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The Kingdom & The Code
“Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4.23) The gospel; good news. We hear that term and immediately our minds picture Jesus’ sacrifice, the redemption found only in His blood, the…
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People of the Code (Part 1)
The Beatitudes: Who Are The People of the Code? If asked to describe the citizens of their country, most would choose lofty words like “patriotic”, “independent” and “heroic”. But in describing the citizens of His Kingdom Jesus chose words like “poor”, “gentle” and “persecuted”. As we noted in the previous lesson, the Kingdom would not…
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People of the Code (Part 2)
Paul Earnhart said of the beatitudes that “they mark off the radical difference between the kingdom of heaven and the world of other men.” This truth should already be evident to us as we’ve seen that the Kingdom belongs to those who are “poor in spirit” and those who “mourn”. Every notion of success and…
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People of the Code (Part 3)
Each of the eight beatitudes begin with the comforting words, “blessed are…” Those expecting the arrival of an earthly kingdom may have expected more than this simple comfort. They may have anticipated safety, earthly joy and financial prosperity. Jesus promised an even greater reward, namely the “kingdom of heaven” (vss. 3,10), but to receive it…
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Purpose of the Code
The beatitudes reveal two sobering truths about the citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom. First, they are not great by any standard of this world. They are not the rich, the powerful or the wise. Rather, they are poor, gentle and hungry. Second, they are going to be hated and persecuted by the world. Why, what is…
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The Code of Righteousness
Jesus emphasized the importance of righteousness when He declared that citizens of His Kingdom would be those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (vs. 6) and would be “persecuted for the sake of righteousness” (vs. 10). Simply put, righteousness is concerned with doing right. And since only God is qualified to determine right (see Jeremiah…
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The Code of Righteousness: Anger
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty…
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The Code of Righteousness: Lust
Jesus continues His teaching on true righteousness, contrasting the righteousness of the Pharisees, “you have heard…” with the true righteousness of the Kingdom, “but I say to you…”. Having explained how true righteousness addresses the heart’s attitude toward others, not just violent actions against them (vss. 21-26), the Lord turns His attention to matters of…
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The Code of Righteousness: Marriage
The Pharisees’ teaching on adultery had severely weakened God’s will regarding the love and commitment which should exist between husband and wife. For them, the only sin to avoid was adultery. Jesus reset the bar to where God intended it to be: love and commitment in marriage prompts one to cleanse the heart of lust…
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The Code of Righteousness: Honesty
33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool…