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Matthew 7

Taught on | Topic: Sermon on the Mount | Keywords: judge, judgment, prayer, promises, ask, seek, knock, golden rule

Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.

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11/16/2011
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Matthew 7
Matthew 7
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.
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40 Matthew - 2011

40 Matthew - 2011

From its opening genealogy through its careful record of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, Matthew's gospel forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this in-depth study by Pastor Skip Heitzig we'll consider Jesus' ancestry, birth, public ministry, death, and resurrection, and we'll gain a clearer understanding of Jesus as both Messiah and King.

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Study Guide

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Matthew 7:1-12
Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1


PRAYER: Father, please teach me not to judge others. Show me how to ask, seek, and knock, and to apply the golden rule to my life.
Journal your prayer here:










PREVIEW: In Matthew 7:1-12, Jesus teaches His disciples about judging others, persistent prayer, and the Golden Rule.


Matthew 7:1-12 Outline:
Judging – Read Matthew 7:1-6a
“Ask, and It Will Be Given” – Read Matthew 7:7-11a
Golden Rule – Read Matthew 7:12


Judging – Read Matthew 7:1-6
1. In this passage, the word judge carries the meaning of condemning another person (v.1). What does Jesus say will happen to us if we condemn or judge another person? (See also James 2:13.)




2. PROPOUND: Describe the difference between a plank and a speck (see Matthew 7:4).






3. PROPOUND: Are we ever to judge others? (See 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Romans 14:10, and James 4:11.) If yes, what are we to judge?






4. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” Who is Jesus referring to? Who will judge or condemn us (v. 2) in equal proportion to what we judge and condemn others?






5. PRODUCE: If we see another Christian sinning, we are not to judge (condemn) them, because we are all sinners. What should we do instead? (See Matthew 18:15-17.)






6. PROPOUND: Once we have removed the plank from our eye (v. 5), we’ll be able to see clearly. Describe what Jesus means by seeing clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye.






7. PROCEED: We are commanded by Jesus: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (v. 1). On the other hand, the Bible also exhorts us to beware of evildoers (Philippians 3:2) and false prophets (Matthew 7:15) and to avoid those who practice all kinds of evil (Ephesians 5:11). How can we discern who these people are if we do not make some judgment about them? (See Matthew 7:20, 1 John 3:10, and 3 John 11.)






8. Before we mention an issue we see in another person’s life (v. 4) and say, “Let me remove the speck from your eye,” what should we do (v. 5)?




9. In biblical times, dogs were typically undomesticated and considered despised; swine were on the list of unclean animals (see Deuteronomy 14:8). What do the dogs and swine refer to? (See Proverbs 26:11, Isaiah 56:10-11, Philippians 3:2, and 2 Peter 2:22.)




10. PROCLAIM: What do you think Jesus refers to when he says “what is holy” and “pearls” (v. 6)? (See also Matthew 10:14-15; 15:26, Proverbs 23:9, Acts 13:45-47, and 2 Peter 2:22.)






“Ask, and It Will Be Given” – Read Matthew 7:7-11
11. What are the three imperatives Jesus commands here (v. 7)?




12. What are the promises given by Jesus to those obeying His imperatives?










13. Who are we to ask? (See Psalm 50:15, Jeremiah 29:12, and Matthew 6:8; 21:22.)






14. What are we to seek? (See Psalm 27:8, Proverbs 8:17, and Matthew 6:33.)






15. PRACTICE: What do you think knocking implies (Matthew 7:8)? How is this something we should be doing in our lives? (See Luke 11:5-8 and Luke 18:1-8.)






16. PROTECT: Meditate upon the imperatives Jesus gives His disciples for their prayer life. They express commands to be diligent and persistent in your prayer life. What is your plan for putting this into practice in your life?










17. PROPOUND: In Matthew 7:9, what do you think Jesus was stating?






18. PROPOUND: What did Jesus mean by saying, “If you then, being evil…” (v. 11)?






19. PROPOUND: In Matthew 7:11, what do the “good things” refer to? (See also James 1:5; 17, and Luke 11:13.)






20. PROMOTE: What do you think the answer is to Jesus’ statement: “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (v.11)? Share your answer with the group.








Golden Rule – Read Matthew 7:12
21. This verse is often referred to as the Golden Rule. What does Jesus say we should “do”? (See also Luke 6:31.)




22. When should we “do” to others (v. 12)? Should we be proactive about “doing”?


23. PROPOUND: List some things that you want men to do to you—that you can proactively do first to bless them.




24. What does Jesus mean by “this is the Law and the Prophets” (v.12 )? (See Matthew 22:40, Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:14, and 1 Timothy 1:5.)




PROCESS: Take some time to review the importance of not condemning others, being persistent in your prayer life, and doing to others what you would want done to you. Highlight your key insights to share with the group.
PRAY: Father, please empower me not to be judgmental, to pray persistently, and to do for others what I want them to do for me.
Journal your prayer here:



Engage in the discussion: facebook.com/expoundabq Matthew 7:1-12 | Page 2
Questions? Email them to expound@calvaryabq.org

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Four gospels: a four-fold picture of Jesus Christ
      1. Matthew
        1. To the Jews
        2. Jesus the King
        3. "Fulfilled"
        4. What Jesus said
      2. Mark
        1. To the Romans
        2. Jesus the Servant
        3. "Immediately"
        4. What Jesus did
      3. Luke
        1. To the Greeks
        2. Jesus the perfect Man
        3. "Son of Man"
        4. What Jesus felt
      4. John
        1. To the world
        2. "Believe"
        3. Who Jesus was
        4. "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ" (John 20:31)
    2. Matthew sees Jesus as the center of God's salvation plan
      1. Center of God's kingdom
      2. The Sermon on the Mount: values of kingdom living
      3. Under Jesus the King
  2. "Judge not that you be not judged" (v. 1)
    1. Some falsely interpret that Christians should make no critical evaluation of another
      1. Elijah confronted Ahab and spoke against the false prophets of Baal
      2. Paul spoke against the Judaizers
      3. Jesus commands us to make judgments
        1. "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24)
        2. "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness" (Galatians 6:1)
        3. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8)
        4. " Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine" (v. 6)
        5. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (v. 15)
    2. Κρίνω; krinó; a harsh, self-righteous, hypercritical judgment without all the facts
    3. Reasons we are not to judge
      1. You are not the final judge—God is!
      2. Judgment is a boomerang
        1. "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (v. 2)
        2. "Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
        3. Haman built gallows to execute Mordecai; he was hung (see Esther 7)
        4. Adoni-bezek ordered thumbs and big toes cut off 70 kings; he lost his (see Judges 1:6-7)
          1. Losing thumbs causes loss of dexterity
          2. Losing toes causes loss of balance
        5. According to some rabbis, God has 2 measures of judgment
          1. Justice
          2. Mercy
          3. Which do you want used on you?
      3. Judgment is hypocrisy
        1. "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite!" (vv. 3-5)
          1. The splinter and the plank are the same substance
          2. We are good at spotting sins in others that we have in our own lives
        2. David and Bathsheba
          1. He committed adultery
          2. Nathan gave a parable of a lamb
  3. The right approach
    1. Be helpful to your brother
      1. "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (v. 5)
        1. Confession of sin
        2. Restoration of others
      2. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." (Psalm 51:10-13)
    2. Be discerning of your neighbor
      1. "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." (v. 6)
        1. Balance to what has already been stated
        2. Dogs carried diseases (like pigs, considered unclean)
        3. People who trample the truth of God underfoot were considered dogs or pigs
      2. Be loving
      3. Be forgiving
      4. Be discerning
        1. Jesus to Herod: "And He said to them, 'Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.''" (Luke 13:32)
        2. Called Pharisees "brood of vipers"
  4. "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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (vv. 7-8)
    1. Promises are attached to a command
      1. Present active imperative
      2. Ask! - commanded
    2. "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
    3. God wants to give us good things
      1. Nature and temperament of a parent determines how much a child asks
      2. The way we pray is determined by our view of God
        1. Greeks viewed gods as hostile and vengeful
        2. Jews viewed God as inaccessible
        3. When the veil of the temple was torn; We were given intimate access to the Father
        4. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
    4. Illustration
      1. "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!" (vv. 9-11)
      2. God's love for His children demonstrated via answered prayer
      3. Basic selfless relationship: A parent who loves and cares for his children
  5. The Bottom Line: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (v. 12)
    1. The pinnacle of the Sermon on the Mount
    2. "Therefore" Refers to God's goodness in answering prayer
    3. This kind of love is not found in any other religion of philosophy
      1. Hillel "Don't do that"
      2. Confucius: "Don't do to others what you don't wish done to you"
      3. Stoics: "What you don't want done to you, don't do to anyone else"
      4. All in the negative
      5. Positive "Do to others..."
    4. As receivers of God's blessings, we should be distributors of it
  6. The irreducible minimum: "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." (vv. 13-14)
    1. Two choices in life
      1. Two gates
      2. Two Roads
      3. Two Destinations
        1. Heaven
        2. Hell
    2. The narrow gate
      1. The command: Enter
      2. Jesus is the narrow gate
        1. Follow me
        2. Not: admire Him
        3. Surrender your life to Him
      3. Few find it
        1. Most people aren't saved
        2. It's so narrow
        3. Poor in Spirit, mourning over sin, (See Matthew 5:3-12)
        4. God wants everyone, but few choose the narrow road
  7. "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." (vv. 15-20)
    1. Not all roads lead to God! Warnings found throughout Scripture
      1. See Deuteronomy 13
      2. Isaiah warns or prophets who lie
      3. "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them," (Jeremiah 14:14)
      4. "Many will come in My name saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." (Matthew 24:5)
      5. "Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many" (Matthew 24:11)
    2. When you preach the truth of the narrow way, false prophets dispute that
    3. False prophets come looking like Christians
      1. Many false prophets define Jesus, Son of God, and salvation differently
      2. Sheep's clothing
        1. Antichrist
        2. Do works in His name
      3. Known by their fruit
        1. Use discernment
        2. Inspect fruit
    4. "Many will say, Lord, Lord"
      1. Say Jesus is Lord, but not submitted to Him
      2. They say the right things, Do not submit to His authority
      3. Have "eternal" language, without having eternal life
      4. Missing a lifestyle
        1. Practice lawlessness
        2. Christians struggle with sin, but not characterized by it
        3. Christian is one to whom sin clings; an unbeliever is one who clings to sin.
      5. Missing a relationship
        1. "I never knew you"
          1. Knows about you
          2. Doesn’t know you intimately as a disciple
        2. How can you know God?
          1. Be born into his family: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
          2. Turn from sin and turn toward Christ
          3. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" (John 1:12)
  8.  "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." (vv. 24-27)
    1. Look at the House
      1. Both look alike outwardly
      2. Cannot tell outwardly a true believer from a false one
    2. Look under the house
      1. Foundation of rock or shifting sand
      2. Is your life built on the foundation of the Master Architect?
    3. Look ahead
      1. Storms of life are coming
      2. They sift out true from the false
      3. Biggest storm is the future judgment

Greek terms: Κρίνω; krinó; a harsh, self-righteous, hypercritical judgment
Cross references: Judges 1:6-7; Esther 7; Psalm 51:10-13; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 5:3-12; Matthew 24:5; Matthew 24:11; Luke 13:32; John 1:12; John 3:3; John 7:24; John 20:31; Galatians 1:8; Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 4:16

Transcript

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Let's open our Bibles tonight to the Seventh Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew where we continue and we hopefully finish out the Sermon on the Mount.

Let's pray.  Lord, we're a unique gathering.  We are a textual community.  We have gathered with a common belief that you have spoken and everything that you want to say to us has been given by the principles that we discover in your word from Genesis to Revelation.  It is our privilege to mine, to dig deep and to discover the riches and make application to our lives.  Many truths that we will uncover Lord tonight we have read before.  They are familiar to us.  It is ground that we know, we've covered it before.  But we need reminders of this that we might not only be hearers, but doers of your word that we might grow.  That's what we want.  We want growth.  We don't want to stay the same.  We want maturity and we know that's what you want.

So Lord, we know we're praying according to your will and based on that, we pray that even though the teacher is limited, the human teacher is limited tonight, we pray that the Holy Spirit; the Divine Teacher would supersede and do a work in every single life that is gathered.  This is your family, these are your kids.  We always see this as gathering together in a giant living room and just simply going over the scriptures that you have given and seeing how they fit with us.  We invite you Lord to be our intimate friend and instructor.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

We have four gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The four gospels are really a fourfold portrait of the same person.  It's the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ from four different perspectives.  Look at the four gospels as stringed quartet whose instruments are perfectly, beautifully tuned and they make harmonious music altogether.  Each instrument playing off the other instruments, kept in harmony by a common conductor, making it all work and we behold the beauty of each, but it's the beauty of the whole where the real glory is.  Or, look at the four gospels sort of like four cameras on a Hollywood set all controlled by a director.  So you've got Matthew, he's got his angle.  Mark, he's from a different angle.  Luke and John, all of them assume a different emphasis.  One will pan the crowds and get the reactions.  Another camera will focus closely in on what is being said by the main character.  Another will focus on rapid segues transitions that take place.

So you have Matthew.  Matthew was written to the Jews to show that Jesus fulfilled all of the promises of the Messiah, the coming King that the Old Testament wrote about.  So Matthew's off repeated word is the word fulfilled.  He tells us, "This was done that it might be fulfilled," which was spoken of by the prophet.  That's Matthew.  That's his camera angle.

Mark is a bit different.  Mark didn't write for the Jews.  Mark wrote for the Romans it would seem and his view of Christ is that of the perfect servant, the hardworking servant.  His favorite phrase or word is the word immediately.  It's amazing how many times you read that word in just the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, "And immediately Jesus did this, and immediately they went there, and immediately this happened."  Because he is portraying in rapid sequence what a servant does in fulfilling his master's orders.

Luke has a whole different vantage point.  He's writing for the Greeks.  The Greeks were all about the perfect man, the ideal man.  So Luke, the doctor portrays Jesus and says, "Look, here is your perfect man, here is your ideal man," and his favorite phrase is the Son of Man.

Then there's John, totally different than the previous three Synoptic Gospels we call them.  John writes for the whole world.  The whole world and his word is the word believe.  "Believe, believe," he says that over and over again about a hundred times in his book.

So the emphasis of Matthew, the book we're currently studying is on what Jesus said.  That's why Matthew focuses his camera angle on the speeches, the discourses of the Messiah.

Mark, his emphasis is on what Jesus did and like a rapidly moving movie script, we follow him from place to place as he does good and teaches but heals and works like an ambitious servant.

Luke tells us how Jesus felt.  The good doctor, Doctor Luke who gave us that gospel and the Book of Acts gives more of the emotion of the Messiah than any other book.

John, he helps us understand, not what Jesus said, not what he did, not what he felt, but who he was.  "These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God," he writes in John Chapter 20.

So four different camera angles and the one we have been looking at is that of Matthew and Matthew's whole thing is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the one the Old Testament has predicted over and over again.  The one who is at the center of God's Plan of Salvation for the whole world and this is his kingdom.  In Matthew 5, 6 and 7, the Sermon on the Mount, these are the ethics, these are the standards, these are the values of kingdom living under King Jesus, the Messiah, the one who fulfilled all of those promises.

We finished Chapter 6, Chapter 7.  Verse 1 is before us.  Jesus continues.  You notice if you have a red lettered Bible, again it's all red lettered.  Jesus is giving one long dialogue, one long monologue.  "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."  Some people have read those verses and based upon especially Verse 1, have said, "Christians are to make no evaluations whatsoever."  They are not to make an evaluative statement.  They're not to be critical of how things are done or what is being said or paying too careful attention to doctrine.  Not too critical and would even disparage those who are in discernment ministries because Jesus after all said, "Judge not, that you be not judged."  Therefore, the Christian is to make no critical evaluation of anyone else.

Now, if that is what Verse 1 means, we have a big problem.  We have a problem for example with Elijah the Prophet who spoke forcefully against King Ahab, the king of Israel and the false prophets of Baal.  We have a problem with Paul the Apostle who spoke against the Judaizers who infiltrated the church and said that you have to keep the Law of Moses to be saved.  Boy, did Paul come against them and we have a huge problem with Jesus because Jesus tells us, commands us to make evaluative critical judgments.  For example in John Chapter 7, Jesus said, "Do not judge according to outward appearance, but judge you a righteous judgment."  He commands us to do it.

In Galatians Chapter 6, "If anyone is overtaken with any fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness."  But way before that, that beautiful restorative word that he gives.  In Galatians Chapter 1, Paul says, "Even the we, or an angel from heaven come and preaches to you a gospel that is different than the one that you have received, let him be accursed eternally condemned."

Boy, is he being judgmental?  So here is Jesus saying,  "Judge not, that you be not judged." But does he mean make no evaluation, no critical evaluation whatsoever, never use discernment?  Because if Jesus meant that, go down to Verse 6, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, not cast your pearls before swine."  Well, you're going to have to make some sort of evaluation to understand who is a dog and who is the swine versus those who are not, correct?  It's the same context.  Or skip down a few more verses down to Verse 15.  "Be aware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ravenous wolf.  You can't beware of them, you can't be on the lookout for them if you are not prepared to make sort of critical evaluation."

So then, what does Jesus mean when he says, "Don't judge?"  He simply means and the word is krino in Greek.  Krino means a harsh, self-righteous, censorious judgment, a hypercritical evaluation that pretends to know the motive of a person when in reality you don't have all the facts.

Let me give you an example.  If I were to see somebody at a restaurant and say, "What does that person doing here?  What does that family doing at this restaurant?  I know what they make.  They can't afford this thing.  No wonder they're in poverty, they go out to places like this."  Now, I don't have all the facts and I just made an evaluation based upon not having all the information and judging the motivation.  It's a harsh, censorious and self-righteous evaluation.  Now they could be in that restaurant because somebody graciously gave them a gift certificate.  They're cashing it in that night.  The Lord is blessing them.  If is say, "Yeah, that person gets up late every morning man.  I'll tell what a bum."  Well maybe, that person is up late the night before or working on some project trying to get through school or working hard for the family, maybe a second or third job.

So when Jesus says, "Don't judge," that's the kind of judgment he is talking about that harsh, self-righteous judgment, not knowing all of the facts.  There are three reasons we're not to judge.  Number one, you're the final judge, God is.  God knows everything.  See, God reserves the right to be God.  Don't try to be him yourself.  If you don't know something, don't make an evaluation about it.  It is amazing to me how many people spout opinions after not researching things, but just hearing the opinions of other people, thinking it must be the right opinion.  That's tragic.  It happens all the time.  I see it even in newspapers and magazines.  I see a journalism that is not a journalism of integrity.  They just simply take what another journalist has written and instead of doing all the hard research and asking all of the fundamental questions, they just sort of reprinted, they stated in their own words, it's just sort of a sloppy plagiarism and it gets them in trouble sometimes.

So Jesus then continues in Verse 2, and here's the second reason, you're not judge because judgment is a boomerang.  "With what judgment you judge, you will be judged.  With what measure you used, it will be measured back to you."  You've heard the old saying that if you live in a glass house, you shouldn't be throwing stones and judgment has a way of boomeranging, creating a gallows that you will hang on one day.

You remember the story in Esther Chapter 7 of Haman who built a gallows to hang righteous Mordecai, the Jew and things turned around against him and he was hung on the very gallows that he made.  Most of you remember that, fewer of you will remember the next example.

There was a king, a Canaanite king named Adoni-Bezek.  He comes to us in Judges Chapter 1.  Now Adoni-Bezek was captured by the Israelites and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes, it's an odd passage.  You go, "Why is that on the Bible?"  Ever find that in the verse -- why did they write that?  What's the deal with the thumbs and the toes?  The idea of cutting off one's thumbs is to take away the dexterity, the manipulative dexterity in the hands, you lose it, you lose the ability to fight, to wield a sword.  Taking off the big toe, you lose balance.

Well, after they do that to him, Adoni-Bezek says, "There are 70 kings of which I have cut off their big toes and their thumbs who were beggars under my table and now the Lord has repaid me."  It seemed that he made a practice of doing that with other kings that he have conquered and now it happened to him.  He judged by a measure and he was judged with that measure.

All right, some of the ancient Jewish rabbis used to say that God has two measures whenever he judges:  the measure of justice and the measure of mercy.  Which measure would you like on you?  If God is judging you, which measure do you want God to use?  You want mercy, right?  Which measure do you usually grab when you judge other people?  Mercy or justice?  Usually justice.  "Where's the cop when you need him?  That guy just did 90 miles an hour."  (Laughter) When you're in a hurry, you don't seem to mind that you've got away with it.

Verse 3, here's the third reason why you shouldn't judge because it's hypocrisy.  Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"  You see a splinter, "Excuse me brother, I see a splinter in your eye.  Oh excuse me, I'm sorry to hit you with a pine tree that's hanging out in my eye."  (Laughter) That's the idea.  Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye," and look, a plank is in your own eye, hypocrite.  First, remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

As I was going over this, something occurred to me.  The speck, the splinter and the plank, the pine tree is essentially the same substance.  One is the other, one is much smaller, the other is much bigger.  The reason I can see little splinters in your eyes is because I'm familiar with the substance.  I've got a huge piece of it in mine.  We are good typically at spotting sins in other people because we're familiar with them in our own lives and we become unfortunately very judgemental over the sin that lurks in us.

David committed adultery.  He took the only wife of Uriah the Hittite, a faithful soldier in David's army and had an adulterous affair, her name was Bathsheba, you know the story.  David had many wives.  He was very wealthy.  He could have anyone of his wives that he wanted at anytime.  But he took Uriah the Hittite's wife, committed adultery with her and so Nathan the Prophet paid him a visit one day.  He said, "David, I've got a little problem I need your help on.  There were two men living in the same town.  One was the rich dude, one was a poor guy.  The rich guy had many herds and many flocks.  The poor man had nothing, just one single ewe lamb, a female lamb, a little lamb, that's all that he had, it was his pet.  He cuddled with it every night on his chest.  He fed scraps from the table.  It was like a daughter to him, David.  This rich guy had a friend coming from out of town and the rich guy said, "Well, I've got to make him a meal."  So instead of going to one of the sheep in the many flocks that he had, he stole the one small little pet from the poor man and killed it and they ate it for supper.  David said, "That man shall surely die."  Nathan said, "Really?  Because you are that man."  You had many wives, God has blessed you with so much and you stole the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and what you said about that man that he should die is what you have done.

Now, here's what's interesting, why did David say, "Kill him?"  That wasn't the law.  The Law of Moses didn't say, "Kill him."  The Law of Moses said, "If somebody steals somebody's sheep, you've got to restore it fourfold, four times paying back."  Because David was so familiar with the sin of the man in the parable, because it was his own sin, same substance, speck, plank.  I see the speck it's because I have the plank.

There was a family that had elderly grandpa.  He was a bit cranky and he came to visit the family one Sunday afternoon, and he was taking a nap after supper.  He was cranky through the whole supper.  "I don't like this.  I don't like that."  He was just one of those kind of guys, cranky old man.  He's taking a nap in one of the back bedrooms.  So one of the grandsons thought, "Let's play a trick on grandpa."  So they took some Limburger cheese.  You know what that is, right?  You know how stinky that is?  And rubbed it on grandpa's mustache (Laughter) and just waited.  The old codger woke up sometime later and you could hear him in the back bedroom.  "This room stinks."  Opened the door, started walking through the house, smelling, he goes, "Man, this whole house stinks."  He walked outside, smelled, he goes, "The whole world stinks."  It's because he's carrying around the stink right under his nose.

Here's David going, "That guy stinks."  He can smell his own smell and so often, when we pass judgment, we are critical in the same areas that we ourselves have."  So what do we do?  What is the right approach?  Not to be censorious, not to be hypocritical, not to be smug and self righteous, but to be helpful.

Here's the right approach.  Be helpful to your brother.  Look at Verse 5.  "Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye."  That's what you do.  You first take that out and then you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do you know that when you confess your sin to God and you admit it before the Lord, you're actually helping in the process of restoring other people who have similar situations.  That's the first step in helping them is you confess your own sin before God, that helps to restore rather than to destroy other people around you.  So that's the first step.  First, remove the plank from your eye.

In Psalm 51, David wrote that beautiful song about how sorry he was that he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and done what he had done against Uriah the Hittite.  You remember that little portion toward the middle of the Psalm where David says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, then I will teach transgressors Your way, then others will be converted to You."  Once I make confession of my sin and humble myself, that's the first step in the restoration process.  I remove the plank out of my eye.

Second step, be discerning.  Be helpful to your brother.  Be discerning of your neighbor.  Verse 6, it seems like it's out of place, but it's part and parcel of the same speech.  "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  We have a balance in Verse 6 to what has been stated in the first five verses.

Now, when you read about dog here, don't think of a pet dog.  In those days, most people didn't have pet dogs.  Dogs were scavengers.  They ran around the city.  They carry disease.  Dogs and pigs were considered unholy.  You'd never find a Jewish home where there was a pet pig.  I say that tongue-in-cheek because it's become sort of fashionable in the last couple of decades to have those little Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, have you seen them?  They're little pets.  I was at Franklin Graham's home years ago and he had a pig running inside of his house.  (Laughter) He goes, "Look at my pig.  (Laughter) It's a pet."

(Laughter)

I really didn't know what to say.  I'm just kind of looking at this as, "Okay, I'm in the South.  I was just kind of checking it out." (Laughter)  Jane said, "Ain't it cute?"  (Laughter) I said, "It's a pig."  (Laughter) You don't give a pearl necklace to a pig.  You don't give what is holy to the dogs.  Now, the context isn't modern America, but ancient Israel, dogs and pigs were considered unholy, uncultured, unclean.  You'd never think about taking the meat offered in temple sacrifices and letting the dogs take it away and trample it and eat it and tear it.

Often times, people were known as dogs or pigs.  They use that way a couple of times even in the scripture to refer to a person who is so filthy as to trample the truth of God under foot and they pay no attention to it.

So there is a balance.  Jesus says, "Don't judge censoriously, self-righteously, hypocritically in a way that impugns the motive of another person."  At the same time, you need discernment.  Be discerning, be loving, be forgiving, but be discerning.  Was Jesus ever that way?  Many times.  On one occasion, the Pharisees said, "Boy, Jesus you better get out of here because Herod has been looking for you.  He wants to kill you."  Jesus said, "Go tell that fox that I must do the works today and all the way up to the third day, I've got to complete the works, go tell that fox."  Now a fox is a sly, cunning beast.  It's not a compliment.  He called Herod by what was his true nature, that of a beast, a sly, cunning, self-serving beast.  Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You are whitewashed tombs.  You brewed of slimy snakes."  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, where does that fit in and judge not that you be not judged?  Fits perfectly, Jesus said, "Judge a righteous judgment."  It was a righteous judgment.  He was right on the mark.  So the balance, be loving, be forgiving, but by all means, be discerning.

Verse 7, "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 he who seeks, finds and to him who knocks, it will be opened."  There was a promise there.  You will find, it will be opened.  But notice that the promise is attached to a command.  It's put in the present, active, imperative.  Ask, it's a command.  The way it's written is, "I command you, ask."  Now, to me that's fascinating.  Why on earth would God ever have to command you to pray?  Just think about that for a minute.  Why would God ever have to command you to pray?  Well perhaps because he knows that we don't.  Perhaps it's because he knows that either by our own pride, by our resistance to do it, or maybe we might say, "I'm not worthy, or I'm in such despair, or we just forget about it," because he knows human nature, he has to every now and then give us a commandment to do it.  Do it.  Ask me for something.

Can you imagine a parent saying, "Son, come here.  I want you to ask me for something right now for Christmas."  (Laughter) "All right, cool!"  "Because whatever you ask son, I'll give it to you."  "Oh, awesome!"  "Now that's a commandment, you can't go to bed until you do that."  "Okay."  (Laughter)

Yeah, we find that same command in other places in the Bible.  Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me," God said, that's a command in Hebrew, "and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things which you know not."  So the command -- the promise is attached to the command.  "Ask and it will be given.  Seek and you will find.  Knock and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives and he who seeks, finds and to him who knocks, it will be opened."  What this shows me and I say these, these verses, this command to pray along with all of the other verses that Jesus talks about praying in, what this shows me is the heart of God in wanting to give his sons and daughters good things.  That's his heart.

A child knows that the nature and temperament of that child's father and mother will determine how much or how little that child will ask a father or mother.  If you have a very harsh, a dad who doesn't want to be bothered and makes that known and is very stingy about what he gives or mom about what she gives, that child is going to be very hesitant to ask for anything.  After a period of time, that kid is going to learn, "Don't ask mom for anything."  But if the father is very generous and kind and loves to give and loves to see that child with a smile on its face, the child is going to ask a lot.

The way we pray is determined by our view of God.  Do we think God is harsh?  Do we think God is holding back and he's not generous, that he's vengeful and hurtful?  That's how the Greeks viewed their gods.  Even among many of the Jewish people 2000 years ago, God was very aloof, very distant.  In the temple, there were courts, there was a wall that said, "Death to any non-Jew, Gentile who pass this point."  But when Jesus died on the cross, one of my favorite things that happened in the crucifixion, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  God was saying, "I don't want the separation any longer because of what my Son has done.  Man, you guys can come close and have intimate fellowship with me."  I love that, but I was so discouraged when I found out that the Jews sewed the veil back up.

Now, I think we do the same thing and there's a number of ways we do it.  God is saying, "I want intimacy, come close, ask, seek, knock and we put up barriers."  I was brought up with the belief that God can't be bothered by a mere mortal.  You can't come directly to God.  You can't come directly to Jesus.  You can come to his mother because what son would refuse a mother if the mother ask.

So I was taught growing up, "Don't talk to Jesus, talk to Mary or talk to these saints and they'll sort of get in line and get God on a good day."  That's the hierarchy, that's the celestial hierarchical rule and then I read the Bible.  I read the Book of Hebrews, "Therefore, let us come boldly before the throne of God that we might receive grace to help in time of need or in the nick of time," some translations render it.  That just blew away everything I've been taught growing up.  God wants a relationship.  He wants me to ask.  He wants me to come.  He wants to bless.  He wants to give.

Verse 9 is the illustration of that.  "Or what man is there among you, if his son ask for bread, will he give him a stone?"  Imagine how ludicrous.  "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.  It's just simply stating God's love for his children via answered prayer and the illustration is a child asking for a favor from his dad.

In Verse 9, "Dad, can I have piece of bread?"  "Sure son."  There's a little corky smile on his face and slips a stone in there that looks just like a piece of bread.  Imagine if family went to McDonald's and the dad ordered a Big Mac and took out the patty and put in the little stones, "Here son.  I love you."  (Laughter) How cruel.  That would break the son's teeth and his heart at the same time.  (Laughter) Or can you imagine, "Dad, I love a fish sandwich."  "Sure, here you go."  "Dad, what's that rattle doing in my sandwich?"  "Oh, it's attached to a snake."  "Why is that there?"  Again, it's so ludicrous.

Here is Jesus using the most intimate, selfless human relationship, which is parents who care for and love their children.  It's the most basic selfless relationship and he said, "Okay, if that happens on an earthly level, how much more?  How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him?"  Much more.

Verse 12, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, also do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  We have a question that was texted in.  We love to throw this up on the screen.  This is what you have asked.  The question is, "How can you ask for something and yet stay humble and unselfish?"  To me, that's simple.  I'm asking for something.  I'm not demanding it, I'm not commanding it.  I'm filtering it through the Lord's will.  Lord, if this is your will, you know what I need, this is what I want.  I believe this is what I need.  But I'm asking nonetheless and Lord, you may just want to lavish something I don't need.  You didn't promise me that, but you may want to do it.  So I'm just simply asking you for it.  God has the right to say no.  I always know that.

I never walked away saying, "God never answered my prayers."  I walked away saying, "God answered my prayer.  He said, no."  That's an answer.  I didn't like his answer.  It's not the answer I was hoping for, but he answered it nonetheless.  So I don't see that as prideful.  I asked, I pray in Jesus' name and then I leave it to him and I submit my will for his acknowledgement.

So in Verse 12, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  Verse 12, you have the summary statement.  The bottom-line summation of kingdom of God ethics, of how we, God's kids, are to treat other people.

This is the Mount Everest.  If the Sermon on the Mount is climaxing all the way through, coming up to a pinnacle, this is the pinnacle.  This is the most famous thing Jesus ever said.  I have found this statement, even in secular places like greeting cards and plaques and many, many places like that, the Golden Rule.  Unfortunately however, I find it quoted without the first word of the sentence.  Now, you'll notice the first word of the sentence is, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  In other words, just as God is so kind and so loving and wants to answer the prayer of his children who depend upon him because he set the example and he is the model, therefore, model your life after that.  God does it for you, do it for other people.

Now this Golden Rule is what sets Christianity apart, one thing that sets Christianity apart from every other philosophy and every other religious system.  There is no system of belief or religion that has anything like this in it.

Now some of you are looking at me a little funny, I think because you're well-read and you have read on world religions and you go, "Wait a minute, I want to dispute that."  This is very similar to many other religious systems and so you might want to quote the Talmud to me.  The saying of one Rabbi Halil who said, "Whatever is not helpful, don't do that to other people."  Or you might want to quote the philosopher Confucius who said, "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you."  Or still some of you say, "Well, I know Greek philosophy and among the Stoic philosophers, they said something similar."  They said, "What ever you want people not to do to you, don't do that to anyone else."  But do you see the difference?  All of those are negative.  All of those are about self-preservation.  "Dude, you don't want to get hurt, don't be mean to anybody."  That's a far cry from, "Do to others what you want them to do to you."  That's the positive.  So one thing that live in the negatives is another thing to take the negative and turn it into a positive.

Back in the 1600s, the 17th century, somebody invented a great instrument in Europe called the harpsichord.  Now, the harpsichord has a keyboard like a piano and you play chords, and you play notes on it.  You pushed down the keys and what happens is there's a little arm underneath that has a pick, a plectrum like a guitar that plucks the string and the string vibrates and you have a note.  That was chief instrument in Europe for century and a half, almost two.  The problem with the harpsichord is that it was slow and it was very limiting.  It wasn't as responsive.

So, around the end of the 18th century, somebody had a brilliant idea of taking a keyboard and attaching it to an armature that had a hammer that would strike the sting rather than pluck the string and the piano was invented.  It changed music completely from a harpsichord to a piano.  That's what Jesus does.  Yes, there's been these principles and many other religious systems around the world, but Jesus comes along and invents the piano.  It's not this limiting slow negative thing.  It's something very positive and very unique to the teachings of Christ and Christianity.

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets.  Simple application, you've been a recipient of God's goodness, now bless other people.  Bless other people.  Think, "What would bless that person?"  If I were to say this, or encourage that person in this manner, or drop that little favor by, "What would that do to them?"  Because I'm sure people would do it to me.  Now, don't go around saying, "Nobody does it to me."  That sort of that you're living in Confucius land (Laughter), and Stoicville, and Halil, do it to them.  Be a distributor of it.

Verse 13, "Entering 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."  Now, here is something you discover all throughout scripture.  God makes it easy for us.  He boils things down to the irreducible minimum.  Here are two choices.  There are two gates.  There are two roads.  There are two destinations.  Take your pick.  Which do you want to go down?  Which gate do you want to enter into?  Because whatever gate you enter into will bring you out into a road that will lead to a destination.  There are only two that you can choose from:  life and death, heaven and hell, restoration or destruction.

Now Jesus says, "Narrow is the gate, difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

First of all, notice again we have a command and in Greek, it is a commandment.  Enter in the gate.  Here's Jesus saying, see that gate?  That's me, that's the narrow way.  Go there.  It's a commandment.  He didn't say ponder the gate, admire the gate, this is the end of the gate.  Jesus never said, ponder me, admire me.  He said, "Follow me."  Have you surrendered your life to Christ?  Are you following Jesus personally?

Well you said, "Yeah, you know, I studied that class in college in comparative religion and I've always admired Jesus.  I respect Jesus."  There are many who respect Jesus, who have never received Jesus.  Enter into that gate.

Now, here's a question.  It says there are few who find the right path.  Few, not many, not most, very few, why is that?  If I'm reading this correctly just taking Jesus word for word, he's saying that most people aren't saved.  Most people won't make it to heaven.  A very few people entering the life, very few people make the right choice, why is that?

A few people enter in because it's so narrow.  Christianity is so narrow-minded, ever heard that?  You are such a narrow person.  When people tell me that, I go thank you.  (Laughter) By the way, you probably have no idea how narrow I really am.  (Laughter)

Because the way to life, the narrow way is the way of being poor in spirit, the way to heaven is the way of mourning over your sin.  Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Blessed are those who mourn.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.  Blessed are those who are persecuted.  It's not that few enter in because God only wants a few or he only wants a certain kind.  He wants everyone, but a few by their own choice will enter in because the way is narrow, it's too restrictive.  I kind of want my own deal.  I kind of want my own agenda.  They want the wide way.  They want the less restrictive way.  They want the easy way.

"Beware of false prophets," Verse 15, "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, and a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear a 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."  Why does Jesus immediately after saying, "Enter into the narrow gate," say, "beware of false prophets?"  It's pretty easy to figure that out, right?  Because the false prophets are the one who say, "Don't listen to that."

 

Actually, it doesn't matter which way you choose, all roads lead to God.  Choose the wide path, choose whatever you're into.  It's all the same deal.  It's all the same God.  It's just a schmorgishborg, but you're all going to get fed in the same restaurant.

Throughout the scripture, there is a constant warning against false prophets, Deuteronomy Chapter 13 and the Pentateuch, because the chapter devoted entirely to the false prophet, the false dreamer, the miracle worker who doesn't represent God.  Isaiah the Prophet, warned against, "Prophets who speak lies in my name."  Jeremiah said, "Woe to those prophets who prophesy lies in my name.  I have not sent them."  Jesus said, "Many will come in My name and say, 'I am the Christ, and deceive many.  Many false prophets will arise and deceive many,'" Matthew Chapter 24.  There's that constant flow of warning through the Bible because like we've said before and we even articulated this last week into the conference, when you turn on the light, the bugs come.  When you preached the Gospel of the narrow way, the true path, the singular path, the false prophet will come along and try to disrupt that.

Now, false prophets are disguised, okay?  They don't knock on your door and go, "Hi.  I'm your neighborhood false prophet.  (Laughter) Do you see my name tag, false prophet?  (Laughter) I've come to deceive you."  (Laughter) No, they come looking like Christians.  You say, "Are you a Christian?"  "Oh, yes."  "Do you believe Jesus?"  "Yes."  "Do you believe in the Jesus of the New Testament?"  "Yup."  "You believe he's the Son of God?"  "I do."  Now, what you should do then is have them define the word Jesus, define the Son of God and define salvation because I'll guarantee you, many of them pour into the word, the same word a different meaning than you pour into it.

So a definition of terms is important.  So the clothing works, sheep's clothing.  When you get to the Book of Revelation, there's the beast Chapter 13, the anti-Christ, same chapter, there's somebody called the false prophet.  John says, "I saw another beast arise out of the sea," that's the false prophet.  He's described by John as somebody who looks like a lamb, but he speaks like a dragon and so we refer to him as the false prophet in the great tribulation period who will work miracles in the name of the anti-Christ and get people to worship the anti-Christ all the way through redemptive history is the warning against false prophets.

Now, Jesus says in these verses, "You'll recognize them eventually.  Notice therefore by their fruits, you will know them.  Fruit is the evidence that a tree produces."  If I were to tell you, "Hey, I have a lemon tree at home."  You'd say, "Excuse me, a lemon tree?"  "Oh, yeah, I have a lemon tree at home."  Now I may have a lemon tree, but not outside in this climate, it has to be inside.  It's possible.  But if you're skeptical, all you have to do is say, "Prove it."

Now, how would I prove it?  I bring you lemons.  Of course, you'd probably want to see that I picked them from my tree and I've got them from the store.  But the fruit would be the evidence that I really have a lemon tree because you can see the lemons.  When it comes to profits of God, so called, the fruit, what they produce in terms of their character, in terms of their doctrine, all of that is the evidence that they are either true or false.

So, again, this balances out Verse 1, "Judge not, that you be not judged."  Here Jesus is, listen beware of false prophets.  Well, how can you do that?  Unless you are willing to make a critical evaluation of a persons character and doctrine and say that's a false prophet.  That's not a false prophet.

So, next time somebody says, "You shouldn't judge people."  You just say, "You're right.  I'm not going to be a judge.  I'm only going to be a fruit inspector."  (Laughter) That's what you are called, that is what I am called to do, inspect the fruit.  Say, "Prove it.  Let me see the fruit, man."  "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."  Notice the difference between the person who says and the person who does.  "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,'" not just Lord, but, "Lord, Lord."  Oftentimes in scripture, a word is repeated to speak of fervency, passion, this guy is passionate about the Lord.  "Lord, Lord," is the idea.  "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 I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

What they say about the Lord is one thing.  They say the right things about the Lord, but they do not submit to the authority of the Lord.  They have eternal language, but they don't have eternal life.  Our eternal language is, Lord, praise the Lord, hallelujah, bless God, thank you Jesus, all that is language you've heard in churches.  Not everybody who says the right language has the right relationship.

Now, there are a couple of things, notice that that person is missing.  First of all, he's missing a lifestyle.  Notice Jesus said in Verse 23, "Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"  You're not practicing righteousness, you're practicing lawlessness.  It is a perpetual, habitual lifestyle contrary to scripture.  Nobody is perfect.  We all struggle with sin.  But a Christian doesn't perpetually live in sin, though occasionally may fall into sin.  Do you understand the difference?

Somebody put it to me this way, a Christian is somebody to whom sin clings and unbeliever is someone who clings to sin.  It's not somebody who struggles with it, that's not an unbeliever.  I don't care about the struggle.  They just do it.  They're into it, but they call themselves a believer.  They say, "Lord, Lord."  So they're absent, they're missing the right lifestyle.  I read in an article a few years back about a doctor who is arrested for malpractice, for practicing lawlessness.  Get this, he said he was a doctor, he hung up the parchment that said, "I'm a doctor."  He only finished three years of medical school.  He didn't graduate from medical school.  See that fourth year, that's a.  You need that fourth year.  You've got to pass the exam after the fourth year.  You've got to take the boards and then you'll get the real parchment.

So, he was saying his one thing, but he's practicing something else and the reason they caught him was malpractice.  Making stupid choices, dumb decisions and actually hurting patients, so he lacked a lifestyle, he missed that.

Second thing according to Jesus, this person misses a relationship.  Notice, "Not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is heaven.  Many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' they'll say what we've done.  I will declare I never knew you."

Now that's relationship.  When God says, "I never knew you," it doesn't mean, "I'm sorry, what's your name.  I forgot who you are.  I don't know who you are.  I don't know anything about you."  That's not what it means, he knows, everyone knows their name and knows everything about that person.  It means I don't know you intimately, relationally, I don't you as one of my own disciples who have placed their faith and trust and dependence on me.  I don't know you in that capacity.  It's an experiential relational knowledge he's speaking about.  All of you here know the president of the United States, not personally, but you know what he looks like, you know how he talks, you know what he says and you may have even met him.  But, to say I know someone is different than I know who he is, or what he looks like, or what they do and that's the idea here, "I never knew you.  You lacked the relationship."

So how can you know God, is the big question, think about that tonight.  How can you, tonight, walk away and say, "I know God."  Well, you've got to be born into his family.  Jesus said, "Unless the man is born again, he will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Have you been born again?  Have you simply trusted in the Savior?  Have you made a decision to turn from your sin and turn to Christ as your Savior personally?  Have you done that?  Does that mark your life?

You see, Jesus said, "As many as received Him to them, He gave the power, the authority to become children of God to those who believe in His name."  That's how we come to know him.

Verse 24, "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, the winds blew and beat on that house; it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But every one who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be a like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell.  And great was its fall."

The first thing you should do is look at the house.  Now, if you look at two houses side by side, you couldn't tell the difference.  They look great.  They look the same.  So, right now in this room, if you were to look around at the people sitting around you, you don't know who really follows Christ and who really does not.  You can't tell.  We're people, we look the same.  We're all sitting in the same church.  So look at the house, but then Jesus says, "Next, look under the house."  What is the house built on?  What is the foundation?  Is it sand or is it bedrock?  Get this, in Jerusalem, I could show you homes, they've been covered still standing on their solid bedrock foundations with archways and everything after 2000 or 3000 years.  We've talked about a vintage home, it's a 100 years old.  Wow!  That's just like yesterday.

(Laughter)

Look at the house.  Look under the house.  What is your life built on?  Are you submitted to the master architect, to the master builder?  Look at, look under and then look ahead.  Look at the storms.   "The rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  "There's a hurricane coming," Jesus said.  There are our storms of life that sift out the true from the false and the biggest storm is the one of judgment and great will be the fall of that house and then we close off the chapter.  "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."

Let's bow our heads and I'm having you do it for a reason.  Think of all these principles that we have just heard and think out of people marveled to Jesus because he spoke with such authority.  His word was authoritative and the last words were whoever listens to these words and does them, that's a wise person.  Whoever listens to my words and doesn't do them, that's a fool.  It's a foolish person.

So, in closing our eyes, we're just shutting everyone around us out, we're not talking to anyone.  We're not thinking about tomorrow morning or what happened today.  We're just thinking about our relationship with God.  Are we under his authority?  Have we entered into the narrow gate?  The one that leads to eternal life or are we still cruising on the broad way, the wide way, the way that is less restrictive, the way that we think is good for our lives.  Not God's way for our life.  Just know that there is Jesus telling you get in that gate, enter into that gate.

Maybe tonight you're just tired of chasing so many pots of gold at the end of rainbows that haven't produced.  You've looked for satisfaction in relationships and status and education and jobs.  The well is empty.  You're thirsty tonight.  God isn't telling you get religious.  He's saying get real.  Get right with me.  Get real and that's by receiving Christ.  Some of you remember making some choice years ago, but you're not walking with Jesus tonight.  How many of you here tonight right now would say, yes to Jesus as Lord and Savior whether for the first time or maybe a recommitment, but you want to get your life back right with God.

I want to is our heads are bowed, you raise your hand up.  I want to acknowledge your hand and pray for you as we close.  God bless you, ma'am and you in the middle and you sir, in the middle toward the back.  Raise it up, so I can see it.  I see your hand, God bless you and on my left.  Anyone else, raise that hand up.  A few of you right there to my right and toward the back.  Anyone else, God is speaking to you, then just say yes to him.  Don't hold back any longer.  Here's God saying, I've got stuff for you.  I have gifts for you.  I have blessing for you.  Leave the old life, anybody else.

Father, I pray for those many who are raising their hands right now.  Those who are listening by radio or by internet, the same thing and we pray father that lives would be changed in our very midst in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Could you stand to your feet?  As (01:03:01) sings this last song, very famous altrical song.  If you raise your hand, get up from where you're standing right now.  Whether you're right up in the front, in the middle of an aisle, in the very back and find the nearest aisle and you come and you stand right up here.  I'm going to pray a prayer to receive Christ tonight, right here, right now.  Come right on up as we sing.

(Applause)

(Participants Singing:  01:03:21 - 01:04:02)

I saw several hands go up.  This isn't the time to just wait and watch.  It's the time to come and receive.  Jesus call people so often publicly and he's calling you tonight to make a stand for him.  Come all the way up to the front.  Come all the way up.  Right on up.

I'm going to wait just another moment as they sing another verse partly because I love this song.  Also, partly because I remember I was one of the last holdouts when it came to receiving Christ.  I waited to the very, very end and I pushed people away and I pushed God away.  I think God is still working on some hearts and he's drawing more people.

01:05:21

(Participants Singing:  01:05:21 - 01:06:06)

If you're tuning in by radio or you're watching on live stream on the internet, I'm going to lead those who have come forward here in a word of prayer.  Right where you're at, you can pray and you can do the same thing and make the same choice.  You can also call the radio station.  You can log on.  We have a cyber pastor and a cyberspace whose -- if you're watching by internet, can talk to you and lead you also in prayer.

Hey, those of you who have come forward and there's a lot of you tonight.  We're so grateful to God for that.

(Applause)

Okay, now, it's crunch time, right.  This is it.  This is transaction time.  This is where you give your life away.  You're giving your life to an alien will.  You're saying my life isn't my own anymore.  You made me anyway I'm giving my life back to you God to leave for you and your glory.  The Bible calls that repentance.  You're turning from sin.  You're turning to Christ.  So I'm going to lead on a prayer and I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer out loud after me from your heart to the Lord.

Let's pray.  Lord, I give you my life.

Participants: Lord, I give you my life.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   I know that I'm a sinner.

Participants: I know that I'm a sinner.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   Please forgive me.

Participants: Please forgive me.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   I believe that Jesus died --

Participants: I believe that Jesus died --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   -- that he shed his blood for me --

Participants: -- that he shed his blood for me --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   -- that he rose again from the grave --

Participants: -- that he rose again from the grave --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   -- and I turn from my sin --

Participants: -- and I turn from my sin --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   -- I leave my past.

Participants: -- I leave my past.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   I turn to you as my Savior --

Participants: I turn to you as my Savior --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   I want to live for you as Lord --

Participants: I want to live for you as Lord --

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   -- help me.

Participants: -- help me.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   In Jesus' name.

Participants: In Jesus' name.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   Amen!

Participants: Amen!

(Applause)

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   Yeah, congratulations.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/7/2011
completed
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Matthew 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-18
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
As we turn our attention to the New Testament, Pastor Skip explains what transpired during the 400 years of silence since the Old Testament. Our firm grasp of the political setting, language, and Matthew's purpose and perspective establishes a solid foundation for understanding his gospel. In Matthew 1, we see Jesus revealed as the royal Heir to the throne of David—the Messiah, Immanuel: God with us.
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9/14/2011
completed
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Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:18-2:23
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Every year people around the world recognize the birth of a poor Jewish child born in an insignificant city. The birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Scriptures, beckons us to worship and obey the King of the Jews. Let's examine Matthew's account of the miraculous circumstances of the nativity and the prophecies it fulfilled.
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9/21/2011
completed
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Matthew 3
Matthew 3
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.
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9/28/2011
completed
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Matthew 4:1-17
Matthew 4:1-17
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Prior to the start of Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was led up to be tempted by the devil. As we review His encounter with Satan, we uncover important principles of spiritual warfare. We consider not only when and how Jesus was tempted, but also how He fought—and the ministry that began on the heels of the battle.
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10/5/2011
completed
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Matthew 4:18-5:4
Matthew 4:18-5:4
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Leaving life as they knew it, the disciples followed Jesus and became intimate witnesses of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing. As we dive into this portion of Matthew, we turn our attention to their calling and listen in as Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached.
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10/19/2011
completed
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Matthew 5:5-16
Matthew 5:5-16
Skip Heitzig
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The economy in God's Kingdom is quite different from that of the world: it's paradoxical; it's progressive. Let's consider the Beatitudes and discover what kingdom living looks like, and how it impacts those around us.
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10/26/2011
completed
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Matthew 5:17-32
Matthew 5:17-32
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
The multitudes listening to Jesus teach were undoubtedly shaken by His powerful statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). How, then, could one be saved? As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we remember that salvation is not available through human achievement--only by divine accomplishment.
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11/2/2011
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Matthew 5:33-6:8
Matthew 5:33-6:8
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we'll grow in our understanding of the contrasts between the world and the kingdom of heaven. Followers of Jesus are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees—a righteousness based on our genuine relationship with Christ, rather than mere outward obedience.
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11/9/2011
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Matthew 6:9-34
Matthew 6:9-34
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that when we make God's kingdom our focus, He provides everything we need.
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12/7/2011
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Matthew 8:1-26
Matthew 8:1-26
Skip Heitzig
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Throughout his gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. Building upon the foundation of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' identity is authenticated by miraculous signs. As we examine Matthew chapter eight, let's consider the compassion and grace Jesus demonstrates.
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1/18/2012
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Matthew 8:23-9:9
Matthew 8:23-9:9
Skip Heitzig
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Matthew carefully crafted his gospel to speak directly to the hearts of his Jewish audience. Through his detailed record of Jesus' genealogy, fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' actions, instructions, and miracles, Matthew proves that Jesus is Messiah. Let's take a close look at several of those miracles, and gain a firm grasp of His Deity.
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1/25/2012
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Matthew 9:10-31
Matthew 9:10-31
Skip Heitzig
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To the Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners were part of a lower, unpleasant class. But Jesus longed for fellowship with all people. He shared intimate meals with them, ministered to their needs, and reached out to the unlovely. As we study this passage in Matthew 9, we learn how we are also called to be heralds of the good news that brings spiritual health and enduring joy.
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2/1/2012
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Matthew 9:32-10:31
Matthew 9:32-10:31
Skip Heitzig
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The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.
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2/8/2012
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Matthew 10:32-11:19
Matthew 10:32-11:19
Skip Heitzig
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In His second major discourse of Matthew, Jesus equips and instructs His apostles about going into the world and reaping the spiritual harvest. In this passage, Jesus expounds on the courage needed to complete the mission and warns His followers of certain persecution. He reminds us that while not all who hear will believe, God's wisdom is powerfully demonstrated in changed lives.
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2/15/2012
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Matthew 11:16-30
Matthew 11:16-30
Skip Heitzig
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In order to truly worship God, you must know Him. Speaking clearly and openly in this passage, Jesus proclaims some of His strongest warnings and makes some of His most intimate promises. He reveals the Father to His followers and assures us that life lived under His rule yields peace and rest.
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2/22/2012
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Matthew 12:1-21
Matthew 12:1-21
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Though God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest, keeping the Sabbath became difficult work by New Testament times. The oral traditions of the Pharisees had become weighty burdens-burdens the Lord did not mean for His people to bear. In this passage, Jesus demonstrates mercy and the true intent of the Sabbath as He and His disciples meet physical needs in the face of strong opposition.
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2/29/2012
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Matthew 12:22-42
Matthew 12:22-42
Skip Heitzig
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Though our current culture embraces a form of spirituality, the biblical view of God, Satan, and good versus evil has been dismissed by most. Ignorance and indifference cause them to relegate Satan to the stuff of fairy tales and myth. In this study from Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the devil and his minions--giving us a glimpse into the supernatural and a reminder that, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
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3/7/2012
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Matthew 12:43-13:17
Matthew 12:43-13:17
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Jesus consistently brought His message of hope to the common man: He spoke in parables to bring revelation to His followers and to conceal heavenly truth from the hard-hearted. In this message, we examine parables of our Master Teacher and Holy Judge, and discover that truth can be a blessing, but also a curse--we must be diligent to understand and apply God's Word to our lives.
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3/14/2012
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Matthew 13:18-52
Matthew 13:18-52
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual truth to His followers. In Matthew 13, His seven kingdom parables are recorded--word pictures which explain the beginning, opposition, expansion, and culmination of His kingdom. Let's consider His teachings and apply these lessons, so that we may be fellow workers with Him in spreading the good news.
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3/21/2012
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Matthew 13:53-14:36
Matthew 13:53-14:36
Skip Heitzig
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In this passage from the gospel of Matthew, we see powerful examples of the results of both faith and the lack of it. Those who might have known Jesus best failed to trust in Him and missed out on His work in their lives, while others were carried through the storm in His care. As we consider our own trials, we should rest in His hands, knowing He has power to change us and use our lives for His glory.
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3/28/2012
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Matthew 15
Matthew 15
Skip Heitzig
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God is less concerned with the outward appearance than He is with the inward attitude. In this passage, Jesus boldly proclaims truth in a confrontation with the Pharisees, warning his followers to avoid hypocrisy. We also witness His tender response to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, and His mercy for the multitudes. As we study Matthew 15, let's consider our own approach to Him: Do we recognize that we cannot live without Him?
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4/11/2012
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Matthew 16:1-20
Matthew 16:1-20
Skip Heitzig
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Through stern rebuke, gentle prodding, and powerful teaching, Jesus instructs those around Him about who He is and how we can know and serve Him. Matthew 16 records several lessons in faith - warnings and wisdom which encourage us in our own spiritual journey.
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4/25/2012
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Matthew 16:21-17:27
Matthew 16:21-17:27
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Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. From this passage, we gain a clearer understanding of what it means to exalt Him as King in our lives and also get a preview of His future glory, when He will reign over all the earth.
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5/2/2012
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Matthew 18
Matthew 18
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How should sin be dealt with? As we examine Matthew 18, we learn not only to deal radically with sin in our own lives, but also the steps toward reconciliation with a sinning brother.
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6/13/2012
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Matthew 19
Matthew 19
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In the U.S., the lifestyle of Christians often mirrors that of unbelievers--divorce, self-indulgence, misaligned priorities. Using God's Word to teach lessons about divorce and eternal life, Jesus exhorts his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven--to live in wholehearted faith and obedience to the Him. Let's consider what Scripture says about godly living and the reward Jesus promises to His faithful followers.
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6/20/2012
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Matthew 20
Matthew 20
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As followers of Christ, what awaits us in eternity? In this study, we consider not only our eternal home but also our eternal reward. Saved by grace through faith, we must see beyond the circumstances and status of this world, and look toward our future glory.
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7/11/2012
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Matthew 21:1-32
Matthew 21:1-32
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In this intriguing passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a precise fulfillment of prophecy. It's an exciting study, where those who know they need forgiveness find refreshment and hope—and those who rely on their own righteousness receive a stern rebuke.
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7/18/2012
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Matthew 21:33-22:22
Matthew 21:33-22:22
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Jesus taught with complete authority, denouncing the misconceptions of the religious leaders of the day. With skill and precision, Jesus uses parables and their own words to silence their challenges and expose their motives. Let's consider His words, heed His warnings, and remember that He alone is righteous and worthy of praise.
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7/25/2012
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Matthew 22:23-23:39
Matthew 22:23-23:39
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In dealing with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus speaks wisely, uncompromisingly, and with the authority of heaven—His Words shoot straight to the heart. Though many try to fit Jesus into their pre-conceived mold—to accept Him and His Words only as far as they are comfortable—we learn here danger of that the perilous position.
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8/1/2012
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Matthew 24:1-30
Matthew 24:1-30
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In this passage—the Olivet Discourse— Jesus provides a summary of end time events: the future of the world. We look forward to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus, but those found outside of Christ face unparalleled suffering and judgment. Let's contemplate the wrath of God that's in store for this world—and share the hope of the gospel with those who don't yet know Him.
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8/8/2012
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Matthew 24:31-25:46
Matthew 24:31-25:46
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In this section of the Olivet Discourse, we consider Jesus' Warning Parables. As we examine the text, let's remember that while the church escapes judgment, many are left to suffer the Great Tribulation. We must be righteous, be ready, and be responsible.
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8/15/2012
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Matthew 26:1-30
Matthew 26:1-30
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As Jesus gathered with His disciples to observe the Passover one last time, He brought fresh meaning to a festival which had been celebrated for thousands of years. Rather than a memorial to their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the meal represents His broken body and shed blood—and spiritual deliverance from sin for those who believe.
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8/22/2012
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Matthew 26:31-75
Matthew 26:31-75
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Following the Last Supper, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and willingly surrendered Himself to the will of the Father: Jesus was crushed for our sin, abandoned to the Cross, so that we might have fellowship with Him. As we study Matthew 26, we consider the spiritual battle before us, the choices we make, and the ultimate victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.
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8/29/2012
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Matthew 27:1-50
Matthew 27:1-50
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In this message, we see the ultimate demonstration of God's love—the cross. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was betrayed, falsely accused, illegally tried, scourged, and ultimately crucified. As we consider the details of His crucifixion and death, how could we be anything except amazed and humbled?
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9/19/2012
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Matthew 27:50-66
Matthew 27:50-66
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As He hung on the cross, betrayed by his friends and separated from His Father, Jesus declared "It is finished!" Victorious, not defeated—He completed the work the Father gave Him to do. In that dark hour, the grave gave up some of her dead, the earth quaked, and in the temple, the curtain that separated men from God was torn from top to bottom. As we study this text, let's consider the price Jesus paid to redeem us and the personal, intimate fellowship with God now available.
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9/26/2012
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Matthew 28
Matthew 28
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Jesus' resurrection: great news for His disciples—troubling news to his enemies. As the chief priests grappled with a cover up, the disciples met with the risen Lord and were commissioned to "Go and make disciples of all the nations." As we consider our text, we discover the good news for ourselves: Jesus is not dead—He's alive and has all authority in heaven and earth.
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There are 36 additional messages in this series.
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