HEARING & LIVING

TEXT MATTHEW 7 http://www.biblica.com/bible/verse/index.php?q=matthew7&niv=yes


PARAPHRASE


“Judging & Discerning”

Jesus tells his believers that if they go around self-righteously judging others, they will be judged by God and He will use the same standards on them as they use when they self-righteously judging others.

Jesus asks his believers if it makes sense to judge their neighbor for something they are doing wrong when unknowingly or unconsciously they themselves are doing a similar wrong thing but to an even greater degree. He tells his believes that they can’t go around saying to some one something like, you are sinning by your adulterous relationship, when they are struggling greatly with the sin of lust themselves. He tells them to do so turns them into hypocrites and that before trying to help someone with a sin they are struggling with, they need to learn that the sin they see in the other person helps them to become aware of their own sin so they can first do something about so they can then help their neighbor with their sin.

Jesus then warns his believers to discern who they share the sacred and precious news of the kingdom with because if they share it indiscriminately, those who are cruel and evil may end up turning on and doing them great harm.


“Ask, Seek, Knock 4 Gold”

Jesus tells his believers if they ask His Father, He will provide for them; if they seek His Father, they will find Him; and if they knock, the door to the kingdom of heaven will be opened by his Father. He tells them that everyone who asks, His Father receives; everyone who seeks His Father, finds Him; and everyone who knocks on the door to the kingdom of heaven, will have it opened for them by His Father.
Jesus contrasts for his believers earthly fathers, who despite being sinful beings, never deceive their children by giving them stones or snakes when asked for bread or fish; with their Father in heaven, who because He is holy will most certainly give good gifts to those who ask Him for them.
So in giving to others like their heavenly Father does, Jesus tells his believers that in everything they do they are to do things for others as they would like others to do things for them and that this way of treating one another summarizes what the Law and the Prophets say.


“Narrow vs Wide

Jesus tells his believers they must enter the kingdom of heaven through the narrow gate by following the narrow road that leads to it that only a few people find, in contrast to the broad road that leads many people to the wide gate of destruction.


“False Prophets & Messiah”

Jesus goes on to tell his believers to watch out for false prophets who can lead them down the broad road to destruction. He describes them as disguising themselves as shepherds, making themselves appear as if they are looking out for the welfare of the flock, while in reality they are evil wolves whose only interest is in leading the members of the flock astray one by one so they can devour them with the goal of destroying the entire flock. Jesus tells his believers these false prophets can be identified by what their ministry produces. He tells them that the ministries of false prophets produce nothing of value for the kingdom of heaven; they are like thornbushes or thistles trying to bear grapes or figs – something that’s just not going to happen – such that eventually, like nonproductive trees, they will be cut down and destroyed.

Jesus goes on to tell his believers that not all who call on him as “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, that only those who do the will of his Father will enter. He tells them that in addition to calling him “Lord” many people will tell him on the day of Judgment that they prophesied, cast out demons, and performed many miracles in his name, but he will them “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” because although they called on him as an earthly Lord and did all of these things in his name as Messiah, they never did his Father’s will which was to fully believe he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God and have faith in what he had done.


“Foundational Authority”

Jesus ends his words to his believers on the mountainside by telling them that whoever hears his words and lives them out is like a wise man who built his house on a foundation of rock so that it is able to withstand bad weather when it comes in contrast to a foolish man, who having built his house on sand, loses it when it crashes down during a storm.
Having finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at Jesus’ teaching because of its inherent authority, being used to the authority the teachers of law had because of their academic positions.


PRINCIPLES

1. The Gospel Writer, Matthew, told his First Century audience that Jesus told
his believers that hearing and living out his word produces a firm
foundation for life.


2. What did Matthew say that Jesus told his believers a firm foundation for
living does?


3. What does Jesus tell us as believers today a firm foundation for living does?


4. A firm foundation for living helps us to:


- not self-righteously judge our neighbor

- discern who we share the Good News of the kingdom with

- go to the Father in prayer

- treat others as we would like them to treat us

- know there is a narrow path to the kingdom

- know there are false prophets who lead down a wide path to destruction

- be able to identify the ministries of false prophets

- know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God

- know that Jesus’ authority was from above


PRAYER


Our Father, we thank You and give You praise for Your Son’s words to us from the mountainside.

Our Father, we thank Your Son for fulfilling the word of the Law through these words and by what he did for us.

Our Father, forgive us when we self-righteously judge our neighbor, forgive us when we do not treat our neighbor as we would like them to treat us, forgive us when we do not come to you in prayer as you call us to.

Our Father, help us to discern those who would turn on and harm us for sharing the Good News of your Kingdom and to be able to identify the fruitless ministries of false prophets in this world that can lead us and others down the wide road to destruction.

Our Father, help us to know with certainty in our hearts that Jesus is the Christ, and Your Son , for You are the Living God; and help us to know with certainty in our hearts that Jesus is both our Lord and Savior so that we will have no worry about which road we’ve been on or what gate we are at on the Day of Judgment .

Our Father, we thank you for the authority from above Jesus had when he was on earth and we thank You for the authority of Your Holy Word.
And, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we raise this prayer to You today.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.