The King Instructs
Text: Matthew 7:1-29
Focus: Matthew 7:1-14
No matter what other people think about what is called "The Sermon On The Mount", it has not been hard to see that the purpose of this message has been to instruct the disciples of the Lord. These chapters have not been a plan of salvation but instruction to the disciple, to the believer, to the follower of Christ Jesus. If we toss aside these words of Jesus Christ Our Lord then we have missed a pure training program for those of us who love Our Lord Jesus. It is only after salvation that we can begin in the work that God has called us to do.
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Rom 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Rom 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
We will learn in chapter seven how we should love our fellow disciples.
The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of exercising a false judgment about themselves, other people and even the Lord Jesus Christ. Their false judgment was an extension of their false righteousness.
These Pharisees made it a practice of setting themselves up as judges of all men and measuring others using themselves as the example.
We cannot forget the theme of this sermon of Christ Jesus:
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 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?
Mat 7:5 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.
Mat 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.
Jesus Christ was not forbidding His disciples nor any that believe on Him to distinguish between "good and evil". He was not forbidding the believer to distinguish between truth and error in doctrine. Christ was not dealing with actions as much as He was dealing with the motives behind those actions.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church these words:
Php 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge [and in all judgment];
Php 1:10 [That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence] till the day of Christ;
Php 1:11 [Being filled with the fruits] of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Those fruit are listed as:
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit led Paul to this example of the preaching of Jesus Christ.
The person who believes every preacher without judging his sermon by God's Word, or the person who accepts everyone that say they are spiritual but their works show that not to be true by the Word of God, will suffer from confusion and great spiritual loss.
If we accept the fact that we all will stand before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ:
2Co 5:10 [For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ]; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
This is the judgment for the saved. You have to be saved to be here!
We will receive the things done in the body we call flesh. We will be judged by the work we have done for Christ since our salvation. If we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savour then we know this to be true.
Knowing this then we should judge our own selves and know that we abide by God's Word before we can discern between good and evil of others.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil].
The Pharisees "played God" in their judgment of others and gave no thought that they would be judged of God.
We are being judged as Christians as we walk the walk of Christ Jesus:
Luk 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
People judge us in our walk and we will receive exactly what we give. We will reap what we have sown:
Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
When we judge our selves by God's Word we can then be prepared to serve others. Every Christian is obligated to help each other grow in "Grace".
Only God has true judgment:
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
These Pharisees criticized others to make there own selves look good, not before God, but before man.
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
There is a difference when we help our brothers to look good and not our own self.
If we cannot honestly face up to our own sin then while we are trying to get a piece of dust out of another one's eye, then that two by four in our own eye will not allow us to see properly. We can be of no help to anyone, the lost nor the saved.
God can see all the way into the heart, we cannot, no secret can be withheld from Him:
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
So we have learned:
1.) Before we can even try to help our brothers and sisters in Christ we must self examine ourselves.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
2.) We must also realize that as long as we are in this body of flesh we will have some sin. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that allows His forgiveness and He will restore us.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
*****A restored child of God can then be a help to his brothers and sisters in Christ.
As far as the lost, it is God that will judge the lost, our job is only to witness to them. Christians must realize that not everyone is a sheep.
Some people are dogs, or hogs, and some people are wolves in sheep's clothing.
This is the judgment that we have to make. We cannot allow the liberal church to pull the wool over our eyes.
God has given us some tools that we must use:
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Co 4:7 [But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God], and not of us.
We must not cheapen the Gospel of Jesus Christ by lacking discernment of good and evil.
We must be able to discern the liberal movement of the Church as wrong and as evil. We must stand up for the truth of the Gospel and in doing so we must judge those who teach such nonsense.
We must stand up for the Blood of the Cross.
We must stand up for the Virgin birth.
We must stand up for the Resurrection of Our Lord.
We must stand up for the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must stand on the Whole Truth of the Bible and not just the parts we like.
We cannot allow these pearls of the Gospel to be trampled on by anyone.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
We cannot abuse the "Grace" of God.
We are to present the truth of the Gospel, judge among ourselves as believers and correct each other in love and also realize that to argue with an unbeliever will lessen our own testimony in most cases.
Even Jesus never spoke to Herod:
Luk 23:8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
Luk 23:9 Then he questioned with him in many words; [but he answered him nothing].
And the Apostle Paul would not argue with unbelievers:
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, [we turn to the Gentiles].
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Mat 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Mat 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Mat 7:11 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?
Christ knew that there will always be those that will not receive the Word of God so He returns to some additional teaching on prayer, and our prayer life.
We must remember this sermon was preached to the saved, it is not a sermon for salvation, but a sermon of instruction to disciples.
Our Lord had rejected the practice of prayer that the Pharisee used. Jesus now instructed on the true nature of prayer.
1.) If we keep on asking, He will keep on giving!
2.) If we keep seeking, we will find!
3.) If we keep knocking, He will continue to open the doors to allow His will to be done!
You know not everyone is called to be a preacher, or a teacher, or for some special office in the Church but everyone has been given this instruction in doing the will that God has for each and every one of us.
4.) We must all be persistent in our prayer life!
The reason for answered prayer lies in the attributes of the true Father, Our Father that is in Heaven.
He will never mock His children!
It is the Father's responsibility to provide!
God would never teach us these things if He was not willing to do them Himself!
God's faithfulness as a Father will not permit Him to deny the request of His children!
We must first pray to seek His direction and His wisdom for our lives and His will for each of us!
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:12 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.
Mat 7:13 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:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Some people call this the "Golden Rule" but in reality it is really the basis of our attitude toward others. This principle only applies to believers! When we judge others this is the principle we should follow. A person who would project righteousness must do for others what that person would want someone to do for him if he was in the same situation.
If people would treat every neighbor as themselves, no neighbor would be mistreated!
Christ would never demand the righteousness of the Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven but He would demand the righteousness of the Law to enter in. To the believer, his righteousness must equal the righteousness of Christ. This can happen only one way!
The Bible says:
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, [who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit].
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 [And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness].
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
If we want God's best for ourselves and for others for there will those that will resist God's Word.
A couple of things we need to remember:
1.) We are the salt of the earth. Salt is a preservative but we also know salt will burn and sting when it is poured on an open wound. There will be those that will oppose us.
2.) We are to be a bright and shining light for God and Christ but we must realize a bright light will expose the dirt of evil living and some will always want to stay in darkness so their dirt will be hid.
We will always have Pharisees in our world. These false prophets are still trying to deceive God's children. They will still teach a self-righteousness. They have fooled themselves into believing that they are righteous and all others are sinful in the eyes of God. We must remember what God says:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Christ gave us to more pictures for explanation:
There are only two roads to travel in this life. The road to Heaven and the road to Hell.
1.) The Broad way: (that leads to Hell)
This is the easy way, this is also the most popular way. Every religion seems to have this in mind when they tell us of their way to Heaven. Just because every one says they can follow their own path and that every road will lead to Heaven is simply not true. Just because they say this does not make it true.
God's people have always been a remnant. The Church will always be a small minority.
2.) The Narrow way: (that leads to Heaven)
The way to everlasting life is sometimes narrow, lonely, and costly.
We can walk on the broad path keeping our baggage of sin but to travel the narrow path we must give up all those things.
Jesus said the Christian walk would be a hard one.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, [let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me].
The cross we bare will be painful at times!
Before we close let's high light the remaining chapter:
(Vs 15-20)
Since the beginning of creation every plant and every animal will reproduce it self after it's kind. In other words an apple tree will not produce bananas, and two cats will not produce a dog. I know what evolution says, but remember they have never found anything that has changed this basic law of God.
We know that good fruit comes from a good tree, but bad fruit comes from a bad tree. Those that have bad trees usually cut down the bad tree so it will not spoil the good tree. It is easy to see if you have a good fruit tree, wait till it produces fruit and you can tell from that point.
In a spiritual sense it is easily seen if a child of God has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior by the fruit they bare. If you do not have a noticeably changed life then the fruit is bad.
False Prophets, false preachers, who teach a false doctrine will have this affect on those that sit in the pews. The fruit, (the results of their ministry) is false and cannot last.
The Apostle Paul had these words:
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
You can still tell them by their fruit!
The person that believes a false doctrine will also never produce good fruit.
(Vs 21-29)
It does not matter what we think of our selves or really what others think of us, the final test of the child of God is what God thinks of us. What will God say when we stand before Him? The only way to prepare for God's judgment is to be in the will of God. Obedience to God is the true test of "faith"!
When a person is truly born again, that person will have the Holy Spirit living within them:
Rom 8:9 [But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you]. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
That same Spirit enables every child of God to know His will:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; [because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us].
If you have the "love of God" within you, you will obey God and you will serve others! A light on a hill cannot be hid.
The words we say are not enough. Many preachers are not saved. Even Judas Iscariot was sent out to preach. Even miracles do not make you a child of God. Satan will use lying wonders to deceive the people during the tribulation period:
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
We are commanded, with love, to hear God's Word and then, be a doer of that Word:
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
That carries with it a knowledge of God's Word. If you do not know God's Word how can you know if the preacher knows God's Word.
If our faith in the Word of God does not lead us to good works after we are saved then we are as salt that has lost it's flavor:
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
We have built on the wrong foundation!
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Your false profession of faith will not hold up at the judgment seat!
How can we judge ourselves?
1.) Have we paid the price, do we have a changed life?
2.) Does our faith hold up through the storms of life and will it still stand the test of God's judgment.
These are questions we must answer for ourselves. We must look into that mirror and judge our own selves and this by the Holy Word of God.
Let's Pray!
Text: Matthew 7:1-29
Focus: Matthew 7:1-14
No matter what other people think about what is called "The Sermon On The Mount", it has not been hard to see that the purpose of this message has been to instruct the disciples of the Lord. These chapters have not been a plan of salvation but instruction to the disciple, to the believer, to the follower of Christ Jesus. If we toss aside these words of Jesus Christ Our Lord then we have missed a pure training program for those of us who love Our Lord Jesus. It is only after salvation that we can begin in the work that God has called us to do.
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Rom 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Rom 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
We will learn in chapter seven how we should love our fellow disciples.
The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of exercising a false judgment about themselves, other people and even the Lord Jesus Christ. Their false judgment was an extension of their false righteousness.
These Pharisees made it a practice of setting themselves up as judges of all men and measuring others using themselves as the example.
We cannot forget the theme of this sermon of Christ Jesus:
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 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?
Mat 7:5 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.
Mat 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.
Jesus Christ was not forbidding His disciples nor any that believe on Him to distinguish between "good and evil". He was not forbidding the believer to distinguish between truth and error in doctrine. Christ was not dealing with actions as much as He was dealing with the motives behind those actions.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church these words:
Php 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge [and in all judgment];
Php 1:10 [That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence] till the day of Christ;
Php 1:11 [Being filled with the fruits] of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Those fruit are listed as:
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit led Paul to this example of the preaching of Jesus Christ.
The person who believes every preacher without judging his sermon by God's Word, or the person who accepts everyone that say they are spiritual but their works show that not to be true by the Word of God, will suffer from confusion and great spiritual loss.
If we accept the fact that we all will stand before Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ:
2Co 5:10 [For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ]; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
This is the judgment for the saved. You have to be saved to be here!
We will receive the things done in the body we call flesh. We will be judged by the work we have done for Christ since our salvation. If we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savour then we know this to be true.
Knowing this then we should judge our own selves and know that we abide by God's Word before we can discern between good and evil of others.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil].
The Pharisees "played God" in their judgment of others and gave no thought that they would be judged of God.
We are being judged as Christians as we walk the walk of Christ Jesus:
Luk 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
People judge us in our walk and we will receive exactly what we give. We will reap what we have sown:
Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
When we judge our selves by God's Word we can then be prepared to serve others. Every Christian is obligated to help each other grow in "Grace".
Only God has true judgment:
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
These Pharisees criticized others to make there own selves look good, not before God, but before man.
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
There is a difference when we help our brothers to look good and not our own self.
If we cannot honestly face up to our own sin then while we are trying to get a piece of dust out of another one's eye, then that two by four in our own eye will not allow us to see properly. We can be of no help to anyone, the lost nor the saved.
God can see all the way into the heart, we cannot, no secret can be withheld from Him:
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
So we have learned:
1.) Before we can even try to help our brothers and sisters in Christ we must self examine ourselves.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
2.) We must also realize that as long as we are in this body of flesh we will have some sin. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that allows His forgiveness and He will restore us.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
*****A restored child of God can then be a help to his brothers and sisters in Christ.
As far as the lost, it is God that will judge the lost, our job is only to witness to them. Christians must realize that not everyone is a sheep.
Some people are dogs, or hogs, and some people are wolves in sheep's clothing.
This is the judgment that we have to make. We cannot allow the liberal church to pull the wool over our eyes.
God has given us some tools that we must use:
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Co 4:7 [But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God], and not of us.
We must not cheapen the Gospel of Jesus Christ by lacking discernment of good and evil.
We must be able to discern the liberal movement of the Church as wrong and as evil. We must stand up for the truth of the Gospel and in doing so we must judge those who teach such nonsense.
We must stand up for the Blood of the Cross.
We must stand up for the Virgin birth.
We must stand up for the Resurrection of Our Lord.
We must stand up for the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must stand on the Whole Truth of the Bible and not just the parts we like.
We cannot allow these pearls of the Gospel to be trampled on by anyone.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
We cannot abuse the "Grace" of God.
We are to present the truth of the Gospel, judge among ourselves as believers and correct each other in love and also realize that to argue with an unbeliever will lessen our own testimony in most cases.
Even Jesus never spoke to Herod:
Luk 23:8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
Luk 23:9 Then he questioned with him in many words; [but he answered him nothing].
And the Apostle Paul would not argue with unbelievers:
Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, [we turn to the Gentiles].
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Mat 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Mat 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Mat 7:11 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?
Christ knew that there will always be those that will not receive the Word of God so He returns to some additional teaching on prayer, and our prayer life.
We must remember this sermon was preached to the saved, it is not a sermon for salvation, but a sermon of instruction to disciples.
Our Lord had rejected the practice of prayer that the Pharisee used. Jesus now instructed on the true nature of prayer.
1.) If we keep on asking, He will keep on giving!
2.) If we keep seeking, we will find!
3.) If we keep knocking, He will continue to open the doors to allow His will to be done!
You know not everyone is called to be a preacher, or a teacher, or for some special office in the Church but everyone has been given this instruction in doing the will that God has for each and every one of us.
4.) We must all be persistent in our prayer life!
The reason for answered prayer lies in the attributes of the true Father, Our Father that is in Heaven.
He will never mock His children!
It is the Father's responsibility to provide!
God would never teach us these things if He was not willing to do them Himself!
God's faithfulness as a Father will not permit Him to deny the request of His children!
We must first pray to seek His direction and His wisdom for our lives and His will for each of us!
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
*****Our Text:
Mat 7:12 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.
Mat 7:13 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:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Some people call this the "Golden Rule" but in reality it is really the basis of our attitude toward others. This principle only applies to believers! When we judge others this is the principle we should follow. A person who would project righteousness must do for others what that person would want someone to do for him if he was in the same situation.
If people would treat every neighbor as themselves, no neighbor would be mistreated!
Christ would never demand the righteousness of the Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven but He would demand the righteousness of the Law to enter in. To the believer, his righteousness must equal the righteousness of Christ. This can happen only one way!
The Bible says:
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, [who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit].
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 [And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness].
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
If we want God's best for ourselves and for others for there will those that will resist God's Word.
A couple of things we need to remember:
1.) We are the salt of the earth. Salt is a preservative but we also know salt will burn and sting when it is poured on an open wound. There will be those that will oppose us.
2.) We are to be a bright and shining light for God and Christ but we must realize a bright light will expose the dirt of evil living and some will always want to stay in darkness so their dirt will be hid.
We will always have Pharisees in our world. These false prophets are still trying to deceive God's children. They will still teach a self-righteousness. They have fooled themselves into believing that they are righteous and all others are sinful in the eyes of God. We must remember what God says:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Christ gave us to more pictures for explanation:
There are only two roads to travel in this life. The road to Heaven and the road to Hell.
1.) The Broad way: (that leads to Hell)
This is the easy way, this is also the most popular way. Every religion seems to have this in mind when they tell us of their way to Heaven. Just because every one says they can follow their own path and that every road will lead to Heaven is simply not true. Just because they say this does not make it true.
God's people have always been a remnant. The Church will always be a small minority.
2.) The Narrow way: (that leads to Heaven)
The way to everlasting life is sometimes narrow, lonely, and costly.
We can walk on the broad path keeping our baggage of sin but to travel the narrow path we must give up all those things.
Jesus said the Christian walk would be a hard one.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, [let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me].
The cross we bare will be painful at times!
Before we close let's high light the remaining chapter:
(Vs 15-20)
Since the beginning of creation every plant and every animal will reproduce it self after it's kind. In other words an apple tree will not produce bananas, and two cats will not produce a dog. I know what evolution says, but remember they have never found anything that has changed this basic law of God.
We know that good fruit comes from a good tree, but bad fruit comes from a bad tree. Those that have bad trees usually cut down the bad tree so it will not spoil the good tree. It is easy to see if you have a good fruit tree, wait till it produces fruit and you can tell from that point.
In a spiritual sense it is easily seen if a child of God has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior by the fruit they bare. If you do not have a noticeably changed life then the fruit is bad.
False Prophets, false preachers, who teach a false doctrine will have this affect on those that sit in the pews. The fruit, (the results of their ministry) is false and cannot last.
The Apostle Paul had these words:
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
You can still tell them by their fruit!
The person that believes a false doctrine will also never produce good fruit.
(Vs 21-29)
It does not matter what we think of our selves or really what others think of us, the final test of the child of God is what God thinks of us. What will God say when we stand before Him? The only way to prepare for God's judgment is to be in the will of God. Obedience to God is the true test of "faith"!
When a person is truly born again, that person will have the Holy Spirit living within them:
Rom 8:9 [But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you]. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
That same Spirit enables every child of God to know His will:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; [because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us].
If you have the "love of God" within you, you will obey God and you will serve others! A light on a hill cannot be hid.
The words we say are not enough. Many preachers are not saved. Even Judas Iscariot was sent out to preach. Even miracles do not make you a child of God. Satan will use lying wonders to deceive the people during the tribulation period:
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
We are commanded, with love, to hear God's Word and then, be a doer of that Word:
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
That carries with it a knowledge of God's Word. If you do not know God's Word how can you know if the preacher knows God's Word.
If our faith in the Word of God does not lead us to good works after we are saved then we are as salt that has lost it's flavor:
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
We have built on the wrong foundation!
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Your false profession of faith will not hold up at the judgment seat!
How can we judge ourselves?
1.) Have we paid the price, do we have a changed life?
2.) Does our faith hold up through the storms of life and will it still stand the test of God's judgment.
These are questions we must answer for ourselves. We must look into that mirror and judge our own selves and this by the Holy Word of God.
Let's Pray!
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