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The Righteousness of the Pharisees
20 “But I warn you- unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! (Matt. 5:20, NLT) The righteousness of the Pharisees was a behavioral based righteousness. It’s a “disease” any of us can be afflicted with in our culture. It’s just too fun to pick…
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Translation comparisons of Matthew 5:17
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. (NLTse) Mat 5:17 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (ESVST)…
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Go, and be an irritant
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14” You are the light of the world- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and…
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Statements of Jesus We Get Hung Up On
The big “hang up” statement we’ll be dealing with this week in our ministry time will be Matt. 5:48 — “So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We carry a lot of baggage with that word, perfect, and that is what hangs us up from understanding what Jesus is really asking of us… and what is possible.
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Great Translation on the Proclamation of Jesus
“Change your hearts and lives. Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” (Matt. 4:17, Common English Bible) Get ready… the King has entered his realm and when he acts, there is a response called for. The best response? Change your hearts and lives. The power of the Kingdom of God is unleashed. It is time to pay attention.
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The Capacity of Growth in the Kingdom of God
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:14-15, NLT) These are a couple of verse we like to skip when we go through the Lord’s Prayer, but they are two of the most important, especially within the context…
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The Nature of the Kingdom
What I tell my church constantly (which is what I learned from Dallas Willard) is this: The nature of the Kingdom is to ASK. What is it you need? What is it you lack? ASK. I love the New Living Translation on Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and…
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Kingdom Focus — Treasure
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22…
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Kingdom Come — The Freedom of Discipline
When we walk with purpose in the spiritual disciplines, a hunger for the Kingdom is created and cultivated. We begin to see that the command to “be perfect like your heavenly Father” is a serious command and has serious resources to follow that command. We begin to truly align our allegiances with the kingdom of God. As our spirits are…
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Kingdom Freedom
The power of the Kingdom, the offer of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, is found in true freedom. It is about freedom from the things that bind us up. It is about being complete in God. The Kingdom already provides that power. We need to recognize it, then walk in it. That is the rub. Being “anger-free” or “lust-free” or…
Tag: Sermon on the Mount
