Play online chess!

From	Message
coram_deo 27-Jul-21, 06:44	The Sermon on The Mount The Sermon on the Mount is the longest of Jesus’ teachings. I’m quoting it here by chapters because quoting it in its entirety in one post would take up too much space. From the Gospel of Matthew: “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5)
coram_deo 28-Jul-21, 17:49	Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount continues: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6)
coram_deo 29-Jul-21, 23:07	Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount continues and concludes: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 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. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.“ (Matthew 7)
coram_deo 22-Sep-21, 17:05	Article (with video) on the significance of Jesus Christ’s Sermon On The Mount. From redeemerofisrael.org The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most significant discourse ever given. It was and still is revolutionary in its teachings and message. Perhaps no other sermon of Jesus can compare in helping us to better understand the attributes and characteristics of the Savior. The gospel of Matthew records that after Jesus’ baptism and fasting for forty days, he went about Galilee healing the sick and the afflicted. As Jesus’ fame spread around the countryside, throngs of people began following Him, desiring to learn more about this miracle worker. As Jesus saw the multitudes following, he went up into a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. With this backdrop, the Savior began to teach. The scriptures often associate mountains with places for worship and receiving revelation from God. The Lord commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac atop Mount Moriah, and here Abraham was taught of the interceding power of the Messiah. On Mount Sinai, Moses received the Ten Commandments and instructions and ordinances relating to the Tabernacle. While on Mount Carmel, Elijah showed forth the power of God by calling down fire from heaven. Each of these mountains acted as a bridge, so to speak, bringing the heavens closer to earth. Here on this mount overlooking the beautiful Sea of Galilee, the Savior once again would bring heaven down to earth. Jesus’ sermon began with what is now known as the Beatitudes. The word beatitude means to be blessed, prosperous or abundant. [1] In giving this list of eight beatitudes, Jesus differs significantly from the Ten Commandments. Instead of giving a list of “thou shalt nots,” he instead gives a list of things that we are to become. He uses phrases like, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:7-9). Notice that each of these speak to who the person is, and not just an easy list of dos and don’ts. For example, how does one become merciful? Is this a one-time event that you can check off once completed? The answer is no, and that is perhaps one reason why the teachings of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount are so revolutionary. Jesus, in essence, breaks every perceived concept of what it means to be truly blessed or prosperous. He teaches that it is not through obtaining wealth or power, as most Romans would have seen. It is not even through strict obedience to the Law, as the Scribes and Pharisees would have seen. It is through becoming meek, lowly, hungering after righteousness, being merciful, and a peacemaker. In short, the state of being blessed is about who we really are, not just what we do. [2] The Savior next instructs that as we work towards becoming blessed, we then are commissioned to bless the lives of others. He shows this by giving two parable-type teachings of salt and light. Salt in ancient times was extremely significant. Salt was not only used to bring out other flavors and spices, but even more importantly, was also used as a preservative. In a world without modern refrigeration, meats could only be preserved for later seasons by salting them. Additionally, salt was a part of every sacrifice offered at the altar of sacrifice, symbolizing the lasting nature of the covenant. Jesus next teaches that we are to be a light unto the world. He instructs “Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:15). The original word for candle in Greek actually means an oil lamp, and the word for bushel “designates a vessel that could be used to extinguish an oil lamp.” [3] Thus, not only are we to bring light into the lives of others, but also, we should not smother or put out our own light for any reason. Both of these parables show us how true disciples can and should have a great impact on the lives of others bringing savor and preservation and giving light to those who are lost in darkness. Jesus then teaches “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets … but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The word fulfill does not mean to do away with, but instead means to complete or bring to fulness. Jesus fulfills the law, at least in part, by showing through his teachings and his own example the true purpose behind the law. In essence, he helps his listeners to understand that obedience is not the ultimate purpose; it is in becoming like God. Jesus demonstrates this by giving five examples from the law each beginning with “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old…” (see Matthew 5:21 for example) and then quoting portions of the law to which Jesus gives them new meaning. For example, when teaching about killing and committing adultery, Jesus does not say that these laws have been done away with, but instead He intensifies them. He teaches that even to think evil thoughts is the same as actually committing the acts. Why is this the case? Well, again the ultimate purpose is not just obedience, but in becoming like our Heavenly Father. Another law Jesus quotes is about requiring “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matthew 5:38). In our modern world we assume this to be interpreted literally, meaning that you would actually cut someone’s eye out if they had blinded you, but in ancient times it was interpreted far differently. In fact, several ancient Jewish sources discuss this as being a form of recompense, not vengeance. For example, if out of rage you injured a carpenter, causing him to lose his eyesight, you would be required to help support his family because of the lost revenue in his trade. This “eye for an eye” actually was far more just and merciful then even our own justice system today. Jesus next teaches that instead of seeking recompense of an eye for an eye, we instead are to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Roman soldiers were allowed to force a Jew to carry their equipment for a mile. Thus, Jesus teaches that even when our enemies compel us to do something against our will, we are to show true service by giving them more than they even asked. The Savior concludes the five statements with perhaps the most significant teaching, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Matthew 5:43-44). Perhaps no other statement more fully demonstrates the true character of Christ. When betrayed by Judas and arrested by the temple priests in Gethsemane, Jesus turns and heals the very soldier who came to arrest him. When on the cross, suffering beyond comprehension, the Savior forgives those who caused him so much pain. And perhaps most significant of all, as we each constantly sin and fall away from the perfection that Jesus directed, He quickly forgives, embracing us and helping us to once again begin our path of discipleship. The journey towards perfection, as Jesus commands in Matthew chapter 5, can seem impossible to achieve. We must remember though, that the word perfection in the last verse (see Matthew 5:48) actually means to become complete or whole. This perfection is more of a final destination, not a representation of our current state. It is the movement in the right direction that is most important. As Jesus taught from this mount by the Sea of Galilee, he truly bridged heaven and earth, giving us a glimpse into the eternities. Through his message, he taught that we should not become distracted with just mere obedience, but instead focus on becoming by lifting, serving, and being a light to those around us. As we rely on the Savior, repent of our sins, and trust in the grace of Christ, it is His perfection that will ultimately make us complete and whole. www.redeemerofisrael.org

GameKnot: play chess online, chess clubs, online chess puzzles, monthly chess tournaments, Internet chess league, chess teams, free online chess games database and more.