Matthew 5:21-6:4 Anger, Lust, Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, love your enemies and giving to the needy.

Heart Issues: We all have them and they are where we find out who we are. The Heart Not just the center of the blood circulation though it means that. Not just the emotional part of man’s nature, but here the inner man including the intellect, the affections, the will. Jesus knows exactly what he is doing as he speaks on these very specific issues. It is no secret that he was speaking to the spirit of the law not the letter of the law. Think about this phrase from the section previous: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees.” Jesus

The people Jesus would have know that what Jesus was speaking was about to show them the truth of who they were. They would soon see that this was not about what they did not do but why they did what they did. This quotes helps me grasp this perspective: “Confess not only for the reasons you have done wrong, but also for the reasons you have done right.” T. Keller

Think about Jesus words on the heart:

Matthew 12:34-For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45- The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Here is a small perspective on the illustrations of Jesus.

Anger- Words Kill

Lust- Looking in Lust/ Thinking in Lust: “The eye and the heart are the two brokers of sin.” “Passions lodge only in him who sees.”
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Divorce- Only for unfaithfulness
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Oaths- Yes be Yes and No be No “not on your life”

Retaliation- turn the other cheek, give your jacket too

Love your Enemies- Even unbelievers love those who love them. pray for your enemies as well

Give to the needy- no for you but for Jesus

1 John2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Jesus did not come to deal with your actions in specific; he came to deal with the motives of your heart.
Heart Motives
- Who are you really?
- This is the stuff only you and Jesus Know.
- Most of us are Fake.

4 things your heart says about you:
1. What you Love most
2. Who you are
3. Where your deepest secrets are
4. How much you need a savior

Jesus came to change your heart, and what is amazing is that your heart tells your story.

This paragraph helps to bring understanding as Christians how we deal with our heart problems:
“The one test, which you must always apply to yourself, is this, what is my relationship to God? Do I know Him? In other words, as you examine yourself before you go to bed, you do not just ask yourself if you have committed murder or adultery, or whether you have been guilty of this or that, and if you have not thank God that all is well. No. You ask yourself rather, has God been supreme in my life today? Have I lived to the glory and honor of God? Do I know him better? Have I a zeal for his honor and glory? Has there been anything in me that has been unlike Christ- thoughts, imaginations, desires, and impulses? That is the way. In other words, you examine yourself in the light of a living person and nit merely in terms of a mechanical code of rules and regulations.” D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

I have the feeling if we asked these questions we might find heart perspective. One other thought is that we might pray through Luke 11:1-13 we will find hope and joy in the fight we are taking on inside of us.