X. Thy will be done.
MATT. vi. 13. “Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
THE chief meaning of this petition is not that we should
suffer, but that we should act. With very earnest and firm
resolve we should set ourselves upon doing that …
IX. The Righteousness of the Pharisees.
MATT. v. 20. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteous-
ness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven.”
THE sermon on the Mount may be regarded as Jesus
Christ’s first formal public announcement of the …
VIII. Christ not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
MATT. v. 17. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
THIS is one of those sayings of our Lord which exhibit
“His enormous personal pretensions,” which from any
man’s …
VII. The Christian’s Light.
MATT. v. 16. “Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
CHRIST, the Light of the world, says to His followers, “Ye
are the light of the world.” There is …
VI. A City set on a Hill.
MATT. v. 14. “A city that
is set on a hill cannot be hid.”
CHRISTIANS must be, to a certain extent, the light of the
world before they can be its salt. They must illuminate
it before they can save it from its corruptions. …
V. The Christian Motive.
MATT. v. 11. “For My
sake.”
THE words specially bring before us the relation of the
Christian to his living and loving Lord.
I. Let us seek to get a clearer view of the influence of
the Christian motive.
The …
IV. Mercy.
MATT. v. 7. “Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy.”
THIS beatitude implies that mankind are not naturally
merciful, or, at least, that they are imperfectly so. There
is something strange in that; for if there is one quality we
ascribe to humanity …
III. The Star in the East.
MATT. ii. I, 2. “Behold,
there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where
is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His
star in the east and are come to worship Him.”
THIS visit of the …
II. The Birth of Christ.
MATT. i. 22, 23. “Now all
this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with
child.”
MANY readers of the Bible must have been struck by
St. Matthew’s reason for …
I. The Name of Jesus.
MATT. i. 21. “Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their
sins.”
ALMOST every historic person in the Bible bears an ap-
propriate name; thus the name came to be identified with
the person. In this text the name …