Let’s read Matthew 7:6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Questions This verse seems a little odd, standing on its own in between Jesus’ warning about hypocrisy in passing judgement …
Tag Archives: christianity
Matthew 7 – to judge or not to judge…
We’ve reached Matthew 7 at last – it’s only taken us ten months! Today we’re going to look at what is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted – but also most often misunderstood – passages in all of Jesus’ teaching. Let’s read Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For …
Matthew 6 – Don’t worry about tomorrow
Welcome back. In today’s post we’ll cover a longer section than usual, from Matthew 6:25 right to the end of the chapter (v34). This section will conclude Jesus’ teaching on the theme of where our true number one priority in life lies. Let’s read Matthew 6:25-34: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your …
Matthew 6 – the Lamp of the Body
Let’s read Matthew 6:22-23: The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! What was Jesus …
Matthew 6 – Where your treasure is…
We’ve now reached the second half of Matthew 6, in which Jesus’ attention turns from non-hypocritical religious observance to how we ought to set our priorities in life. Let’s begin by reading Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. …
Matthew 6 – Don’t be a hypocrite – How not to pray
We move now to look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer. I’ve decided to break this up into more than one post, since I think there is a lot of useful teaching for us here. This week’s post will look at the first section of Jesus’ teaching: how NOT to pray. Let’s read Matthew 6:5-8And when …
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Matthew 6 – Don’t be a hypocrite – Giving to the poor
Behold, for we have reached the end of Matthew 5 and it’s only taken just over half a year! I’d like to continue with the rest of Jesus’ teaching in what’s traditionally called the Sermon on the Mount, with the same underlying theme always in mind: how do these teachings of Jesus enable us to …
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Being counter-cultural in Matthew 5 – Love your enemies
Let’s read Matthew 5:43-48You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends …
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Being counter-cultural in Matthew 5 – Oaths
Let’s read Matthew 5:33-37’Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for …
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Being counter-cultural in Matthew 5 – You shall not murder.
In the last few weeks we’ve seen Jesus teach the importance of Christians being counter-cultural. That means standing out and being different from the world around us. He didn’t mean that we should simply be different for the sake of being different. He also made it very clear that this is not so we can …
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Nihilist to Christian 