By Brother R. Michel Lankford
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:21-26 (ESV)![]()
A Quick Review
Christ's 1st Command: "Repent" (Matthew 4:17
Christ's 2nd Command: "Follow Me." (Matthew 4:19


Christ’s 3rd Command: "Rejoice when you are persecuted for righteousness sake." (Matthew 5:12



Christ's 4th Command: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)


Christ's 5th Command: "Do not think that I have come to abolish or do away with the law or the prophets. For I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill. (See Matthew 5:17-20

Messiah's 6th Command
Immediately after telling us that He would not remove one jot or one tittle from God's Law, Messiah wastes no time in teaching people how to obey God's Law MORE excellently. We see clear evidence throughout the rest of Matthew chapter 5. Messiah does not cover every aspect of the Law in this first sermon, but he highlights what most people consider the big stuff.It's intriguing that Messiah's next command in the New Testament is actually sandwiched in the middle between two guiding principles:
Guiding principle #1: We must keep a right heart before God and our neighbor. That means that we must get rid of anger and hatred which is akin to murder (Matthew 6:21-22

Guiding principle #2: Resolve conflicts, reconcile with your neighbor quickly before things have a chance to fester into anger and hatred (Matthew 6:25-26

Sandwiched right in the middle between those two guiding principles is the command:
Matthew 5:23-24That's the imperative. Beloved, isn't it interesting that right in the middle between two guiding principles on how to keep a right relationship with our fellow man is the command on how to bring an offering before the LORD?So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24 ESV
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The idea that we need to be right before God and our neighbor before bringing our offerings is not a new idea. Messiah was not teaching anything new in the so-called New Testament. What He was teaching in Matthew 5:23-24


Guiding Principle #3: Almighty God is HOLY and He DOES NOT automatically accept everything and anything that we bring to Him, in whatever manner we choose to bring it, just because we bring it, "In Jesus Christ’s Name. This guiding principle is absolutely critical, because it corrects one of the greatest heresies and false teachings in our modern church age.
Over and over again I have heard preachers LIE from the pulpit in the name of Jesus Christ, and folks we need to repent. Over and over I have heard preachers say, “You know God's just happy that you showed up here in church today. He is happy to see you. The false impression that this teaches is that God is happy just because we simply showed up in one of His congregations and gave Him an hour of the day that He gave us in the first place. We are not doing God a favor by showing up. Almighty God is doing us a favor when HE shows up! We have got to get our heads screwed on straight.
Let's tell the truth, shall we?
Fact: If you are walking in a lifestyle of sin and lawlessness (1 John 2:1-6


Psalm 7:11-12


Yes, God is Love (1 John 4:8






Fact: Every one of us who prays to the Almighty God of heaven has at least some desire for God to favorably hear and respond to our prayers, do we not? Of course we do. Otherwise, why bother to pray? Did you know that Almighty God directly links His willingness to hear our prayers right along with our willingness to hear and listen to His Law?
Proverbs 28:9


We have to face up to a question. Do I want God to be favorably disposed to hearing my prayers, or do I want Him to look at my prayers as though they were an act of sin and an abomination deserving of His fierce wrath anger and punishment? My attitude and receptiveness toward His Law, Commandments, and Instructions has a direct bearing on how receptive God is to my prayers. If for some crazy reason it does not matter to you whether God is favorably disposed your prayers, or He finds them to be an abomination, then I suppose you can continue to ignore God's Law at your own peril, but as for me, I need God to hear and be favorably disposed to my prayers. I need and I want Him to see and receive my prayers as a delight and not as something deserving His wrath. That being the case, I desire and I am continually begging God to change my being so that I am more open, more inclined, more receptive and more obedient to His Laws. There is simply no other sane and rational choice; (contrast: Luke 18:10-14

Psalm 66:18


· God does not accept the prayers of the wicked (Proverbs 28:9


· God does not accept the sacrifices of the wicked (Proverbs 15:8-9


· God does not accept those who call good as though it were evil, and evil as though it were good (Isaiah 5:20-24

The Bottom Line:
1. Even under Grace, God still cares about us getting it right when we bring our offerings to Him. Ananias and Sophira happen after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so they were in the so-called age of Grace. Did God accept their gifts and offering (Acts 5:1-11

2. In fact, the reality that Jesus Christ suffered so much in order to buy our right standing before God ought to make us MORE CAREFUL about what we bring before God, and how we bring it, NOT LESS.
3. In order for our prayers, and the offerings of our time, our talent, and our treasures to be acceptable and pleasing before Almighty God, our attitudes toward God and His Commandments, Laws and Instructions, must be biblically correct.
4. In order for our prayers, and the offerings of our time, our talent, and our treasures to be acceptable and pleasing before Almighty God, our attitudes and dealings with our fellow men (and especially fellow believers) must be correct and in good standing to the best of our ability.
5. If our relationships and attitudes towards God and His Law, and if our relationships with our fellow men are not in good standing, then we are wasting the offerings of our prayers, of our time and the offerings of our talents and treasures when we offer them, because God does not accept them unless and until our vital relationships are right first.
6. Every sin and transgression of God's Law begins with thoughts that run the opposite or contrary to God's Word. If we learn to arrest these things while they are still merely thoughts, then they will not be allowed to settle into our hearts and they will not blossom into attitudes which then become sinful behaviors (2 Corinthians 10:4-5







Brother Michel Lankford
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