Gary Gleans

This passage is a contrast between the human perspective of sin and the divine judgment of sin. We are so good at rationalizing and looking for loop holes that will allow us to justify the sinful attitudes and actions that we love. Jesus attacks this hypocritical position and reveals the hearts of men as seen through the eyes of God. But He goes beyond revealing our hearts to giving us clear instructions of how we ought to live in order to avoid these dangers. Here are His revelations and instructions in an abbreviated form: Anger is Murder so Resolve Relationships. Jesus reveals that all of us have a murderous heart. It is only by God's grace that we do not all act on the intent of our heart. But we must remember that God does not only judge our actions but our thoughts and attitudes as well. The solution to this murderous tendency that is bound in our hearts is to seek to resolve any differences we have with others as soon as we can. We must now allow bitterness to brew ...

If we are faithful to live the "beatitudes" of the previous passage we will have an impact on our world. This is God's intention for His children. Those who follow Christ are called to reveal His glory and promote His worship in the nations of the world. This is the task to which we are called and purpose for which we should live. I would like to think of this as the disciple's "job description". There are basically three things that we are to do. PERMEATE the World for God. Salt is used for many things. Most commonly, we use it to flavor or preserve our food. In desert climates it is also used to promote hydration by provoking thirst. I don't think it really matters which of these uses Jesus had in mind. I think that the main point is that salt has an impact wherever it is applied. The key is that it must be APPLIED. Salt in the shaker will not make your food taste better, won't preserve it or provoke thirst. As believers, we are called...

Well, I missed a day. I mean that literally. I am writing this blog from the Jeju Island off the south coast of South Korea. I left Kansas at 3am on Wednesday morning and when I arrived it was Thursday night. The following studies were actually done somewhere over the Pacific Ocean but I have only been able to get on line to post them now. It is now Friday afternoon for me but Thursday night for those of you in the US. As I look to my left I see a wide expanse of the ocean with waves crashing on the rocks below. As I look to my right there is a huge snow capped mountain. Unfortunately, it is about 10 degrees outside so I won't be doing any swimming while I am here but the view is breathtaking. I am here to speak at the, first ever, missions conference for the new Word of Life Bible Institute here in Korea. What an honor! Well, this is not a travel blog so I guess I had better get to "gleaning". The Sermon on the Mount, wow, what a message! We will really be skimming over ...

Christ here begins His "public ministry". The other Gospels give us additional and more specific information and we will get to that in the months ahead, but this is what Matthew shares with us. There are three examples in Christs ministry that stand out to me in this passage. Christ was a MESSENGER of truth. Jesus was a prolific teacher but he was also a preacher. As we shall see tomorrow when we start the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught many principles about life and God. But what I see in this passage is that He was a preacher. He proclaimed the truth and called men to action. He saw the plight of man in his sin and was moved to action. The message was clear: "repent". We might not like being told what to do and we might not like telling others what to do. But we know the truth of God's Word which gives us a responsibility before both God and man. May we faithfully call the men and women that God has sovereignly placed around us to turn from the...

I would like to take this opportunity to say what I do not want to say. Typically a discussion on a passage such as this will include these two question: "Was Christ able not to sin?" or "Was Christ not able to sin?" As you read these questions, you have likely heard long and sometimes heated debates that focus on the divine and human nature of the incarnate Christ. Let me be clear, I don't want to get into that here. It is not that I think these theological debates are not valid or helpful. It is just that my goal is to glean some practical truths from each passage and not try to do an exhaustive study. As a rule on this and most theological debates of this nature I strive for balance and humility. By that I mean that I do not hold dogmatically to one side or the other but strive to see the truth expressed on both sides of the issue. When those truths seem to be contradictory or paradoxical in my mind I strive to humbly admit that the problem is with my ...

I think that whoever decided that preachers needed to wear uncomfortable clothes like ties, must have thought that if John the Baptist wore itchy camel hair in the desert than we must find some instrument of torture to inflict upon our preachers. I am just glad that they didn't decide to impose his diet on us. I like honey just fine but the locust ... not so much. What I do wish is that my preaching were as courageous and effective as his. There are three people or groups of people who come to John in this passage. Each one comes with a different motive. Each one is received with a different message. I think that there are lessons for to learn from each. Un-Righteous Repenters were being Baptized : John's message was not an easy one to hear. John's "church" was not an attractive or comfortable place to attend. John's image was not exactly what we would call "marketable". Yet people from all over traveled by foot to sit on rocks and sand in ...

I am beginning to wonder if Joseph ever got a good nights sleep. The angels assigned to take messages to him had some busy days and nights. "Joseph you need to get out of town and go to Egypt before Herod comes and murders Jesus." "Okay Joseph go back to Israel its sorta safe now." "Well Joseph it would probably be best to settle in Nazareth in case murder is hereditary." All of this in direct fulfillment of God's Word. Moving is never fun, but with a small child and in that climate, it must have been tempting to stay in Egypt. I don't think the camels that Joseph rented down at U-Haul came with an air conditioning option. Herod and his murderous plan did not take God by surprise. What a blessing that Jesus was protected from this insane man. Unfortunately, there were many other families devastated by the evil intent of this lunatic. Even in the face of tragedy we must take solace in the fact that God is in control and is able to deliver if that is...