Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21-37

1. Jesus expounds the sixth, seventh, and third commandments.
2. It teaches us the exceeding holiness of God.
3. It teaches us the exceeding ignorance of man in spiritual things.
4. It teaches us the exceeding need of the Lord Jesus Christ's atoning blood to save us.
5. It teaches us the exceeding importance of avoiding all occasions of sin.

"Ignorance of the real meaning of the law is one plain reason why so many do not value the Gospel, and content themselves with a little formal Christianity. They do not see the strictness and holiness of God's Ten commandments. If they did, they would never rest until they were safe in Christ."

"We must labor to crucify our flesh and mortify our members, to make any sacrifice and endure any bodily inconvenience rather than sin."

Questions:

1. We see that Jesus speaks to the sixth, seventh, and third commandment and gets to the heart of their meaning. Many in Jesus' day, and in ours as well, may think that because we have never murdered or committed adultery with our actions that we are innocent. Jesus, though, declares that murder and adultery are issues of the heart, which God sees just as clear as we see ourselves in a mirror. Hateful thoughts and lustful glances are not missed by the God who knows all things and is personally offended by each one. Have we read the 10 Commandments and walked away encouraged thinking we are good or have we read them and understood that we fall short of them all? Which of us, getting to the heart of Jesus' meaning, could declare ourselves innocent?
2. Ryle, in light of the severity of the law, calls all Christians to avoid all occasions of sin. He applies this particularly with the use of our tongues, with James tell us is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. He exhorts us to be ready to make up quarrels and disagreements, lest they gradually lead on to greater evils. Stop and consider that for a second. Have you found that to be true in your own life? When he says, "we must make any sacrifice and endure any bodily inconvenience rather than sin" does that sound too harsh? Or does that sound like a foreign idea? What could this look like in your life?