Matthew 5 Devotional Bible Study

To Be… Blessed

Matthew 5:3-12

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^]
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

How does God bless us when we are these things? By giving us His promises! The blessing is that we will be given the Kingdom of Heaven. We will be comforted. We will inherit the whole earth. We will be satisfied. We will be shown mercy. We will see God. We will be called the children of God.

Notice that some of these things are simply circumstances we have to endure by trusting in Him. If we’re poor, or mourning a loss, or not receiving justice here on earth, we can have faith that God will fix those problems for us when we enter His Kingdom.

Other things in the list are what we need to strive be. We should try to be humble and merciful. We should purify our hearts and work for peace.

But notice all of these promised blessings are going to be granted in the future, only once the Kingdom comes. We can endure these hardships while still having trust and joy because we have faith in what will come later.

What hardship are you going through right now? What is the promise God is blessing you with for enduring through it?

 

Being the Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Whenever I think about salt, I think about McDonald’s french fries. Have you ever had a McDonald’s french fry that didn’t have salt on it? It’s pretty plain. It doesn’t have much flavor. But when you salt it, it’s fantastic!

As Christians, we bring the best qualities to the world, because we bring the character of Jesus to the world. We bring love and purpose and hope and faith and grace and mercy. Without these things, the world would taste very bitter.

And Jesus says that if we’re not bringing these things, if we’ve lost these things, we’re useless. We’re going to be thrown out. I don’t want to be useless to Jesus. Do you?

He also says we’re the light, and we’re supposed to shine for everyone to see! Well, if we’re supposed to be the light, we need to be living in the light, don’t we? I need to be a light worth looking at.

But I also have to remember that when I bring these good qualities to the world, and when I shine out for others to see, it’s not for my glory. I’m doing these things so that people will see God working in me and through me and will praise Him, not me.

How can you bring more of Jesus’ good qualities into your encounters with other people today? How can you shine more purely and brightly today?

 

What Was Their Purpose?

Matthew 5:17 – “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

What was the purpose of the Law and the Prophets? They showed us what is required to live according to God’s standards. They showed us that is God is so holy that we can’t meet His standards perfectly. We can’t earn salvation. The Law and the Prophets also said the Messiah was coming.

Jesus accomplished the purpose of the Scriptures by perfectly living up to God’s standards. He never sinned. He never made a mistake. He did earn His salvation. And then, as the prophesied Messiah, He traded our sin for His merit. We couldn’t earn our salvation, so He earned it and then gave it to us.

 

Which Do You Want to Be?

Matthew 5:18-19 – “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Do you want to be least, or do you want to be great? Do you want to be the person who ignores something God has said, and turns other people away from His commands, or do you want to be the person who takes God’s words seriously and encourages others to live according to them?

 

How Can I Be Better than the Pharisees?

Matthew 5:20 – “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Another translation says, “…unless your righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law…” The Pharisees and teachers were strict in their obedience to God’s word. How could my righteousness surpass theirs?

In the following sections, Jesus gives examples of how He wants us to live not just in strict obedience to the law, but He wants our hearts to be changed in such a way that we wouldn’t come close to breaking the law. The law says we’re not supposed to murder someone, but Jesus says that we’re not even supposed to be angry with someone else or call them names. If I keep my anger under control, I won’t even come close to lashing out in violence. If I don’t indulge in lustful fantasies toward someone, I won’t commit adultery with them. If I don’t look for excuses to end my marriage, I won’t get divorced. If I’m a truthful and faithful person, I’ll keep my word without having to take a vow. If I’m a loving and forgiving person, I won’t take revenge against someone who sins against me.

My righteousness can surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law because it starts with a right heart.

 

Reconciliation – Don’t Put It Off!

Matthew 5:21-26 – “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.”

In the first instance, Jesus is talking about when you feel offended by someone. In the next instance, He’s talking about when you have offended someone else. When you feel offended, He says not to get angry or curse them. If you offend someone, apologize quickly.

What could make me stay calm and not get angry when someone offends me? What could make me want to apologize to someone? It takes a soft heart. It takes a heart filled with God’s love. It takes a humble heart. It takes praying for God to change my heart.

 

What Is Lust?

Matthew 5:27-30 – “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

Is it lust when I notice someone is attractive? Is it lust when I notice and keep looking? Is it lust when I fantasize about having a relationship or having sex with that person?

Let’s think about it a different way. What would it mean for me to say I was lusting after a car? You can picture me going to the car dealer and wishing I had that vehicle. I might start making plans for how I could get that car. Could I trade my other vehicle in? Could I afford both? Would I be satisfied with a test drive?

To lust for a car means I want it for myself. Noticing a nice car on the road is not lusting after the car. Even picturing myself having the car is not lusting. It’s when I start to desire the car and make plans to have that vehicle that it becomes lust.

Back to lusting after a person. Jesus is speaking specifically about adultery. The scenario is either I’m married or the other person is married, and so I have no right to desire that person. They’re taken. They’re like a car that someone else already bought and is no longer available to me. Jesus says that if I can’t control my desires for that person, and I keep looking at them with desire, or I keep reaching out for them, it would be better for me to gouge out my eye or cut off my hand than continue in that adulterous desire.

What if neither I nor the person I’m desiring is married? Then it’s not adulterous lust. Other teachings in Scripture regarding sexual purity apply, but not this teaching of Jesus specifically.

 

How to Be a True Child of Your Father in Heaven

Matthew 5:44-45 – “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”

At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

The children of God are those who do the difficult things to stay in peace with others. We forgive instead of taking revenge, to re-establish the peace. We give up our rights rather than fighting, to keep the peace. We pray for the good of those who want to be our enemy. We do good to everyone.

It’s difficult to be the person who works for peace, but we do it because we want to be called the children of God. We want to be like our Heavenly Father. He made peace with us by sending Jesus to pay for our sins. That wasn’t easy for the Father or the Son to go through that. So we follow their example and don’t shy away from the hard work of making and keeping peace with others.

Who do you need to forgive and make peace with?

Who do you need to let have their way, for the sake of having peace with them?

Whose good is the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray for?