Matthew 7:1-5
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 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?
5 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.
Every thief and drug dealer
in
Just because a person may be
able to quote Scripture does not mean he/she understands it! This is the classic example.
The same degree of judgment
with which you judge shall be the degree with which you shall be judged. And, with what measure you give that shall be
the amount you shall be given.
Most Christians fail to see
the significance to verse two. It simply
declares that God shall treat you as you treat others. If you give with joy and a helpful spirit,
you shall receive joy from a helpful Spirit.
It has nothing to do with giving a dollar to get a hundred dollars.
Anybody can see the faults in
another, but unless you can see clearly you cannot help the other person to
gain control of his/her situation. Pray
that God will allow you to see clearly, and not with blur discrimination.
Matthew 7:6 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.
Don’t give the holy things of
God to those that hate Him. Heathen will
and do abuse and twist even the simplest truths.
Matthew 7:7-12
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a
stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 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?
12 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.
If God is your Father, you
may lay claim to this promise. If He is
just your God, it means nothing.
Ask! Christianity is a relationship. This is an admonishment to become radical in your dependence.
Our dependency on Christ does
not result in laziness. Instead it works
to the benefit of the
Working in our Father’s
vineyard is a blessing!
Matthew 7:13-15
13 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:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Don’t be deceived! Anybody can follow the crowd onto a broad
highway. That broad highway may seem to
lead to happiness, but that happiness is temporary. Those who are called by God go down a less
traveled road that leads to everlasting joy and peace.
Verse 13 warns that the way
to destruction is “broad.” Later, in
Matthew 16:18, Christ Jesus tells us that the gates of hell shall not prevail
against the Church. Here too, we find
that the “way” to life is “narrow.” In
John 14:6, Christ tells us the he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Verse 15 warns us to judge
the leaders of what many suppose to be the Church. Just because the there is a Church sign out
front does not mean that what goes on inside is Spirit-led.
Rom 8:14 For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Conversely, those that are
not led by Spirit of God are not the sons of God.
Matthew 7:16-20
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Apple seeds produce
apples. That is a fact!
We must become fruit
inspectors.
Matthew 7:21-29
21 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.
22 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?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity.
24 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:
25 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.
26 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:
27 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.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were
astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
The fact is that all who truly call upon the Lord shall
be saved, but many will just go through the motions with no commitment to
Christ.
The question is not, “Do you
know Christ?”
The question is, “Does Christ
know you?”
In adversity those who are
known by Christ will prosper.
The most astounding verses in
this last section are v 28 and 29.
Matthew 7:28-29
28 And it came to pass, when
Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus did not say, “Turn in
your Bibles to Psalms 51, verse 2.
He did not quote the right
reverend Dr. Smith or Jones.
He taught through the power
of the Holy Spirit, and it astonished folks.
Teaching in the power of the Holy Spirit always astonishes folks.
Keep in mind that Christ
Jesus taught His doctrine which is identical to the Father’s doctrine!
Why did Jesus use all those
parables? He did it so people could
understand!
Right? Wrong!
Parables are “earthly stories
with a heavenly meaning.
Right? Wrong!
Parables are spiritual
stories with a spiritual meaning!
Right? Wrong!
Jesus used them to hide the
truth.
Matthew 13:13-15
13 Therefore speak I to them
in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do
they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled
the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I
should heal them.
Jesus hid the truth in plain
sight!