Sermons on Matthew 5:20-34:

A Positive Christian Influence Changes Life For The Better Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Aug 2, 2019

Mature Christians influence others for the better by conserving fundamental principles of God's Law but by doing so with a forgiving spirit rooted in Christian love.

Have you, like me, ever been at odds with the law - for example: Have you ever been ticketed for a traffic violation? How did you handle your lawlessness? Stopped by a police officer for not coming to a complete stop at an intersection, I told him that, on my way back to The Rock, I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-26

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Aug 2, 2019

Jesus taught His followers to prove their love by purity of living that flows from the heart.

“If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?” If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times growing up. The point is: Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. However, Christian perspective on the subject of Christian distinctiveness presents to some ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

Make Or Break Situations Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Aug 2, 2019

Make or break situations present a distinct challenge to the integrity of a Christian.

“Cross my heart and hope to die!” Did any of you ever use that phrase to swear to a friend that you would keep a promise? As kids, we engaged in such promise making, except that we might have done so with our fingers crossed behind our backs! Big difference between promise-making and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:33-42

Anger

Contributed by Michael Fredette on Aug 6, 2019

So the number one goal of every Christ follower must be producing fruit. But there are things just waiting to derail you, to ruin your fruit .

So the number one goal of every Christ follower must be producing fruit. But there are things just waiting to derail you, to ruin your fruit . Matthew 3:10"The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21, James 3:10

Denomination: Baptist

Kingdom Life Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Sep 13, 2019

When you realize that Jesus did not cancel God’s Law, but completes it, that it continues today, and that you have to keep every part of it from the heart, there is only one thing you can do to be "good enough" for God's Kingdom and that’s count on Jesus.

Through his humor, Bill Waterson has a way to make you think about life. He’s the author of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips; and some time ago, he drew Calvin (a little boy) hurtling down a snowy slope on a sled with his friend Hobbes (a tiger). Calvin: I'm getting nervous about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-20, Romans 8:1-4, Matthew 18:1-4

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Kingdom Relationships Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Sep 20, 2019

In dealing with your anger, don’t commit murderous acts, don’t think murderous thoughts, and don’t speak murderous words. But if your anger has hurt someone, seek reconciliation and seek a resolution as soon as you can.

Several years ago, the Arizona Republic carried a story about Steve Tran of Westminster, California. He activated 25 bug bombs in his apartment to get rid of some unwanted guests, the cockroaches that shared the space with him. He closed the door thinking he had seen the last of them. But when the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26, Ephesians 4:26-27, Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:48, James 3:6  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

The Law And The Lord

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

Christ was the event toward which the whole history of the Old Testament moved. Without the Old Testament we cannot know what it was that He fulfilled, and, therefore, the Old Testament is a vital part of the Christian faith.

Misunderstanding is a part of life, and much of the laughter of life is due to it. One little guy surprised his whole family one evening at the supper table by asking which virgin was Jesus' mother? Was it the Mary virgin, or the King James Virgin? He had misunderstood one word and was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-20

Legalism Versus Love

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

We are in a world of great religious competition. We will all tend to follow one of these two strategies: The legalistic or the loving, the rule book power, or relationship power.

We live in a world where competition is a master motive. When the news reach Russia in 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Stalin ordered secret scientists to find a way to catch up to the U.S. Andrei Sakharov was only 24 years old then, but his brilliant mind was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:20

Respect Versus Contempt

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

All that is hateful and unloving is to some degree evil. Jesus says we need to be aware of this, and deal with it in its early stages, and so prevent all the serious consequences of thinking that negative attitudes are alright as long as you don't murder anyone.

Alexander the Great conquered the world, but anger conquered him, and turned him into a murderer. Like so many of the murders of history, it was not intended or designed. It happened because men do not understand that anger is the beginning of murder. Clitus, his best friend, was teasing ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

The Now Life

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

The Lord's Prayer in chapter 6 is a now prayer. Give us this day our daily bread. All of its petitions are for now. Hallowed be your name-now. Thy kingdom come now. Thy will be done on earth-now.

Marguerite Higgins, Pulitzer Prize winner for international reporting, stood by a marine during the Korean War. It was 42 below zero, and the soldier was weary and covered with frozen mud. She asked him, " If I were God and could grant you anything you wished, what would you most like?" ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

The Lure And Cure Of Lust

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

It is no wonder the Pharisees wanted Him out of the picture. He just made the majority of the human race murderers by making anger equivalent to murder, and now He makes the majority adulterers by making lust equivalent to adultery.

Show me the man who has never looked at a woman with lust, and I'll show you a man with a white cane who was blind from birth. None but a blind man could get through life and not be captivated by God's crowning work of creation-woman. Anyone with an ounce of artistic appreciation knows ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

The Cause And Cure Of Divorce

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

Where lust is in power divorce will rise. Where lust is controlled by love divorce will subside. There is a direct connection between lust control and divorce.

Jo Fleming in her book His Affair reveals that almost every sinful emotion and action known to man is kindled by lust that is not controlled. Her husband of 26 years went to the apartment of a woman he worked with to return some books. This was an action he could have avoided, but he chose not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:31-32

Simplicity Versus Complexity

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 13, 2021

We need to see that the primary problem of the Pharisees was that they were too religious. Some people go bad because of their vices, and others because of their virtues.

Human nature loves to magnify the minute and give significance to the insignificant by the simple method of stretching the truth. An army cook, for example, feed a mob of men with scrambled eggs, and then he sat down and wrote to his girl friend: "Dearest, for two hours shells have been ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:33-37

Legalism Versus Love Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 17, 2021

We are in a world of great religious competition. We will all tend to follow one of these two strategies: The legalistic or the loving, the rule book power, or relationship power.

We live in a world where competition is a master motive. When the news reach Russia in 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Stalin ordered secret scientists to find a way to catch up to the U.S. Andrei Sakharov was only 24 years old then, but his brilliant mind was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:20

Get Right With Someone Series

Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Mar 31, 2021

A look into relationships - what hinders them, why we must work at them while we have the opportunity

The item I want to encourage you to add to your bucket list this morning can be a real tough one for people. In fact, I’ll bet there are some here today who would rather include bungee jumping, sky diving, and swimming with sharks and alligators on their list ahead of this item. But it’s really ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:23-24, Matthew 18:15-17

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ