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 …
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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 – God vs Mammon
In our ongoing study of Matthew 6, we’ve looked in verses 19-21 at Jesus’ teaching on the absolute necessity for a Christian’s ultimate priority to be ‘in heaven’, in other words God, not here on earth. We’ve also considered in verses 22-23 his warning that a Christian who values their earthly possessions too much – …
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 – the Lord’s Prayer – Concluding Thoughts
Unfortunately it’s just a short post today as I’ve been unwell for most of the past week. Last week we looked at the last verse of the Lord’s prayer. Today we’ll quickly consider the footnote that Jesus added. Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will …
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Matthew 6 – How to pray – The Lord’s Prayer part 5
The final verse of the Lord’s prayer, as recorded by Matthew, reads like this (Matthew 6:13): And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Whereas the previous verse was a plea for God to forgive us for the things we’ve done wrong, this one shifts focus to ask for God’s …
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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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Being counter-cultural in Matthew 5 – An eye for an eye.
Let’s read Matthew 5:38-42You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over …
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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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Nihilist to Christian 