Jesus said, "If you
love me, keep my commandments (John
14:15). Keeping the commands of Jesus begins with recognizing what they are.
Following is a collection of Jesus' commands. As we read through them, let's ask
God to help us observe these words, apply them, and faithfully follow them
throughout our lives.
1. Repent
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand" (Matthew
4:17).
2. Follow Me
"And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew
4:19). Follow Me, learn of Me, know and understand My mission and My
message. Only then will you be able to be fishers of men.
3. Rejoice
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil
against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is
your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew
5:11-12). When someone speaks or harms you as a Christian rejoice, your
reward in heaven.
4. Let Your Light Shine
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew
5:16). We must let it shine. How will people see that light? Through our
good works.
5. Honor God's Law
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill" (complete it) (Matthew
5:17). Jesus fulfilled all of the law. In this context, "abolish" is set in
opposition to "fulfill." Christ came "...not to abolish, but to fulfill." Christ
did not suggest here that the binding nature of the law of Moses would remain
forever in effect. Such a view would contradict everything we learn from the
balance of the New Testament (Romans
10:4; Galatians
3:23-25; Ephesians
2:15).
6. Be Reconciled
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your
brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and
go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your
gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest
your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer,
and you be thrown into prison. (Matthew
5:23-25). Before you come before God, you should be right with God and make
peace with those around you first. Be humble and apologize before things get
serious, because you may be in the wrong.
7. Do Not Lust
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of
your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is
more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole
body to be cast into hell. (Matthew
5:28-30).
8. Keep Your Word
But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than
these is from the evil one. (Matthew
5:37).
9. Go the Second Mile
You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' I
tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right
cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your
tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go
with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from
you do not turn away. (Matthew
5:38-42). Jesus is saying "be fair." Jesus began this section by saying
that He is the One who fulfills all righteousness. In reading through these
sections, then, we are first learning more of the character of Jesus, and
therefore of the triune God. The meaning, shape and character of righteousness
does not come primarily from what God says, but out of who God is.
10. Love Your Enemies -
Pray for them
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those
who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that
you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil
and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love
those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the
same? (Matthew
5:44-46). It's only through the power of God's Spirit that His people can
truly love and pray for those who intend to do them harm.
11. Be Perfect
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more
than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be
perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew
5:46-48). This is impossible for sinful man to achieve. This unattainable
standard is exactly what the Law itself demanded (James
2:10). So how can Jesus demand the impossible? He later tells us, "With man
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew
19:26).
12. Practice Secret
Disciplines
"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by
them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when
you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable
deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your
charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will
Himself reward you openly. (Matthew
6:1-18). Give you donations in private.
13. Lay Up Treasures
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy
and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew
6:19-21). We will either worship wealth and possessions or worship with our
wealth possessions. stop focusing on accumulating things and set your heart
pursuing "treasures in heaven" Real wealth is obtained by investing in
"treasures in heaven." Give, share with others, and being a generous person.
Enduring persecution, Loving your enemies, Praying To God, Serving the Lord and
his people. You are eternally rewarded when You give, You pray and fast in
private, You forgive someone, You share the gospel, You love your enemies, You
endure insults and persecutions. Jesus is the greatest treasure so store up
"treasures in heaven" to the heart. He knows that what we value is reflected in
how we live.
14. Seek God's Kingdom
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you. (Matthew
6:33). We are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of
the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in
the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world's riches.
15. Do Not Judge
"Judgenot, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be
judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why
do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in
your own eye? (Matthew
7:1-3).
16. Do Not Cast Pearls
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest
they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Matthew
7:6). Do not give what is holy to those who do not appreciate it. Animals
such as dogs and pigs cannot appreciate religion, and this verse says that there
is some class of humans who cannot either.
17. Keep Asking, Seeking,
Knocking
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew
7:7-8).
18. Do Unto Others
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the
Law and the Prophets. (Matthew
7:12).
19. Choose the Narrow Way
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads
to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew
7:13-14).
20. Beware of False
Prophets
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they
are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
from thornbushes or figs from thistles? (Matthew
7:15-16).
21. Pray for Laborers
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers
are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His
harvest." (Matthew
9:37-38). In this passage of Scripture, Jesus gives us three ways to reach
the lost: praying, sending, and going. The one command is "pray earnestly." It's
one word in the original; it has the connotation of pleading for something. We
all have the responsibility to plead for the lost, praying specifically that the
Lord would send out workers to reap a harvest of lost souls. They are there
ready to be "reaped."
22. Persecutions Are
Coming
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as
serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew
10:16). Jesus uses figures of speech to instruct His disciples in how to
behave in their ministry. Just before He tells them to be wise as serpents and
harmless as doves, He warns them that they were being sent out "like sheep among
wolves."
23. Do Not Fear
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather
fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew
10:28). Man cannot kill soul only God can. God can kill soul in Hell,
therefore the soul does not burn for eternity.
24. Hear God's Voice
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Matthew
11:15). God is telling us to listen to Him.
25. Take My Yoke
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew
11:28-30). Jesus tells all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for
rest. He isn't speaking here of physical burdens. Jesus was saying that any
kind of law-keeping is burdensome and amounts to a "heavy yoke" of oppression
because no amount of law-keeping can bridge the gap between our sinfulness and
God's holiness. What makes Jesus' yoke easy and His burden light is that in
Jesus' own active obedience, His perfect fulfillment of the Law of God, He
carried the burden that we were meant to carry. His perfect obedience is applied
to us through faith, just as His righteousness was exchanged for our sin at the
cross
26. Honor Your Parents
For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who
curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' (Matthew
15:4).
27. Beware of Leaven
Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the
Pharisees and the Sadducees." (Matthew
16:6). Yeast or leaven helps to puff bread up, where unleavened bread is
like flat bread, which is dense and thin (symbolic here of purity: with no gaps
or air, lacking substance or grace; or, not having corruption).
28. Deny Yourself - Take
Up the Cross and Follow Him
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For
what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed
or lost? (Luke
9:23-25)"Deny self" of worldly desires that are not of God. "Taking up your
cross daily" refers to giving your whole life to God, "Follow Him" abiding in
Him. Becoming like Him.
29. Despise Not Little
Ones - (Do not look down upon)
Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you
that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew
18:10). Disciples are to see to it that they do not despise another
disciple. A Christian can have this kind of attitude toward another Christian.
There can be a temptation for the zealous believer to look down on people whom
he views as nominal Christians and whom he considers as spiritually 'inferior.'
In such case, Jesus' admonition not to despise even one of His little ones must
be remembered. The reason the little ones should not be despised is because 'in
heaven their angels always behold the face of the Father.'
30. Go to Offenders -
Dealing with a Sinning Brother
Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you
and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not
hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell
it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you
like a heathen and a tax collector. (Matthew
18:15-17).
31. Beware of Covetousness
And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does
not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (Luke
12:15).
32. Forgive Offenders
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to
you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew
18:21-22).
33. Honor Marriage
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at
the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man
shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what
God has joined together, let not man separate." (Matthew
19:4-6).
34. Be a Servant
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you,
let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be
your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew
20:26-28).
35. Be a House of Prayer
"It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer . . . " (Matthew
21:13).
36. Ask in Faith
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith
and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also
if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be
done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew
21:21-22).
37. Bring In the Poor
Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper,
do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest
they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite
the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they
cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (Luke
14:12-14).
38. Render to Caesar (pay
taxes and tithe)
Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them,
"Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said
to them, "Render (pay) therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to
God the things that are God's." (Matthew
22:19-21).
39. Love the Lord
Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment.
(Matthew
22:37-38).
40. Love Your Neighbor
And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these
two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew
22:39-40).
41. Be Born Again
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and
the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I
said to you, 'You must be born again.' (John
3:5-7). Being born again is repenting and asking Jesus into your life.
42. Keep My Commandments
"If you love me, keep my commandments" (John
14:15).
43. Watch and Pray
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak. (Matthew
26:41).
44. Feed My Sheep
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of
Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My
lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of onah, do you love
Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him,
"Tend My sheep." (John
21:15-16). If we truly love God, we are to shepherd and care for those who
belong to Christ.
45. Make Disciples
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew
28:19).
46. Receive God's Power
I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until
you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke
24:49). Have you ever felt the need for power in trying to communicate
Jesus' message? In our own strength we are ineffective. Our message is
repentance and forgiveness of sins. we need this same power of the Spirit
today. Yes, all real Christians have been born of the Spirit. But to experience
the Spirit's power we must wait before Him in prayer, seeking His time and His
way. As we obey Jesus' command to wait for the power, we are wise. As we expect
and pray for the power of the Spirit we will be rewarded.
47. Make Disciples
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age." Amen. (Matthew
28:19-20).
48.
Lust - Adultery in the Heart
You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit
adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you
to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you
that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to in, cut it off and cast it from you; for it
is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole
body to be cast into hell. (Matthew
5:27-30)