“Do Not Swear at All …

• Not by heaven (God’s Throne)
• Not by earth (God’s footstool)
• Not by Jerusalem (the Great King’s City)”

But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

He Didn’t Say, “Keep it to a Minimum.” He said, “Don’t Swear at All.”

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• Rain
• Flood
• Storm

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

“Come in,” God says, “I’ll give you … shelter from the storm.”

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• Take a Cross and Follow with Greater Love than Love for Parents
• Take a Cross and Follow with Greater Love than Love for Children
• Take a Cross and Follow with Greater Love than Love for Personal Convenience

Receiving Can Have Its Eternal Rewards, Too

• Receiving a Disciple is Taken as Receiving the Messiah and His Message
• Receiving the Messiah and His Message is Taken as Receiving Father God and His Gift of Jesus
• Receive a Prophet for a Prophet’s Reward
• Receive a Righteous Man for a Righteous Man’s Reward
• Give a Cup of Cool, Liquid Kindness to Preserve God’s Reward.

“For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (cf. Micah 7:6) Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.  Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

Some of Save Receipts, and Some of Us Understand that Our Receipts Can Save Us.

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• Go
• Sell
• Give
• Then Follow

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Getting a Heart in Heaven, so the Hands and Head Can Do Heavenly Work on Earth

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The Landowner’s Development of a Planted Vineyard Property

• Walled Boundary (No Facility Confusion)
• Dug Winepress (State-of-the-Art Installation)
• Watchtower Built (Safety for Others)

The Tenants’ Abuse of Property Privileges

• Seized Servants

1. Beaten
2. Killed
3. Stoned

• Son Sacrificed

1. Took
2. Threw
3. Killed

“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. [...] “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.  Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.   “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

These Renters Lost Their “Security Deposit” and Much More …

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