August 2007 - Posts

• Sermon on the Mount Week 14

  OATHS                Matthew 5:33-37  n     Thou shalt not forswear thyself-Do Not Perjure Yourself or False Oaths n     But shall perform-Keep Your Oath n     Swear not at all Does Not Mean: n     Don’t Take An Oath in a Courtroom n     Don’t Take An Oath of Allegiance n     What Is An Oath or Swearing? n     To Swear Does Not Mean to Curse or Use Bad Words n     Means: To Affirm the Truth of a Statement While Calling on God to Judge the Truth n     Does The Bible Approve of Oaths? n     God’s Oaths: n     Not To Send Another Universal Flood (Gen 9:9-11) n     To Send A Redeemer (Lk 1:68 &73) n     To Raise His Son From the Dead (Ps 16:10 & Acts 2:27-31) n     OT Oaths: n     In God’s Name Oaths Were Permitted and Commanded (Deut. 10:20) n     NT Oaths by Paul (Rom 1:9; 2 Cor 1:23; & Gal 1:20) n     Bible Oaths Encourage Truthfulness n     Jesus Did Not Mean to Condemn Swearing of Every Kind and On Every Occasion n     Formal & Solemn Oaths Are Not Meant, Only Oaths Resulting From Impatience & Exaggeration n     How Did the Jews Understand Oaths? n     The Jews Did Not Consider It an Oath if The Name of God Was Left Out n     This Teaching Led the Way to All Kinds of Untruthfulness & Frivolous Oaths n     Neither by heaven…God’s throne-They Are Inseparable n     Nor by the earth…footstool-The Creator Owns It (Is 66:1 & Ps 24:1) n     Whether by Jerusalem…the city-His City (Ps 48:2 & Ps 46:4) n     Neither…by thy head-Beyond Our Control n     Jews Viewed This Swearing As Less Binding than Swearing by God  n   Jesus Says That Every Oath Carries An Appeal to God Whether Named or Not (Col 1:17) n     Jesus Declares That It Would be Best to Avoid These Oaths; Not Necessary n     Oaths Are A Poor Substitute for Integrity n     God Already Witnesses Every Word n     But let your communication-Your Words in Ordinary Conversation n     Yea, yea; Nay, nay-Let A Simple Yes & No Be Sufficient n     Our Life Should Consistently Back Up Our Words n     Whatsoever is more…cometh of evil-Introduces Suspicion    Posted Aug 26 2007, 05:19 PM by jbarch with no comments

• Sermon on the Mount Week 13

  Divorce?                                 Matthew 5:31-32  •         From the Beginning, No Allowance Made for Divorce (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:6) •         The Cultural Setting of Marriage & Divorce •         If Consummated, Sex With Other Than the Mate Was Adultery •         The Law of Moses Was Clear, The Guilty Party Shall Be Put to Death •         What Moses Allowed & What Jesus Refers to is Completely Different •         These Verses Are About Sex Prior to Consummation, But After a Promise Ceremony to an Arranged Mate •         This Act Was Regarded As Not As Severe As the First Act & Did Not Require the Death Penalty •         While Death Settled Adultery, A Different Solution Was Needed As Both Were Alive •         It Was Customary For A Male Committed to A Marriage Contract, Not to Honor the Contract If She Were Found To Be Untrue •         Unless the Man Released the Woman From the Contract, No Other Man Would Be Free to Marry Her •         This Was Cruel, The Woman Depended Upon Marriage for Shelter, Food & Clothing •         This Forced the Woman Into A Life of Poverty, Begging or Prostitution •         Moses Demanded That The Man Forgive & Marry or Give A Bill of Divorcement •         The Jews Refer to Deut. 24 As Legal Grounds for Divorce for any Uncleanness •         The Custom is Evident in the Espousal of Joseph & Mary (Matt 1:18-25) •         They Were Contracted to Marry (betrothed) •         No Physical Union (before they came together) •         Mary Was Pregnant (with child) •         Joseph Was Going to Release Her (put her away) •         He Loved Her & Wanted to Do It Quietly (privily) •         The Angel Intervened & Joseph Told the Child Was of the Holy Spirit •         With This Background on the Custom: •         It hath been said-Transition from Commandment to Civil Law •         Whosoever shall put away-(apoluo) Release or Dismiss •         His wife-(ten gunaika autou) His Woman •         Let him give her-Literally Into Her Hand •         A writing of divorcement-(apostasion) Legal Release •         But I say unto you-Equal With the Written Word •         Saving for the cause of Fornication-Except for Sexual Sins of Any Kind •         Fornication-Porneia Not Moicheia; Not Just Married Individuals •         The Jewish Law Required Divorce in the Case of Adultery; Whereas Christianity Never Does •         Causeth her to commit adultery-Makes Her Commit •         A Fundamental Element of Marriage is Sexual Exclusivity •         Adultery in the OT Was Viewed As Any Infidelity to Covenants With God (Jer 5:7; Ezek 16:32; also Hosea 2) •         And whosoever shall marry her that is divorced-Under Those Wrong Put Away Conditions •         Committeth adultery-If the Commandment is Broken by One Party, It Must Be By the Other Also •         Adultery-(moichaomai)-Become Adultered or Become an Outcast •         Jesus Is Not Giving Any Legal Grounds for Divorce •         One Wife(Mate) for Life •         The Beatitude Referred to is Pure in Heart   Posted Aug 19 2007, 03:59 PM by jbarch with no comments

• Sermon on the Mount Week 12

  •         Second Application-The Urgency of Reconciliation •         Pictures an Out-of-Court Settlement Between Fellows Disagreeing •         Refers to Action That Must Be Taken to Avert God’s Wrath At the Great White Throne Before It is Too Late •         Agree with thine adversary-Your Opponent in a Matter Recognizable by Law •         Quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him-On The Way To The Magistrate (Lk 12:58) •         Adversary deliver thee to the judge-Unconvinced and Still Believing Your are Wrong •         The judge deliver thee to the officer-The Official Who Enforces the Sentence •         Thou be cast into prison-Final Stage •         By no means come out thence-The Permanence of Justice •         Farthing-A Small Roman Copper Coin Worth abut Half a Cent •         Spiritual Application •         Pictures Our Reconciliation to God Through Christ •         The Great God is an Adversary to Sinners •         It is Our Concern to Agree With Him •         It is Wisdom to Do It Quickly •         To Continue As An Adversary Is To Be Exposed to the Demands of Justice •         Angels Are The Officers to Whom Christ Will Deliver Souls (Heb. 2:14) •         Hell is the Prison (2 Pet. 2:4) •         Sinners Must Remain for Eternity Lust & Adultery            Matthew 5:27-30  •         Ye have heard-From Past Generations of Teachers •         Thou shall not commit adultery-Taught That Adultery Was Restricted to Acts Between a Married Person & Non-Spouse •         But-Meaning Adultery Not Limited As You Were Taught •         Looketh-Looks With the Intention of Committing Adultery •         Not a Passing Glance, But a Continuous Look (Job 31:1; Prov 6:25; 2 Sam 11:2) •         Christians Must Recognize Tempting Thoughts & Actions That Lead to Sin •         Sin Begins At The Point of Consent, Not With Temptation •         Woman-Males Commit This Sin More Often •         Jesus is Taking the Command From Only a Sin of the Body to One of the Heart Also •         Lust (epithymeo)-Burning Desire in the Mind (Jas 1:14; 1 Jn 2:16) •         Hath committed adultery…heart-Spiritual Understanding of the Law •         Not Enough to Control the Body; We Must Also Control the Thoughts & Desires •         Jesus Illustrates Decisive Action With Two Metaphors •         Right-Pictures Importance and Strength in the Bible •         Eyes & Hands Are Primary Offenders in Sexual Sin •         Offend (skandalizomai)-Cause You to Offend or Stumble •         Pluck it out, and cast it from thee-Take Drastic Measures to Avoid Temptation to Sin •         We Are Not Commanded to Perform Physical Surgery;  Inner Desires •         Our Lord Commands: •         The Removal of the Means of Offense Out of the Place of Affection •         Putting It Away in Drastic Manner & Distance As To Make Restoration Impossible •         Both Verbs Bring Out the Once for All Action •         For it is profitable…one of thy members should perish-Remove Now To Gain For Eternity •         Whole body should be cast into Hell-Eternal Judgment for Unsaved •         Sin That Is Not Dealt With Leads to Judgment (2 Thes 1:6-9) •         Beatitude-Hunger & Thirst After Righteousness   Posted Aug 12 2007, 04:49 PM by jbarch with no comments

• Sermon on the Mount Week 11

  Anger & Murder                    Matthew 5:21-26  •         Basic Concept •         Ye have heard-No Access to the Scriptures and Unable to Read Hebrew •         Said by them of old time-Past Generations of Teachers •         Thou shalt not kill-Murder (Ex 20:13) •         This Word Murder Did Not Include: •         Killing in Self-Defense •         Wars Ordered by Jehovah •         Capital Punishment Following Due Process •         Accidental Manslaughter •         Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment-Liable To A Criminal Prosecution By His Peers •         In danger of-Legally Guilty of a Charge •         The judgment-The Local Sanhedrin •         Implying: This is All That The Law Requires  •         The Broadened Concept •         Sinful Anger Is The Same As Murder •         Our Fellowship With God Is Dependent on Our Relationship With Others •         But I say unto you-Same Authority As The Words Spoken By God •         Three General Examples Show: •         Grades of Judgment Under The Jewish Process of Law •         Christ Does Not Say These Sins Should Be Processed by Earthly Law •         Christ Does Say Will Be Processed by Divine Law •         First-Angry with his brother-danger of the judgment •         Whosoever is angry-Every One Who Has Malice That is Nursed Inwardly •         With his brother-Fellowship of Life Based On Identity of Origin •         Jesus Applies This First to Those Against Whom Anger is Most Inappropriate •         Without a cause-Anger Toward the Brother Not The Sin (Eph 4:26) •         Anger Makes Us Destroyers Instead of Builders •         Anger Robs Us of Freedom and Makes Us Prisoners •         To Hate Someone is to Commit Murder in Our Hearts (1 Jn 3:15) •         The judgment-Primarily Means the Local Court •         Second, Raca-Danger of Council •         Raca-Aramaic Word Meaning: Empty Headed •         The Council-Primarily Means the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem •         Third, Thou Fool-Danger of Hell Fire •         Thou Fool (moros)-Decided Wickedness •         Hell Fire (Gehenna)-The Valley of Hinnom or Hell (2 Chron 28:3) •         Sinful Feelings Are Not Excuses For Sinful Deeds •         Sinful Anger Must Be Faced & Confessed As Sin •         As Long As the Physical Act of Murder Was Not Involved, the Anger was Accepted •         God Knows Every Heart •         Murder Occurs When Conceived in the Heart  •         Applications by Jesus •         Therefore-Urged to Deal With Sin As A Priority •         First Application-Place Interpersonal Reconciliation Above Correct Ritual •         If thou bring-Action Already Begun •         Gift-General Word for Sacrifice •         To the Altar-Place of Reconciliation •         There rememberest-Spirit Pricks the Conscience to Recall •         Thy brother hath ought against thee-He Against You, Not the Reverse •         Religious Activity Means Nothing if Our Hearts Are Not Right •         The Altar Implies Doing Business With God •         The Angry Heart Interferes With Prayer & Communion   Posted Aug 05 2007, 04:59 PM by jbarch with no comments