Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #201. Don't Worry. Be Holy! : 10 Life-Changing Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount | Matthew 5–7

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#201. Don't Worry. Be Holy! : 10 Life-Changing Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount | Matthew 5–7 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  I'm Stephanie Hickox, and today we have the blessing of studying Matthew chapters five through seven the Sermon on the Mount.
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  perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached It is absolutely packed with wisdom and revelation, and It teaches us what true righteousness looks like for a follower of God.
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  How do those longing to be in the Kingdom of Heaven act?
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  As Matthew assembled his gospel, he did it more thematically than chronologically And beginning in chapter five, he begins this portion of his gospel that has five important sermons or discourses Jesus delivered in his ministry The first being the
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  most famous.
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  The reason it's called the Sermon on the Mount comes from verse one.
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  It tells us, "Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him."
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  Pretty different than today when preachers almost always stand to deliver their messages.
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  but rabbis were known for sitting and having their followers gather around them.
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  delivering this message on a mountain provided an acoustic benefit.
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  Without a sound system, Jesus needed to be strategic about where He delivered His sermons.
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  I really do think you could listen to these chapters of scripture every day the purity of heart that Jesus calls us to is enough to challenge the most righteous of believers And he clarifies that he's
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  Speaker 112: not
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  getting rid of any of the Old Testament.
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  In verse 5:17, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.
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  I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
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  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
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  Other translations say a jot or a tittle.
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  A jot is the smallest Hebrew letter.
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  It's kind of like an accent mark or an apostrophe.
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  And a tittle is like a serif, just a little addendum onto a letter.
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  Jesus doesn't get rid of the Old Testament.
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  He fulfills all of it.
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  He reveals to us another layer, How all of these outward calls to righteousness should stem from purity in our hearts and a right relationship with the Lord.
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  I have, picked out 10 lessons that I think are especially important, for us as women who long to love and honor Christ, But also as wives and mothers that wanna be deeply rooted in the truth of Scripture Lesson
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  number one is the Beatitudes.
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  These are just what they sound like, this is how our attitude should be You'll notice a striking contrast as Jesus reveals what God elevates over what the world often seeks.
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  Each one begins with blessed or blessed The literal meaning for blessed is happy, fortunate, or blissful But this is much more than a temporal happiness.
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  It is the deeply rooted satisfaction that comes from following God instead of our flesh.
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  and it refers to the way that God blesses those that are faithful to Him Beginning in 5:3, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
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  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
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  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
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  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
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  Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
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  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
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  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
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  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
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  God is looking for followers who humbly acknowledge their need for Him.
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  That phrase, poor in spirit, means that we are begging for God.
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  being merciful and meek, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
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  All of this requires That we acknowledge, the depth of our reliance upon God for all things And though we aren't to be offensive or stir up drama if we face persecution, God will bless us.
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  We're not to shrink back in fear when we are called to stand for righteousness And it's very important that we understand that God says, "Blessed are the peacemakers," not the peacekeepers, peacemakers.
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  Often we're called to have the difficult conversation that will lead to lasting understanding and agreement and peace Over temporary appeasement this is a very important one for moms to understand, especially as we parent siblings.
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  Next, Jesus calls us to maintain our purity of heart, which will preserve our effectiveness beginning in 5:13, You are the salt of the earth.
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  But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?
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  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
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  You are the light of the world.
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  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
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  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
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  In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
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  There's a reason children are taught to sing This Little Light of Mine.
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  Do we display the joy that we receive from the Lord?
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  Interestingly, salt can't become ineffective.
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  But this area by the Dead Sea the salt was mixed with gypsum, And this mineral could cause salt to lessen its impact.
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  Are we going to be tainted by the things of this world?
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  Jesus continues to call us to purity in our hearts as he says that if you wanna get into heaven, you're gonna have to be more righteous than the scribes and the Pharisees.
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  This was a shocking revelation to provide Not only would it be highly offensive to those leaders It would have been so difficult for the listeners to comprehend because the Pharisees had followed every rule that God had made.
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  How could they do better than that?
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  But Jesus says it's not just about following the law, It's about our relationship with God, purifying our hearts specifically he applies this to murder.
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  Telling them, "You're not just supposed to avoid murder You're to avoid even having anger in your heart.
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  and He says, "If you do have anger and you are going to church or to the temple, you need to realize that your relationships with people impact your relationship with God."
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  I've often thought about this before I've taken communion.
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  if there's tension in my marriage or if it was a super stressful morning getting out the door There have been times I needed to make it right with someone before I could partake of communion Jesus says that we
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  need to get it right with people.
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  We can't just pretend that that's a separate issue that doesn't impact our spiritual life next, he calls us to a higher standard in avoiding adultery.
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  We're called to not even look at another person with lust or desire.
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  In fact, Jesus says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away."
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  This is an important word for us who are parenting in a digital age where the prevalence and access to inappropriate images has disastrous potential.
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  And I would encourage you to take this verse, very seriously.
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  If your child's eye is causing them to sin or if your eye is causing you to sin Cut it out even if that means removing access to a device And along that topic, let's look at chapter six, verse
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  22.
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  Jesus reveals, "The eye is the lamp of the body.
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  So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
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  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
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  Do you notice how the things that you watch and take in affect your whole demeanor?
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  I'll admit that I've gotten roped into a couple of court cases that have been going on lately there's part of me that has a desire for justice to happen but it's difficult to compartmentalize this impact all of a
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  sudden a pursuit of information can feel compulsive and it longs to choke out our pursuit of the best things.
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  Praise the Lord that Jesus knew exactly what we would be dealing with in this day and age, And that these words apply so perfectly to the struggles we are going through today Lesson number three, we're to love like
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  God loves.
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  It was a civil standard where governments would enact an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth this is known as lex talionis and was a legal standard Jesus is making sure we understand that this is
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  not to be a relational standard.
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  in fact, even when someone wrongs you, you are to go about blessing them.
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  You're to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you "To be like your heavenly Father Your goal should be to bring good to everyone, not just those that do good to you lesson number four, God calls
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  us to purity in our intentions and purity in our prayer lives.
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  Unlike the Pharisees, He says, "Don't just try to be good in front of people."
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  Take care of the needy and be generous, but do it privately.
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  And God will bless you for it and he tells them, "When you pray It's not about bringing attention to yourself and saying the loudest prayer possible.
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  It shows faith and trust when we pray privately and we believe that God hears us.
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  Now, this doesn't mean that we're not supposed to pray throughout the day or that we shouldn't pray lengthy prayers.
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  It's the intention of our heart.
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  God knows exactly what you need, But He still wants you to come before Him, and when you do, pray like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
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  Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
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  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.
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  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
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  Jesus also tells us that as we ask God to forgive us, we also need to extend mercy to others.
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  And when we understand how deeply we have been forgiven That's when it's easy for us to follow in our King's gracious, merciful example Number five, we're to invest wisely In 6:19, Jesus warns, Do not lay up for yourselves
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  treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
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  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
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  And in verse 24, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
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  You cannot serve God and money."
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  In our material society, it's so difficult to keep our eyes on eternity and not what's around us that verse that I read a moment ago, "The eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is healthy,
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  your whole body will be full of light," it falls between these two portions on finances what a perfect way to remind us that what we look at often leads to our desires It's difficult to be on Pinterest and
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  not wanna go shopping or do a renovation project God put in us a desire for beauty and creativity, and that in itself is not wrong.
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  But are we continually checking the intentions and the motives of our hearts?
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  And also, are we investing in kingdom things more than worldly things?
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  Enclosed in that portion I just read is a verse I've meditated on frequently for my parenting.
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  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be The reason we have such strong bonds with our kids is because you have invested so heavily in them before you have even seen their face You've likely battled months
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  of pregnancy symptoms and a painful labor Or endured a mountain of adoption paperwork Your investment was in that child before you even knew what they would look like That's why your heart is so wrapped up in them.
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  But I also think this can be a warning that if we become obsessive about our children Sometimes we can be investing in the wrong things, and then we're filled with disappointment when those things don't come to fruition.
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  We need to set our eyes on our treasures in heaven instead of our treasures on earth And that's how you ensure you're investing wisely I love all of these verses, But lesson number six and the verses I'm about
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  to share with you have been verses that I have needed to come back to over and over and over in my life I've probably written these down on note cards more than any other scripture, and I've clung to
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  them in more hospital rooms than I can count
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  Speaker 113: God proved himself faithful in so many situations
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  Lesson number six is do not be anxious beginning in 6:25, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
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  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"
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  Look at the birds of the air.
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  They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
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  Are you not of more value than they?
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  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
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  And why are you anxious about clothing?
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  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
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  They neither toil nor spin.
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  Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
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  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
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  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?"
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  or "What shall we drink?"
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  or "What shall we wear?"
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  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, And your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
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  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
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  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble I think there was part of me that felt that it was wisdom to concern myself with things that were coming up.
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  And we are to plan, that's biblical, but we're not to worry for the next day.
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  We're to be firmly rooted in the truth that God will be enough for us every single day He goes before us, he knows what we need.
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  And I know some of you live lives where that reality is fiercely tested because you care beyond your capacity but His eye is set on you to do good.
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  Seek Him first, and His presence will help you endure Lesson number seven: We are to walk in a humble discernment These are some of the most quoted verses in scripture, and yet some of the most misunderstood and misapplied.
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  In 7:1, Jesus tells us, "Judge not, that you be not judged.
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  For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
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  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
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  In verse five, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
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  Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
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  We can see in other scriptures, particularly 1 Corinthians 5, that there is a right time for believers to evaluate one another's lives, this can be for the good and protection of the church but Jesus says, Don't judge someone
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  else until you've evaluated your own heart."
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  Our focus should be on making sure that we're walking in righteousness before the Lord before we would point out what's happening in someone else's life, and then we should do it with humility.
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  Do you see how it said, First take the log out of your own eye, and then you can take the speck out of your brother's eye"?
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  It doesn't say to never take the speck out.
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  People often use this scripture to say that you really shouldn't criticize anyone else.
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  We shouldn't judge.
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  Jesus just wants us to love each other.
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  well, sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is say, because I care about you, I wanna make sure that you're aware of this."
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  it's pretty fascinating that the next verse told us to not throw our pearls before pigs.
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  That's a pretty intense phrase for us, but for the Jewish culture that thought pigs were the most detestable creature, this is pretty severe.
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  We need to be discerning.
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  There are a lot of arenas this could apply to.
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  I'm thinking particularly if a daughter was dating a young man that was treating her very poorly, Of course we believe that all people are made in the image of God, but if she's being treated poorly, that would be
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  throwing her pearls before swine it could even apply to sharing personal information with those that have proven that they're not trustworthy lesson number eight is regarding the generosity of God and the golden rule Now, there were versions of
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  this golden rule before Jesus took on flesh.
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  However, Jesus changed the extent there were philosophers before this that said, If you don't want it to be done to you, don't do it to someone else."
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  But Jesus switched it to a positive in seven verse 12.
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  So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.
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  For this is the Law and the Prophets."
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  he's saying that this sums up a lot of God's Word, and if we would treat others well and honorably It would simplify a lot of life.
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  Right before this, he says, "Ask and it will be given to you.
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  Seek and you will find.
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  Knock and it will be opened to you."
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  And If you think you love your kids, you have no idea how much the heavenly Father loves you do you picture God like that?
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  Imagine yourself on Christmas Eve thinking how excited you are to give your kids their Christmas presents.
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  Have you ever pictured the Lord waiting to bestow blessings upon you Jesus ensures that's our perspective when He says, If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
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  Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"
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  Moving on to lesson number nine, narrow is the path We read in 7:13, Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are
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  many.
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  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
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  Have your kids ever wondered why there are so many other religions or why more people aren't Christians?
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  not everyone wants to submit themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ We should be faithful to evangelize, but not be surprised Whenever we find ourselves in the minority But we can rest assured that the Lord is faithfully working
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  in the hearts of men, all whose hearts are willing will be saved Jesus also tells us to beware of false prophets and that if a tree is good, it will have good fruit And there are people who call
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  upon the name of the Lord who aren't real believers It's gonna look like it from the outside But they've been deceived, and finally, lesson number 10, we are to build our lives with wisdom and intentionality Surely this parable
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  is not new to you.
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  But instead of hearing Sunday school songs, try to listen with fresh ears and think about how you're building your life and your family right now In 7:24, Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will
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  be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
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  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house.
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  But it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
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  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
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  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house.
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  And it fell, and great was the fall of it."
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  Of course, that makes me think of Entrusted's theme verse, Psalm 127:1, Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.
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  Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain."
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  If we were to look at the way that we spend our money, the way we spend our time, what we fix our eyes on what we have our children invest their time in, is it evident that we're building
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  upon the foundation of the Lord?
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  Because you're here seeking Him now, I believe you're being intentional to put him first Let's close Based on the Lord's Prayer.
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  Heavenly Father, We pray that your name would be glorified on the earth as it is in heaven We pray for Jesus to be known and elevated on this earth, and that every tribe, tongue, and nation would increasingly submit
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  to you We ask you to faithfully provide for us just what we need, and help us to keep our eyes on today Forgive us of our sins, for we know how much we fall short before you.
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  and help us to be merciful toward those who sin against us.
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  Free us from any bitterness that threatens to keep us in bondage, and protect us, from being tempted apathetic or compromising and focusing on things that do not bring you glory May we hear your voice loudly and obey it
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  when it warns us that we're drawing too near to temptation.
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  Jesus, we love you, and we thank you that every word you spoke was worthy of our meditation.
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  it's in your name we pray, amen