tomorrow’s labor. But some people become lazy because of their bed. They are not willing to stand up and shine their light for the Lord. Often our spiritual failures begin from laziness.

2 Samuel 11:2 One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. David didn’t want to get up from his bed until the sun was gone! As a result he saw a woman bathing and fell into the sin of adultery.

We truly must be alert! Since I graduated from seminary 22 years ago, aside from times when I didn’t feel well, I had always arrived at my office by 7:30 a.m.; because I am afraid of turning into a lazy pastor. When a person begins to turn lazy, his light will slowly dim. When a Christian labors diligently for the Lord, his light becomes brighter and brighter. Paul was such a man. For thirty long years, he labored diligently for the Lord. He spread the Gospel from the Middle East to Europe. The founder of The Church Assembly Hall, Watchman Nee said he would need 300 years to do what Paul did in 30 years. On one hand, of course it was because Paul was gifted, but on the other hand, it was also because Paul was very diligent!

2.A. Immorality

Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure.” Genesis 49:3-4 ““Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” To put a lamp under a bed also means immorality. Immorality extinguishes our light for the Lord. The Book of Genesis records Reuben as a good example. He was supposed to be the first child of Jacob, he possessed honor and power; but he sinned with his father’s concubines and lost his light and his honor.

A lamp under a bed, on one hand means a lack of diligence, and on the other hand, it also means impurity of life. A Christian who lives like that cannot shine for the Lord.

3. Under a Cellar

Luke 11:33 “No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.” In the Gospel of Luke, one more item is mentioned – a cellar. Cellar means under the ground. Underground is a place where there is no light, a place where there is total darkness.

We often say: where there is light there is no darkness, for darkness cannot overcome the light. But in history, once, darkness overcame light because darkness swallowed up the light. That was in Egypt, the Lord sent the ten plagues through the hand of Moses, and one of those plagues was the plague of darkness. Exodus 10:21-23 “…total darkness covered all Egypt for three days…”

Imagine, if you were an Egyptian, when total darkness came, what would you have done? I am sure you would go light a lamp. However during those three days, the light from any lamp lost its usefulness, for the Bible said it was a darkness that could be felt. Darkness became like an object that covered the light. This is a frightening occurrence! Maybe you are thinking: How can that be! Brothers and sisters, when we humble ourselves, we will acknowledge that in our daily life, there are many areas which we do not let others see, which we do not want exposed, because if they were, we will be ashamed. Aren’t these things exactly as the case of darkness overcoming the light?

We are the light of the world, but when there are dark things in us, light is lost. The Church is where the children of light come together. This should be a place full of light. There must not even be a hint of darkness in it. But in reality, it is not so. In many churches, including CBCP, there is an air of politeness on the surface, but behind the scene, there are backbiting and slandering. Sometimes, factions and divisions appear in the church, isn’t this a case of darkness overcoming the light?

I pray that this will not ever happen to CBCP. When the church is full of darkness, the church is no longer a church. The Lord Jesus said: We are salt, we are light. Salt cannot lose its saltiness, neither can light be hidden. Salt must maintain its saltiness, and light must continue to shine. May the Lord bless us, so that we will be salt that has saltiness and light that has radiance.

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We have already discussed the first 5 of the eight beatitudes:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. When man is at the end of his rope, God begins.
• Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. When we mourn for our sins and feel shame because of our sins, then we are blessed, for then we have hope, because God will help us.
• Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. A meek person is one who lives in the 3D space. Not only does he have length, he has width and he has depth. Such a person is not petty and such a man will receive God’s inheritance.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. He who thirsts for righteousness obeys God’s will. When a Christian makes obeying God’s will his food, his heart will find true fulfillment.
• Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Mercy pertains to life quality. Mercy is unconditional. We show others mercy because we realize that we ourselves need mercy from others. Such a man is blessed for the Lord will show him mercy.

Today we continue with the last three Beatitudes.

5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

Pure in heart means having a clean and holy heart. Hebrews 12:14 “Without holiness no one will see the Lord”. If our hearts are unclean, we cannot see God, we cannot experience God. A pure heart possesses spiritual perspective. Is your heart clean?

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The heart is most difficult to guard, the most difficult to keep holy, why? The prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 6:5) “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

1st. I am a man of unclean lips. We ourselves have a problem, our hearts are the problem. Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Each one of our hearts is as filthy as described in this verse. We truly need heart surgery and new hearts. We need to take our hearts and wash them with the precious blood of the Lord that may be made holy.

2nd. I live among a people of unclean lips. This is a problem with our environment. I do not know if you feel the same way but it seems our environment makes it harder and harder for us to live holy lives. When we watch TV, movies, advertisements, even read the newspapers, our eyes are continually lured by certain images. The photographers are really good at taking pictures. They know which angle to take to make the women beautiful and their bodies very seductive. It is really a challenge to guard our hearts!

“Would You Go to Bed with a Prostitute?” This was the title of an article in a Christian publication, written by a pastor from Taiwan. During the 2006 7th CCOWE Worldwide Congress in Macau, thousands of delegates arrived to join the conference. Macau is largely known as a gambling city. When a city is known for gambling, other forms of livelihood like sex and drugs will also turn up in that place, and that is so with Macau. There are many prostitutes in Macau. After checking himself into his hotel in Macau, the pastor decided to take a walk and find something to eat. Suddenly, two women, dressed very seductively, stopped him and asked if he wanted to enjoy himself. Of course, the pastor said no and quickly left. But when he returned to Taiwan, he asked himself, “I do not live in Macau, I do not work there, but what if I work there, and every day I meet women dressed so seductively asking me if I want some pleasure, will I say yes?”

One time, he told his congregation this story and asked them, “Do you think your pastor will say yes?” He said no one spoke a word in answer to his question. One time, the pastor said he told this same story and asked the same question to a group people in the mountain provinces in Taiwan. One man spoke up and said, “Pastor, you will say yes.” The pastor felt touched. He was reminded of how different city people and mountain people were. People from the big city, like us, have learned to put on masks, we tend to be less honest in facing ourselves. The truth is when we are placed in a perfect situation for sin, you will fall, I will fall, all of us will fall. When we take business trips and our wife warns us to be careful of women and we say `I won’t. Don’t you trust me? I am a deacon, I am a small group leader, I am the senior pastor of the church, I will not fall’, disaster may just happen, for when we fail to be alert, we will fall.

When I give exhortations during weddings, I often tell the bride: What is a husband? In Chinese, one character for the word husband means ten feet. A husband is the man within ten feet of you. A good wife will not let her husband go too far alone. A good wife will take care of her husband’s needs. If you don’t take care of him, some other woman will help you take care of him. In the end, the man fails and the woman fails with him. We must not say, “I won’t fall.” We must say, “I can fail.” When you say I can fail, then, you will be alert. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Jesus did not say blessed are those who love peace, for don’t we all wish for world peace? Instead, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers. We are peacemakers not troublemakers. We must create an environment of peace, for then we will be called sons of God.

St. Francis has a famous prayer called: “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.”

“Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love,
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord,
And where there is doubt, true faith in You;
Make me a channel of your peace;
Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
It is in giving to all man that we receive,
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

This prayer teaches us to be a peacemaker. Problems in this world are all created by men. Some people cause trouble wherever they go. These people are troublemakers. There are many troublemakers in society and even, in the church, but the true sons of God are peacemakers, not troublemakers. Which one are you?

Harmony is not easy. In “A Study of War”, the book records that from 1480-1941, the world had a total of 246 wars – Great Britain 78x, France 71x, Spain 64x, Japan 9x, USA 13x, China 11x. In 4000 years of human history, we only had 300 years of peace. It is truly difficult to maintain peace among men. How about inside the church? It is neither easy for the church to maintain peace. Have you realized that in the church we rarely seek to investigate matters? When someone reports bad things about another person, we do not investigate or seek to verify whether it is true or not. This happens because we are afraid of confronting people. But the bigger problem is we pass on the news without verifying its truth, resulting in a lot of rumors circulated. Let us learn together and be responsible with the things we say. When we are not sure, we must not pass it on. Remember we are peacemakers, not troublemakers.

Do not speak badly of others behind their backs, especially things which you are not certain of. If you spread unverified news, the church will be full rumors, and become a church full of discord, quarrels and divisions; how then will the Lord’s name be glorified? Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. The responsibility of the sons of peace is to spread the gospel of peace, so that others may become sons of peace too. We are like instruments of peace in God’s hand, just like St. Francis said, `make me a channel of your peace.’ Let us learn together and refrain from uttering irresponsible statements, for we are peacemakers, not troublemakers.

5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Verses 11 and 12 seek to explain the meaning of the first part of verse ten, `blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.’ Jesus said: Prophets came before you and they were persecuted too. To be persecuted for righteousness is not a new thing, it is a very ordinary occurrence. From Genesis to Revelation, we see one righteous man after another experience persecution.

Abel was persecuted and killed by his older brother Cain. Why? Because Abel was righteous while Cain was wicked. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a cistern and sold him into Egypt as a slave. Why? Because Joseph often told his father the evil deeds of his brothers, so his brothers wanted to kill him. David served Saul faithfully, but Saul pursued and wanted to kill David because he was envious of him. Elijah served the Lord faithfully and killed 400 priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel, bringing revival to the whole nation and so Queen Jezebel wanted to kill him. Jeremiah courageously declared the Lord’s message that Israel will be captured by Babylon, as a result he was beaten and even threatened to be killed. Daniel, because he prayed three times a day, was thrown into the lions’ den. In the New Testament, John the Baptist rebuked King Herod and was thrown into jail, and later on, beheaded. The 12 disciples, except John who was exiled to the island of Patmos, were all martyred because they served the Lord. Paul also suffered and was martyred for the Lord.

Before and after 100AD to 313 AD, more than ten great persecutions had broken out and thousands upon thousands of believers were killed. To be persecuted for righteousness is a normal occurrence, not an unusual thing, Paul told Timothy: everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2Tim 3:12). So, we must have a heart ready and willing to suffer for the Lord.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Who is this `me’? It is the Lord Jesus. To be persecuted for righteousness is to be persecuted because of Jesus. When we are insulted, persecuted and falsely accused, we must first ask one question – what is the reason?

1Peter 2:19-20 “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.” Why do we suffer? If it is because of our own wrongdoing, then what is there to boast about? It is but right. But if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, this is commendable before God. Are we suffering right now? For whom are we suffering, for the Lord or for ourselves?

While I was still in Hong Kong, once, I brought some brothers and sisters to the park to share the gospel. When I was sharing the gospel to a man, another man beside him suddenly stood up, pointed at me and began to strongly scold me, saying: `Leave, you dog, you traitor!’ It turned out that when the man heard me speak of Jesus, he felt this was betraying the country, that I was spreading a foreign religion, so he insulted me and called me a traitor. After I came to serve the Lord in the Philippines, I was once asked to officiate a memorial service for a deceased person. There were unbelievers as well as believers in that family. The unbelievers accused me of not respecting the deceased when I went to officiate the memorial service. Brothers and sisters, when we are persecuted, insulted, falsely accused, we must ask ourselves: `Am I being insulted for the Lord or for my own wrongdoing?’

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This is a test upon entering the kingdom of heaven. Before becoming a believer, when others insulted us, we retaliated with more insults; when others uttered injurious words against us, we returned even more injurious words. Now that we are a believer, when we are insulted and persecuted, do we still react similarly? If so, what then is the difference between knowing the Lord and not knowing the Lord? Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only such men are worthy of entering the kingdom of heaven, how about you?

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We have already discussed two of the eight Beatitudes – `Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ When man is at the end of his rope, God begins. When you are at the end of your rope, you are blessed, for that is the time God begins his work. `Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’ When we feel shame and grief over our sins, then we are blessed, for then, there is yet hope for us. The Lord will help us, he will comfort us. Today, we will discuss the next three Beatitudes.

5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

We can understand it better if the Lord had said: Blessed are the strong, because they will attain the earth; but the Lord said blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. How can the meek inherit the earth? Many people think that a meek person is a weak person. But the Bible never commended weakness. Meekness is not weakness. True meekness means being strong and powerful yet refraining from using force. A meek person actually possesses great strength yet chooses not to use it forcefully upon others.

Numbers 12:3 says, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” Moses was a meek man but Moses was also strong and powerful, and no one dared behave carelessly before him. Even the most powerful man then, Egypt’s Pharaoh could not stand in Moses’ presence, because Moses’ power was frightening. Yet he was the gentlest man in the whole world.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart.” Jesus was a meek man, yet Jesus was the most powerful man in the whole universe, for even the wind and the waves obeyed him, and no one dared behave carelessly in his presence.

Meek in the original text meant several things: 1. It may refer to a tranquilizer or sedative which eases the suffering of the sick and brings about restful sleep. 2. It may refer to a gentle breeze, which refreshes people. 3. It may refer to a horse which had gone through training and become very tame.

Therefore, meekness means possessing great inner strength yet displaying gentleness.

Some people use water to describe meekness. Water is gentle yet it can be a frightening force. Meekness is not weakness, meekness is great strength. But how can one become meek?

In the past, films used to be flat, simply two-dimensional. But now there are three-dimensional films. If you want to be meek, you must become a person who lives in three-dimensions. What does this mean?

A person who lives in the flat plane, only on 2D, moves only backwards if he is not moving forward, and he moves only towards the right if he is not moving to the left. Many people live in 2D, and are thus limited only by these two dimensions, resulting in a lot of people-to-people tension. But if you live in the 3D, it is different. Not only do you have a flat space, you also have depth. You will learn to see and deal with things from a different angle. When you see others succeed, not only do you not envy them, you applaud them, because you see hope for God’s kingdom. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth, because they know contentment, they do not seek more.

5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

What is the righteousness hungered and thirsted for here? There are three theological explanations:

1. Righteousness by faith which refers to our salvation. When your heart thirsts for salvation, God is your fulfillment.

2. Societal righteousness. The Church is society’s conscience. When there are injustices in society, the church must stand up and care for the weak and poor, then our hunger for righteousness will be filled. But I believe the righteousness referred to in this passage is:

3. Obedience to and doing God’s will. When a Christian obeys and does God’s will, his heart will find true fulfillment.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. In the Bible, we can find at least three kinds of spiritual food:

1. The Word of God. Jesus said: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

2. Difficulties. Numbers 14:9 “Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up.” Twelve men went up to spy the land, ten rejected the idea of going in, but Joshua and Caleb said `We may go in, for the enemies are like food to us.” God gives us difficulties so that we will become stronger and healthier.

3. Doing God’s will. John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

True fulfillment is found in doing God’s will, because true fulfillment comes from Christ. People feel dissatisfaction because the heart of man is full of lustful desires and these can never truly satisfy. The process of pursuing these dreams are often more satisfying than the attainment of them. Once we attain them, we will immediately feel there is nothing special, so we go on and on, pursuing newer things and newer pleasures. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled – because all the riches of God are in Christ. Although we will never truly and completely understand him because he is too abundant, when we obey God’s will, we will know him more and more, we will understand him more and more. He is our greatest satisfaction, our greatest fulfillment. Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want – This is true fulfillment! Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. God is their true fulfillment.

5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Let us first understand the meaning of mercy. Mercy means magnanimity, seeking not to take account of everything with everyone, refusing intentionally to point out others’ faults. This is a character trait that Christ gradually cultivates in us.

Mercy pertains to quality of life. A nation may have the best system, a church may have the best organization, but if there is problem with the populace’ standards, problems would still crop up. Cueing up in line, for example, is a matter of quality. I grew up in Hong Kong. From the 1960’s to the 80’s, people in Hong Kong didn’t know how to cue up in line. People who took the bus would just dash towards the bus when it came. Nowadays, 80% of the people in Hong Kong fall in line to take the bus. The standards of people in Hong Kong have improved. China’s economy has improved vastly lately. And now, many people from China travel to different countries as tourists. However, they do not know how to line up; they have money but their standards in life continue to be low. The problem is not the system, not the institution, but people. The moral standards of the people must improve. We have been called the children of God, shouldn’t our standard of conduct even be higher?

The Lord said: The merciful will be shown mercy. This suggests the law of cause and effect. When we show others mercy, someday, we will be shown mercy, too. Contrastingly, if we criticize and attack others continually, we will also be attacked and criticized someday. A United Nations’ ambassador went to Africa. Returning from his trip, he declared that people in that country were the worst group of people he had seen. He said the immigration officers were unfriendly, the taxi driver had a bad attitude, the waiters were disrespectful, the people were hostile. Later, this same ambassador read an article about how the world is a mirror, that every man can see himself reflected in others. When he returned once more to Africa, he determined to wear a smiling face. As a result, he was met with a smiling immigration officer, taxi driver, etc. Then he realized that it was his attitude which needed the change. Those who show mercy will be shown mercy.

The Lord said: The merciful will be shown mercy. We may have an impression that showing others mercy is a condition we must meet so that we ourselves will receive mercy; that if you do not show others mercy, God will not show you mercy too. This is not what is meant by this verse, because mercy itself is unconditional. If mercy is conditional, then it is no longer true mercy. Showing others mercy is not a condition towards gaining God’s mercy. Showing mercy is but knowing ourselves, and admitting that we need the mercy of others, too. Maybe right now you don’t feel you need mercy, because you are strong, talented, and wealthy; maybe you feel that others are the ones who need mercy. In reality, each one of us is pitiful and weak, our spirits our weak. When faced with moral temptation, we often fail. When we are in a position to show mercy, we should be merciful towards others, for when the time comes and we would need mercy, the Lord will be merciful towards us. In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, when the tax collector spoke, he only said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ The Pharisee however didn’t seek God’s mercy. In the end, it was to the tax collector that the Lord showed mercy, because he acknowledged his need for mercy. How about you, do you know that you need the mercy of the Lord?

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Matthew 5 – 7 is called the Sermon on the Mount. There are a total of 111 verses in these three chapters. Apart from Matthew 5:1 and 7:28-29, which were authored by Matthew, all the other 108 verses were spoken by the Lord Jesus himself. There is a Bible called the Red Letter Bible; in it, everything spoken by the Lord Jesus is in red. Thus, in the Red Letter Bible, these three chapters can be called red letter scripture, and these are precious bible passages. During the first Sunday of every month, we will reflect on messages from the Sermon on the Mount. If we can memorize this Scripture passage, how helpful that would be to us all our lives.

Before we move on to studying the passage, we must first understand that the theological world holds three different views of the Sermon on the Mount:

1. The Beatitudes are for the future. This view holds that because the standard of the Beatitudes is too high, it is not meant for present day believers. They believe that the Beatitudes are meant to be observed only after the Lord has returned and established the millennium kingdom. So the Beatitudes are for the future, not for the present.

2. The Beatitudes is for some particular group of people in the church. This view believes that there are special groups of people in the church, such as pastors, missionaries, elders and deacons. They believe that the spiritual lives of these people are more mature, they can obey the teachings of the Beatitudes while the ordinary believers cannot.

3. The Beatitudes is for every believer. This is also our view. The Beatitudes is not for the millennium reign, it is for every believer in this present age. The church doesn’t have a special level of people, we are all equal. You and the pastors, missionaries, elders, deacons are all the same. We are brothers and sisters. The Beatitudes’ standard is truly very high, but this is the standard we must seek to attain. Without high standards, we will not aim towards greater progress.

5:1-2 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

When Jesus sat down, his disciples came to him and Jesus began to teach them. During Jesus’ time, a person who can teach receives much honor and respect. Students show respect for their teacher by letting him sit while they, the students or listeners, remain standing. We are in the period of grace now. We rather that one man stand than for hundreds to do so. That is why the preacher today stands while you are seated. I am not saying that you should stand up or that you do not respect me, but I want all of us to understand that we must have a humble and teachable heart. When the Lord’s servant speaks and presents the Word of God to us, our hearts must stand at attention, we must listen to the Lord’s teachings with a yearning heart and an attitude of reverence. When Jesus sat down, he set forth the attitude and identity of a teacher, and his disciples came to him, stood before him with a reverent attitude, saying: `Your servants are here, Teacher, please speak.’ The Lord Jesus began to teach them then.

5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. According to the world’s standards, blessed are the rich, not the poor. But the eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount is not the world’s blessings, these are spiritual blessings.

Some Bible versions translate blessed as happy. Happiness is of course a blessing. But if one only pursues happiness, it is but a shallow form of blessedness. What is true blessedness? According to Dr. D. A. Carson “To be affirmed and accepted by God is to be truly blessed.” I feel that this statement is very meaningful. Can we be more blessed than when we are affirmed and accepted by the King of kings and Lord of lords? Let us use this viewpoint to explain the Beatitudes.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. This is the first of the eight blessings. It is also the foundation of all the other blessings. If we do not feel that we are poor in our spirit, how can we mourn? Without mourning, how can we be meek? Without meekness how can we thirst for righteousness? The eight blessings refer to eight levels of the spiritual life.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This is the first stage. The meaning of this statement is: God begins when man finds himself at the end of his rope. There is a Bible called The Message, its author is Eugene Peterson; he said: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.” Why is one blessed when he is at the end of his rope? It is at this time that God begins to work. The best example is the tax collector’s prayer, he didn’t even dare look up, he prayed: Have mercy on me, O God, for I am a sinner. He was truly at the end of his rope. How can a cup be filled when it has not been emptied of its content first? If a person does not humble himself, how can he accept teaching? If a person does not feel he has needs, how will he accept help from others? If a person does not admit he is sick, why would he go to a doctor? If a person does not feel that he has sinned, he wouldn’t ask for a savior. The Alcoholics Anonymous has 12 rules which those who wish to join must accept. The first rule is – the participant must admit he is helpless to help himself; for if not, he will not be successful at recovering.

When the Lord Jesus was on earth, the tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners flocked to Him, while the Scribes, Pharisees and the priests were not willing to come to Him. Why? Because the religious people did not feel they were poor in spirit, they felt they were blessed. They judged the others, forgetting that they themselves were poor. They were not willing to come to Jesus. Contrarily, the tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners knew they were poor in spirit, so they came to Jesus.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor means one has nothing, it refers to extreme poverty. There are many kinds of poverty. Many people say: `I have no money’ but they can afford to buy new cars, new cell phones, new computers. True poverty is to have nothing. When a person admits that he is spiritually poor, then such a man is blessed, because only then will he wholeheartedly rely on God. Then, the kingdom of heaven will be his.

Poverty is the means by which we receive help. If we are not experiencing poverty, we would be unwilling to receive help. Today as you come to church, if you see a man dressed pitifully asking you for money, and you give him fifty pesos, he would receive the money and say thank you. But if after the service, you give me fifty pesos and say: Pastor, this is for you, go and eat lunch. Not only will I not thank you, I will feel insulted and think ‘you think that as a pastor I don’t even have fifty pesos to eat!’ ; because I do not feel that I am poor, I forfeited the joy of receiving your blessing.

The first time I went to the States, I did something wrong. That night, I invited two friends to dinner. I paid for the dinner. Knowing that I must give a tip, yet not knowing how much to give, I put three dollars on the plate. I felt that was already a lot, for that already exceeded the standards in the Philippines. But the manager said: I do not want those money, and at the same time showed a bad attitude. I knew that it meant I didn’t give enough but I was displeased too. I felt: I have already given you a tip, not only do you not want it but you show such a bad attitude. So I snatched up the coins and left not a cent of tip. And so she became angrier. Later on I find out that I was wrong. It turned out there was a standard rate for tipping. But what I wanted to point out here is why she rejected the tip – Not only did she reject my tip because it was below the standard rate, but she did not feel she needed my small tip, because she had plenty; as a result she forfeited my small tip. Do you feel poor in your heart? If you do not feel that you are poor in spirit, then you will not be able to receive God’s grace.

5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

How can those who mourn be called blessed? We love to be happy. Who loves to cry? The entertainment industry earns hundreds of millions yearly. In this generation, as long as you know how to laugh, and can bring laughter to others, you can earn big money. When you put on the TV, there is always some comedy on prime time. The purpose is to make you laugh. In Hong Kong, ten years ago, a person who had a very ordinary face became a celebrity. One could easily find someone like him on the streets. He had no extraordinary features, but he had an extraordinary talent. He could make people laugh. Every one of his movies can make one laugh from start to finish. As a result he earned a lot of money and he is now a billionaire. Now, it seems truer to say that one who can make others laugh is more blessed. But the Lord said: Blessed are those who mourn. What does this mean?

Often, Christians tend to embrace some misconceptions, like, to laugh is unspiritual, that only those who have sorrowful faces are spiritual. When the pastors make people laugh at the pulpit, then they conclude that these pastors’ messages are empty. When the pastors’ speak, and the people do not grasp exactly what he is saying, then these are the messages that have content. But that is not what the Lord meant, the Lord said, “When we feel ashamed of our sins, when we grieve, then we are blessed.

Have you ever experienced losing someone in your family? A parent, a brother or sister, or a child? When they passed away, did you grieve? That is the meaning of the word `mourn’ in this passage. If you feel ashamed and grieved over sin just like when you grieve over a loved one’s passing away, then you are blessed. First, we must ask ourselves. Why do we mourn? 1. When our children are unable to pass the exams into good colleges and universities? 2. When our children aren’t able to find good girl/boy friends? 3. When you experience a big loss in business? 4. When you lose your new cell phone? 5. When your new car gets struck in an accident? 6. When your shares in stocks fall… what else?

Adam and Eve felt shame because of sin. They used leaves to cover themselves up. They were blessed. The Lord made them garments of skin because they felt ashamed. How about the world today? Recently, I read a report. It says that China’s economy had improved by leaps and bounds, thus, more and more Chinese have businesses. The report stated that during business meetings, people will ask: Do you have a mistress? It used to be a shameful thing, but now it is a thing to boast about. The answer will be “yes I have, not only one, in fact I have two, three, four, five, six mistresses.” They do not feel shame, instead they boast for the more mistresses they have, the richer it means they are. Because without money, how can they have two or three mistresses. They do not feel shame instead they feel this is a wonderful thing. Woe is truly unto to them. Why do you mourn? What you mourn about shows the things you value.

Many years ago, in the United States, in Seattle, a 20- year old girl was broken hearted because of a failed romance. She went to jump from a bridge at 7 in the morning. The police and the fire department rushed to the scene. For safety precautions, they blocked off the bridge and spend three hours trying to resolve the situation. It was rush hour, when the crowd grew, with people rushing to work and businessmen having contracts to sign, impatience grew. Finally someone said, `If you want to jump, then jump. If you don’t want to jump, then come down. Are you going to jump or not?’ The pressure from the crowd was great. In the end, someone said again: Jump, jump… and the crowd joined in. Thus, the girl jumped. Fortunately, she was rescued and did not die. But, the next day, the news headlined: `People of Seattle we were wrong. We did not act in love.’ But if you were there, in an age where there were no mobile phones, and you were in a hurry to make a big deal, what would you have said? Jump if you want to jump? Because earning money was more important than the life of a person? This is our value system.

Why do you mourn? Do you mourn because of your sins, your shame? Then you still have hope, and you will find comfort, because the Lord will help you. It’s not the end. He who mourns for his sins is blessed, because you will truly have comfort. The character in Chinese for comfort is made up of two characters. One is to be beside, the other is to speak. Comfort means someone beside us, being with us and speaking to us. I believe we all have such experiences, when we are grieving, if someone comes beside us, speaks to us, pat us on our backs, we will feel comfort. When we mourn for our sins, Jesus, the friend of sinners, will be our comforter.

Psalm 56:8 “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll, put my tears in your wineskin– are they not in your record?” This passage in scripture is very comforting. The Lord not only remembers our tears, he keeps them in his wineskin, lists them on his scroll. The Lord does not take lightly our tears shed because of sins. A pastor was comforting a child who was gravely ill. The child said, “Pastor, thank you, but I am not afraid. For my father’s sake, I am willing to die early. My father never goes to church. But I think, that if I die, he will join my memorial service. When the pastor preaches a message for me, my father will be able to hear the gospel, maybe then he will have a chance to be saved.” Not only did the child’s words bring the pastor to tears, his father also broke down in tears. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

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