Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 9

[Jesus said] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24–27 ESV).

 

Spending my childhood and teen years in Galveston, Texas, I experienced several hurricanes. One of those is still ranked as one of the top five most destructive hurricanes to hit the United States. Carla came in with winds topping 150 mph and classified as a Category 4 on the Saffir-simpson scale. My dad felt confident we could ride it out in our home, though there was some doubt as the water began to rise to twelve feet completely covering the entire first floor of our grocery store. After the storm left our area, we ventured out to see the devastation. There were buildings of all sorts that were completely destroyed, others seemed to be little damaged.

 

What makes the difference between one home left standing and another left fractured and falling down. The quality of the building materials? No, these were all well-built homes and businesses. Only the best materials were used. The difference was what they were built upon. Those homes which had their foundation laid solidly in the ground stood firm against the tempest that raged against them. Those homes whose foundations were laid in the sand, fractured, broke and fell as the sand was swept away and the foundation collapsed.

 

Jesus uses this same analogy to bring out his final point in His conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount. It does not matter if you are talking about the foundation of a physical building or the foundation upon which you have built your life, the principle is the same. The material upon which you lay your foundation will determine the strength of the structure that is built upon it. It does not matter the cost and quality of the building materials used, for a house built on sand is only as strong as that sand. It will collapse when put to the test.

 

What are you building your life on? If it is anything less than the solid rock of Jesus, you have no hope of surviving the final storm!

  

Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 14

 

[Jesus said] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23 ESV).

 

In our reading today Jesus is speaking on the subject of true faith versus false professions, using the technique of contrast and comparison. Remember earlier in this chapter He describes two paths on which people walk through life, the broad road that leads to eternal destruction and the narrow path that leads to eternal life (vv. 13-14). In these verses He introduces the concept of the “many” and the “few” that He will return to.

 

Also, earlier in this chapter He again contrasts the two types of people by using imagery well known to those in an agrarian culture—sheep/wolves, grapes/figs, thorn bushes/thistles, good trees/bad trees, and good fruit/bad fruit (vv. 15-18). Having established the idea of dichotomy in the minds of His hearers, He goes on to apply these truths to the spiritual state of all those listening to Him. Jesus presents the two types of people who will come to Him on “that day,” meaning the last day, the day of judgment, the great day fixed by God and unknown to angels and men and which will be terrible to some and joyful to others. All will be seeking to enter the kingdom of heaven, but some will be turned away and will react in utter confusion and disappointment as what they thought was their “ticket” to heaven turns out to be worthless.

 

Some of these people are those who prophesied in the name of Jesus, meaning either foretelling things to come or preaching the Word in His name. Some may have even performed miraculous acts such as driving out demons and perhaps healings and other miracles, but all to no avail. Their works were done for their own glory, not His, and were nothing more than “filthy rags” (cf. Isaiah 64:6). In contrast, those who will enter heaven will not do so based on their miraculous achievements and accomplishments or works of any sort. They will have eternal life solely based on God’s sovereign gift of grace through the work of Jesus on the cross resulting in their faith in Him.

 

That naturally leads us to question who are these unfortunate people and how can they do miracles unless they are doing them by God’s power? We know several things about them from the text. First, we know there are many of them, because it is many who are on the broad road to eternal death, as compared to the relative few who have found the narrow path to eternal life. Second, they claim the name of Christ. These are not Muslims, Buddhists, or atheists. These are those who would gladly say, “I am a Christian.” They work their works in Jesus’ name. They pray and heal in Jesus’ name. They preach and teach in Jesus’ name. They build huge churches and ministries in Jesus’ name. They claim a relationship with Him. But they are none of His. In fact, He sends them away, not with commendation for their good works in His name, but by disowning their every deed and word. He “never” knew them, nor did they ever truly know Him.

 

Further, they weren’t Christians who lost their salvation. They were never part of the elect of God, chosen before the foundation of the world (cf. Ephesians 1:4), set apart and sanctified by the Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:21), and justified by faith (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). The ones Christ puts away from Himself with harsh words of condemnation, calling them doers of evil, were never chosen of God and thus never came to Him in faith, despite their outward good works and miracles.

 

So, how do we know? That answer is simple. After a lengthy discussion the Apostle Paul says:

 

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8–13 ESV).

 

It is a heart matter, not a behavior. Look into your heart!

 

Further Instruction from the Mount - Pt 7

 

[Jesus said] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15–20 ESV).

 

A "wolf in sheep's clothing" is an idiom for someone who disguises a ruthless, malicious nature behind a harmless, friendly facade. It serves as a universal warning to be cautious of deceptive people who use charm or a veneer of innocence to mask their true, dangerous intentions. 

 

Throughout the Scripture we are warned about false prophets (cf. Ezekiel 13, Matthew 24:23–27, 2 Peter 3:3). False prophets claim to speak for God, but they speak falsehood. To gain a hearing, they look good and make promises of great blessing and gain from the following of their teachings.  No matter how innocent and harmless these teachers appear on the outside, they have the nature of wolves—they are intent on destroying faith, causing spiritual carnage in the church, and enriching themselves. They “secretly introduce destructive heresies,” “bring the way of truth into disrepute,” and “exploit you with fabricated stories” (2 Peter 2:1–3).

 

The false teachers wear “sheep’s clothing” so they can mingle with the sheep without arousing suspicion. They usually are not up front about what they believe; rather, they mix in some truth with their falsehood and carefully choose their words to sound correct. However, in reality, they “follow their own ungodly desires” (Jude 1:17–18), and “they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed” (2 Peter 2:14). By contrast, a true prophet teaches the Scripture fully (cf. Deuteronomy 18:20). Wolves in sheep’s clothing twist God’s Word to deceive or influence the audience for their own purposes. Remember, Satan masquerades as an angel of light (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:15).

 

The best way to guard against these false prophets is to heed the warnings of Scripture and know the truth. A believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and carefully studies the Bible will be able to identify false prophets. Christians must judge all teaching against what Scripture says. We must trust and verify by the Scripture. We can also identify false prophets by their fruit—their words, actions, and lifestyles. If a teacher in the church does not live according to God’s Word, he is one of those wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be alert and aware!

 

Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 6

 

[Jesus said] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:12–14 ESV).

 

Our reading today contains two teachings that are related. Jesus begins with what many have called “the Golden Rule.” The second teaching deals with the choice between the narrow and broad gates, which is the path to eternal life rather than destruction. These two are taken together because they apply to those who have been given new life through grace. We cannot forget that without the new life of Christ we simply cannot choose the path that leads to eternal life. Without the new birth we are dead in our sin (cf. Romans 6:23). So, we will take them as they are presented, two sides of the same coin.

 

Matthew Henry has an interesting commentary on this truth:

 

“Christ came to teach us, not only what we are to know and believe, but what we are to do; not only toward God, but toward men; not only toward those of our party and persuasion, but toward men in general, all with whom we have to do. We must do that to our neighbor which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit and reasonable. We must, in our dealings with men, suppose ourselves in the same case and circumstances with those we have to do with, and act accordingly.”

 

If you have been a believer for very long you have come to learn this is never an easy task. Again, I am parroting Jesus with a simple statement, though it is a hard task. There are those times when others make our blood boil with anger and resentment, yet we are called to act with grace.

 

I have found this behavior to be “easier” when I remember the earlier teaching of Jesus that we not “give what is holy to dogs or cast our pearls before swine.” In Jesus’ day dogs were the cherished domesticated pets of our day. They were wild packs of animals roaming freely to kill and destroy. And, of course, swine were considered so unclean that to even come near a pig would require ceremonial and physical cleansing. The trick for me is always in determining who’s who. Jesus encourages us to pray and ask for the wisdom to do that. Often that wisdom comes experientially as the pigs and dogs reveal themselves for who they really are at their core. Once that happens it is easier to be kind and gracious, while avoiding any contact with them. I also remind myself that pigs do pig things and dogs do dog things. Expecting something different will only lead to hurt and destruction.

 

That is a narrow way, entered by the narrow gate. But it is the best path.

 

Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 5

 

[Jesus said] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7–11 ESV).

 

Our reading today must be taken in the context of the previous two instructions. Remember Jesus said that we ought to be very careful in our judgment of others. In fact, He says we are not to judge at all. However, then He says we are discern the kind of people we share the wisdom of God with, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine, don’t give what is holy to dogs” (v. 6). The conundrum is in how to do that. I wrote a bit about that in the previous two devotionals; however, today we have a much more definitive answer. Jesus tells us to “ask, seek, and knock.” We do not have the necessary wisdom in ourselves to be able to rightly discern the heart of others. Prayer is the answer.  

 

So, Jesus teaches about prayer and encourages persistence through the commands to "ask, seek, and knock." He reassures followers that, just as a loving earthly father gives good things rather than harmful objects, God the Father will generously and lovingly answer the prayers of His children. Because living out these teachings—such as loving your enemies, forgiving others, and avoiding hypocrisy—is humanly impossible in one's own strength, Jesus teaches that believers must continually turn to God for help, wisdom, and inner transformation.

 

The verbs "ask," "seek," and "knock" are continuous in the original Greek, indicating a steadfast, active pursuit of God and His will. It is a call to draw near to God with your needs, actively search for His ways, and persistently wait at His door. Asking is the basic level of making requests. Seeking implies a greater investment of time and effort to find God's truth, while knocking indicates knocking on the door to enter into His presence.

 

Then Jesus uses the illustration of an earthly father. If a hungry child asks for bread or a fish, a loving father wouldn't maliciously hand them a stone or a snake. Jesus reasons that if imperfect, sinful humans know how to give good gifts, "how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" This does not mean that God is a vending machine, nor that we have a "blank check" to ask for anything we want with the guarantee that God will grant it. God’s definition of a "good gift" may differ from human desires. He promises to provide exactly what is best for a believer's spiritual growth and will never grant a request that is ultimately harmful to His children.

 

I like what John Piper says about this:

 

“When you pause to consider that God is infinitely strong and can do all that he pleases, and that he is infinitely righteous so that he only does what is right, and that he is infinitely good so that everything he does is perfectly good, and that he is infinitely wise so that he always knows perfectly what is right and good, and that he is infinitely loving so that in all his strength and righteousness and goodness and wisdom he raises the eternal joy of his loved ones as high as it can be raised — when you pause to consider this, then the lavish invitations of this God to ask him for good things, with the promise that he will give them, is unimaginably wonderful.”

 

So, ask, seek, and knock as often as you want. Be persistent. Then trust God’s goodness to provide exactly what is best.

 

 

Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 4

 

[Jesus said] “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6 ESV).

 

With today’s reading we come to a conundrum of a sort. Remember, Jesus just said in the previous five verses of this passage that we are not to judge others. Now He comes and says we are to make a judgment about what we share with people based on our knowledge of them. That requires judgement. So, which is it? Do we judge or not? I’ll have much more to say about that tomorrow, today let’s concentrate on the specifics of this instruction.

 

Jesus does warn against sharing sacred, spiritual truths with people who will not respect or appreciate them and will likely react with hostility. It calls for believers to balance the grace of not being judgmental with the wisdom of discernment in their relationships.

 

Here are the key aspects of this verse to understand:

 

There are some metaphors we need to understand first. In the biblical world, dogs were generally wild, roaming scavengers, and pigs were unclean. Both represent people who aggressively reject God's truth or hold it in utter contempt. These are not the domesticated animals that we are so familiar with today. The sacred things and pearls represent the profound, precious teachings of the gospel and the wisdom of God. The warning is very clear. Because these individuals do not understand the true value of spiritual wisdom, they will discard or mistreat it. He also cautions that these individuals may eventually turn and harm the person who offered them the sacred knowledge.

 

Most of the time I find myself leaning more toward the belief that there aren’t very many “pigs and dogs” that are in my circle of conversation. Because of that I share the gospel with everyone. However, I also filter my conversations with some of the other aspects of the Scripture with some people I know are not amenable to an honest conversation without resorting to attacks and name-calling. Tomorrow we will see how we can better make the decision of who’s who. For now, commit to sharing the gospel with all people.

 

Further Instructions from the Mount - Pt 3

 

[Jesus said] “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5 ESV).

 

Our reading today speaks to Jesus’ condemnation of the improper judgment of others. It begins with this simple warning: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7: 1-2). In his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W. E. Vine says the word judge “primarily denotes to separate, to select, to choose, hence to determine, and so, to judge or to pronounce judgment.”

 

Jesus is saying that we ought not to assume the office of a judge, in the sense of the Lord’s judgment. Jesus is condemning harsh, censorious judgment. We are not to be hypercritical or hypocritical. As Max Lucado wrote, “It’s one thing to have an opinion. It’s quite another to pass a verdict. It’s one thing to have a conviction; it’s another to convict the person.”

 

Jesus uses a humorous illustration of someone who has a log in their eye trying to remove a shaving from someone else’s eye. Ridiculous. Absurd. And wrong. First, remove the glaring fault from your life before you try to correct others for their minor flaws.

 

Judging is wrong when we judge others by jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts, without understanding the situation or the circumstances, by impugning and attacking their motives, with partiality, partisanship, and prejudice, with censorious, nit-picking, hair-splitting assumptions, by appearance instead of righteousness, and without grace, mercy or love. Further, we ought to remember the “log in our own eye”… when we have worse faults in our own lives which need correcting.