11. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law—do you allow sin permission to operate without restraint?
12. Called least in the Kingdom of heaven … called great in the Kingdom of heaven—Are you aware that now that you are saved, you have everything to live for, and that Jesus will evaluate the quality of your life when you stand before Him at the end of the age? Do you pretend that Jesus is not going to call some people great and some people least in His Kingdom?
13. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift—One of the benefits of a lifestyle of worshipping God every day, is that it causes you to sort out your bad debts with your friends.
14. Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart—We are one-woman-men. Every man has 100 sexual units that have to be expended in a week and that will be expended in a week, be it through thought word or deed. Every Sunday night all 100 sexual units get recharged and will be totally depleted by the same time the following week. We are committed to expending all 100 in the direction of our only wife. The wife should be the recipient of all 100. None should be aimed at any other female.
15. If your right eye causes you to sin gouge it and throw it away—What limits are you prepared to take to overcome the sin in your life?
16. Simply let your yes be yes and your no, no. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one—Listen to what the English poet George Herbert said about the need for a lie: "Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie: a fault which needs it most, grows two thereby." Everyone tells the truth when they are not in trouble. But when you get into trouble, that is the very time the pressure is on to lie. Our pride and the need to establish our own reputation is often the cause of a lie. Often the source of a lie is the failure to be honest with God. When we are honest with Him, and we receive our forgiveness from God, it matters not what others think of us, and all necessity to lie falls away.
17. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him also—If we know that we have to give an account to God one day, and if we know that our enemies have to stand before God one day, we will find it easier to let God deal with our attackers, and not to take the law into our own hands.
18. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you—Abraham Lincoln famously said "Do I not destroy my enemy by making him my friend". If you cannot pray for your enemy like he is your best friend, then you have not understood the gospel of Jesus. You were God's enemy, yet Jesus prayed for your salvation, and prayed for you to receive blessings and benefits from God just as if you were God's best friend.
19. When you give to the needy—The poor have a special place in God's heart. Is Urban Design Church willing to embrace the poor and make room for them?
20. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward—Do you believe that God rewards, and that He knows exactly what goes on in secret? Do you believe that some believers will be rewarded more greatly than other believers in heaven, and that God is deeply interested in the quality of a Christian's life on earth?
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