Holy Hypocrisy, Matthew 6:16-18
We have before us the third of three small paragraphs that together make up a section of the Sermon on the Mount. Each paragraph deals with an illustration of the principle laid down in v. 1 of chapter 6, viz. that we ought not to perform ou…
Prayer from the Heart, Matthew 6:5-15
Text Comment
v.5 Remember, this section of the Sermon on the Mount, composed of three parts, of which our paragraph this morning is the second, is governed by the opening statement in 6:1: “…
The Heart of Love, Matthew 6:1-4
In the previous section of the sermon the Lord has demonstrated that true righteousness involves a much more radical obedience to the law than that taught and exemplified by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Now he turns to another aspect…
The Law of Christ, Matthew 5:21-47
Last time we noted that the six paragraphs of this section of the Sermon on the Mount illustrated the Lord’s deeper, truer understanding of the reach and demand of God’s law. The scribes and Pharisees had made obedience a more su…
True Righteousness, Matthew 5:21-32
As we said last time, in considering vv. 17-20, Christ says that his disciples must practice a deeper, purer, more authentic righteousness than that advocated and practiced by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, that is, the very people who…
Christ and the Law, Matthew 5:17-20
Text Comment
v.17 The addition of the phrase “or the Prophets” indicates that what Jesus is saying applies to the entire revelation of the Old Testament, not simply to the commandments of the Mosai…
The World’s Salt and Light, Matthew 5:13-16
Text Comment
v.13 Salt in the ancient world had two purposes, to flavor food and to prevent meat from rotting. It is probably impossible to tell from this much later vantage point which use of salt would…
The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12
There are, of course, two different ways to approach preaching the Sermon on the Mount. Rich as this material is, one can proceed line by line, each thought getting its own sermon. This was the approach taken by Martin Lloyd-Jones in …
The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:1-2
Text Comment
v. 2 Matthew writes literally, “He opened his mouth and taught them, saying…” It is, of course, unnecessary to say that the Lord opened his mouth. Of course he…
Jesus the Miracle Worker, Matthew 4:23-25
Text Comment
v.23 Short summaries of the Lord’s activities are a feature of the Gospel of Matthew. For example, in 9:35 you have another such summary almost identical to v. 23. You have similar statemen…
What is a Christian?, Mark 4:18-22
Text Comment
With this short paragraph begins Matthew’s long account of the Lord’s public ministry, an account that will take us to the Lord’s passion in the final three chapters of the Gospel. The largest port…
Transformed Lives, Matthew 4:12-17
Text Comment
v.12 There is some time that elapsed between v. 11 and v. 12. Jesus had some ministry in the South, in Judea and Jerusalem, contemporaneous with the ministry of John the Baptist, before retur…
Tempted as a Man, Matthew 4:1-11
Text Comment
v.1 Though it was a temptation from Satan’s viewpoint, the initiative for what follows clearly lay with God. The Spirit led the Lord into the desert. As the Lord was al…
The Baptism of Jesus, Matthew 3:13-17
Text Comment
v.13 Whatever else we may say about the Lord’s baptism, it clearly amounted to his identifying himself with John’s message and with the revival movement it had created. And, as …
The Coming Kingdom, Matthew 3:1-12
Text Comment
v.1 Matthew pays no attention to the years that separate the end of chapter 2 from the beginning of chapter 3 in which Jesus will appear as an adult.
&nb…
The Struggle Begins, Matthew 2:13-23
Text Comment
The section we are reading this morning is composed of three short narratives each leading up to and concluded by a citation from Scripture. Remember, Matthew is, in these early chapters of his Gospel, both introd…
What Do You Think of the Christ?, Matthew 2:1-12
Text Comment
v.1 Jesus, therefore was born before the death of King Herod in 4 B.C. It was not until the year 533 that Dionysius Exiguus (much more impressive in the Latin than in its English…
The Origin of Jesus Christ, Matthew 1:18-25
Text Comment
v.18 Now what follows clearly assumes that Matthew’s readers already knew about the Lord’s birth, knew who Joseph and Mary were, knew about the virgin birth. The “reverent r…
The Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 1:1-17
Today we begin a series of sermons on the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the only one of the four Gospels through which I have never preached. It is, perhaps, understandable that a preacher would come to it last, even if it is the first Gospe…