Jill Partis
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Truth Matters
Matthew 5:33-37 Today we come to the third comparison Jesus makes between the Mosaic Law and His teaching and the heart attitude He challenges this time is dishonesty. In ancient societies oaths were used to resolve disputes, to seal agreements or covenants, or simply to affirm the truthfulness of important declarations. Under the Old Covenant…
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What Are You Thinking?
Matthew 5:27-32 As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount we see Jesus referring again to the Law of Moses before calling His followers to a higher level of righteousness. This time He is speaking about sexual relationships and the sanctity of marriage. While the law forbade the act of adultery, Jesus…
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The Problem of Anger
Matthew 5:21-26 Six times in this chapter Jesus refers back to the Mosaic Law saying, “You have heard that it was said…” before adding, “but I say…”. He is setting out God’s standards of righteousness for those who are part of His kingdom. In today’s passage of scripture He addresses the first area, which is…
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More Righteous than the Pharisees
Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus now turns His attention to what it means to be righteous. “Righteousness” is one of those words that we often use in Christians circles but that is not necessarily truly understood. To the unbeliever, righteousness is a matter of living a good life, but the Bible goes beyond that to include the…
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Salt and Light
Matthew 5:13-16 Here Jesus uses two pictures – of salt and light – to describe those who follow Him. Both make the point that citizens of His kingdom should look radically different from the people of this world. As believers, we are called to live according to the culture of the Kingdom of God rather…
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Blessed Are They…
Matthew 5:1-12 When I am preaching I always think hard about the beginning of the sermon. What will grab people’s attention? What will make them want to listen to the rest of the message? Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount with a series of eight blessings. The Greek word for “blessed” is makarios, which…
