Jan 15 – Third Day of Prayer and Fasting
42 more Mondays until 4 Nov, the day before Election Day
Gospels Matthew 5-7
Today’s PBJ reading is the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes what Jesus said. He evidently recorded Jesus’ discourses verbatim. As a customs official, Matthew was a tachygrapher, or shorthand writer. The reason Matthews Gospel is so much longer than Marks is that he includes Jesus extensive discourses, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse; without these discourses, Mark’s Gospel is longer.
Early Origin
Many scholars now believe that the Gospels were written before Paul’s first imprisonment in 57-60 A.D., and that virtually all of the New Testament books were written before Jerusalem’s destruction.
There is no hint in the New Testament of Nero’s persecutions after 64 A.D., nor of the execution of James, the Lord’s brother, in 62 A.D. There is not the slightest mention of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, which began in 66 A.D., nor of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. These historic events would have been irresistible in making many of the arguments in the New Testament documents.
Textual evidence suggests that the Gospels were originally written in Hebrew. In hundreds of places the Greek sentence structure betrays a Semitic influence and implies a translation from the Hebrew. It appears that within five years after the death and resurrection of Christ, most of His words and deeds had been committed to a simple written Hebrew form and Matthew is, of course, assumed to be part of this compilation.
Extract from Chuck Missler - The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of our King and the platform of the Prince of Peace. And its the Law! It goes vastly beyond the Law of Moses. It is the Ten Commandments amplified and expanded. It raises the Law to the nth degree. As the Law of the Kingdom, it is the highest ethical teaching in the Bible. It will be the Law of this world during the Millennium, and then it will find full fruition. Christ will reign on earth in person and will enforce every word of it. The Sermon on the Mount will finally prevail when He whose right it is to rule shall come.
The Sermon on the Mount is the longest discourse recorded in Scripture and it was addressed to believers! (This would be a source of condemnation to the unsaved.)
Dont let the familiarity of this passage lure you into thinking that you have mastered it; it is tough ground and one of the most misunderstood portions of Scripture.
The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12
The word beatitude is not found in your Bible. It simply means ''blessing'' and comes from the Latin word for ''blessed.'' Note that these verses deal with attitudes - what we think in our hearts, and our outlook on life. ''Beatitudes'' are the attitudes that ought to be in our lives if we are true Christians.
These first 16 verses of Matthew 5 describe the true Christian and deal with character. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) deals with the conduct that grows out of character. Character always comes before conduct, because what we are determines what we do. There is a definite progression in these verses. They show how the person begins with his or her own sense of sin and finally becomes a child of God and the results that then follow:
· ''Poor in spirit'' (v. 3): This is our attitude toward ourselves, in which we feel our need and admit it.
· ''Mourn'' (v. 4): This is our attitude toward sin, a true sorrow for sin.
· ''Meek'' (v. 5): This is our attitude toward others; we are teachable; we do not defend ourselves when we are wrong.
· ''Hunger and thirst'' (v. 6): Here, our attitude toward God is expressed; we receive His righteousness by faith because we ask for it.
· ''Merciful'' (v. 7): We have a forgiving spirit and love others.
· ''Pure in heart'' (v. 8): We keep our lives and motives clean. Holiness is happiness to us - there are no substitutes.
· ''Peacemakers'' (v. 9): We should bring peace, between people and God, and between those who are at odds with each other.
· ''Persecuted'' (v. 10): All who live godly lives will suffer persecution.
Its interesting that there are eight beatitudes listed; the number eight in Scripture usually represents a new beginning. (The unwritten 9th Beatitude: ''Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be broken.'') The rest of the Sermon on the Mount shows the results of the new life in the believer.
May your day of Prayer and fasting be Blessed!
Jay Inman
On a VERY cold Colorado day