Matthew You Have Heard, But I Tell You

 

Matthew

You Have Heard, But I Tell You

“You have heard, But I tell you”

There are some bits of information you pick up along the way in life

That are easily accepted as fact

In many cases, they're so seemingly insignificant

It seems wild that anyone would make them up

Unfortunately, if you get enough people hearing

And repeating the same piece of misinformation

 It's bound to go from idle gossip to indisputable fact in some of their minds

But it's time to set the record straight

Jesus came to set the record straight in Matthew 5:21-48

When He says six times “You have heard” “But I tell you”        

If it does not boil down to love like that of our Heavenly Father

Than what we heard is only at best half true

Get the whole truth and nothing but the truth

Be perfect in love like your Heavenly Father is perfect  

We are all living like the people of Jesus’ time, by what we have heard

And we all need to listen to Jesus when He says, “I Tell you”

 

 

Matthew

 

You Have Heard, But I Tell You

 

Chapters 3-7…

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is announced.

 

Jesus, after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

 where He was tempted by the Devil,

began to preach the Kingdom.

 

From that time on Jesus began to preach,

 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4:17

 

You have heard, But I tell you

 

There are some bits of information

you pick up along the way in life

that are easily accepted as fact.

 

In many cases, they're so seemingly insignificant,

it seems wild that anyone would make them up.

 

Unfortunately, if you get enough people hearing

and repeating the same piece of misinformation…

 

 It's bound to go from idle gossip to indisputable fact

 in some of their minds.

 

But it's time to set the record straight.

 

You have heard…

 

 Saying:   Lighting never strikes the same place twice

 

Turns out that lighting can strike

the same places dozens of times.

 

An example is on June 30, 2014,

 during a huge lighting storm in Chicago…

 

The Willis Tower was struck 10 times,

Trump Tower took eight hits,

and John Hancock Center had four strikes.

 

In one year, the Willis Tower is estimated to be

 hit by lightning as many as 100 times.

 

Saying:  Mt Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.

 

All right, this one involves some semantics.

 

While Everest is the highest mountain in the world,

Hawaii's Mauna Kea Volcano is technically the tallest—

measuring 33,476 feet from its base to its top

(Everest is only 29,035 feet).

 

We don't hear as much about Mauna Kea,

however, because most of it is underwater,

with just 13,796 feet rising above sea level.

 

Saying:  Ostriches bury their heads in the sand

 

Another popular image from the animal kingdom

that's not actually real.

 

 When these giant birds get scared,

they actually lay on the ground and stay still,

getting their neck as flat to the ground as possible,

which can look from a distance as if it's buried.

 

But that being said, these creatures are not cowards—

they've been known to come out hard against predators

with their clawed feet when they or their eggs are threatened.

 

Saying:  Urinating on jellyfish stings neutralizes them

 

The advice has floated around for decades…

 

If you are stung by a jellyfish,

 you can neutralize the pain by urinating on it.

 

 In fact, researchers have exposed this as totally bogus.

 

Applying urine, or ammonia or alcohol, to a sting

results in the opposite reaction…

 

Irritating the active cells and making the sting worse.

 

Instead, they urge those stung by a nasty jellyfish

to use household vinegar.

 

Saying:  Bats Are Blind

Conventional wisdom is that "blind as a bat"

isn't just an expression—that bats are in fact blind

and use only sonar to guide their way and avoid obstacles.

 

In fact, bats actually can see, at least in a limited way,

and there are times when they are searching for food

that the creatures don't use their natural sonar

 at all, solely their sight.

 

Saying:  Sharks don't get cancer

 

Scientists have known for over
a century that sharks get cancer.

 

This is just a myth spread to

promote sales of shark cartilage.

 

There are lots of other things you have heard.

 

Saying:

 

Humans evolved from apes.

 

Milk builds strong bones.

 

Sugar makes children hyperactive.

 

Diamonds are formed from coal.

 

Carrots give you better vision.

 

Hair and nails grow even after you die.

 

You only use 10% of your brain.

 

Don’t eat and swim.

 

Salty water boils quicker.

 

You can search the internet and find many more…

 

“Things you heard and are not true.”

 

We all have heard things,

so called “Facts” that are not true.

 

I know a godly man who

was a very good employee.

 

He was told to never argue with customers

and try to help even those who were out of line.

 

One day a person came in and it

seemed she came in only to make trouble.

My friend did as he was instructed.

 

 He tried to be kind and help this person.

 

This person called for the manager.

 

After making a big scene this person left.

 

The manager complimented my friend

on the good job of handling this “out of line” person.

 

Sadly, this person made a race issue out of what

happened and got groups and community to believe her.

 

The pressure on the place where my friend worked

became so great…

 

They had to fire my friend to divert

 the pressure off their business.

 

This person continued to destroy my friend

and succeeded to destroy him financially…

 

 But not destroy his heart.

 

He still is kind and loves all people…

 

 Even though he has been falsely accused

and has been labeled by the media and community

as a raciest because of one person.

 

The religious leaders heard Jesus

preaching in their Synagogues.

 

His message of the Kingdom threatened

what the religious leaders had built.

 

Jesus’ message of loving God and loving one another

raised the standard and threatened

the old way of doing things.

 

Jesus found He was not accepted by His own Jewish leaders.

   

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

addressed things the people have heard.

 

Things that were taught in the synagogues

by the religious Jewish leaders.

 

Jesus comes to set the record straight in Matthew 5:21-48.

 

He says…

 

 “You have heard” “But I tell you”

         

Jesus was going to use this phrase

six times from verses 21 through 48.

Verse 21…

 

 Murder vs. Anger

 

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,

'Do not murder…

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother

will be subject to judgment.

Matthew 5:21,22

 

Verse 27…

 

 Adultery vs. Lust

 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully 

has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28

Verse 31…

 

 Divorce vs. Adultery

 

 "It has been said,

 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 

 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress,

 and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

 Matthew 5:31-32

 

Verse 33…

 

 Power of Oath vs. Freedom of yes and no

 

"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago,

'Do not break your oath,

but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'

 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven,

for it is God's throne; or by the earth,

Matthew 5:33-35

Verse 38…

 

 Getting even vs. Letting go

 

"You have heard that it was said,

 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.

 Matthew 5:38-39

 

Verse 43…

 

 Choosing sides vs. Winning all

 

"You have heard that it was said,

 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 

But I tell you:

 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:43-44

 

So many times, we hear things

that sounds good on the surface.

 

It works in the brain,

but misses the heart.

 

Each one of the six things

the people have heard

missed the deeper meaning.

 

Jesus’ teaching was not just factual information.

 

Jesus’ teaching went deeper

into the place of love, not facts.

 

When Jesus said …

 

“But I tell you”

 

He was saying..

 

 Look at what you have heard

through the “lens of love”.

 

Godly love is the foundation

of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

You cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven

without the lens of love.

 

Look at Jesus’ concluding words in this section…

 

"You have heard that it was said,

 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?

Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?

Do not even pagans do that?

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 Matthew 5:43-48

 

Love your enemy,

 pray for the best God has for them

no matter how they treat you,

 

(Even if they call you a raciest when

all you have done is loved everyone.)

 

Do good to all friend and foe.

 

Now make sure you get Jesus’ last line…

 

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect

Matthew 5:48

 

Our Heavenly Father is perfect

because He is perfect in love.

 

It is not His will that any should perish

Jesus is establishing the Kingdom of Heaven

as a Kingdom of Love, not rules and laws.

 

Sadly, the people were hearing from religious leaders

only the legal law of Moses…

 

 They missed what was in the heart of the Heavenly Father

when He gave the Law to Moses.

 

When you boil down the Ten Commandments…

 

 You find the 2 and 8 principles.

 

The first 2 laws are to teach us to Love God.

 

The other 8 are to teach us to Love One Another.

 

If it does not boil down to love

like that of our Heavenly Father…

 

 Than what we heard is only at best half true.

 

Get the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

 Be perfect in love like your Heavenly Father is perfect.

  

We are all living like the people of Jesus’ time,

by what we have heard.

 

 And we all need to listen to Jesus when He says…

 

 “I Tell you”

 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Matthew 5:20-48 NIV

 

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

 

25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 

 

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'   28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

 

31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'   32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

 

33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

 

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'   39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

 

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.