Monthly Archive for June, 2008

Matthew 7:28f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

7:28
And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings,
Matthew indicated the effect that Jesus’ first discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, had on its hearers.
 that the people were astonished at His teaching,
The people who listened to the Sermon on the Mount were “astonished” at His revolutionary teaching.
7:29
for He taught them as one having authority,
There was something distinctive about the authority of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus did not repeat the teaching of others; He spoke from His own authority.
and not as the scribes.
A scribe was a lawyer or a teacher of the law. He administered the law of the Sanhedrin. The scribes checked with the opinions of previous authorities and never came to a final conclusion. Jesus’ word was final and finished in authority from truth.
PRINCIPLE: Jesus is the Great Unlike.
APPLICATION: Jesus is the Great Unlike. We often forget how special He was and is.

Matthew 7:24f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

7:24
Jesus now turned to the last contrast, a contrast of foundations of what we believe. Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with the parable of two foundations.
“Therefore
The “therefore” connects this parable to His preceding thought. Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom.
whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
There are two elements in this statement: (1) positive volition about hearing Jesus’ teaching and (2) application of what is heard. Faith is the root and application is the fruit of faith.
When Jesus referred to “the “sayings of Mine,” He was drawing emphatic attention to the teaching on the Mount.
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
The words “I will liken him” set up an illustration of a contrast between a haphazard foundation and a firm foundation. The “house” here is the solidity of belief in Christ’s teaching and willingness to apply that belief to experience.
7:25
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
A solid foundation stands in the face of adversity.
7:26
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
“Sand” is a shifty, unstable foundation. This foundation cannot stand against adversity because it is vacuous of rock-solid material on which to rest.
7:27
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
The Sermon on the Mount concludes with a warning about building on the strong foundation of Jesus’ teachings. Those with weak conviction about Christ’s teaching will have a terrible fall.
PRINCIPLE: Test of faith will reveal the reality of our faith.
APPLICATION: Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount with the idea of principle and application. If we do not form solid biblical principles, we cannot apply them to experience. If we form solid principles but do not apply them, then we are left with a weak faith.
There are only two courses that we can take in living for Christ—either know and apply what He teaches, or treat His teaching lightly, with disregard.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. Jas 1:22-25
When the test comes, those with a solid foundation move forward. There is no doubt that the test will come.

Matthew 7:21f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 3 Comments
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Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

7:21
Jesus continues his thought on false teaching of the previous verses by showing that religious profession does not mean biblical reality or authenticity.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
The repetition of the word “Lord” indicates robust religious zeal. Religious profession is not equivalent to biblical authenticity. There are many religious fakers out there. Religious zealots will not enter the kingdom simply because of religion.
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
The Greek word for “but” denotes sharp contrast. The central thesis rests on doing “the will of My Father.” All true belief revolves around the will of God’s thinking and purpose represented in Scripture.
7:22
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
“That day” is the day of ultimate judgment. Religious people will claim at the judgment that they performed spectacular religious activities. Use of the “name” of Christ to back religious activity does not prove authenticity. The question in the Greek expects a positive answer but, to their shock, these questioners get a negative answer.
7:23
And then I will declare to them,
The “then” refers to “that day” of the previous verse—the future day of judgment. The word “declare” carries the idea of openly proclaiming at the judgment. The judgment will be public.  
‘I never knew you;
There was no point where the Lord knew them. Their religious activity did not impress Him.
depart from Me,
These people had a physical connection with Christ’s presence but no spiritual connection. Jesus demands they leave His physical presence eternally.
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels . . .” Mt 25:41
you who practice lawlessness!’
These religious, altruistic leaders find that they were never true believers. Not all people who do miracles and cast out demons are of God.
“Lawlessness” is iniquity. Lawlessness is doing what is contrary to God’s will. The religious deeds of these people did not accord with God’s will. They are the wolves in sheep’s clothing of verses 15 and following.
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Ti 2:19
PRINCIPLE: Outward profession of religion is not equivalent to authenticity of faith.
APPLICATION: Many religious fakers will get a great shock at the Great White Throne Judgment. They thought that through their religious altruism God would be impressed with their religious works but find themselves entering a Christless eternity. Naïve people today have the simplistic thinking that if it is religious, it is right. This is deadly thinking. It is just masquerading religion contrary to God’s will. There are many religious counterfeits out there.
Many people within the evangelical church know the religious language of evangelicalism and its practices but have never personally come to know Christ. There is a great problem of profession without reality in the church today.

Matthew 7:15f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Verses 16 to 20 deal with exposure of false teachers. Jesus now distinguishes the “two ways” of verses 13 and 14. The “broad road” preachers are “false prophets.”
7:15
“Beware of false prophets,
A basic value of Christianity is to be on the alert about false prophets. The Greek expresses the idea of constant diligence: “be continually on guard against.” False teachers always appear appealing. “False prophets” are those who appear to teach the Bible with authority yet are fakers.
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
False teachers appear as sheep, a non-threatening figure. Sheep are harmless. Although they appear non-threatening, they are “ravenous wolves.” False teachers are exceedingly dangerous. The Greek for “ravenous” is wild, greedy, preying. These are wolves ready to attack sheep by preying on them with false teaching.
7:16
You will know them by their fruits.
Different fruit manifest different characteristics. We recognize false teachers by what they teach. We distinguish false from true prophets by how they teach the Word of God. The word “know” is to know fully. We know them fully by what they teach.
Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Now we come to the two trees demonstration of mutually exclusive truth. Thornbushes do not produce grapes and thistles do not produce figs. The Greek answers with “no.” Trees always produce consistently with what they are.
7:17
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree produces good fruit but an unhealthy tree produces poor fruit. The species always produces a specimen in kind.
7:18
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
This principle is true in the world of natural fruit bearing and it is true in the spiritual dimension. We test true teaching by “good fruit”—truth true to the Word of God.
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Is 8:20
7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
As the farmer throws unhealthy trees into the fire to be burned, so God throws false teaching into the fire. Jesus could not have given a sterner warning about false teaching.
7:20
Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
We detect false teachers by what they teach, that is, their doctrine.
PRINCIPLE: The acid test to lay bare false teachers is by what they teach.
APPLICATION: False prophets look like sheep; they look like evangelicals but they are not. These people always appear biblical and seem to say the right things. They talk and act like true Christians, but underneath they carry false teaching to the church. Since they are attractive to untaught people, their work is disastrous to the church. We need to stand on guard against these people.
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Ac 20:29
There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing today teaching all manner of unbiblical ideas. The evangelical sheep fall for it because of poor teaching and unwillingness to take the initiative to know what the Bible says. They fall for the appearance of authenticity rather than the real thing. Many false teachers have come as insiders to traffic in the evangelical world, bringing destructive teaching to the church. Many come with the idea that all that we need is personal authenticity rather than biblical authenticity; it is exceedingly dangerous to make this distinction.
Many false teachers in the church today no longer believe in justification by faith, in hell, or in the inerrancy of Scripture. They make a paradigm shift in category away from evangelicalism by redefining what evangelism is. This is best seen in the radical form of the emergent church movement.

Matthew 7:13f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with three warnings by three illustrations of two (7:13-18):
1.    Two gates, 7:13,14
2.    Two trees, 7:15-23
3.    Two foundations, 7:24-28
Jesus galvanized true and false belief in the remainder of the chapter. He drew a clear line in the sand by using a number of pairs in this passage:
·         Two gates, 7:13,14
·         Two ways, 7:13,14
·         Two destinations, 7:13,14
·         Two groups, 7:13-14
·         Two trees, 7:15-23
·         Two fruits, 7:17-20
·         Two groups at judgment, 7:21-23
·         Two builders, 7:24-28
·         Two foundations, 7:24-28
7:13
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Walls with gates surrounded most cities of Palestine. Jesus pictured a city with a narrow gate difficult to find and a broad gate with wide space so that many could enter. People can find the wide gate easily—it requires no limits so that anyone can enter this city—illustrating the idea that it makes no difference what you believe. The broad way is relativism and has no absolutes. Yet, there is an absolute in relativism if one holds it absolutely! In other words, all beliefs hold to an absolute. The issue in our culture is whether we accept the mutually exclusive way of Christ or the mutually exclusive broad way of relativism and pluralism.
Both the narrow gate and the wide gate are ways of access. The narrow gate is entrance into Jesus’ kingdom. We enter the narrow gate through Christ by faith in His finished work on the cross. He is “the way” (Jn 14:6). The wide gate is any way people choose other than through Christ.
Those who follow the broad way end in destruction (ruin). They prefer a relative approach to salvation, which is the popular view. They resist narrow doctrine that excludes others.
7:14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus pictured the narrow gate and a narrow road, which is more difficult to find. This gate and road puts limits on what we believe. Jesus does not allow truth to be defined by popularism, consensus, or the democratic approach. If truth is truth, it cannot yield to prevailing opinion. The Pharisees followed the broad way. They were religious but without Christ. The only way people can connect with the absolute, unchanging God is to accept His exclusive way. The narrow way is difficult in this sense.
PRINCIPLE: There is no bland neutrality in truth; we must make the choice between God’s way and man’s way.
APPLICATION: Christianity requires decisive decisions. Since the narrow gate is mutually exclusive and the only way, few enter that gate. The wide gate is human systems of salvation, not the single way of the Word of God. Everyone is on the move. This is not a question of movement but the choice of where we move. We must make the choice between Jesus’ way or the way of prevailing opinion. Every person in the human race must make this decision.
Jesus’ way is narrow and difficult, running against the broad and easy way most people prefer. There are not three ways, only two. The choice is Jesus’ way versus all other ways. The narrow gate is Jesus Himself.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Mt 22:14
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Jn 14:6
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Ac 4:12

Matthew 7:12

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

7:12
Therefore,
The “therefore” indicates that the Father is a giver of good things (previous verses). We follow Him in giving to others. If God was generous to us, then we should be generous to others.
 whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them,
The principle of reciprocity is the “Golden Rule.” Practice of this principle demonstrates love for others. The onus lies on the believer to examine how he would like to be treated by others and then apply what he finds to others.
for this is the Law and the Prophets.
We find the “Golden Rule” principle implied in the Old Testament.
PRINCIPLE: The principle of self-determined reciprocity is part of the kingdom.
APPLICATION: Christ’s “Golden Rule” is that what we want others to do to us, we do to them. This is the principle of self-determined reciprocity. We Christians deal with others by keeping their interests in view. In doing this, we meet our own interests. This involves not only not doing something to them but doing something for them.

Matthew 7:9f

Published on June 1, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!

7:9
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
At the human level, people do not give the opposite of what others ask.
7:10
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
It is not natural for people to give something that might hurt in response to a simple request. The Greek answers this and the previous question with “no.” This is absurd. Parents do not mock their children’s requests. This is an argument from the ridiculous.
7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
The entire human race is evil through sinfulness.
how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If the lesser is true, how much more the greater. Human fathers are evil but they give good things to their children. The Father “much more” gives to His children. Answer to prayer rests on the character of God.
PRINCIPLE: When we meet the conditions for prayer, God will faithfully answer our prayers.
APPLICATION: We can rely on God to do what is best for His children. God will always answer our prayers in love and for our benefit. He is faithful to His children’s requests. Our picture of God is at stake when it comes to answered prayer. Do we view Him as a grudging giver or as someone who eagerly gives to His children?
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Jas 1:5