Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

The Golden Rule of Jesus requires a new heart and spirit from God in order to live by its truth. Matthew 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.  Matthew 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  This begins a concluding summary of Jesus Christ our King speaking about how we shall live in His kingdom and how He governs it. Many Christians have referred to this text as the "Golden Rule" because it is designed to shape our relationships with other people. It is of interest to note that the "Golden Rule" of Jesus spawned similar ethic codes in the world of business.  The most well known of these is the Rotary Club Four Way Test which asks four questions to guide employees ethics. The businessman who articulated this code was a Christian who prayed about how to guide his troubled company going forward. Th...

Blessings from God come when we pray as Jesus taught us to pray. Matthew 7:7-8  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  8)  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Jesus instructed His disciples to come in prayer and ask God to supply their needs, to seek His face every day and to knock or be persistent in praying. The promise is that when the believer in Christ does these things, heaven shall be opened to us, meaning that God is attentive to our prayer. Each person that asks of God according to His will, will receive an answer. Each person that seeks the LORD shall find Him and those who knock at the door of His throne shall find it opened. Now our Lord followed this teaching with some practical application of this truth so that we might see what it means to ask, seek and knock. No earthly Father would give his son a piece of rock when hi...

Matthew 7:1-2  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  In the first paragraph of Matthew 7, Jesus taught us about how to judge rightly by examining our own heart and confessing sin. He did this to expose hypocritical Pharisees who had a hateful spirit when they judged and condemned other people. Those who pronounce harsh judgment on others are in danger of receiving the same harsh judgment on themselves that they measured out.  Jesus compared the Pharisees harsh judgment of others to a man having a large beam in his own eye and trying to remove a small speck from another person's eye. The beam represents our own flaws and sins and the mote represents small flaws in another person.  Psalm 139:23-24  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in t...

We must learn to leave judgment of sinners to the hand of God while we share the gospel. Matthew 7:1-2  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  In our last lesson we saw in detail what Jesus meant when He said "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Jesus' applied this truth to the Pharisees and to all who judge and condemn others without dealing with their own sins. Remember, the Lord previously exposed how the Pharisees perverted God's law by teaching it was right to get revenge on your enemies. Christ's teaching here is very similar and addresses this wrong spirit of retaliation that we all must deal with. Jesus gave a warning about judging other people with a censorious spirit before He supplied a vivid illustration of this truth.  All people will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged.  Those who are born again will have their ser...

Matthew's gospel presents Jesus Christ as King and Messiah.  In what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, we are hearing our King speak about what His kingdom will be like and instruction on how His disciples are to live. In Matthew 5, Jesus taught about what are called "The Beatitudes" which say the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven and those who mourn shall be comforted. Those who are meek shall inherit the earth and those who crave for God's righteousness shall see the world filled with it. Christ's disciples shall be merciful, pure in heart and known as peacemakers. All of these beautiful spiritual blessings require a new heart and a new spirit as God promised to give to those who repent and believe. With a new heart and new spirit comes a new way of living, which Christ the King taught to His disciples, so we learned about living as salt that retards decay and light that exposes evil. Jesus taught about the root causes of anger, lust, adultery...