R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.21-48 'What is Love?' Men are the leaders: 1 Corinthians 11.3-16 Emotions -Emotions must be governed by the Agape [benevolence] of Yahweh... -Emotion = Attitude toward something... -Feelings flow out of emotions.. In a sense we must also be stoic, which is antithetical to our modern culture... -Stoic means: to endure pain/hardship without showing feelings or complaining... [regal; mature] We must be Christians... -It is not we must act Christianity out, But we must be Christians... Matthew 22.36-40: '36-'Teacher, what is the great commandment in the Law?' 37-He [The Lord Christ Jesus] said to him, 'You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38-This is the great and foremost commandment. 39-The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40-On these commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets'.' Love is a main theme throughout the entirety of the Bible. Seeing as this is the case, there must be a proper and accurate understanding of love... -Unfortunately, we do not understand what love really is... -We are not even supposed to focus on our self in love... -In fact, the word 'love' itself is a word that we have used in place of the four Greek terms, which means we have dumbed down 'love'... -To further this, we have exchanged the actual meaning of love from what it really means to mean: 'It is a selfish emotional infatuated feeling, which only make us feel 'good' continually'... There are actually four words that we, in the english, have condensed down to one simple term: -Agape: Unconditional benevolence;charity; unconditional moral sense; a fond affection; tenderness; impartial charity... [impartial] -Phileo: Affection or attachment; comradely; devotion -Storge: Not used in the New Testament. Familial affection. When we are told that they are without love in Romans 1.31, it is the opposite, we are being told they are without natural affection. -Eros: Not used in the New Testament, but this is the kind of 'love' that we equate with love, a feeling based passion... John 3.16 For God so loved the world... 1 Corinthians 13.4-8: '3-If I give all my possesions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4-Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; 5-it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; 6-it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with truth; 7-it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endues all things...[Love never fails]' Something to note here: Giving things, feeding the poor, surrendering yourself...These are not love in and of themselves... Galatians 5.22-23: '22-But the fruit of The Spirit is love [agape], joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.' Agape: Unconditional benevolence;charity; unconditional moral sense; a fond affection; tenderness; impartial charity... -When we are told that Yahweh is love, we are being shown the chief attribute of Yahweh, and from this chief attribute the rest of His attributes flow out of, the 'negative' attributes are a direct response for transgression against Yahweh's holiness... -It is only because Yahweh first loved us that we love [1 John 4.19] -Affection means to care for something... -One of the definitions of 'Affection' is to be affected by something, when Yahweh bestows His affection upon us, He affects us by changing us, thus being affected, we now have devotion and attachment to Yahweh... It is from this unconditional benevolence of Yahweh where the rest of the attributes of Yahweh flow out of... -It might not be in the specific order that is listed, but Agape is first... -The good attributes flow out of the Agape of Yahweh, the negative attributes being a response against the sinner... Delight: Extreme satisfaction... Joy/Rejoice Joy: Joy is being able to focus on God through The Lord Christ Jesus with no thought of self; to be able to walk in sanctification... -After hearing, then we are sealed [which includes faith and belief]... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.21-48 'Our Actions Matter [from Intent to Action] [part 002]' The Law of Yahweh is to show us that we cannot adhere to the Law of Yahweh on our own... -When we are told that we are not to have ill will toward our fellow man, that is to show us that we do in fact have ill will toward our fellow man from our heart... -This tie in with '...hungering and thirsting for righteousness...' The good works that we are to walk in start from the inside... Genesis 6.5-6: '5-Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6-And Yahweh regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.' Responsibility vs. ability -We are responsible to repent and believe... -We do not have the ability nor the capacity to do so... The only ability we have is if God is working is us through The Lord Christ Jesus under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -The fruit of The Spirit... The good works that we are to walk in start from the inside... -Out of the heart so speaks the mouth... -Whilst we can make a list of humanitarian efforts and call them good works, they are not primarily good works... -Good works on their own do not equate with salvation, there can be moralistic works done without being regenerate, but without The Holy Spirit working in a person, these are not good works... In looking at outward works without understanding the spiritual reality, we then tend to base our understanding of salvation on the good works we do, and we do not focus on God and the work that He does... Once again, we see The Lord Christ Jesus raising the standard back to where it needs to be, because the standard is actually perfection from the heart continually... -We are told that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... -They had a piety in their actions, and thought themselves right with Yahweh; but inside they were spiritually dead... Good works do not start with outward actions... -Good works start within us via the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -Good works also must start with our focus on Yahweh with the express purpose to glorify Him, and walk in the newness of life, and not focus on ourselves anymore [which is antithetical to our natural condition where we only focus on ourselves all the time]... -As we will see later on in Matthew 7, there is no room for self in entering through the small gate. It requires the total and complete abandonment of self... -Then they flow out in how we view one another, and interact with one another; hence The Lord Christ Jesus first exhorting us to not have ill will [animosity] toward our fellow man... If we look at the ten commandments, the tenth commandment is do not covet... -To covet means: To greatly desire [to lust after], to find beauty in; to lust after that which belongs to another... -This is the through-line through the other 9 commandments... Ill will and animosity really flow out of our self focus and self will because we think that we are the center of the universe, and that everyone should bow down and worship us... -We see this in the mindset of: I will live my life with no regard for how it effects you, and you have to deal with it... There is no room for loving self in loving Yahweh... -Everything belongs to God: our bodies, the things in our possession, even our very souls...everything belongs to God, and we are not to focus on the creature but The Creator... In having our focus on The Creator, and understanding everything belongs to God, we are not supposed to have animosity toward one another... Leviticus 19.16-17: '16-You shall not go about as a slanderer amongst your people, and you shall not stand against the life of your neighbor; I am Yahweh. 17-You shall not hate your neighbor in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, and so not bear sin because of him. 18-You shall not take vengeance, and you shall not keep your anger against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.' We can reprove, correct, and call out someone who is sinning and will not repent... -We are not to hate them, or sin because of them, or slander them, nor take vengeance... -When we reprove, correct, and call out sin, that is actually loving...and is actually a good work... Only Yahweh is allowed to hate the sinner, which He does because of sin... -Yahweh's hatred is holy, righteous, and just and is a directed at those who have transgressed His Agape...which the entirety of mankind has done... Furthermore, when we think of love, we tend to think of it as an emotional infatuated state, and we are then told to revel in that feeling...all of which is self-focused and self-serving... -The only kind of 'love' that semi fits this description is 'eros'... -We are commanded to 'Agape', and 'Philio' really flows out of 'Agape' -'Agape' is unconditional benevolence and charity -For The Father so showed His unconditional benevolence and charity upon the world that He sent His only begotten Son... '25-Make friends quickly with your opponent at law whilst you are with him on the way, so that your opponenet may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26-Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.' Make friends [be at peace] with your opponent at Law, lest you be handed over to the judge... This is actually the call of the gospel: -Be reconciled to God The Father... -Through the substitutionary atoning work of The Lord Christ Jesus... -Under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... The Law if fulfilled in Christ, and is not abolished... -If we are not in Christ, we are still under the Law... -If we are under the Law, we are required to fulfill the Law, from the heart...not just actions... -Responsibility vs. Ability The Law is meant to show us our inability to adhere to the Law of God... Romans 8.7-8 tells us: '7-...because the mind set on flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8-and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.' If we are under the Law of God, there is absolutely no way that we keep the Law, yet we are required to keep the Law... -In our natural state, on our own accord, we will be cast into hell for all eternity rightly and justly by Yahweh for not keeping the Law... -Those who are cast into hell will be there until they repay the debt that is owed to Yahweh... -Every single one of us owes Yahweh an insurmountable debt that we cannot pay off, let alone begin to repay... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study 040 - Matthew 5.20-48 'Our Actions Matter [from Intent to Action] [part 001]' '21-You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not murder' and 'Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.' 22-But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says, 'Raca' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23-Therefore if you are presenting an offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24-leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. The Lord Christ Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.16-17: '16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 17-Do not think that I have come to abolish The Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.' We have been discussing how we are to be light and salt in the world, and that this is shown through our actions... -Let your light shine, let people see your good works... We also see that there is actually a manner in which we are to act in, namely that we are required to obey Yahweh in our good works, which He prepared for us to walk in... Also, the Law is not to give life, and the Law cannot save... -The Law is to shut everyone up under the Law, and is to show us our sin, and is to drive us to Christ... -The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Christ, and it is Christ alone who has fulfilled the Law... -This ties into, or flows out of, how The Lord Christ Jesus says that the Law is not abolished, but fulfilled; and how we are told that our righteousness is to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... We are being show just how strict and relentless the Law of Yahweh actually is... -From this, we are to see the fact that we are poor in spirit, we are morally bankrupt, we are totally depraved... Let us consider Galatians 3.21-24 once again: '21-Is The Law then contrary to the promise of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22-But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23-But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. 24-Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.' If we are truly of God, we have been given new life... -In having been given new life, God has given us a new nature... -Thus we are slaves to righteousness, and are to act in like manner [obedience is required] Now, this next section shows us samples of how we are to act amongst one another, and we are given compare and contrast statements of how natural man looks at what was said, but what is actually required: -You shall not murder [v.21] -You shall not commit adultery [v.27] -Certificate of divorce [v.31] -Do not make false vows [v.33] -Eye for an eye [v.38] -Love your neighbor [v.43] To keep this in context, let us remember what we are told in Matthew 5.20: 'For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.' From this, we are being told that we are to act in a manner that is better than the scribes and the Pharisees. Now, we might think that this is supposed to be something that we can achieve in and of ourselves. But we have to remember the phrase: Responsibility vs Ability We are responsible, but as we have been seeing in our studies, we are not able... -Any command that is given in the Bible by God is to show us our inability... -Even when The Lord Christ Jesus tells us to '...Go and sin no more...', this is to show us that in and of ourselves we do and will continue to sin... In being told that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, we are lead back to the very first part of the Beatitudes: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...' -We are to be broken of ourselves, and we must see out inability Just on a side note, bad morals corrupt good character If sin is left uncheked, it gets worse and worse This also ties into the church body, if you let sin continue, it does effect the body This beginning portion of this section is another key portion, from which the others really flow. Here in Matthew 5.21-22, we are told: '21-You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not murder' and 'Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.' 22-But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says, 'Raca' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell...' Love your neighbor as yourself... -We are self focused and self serving, and we only loo for our best interest... -We are to look outside ourselves... Ill will toward someone is the opposite of being lowly and merciful... -Instead of looking at others with compassion with the aim of being reconciled to God The Father, through The Lord Christ Jesus, under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit – Ill will looks at others through our own perceptions... -Where God judges impartially; we judge partially, we judge with a bias.... -We can only judge the actions of others; Yahweh judges not only the actions, but the heart as well... -There is no possible way that any of us can judge the heart... Calling people names, questioning their character and motives, bearing false witness against them, being jealous of them, defamation of character, wishing people harm, having violent thoughts toward others...These are all examples of ill will toward fellow man... '23-Therefore if you are presenting an offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24-leave your offering there before the alter and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.' If we come to worship Yahweh, and we have animosity and in-fighting amongst one another, can there be true worship? We are supposed to keep peace as much as possible with all mankind... -This actually ties in with how we are to be lowly, merciful, and peacemakers... -When we are worshiping God, we are not to be harboring anything against one another... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.17-20 'Obedience is Required...' '17-Do not think that I have come to abolish The Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18-For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from The Law until all is accomplished. 19-Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20-For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.' First and foremost, how does this tie into the overarching passage that we are looking at: -First we are given what is means to be in the kingdom via the Beatitudes... -Then we are told that if we are truly of God, we are actually salt and light in the world [which actually ties in with being a 'peacemaker']... -Now The Lord Christ Jesus is telling us that the Law is not abolished, but fulfilled; and that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees... Why? If we remember, in the Beatitudes, we are told 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...' -This shows that there is a Law that is out there and must be obeyed...and that apart from Yahweh working in us, we cannot even hunger and thirst for it... Romans 2.14-15 tells us: '14-For when Gentiles who do not have the Law naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a Law unto themselves, 15-in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them...' Mankind is created, and in being created we are subservient to the purpose in which are created for... -What is this purpose that we are created for? -We are created in the image of Yahweh, which means that we are supposed to glorify Yahweh in everything that we do... -Or as The Lord Christ Jesus sums up the Law: Love Yahweh with all your heart, with all your soul, with all, your might, and with all your strength... -There is to be no thought of self at all, we are supposed to fully focus on God with every fiber of our being... -What this also means is that we are to obey...How are we supposed to glorify Yahweh if we are not being obedient to Him? Philippians 2 tells us: 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you both to will and work for His good pleasure...' Responsibility vs ability... As we look at our passage at hand, let us also consider a couple other passages that parallel this passage: John 1.17 tells us: 'For The Law was given to us through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' Galatians 3.21-22 '21-Is The Law then contrary to the promise of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. 22-But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.' The Law is quite important, so much so that The Lord Christ Jesus says tells us in no uncertain terms that He did not come to abolish The Law... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.13-16 'Salt and Light of the Earth...' '13-You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men.14-You are the light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hidden; 14-nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' Here we move from being called 'Peacemakers' to being related to 'Salt and Light' for the world... -We must note that it has nothing to do with who we personally are, or what kind of work we do... -Rather, it has to do with the fact that we are of Yahweh through Christ under the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -The whole purpose of being of Yahweh is that we might reflect the glory of Yahweh in order that all focus and attention turns back to Him, and never upon us... '13-You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men. Sat is a preservative, and a seasoning -People are not saved by those who are truly of God, rather it is God who saves through His work in those who are truly His, specifically in that those who are truly of God are ministers of the gospel which is to be proclaimed... -Thus it is through the proclamation of the gospel where the preservation comes from. After all, faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ; and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation... -Ultimately it is The Holy Spirit who saves through the proclamation of the gospel, and it is none other than The Holy Spirit who opens the hearts of those whom The Father wills through the proclamation of the Word of Yahweh... If salt has lost its function, or does not function in the manner in which it is supposed to, then can we actually call it salt? -No, if salt loses its abilities as a preservative [or seasoning], then it is useless... -The Lord Christ Jesus says that if it is good for nothing, then the best use for it would be to throw it out to be tramped under foot... -If a Christian does not act in obedience to God, if a Christian does not make disciples of others, what good is that Christian [or is said person even a Christian to begin with?] -If a 'Christian' acts as the world acts, does as the word does, and is not renewed in the mind...is said 'Christian' useful, or useless? As the MacArthur study Bible points out: 'Pure salt cannot lose its flavor or effectiveness...' As salt here is an illustration of one who is a Christian, a true Christian will act in the manner in which he/she are supposed to... -Not perfectly here on earth, but it will be a pattern of life... -The Lord Christ Jesus says 'Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord' and not do as I say?' -If we are truly of Yahweh, our desire will be to obey, and we will struggle and yearn to obey, and to cry out to Yahweh... If we look at the parable of the 4 soils, the first three are representations of those who are not Christians'... -The first one is one who does not even claim to be a Christian... -The second and third soils are those who claim to be Christian, with the third soil fully believing he/she is a Christian... -But the second and third soil are not true Christians, or pure salt [as described here in Matthew 5.13], rather they are corrupted salt that does lose its taste and effectiveness, which ultimately does prove that they are not truly Christian... -A word of caution here, we can only compare a persons actions to what the Bible says, we cannot judge a persons heart... Continuing on in this section, we read: [Matthew 5.14-16] '14-You are the light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hidden; 14-nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under the basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16-Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' Here we are told that those who are truly of Yahweh are likened unto lights of the world.... -A lights purpose is to illuminate... -What we are told here really ties in with what we are told in John 1.7-8: '7-He [John the Baptist] came as a witness, to bear witness about The Light, so that all might believe through him. 8-He was not The Light, but he came to bear witness about The Light.' -C.H. Spurgeon says: 'Wherever there is faith in Christ, there is light, for Jesus Himself said that those who follow after Him would not walk in darkness [John 8.12]. Genuine faith in Christ turns a person from darkness to marvelous light and transforms him into light in The Lord so that the light pours forth from the windows so as to be seen by others. The believer is appointed to be a lighthouse to others, a cheering lamp, and a guiding star. His light will be increased as he learns more of Christ. He will be able to impart more instruction to others when he has received more. But even whilst he is a beginner, his faith in Jesus is, in itself, a light.' Light cannot [and should not] be hidden... -This ties in with how pure salt cannot lose its efficacy, light cannot be hidden... -In our natural state, on our own accord, we are devoid of light [we are without light]... -If we are truly of Yahweh, we have imputed light in us from The Lord Christ Jesus, thus we are to do everything as unto The Lord... -If we try to hide said light, we should ask 'Why are we trying to hide it?' or even wonder if the true Light resides in us... The works that we do ought to be governed by the light... -If we are truly of Yahweh, we are told in Ephesians 2.8-10: '8-For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; 9-not of works so that no one can boast. 10-For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.' -Good works do not save, good works show salvation being worked in and through us... -The MacArthur study Bible states: A Godly life gives convincing testimony of the saving power of God. That brings Him glory.' Our obedience, our walking in the good works is not that people would look at us, but look to God The Father who is in heaven... -This is why there has to be a proclamation of faith accompanied by good works. Otherwise, actions on their own are merely humanitarian efforts with no merit, and no pointing people to The Lord Christ Jesus... -Furthermore, the obedience to Yahweh in The Lord Christ Jesus is not grandstanding and doing humanitarian efforts. Obedience to Yahweh starts inwardly, between ones self and Yahweh, then flows into the most minuscule daily activities, which then leads to our interactions with others in our daily interactions, primarily. John 17.15-16: '15-I [The Lord Christ Jesus] do not ask You [God The Father] to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16-They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.' Everything that we do is supposed to glorify Yahweh...Everything... -The very purpose of mankind even existing is cause we are created in the image of Yahweh, which means that we are glorify Yahweh in every single thing that we do... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.9-12 The Beatitudes in Action 'Blessed are the peacemakers...' Here in the beginning of The Lord Christ Jesus' first recorded sermon, we have been considering the attitude and demeanor of those who are in the kingdom of Heaven: -Blessed are the poor in Spirit... -Blessed are those who mourn... -Blessed are the lowly... -Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... -Blessed are the merciful... -Blessed are the pure in heart... As we have been discussing, these are not individual statements. Rather, they flow out of one another. Furthermore, all are incredibly important, and if a step is missed, then the next step cannot be taken. Also, as we have discussed previously, a better way to understand this is that if we are sons of God, we are peacemakers, and it is Yahweh who causes this... Thus, as we come to this last section here of peacemakers, if a step has been overlooked or not taken, the question arises: 'Can one be a peacemaker?' We must once again look at a work of caution here... These are spiritual blessings of God upon those who are His through The Lord Christ Jesus. -Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Christ Jesus who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through Christ [Ephesians 1.3] Even when we look at what we might consider 'actions' such as mourning, mercy, and being a peacemaker...these are not merely things that mankind does on our own accord, in and of ourselves. '9-Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.' To understand what the peacemakers are, we first need to understand that peace is... One of the titles of The Lord Christ Jesus is that He is the Prince of Peace... -Upon His birth, the heavenly host praising God saying: Luke 2.14 – 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.' Peace starts with God The Father... Peace flows through and from the substitutional atoning work of The Lord Christ Jesus... Peace is worked in us through the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... What then is this peace? Peace can be defined as: -Freedom from disturbance; tranquility -A state or period in which there is no war, or war has ended Once again, we have to look at mankind's reality, our natural state... -We are conceived in corruption, and born into iniquity... -Each and everyone of us are born spiritually dead... -We are born slaves to sin, the world, and the evil one; we are part of the brood of vipers, in the family of the evil one... -We are, by default, vessels of wrath In our natural state, on our own accord we are not at peace with God. By default, we are at enmity with Yahweh. As we are told in James 4.4: 'You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God...' There has to be peace with Yahweh... -Without peace, there is only the judgment and punishment and justice of Yahweh... -This peace that is required is, in fact, required, but cannot be achieved by mankind at all... -There is absolutely nothing at all we can do, or contribute to making peace [or being at peace] with Yahweh... If we look at the manifesting work of The Holy Spirit, we see something quite telling: Agape, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We see that these are all the working of God within those who are truly of God... -Peace is included in this list... -This means that 'Peace' has to be worked in us by God and through God in order for there to be 'Peace'... -This also means that without God working 'Peace' in us, there is no 'peace'... Going back to what we are told in Luke 2.14: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.' -The peace from Yahweh only comes through The Lord Christ Jesus [God The Son], and through the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit [Galatians 5.22-23]. Looking also at the definition of Peace again: Peace can be defined as: -Freedom from disturbance; tranquility -A state or period in which there is no war, or war has ended Peace is not an emotion, rather it is a legal position in the presence of Yahweh... -This position can only be obtained through the substitutionary atoning work of The Lord Christ Jesus... -It is imputed upon those whom God alone wills, through The Lord Christ Jesus, through the gracious indwelling of The Holy Spirit... -It is both the working and decision of God alone... We have to understand peace in order to understand what the 'Peacemakers' is The Peacemakers are the ones who proclaim the gospel, which every single one of us is supposed to do if we are truly of God. -We will discuss this further in the next section were we are actually salt and light here in the world... -We are to go and make disciples [learners] of all nations], teaching them to observe all that Yahweh has commanded... If we are truly of God, we are a set apart people, a royal priesthood... -We are ministers of the gospel... As Paul says, knowing the terror of The Lord, we urge men to repentance... -It is not just the preachers job to teach people, it is the congregations job to go out in their lives and be 'peacemakers' to the whole of the world in whatever capacity Yahweh has us in. -The congregation has the ability to talk to people that a pastor would not naturally have.. -The Pastor/Elder/Overseers job is to feed and minister to the sheep... -The sheep are supposed to be in the world and not of the world, being light and salt... '10-Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' '11-Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12-Rejoice and be glad, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.' 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.8 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' Just as being lowly/meek/humble is 'poor in spirit and mourning in action', so the pure in heart flows out of all the beatitudes thus far... A good way to look at the beatitudes is to look at the promise first, and then the condition... You shall see God [or the only way to see God] is if you are pure in heart...this is what it means to be blessed. This is a good way to understand all the beatitudes Blessed are the poor in Spirit Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are the lowly Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness Blessed are the merciful We need to remember that it is first and foremost the work of Yahweh in us which causes the condition in the first place... [Psalm 24] Pure: clean, blameless, unstained from guilt Chaste Unmixed [do not be conformed to the world, but be renewed in the mind] Heart: the inner man, the center of the man, the whole of who a person is These are all included in Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Yahweh requires Purity, as we can see here in this beatitude Be perfect as your Father who is in heaven is perfect Be ye holy, just as Yahweh is holy Purify your hands, you sinners Humble yourself in the sight of The Lord, and He will lift you up Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me [Psalm 51.10] Who are the pure in heart? How does one get a pure/clean heart? [see Ezekiel 36; Acts 11] How can one cry out to have a pure heart [to hunger and thirst for righteousness]? Those who have a pure heart alone shall see Yahweh [Once again seeing only two groups of people] The Problem: The problem is 2-fold: First, Yahweh is too holy to look upon iniquity Second, the whole of mankind is fallen and alienated from Yahweh As we are told in Genesis 6.5: '...Every single intent of every thought of the heart is only evil continually in the sight of Yahweh...' Jeremiah 'The heart of deceitful above all else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it? Only Yahweh judges the heart' The Law of Yahweh is given.. The Law is the perfect and righteous requirements of Yahweh in which we are to act in, meaning that mankind is supposed to obey... But as we are told in Scripture, there is no Law unto life, and thus the Law is supposed to show us our iniquity and drive us to The Lord Christ Jesus... As we have been discussing thus far in the beatitudes, this is internal, not external... Our actions cannot and will not save us. It is not our belief or faith that save us... It is God who saves us through The Lord Christ Jesus... It is God who instills faith in us which causes us to believe... Nothing that we do can save us, which is what we considered in how we are poor in spirit in and of ourselves... ...For they shall see God Only those who are pure in heart can see God, can be in the presence of God Positionally we need to be perfect and holy in the sight of Yahweh, yet in and of ourselves, we [the whole of mankind] are guilty in the sight/presence of Yahweh, and thus cannot be in the presence of Yahweh There needs to be a singleness of heart toward Yahweh [from Got Questions]. This is actually the summation of the Law: 'You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and will all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The question is posed in Job: 'How can man be right with Yahweh?' This ties in with the question that we have been asking: 'Where is our focus...who is our focus on?' What needs to happen: The Gospel needs to be proclaimed... We love cause Yahweh first loved us Ezekiel 36 Yahweh acts for His namesake, not for our sake... Yahweh removes the dead heart of stone, and replaces it with an heart of flesh... Yahweh sprinkles us with water and removes our idols... Yahweh places His Spirit within us in order that we might be careful to observe His ordinances and to walk in His statutes... Ephesians 1 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Christ Jesus who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus... 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.7 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' In order to be merciful: First – Yahweh must be at work in us Second – In light of Yahweh working in us, we must: -Understand and accept our condition [be broken of self] -This leads to lamenting and mourning over transgression against the holiness of Yahweh -This leads to walking in newness of life/repentance [which includes looking outside ourselves and and understanding that the whole of mankind is in the same boat; the fact that the whole of mankind is fallen] -This then leads to the hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which is outside of ourselves, and solely found in Yahweh alone and nowhere else -It is only then, and only then where we can be truly merciful What is Mercy? First of all, this mercy of Yahweh is not necessarily physical on our end On Yahweh's end, it does show up in the physical in that the whole of creation is upheld by the word of the power of The Lord Christ Jesus [Hebrews 1.3] This is known as the 'common grace' of Yahweh -Everything is upheld by the word of the power of Christ -It rains on the just and the unjust alike Isaiah 45.5-7 tells us: '5-I am Yahweh, and there is no other; beside Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6-That they may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one beside Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other, 7-The One forming light and creating darkness, producing peace and creating calamity; I am Yahweh who does all these.' Mercy: The unmerited compassion/ forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish them or harm; a willingness to extend kindness toward another [kindness is not natural to natural man, it has to be worked in us, and is actually a manifesting work of The Holy Spirit within a person] Kindness and Forgiveness The Problem: We are all sinners, we are all fallen. Whilst we do sin against one another, and there are factions and divisions, which show a much graver problem...the problem that each and ever one of us is guilty in the sight of Yahweh. Thus, whilst we might sin against one another, ultimately we sin against Yahweh and Yahweh alone. Two dynamics of mercy: Mercy to the outside world: The proclamation of the Gospel to make disciples... Mercy amongst the brethren: James 2.14-17 '14-What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15-If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16-and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17-Even so faith, if it has no works is dead by itself.' John 13.34-35 tells us: '34-A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35-By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.' ...For they shall obtain/receive mercy Why shall they receive mercy? First of all, Yahweh is at work in them. Seeing as Yahweh is at work in them, they will be merciful. Those whom Yahweh is at work in are already being shown mercy, and seeing as mercy is worked in them, if flows out of them in how they, in turn, show mercy to others. Only those who are spiritually well off [or fortunate] are the ones who will be shown the forgiving mercy of Yahweh through Christ. While the whole of the world has the common grace of God [as previously discussed] here on earth, only those who are truly of Yahweh actually have the special grace and mercy from Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus. From the Reformation Study Bible: 'God's mercy is not a reward earned by showing mercy. Rather, those who recognize the magnitude of the mercy He has shown them will treat others as The Father has treated them.' Those who do not show mercy, really show that they may not actually be indwelt with The Holy Spirit, which means that they may not be of Yahweh at all As C.H. Spurgeon said: 'If you do not desire to see people saved, you yourself are not saved. Of this you can be sure.' 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.5 'Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit the earth' Blessed are the Lowly Lowly definition: Meek; humble; lowly, submissive [Philippians 2] Blessed are those who are not self-reliant and self-assured, but those who are lowly and humble...those who understand that on our own accord we can do absolutely nothing at all in our relation to Yahweh. Positionally we understand and accept that God alone is holy, which is why if we are truly of Yahweh we hunger and thirst for His holiness and righteousness. Once again, we are spiritually well off if we understand and accept this, because on our own we reject this. The best way to understand lowly/meek is to think of it of it as 'poor in spirit' in action. We might say that to be lowly/meek is the practice application of 'to be poor in spirit' and 'to mourn'. Another way we can understand lowly/meek is that it is the response to our acceptance of being 'poor in spirit' and our 'mourning/lamenting' over the fact that we have transgressed against the Law of Yahweh, and that we have abandoned our created purpose. To be lowly/meek/humble is to empty one's self and be under control. This should make us realize immediately that we cannot achieve this in and of ourselves. Whilst Christ did in fact humble Himself, this was so show His deity. There must be the work of Yahweh in us in order for us to be emptied and self-controlled. Self control itself is one of the manifesting works of The Holy Spirit within us, meaning this is not natural to natural man. In being told that spiritually fortunate are the lowly/meek, once again the spiritual fortune is the fact that God is working within those who are His through Christ, and lowliness is being worked in them. The problem: Original sin is the problem, the fact that every single intent of the thoughts of the heart is only evil continually; or as we are told in Jeremiah: 'the heart if deceitful above all else, and is desperately sick...who can understand it?' Lust of the eyes Lust of the flesh Boastful pride of life Mankind, in and of ourselves, we like to think that we are free and that our wills matter, and that we have a 'say-so' in eternal matters. We do not recognize, or accept, that we are merely created beings who are sustained by Yahweh. To further this, in our fallen state, we are actually born slaves to: the world system the evil one [born into the family of also] sin Matthew 23.12 tells us: 'Whoever exults himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.' Herein lies the problem, the entirety of mankind in and of ourselves, we exult ourselves to no end. In our natural state, on our own accord, we cannot and will not humble our self. Whilst the promise of Yahweh is true, the command [or exhortation] of Yahweh here is ultimately to show us our inability, which then is to lead us to repentance. If we could humble ourselves on our own accord, then it would be our works that save us, and God would ow us something. Apart from Yahweh, mankind is: Dead Blind Destitute Antithetical to Yahweh [This is shown in our self-worship and self-service and self-focus] What is True lowliness [humility]? This actually ties into all that we have been considering thus far in Matthew, specifically when we are told to 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' Humility, or meekness, is to understand and accept our condition, to mourn and lament over the fact that we have transgressed the Law of Yahweh [that we have profaned the holy name of Yahweh], and to submit to the perfect estimation of Yahweh as well as the absolute and sovereign authority of Yahweh [acting in accordance with the manifesting work of The Holy Spirit within us, in which self control is part of] Part of being meek is to understand that strength only resides in Yahweh alone, and nowhere else. Self-importance and self-strength have absolutely no place in being in the presence of God because apart from God, there is absolutely nothing at all. This actually ties into the fact that we need to be washed in the precious shed blood of The Lord Christ Jesus in order to even be in the presence of Yahweh. We have to be justified. The Lord Christ Jesus says that if any will come after Him, the must: Deny self Pick up their cross [their instrument of death] Submit to The Lord Christ Jesus There is no self in the kingdom of heaven. Self has to be denied, self has to die. In fact, we are supposed to have the demeanor of little children who have complete dependence upon Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus, just as a little child has complete dependence upon his parents, cause once again, we have nothing in and of ourselves. ...For they shall inherit the earth This really ties in with 'blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' in that those who are lowly are the ones who are in the kingdom of heaven, and will inherit the new heavens and the new earth. Once again we are being shown that there are two groups of people, those who are truly of God, and those who are not. This also ties in with the first Beatitude in that it is only because of the work of Yahweh in us where we can be humble/lowly in the first place We can understand this as Yahweh's rest regained. In Genesis 3, mankind was cast out from the presence of Yahweh. When we are converted, we come back into the presence of Yahweh through the work of The Lord Christ Jesus Isaiah 56.7-8 tells us: '7-'Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them glad in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable at My altar; for My house will be called an house of prayer for all the peoples.' 8-Lord Yahweh, who gathers the banished of Israel, declares: 'Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered'.' Ezekiel 36.24 tells us: 'I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.' Hebrews talks about not being found with an evil hardened heart of unbelief which would cause Yahweh to not allow them into His rest. Hebrews also talks about how Abraham was looking for a city not built with human hands Not relying on our own works, which can do nothing for us 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved

R&R Devotional Bible Study Matthew 5.4 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted...' Blessed are those who mourn To mourn: To feel or show deep sorrow, grief, or regret We are spiritually well off [spiritually fortunate] when we mourn This statement here only makes sense when we understand the previous statement of 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This is due to the fact that true Godly mourning [or grieving] only flows from our acceptance of our fallen state. We do, however, have to be careful here. The mourning/grieving that The Lord Christ Jesus is talking about here is not a self-centered and self-focused pity. Rather, it is a mourning over the fact that we have sinned against Yahweh alone. The problem: If we just look at this in a flippant manner, we can make it seem as if this applies to anyone who has ever been sad. In fact we may have the tendency to hear people suggest just that...that those who are sad and mourning are blessed and that God will comfort them in [insert whatever sad scenario here, and you will be comforted because you are grieving]. As we have been discussing concerning 'the Beatitudes' [these statements of blessing], blessing itself is to be spiritually fortunate or spiritually well off, which does not mean this would necessarily translate into the physical. Thus showing here that we are not necessarily talking about a physical situation. Here on earth, one might be in a constant state of sorrow in his or her condition, and not be consoled here on earth. Realistically, this is the kind of sorrow the Judas showed. In fact, this is the only kind of sorrow that anyone can show in our natural state, on our own accord. True Godly sorrow: We are spiritually well off when we lament/mourn because, first and foremost, it is Yahweh who is at work in us. We lament and mourn the fact that we have transgressed the agape of Yahweh, but it is not a self focused lament or mourning. True Godly sorrow is not self focused, and really does not pity ones self. Whilst true Godly sorrow does look at self and see self in light of how Yahweh sees us, true Godly mourning focuses on how we have transgressed the perfect and holy agape of Yahweh, and we affirm that we have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of Yahweh. Lament over the fact that we have sinned against Yahweh; that we have abandoned our created purpose, and that we have angered and grieved Yahweh, and we have profaned the Name of Yahweh. Lament over the fact that the whole of mankind is fallen: This actually ties in with the next Beatitude, 'blessed are the lowly [or humble]. C.H. Spurgeon said something to the effect of: 'If you do not desire to see people saved, you yourself are not saved. Of that you can be sure.' If we are truly of Yahweh, we understand our spiritual condition, the fact that we are 'poor in spirit' [that we are spiritually dead, spiritually bankrupt] in and of ourselves. We should also then understand the fact that it is not only us who are spiritually dead, but that the whole of mankind is in the same boat, which should lead us to mourning/grieving over the fact that the whole of humanity has abandoned our created purpose which is to glorify Yahweh in every single thing that we do. Mankind, the whole of, are in fact image bearers [imago dei] of Yahweh; created in the image of Yahweh [...Let Us make mankind in Our image]. ...For they shall be comforted Here on earth: A primary way in which those who are truly of Yahweh are comforted is that they no longer focus on themselves, they now focus on Yahweh through The Lord Christ Jesus [as we are told in Hebrews: set aside all encumbrance of sin and fix our eyes upon The Lord Christ Jesus Who is the Author and Perfecter of faith]. The main issue with our fallenness is that mankind, in our natural state on our own accord, focuses solely and exclusively on self: we do not believe Yahweh, we do not honor Yahweh as God, we do not give thanks, we suppress the truth of Yahweh, and regard the truth of Yahweh as foolishness. Or as we are told in Genesis 6.5: Every single intent of the thought of the heart is only evil continually. Basically put: We only focus on ourselves all the time, which is a breaking of the summation of the command of Yahweh [which is to agape Yahweh with every fiber of our being]. Thus, the primary showance of comfort is that we no longer look at ourselves, or fellow man. Rather, we are now focused upon The Creator and finally start to agape Yahweh, and to show this agape in how we interact with our fellow man. This ties in further with hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the merciful, and the peacemakers In eternity future: Once we are shed of this mortal coil [if we are granted entrance into heaven], ultimately the comfort will be that there will be no remembrance of things here, and we will be forever with Yahweh in heaven, and we will be able to function in the manner in which we were created, which is to worship and glorify Yahweh forever and ever. There will be no thought of self in heaven. Every preconceived notion we might have here on earth concerning heaven will not matter in light of actually being in the presence of Yahweh in heaven, and there will no longer be any evil intent of the thoughts of the heart because there will be no self focus. Our focus will be fixed upon God. 2025 Research & Reference Devotional © All Rights Reserved