The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 7

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The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 7

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.7.NIV

Sermons on the Mount 3

Judging Others

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

(We all are subjects to the righteous judgement of God. While discerning good and evil for our own sake, remember that judgement, punishment, and revenge belong to God. (Rom. 12:19)

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (While trying to love our neighbors, we must know what is sacred and not, what is valuable and vain, and what is worth of life.)

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

(This is a great blessing but also gives us a great responsibility. We have to ASK His permission within the relationship with God, SEEK- search round- diligently what, how, when, and why, and Go out to try KNOCKing the possible doors. Make sure your prayer might be pleasing God, mobilize your mental/cognitive capacity to research and search, and try the best plausible options to find God's will, supply, and final answer. Prayer should be resulted with an obedient action.)

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

(Father not only wants to satisfy His children, but already has provided what they NEED- npt want. The task of prayer is to find and secure what has already given. The most powerful prayer is not moving God's hand but being with Him for His glory in obedient action.)

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Golden Rule of the Law and the Prophets, Sums of the Practical Teachings of the Bible. Doing good to the neighbors begins with knowing what might be the best for yourself, and sharing is the secret of doubling of the blessings.)

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

(Our Kingdom Life is not necessarily easy but actually very laboring because the world is contaminated and distorted with sinful nature of human being and its manifestation which are fighting against of God's Will. But also, since it is the truthful life, it will be so much encouraged in this world and even glorious in His glory. (Rom. 8:18) We could get through this hard course of life in our Lord who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)

True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

(This teaching can be cited naively, so maybe wrongly, when you think the "fruit" as a person's outward look or ones ministry result in numbers and sizes, Because, even bad/false prophets or teachers can pretend to be truthful and perform great(er) in numbers and sizes (15) as it is also mentioned in Deut. Ch. 13.

This teaching says, things begin with its nature, inner characteristic. But sinful human being can devise his/her own creation which also is contaminated. We must be wise enough to be able to discern what is truthful and what is untruthful. And we acknowledge that the only Final Judge is God.)

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

(Some might boast their achievements for Jesus, but Jesus never had been with them because they never had been with Him. Being comes first, before the Doing. We could mimic Doing but not Being. Whatever we do or not, make sure we are with God. "If we were with Him, as He wants us." Jam. 4:15, 1Sam. 15:22)

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 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.

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

(Wisdom is knowing what comes first. Obedience matters and comes first, neither success nor failure.)

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

(Do we now know the importance, implication, and indication of His teachings? Are we trying to obey His will? Not out of obligation but because of our understanding of truth!)