Tag: Matthew

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:15-16 (ESV)

The path that leads to the wide gate of destruction is littered with false prophets. Wolves in sheep’s clothing masquerading as teachers of the truth whose only aim and ambition is deception and destruction. Notice here that Jesus understands that the wolves will come and mingle among the flock. This is no “what if” scenario where we must imagine this happening in some distant far-off future. No, Jesus is warning us that the wolves are active among us. He is warning us to be on guard against their wicked schemes that seek to lead us astray down the path of destruction. We must pay careful attention to not only what our leaders, teachers, and preachers are saying but we must look at the evidence of a fruitful Godly life. The words may be dripping with honey but we should be mindful of the possible poison mixed within. We must examine what we are being taught against the only source of authority that we have in this life, God’s Word.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:13-14 ESV

We are often told that the Christian life is a crutch or simply an escape from the “real” world of life. The Christian life is also portrayed as a choice people make to numb themselves and walk through their lives in comfort and ease as they neglect the harsh realities of this world. Even as believers we tell each other these same lies. We offer the gospel in such a way that others will be drawn to all the blessings, comfort, and peace of following Jesus. Although it is absolutely true that there will be blessings, comfort, and peace, the mistake is that we tend to equate this with an easy life. We want the Christian life to be seen as one overflowing with the good things that we desire. Jesus follows up the “Golden Rule” by telling us that the way to life, a life found in salvation through Christ alone, is a difficult road. Not a road to be taken lightly and certainly not a road where every comfort will be in abundance and every expectation will be met.

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12 ESV

How we treat others is a direct indication of the spiritual well-being of our hearts. Jesus states several times that the Law and the Prophets can be summarized by loving God with all our hearts and by extension, loving all people. This verse is another restatement of that thought. When Jesus told the people that they were to love their neighbor, someone immediately asked him who was his neighbor. Meaning that this person wanted to draw a well-defined line between neighbors and others. He did not want to have to treat all people equally, especially his enemies or the ones he despised. Jesus answered him just as he puts it forth here. We are to love all people as God loves them, regardless.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:11 ESV

Doubt, fear, anxiousness, mistrust, and pride are all at the root of a believer’s heart that doesn’t truly understand the depth of love that the Father has for his children. I know this because this is my heart. In the spirit of honesty and truth, I must examine my own heart and see the darkness that resides there. A darkness that misleads me in a multitude of ways, but chief among those lies is that my heavenly Father does not love me unconditionally. This darkness will do anything and everything to convince me of two things. One, that I must earn the love of my heavenly Father. And two, that my heavenly Father withholds good things from me. These are the same lies that the enemy has been whispering in the ears of men and women since the beginning. Even in the Garden, where every good and beautiful gift was freely given in abundance, our first parents listened to the lie that God was holding something back and they reached out in their pride and envy to take what they then desired. It is no different now. I shut my eyes to all the good and beautiful gifts that my loving Father has given me and merely focus on those things I do not have. Then, in my arrogance and pride, I determine that if God will not give me what I want, I will go get it myself.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

As I have been reflecting and meditating this morning, I am reminded of how I generally focus on the latter parts of these promises. By this, I mean that I focus mainly on the outcome, the faithfulness of God to give, open, and reveal. This is truly important and should always be at the forefront of my thoughts. The faithfulness, goodness, and kindness of God toward me are a wellspring of hope and truth. Yet, this morning my mind came to rest on the proactive requirement of these promises. There is a requirement of initiative on my part in these actions. There is a sense that Jesus is telling me that I must put my faith, trust, and hope into action. Do I want the Father to give? I must ask in faith. Do I want the way opened for me? I must knock in faith. Do I want to find the true treasure? I must seek in faith. For it is only by putting my faith into action that these answers are promised. Do I truly believe and trust that God is inclined to hear me and respond? That is the self-examination of my heart that needs to be put in clear focus.

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:5 (ESV)

Jesus has taught that the whole of the law can be summed up in the phrase, “Love God and Love People”. This truth is continually found in the teaching of Jesus throughout the gospels and this verse is another representation of that teaching. How do we go about loving others well? We must first love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Loving God means that we are seeking to please him by fighting (through his strength) the sin that still clings to our hearts. It means that we are well aware of our own personal weaknesses and failings. In our state of humility and personal awareness, we are then able to share the love, grace, mercy, and goodness of God with others who need to hear and be reminded of the good news of the gospel. It is only in this state of humility that we will then bring the hope of Christ to our brothers and sisters who are hurting and in need.

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 

Matthew 7:3-4 (ESV)

Continuing in his teaching on our interactions and relationships with others, Jesus further explains the role of judging in the lives of believers. As with all of Jesus’ teachings, the premise is wrapped around the basic theme of love. The first step in our relationships and dealing with other people is to always come from a heart of humility with an intention to love. This is the central and key point of Jesus’ teaching on judging others. We are not called to be the heavy-handed instrument of God’s righteousness that brings the news of judgment with no affection and concern. Jesus tells us that our first step in helping others see their need for God’s mercy and grace in their life is to first recognize and understand our own deeper and greater need for God’s mercy and grace in our lives. We are to relate to each other in humbleness working in love through the power of Christ himself.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:1-2 ESV

Patience, kindness, mercy, and grace are the characteristics and heart attitudes that should mark my interactions with others. Pronouncing eternal judgment on others should not be part of my thoughts and actions toward others. Oftentimes I want to make character decisions and judgments about others and pronounce a decree of God against a person. I want to not only evaluate and discern a person’s heart attitude and motivation, I want to be the judge of their soul by declaring judgments that belong only to the Lord. This is the “judge not” that Jesus is talking about in this passage. It is a call to let God be the rightful judge of humanity and for me to demonstrate the love of God to everyone I encounter.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34 ESV

Jesus now brings this section on anxiety and worry to a close by reminding us of the freedom we have in Christ through all the many promises that he has presented beforehand. I have heard this singular verse spoken to me and others as if it is a cure-all for every person who is struggling with anxiousness. We want to take this ending point of the previous paragraph’s teaching and make it a commandment to coldly lay at the feet of people as an ideal. Notice that Jesus is not laying down a list of commands before the crowd he is speaking to. He has just spent time working through the rationale and understanding necessary to reach this conclusion. We too should take the time to understand all these truths and incorporate them into our daily walk. As we do, we will then be able to battle anxiety about tomorrow and focus on the daily bread provided for our living this life today.