Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

I am sure that this is not what you wanted to hear from God, that you have need of patience. Nonetheless, God knows us better than we know ourselves. Just as a parent knows the needs of their child better than the child knows their own needs. A child may think they know what they need, but they will very often confuse their needs with their desires. The same is true in our Christian walk, we often know what we want, and we confuse that with need.

God knows that patience is a hard thing for most of us. As we go about living our lives, we often pray to God for the things that we want. We spend so much time praying for our needs and desires that we fail to seek the will of God for our life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ teaches us how to pray. Christ teaches us that our prayers need to be balanced with praise, seeking the direction of God, asking for our needs to be taken care of, confessing our sins, asking HIM to keep us from temptation, and praise.

In this passage, we see that doing the will of God is not always going to be quick and easy. One of the reasons God will show us HIS perfect will and then allow us to wait is so that we develop patience and grow closer in our relationship with HIM. In the same way a father does not buy his daughter everything she wants when she wants it, so also, God will allow us to spend some time in prayer seeking the will of God so that we learn to completely trust in HIM.

God desires to develop a testimony in you. When you face a trial, you have two choices, either you can try to escape the trial or you can diligently seek the lessons that God is trying to teach you through the ordeal. Patience is developed as you learn to trust God and learn to rely upon HIM to see you through the trial that you face.

We all admire the attitude of Joseph in how he always seemed to rise to the top regardless of what others did to him. Joseph understood that he was accountable to God for what HE did and Joseph made sure that that HE did that which was pleasing in the sight of God. Because Joseph pursued the perfect will of God, he eventually received the promise of God and he became a great ruler. Joseph had to add patience to his life because he did not receive the promises of God immediately.

Has God promised you something that you have not yet received? If your answer to this question is no, one would have to wonder how much time you are spending with God. God desires to speak with you and draw you into a closer relationship with HIM. However, if you are not listening to HIM, how can HE direct you in the way you are to go so that you can be a part of HIS perfect will? If you have received a promise and have not received the promise, you need to diligently seek the Lord and see if there are any lessons that HE is trying to teach you during this time of waiting. Learn those lessons so that HE can lead you where HE wants you to go.

When the nation of Israel left Egypt to go to the Promise Land, they probably assumed that it was going to be a very short trip. However, because of their stubbornness and their refusal to trust God, their short trip ended up being a 40 year wondering in the wilderness. If we are not careful, we too can find ourselves not seeing the fulfillment of HIS promises to us because we fail to trust HIM to fulfill HIS promises to us.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

In the eyes of God, are you the man who built his life upon the rock or are you the man who built his house upon the sand. If you desire to build your house upon the rock, then you must take the time to hear the sayings of Jesus Christ and then do them. Your life will not be established upon the rock if you do not learn to hear the instructions of God.

The Sermon on the Mount is just one place where you can turn to in order to hear the sayings of Jesus. However you are not to be a hearer only but also a doer of the Word. This means that instead of just reading the Bible, you need to be active in changing your life in accordance with the principles of God’s word.

Many people can read the Word of God, but the ones who are living their life in a way that is pleasing to God are those who do it. During the time of Jesus, the religious leaders knew the law; they had taken the time to read what God had told them to do. However, they had so mangled the interpretation of the law over the years that they often miss what God desired them to do and instead they were doing the exact opposite.

One of the reasons God did not establish the throne of Saul was because when he was instructed to utterly destroy the enemy, he chose to save some people alive. Saul had heard the words of God but chose not to follow. Saul soon lost his ability to hear the voice of God and then he saw the blessing of God leave his life and eventually he lost everything that he had.

You do not want to follow the example of Saul. Rather than live your life for yourself doing what you want when you want to, you need to start living your life for God. You need to actively read the Bible to hear what God is telling you to do. As you read the Bible, seek for what God is trying to tell you. When you hear God, you need to quickly follow HIS still small voice.

You would not build a million dollar mansion upon a beach where a big storm would wash it away into the sea. How much more important is your life? Why do you allow yourself to build your life upon an uncertain foundation? Storms will arise in your life and the question is, have you built your life upon the foundation that will enable you to survive the storm?

Your ability to survive the storms that God allows to encompass you will depend upon the choices you made before you face the storm. If you desire the blessing of God, then you need to build your life upon HIM. This means you need to take the time each day to read HIS words. This means you need to take the time to meditate upon HIS Word so that you understand exactly what HE is instructing you to do.

It is very easy to slide through life ignoring God six days a week. Nonetheless, this is not what God desires from your life. It takes sacrifice on your part to put the things of God first in your life. You must make a conscience decision to put aside the things of this world in order to hear the voice of God.

Be quick to add temperance to your life so that you can hear what God is instructing you to do. Do not allow the things of this world to distract you from spending time in the word of God so that HE can speak to you. Once you have heard the voice of God, it is your duty to obey HIM.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

What is the will of God? Christ teaches us in this passage that it is those who do the will of God which enter into heaven. When Christ taught us how to pray, HE commanded us to pray that the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Christ is clear that we are supposed to not only understand the will of God but that we are to live in accordance with HIS perfect will.

God not only has a perfect will for all Christians to follow but also a perfect will for your individual life. How many times have you heard someone ask what God’s will was for their life? They are so concerned about looking for God’s specific will that they are not seeking HIS general will for all believers.

Scripture is full of instruction from God as to what HIS general will is for our life. In Romans 12:2 we are instructed that it is the will of God for us to not be conformed to this world. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 we are told that it is the will of God to abstain from fornication.

In Ephesians 5:17 God tells us that we are not to be unwise, but that we are to understand what the will of God is. In the following verses, we are told that we are not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit. We are told to speak in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. We are told that we are to give thanks always. Finally the chapter instructs women to submit to their husbands and husbands are to love their wives.

God’s ways are not always our ways. God expects you to live a perfect life. It is impossible to follow all the commands of God. Nonetheless, this is exactly the standard that God has for you. Reading the Sermon on the Mount makes it very clear that the will of God on how we are to live our lives is like nothing that the world expects from us.

We must choose to take the time to understand what the will of God is and to start obeying it. As we follow the commands of God, God will be able to use our lives as a living testimony to HIM. We are supposed to be the salt and the light. If we are not living our lives according to the principles of God, how can we expect for anyone to look at our lives and understand the love of God.

We live in a world that is not fair. Everyday something happens that people perceive as being unfair. In their time of distress, people are looking for answers and the question is, do they see the light of God reflecting in your life to the point that they will come to you in order to understand the purposes of God?

God has given us HIS will and put it in the Bible for you to read and understand. The question is, are you taking the time to read and understand what HE desires you to do? Are you taking the time to live your life in accordance with HIS principles so that HE might use you in a new and exciting way?

In order to do the will of God, you are going to have to add temperance to your life. The ways of this world are strong, but you cannot be conformed to this world. Instead, the purpose of your life is to glorify God. If you desire to spend eternity in heaven, then do as HE has commanded you to do and start living your life in accordance with HIS will.

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded us not to judge one another. In this passage, we are told that we are supposed to know people by their fruits. Christ commands us that we are to be aware of false prophets. These false prophets appeared to be good on the outside but the way Christ taught us to understand who these individuals really were was by looking at the fruits from their life.

God desires that we be discerning. He does not want us to quickly yield to the smooth talking of some slick individual who appears to have everything together. Instead, we are to carefully examine the fruit of this individual’s life and determine whether this individual is living for God or if he is living for the things of this world. If the things of the world appear to be the center of his life, you do not have to be a gullible individual and madly follow wherever he goes.

The difference between judging and discerning while appearing to be very close, in truth is two different things. An example of judging would be looking at a car and telling everyone around that the car is a bunch of junk and will break down at the first possible chance it has. However, if you were not a mechanic and had never looked at the well maintained engine, how would you know by outward appearance what the car is going to do?

An example of discernment would be to look at the road that a car is traveling and if you see that the road abruptly ends and seeing that there is a huge pileup of cars at the bottom of some great ravine. Choosing not to go on a road that appears to be destroying so many other cars would be discernment.

Christ commanded us that we are not to cast our pearls before swine. If God has given us discernment and we see that some individual is giving the appearance of having everything together but you have examined the fruit of their life and see all the warning signs, who do you talk with? It is very easy to become judgmental once you have discerned bad behavior. Our natural response is to go out and tell everyone about the things that God has enlightened us to. However, if we do that, we find that people often quickly dismiss us and ignore the lesson that God has shared with us.

Instead, we have to learn to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. This means that we need to ask God for wisdom to reveal to us what and when we tell others about the bad fruit that is in someone else’s life. You do not want to destroy your own testimony by gaining a reputation that you are nothing but a judgmental individual. Typically, it will be better for you if you do not outwardly judge an individual but instead help others learn to look at the bad fruits of someone’s life and allow them to make a decision that they do not like the fruit and that they need to be careful around this individual.

If God reveals something to you, it does not mean that it is for you to share with the entire world. Instead, you need to add temperance to your life and restrain your mouth from sharing with everyone the problems of others. Allow God to give you wisdom in what to say about the bad fruits of others so that you do not damage your testimony and so that you can be a faithful servant of God. While you do not judge others, you do need to examine the fruit of their life.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Have you ever heard someone justify their sin by saying something to the effect that surely God would not send them to hell for doing such and such? All around us there are those who want to go to heaven, but they want to make the fewest changes possible in order to get there. They would like to live as close to the world without being considered worldly.

However, this is not the mindset that God desires you to have. If the difference between sin and righteousness was a line in the sand, rather than thinking how close to the line you could get and still get to heaven, the real question should be how close to God can you get. God does not want you living your life on the edge of sin, instead, HE desires you to be as far away from that line as is practicable.

In this passage, Christ is teaching us that the way to eternal life is not by going with the crowd but it is living the higher standard. The Sermon on the Mount is chalked full of instructions of how we are to live to a higher standard, a standard that is not chosen by most people. Rather than kicking back and trying to live for God and live for the world, we are to make a choice.

When Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, he was instructed to eat the king’s meat. Daniel could have been bitter at God and since God had taken him from his home, then Daniel was not going to honor God with his food selection. It would have been easy to compromise and eat the king’s meat. Nonetheless, this is not what Daniel did; Daniel made a wise appeal and God blessed Daniel even though he was not in Jerusalem were he desired to be.

Have you ever wondered how you would have responded if you were instructed not to pray to God for 30 days or else you would die? Daniel had not been toying with his relationship with God and as such, he knew what he would do. When Daniel had a choice to die or to stop praying, Daniel had so much faith in God that he continued to pray. Daniel had such a close relationship with God because he was not trying to get to heaven as everyone else was, instead, he chose the narrow path that few have chosen.

We admire Daniel because of all that God was able to do through him but we fail to appreciate the steps that Daniel went through in order to be a trusted servant of God. We love to see the testimony of Daniel but few of us would be willing to experience the trials of Daniel in order to be used of God in such a dynamic way. Instead, we are comfortable with how close to the line of sin we can get without sinning.

You have been instructed to take the path less trod. You have been instructed to put the things of God first. Are you living up to that standard? Rather than asking can you do something and it not be considered sin in the eyes of God, you need to be thinking that if you do something, is it pleasing to God and will you cause someone else to stumble.

You need to change your thinking. You will not be able to change your thinking as long as you are trying to live as close to the line as possible. Instead you need to add temperance to your life so that God can give you the strength to be like Daniel and make those difficult choices that are pleasing to God. As you turn your back to the things of this world and focus your attention upon God, you will be amazed at what God can do through your life.

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Christ is teaching us how to pray. Christ is going through six elements that should be in your prayer. The second element is yielding to the will of God. We see a beautiful illustration of this in the life of Christ right before HE dies. The night before Christ is to die, we see HIM praying in the garden. Christ understands what the will of God is and HE starts will pleading that God will change HIS perfect will for Christ’s life. At the end of the prayer, Christ acknowledges the will of God and submits to following the perfect will of God.

Christ understood what the will of God was and while HE prayed that God would change HIS mind, Christ understood at the end of the day, it was the will of God that needed to be followed. There is great power in asking God to do according to HIS will. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 that if we ask anything according to HIS will, we know that HE hears us. It then says that if we know that HE hears us, we know that we will receive the petition that we request of HIM.

In 1 Samuel 7:25, we see that David is praying to God. During the prayer, David acknowledges that God had selected him and his family to serve as kings of Israel. David then prays “do as thou hast said.” There is great power in your prayer when you understand what the will of God is. Until you take the time to understand what the will of God is for your life, how will you know how to pray that God’s will be done?

However, just because the will of God has been revealed to you, that does not mean that you have to accept it and roll over. Even Christ pleaded with God to change HIS perfect will. However, once Christ knew that God did not desire to change HIS will, then Christ was ready and willing to submit to HIS perfect will.

Hezekiah is one example of a man who pleaded with God and was able to see God change HIS will. Hezekiah was told to put his house in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah was one of the great kings of Judah who did that which was right in the eyes of God. Hezekiah prayed earnestly to God to change HIS will and God heard the prayers of Hezekiah and allowed him to live 15 more years.

How did Hezekiah know that he needed to pray for longer life until HE knew that his time here on this earth was done? Hezekiah was a godly king and if God had not answered his prayers, Hezekiah most likely would have started to obey God and prepare for his successor. Nonetheless, Hezekiah did not need to do that because HE first turned to God in prayer to take his problems before the Lord in prayer.

It does not matter where you live or what is going on in your life, you need to learn to understand the will of God is for your life. This means that you need to take the time to hear the voice of God. If you do not know what God’s will is for your life, then stop and take the time to hear HIS voice. How can you truly pray that God’s will be done in your life if you do not first understand what HIS will is for your life?

It is time that you add temperance to your life so that you can weed out those things that strangle your ability to hear the voice of God. By exercising self-control over doing what you want to do, you put yourself into a position that you hear HIS voice. Once you understand the will of God, it is time that you start praying that HIS will be done in your life and the lives of others.

Matthew 5:44 do good to them that hate you,

If someone does not like you, your natural response is to avoid them or to do things to them that cause them to understand that the feelings are mutual. However, this is not the way that God desires you to live. Instead of hating those who hate you, Christ commands us to go out of our way to do good to those that hate you.

God holds us to a higher standard then HE holds the world to. You may be the only light that some people see of the love of God. If you demonstrate hate to those who hate you, they will not see the light of God in your life. It is easier to avoid those who demonstrate hate towards you, but those individuals need the love of God and by your doing good unto them, they will realize that there is something different about you and God will be able to prick their conscience and maybe one day, this will open the door for them to be saved.

When Stephen was stoned to death, he asked God to forgive those who were about to kill him. Stephen understood that these last words that he spoke would be remembered by those who were gathered. Stephen could have cried out in pain or cried out to God to spare him the pain of his death; Stephen did not do this but instead he did good to those who hated him and he asked God to forgive him.

David was another individual in the Bible who did good to those who hated him. King Saul clearly hated David and sought to do him harm. Rather than take the opportunity to kill King Saul on two different occasions when Saul was alone in the cave, David chose to do good to Saul and allow him to live. Furthermore, one night David was able to sneak into Saul’s camp past all the guards, rather than kill Saul, David chose to allow Saul to live.

One of the greatest examples of doing good to those who hate you was done by none other than the One who commanded us to do good to those who hate us. Right after Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter took a sword and cut off the ear of one of those who was there to arrest Jesus. Jesus chose to restore the ear of the man who hated him so much that he desired to kill Jesus.

Doing good is always a choice. You may not be able to choose how those around you respond to you but you do have a choice how you respond to those around you. Every day you have a choice to make, you can do good or you can do evil. The natural man does not want to take the effort to do good unless there is some reward for such good behavior. Nonetheless, you are to put off the old man and pursue the perfect will of God.

It takes great self-control to have dominion over your emotions so that you can do good to those who have done evil to you. Your mind naturally wants to think of all sorts of ways that you can do in order to get even. However, even if you never do any of the things that you are thinking about, you are not doing good and you are giving Satan a great victory over your mind since you are not filling your mind with good thoughts.

The next time someone does something evil, you should take the time to think of all the ways that you could do something good. It will take great temperance to eliminate all the evil thoughts in your mind and instead fill it with thoughts of doing good. Nonetheless, by winning this battle in your mind, you will open the doors for God to be able to use you in a mighty way. Until you start doing good to those who hate you, you will not be able to fully reflect the light of God.

Matthew 5:44b bless them that curse you,

There is power in the tongue. We have heard the story of Jacob how he deceived his own father so that he could receive a blessing. We have heard the story how David blessed Solomon and made him king rather than his older brother. We have heard the story how Jesus laid his hands on the little children and blessed them.

We live in a society that really does not understand the power of a blessing. People are so tired of being drug down by the troubles of this world that they will flock to someone who says good things about them. Young girls who do not experience their fathers love will find other men who will flatter them with lovely words before they seduce them and take advantage of them.

The world knows how to use their words to get what they want. Nonetheless, as Christians, we have lost sight of the importance of using our words to demonstrate the love of God to those around us. People desire to feel good about themselves. When you bless them with your mouth, you are encouraging them to live their lives for God and to serve HIM. A true blessing does not draw attention to the one who gives the blessing but draw attention to God.

If you were to give a blessing, you might consider giving one to your children on some special occasion. Maybe you might take the time and carefully consider the words that God has for your child as they leave the home to go to school or when they get married.

Nonetheless, in this passage, Christ is commanding you to give blessings to those that curse you. It is hard enough to come up with something good to say to your own children on a special occasion, think of how difficult it would be to come up with a blessing from God to someone who just told you that you are the world biggest failure. Do you realize how many times a day someone curses you? Do you realize how many times a day someone says something to discourage you? Christ does not want you to respond in kind but instead to break the downward cycle of using your mouth to destroy others but instead use your mouth to lift others up.

Imagine for a second that a co worker comes up to you at work tomorrow and says something like “you are nothing but a dead anchor in this office, no one likes you, you have the personality of a skunk.” Now imagine what could happen if rather than fighting back and saying “you have seen snakes with a better personality” you instead say, “you know, I know that I am not perfect and I am asking God to work in me to be a better spouse, parent, employee, and person; I cannot help but notice the long hours that you put in for the company, you are so diligent and God is going to use that diligence in your life to do something really great in your life.”

It does not matter if the person is a Christian or not, they will be shocked that instead of fighting back, you took the time to praise and bless them. While they will most likely reject the God talk, if you then start making an effort to praise them for the good that you see in them, they will know that there is something different in you and the light of God will be reflecting in your life.

Your natural response is to fight fire with fire. Rather than turn the other cheek, we want to get even and get revenge. It takes great temperance to obey the commands of Christ and to bless those who use their mouths to harm us. Rather than do what you want, you must restrain your mouth and use it for the glory of God. You do not know what God has in store for you if you will but learn to use the mouth in a way that glorifies God.

Matthew 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

During the time of Jesus, a Roman soldier could compel a man to carry his pack for a mile. It does not matter if you were busy at work harvesting your crop, if the soldier said he wanted you to carry his pack, you would have to carry his pack. One you carried the pack for a mile; you still would have to walk back to where you were. It was a major headache and caused much grumbling when you had to drop what you wanted in order to carry a soldier’s pack for a mile.

Jesus does not tell the Jews that they should stand up and fight for their rights; instead, Jesus tells the Jews that if a Roman soldier asks them to go one mile, they should go with him two. How else could the light of God reflect in your life? If all you did was walk the mile that was required, the Roman solider would not really think much of you. However, the second you insisted on walking a second mile, it would cause the Roman solider to start asking questions as to why you are different that you would go out of your way to help him.

Do you remember when you were a kid during summer break? You were free to play all day and no one was going to tell you to study for school. One day you are busy doing something you really wanted to do and all of a sudden, you hear the voice of your mother and she wants you to do some chore. Maybe you were playing a video game and your mother wanted you to weed the garden. Maybe you were reading a book and your mother wanted you to help prepare for dinner. Maybe you were playing with your favorite toy and your mother wanted you to watch your younger sibling.

It does not matter what your mother asked you to do, it was cropping in on your schedule and thus you probably did some grumbling because you were not free to do what you wanted to do when you wanted to do it. According to Jesus, if your mother told you to weed one row in the garden, you should do two. If your mother asked you to set the table, not only should you have set the table, but then you should have also swept the floor and dusted the corners. If your mother asked you to watch your sibling for 30 minutes, you should have volunteered for another 30 minutes.

It is never easy to change your attitude to not only do what is asked of your but to go the extra mile. Nonetheless, Jesus is commanding us to change our mindset and to focus upon the needs of others over our own needs. If your wife asks you to take out the trash; check all the trash bins in the house and once you pull the trash out, take a minute to wipe down the inside of the trash bin and then take the trash out. If your boss asks you to return the refreshments from the conference room to the kitchen, you also should straighten up the chairs and wipe the table down and maybe even empty the trash.

We are commanded to love our enemies. We are commanded to let our light shine. In this passage, Jesus gives us the direction of what we are to do to fulfill the other two commandments. While your boss or your wife is not the enemy, you still need to demonstrate love to them and true love will not reveal itself until you start going above and beyond what is required of you.

In order to fulfill Christ’s commands, you must say no to the temptations of putting yourself first. Your natural reaction is always to insist that you are the most important person in the world. Instead, you must add temperance to your life in order to obey Christ and put others first.

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

It is easier to seek revenge then it is to forgive someone who has wronged you. The world’s standard is to get back and get even when someone wrongs you. However, the standards of God are higher; God requires that those who are called by HIS name are to forgive those who have done something wrong.

The problem is, if we seek to obtain revenge, what we think will give us peace will actually create more turmoil in our life and the lives of others. We are told in Romans 12:19 “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” It takes great self-control to put aside your right to get back at someone who has hurt you and turn the problem over to God. It is easier to do what seemeth right in your own eyes.

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas, we see Peter quickly picking up his sword and rushing to fight against those who wished to do Jesus harm. Jesus rebuked Peter and reminded Peter how God’s will was being fulfilled through the bad actions of one whom HE loved.

We need to understand that sometimes bad things occur to us because God wants to use those opportunities to do something special in our lives. If we insist on defending our rights and going to battle over the evil that we experience, then we will be consumed by our desire for vengeance and we will miss the purpose that God has for us.

If Potiphar’s wife had not lied and told Potiphar that Joseph had tried to rape her, Joseph never would have been in prison. Joseph could have spent his time in prison trying to think of a way to get even with Potiphar’s wife but instead he decided to bloom where God had planted him and as a result, when he saw the baker and butler upset, he was ready to serve. This later opened the door for Joseph to be right where God wanted him to be.

God never promised that your life would be fair. We live in a world surrounded by evil where everyone does that which is right in their own eyes. God desires to use your life to be a light unto the world to reveal to the world the love of God. If you are insisting on getting even with everyone who has done you harm, you will be more concerned about your rights then reflecting the love of God and when the world looks at you, they will see that you are no different than them and they will quickly discount your testimony for God.

It will take great restraint on your part to not do what comes naturally and seek revenge. However, you must be like Job and understand that God is the one who gives you everything and God is the one who takes it all away. By adding temperance to your faith, virtue, and knowledge, God will give you the strength to do what you are supposed to do rather than follow the example of the world and do what seemeth right in your own eyes.

In this passage Christ calls us to a higher standard. If we desire to please God then we need to abandon our old ways and seek to forgive others rather than to obtain revenge. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. The next time someone does something that is unfair or unjust, stop and ask God how you can forgive them and demonstrate HIS love to them. By showing love when someone does evil to you, you will be living your life as God desires you to live it and God will be pleased with you.

Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Every man seems right in his own eyes until his neighbor comes and examines him. How many times have you met a person who told you some sob story that sounded so terrible but when you heard the other side of the story, you realize that the first person did do some things that justified the trouble that he was in? It is easy to fight and pursue justice and fairness for your particular situation, but you must remember that there are always two sides to every coin.

In this passage, Christ is commanding us that we have a duty to quickly make peace when we are at odds with one another. We may think that we are the most innocent person in the world, but when the judge hears the other person’s story, you have no idea what the judge is going to do. Remember Joseph, he was innocent of all charges of wrong doing; nonetheless, the judge (Potiphar) chose to believe his wife rather than Joseph. Joseph found himself unjustly in prison.

You do not know what is in store for you if you determine that you are going to pursue a matter all the way to court. Christ is commanding us to be peacemakers and try to resolve our disputes with those around us before it is out of our hands what the resolution will be. Sometimes it may be impossible to avoid not going to court because the other side insists on having a pound of flesh. If that were to happen, you need to understand that God is greater than your problems and that you at least attempted to obey God by reaching out and settling the matter.

You probably remember some time when you were a kid where your sibling was mad at you and tried to get you in trouble. They made up some kind of story and no matter how you tried to refute it, they insisted that it was true and you ended up being punished for something that you did not do. You must remember that the children of the devil are no different. They are willing to lie, cheat, and steal if it means that they get what they want.

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught us that blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. It is hard being a peacemaker because it often requires that you give up certain rights that you feel you are entitled to. Nonetheless, if you are busy fighting with another, regardless of whether or not they are a Christian, how can you expect to be free to follow the path that God has for you. When you are tied up in a fight, you will quickly find that you do not have the energy to love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

It takes great self-control to abstain from a fight for your rights. Nonetheless, Christ commands us to agree with our adversaries quickly and that we are to be peacemakers. Do not fight against God but understand that God has allowed you to face this particular trial. Adding temperance to your life and forcing yourself to be the peacemaker rather than do what you want and fight for your rights will open doors in your life that you never imagined.

Fighting will always seem like the right thing to do but it will almost always focus your attention away from the things that God would have you to do. It is easy to hold grudges and be focused upon your rights but you need to be the peacemaker and you need to do what it takes to keep your conscience clear with both God and men.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The religious leaders during the time of Jesus and the apostles had all sorts of rituals that they used to keep themselves clean. However, just because the outward body was clean, it does not mean that they had a pure heart.

Later on in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ illustrates just how easy it is to have an impure heart. Christ commands us that if one simply looks at a woman and lusts after her, he has committed adultery in his heart. Christ also commands that if we are angry with our brother, then we have committed murder in our heart.

The Sermon on the Mount is full of illustrations of how God desires us to live to a higher standard. We are commanded to go the extra mile, we are commanded to love and pray for our enemies, and we are commanded to not have two masters in our life. Christ gives us a command to be pure in heart but then HE reveals to us the things we need to do in order to be pure in heart.

It is easy to say that you are pure, but it is another thing all together to have a pure heart before God. God does not just judge our actions but HE also judges our heart. You have a choice to make, are you going to live your life for those around you to see or are you going to live your life according to the higher standards that God has for you?

Should you choose to live your life according to the perfect standards of God, God has a reward for you. In this passage we are told that if we live our lives so that we are pure in heart, we shall see God. Scripture is full of examples of individuals who God revealed HIMSELF to them. How many stories do you have where God has revealed HIMSELF to you in a personal manner?

God does not hide himself from you because HE wants to be mean. Sometimes you will not see and hear God because your heart is not right before HIM. Eli was the judge over all Israel. However, God instead chose to reveal HIMSELF to young Samuel. Age and maturity had nothing to do with whether God will reveal HIMSELF to you; instead what is important is whether your heart is in a condition that God can make HIMSELF known unto you.

Saul was the first king of Israel; however, God rejected Saul and stopped speaking to Saul. Saul had stopped living a life that was pleasing to God. Saul chose to do his own thing and God left Saul and stopped instructing Saul as to what he should do. God found a man who had a pure heart and even though this new man was not perfect, God stayed with David all of his days because David had a pure heart that desired to put the things of God first.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It does not matter how hard you try, you cannot live a perfect life like Jesus Christ. However, when you sin, it is important to God whether you have a pure heart or a heart that is full of itself. Examine your heart and see if your heart is pleasing to the Lord. Do you proclaim to be a Christian with your mouth but does your heart stink with the things of the world; if so your heart needs a transformation.

If you desire to see God alive and active in your life, then you need to first remove the influences of this world from your life. Diligently add temperance to your life so that you can say no to the things of this world and yes to the things of God. Keep your focus upon God and live your life in a manner that is pleasing to HIM.

Genesis 47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? For the money faileth.

The land of Egypt was in the midst of a seven year famine. Before God allowed the Egyptians to suffer for seven years, the Lord had blessed them with seven years of abundant harvests. However, even though everyone prospered for many years, the Egyptians were not prepared to purchase grain for seven years. Joseph had saved enough grain for everyone to purchase, but the Egyptians had spent their money and did not have enough reserves to enable them to survive during the difficult years.

The Egyptians knew that Joseph was building storehouses to prepare for seven years of famine, yet they did not prepare their personal finances to weather the difficult times. The Egyptians apparently enjoyed the times of great harvest and spent the money from the harvest. Now the Egyptians were hungry and did not have the means to purchase any food.

The more one studies history, the more one learns that things do not change. Currently there is a great downturn in the economy. Many people lived very well during the times of great financial prosperity. However, many of those people did not prepare for a financial downturn in the economy even though the financial markets have often had corrections.

Christ taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that we cannot have two masters, either we serve God or we serve the gods of this world. If our focus is upon our desires and how we might obtain them, we will soon lose sight of God and his desires for our lives. If our focus is upon money and the gods of this world, we will live for ourselves and we will fail to properly prepare for the things God has in store for us.

When King Ahab had sinned and God punished him by bringing a drought into the land, we see that Ahab spent his time trying to find Elijah to punish him. Ahab also spent his time trying to find water rather than repenting and getting his heart right with the Lord. The Lord was bringing a great famine upon the nation of Israel and they were so caught up in the fact that they did not have food that they failed to cry out to God for deliverance.

When difficult circumstances occur in your life, you need to cry out to God. God is the only one who can save you. God is the only one who can rescue you from your present distress. You may have sinned and violated the perfect plan of God; nonetheless, HE is faithful and just to forgive you and to save you from all unrighteousness.

Stop focusing upon the gods of this world. When you add temperance to your life, you enable yourself to say no to the things of this world and yes to the things of God. The world has much to offer you, but after you partake of the things of this world, you will find that they do not satisfy and you will find yourself continuing to long for that which does not satisfy. When you seek first the kingdom of God, you find true contentment and peace that passeth all understanding.

The Egyptians had squandered their possessions and found themselves in a very difficult situation. However, even though they were in a difficult situation, they tried to satisfy their problem with their own strength. They refused to learn; they refused to change from their wicked ways and turn to the God of Joseph who had prepared a way to escape.

Genesis 43:23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Joseph had made a gift to his brothers by returning their money unto them. When the brothers questioned Joseph’s steward about the money being in their sacks, the steward stated that he had received their money and that it must have been a gift from God.

Joseph could have taken credit for returning the money to his brothers. Most people when they make a large gift do not do it in such a way that God receives the glory. However, this is exactly what Christ commands us to do in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ commanded us that we are to make our gifts in secret so that our heavenly father may see and reward us openly.

The return of the money was a gift. Joseph did not want the credit for this gift. Instead, Joseph desired that God receive the credit. Joseph desired that his brothers turn their attention to God and realize that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob loved them and desired to have a personal relationship with them. By returning the money to his brothers, Joseph desired to show to his brothers that God is alive and that HE was looking to protect them.

If Joseph took the glory for returning the money, his brothers would never have had their focus drawn to God as their provider. Had Joseph made himself known unto his brothers, they would have expected that their food would be free. Joseph was wise in how he handled the situation so that it was God who received the glory.

When God brings to your attention someone who has a need that you are able to meet, you need to take the time to see how you can meet this need so that God receives the glory. Ask God to show you how you can meet the need in a unique way so that the receiver of the gift does not know that you were the one who made the gift. If you succeed in giving in secret, then you have position yourself so that God can reward you openly.

You like to hear people sing your praises. You love it when people pat you on the back and say job well done. You desire for others to recognize the good things that you have done. It takes a lot of faith to do something that only God sees. Nonetheless, this is what Joseph did and this is what God expects you to do. God desires that those who are called by HIS name to live their lives for HIM in such a way that those around you see the light of God reflecting through your life. When people look at you, they should see God and their attention should be drawn to HIM. God is alive and powerful; how will the world know this unless you draw their attention unto HIM.

The desire for praise is very strong. When we are contemplating what we are going to do, it is often in the forefront of our minds. However, God does not want your focus to be upon the praises of man. This is why God desires you to diligently add temperance to your life. By focusing your attention upon the desires of God, you will find the freedom to live your life so that God receives the glory for your actions.

The brothers of Joseph were ready to make restitution for the money that was returned unto them. However, Joseph had instructed his steward to focus his brother’s attention back to God. You need to take the time to focus others attention to God. You need to think of ways that you can give gifts in secret so that your Father which is in heaven can reward you openly. It is not about you and what you can get for yourself; it is about HIM.

Genesis 39:7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

Joseph was a slave in Egypt. Because Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph, he gave Joseph great responsibility. However, Potiphar was not the only person who noticed Joseph, Potiphar’s wife also saw Joseph and she allowed the desires of her heart to grow to the point that she was willing to commit adultery with Joseph.

Jesus taught us that sin starts in the heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ showed us that if a man lusts after a woman in his heart, he has already committed adultery with her. While Joseph and Potiphar’s wife never had sexual intercourse, Potiphar’s wife had already committed adultery with Joseph in her mind. Potiphar’s wife saw something she desired and she allowed her personal desires to control her actions.

The sin of Potiphar’s wife was the result of her being unable to control her eyes and her heart. When she first saw Joseph and started desiring him, Potiphar’s wife needed to exercise temperance in her life to restrain herself from desiring that which was not proper. By exercising self-control, she put herself in a position where she was willing to yield to the temptation of committing adultery.

When you sin and fall short of the glory of God, most of the time, you allowed yourself to be put into a position where you would yield to the temptation. By failing to properly guard your mind, you allowed your mind to dwell upon that which is not right. The longer you dwelt upon the sin, the more ways you find to justify the act itself.

You must learn to take control over your mind. Rather than allow your mind to be filled with things that are not pleasing to God, you must fill your mind with scripture. Rather than meditating upon the lusts of your flesh, you should be meditating upon the words of God and HIS will for your life.

Just because you avoid committing the act of adultery, it does not mean that you are free from committing the sin of adultery. Not only must you exercise self-control over your actions to avoid putting yourself into the position where you will yield to committing an act that is displeasing to God, you must also exercise self-control over your mind so that you do not allow your heart to long to commit an act that you know is a sin.

Most people easily understand how the act of adultery is sin. However, they have a hard time understanding the teachings of Jesus that lusting in your heart is also the same as committing adultery. In order to understand the teaching of Jesus, one should think about an orange. Looking up into the tree, the orange may look ripe and tasty. However, if a worm got inside the orange, when you picked the orange off the tree, it would be soft and mushy, not fit for consumption. The same is true with our lives; the sin of lust in our heart destroys us inside-out destroying our testimony for God.

Potiphar’s wife may never have committed the act of adultery with Joseph but her heart had already yielded to the sin and if Joseph had not remained strong, they both would have been guilty of adultery. Do not be deceived; do not allow your eyes and heart to dwell upon that which is not proper. We serve an all knowing God and HE sees both your actions and your heart.

Genesis 35:5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

Dinah had just been raped and two of Jacob’s sons had killed all the men in the city where their sister was abused. Jacob chastised his sons because he feared that his entire family would be killed by those seeking revenge for the killing of their loved ones. Jacob worried that the situation was soon going to escalate as the inhabitants of the Promise Land sought eye for an eye revenge.

The fears of Jacob were unjustified. God was with Jacob and God was not going to allow the family of Jacob to be destroyed because his sons defended their sister’s honor. Jacob had lost sight of God’s promises for his life and this is why he allowed worry to enter into his life when God did not want him to worry.

It is easy to take your eyes off of the promises of God. As you focus upon that which God desires you to focus upon, you will fill your mind with thoughts that God never desired you to think about. The longer you mind is not upon the things of God, the more Satan will be able to tempt you into concerning things that are never going to occur.

Jacob had seen God protect him from his brother Esau and from Laban, Jacob did not need to worry about the inhabitance of the Promise Land. God was working on behalf of Jacob and God made sure that those who desired to do harm to Jacob feared the Lord. God worked in their minds and caused Jacob’s enemies to fear that Jacob was stronger than he was.

Throughout scripture we see how God put the fear of the Lord in the enemies of those who served God. When the nation of Israel re-entered the Promise Land, we learn that God the city of Jericho feared God because 40 years earlier he had utterly destroyed the Egyptian army with the Red Sea.

Jesus commanded us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are not to worry. God is our protector and provider. HE does not want us to waste our time thinking about what could go wrong. Instead we need to focus our attention upon the promises of God. As we remember what HE has promised us, we do not need to worry about what may occur. God desires that our focus be on HIM, not on our problems.

If we take the time to add temperance to our life, we will be able to say no to the temptation to start worrying about the things of this world. Worry is a common temptation. However, we can overcome worry by simply saying no and exercising the faith that is necessary so that God can be glorified through your life. It is easy to worry, but you need to exercise self-control so that God might be glorified in your life.

Jacob was worried about what others might do to him so he did not properly protect and defend his daughter. Jacob was worried about what others might do so he chastised his sons for doing what he probably should have done. Jacob did not have to worry because God had already taken care of the problem. God protected Jacob by putting the fear of the Lord in Jacob’s enemies. Jacob had no need to fear and as such, his fears were simply a waste of his time and were a determent to the growth of his faith. Your faith will grow when you allow your focus to be placed upon the promises of God rather than the worries of the world.

Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which sadist unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

Jacob is facing a trial that is too big for him. Jacob was returning home and he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. When Jacob had left his father’s house, Jacob was aware that Esau was angry at him for stealing his brother’s blessing. Now that Esau was coming with 400 men, Jacob feared that he was a dead man.

Jacob did a very wise thing. Jacob stopped and prayed back to God the promises that God had given unto him. Jacob did not assume that because God had told him to return to the promise land that he would automatically live. However, Jacob reminded God that he was obeying HIM and he then proceeded to ask God to deliver him from his brother Esau.

Praying back the promises of God is an important lesson we can learn. From time to time, God will show us HIS will for our life. Frequently, God will not immediately give us that which HE has already shown us HE desires to do. Satan loves to use this time of waiting to distract you with trials and temptations. We must be like Jacob and be willing to go back to the promises of God so that we do not sin when we are faced with options.

God speaks to us today, are you listening? Are you even placing yourself in a position that you can hear the voice of God? If you are not reading and meditating upon the words of God, how can you expect to hear HIS voice? If you are not taking the time to pray to God, how can you expect to hear HIS voice? If you are not hearing the voice of God, how do you expect to be able to follow the example of Jacob and pray back the promises of God?

Jacob was not the most spiritual person in the world. As you can see by this passage, his relationship with God was because his father and grandfather both had a relationship with God. Jacob was soon going to be wrestling with God which would result in Jacob having a deeper relationship with God. However, despite the fact that Jacob had a shallow relationship with God, Jacob understood the principle that God does not lie. Jacob understood that when he prayed to God, it was best to start with the principle that God had shown him.

George Muller was a man of faith who did great things in England. When Muller asked the Lord for something, he first turned to the scriptures and found a promise from God. Now that he had heard what the will of God was for his situation, he had the confidence to go to the Lord in prayer and ask God to give him the thing that he needed.

When Jesus taught us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount, the second element of the Lord’s Prayer is that we pray that the Lord’s will be done. How can we pray that the Lord’s will be done if we have not first taken the time to understand what the will of God is? Jesus commanded us to pray that the Lord’s will be done, this assumes that we know the Lord’s will. Thus, God desires to show us HIS will, all we need to do is ask.

We need to rid ourselves of our own plans and agendas when it comes to our prayers. If we desire to see God work in our life, we need to add temperance and put away the things of this world so that we are free to pursue the perfect will of God. Like Jacob we need to learn to start praying back the promises of God so that our faith will grow.

Acts 19:19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Salvation is not just a fire insurance policy that you purchase and put in a safe place only to forget about. As a result of salvation, there should be an obvious change in your life that will cause those around you to know that you are no pursuing the things of this world but you are now pursuing the things of God.

The people of Ephesus had heard the preaching of Paul and they turned from their wicked ways. Because of their commitment to God, they no longer needed their instruments that they used to practice magical arts. These people understood that they were no longer worshiping the gods made by the imaginations of men but they were now worshiping a God that had imagined them and created them.

The people of Ephesus understood that they could not serve God and the things of this world. The things of this world would distract them from worshiping God and would result in drawing them away from God. As such, the people of Ephesus completely cut ties with the things of this world that would hinder their relationship with God. They did not care the cost of these items, because nothing was more important to them then that they had a clear conscience before God.

What sacrifices will you make to ensure that the things of this world do not tempt you? What steps are you willing to take to make sure that your relationship with God remains pure? Satan knows your weakness; he knows what to bring into your life to distract you from pursuing the perfect will of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded us that it is better to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand then you find your whole body in hell. We serve a Holy God. When we sin, we destroy our relationship with God. Christ was teaching that we may need to take extreme means in order to ensure that we remain faithful to God. The people of Ephesus did this when they burned their books that taught of things that were not pleasing to God.

When Daniel was taken captive, he easily could have eaten the meat that the king had commanded him to eat. Daniel could have justified his actions by saying that the God who made the rules that he could not eat meat is the same God that now has him thousands of miles from home serving an ungodly king. However, Daniel had committed in his heart that he was going to put God first in his life and as such he refused to eat the meat of the king.

Because Daniel removed the temptation of disobeying God from his life, Daniel was able to see God use him mightily over many years in a foreign land. Daniel refused to allow the things of this world to control him. He demonstrated self-control by saying no to meat which helped him remain true to God in other areas of his life.

We must follow the example of the people of Ephesus and add temperance to our lives so that we remove from our lives the distractions of this world. As we say no to the things of the world, we must fill the void with the things of God. As we draw closer to God, God will be able to use us in a mighty way as HE used Daniel. It all starts with you saying no to the things of this world and saying yes to the things of God.

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

There is a great controversy in the early New Testament church. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas have all spoken against requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised as a requirement of salvation. James, one of the apostles now speaks and he lays out four requirements that the Gentiles should abide by. These four requirements are not requirements for salvation, but things that they should do in order to demonstrate to the world that they have forsaken the old ways and have become Christians.

The four items listed by James are all items that the Jews were not able to do as a part of their being separated as the chosen people of God. The Gentiles lived in societies that naturally did that which was right in their own eyes. The Gentiles worshiped false gods and the lusts of the flesh were predominate.

Christ had called HIS followers to abide by a higher calling. Those who are called by HIS name not only proclaimed to follow HIM, but also, and more importantly, their lives naturally demonstrated a major transformation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ laid out a road map of how God desired us to live. It is clear by the commands of Christ that God not only looks at our actions but that HE also looks at our heart.

In giving this list of four times, James was encouraging the Gentile believers that not only should their hearts be right before God, but that the world should be able to look at them and see a difference. If the world sees the believers compromising their religions by going to Church on Sunday but in the temple of some false god later in the week, then the world would quickly label them as a hypocrite and would lose all confidence that Christianity really had anything to offer.

Christ had commanded the Christians that they were not to commit fornication. However, some of the Gentiles must have not forsaken their old ways even though they were proclaiming the name of Christ. While fornication may have been acceptable or at least tolerated by the Gentiles, fornication is a clear violation of commands of God, and the Gentile believers needed to start living to the higher standards that God had called them to.

The Gentile believers needed to learn the important lesson of temperance. Just because they were saved by grace, it did not mean that they could do what they wanted whenever they wanted to. Instead, they needed to show self-control and start abstaining from of the lusts of this world so that God through them might be glorified. By saying no to the things of this world, the light of God could more brightly shine through them.

Too often, I hear of Christians who believe that they can do what they want when they want because they are saved by grace. They feel that they have the freedom to sin because God will forgive them. Rather than allow their faith to change their behavior, they treat their faith as a fire insurance policy which allows them to live their lives as they wish but not have to face the consequences for their actions.

It is time for you to change. Just as the Gentile Christians were told to stop living like the world while proclaim their faith in God; so also must you stop living like the world and relying upon the forgiveness of Christ to pardon your sins. This is not the life that God desires you to live.

Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Ananias and Sapphira had just attempted to deceive their fellow believers. They had sold a piece of land and tried to tell Peter that they were giving the entire proceeds of the sale to the New Testament Church. However, they had held back part of the proceeds of the sale and God had both Ananias and Sapphira die.

Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that a person who fasts or a person who gives so that he receives the praises of man will not receive eternal rewards but his reward will be the praises of man. Why is it that God killed Ananias and Sapphira immediately and simply did not allow them to receive the praises of man here on this earth? There are plenty of people who are acting very similar to Ananias and Sapphira today in that they are trying to pretend that they are very holy to the church while keeping one foot in the world and we do not see God killing them.

Why did God single out Ananias and Sapphira when HE has equal opportunity to do so today? There may be many reasons, but probably the reason why God had Ananias and Sapphira killed has to do with the holiness of the Church. Remember, the early Christian Church on many occasions was working in one accord. Because the Church was acting in one accord, the power of God was flowing through the Church and great good was being done. God did not want sin to enter in and destroy the oneness of fellowship thus destroying the power of the Church.

Remember when Achan had sinned at Jericho. As sins go, it really did not seem so bad, but as a result of that sin, the protection of God had left the nation of Israel and man innocent men had lost their lives. Until Achan and his family were put to death, the nation of Israel was not going to be in a position to obey God and see the concurring of the Promise Land. Sin had to be removed so that the power of God could return.

Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God. However, when they disobeyed God, God had to remove them from the garden for their sin and their relationship with God was never the same. God longs for us to have a close relationship with HIM. The New Testament Church had a wonderful relationship with God and God was working through them adding to the church daily. Because great was the power of God with this group, great was the punishment of anyone who tried to break up that unity so that Satan could have a stronghold.

The church that you are a part of today is not united in one accord. Because the church is serving God and serving the world, the world does not see the power of God demonstrated through our lives. If we as individuals started showing some self-control and started to serve God with all our hearts and started to meet with one accord, we might see the protection of God in ways that we currently do not experience. Why do you think the church is under such attack today? If the church were truly serving God, do you think the strongholds of this world could really stand against the powers of God?

You cannot control how everyone else responds to God, but you are accountable to God for how you respond. You can demonstrate temperance by not allowing the things of this world to control you. As you put the things of God first in your life, the power of God will start be demonstrating through your life. God does need the entire world to change in order to start a revival; all HE needs is a small group of Christians to once again fully dedicate their lives to the Lord.

Matthew 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

Christ has just completed the Sermon on the Mount. In this verse, we are told the response of the people who heard the commands of Christ. We are told that the people were astonished. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, astonish means amazed, confounded with fear, surprise, or admiration. The commands of Christ found in the Sermon on the Mount was not what people expected to hear.

In the next verse, we are told that Christ had said these words as one who had authority, and we are also told that he did not speak as the religious leaders of the day. You must understand, the commands of Christ are a radical change from the traditions of their fathers. The Jews have been living their entire life making sure that they were following the traditions and making the right sacrifices at the right time so as to make sure that they pleased God.

All of a sudden, here comes a man speaking with authority telling them that God is more concerned with their heart then HE is with their actions. Their entire focus has been upon what they could do for God so that they can earn HIS good pleasure. Now all of a sudden, here is a man who is telling them that if their heart is not right, God is not pleased with them.

The Sermon on the Mount is really the first major direction from God about how the nation of Israel was to order its life since Moses received the law. While Christ made clear that HE was not here to abolish the law, this new law really was much different from the traditions that the Jews had been following for many years.

The problem with the Jews was not that they were not capable of having a personal relationship with God, the problem was that the Jews were so focused upon the law that they failed to maintain the relationship that God desired to have with HIS people.

David is just one example of an Israelite who had a personal relationship with God. We are told that David had a heart after the heart of God. David understood that HIS relationship with God was the most important thing. Saul on the other hand was focused upon himself and while both David and Saul had sinned, God showed great mercy upon the house of David because of the relationship that David had with God.

The Law of Moses was filled with many things that the Israelites were to do and what they were not to do. Because the nation became so focused upon traditions, they lost sight of God. Christ was concerned about restoring that relationship with God and as such, HE taught us in this passage where the proper focus is to be so that we can live a life pleasing to God.

It is easy to go to church and just do the motions each week. You can wear nice clothing, you can sing the songs, you can close your eyes and hear the prayers, and you can say amen at the appropriate times during the sermon. You can fool a lot of people into believing that you are a good person, but God looks at your heart and your righteousness is as filthy rags.

You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. As you focus your attention upon what God desires you to do, you will learn that God is concerned about your relationship with HIM. Your focus should not be on traditions but on the relationship.

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Are you a wise man or are you a fool? In this passage, Christ reveals to us who is wise and who is foolish. The wise man is one who hears the teachings of Jesus and applies them to his life. The foolish man is one who hears what Christ commanded and determines that while they are good suggestions, one is permitted to do what they want when they want.

The thing is, from the outside, both individuals could appear to be serving God. However, when trials come, it will quickly be revealed to all what kind of foundation has been laid. The house that was built upon the sand worked just fine until the storms arose. So too, the man who does that which is right in his own eyes appears to be enjoying life and having no problems.

Every one of us at some time in our life will face some unexpected trial. How we survive that trial will be determined long before we enter the trial. If our life is established upon the laws of God and doing HIS perfect will, then, when a trial arises, we will be in a position that we can remain content regardless what is going on around us.

Do you want to be like Peter or like Judas? Both men followed Jesus and heard HIS commands. Peter was rough around the edges and he sinned by denying Jesus. We really do not know too much about Judas other than at some point, his love of money drove him to betray the one whom he had agreed to follow. Both men came to realize that their actions were wrong; however, there responses were completely different. When Peter realized what he had done, he went out and cried while Judas simply went out and hung himself.

Peter was a wise man, he had seen Christ forgive prostitutes and tax collectors and as such, he was still willing to serve Christ. Judas was foolish and the trial of him realizing that he had betrayed the Son of God caused him to believe that his sin was unforgiveable and as such he took his own life.

A foolish man, once they have started the downward destructive cycle, there is little hope for escape. A wise man will see the storm but because their life is establish firmly on the rock, it does not matter what is going on around them, they know that this world is not their home and that regardless of the storms God is in control.

There is a firm foundation, a rock upon which you can establish your life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ takes the time to teach us the things that we are supposed to do in order to live a life that is pleasing to God. God is not going to make us obey HIM, however, if we hear the commands of God and willfully chose not to follow them, we are harming ourselves.

Are you a wise man or are you a fool? Have you taken the time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life? Are you daily studying HIS word to hear what HE has to say and then practically applying these principles to your daily life?

Until you are willing to put God first in your life, your life will be like the house built upon sand. Remember, God created man and put him in a garden where man had daily fellowship with God. Until you learn to restore perfect fellowship with God, you will discover that you are a foolish man and your life will not have the purpose that you desire.

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

One of the biggest mistakes most Christians make is that while they admit that they are saved by grace, they still feel that they are judged by God based upon their works. While God will judge you for your actions, more importantly, Christ is showing us in this passage that the most important thing is your relationship with God.

In this passage, Christ reveals to us that we can do all sorts of wonderful things in the name of Christ, but if we do not have that perfect relationship with HIM, our life will be worthless. Christ is revealing to us that it is more important to make sure that your relationship with God is in order than to make sure that everyone looking at you believes that you are a Christian.

When you focus on your relationship with God, as a natural result of that relationship, you will have the power of God in your life and your life will be a testimony to others of what God can do through you. Just because you focus on doing good works for God, it does not mean that you have a relationship.

What is more important to you, that God knows you have a personal relationship with HIM or that the world around you thinks you have a relationship with God?

We often desire the praises of man more than the praises of God. When we focus on the praises of man, it does not matter what we are doing, God is not pleased and we could end up being very shocked when we reach heaven and find out that God does not claim to know us even though we proclaim to know him.

There is a popular story of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War where some generals were asking whether the Lord was on the side of the Union. Abraham Lincoln wisely remarked that the question was not whether the Lord was with the Union but whether the Union was on the side of God. The words of Lincoln were not original – they were illustrated in this passage by Christ many years before.

Stop worrying about whether the Lord will be with you on a particular endeavor. Instead, you need to take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God for your life. As you study what God will have you to do, you will then understand what you need to do in order to be on the side of the Lord. Your actions should be focused around doing the perfect will of God. How can you do the will of God if you have not taken the time to understand what the will of God is?

When Christ was on this earth, HE did not follow the disciples around, HE commanded the disciples to follow HIM. The disciples did not have to follow Christ, but once they committed to following HIM, than they must follow through good or evil.

You did not have to become a Christian and follow Christ. Of your own free will you had the option to follow Christ. However, once you relinquished control over your life, you cannot afford to dictate to God how you are going to live your life. Instead, you must focus your attention upon hearing the words of God and living your life so that HE might be glorified through you. Your relationship with God is the most important thing.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

In this passage, Christ commands us to beware of false prophets. In the next verse, we are told how we are to recognize a sheep from a wolf. Christ tells us that we will know them by their fruits. If we look at the fruits of a man, we should easily discern whether they are dedicating their life to the Lord or whether they are dedicating their life unto themselves.

There are people all around you who may have smooth words, but the doctrine of their mouth will lead to destruction. If you are focused upon the words of an individual, you could easily be led astray. In this passage, Christ is showing us the importance of being vigilant and making sure that we stay on the narrow path.

Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.

Put another way, you can tell more about a man by the fruit of his life than you can about the words that he speaks. Remember that our adversary the devil is a liar. Satan loves to use lies to deceive you into wondering off of the narrow path that God has for you. These false prophets that you face are simply tools of Satan to cause you to doubt the ways of God and once you start doubting, you become an easier pray.

When Eve was in the Garden, Satan came to her in the image of a serpent. Satan was like a wolf, seeking ways that he could destroy man and the perfect relationship that man had with God. Eve focused upon the words of Satan and quickly found herself doubting God. Because of her doubt, she sinned and quickly found herself full of guilt and shame and she eventually lost her ability to live in the garden.

We understand by scripture that Satan had been kicked out of heaven. If Eve had started to study the walk of the serpent, God would have revealed to her the fruit of the serpent and enlightened her on how she should not follow the serpent to her own destruction. Remember, Eve had a perfect relationship with God, all she had to do was ask God and God could have revealed to her the trap that she was about to walk into.

Nonetheless, Eve liked what she heard and as a result, she walked into a trap of Satan and was destroyed. Eve was destroyed because she took her eyes off of God and put them upon herself. She did not choose to examine the history of the serpent and instead took for granted the words that he spoke. Eve lost more than you and I will ever have because she failed to be careful about the smooth words of the deceiver.

All around you there are scorners and scoffers of the perfect way of God. God has a perfect plan for your life, but you are the one who must be careful that you are not deceived by those who appear to be serving God but in reality are serving Satan. These individuals would take great offense that they are not serving God, but the fruits of their life should reveal the truth.

You shall know them by their fruits. If you are going to walk the narrow path of the ways of God, you must be vigilant to ensure that you are not deceived by the false prophets. You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. You must take the time to talk to God in prayer and ask HIM to reveal to you the fruit of those whom are instructing you.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

During HIS life, Christ taught us that HE is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes unto God except through HIM. In this passage, Christ commands us to enter in at the narrow gate. Christ is referring here to the fact that there is only one way to God and that is through HIM. The world is full of false religions that try to create alternate ways to get to God. However, while these other religions give a wonderful false sense of security; if you do not do the way God told you to do it, you are in danger of the judgment.

In the next verse, Christ reveals to us that not only is the gate narrow, but so is the path to life. Christ is showing us that HE not only set up a narrow gate by which all must enter, but then, that individual must stay on the narrow path if they wish to have life. HThis means, it is not only important to become a Christian, but it is also equally important to stay on the narrow path during your Christian walk.

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. This means that we are not perfect and we will make mistakes while we are on the path. In the book Pilgrims Progress, Christian decided to get off the narrow path and to walk on a nearby path that appeared to be going the same direction. However, the nearby path led to Doubter’s castle. This mistake almost cost Christian his life but he repented and returned to the path and allowed his life to be a warning to others to not make the same mistake that he made.

When we wonder off the narrow path, we need to seek the forgiveness of God and return to the path that HE has placed us upon. Because the path is narrow, it takes knowledge of the ways of God in order to not be led astray. Too many Christians simply did not take the time to understand how God desires them to live their lives. They became a Christian as a way to prevent them from going to hell.

However, ignorance of the laws of God is no excuse when you at the judgment seat of God. God has given you the ability to understand the way that HE has for you. If you refuse to take the time to understand exactly what HE has for you, then you are the one who is jeopardizing your own soul.

You need to take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. If you were walking a narrow trail high above some rocky cannon, you would be very careful to ensure that you did not make a mistake and that you remained upon the path because any false set could be catastrophic. The same is true for our Christian life. We need to be just as cautious in our own life as we walk on the narrow path that God has for us. We need to carefully examine our walk to ensure that we are staying on the narrow path that God has for us. We need to take the time to study the ways of God so that we do not wonder from HIS perfect will.

The reasoning of man can very quickly lead you off of the narrow path. Instead of relying upon your own reasoning and your own strength, you must daily seek God and learn what HE would have you to do. As you focus your attention upon doing the right thing, God will be able to bless you and allow you to bear much fruit. However, as long as you insist on obeying God your own way, you will not be on the narrow path and you will face the wrath of God on judgment day.

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

In the previous verses, Jesus tells us that if our son asks for bread, we would not give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish we would not give him a snake. Jesus then analogizes this principle to us asking God for good things. We are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. However, even though we are sinners, we do not go out and cause harm to those who we love.

God is perfect, HE has no sin. In God there is no evil. If we who are evil know how to take care of those whom we love, how much more does God know how to take care of us whom HE loves?

This passage really reveals to us our own misunderstandings about who we are and who God is. In our own minds, we may acknowledge that we are not perfect, but we do not see ourselves as evil. Calling ourselves evil is not the first thing that comes to our mind. However, all of our good works are as filthy rags. Apart from God we are nothing.

The second thing that this passage reveals to us is that God is good. Because of our own sinful nature, sin has clouded our perspective of who God really is. Because God does not answer our prayers right away or because HE allows some tragic event to occur in our life, we often fail to see just how much God loves us.

God is good. God loves us so much that HE sent HIS only Son to die for us so that we might have renewed fellowship with HIM again. However, this is not the only good thing that HE has done for you. God desires that you learn how to communicate with HIM. Just as a son has fellowship with his father, so God desires that you have fellowship with HIM.

God is not going to give you everything you wish. Your earthly father did not spoil you by giving you what you wanted when you wanted it, so why should you expect God to do the same? Your earthly father loved you so much that at times, he did not intervene on your behalf but instead he would let you try something on your own knowing that you would not succeed. He did this knowing that once you failed, you would turn to him and that you would be ready to listen to his advice.

God could intervene in our life more than HE does. However, it is because of HIS love for us that HE allows us to face the consequences of our actions. God does not leave us or forsakes us; we are the ones who leave HIM and forsake HIM.

It is time for you to learn who God is. It is time for you to understand what it means to have a personal relationship with your Father in Heaven. You must take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God. You need to stop blaming God for all your problems. Learn to develop a relationship with God and this relationship will last you for many years to come.

God has many good things in store for you. God is willing to direct you, protect you, and provide for you – why do you fail to ask HIM? God desires to bless you and give you the peace that passeth all understanding – why do you fail to ask HIM? God desires to have a personal relationship with you – why do you fail to ask HIM? We serve a loving God; you need to understand that. You need to take the time to understand who God is.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

How many good things of God do you not have because you have failed to even ask God to give them to you? You ask not because you are afraid of what God might do. You fear that if you ask God for direction, that HE might send you to some third world country to live the rest of your life. As such, you would rather just not know the will of God since you believe it would be better to not know the will of God then to know it and disobey it.

There is a difference between asking, seeking, and knocking. If you were to walk into a business and ask them for a job, that would be completely different than doing research on a company to determine who was hiring and which company might have a need for your services. The difference between asking and knocking reveals a difference in intensity. When you are knocking, it demonstrates a diligence and perseverance. An individual who is knocking will not quickly give up.

God desires that we learn to ask, seek, and knock to discover a knowledge of the ways of God. We must be willing to take the time to not only ask God to reveal HIMSELF to us, but that we must be willing to set aside the time necessary to hear from God. We must be diligent and insist that we are not going to stop pursuing God until HE gives us that which HE has promised us.

We need to be like the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. She fought through the crowd knowing that if she only touched Jesus, then she would be healed. It was her faith and perseverance that healed her.

We need to be like the Gentile woman who insisted that Jesus heal her daughter. Jesus told the woman that HE was called to the nation of Israel. This woman did not leave but insisted that even if she was a dog, the dogs were entitled to crumbs. Jesus tells us about two individuals who had great faith and this woman was one of them.

When was the last time you set aside time to get alone with God? When was the last time you told God that you were going to abstain from eating until God revealed HIMSELF to you? When was the last time you put your focus fully on God and sought to grow in your relationship with HIM?

You must understand that it is not God who draws away from us, it is us who draws away from HIM. God desires to do great things through us, but too often, we fail to ask, seek, and knock because we are comfortable where we are at today.

It is time for you to put the things of God first in your life. It is time for you to start growing in your relationship with God. How can you live a life of contentment if you do not understand what God desires you to do next?

God desires to make the paths of your life clear. God does lead you through some difficult times but you can be assured that no matter how great your trial, God is ready and able to guide you every step of the way. God is waiting for you to just ask HIM. HE promises that if you ask, you will receive, if you seek you will find, and if you knock it will be opened unto you. What have you to fear?

Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

There are those who you will come in contact with who do not appreciate the ways of God. In this verse, Christ commands you to be discerning, to understand the type of person that you are in contact with and not to play a fool. If you are dealing with an individual who scorns the ways of God, then do not waste your time trying to teach them the ways of God; these individuals will simply dismiss your words and they will then turn on you and cause you much harm.

This verse does not mean that you are allowed to burry your head in the sand and never confront someone who does not believe as you believe. Elijah knew that Ahab and Jezebel hated him. However, that did not stop him from appearing before Ahab and proclaiming the words of God.

Paul knew that the religious leaders in Jerusalem did not appreciate that he was called by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Nonetheless, Paul was willing to die in Jerusalem to share with the religious leaders his testimony of how God used him to preach to those who the Jews considered unclean.

During the ministry of Jesus, one of the religious leaders had a daughter who was sick and he came to Jesus and requested Jesus to heal his daughter. As Jesus was on his way, a servant came and informed the religious leader that his daughter had died. Jesus did not stop but went to the house and proclaimed that the daughter was only sleeping. Those who were around mourning the death of this young girl laughed and because of their laughter, Jesus only took three of his disciples and the parents to see the miracle from God.

That day, Jesus demonstrated great power in raising the dead damsel. Nonetheless, because of the scorning from the crowd, Jesus commanded the family that they were not to speak of the miracle that they had seen. Imagine being that family who just saw God work a mighty miracle in their life and being told that you were not allowed to share the truth with anyone. What had happened to the family was a pearl of God, but if they were to share it, no one would believe them and they would be ridiculed.

It takes great discernment to determine whether you are being bold for the cause of Christ or whether you are casting your pearls before swine. The only way you are going to obtain the discernment necessary to obey the commands of Christ will be to spend much time adding knowledge of the ways of God so that you can hear HIS still small voice.

There are several times throughout the life of Christ that HE instructed someone not to share what had happened. In the same way that Christ shared with those around HIM what was to be repeated and what was to be kept in, so also, God through the Holy Spirit can reveal to you when you are to speak with boldness and when you need to shut up and just enjoy the presence of God.

How can you expect to hear the voice of God when you are crowding your mind with the things of this world? There are many difficult decisions that you must make during your life and as such, you need to be able to hear the still small voice of God. You have a duty to God to obey HIS commands and to teach others to do the same; how can you obey God when you do not even understand what HE is telling you to do? Take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God so that the still small voice of God will be clearly understood.

Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

The more you study the commands of Christ, the more you realize what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. In this verse Christ commands us to not judge. Christ goes on to explain that we have an obligation to first judge our own life and to ensure that we are living a life that is pleasing unto the Lord.

This principle is best demonstrated by Jesus when the religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery. Jesus told the religious leaders that the one who was without sin should throw the first stone. We do not know what Jesus was writing when he stooped down and wrote in the sand, but we do know that whatever he wrote, it caused all the religious leaders to leave and not judge the woman caught in adultery.

It is pretty easy for you to judge others. Judging others comes in so many forms. When you discover that someone has sinned, how do you handle them? When someone who is poor asks you for money, how do you treat them?

We all have violated the commands of Christ as set forth in this verse. We must remember that it is God in heaven who is the ultimate Judge. Christ demonstrated great mercy while he was here on this earth and we should be following HIS example. This does not mean that we are allowed to condone sin.

When Christ died on the cross, we see that HE was placed between two sinners. One of the sinners confessed who Christ was while the other was too proud to acknowledge that he was a sinner worthy of death and that Christ was pure and holy. As we study the life of Christ, we see that HE is willing to save whosoever will call on HIS name.

Have you ever met an individual who if you tell them they cannot do something, they do it anyway to prove to you that they can. When you are judgmental, you may actually be encouraging someone to continue to live in sin because they want to prove to you that they can continue to live the way that they do.

If you desire to obey God and be a soul winner and bring others to HIM, then you must start following the commands of Christ. How can you live the commands of Christ if you do not take the time to study how Christ expects you to live? It is your knowledge of the ways of God that will enable you to live a life that causes the world to desire what you have.

Rather than judge your neighbor, you need to show love to those who God brings into your life. This means that you must love the sinner but still hate the sin. This is not an easy command of Christ but it is one that we must master if we desire to be used of God. Rather than focus upon the faults of others, we must always be looking at our own life and find the ways that God desires that we change and grow closer to HIM.

How many marriages would be different if the couples would just apply the principles found in this passage? Imagine what would happen if the husband was more concerned about finding and correcting his own problems then he was about finding problems with his wife. Imagine if the wife were to do the same. If you had a couple more concerned with their own faults then they were with the faults of their spouse, then love could really flourish in that home.

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Do you realize how much time you spend thinking about things that you cannot change? How much time do you spend worrying about what might happen? Christ is teaching us in this passage that we are not to have our focus upon tomorrow. If you are constantly worried about tomorrow and what tomorrow will bring, you will miss the blessings that God has for you today. When you are focused on today, you can praise God for all the things that HE brings your way.

Moses was a man who was called by God to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt. Moses had a weakness in his communication skills. Moses was so concerned about what others might say about him and his communication skills that he did not trust God to help him. Instead, Moses insisted that God give him Aaron to be his spokesman. Moses insisted upon the help of a man who had not been called by God and thus when Moses was up on the mountain receiving the law, we see Aaron leading the nation in the worship of a false God.

There is nothing too great for God. It does not matter what your need is, God is sufficient to take care of you. If you are focused upon your weakness, you are opening the door to fail. However, when you focus upon God and what HE can do for you today, you will find great strength.

How was it that Moses was able to part the Red Sea? Moses did not have some great talent to part water. Instead, Moses was faced with a problem; the Egyptian army was about to kill or capture the entire nation of Israel. Moses was not worried about what the people were going to eat tomorrow let alone next week. Moses was not worried about what path the Lord might take them on tomorrow. Instead, Moses was focused upon how God was going to use him today to deliver the nation for the hands of their enemy.

It is too easy to focus on the problems of tomorrow. God is able to direct you, protect you, and provide for your every need. If you are focused upon that which is out of your control, then you will not be looking to God and how HE might take care of your need. In order to change your focus, you need to stop relying upon your own strength and start relying upon God and what HE can do for you.

You must take the time to fill your mind with the things of God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the things of God, the easier it will be for you to not yield to the temptations of the wicked to worry about things that are out of your control.

When David killed Goliath, he was not focused upon the height of the giant. David was reliant upon God and he knew that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. Saul was on the same battlefield as David, yet Saul saw the height of the giant and he did not trust God to deliver Goliath into his hands. Saul may have been the tallest man in Israel, but because he lost focus of how strong God was, he saw David receive the praises of the nation for killing Goliath.

Christ commanded us to not worry about the things of tomorrow. If your focus turns off of God and onto yourself, you will quickly see how weak you are and how quick you are to yield to temptation. However, if you follow the commands of Christ and focus your attention upon the things of God, you will soon realize just how strong God is and how HE can deliver you from all of your problems.