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Week 4 — Day 1
13 You are the 1salt of the earth. But if the salt has become 2tasteless, with what shall it be salted?…
14 You are the 1light of the world. It is impossible for a 2city situated upon a mountain to be hidden.
15 Nor do men light a lamp and place it under the 1bushel, but on the 2lampstand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and 1glorify your 2Father who is in the heavens.
131 Salt, by nature, is an element that kills and eliminates the germs of corruption. To the corrupted earth the people of the kingdom of the heavens are such an element, keeping the earth from being fully corrupted.
132 For the kingdom people to become tasteless means that they lose their salting function. They become the same as the earthly people and are indistinguishable from the unbelievers.
141 Light is the shining of a lamp to enlighten those in darkness. To the darkened world the people of the kingdom of the heavens are such a light, effacing the world’s darkness. In nature they are the healing salt, and in behavior they are the shining light.
142 As the shining light, the kingdom people are like a city situated upon a mountain, a city that cannot be hidden. This will ultimately consummate in the holy city, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10-11, 23-24).
151 A bushel is an instrument for measuring grain. A lighted lamp placed under a bushel cannot shine out its light. The kingdom people as the lighted lamp should not be covered by a bushel, an item pertaining to food, concern for which causes people to be anxious (6:25).
152 The light as a city on a mountain shines over the outsiders, whereas the lighted lamp on the lampstand shines over those who are in the house. As a city on a mountain, the light cannot be hidden, and as the lamp on the lampstand, the light should not be hidden.
161 To glorify God the Father is to give Him the glory. Glory is God expressed. When the kingdom people express God in their behavior and good works, men see God and give the glory to God.
162 The title your Father proves that the disciples, who were the new King’s audience, were regenerated children of God (John 1:12; Gal. 4:6).
[Now] we come to the second section of the decree of the kingdom’s constitution (5:13-16), which concerns the influence of the people of the kingdom of the heavens upon the world.…Do not consider the influence of the kingdom people upon the world an individual matter.…All individualistic spirituality is a cancer that absorbs into itself the nourishment intended for the whole Body. Cancer is not caused by germs; it is caused by cells in the body that separate from the body and care only for themselves.…We all need to hear this word of warning.
We need to be impressed with the fact it is as a corporate entity that the kingdom people are salt and light. If we separate ourselves from the church life, we can no longer be salt or light.…Today the church people are the kingdom people. Concerning discipline and exercise, we are the kingdom people. But concerning life and grace, we are the church people.
In verse 13 the Lord speaks of the earth, and in verse 14 He speaks of the world. [These] terms are not synonymous. What was created by God is the earth, and what came in through the corruption of Satan is the world. To the God-created earth, the kingdom people are salt. But to the Satan-corrupted world, they are light. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 199-201)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 199-208; Hymns: #1226
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Day 2
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish, but to 1fulfill.
18 For truly I say to you, Until 1heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one serif shall by no means pass away from the law until all come to pass.
19 Therefore whoever annuls one of the least of these 1commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever practices and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
171 Here for Christ to fulfill the law means (1) that, on the positive side, He kept the law, (2) that, on the negative side, through His substitutionary death on the cross He fulfilled the requirement of the law, and (3) that in this section He complemented the old law with His new law, as repeatedly expressed by the word “But I say to (or, tell) you” (vv. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44). Christ’s keeping of the law qualified Him to fulfill the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross. Christ’s fulfilling of the requirement of the law through His substitutionary death on the cross brought in the resurrection life to complement the law, to fill the law to the full. The old law, the lower law, with the demand that it be kept and the requirement that man be punished, is over. The kingdom people, as the children of the Father, now need to fulfill only the new law, the higher law, by the resurrection life, which is the eternal life of the Father. The old law was given through Moses, whereas the new law was decreed by Christ personally.
Concerning the law there are two aspects: the commandments of the law and the principle of the law. The commandments of the law were fulfilled and complemented by the Lord’s coming, whereas the principle of the law was replaced by the principle of faith according to God’s New Testament economy.
181 After the millennial kingdom the old heaven and old earth will pass away when the new heaven and new earth come in (Rev. 21:1; Heb. 1:11-12; 2 Pet. 3:10-13). What is covered by the law extends only to the end of the millennial kingdom, whereas what is covered by the prophets extends to the new heaven and new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22). This is why both the law and the prophets are referred to in v. 17, but only the law, not the prophets, is mentioned in v. 18.
191 Commandments here refers to the law in v. 18. The kingdom people not only fulfill the law but also complement it.…
We come [now] to the third section of the King’s word on the mountain, 5:17-48, which concerns the law of the people of the kingdom of the heavens.
Before Christ came, there was the law with the strengthening through the prophets. Why then was there still the need for the law of the kingdom of the heavens? The reason is that the demands of the old law were not high enough. The requirements of the old law were not complete. Take the example of murder. The old law commanded us not to murder (Exo. 20:13), but it did not say a word about anger.… Here we see the shortage, the incompleteness, of the old law.…According to the law of the kingdom of the heavens, we are forbidden to be angry with our brothers [vv. 21-22]. Thus, the basic principle of the [new] law…is that it is higher than the old law. We do not annul the old law; we complement it to make it higher.
[Christ’s] resurrection life is much higher than the natural life, for it is actually the divine life, the eternal life, the life on the highest plane. This highest life within us can fulfill the requirements of the highest law. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 210-213)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 209-216; Hymns: #499
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Day 3
20 For I say to you that unless your 1righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means 2enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
22 But 1I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the 2judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 3Raca, shall be liable to the judgment of the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 4Moreh, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire.
201 Righteousness here does not refer only to objective righteousness, which is the Christ whom we receive when we believe in Him and are thus justified before God (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:26); it refers even more to subjective righteousness, which is the indwelling Christ lived out of us as our righteousness that we may live in the reality of the kingdom today and enter into its manifestation in the future. This subjective righteousness is obtained…by the complementing of the old law through the fulfilling of the new law of the kingdom of the heavens given…here in this section of the Word. This righteousness of the kingdom people, which is according to the new law of the kingdom, surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, which is according to the old law. It is impossible for our natural life to gain this surpassing righteousness; it can be produced only by a higher life, the resurrection life of Christ. This righteousness, which is likened to the wedding garment (22:11-12), qualifies us to participate in the wedding of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-8) and inherit the kingdom of the heavens in its manifestation, that is, to enter into the kingdom of the heavens in the future.
The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is the righteousness of letters, which they practiced by their own life according to the old law of letters; the surpassing righteousness of the kingdom people is the righteousness of life, which they live out by taking Christ as their life according to the new law of life.
202 Entrance into the kingdom of God requires regeneration as a new beginning of our life (John 3:3, 5), but entrance into the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness in our living after regeneration. To enter into the kingdom of the heavens is to live in its reality today and to participate in its manifestation in the future.
221 The words…“I say to (or, tell) you” (vv. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44) are the new law of the kingdom, which complements the law of the old dispensation.
222 In this verse there are three kinds of judgments. The first is…at the gate of the city.…The second is…by the Sanhedrin,…a higher judgment. The third is the judgment by God through the Gehenna [see note 228 in RcV] of fire, which is the highest judgment. These three kinds of judgments were mentioned here by the new King, who used figures from the Jewish background because His entire audience was Jewish. However, in regard to the kingdom people, the believers of the New Testament, all these judgments refer to the judgment of the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, as revealed in 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10, 12; 1 Cor. 4:4-5; 3:13-15; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12 and Heb. 10:27, 30. This clearly reveals that the New Testament believers, although forgiven by God forever, are still liable to the Lord’s judgment, a judgment not for perdition but for discipline, if they sin against the new law of the kingdom as given here. However, when we sin against the new law of the kingdom, we will be forgiven and cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus if we repent and confess our sins (1 John 1:7, 9).
223 I.e., stupid, good-for-nothing. An expression of contempt.
224 I.e., fool. A Hebrew expression of condemnation indicating a rebel (Num. 20:10). This expression is more serious than “Raca,” an expression of contempt.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 210-220; Hymns: #943
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Day 4
23 Therefore if you are offering your 1gift at the 2altar and there you remember that your brother has 3something against you,
24 Leave your gift there before the altar, and 1first go and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Be well disposed 1quickly toward your opponent at law, while you are with him 2on the way, lest the opponent 3deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
27 You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.”
28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his 1heart.
29 So if your right eye stumbles you, 1pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
231 A sacrifice, such as the sacrifice for sin, is for dealing with sin, whereas a gift is for fellowship with God.
232 The altar was a piece of furniture (Exo. 27:1-8) in the outer court of the temple (1 Kings 8:64). On the altar all the sacrifices and gifts were offered (Lev. 1:9, 12, 17). In decreeing the new law of the kingdom, the King referred here to the gift and altar of the old dispensation because during the period of His ministry on earth, a transitional period, the ritual law of the old dispensation had not yet come to an end. (In the four Gospels, before His death and resurrection, in matters regarding the outward circumstances, the Lord treated His disciples as Jews according to the old law, whereas in matters concerning spirit and life, He considered them believers, constituents of the church, according to the New Testament economy.)
233 Something against you here must refer to an offense caused by the anger or scolding in v. 22.
241 We must first be reconciled to our brother so that our remembrance of the offense can be removed and our conscience can be void of offense. Then we can come and offer our gift to the Lord and fellowship with Him with a pure conscience. The King of the kingdom will never allow two brothers who are not reconciled to each other either to share the kingdom in its reality or to reign in its manifestation.
251 Be well disposed quickly, lest you die, your opponent die, or the Lord come back, thus leaving you no opportunity to be reconciled to your opponent.
252 On the way signifies that we are still living in this life.
253 This will take place at the judgment seat of Christ when He comes back (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10). The judge will be the Lord, the officer will be the angel, and the prison will be the place of discipline.
281 The law of the old dispensation deals with the outward act of adultery, whereas the new law of the kingdom deals with the inward motive of the heart.
291 The emphasis of the new law of the kingdom in this verse and in v. 30 indicates the seriousness of sin in relation to the kingdom of the heavens and the need to put away the motive of sin at any cost. The actions described in these verses were not meant to be carried out literally; they can be carried out only spiritually, as revealed in Rom. 8:13 and Col. 3:5.
We must consider the seriousness of such a sin [as adultery] in relation to the kingdom.…We must never be loose about this.…As Romans 8:13 reveals, by the Spirit we must “put to death the practices of the body,” and, as Colossians 3:5 says, we must mortify our “members which are on the earth.” This is the proper way to deal with our sinful members. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 222, 224)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 220-224; Hymns: #508
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Day 5
Matt. 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have…come…to fulfill.
22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment….And whoever says, Moreh, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire.
Rom. 8:4 That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who…walk according…to the spirit.
According to the Old Testament economy, God’s dealings with His people were based upon the law. This was the principle of the law. But in the New Testament economy, God deals with His people today…according to faith. The principle of the law has been abolished, but the commandments of the law have not been abolished.…Never think…that there is no need to honor our parents or to refrain from stealing. No, instead of being abolished, the commandments of the law have been uplifted. Although our contact with God is not based upon the principle of the law, we must still observe the uplifted commandments of the law.
At this point the Seventh Day Adventists might say, “Yes, we must keep all the commandments of the law. One of these commandments is to keep the Sabbath….” Although the commandments of God have not been abolished, one of these commandments, the law about keeping the Sabbath, is not related to morality. Rather, it is a ritual law. A ritual is a form, a shadow, that we need no longer observe today. For example, we do not need to offer animal sacrifices, do we? Likewise, we no longer need to keep the Sabbath.…Today is an age of reality. Our sacrifice is not a lamb or a goat; it is Christ, the reality of all the Old Testament sacrifices. In like manner, our rest is not a particular day; it also is Christ. Because Christ, the reality, is here, all the shadows are over.…All of the ten commandments have been repeated and uplifted in the New Testament except the fourth commandment, the commandment to keep the Sabbath. This commandment is over because it is not related to morality.
In Matthew 5 the Lord Jesus spoke about murder and adultery. Murder refers to our temper, and adultery, to our lust.…In order to live up to a moral standard higher than that of the old law, you must overcome your temper and your lusts.…This is why you need Christ. This is why you need another life.…We must contact Him not only day by day, but even hour by hour.…We need to remain in constant fellowship with Him.
The crucial point of the Lord’s decree concerning the law is that…we must have a standard of morality much higher than the standard of the old law after we have been saved by faith.…The Lord’s warning in Matthew 5 must force us to stay with Christ. We must have a daily life full of fear and trembling. We need to say, “I must stay close to the resurrected Christ. I must be one with Him.…If I even lose my temper with my brother, I may be burned in the fire [v. 22].”…This thought of being burned by fire is found in both 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 6.…How awful it would be to pass through such a burning! Moreover, in Revelation 2:11 the Lord said, “He who overcomes shall by no means be hurt of the second death.” This word implies that the defeated Christians will be hurt by the second death, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
Romans 8:4 says that when we walk according to the spirit, we spontaneously fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law. We are not trying to keep the law, for the more we try to keep it, the more we break it.…Within the spirit, there is the King, Christ, who is our resurrection life. As we walk according to the spirit, we fulfill even the requirements of the highest law. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 225-226, 228-229, 231-233, 235)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 225-235; Hymns: #540
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Day 6
31 And it was said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorcement.
32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her who has been divorced commits adultery.
33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not break an oath, but you shall render to the Lord your oaths.”
34 But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God;
35 Nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of His feet; nor unto Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King;
36 Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for anything more than these is of the evil one.
38 You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
39 But I tell you not to resist him who is evil; rather whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
43 You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
48 You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
[Matthew] 5:31-48…covers four laws. In verses 21 through 30 the Lord covered two laws that were complemented, the law regarding murder and the law regarding adultery. But the four laws in this section, the laws regarding divorce, swearing, resisting evil, and loving our enemies, have all been changed.
[First, regarding divorce,] according to the old law, a man could divorce his wife simply by giving her a certificate of divorce. [This] law…was ordained because of the people’s hardness of heart; it was not according to God’s design in the beginning (19:7-8). The King’s new decree recovers marriage back to the beginning designed by God (19:4-6).…Only two things can break the marriage tie: either the death of one of the parties or fornication, adultery. If either party commits adultery, the marriage tie is broken. This is the principle.
[Second,] in verses 34 through 36 we see the Lord’s new law regarding swearing: it is not to swear at all…[not] by the heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, or by [our] head.… All these things — heaven, earth, Jerusalem, and even the hairs of our head — are not under our control. We are nobody and we control nothing.
[According to verse 37] the kingdom people’s word needs to be simple and true: “Yes, yes; No, no,” not convincing others with many words.…The evil one is seeking the opportunity to express himself through our excessive talking. Do not say too much. Simply say as much as is needed. Do not go any further.
Now we come to the third law regarding the resistance of evil.…Verse 38 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’” This is the old law.…The new law is not to resist one who is evil. [Verses 38-42 reveal that] the old law did not touch people’s anger or their heart. But the new law, the changed law, touches both our temper and our heart.
[The last law changed by the Lord is regarding enemies.] Legally speaking, the old law [v. 43] is fair and righteous; for a good neighbor deserves our love and an enemy deserves our hatred. [However,] verse 44 says, “But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” All these laws kill our natural man, our natural taste, and our temper.
All the requirements of these changed laws reveal how much the divine life within us can do for us. These laws are not merely a requirement; they are a revelation, showing us that the divine life can even make us perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 237-238, 240-244, 246-248)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 237-255; Hymns: #1130
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 4 — Prophecy
III. The King’s ministry (4:12—11:30)
B. The decree of the kingdom’s constitution (5:1—7:29)
2. Concerning the influence of the kingdom people (5:13-16)
3. Concerning the law of the kingdom people (5:17-48)
Matthew 5:13-16, the second section of the kingdom’s decree, concerns the influence of the kingdom people upon the world. Their influence issues from their nature. In verse 13 the Lord said, “You are the salt of the earth,” and in verse 14 He said, “You are the light of the world.” The “you” in these two verses does not refer to an individual, but to a corporate people. The kingdom people as the salt kill the germs of corruption and preserve the God-created earth. Moreover, as a city on a mountain, they are the light effacing the world’s darkness, and as a lamp uncovered, they shine to all who are in the house.
The third section of the King’s word on the mountain (5:17-48) concerns the law of the kingdom people. There are three aspects of the law: 1) the principle, 2) the commandments, and 3) the rituals. The principle of the law was replaced in the dispensation of grace with the principle of faith. Likewise, the rituals — offering sacrifices and keeping the Sabbath — were also terminated because they were part of the old dispensation of shadows, figures, and types, all of which have been fulfilled by Christ as the reality. Concerning the commandments of the law, they were uplifted, complemented, and completed by the Lord’s coming (v. 17).
Our entrance into the kingdom of God requires regeneration (John 3:3, 5), but entrance into the kingdom of the heavens demands surpassing righteousness (Matt. 5:20) in our living after regeneration. Such righteousness can only be produced by the higher, resurrection life of Christ.
In Matthew 5:22 we have the judgment of the believers. This thought of being burned by fire is found in both 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 6. Revelation 2:11 implies that the defeated Christians will be hurt by the second death, the lake of fire. Although believers are forgiven by God forever, they are still liable to the Lord’s judgment, not for perdition but for discipline, if they sin against the new law of the kingdom as given here. However, if we sin, we will be forgiven and cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus if we repent and confess our sins (1 John 1:7, 9).
Two crucial matters are seen in Matthew 5:23-26. First, with our brother, if, as we come to contact the Lord, we have the sense that a brother or sister has a complaint against us, we must stop our fellowship with the Lord and go to this one and be reconciled. Then we may come back to continue our fellowship with the Lord. Second, with our opponent, we should be reconciled to our opponent before we die, before he dies, or before the Lord comes back. If we do not take care of any matter now, we shall have to deal with it in the coming age.
In verses 27 through 30, the Lord spoke about murder and adultery. Murder refers to our temper, and adultery to our lust. In order to live up to the high standard of the new law, we need another life. We must contact Christ daily, hourly, and moment by moment. As Romans 8:13 reveals, by the Spirit we must “put to death the practices of the body,” and, as Colossians 3:5 says, we must mortify our “members which are on the earth.”
Finally, in verses 31 through 48, the four laws regarding divorce, swearing, resisting evil, and loving our enemies have all been changed. All these laws touch our being and put us on the cross. Only by living Christ who is the resurrection life within our spirit will the righteous requirement of the law be fulfilled in us.
Composition for prophecy with main point and sub-points:
