Hi, friend, you've tuned in to grace to you, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur.

I'm Phil Johnson, and in light of last week's stunning assassination of Charlie Kirk, which has

rightly received massive news coverage in the United States and around the world, we're breaking

from our original schedule to bring you today's broadcast. Charlie Kirk was an admirer of

John MacArthur, and he was a friend to our ministry, so we are grieved by his death, and what happened to

Charlie's horrific evidence that this world just keeps getting darker. Jesus himself told us to

expect persecution as Christians, that the world would

hate you and even kill you because of his name. And so when you face hostility because of your

beliefs, because of your faith in Christ, how should you respond? What does the Lord expect from you?

Thankfully, the Bible doesn't leave us in the dark, as John

MacArthur's study today will show you. It's called How to Think and Act in Evil Days.

John's going to be looking at Matthew Chapter 5 today, so if you have a Bible, you can turn there now.

I want you to turn to Matthew Chapter 5.

This is the underlying attitude that puts us in a position to do evangelistic work which

we're called to do around the world, no matter how the world treats us.

Matthew 5 is in the sermon on the mount.

The Lord gave that sermon to the leaders of Israel in particular to dismantle their false

religious system and expose them to how God thought.

And there are a series of things that are said here which our Lord directs at the Jews.

And he does it in quite an interesting way.

Starting in verse 21, he says, you have heard,

and then in verse 27, you have heard, and then in verse 31, it was said, and then in verse 33,

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