From Matthew 11:2-19 and Luke 7:18-35, we see more of the Lord's great heart (see Lesson 53 regarding His compassionate response to faith and to despair) as He responds compassionately to the doubts of those who belong to Him.  In this case, He had just received word from John the Baptist, who had been in prison for about one year after publicly denouncing the adulterous marriage of Herod Antipas with his brother's wife.  While in his confinement, the Baptist allowed certain doubts to captivate his thoughts, which is a danger every believer can fall into at times.  Fortunately, John rightly took his doubts, confusions, and perplexities to the right Source.  He dealt with his doubts by going to (via letter) Jesus, Who confirmed His identity to John in no uncertain terms!    

There are two fantastic demonstrations of the Compassion Saviour in this lesson. We discuss His compassionate/gracious/merciful/miraculous response to the great faith of a Roman centurion (Jesus healed his dying servant boy) from Matthew 8:5-13 and to a grieving widow of Nain (He raised her dead son on the way to the cemetery) from Luke 7:1-17! A terrific study about the magnificent love in the heart of the world's only Saviour!

In Matthew 7:15-23, the second part of Christ's "Sermon the Mount" extended invitation to salvation  (first part is found in Lesson 50 on Matthew 7:14), He gave a solemn warning about two prevalent dangers that deceive many to think they are going to Heaven, when they are actually on the broad road to destruction.  In this important, but difficult lesson to hear, entitled "The Two Trees," He warned to beware of false prophets and to beware of false professions!  "Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven . . ." (7:21)!!  SERIOUS.

In the Lord's seventh and final section of His "Sermon on the Mount," He invites His immediate audience - and all of us - to choose between God's Way to Heaven (by God's grace through faith in Christ) or man's way to TRY to get to Heaven (by some form of a merit based works' system).  Divine accomplishment or human achievement. Grace or works.  Only God and only by His grace in sending His Son to die in our place, for our sins, is  salvation made possible (and Heaven attained).  There are only "Two Gates," one is narrow (John 14:6); the other is very wide.  The only problem with the wide gate is that it leads to destruction, not to eternal life with the Triune God in Heaven. THIS IS A MOST SERIOUS LESSON FOR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TO HEAR!  The Gospel is presented and the way to be saved is laid out clearly!  SHARE with your non-Christian family and friends!

Of all the "Rules for the Redeemed" discussed by the Lord Jesus in "The Sermon on the Mount" (the treasure, worry, criticism, and prayer rules), the last is the most well known: "The Golden Rule" (Matthew 7:12).  In this study, we take great care to connect this important truth for godly living with the context; thus, we see how it relates to the subjects of judgment (see Lesson 47) and prayer (Lesson 48).   Find out what the difference is between "The Brass Rule of Humanity" and "The Golden Rule of Heaven"!  Find out the great difference between what Israel's religious rulers, the ancient philosophers, and the Greek stoics taught about proper treatment of others compared with what Christ Jesus taught!  Did you know that "The Golden Rule" is actually a consolidation of all Old Testament teaching (the Law and the Prophets) about human relationships?  If ONLY mankind could OBEY this ONE rule!!

This lesson is on Matthew 5:33-37, part of "The Sermon on the Mount".  Throughout this famous sermon, the Lord Jesus was attempting to convey to His listeners the fact that everything a citizen of His eternal Kingdom says or does is important to God.  If a Christian is to be an effective witness to this world where fake news, half-truths (which are lies), vain philosophies, false religious, evil cults, and massive deceptions reign, he or she must be a person who guards both his or her heart and tongue to speak only the truth and to keep every vow made to God or man!  God looks with great seriousness on every aspect of our lives! We consider three sections on the matter of "Taking Oaths and Speaking Truth".  First, we look at what the Old Testament says on oath-taking (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21).  Then we consider what the Pharisees taught on the matter and, finally, compare the Pharisaic teaching with what the Lord Jesus had to say about it.

Stephen had "an irresistible ministry"!  He was a Scripture-scholar, extremely skilled and astute in using the Old Testament to defend his faith in Jesus.  He was a Christian apologist ("apologia" is a Greek word that refers to "a speech in defense of something"). Stephen's POWERFUL message of Acts chapter 7 was basically a last major appeal to the leadership of Israel (the Sanhedrin Council) to accept Jesus as the long-promised Messiah.  Stephen was brought for trial before the Council, falsely accused of four things: speaking blasphemous words (1) against Moses, (2) against God, (3) against the Temple, and (4) against the Law.  While he stood before his opponents and their lying accusations, his face was glowing with the righteousness of truth and the glory of God!  Amazing.  By visibly putting His "glory stamp" on Stephen's face, the Lord Jesus was showing forth His approval of the message he had been proclaiming in the synagogues and which he was about to proclaim in Acts 7. Stephen's message was his response to the evil high priest's question, "Are these things so?" - referring to the four accusations against him.  In verses 2 to 50, he managed to keep his hostile listeners' attention by talking about their favorite subject: themselves and their heritage!  Yet, as he reviewed the major periods of Jewish history, he indirectly was responding to the false and accusations against him and building his case against them!   His sermon is brilliant on so many levels!  It was completely irrefutable, and cost him his life.   In this lesson, Stephen began his "history lesson" regarding Israel's period of the patriarchs by speaking about Abraham.  You have to listen to how absolutely clever Stephen was in using "father" Abraham to convict the Jews of their own sinful prejudices!

I have interrupted the flow of our Sermon on the Mount study in order to share the ministry, the message, and the martyrdom of a First Century young man named Stephen.  I do this because of the recent murder of a Twenty-First Century young man named Charlie Kirk (Turning Point, USA).  The comparison is remarkable. Listen and see for yourself. My prayer is that Mr. Kirk's influence (already tremendous) will continue to impact people, as did Stephen's, until the Lord's Return! This is the first of ten messages on one of the most influential men for the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ who ever lived, Stephen.  There is a reason why more information is recorded in the eternal Word of God on the martyrdom of Stephen than any other man's death except the Lord Jesus - that reason is twofold.  First, Stephen's words and witness had an IRRESISTIBLE impact on the heart, soul, and mind of Saul of Tarsus (who became Paul, human author of about half of the New Testament).  Second, it was Stephen's martyrdom that resulted in the great First Century persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, which forced Christians into the next two regions of Christ's Great Commission, Judea and Samaria. Stephen is my ultimate hero when it comes to understanding the importance of using the Old Testament to preach Jesus Christ!  He is my hero when it comes to boldness in proclaiming Christ to a very hostile audience!  He is my hero when it comes to giving his all for his Lord and Saviour and doing it with grace and forgiveness of those who killed him.  Stephen well deserved the STANDING OVATION he received from the Lord Jesus!  I cannot wait to meet him one day.

In Matthew 5:27-30, the Lord Jesus gave the second contrasting, corrective illustration between the rabbinic teaching the people heard wrongly presented to them and His interpretation of the Law.  In this section, He spoke about adultery, making it clear that the sin is a lot more than just a physical act.  He taught (as He did with murder) that the sin of adultery begins in the heart.  The religious rulers, as with most people today, needed a divinely given course on the doctrine of sin.  They had lowered the level of God's holy standards to an externalism they felt they could achieve, and then they self-righteously convinced themselves God was pleased with their great efforts to master their own standards of "righteousness".  They were pious-acting hypocrites!

In Matthew 5:21-26 of His "Sermon on the Mount," Christ drew a strong contrast between His teaching on certain key matters of life and the teaching that had been presented to the Jewish people by their leaders for centuries - teaching from the Old Testament that they had both altered and expanded upon so that it was not anything similar to God's original meaning.  In each of the six subjects of this section, "Reinterpretations of the Law" (murder, adultery, divorce, oath-making, retaliation, and love), He stressed HEART-righteousness.   Learn what the Lord had to say about the sin of murder!  It goes a whole lot further than the actual killing of another person.  In fact, every one of us is guilty of "murder" the way the Lord defines it!   The Lord also laid down some very specific steps for reconciliation with a Christian brother or sister in this section of His Sermon.  

Since the remainder of the Lord's teaching in "The Sermon on the Mount" was based on the Old Testament, He prefaced the remainder of the sermon with a "prologue" (Matthew 5:17-20).  In just four very significant verses, Christ affirmed to His listeners the absolute "Reliability of Scripture"!   The Lord's words in this critical passage confirm for us He did not come to destroy the Law and the prophets (the Old Testament), but to fulfill them!  He confirmed His belief in the preeminence (the superiority) of Scripture; in the permanence of Scripture; in the pertinence of Scripture, and He understood the purpose of Scripture (obviously, for He is the Author and Finisher of Scripture)!

In Lessons #29 and #30, we looked at the characteristics of Kingdom citizens as presented in the Beatitude virtues.  This lesson is about the function of Kingdom citizens!  After we have entered onto "The Highway to Happiness," we have a responsibility to the insipid, dark world around us.  What is that responsibility as followers of Christ?  We are to "Shake and Shine"!  We are called by Him to be the salt and light of the world!  We are to be salt for a corrupt world and light for a confused world.  To put our Christian responsibility in two words, we are to INFLUENCE and ILLUMINATE. Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA certainly was "the salt and light" of this world! A remarkable young man, now with his Lord. Lord, shake on me Thy savory salt, 'til I am ready to burst! Fill me so full with righteousness that others for Thee will thirst. Shine on me Thy radiant light so I almost seem to glow; Help me, Lord, guide others to Thee, so Thy Truth they also might know. O Lord, make me salty!  O Lord, make me shine! Use me, dear Saviour, for Thy glory divine. O Lord, make me salty!  O Lord, make me bright! May I create thirst, and guide men to Thy Light!                                                                                          Katherine Caldwell  

The Beatitudes of the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount are referred to as "The Sacred Paradoxes" (Thomas Watson), for they tell us that opposites often can and do co-exist.  The Lord Jesus is "The Master of the Paradox"!  Think about some of the seeming contradictions He taught - the first shall be last; giving is receiving; losing is finding; dying is living; serving is ruling, weakness is strength, being His bondslave is being set free; and the least is the greatest.  The Beatitudes contain some equally paradoxical statements:  the poor are rich; the sad are happy; the meek are winners; the hungry are satisfied - and, strangest of all, the persecuted rejoice!  This lesson continues the discussion from Lesson #31 on the final Beatitude, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for My sake". Why did the Lord spend three times the space on the last Beatitude?  Why did He mention the word "blessed" twice in this last Beatitude?  What are the three primary types of persecution of Christians?  What does it mean if a Christian is experiencing not one of those three types of persecution in his life?  How is the believer in Christ to respond to both persecution and the persecutor?  And how in the world can a Christian rejoice because he is persecuted (which includes not only physical harm, but verbal abuse, and false witness - including slander)?  One more question: is it wrong to be motivated by heavenly rewards to live righteously?   Would you like to hear answers to the above questions?  Okay.  Push the play button on this message!  Enjoy. 

  On both a national and a personal level, mankind has a natural inclination toward fighting, quarreling, and warring.  Peace has been the most elusive of all goals in the world.  According to James (Christ's half-brother) conflicts come from our inner lusts (selfish desires) waging war in the heart (James 4:1, 2).  This is not only true for non-believers; it is true for Christians.  James was writing to the "brethren".  Just think about how divided "the Church" has become since the early days of the Apostolic Church in Jerusalem.  This is why it is important for us to understand the Lord's seventh Beatific virtue: peacemaking!   What is a peacemaker?  What did the Lord mean by that K?  What does a peacemaker do, exactly?  How did Jesus set the example of being a Peacemaker?  Does it mean always agreeing with everyone, even when they are dangerously wrong or wickedly evil?  Why is a true "peacemaker" a soul-winner?  What is "the ministry of reconciliation" Paul talked about in Second Corinthians?  What are the five basic necessities that comprise a godly peacemaker?  Why is it sometimes necessary for the true peacemaker to stir-up trouble in order to make peace?  (What?)  Did you realize that the Christian peacemaker actually engages in real warfare, for he wrestles not against flesh and blood, but against the evil forces of the kingdom of darkness?  All this is discussed in this lesson.   We also begin to discuss the final Beatitude, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake . . . Blessed are ye when men shall revile you . . . and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and exceedingly glad . . . " (Matthew 5:10-12a).  How can a believer happily rejoice to the point of exceeding gladness when he is persecuted, reviled, and slandered falsely?  That sounds like one of the greatest paradoxes of all, does it not - Happy are the Hated and the Harassed?  Yes, but think of this truth, the reward for those who are willing to be a living sacrifice for Christ, is that they will gain everything - ". . . for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (5:10b)!  Compared to what is gained, even a martyr's price is small.  We begin our discussion of the final Beatitude in this lesson and continue it in Lesson #32 (so be sure to "follow up").   

In this continuing study of the Lord's Beatitudes, we come to the next three beatific virtues: hungering and thirsting after righteousness, being merciful, and being pure in heart.  There is really no better "self-examination" a person can give himself (herself) with regard to his (her) Christian profession than to ask the Matthew 5:6 test question, "Do I genuinely hunger for the things of God?  Do I deeply thirst to know Christ?  Am I hungering and thirsting to be like Him in my life?"   What exactly is the Biblical meaning of mercy?  What does "they shall obtain mercy" mean?  Have you ever heard of "God's Mercy Cycle"?  You will in this lesson. The Purity of Heart Beatitude is the apex of all the others; the reason is the first 5 lead up to it and the last 2 flow out of it.  The world asserts that "happy" people are the physically beautiful, rich, powerful, famous, successful, highly educated, and elite.  Jesus says the truly happy people are those who are spiritually beautiful, rich,  wise, and successful (fruitful) because their hearts have been purified by Him.  Come join us in our continued walk down "The Highway to Happiness"!  Who doesn't want to know the key to inner JOY despite all the chaos, confusion, and corruption around us?  [Yah, I know, there are some people who seem to enjoy being miserable.  Do you know why?  They've never been down the Beatific Highway.] This lesson in written form (with Homework Questions) is found in our "Caldwell Commentary" entitled "Life of Christ Vol. 2" or "The Sermon on the Mount" -available through Amazon.com

There must have been an expectant atmosphere among the assembly gathered on the green hillside northwest of Capernaum to hear Jesus speak.  Hearts were high with hope for future glory; Rome might soon be chased from their land by an Israeli army under the leadership of this God-sent miracle-worker (another Moses was among them)!  No longer would they be poor and hungry as they filled Rome's coffers with their hard-earned money.  No longer would they mourn over their oppression, hardships, and constant fears.  No longer would Israel appear meek before the mighty Roman "Goliath" who persecuted them (another "David" was among them)!   But when Jesus "opened His mouth, and taught them," the people heard nothing about warfare with Rome.  Instead, they heard teaching so full of wisdom, spoken with an authority never before known - yet with a tone of genuine love and compassion that the crowd was mesmerized.  Their dry, thirsty souls and starvingly hunger spirits felt the raindrops of Heaven softening the hard, crusty ground of their hearts.   The people that day  were hearing the words of the greatest sermon ever preached from the lips of the greatest Preacher Who ever walked the earth!  They were the privileged, initial recipients of the Lord's famous, "Sermon on the Mount," which He began with what is called "The Beatitudes".   In Lessons #29 to #32 of our Life of Christ study, we refer to the 8 Beatitudes as "The Highway to Happiness".   

This is the lesson in which we come to the event that launched the Lord's earthly ministry - His water baptism.  He was 30 years old.  He had supported His widowed mother as the son of His earthly, step-father until His brothers were able to assume responsibility and His sisters were likely married.  He was ready to fulfill His obligations to the whole world as the Son of His heavenly Father!  After thousands of years of anticipation, the Redeemer-King appeared before His faithful forerunner, John the Baptist, for His "coronation" or "commissioning" service. Why did the Baptist protest baptizing Jesus?  Why, in fact, did Jesus need to baptized at all?  Wasn't John's baptism a baptism of repentance and confession of sin?  Jesus was sinless!  Does this indicate a "consciousness of sin" on Jesus' part, as liberal theologians proclaim? What are the various types of baptisms mentioned in Scripture?  You may be surprised how many there are!  We discuss the one time in Scripture the Holy Spirit was represented as a dove, and what it signified.  We also discuss the first of three times in the New Testament God the Father spoke from Heaven His approval of His Beloved Son.  All three Members of the Trinity were involved in this important event!

In this second part of a two-part study entitled, we look at a "sermon" given by the fearless, faithful, Spirit-filled John the Baptist in which he denounced the self-righteous, hypocritical religious rulers who came to the Jordan River to "check him out".  He immediately confronted them for the fake religionists they were, calling them a "generation of vipers"!  He did not pull any punches.  He did not fear powerful men; he feared all-powerful God!  He demanded their true repentance, which would be evidenced if they would actually produce some good "fruit," and he seriously cautioned them about their foolish reliance on salvation simply because they were descendants of Abraham. Thousands of people (like those First Century religious rulers) have lived and died under similar, blind delusion, thinking because they are connected with some particular religion, church denomination, nationality, or godly heritage they are guaranteed a place in Heaven.  This is why it absolutely critical for a person to understand that salvation is solely based on one's personal (individual) relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ - and not to anything or anyone else.  "Ye must be born again" (John 3:3)!!

Before getting into a discussion of the bold Baptist, we discuss those he confronted and described as "fruitless vipers".  We learn of the various religious and political sects of Israel at the time of Christ.  That may sound "boring" to some, but it is actually quite interesting, as well as needful to know because it helps us better understand their various interactions with Christ, Rome, and with one another.  The two political sects were the Herodians and the Zealots (at least one of the Lord's Apostles was a former Zealot).  We also discuss the three main religious sects: Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes.   This is not just about the past, for there is a world full of religious people just like them today!  A third collective group we look at in this study is the judicial "branch" of Jewish government (under Rome, of course), the powerful Sanhedrin Council.  Just think of this fact:  if the Romans allowed the Sanhedrin to have jurisdiction over the death penalty, Jesus would not have been crucified.  He would have been stoned to death.  If that was the case, He would not have fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and types about the manner of suffering and death the Messiah would face (being pierced; lifted up like the brazen serpent on the pole in the wilderness, etc.).  If Jesus did not fulfill even one Messianic prophecy dealing with His First Coming, He would have disqualified to be the Saviour of the world.  But, don't worry.  He fulfilled every one of them, literally - to the very jot and tittle.  

In ancient times, it was common for a herald to precede the arrival of a reigning king.  Along with a contingent of royal servants, the herald would make sure the roadways were smooth and as straight as possible, that obstacles were removed, and roads were safe from highway robbers and wild animals.  As the herald inspected the roads, he was also busy proclaiming to the people of the land that king was soon coming, and all the preparations should be made ready for him.  Thus, the royal herald's duty was twofold: (1) to proclaim the coming king, and (2) to prepare his way.  This was the twofold duty of John the Baptist, who "paved the way" spiritually for the King of kings, Jesus Christ, by attempting to remove obstructions of sin in the peoples' hearts. Why was the Baptist the greatest Old Testament person born of a woman (eliminates Adam) to ever live, according the Christ?  What was about him that earned that accolade? In this lesson, we learn about Biblical repentance; we learn about the difference between a baptism of righteousness and a baptism of repentance; we learn about the personality and humility of John, his clothing, his diet, his dedication to his commission, and his Nazarite vow - much to learn about the voice crying in the desert to prepare the way for the Sovereign Saviour.