Matthew 5

This chapter begins Jesus' most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount.  There are many upon many great truths in this chapter.  This chapter is so fundamental to the Christian faith as Jesus is turning the world on its head setting up a new world order.

Let's look at a few difficult sayings Jesus has in this chapter.

1) "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

Are you serious?  Rejoice when we are persecuted?  Yes!  My football coach would say to our defense, "If you aren't getting blocked you're going the wrong way."  If the devil isn't bothering you then you aren't about to sack him.  When people persecute us because of Jesus it is a big road sign that says, "Right Way: No U-Turn."  Rejoice when you get blocked because the devil doesn't mess with Christian linebackers running the wrong way.

2) "You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Don't lose your saltiness.  Hold on to your usefulness for Christ.  Keep your passion bucket full (for Dan Patrick fans).  How do we lose our saltiness?  A little at a time, so don't let go... endure.

3) "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Wow.  I don't get this one.  It is very hard to understand and if you get it help me get it too.  But I do believe this is Christ's way of saying that the law still is important and even with faith works are valuable to him.  Very valuable.

4) "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away."

How can we gouge our eyes today?  I know I need to do some gouging.  This can mean putting the computer in a visible place where you wouldn't look at porn.  This can mean not reading that gossip magazine.  This means removing our stumbling blocks because purity is important as we are the bride of Christ.

5) "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

This is the most difficult saying of all.  I fall very short of jumping this hurdle.  But realize that this command comes after Jesus speaks about loving our enemies.  I can't achieve perfection like Jesus did, but he is saying that perfection starts with love.  If I can love my enemies I am closer to obeying this command.

Read the whole chapter (or hopefully you already have).  Realize that Jesus is serious about flipping this world on its head and start loving people and living for Jesus today.