The Gospel Series Part 6d

APPOINTMENT OF THE TWELVE AND SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Twelve apostles named (Mk 3:13-19, Lk 6:12-16)

Setting of the Sermon (Mt 5:1-2, Lk 6:17-19)

The Sermon on the mount, as it's called, is recorded by both Matthew and Luke. Scholars debate whether this was actually one sermon given at once, or whether Matthew compiled Jesus' common teachings into 3 chapters. It doesn't really matter either way for our purposes, for we are only interested in the teachings in the sermon, not the details of exactly how it was given. Let the other guys waste their time with such things.

But there are several points to note before we actually start in.

  1. In verse one, we see Him teaching to His disciples. This was not an evangelistic message. It's focus was towards Jesus followers. That includes us today.
  2. Because of #1, we see no mention of salvation or the gospel here. It assumes you are already a follower of Jesus.
  3. Jesus will re-interpret the law for us. The Pharisees' muddied up the law so much they actually thought they could keep it. By the end of chapter seven, it will be clear no one can keep the law. This punctures the Pharisees' (and our) ideas righteousness can be obtained by our own works.
  4. Early on, Jesus will turn the world's wisdom upside down. "Blessed are the poor..."? This must have been a shock to the people listening.

Blessings of those who inherit the kingdom and woes to those who do not (Mt 5:3-12, Lk 6:20-26)

This section is commonly known as the beatitudes.

Mt 5:3 There are (at least) two Greek words for poor. Penes (Strongs 3993) and Ptochos (Strongs 4434). A person who is penes is "poor but able to help himself through his own labor"[1]. Compare that with a person who is ptochos: "The penes (3993) may be poor but he earns his bread by daily labor. The ptochos is so poor that he can only obtain his living by begging. The penes has nothing superfluous, while the ptochos has nothing at all."[2]

Jesus here uses the word ptochos. Blessed are the beggars, he is saying. What? This goes immediately against the world's wisdom. We look up to the rich and powerful. To say blessed are the poor? What is he talking about?

Jesus says "blessed are the poor in spirit". What he means is we must have a good self-image. This does not mean what is usually meant (a self-image of pride), but an honest assessment of where we are. We are sinners, dead, completely lost and without hope. According to Paul (Eph 2:8-9), we are so lost we don't even have the faith to believe in Jesus. Even that must come from God. The question is, do you know you are lost and without hope? It's not a popular topic today, even in the Church. We want to believe we can do something, that we have something to offer God, but that idea just isn't Biblical. Without Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:33).

Perhaps the verse comes to mind "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt 26:41). Ah ha! you say. What I need to do is improve myself - I may be weak, but through spiritual weight-lifting I can improve myself and do great things! Once again, that's just plain un-Biblical, for you see the Greek word for weak here is asthenes, which means feeble, sick or powerless. If that isn't clear enough to describe our flesh, Paul says in our flesh dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18).

So with an honest self-image, Jesus says comes the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because when you realize you are lost, it's then you realize your need for a savior. That's the first step.

Mt 5:5 Why would mourning be good? The answer lies in knowing what kind of mourning he is talking about here. Paul explains:

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

It's sin that separates us from God. Once you realize that, it leads to mourning for sin, which leads to repentance.

Mt 5:5 Much confusion surrounds this word meek. It does not imply weakness. Rather is speaks of a animal who has been domesticated. While a horse is wild, it is useless for work. But after it is broken, we can harness that power and use it. Meekness means power under control.

Mt 5:6 This should be our response to verses 3-5. Once you realize your condition, and allow God to control your life, you naturally hunger for righteousness. But the hunger and thirst spoken here is not simply waking up in the morning hungry. Rather it speaks of someone who has gone days without food or water. At that point you are truly hungry. And when you hunger after God, what is the result? He satisfies your need.

Mt 5:7 Mercy is the outward expression of someone who is filled by God and who understands how poor they really are (verse 3). When you have been shown mercy by God, the result is you naturally show mercy to others.

This is NOT salvation by works. It does not speak of mercy as a prerequisite for salvation, it speaks of mercy as a expression of salvation. Jesus expands on this in Matthew 18:23-35.

Mt 5:8 Pure in heart. A direct contradiction to the Pharisees' pureness, which was external only. (Mt 23: 25-26). Jesus is interested in the condition of the heart, not the outward appearance.

But another idea here is we are to remain pure in heart. It's easy to allow the world to creep in to our thinking. As our society becomes less and less Godly, it's easy to lower our standards just a bit, after all, we are still better that everybody else. But that's not the right idea. Remember Daniel, who as a teenager was taken to Babylon, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8)".

When we are faced with Babylon every day, it's important to purpose in our heart not to defile ourselves. The choice is ours. God can (and will) strengthen our resolve after we make that decision, but the first step must be ours. It's time we as Christians stand up and purpose in our heart not to be defiled by the things of Babylon. God came though many times for Daniel, but Daniel made the choice he would be pure in heart.

And the result of this choice? They shall see God.

Mt 5:9 One result of meekness (verse 5) is you are naturally a peacemaker.

Mt 5:10-12 Another strange idea. Blessed are you when you are persecuted? A strange idea indeed. First off, we must remember it's only when we are persecuted for righteousness sake. If you're guilty of a crime, don't claim persecution for Jesus' sake!

But why are we blessed? Several ideas. First, we are joining the company of the prophets. The prophets were persecuted and killed because no one liked their message. Same for us today. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness (verse 6), you will definitely get to experience the persecution of verses 10-12. Morality just isn't popular today. But Jesus also said a servant is not greater than his master. If Jesus was persecuted, so will we be. (John 15:12).

In verse 11, Jesus says people will speak "evil against you falsely for My sake." This is difficult to bear. It's our natural tendency to want to fight back and protect our reputation. The answer to this problem is given by Paul in Phil 2:5-8. Speaking of Jesus, he "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant". That's the solution when we want to fight back. Become someone of no reputation like Jesus did. The world wants to trick us into fighting for something having no value. Just be someone of no reputation. You're in good company.

A few final thoughts. Jesus mentions persecution twice here. Is there a double blessing for persecution?

And a common mistake we make. We may not make the obvious mistake of the "name it and claim it" crowd, or the prosperity teachers, but we can be victim of a more subtle error. Where do we get the idea we will have an easy life here on earth? It's certainly not from the Bible. We can easily fall into the trap after we become Christians that our life will be rosy. Nothing is further from the truth. The Christian life is not a playground, it is a battleground. Consider the people of the Bible, Daniel, Joseph, etc. All of them suffered. Are we so arrogant to think we will escape the same?

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

Responsibility while awaiting the kingdom (Mt 5:13-16)

Mt 5:13 Salt is used for (at least) three things:

  1. Adds Flavor - As Christians, we are to add flavor to the world. We all know Christians who just aren't happy -kind of a sourpuss. As others in the world look at them, what do they think? We are to add flavor to a bland world.
  2. Preservation - Salt was commonly used as a preservative in those days. Whatever was treated was not spoiled when exposed to the contaminants of the world. The same goes with us. We should not spoil when exposed to the world.
  3. Causes Thirst - Recall verse 6, when Jesus said blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. But in a more general way, do you cause others to thirst for Jesus? Do people notice something different about you? If you are salt, they will.

A superficial looking at this verse could be troubling. If the salt loses it's savor, Jesus says it is good for nothing, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. Whoops! Does this imply we can lose our salvation? If so, it also teaches you can never be made salty (regain salvation) again.

Once again, this problem is due to a lack of understanding of science. Pure salt (NaCl, or sodium chloride) is a stable compound and does not lose it's "saltiness". But the salt in Jesus' time was not pure, it was contaminated with other compounds, and over time would become diluted and useless for it's primary purposes. However, it still remains salt. It may be useless due to contamination, but it remains sodium chloride.

So to with us. As a Christian, you can become contaminated by the world, diluted so you no longer cause thirst, useless as a flavor enhancer, carnal and unfruitful, but you still remain salt. You lose your effectiveness definitely, but not your underlying characteristics. Far from causing a problem from an eternal security perspective, this verse confirms it.

Mt 5:14-16 Similar to the above verse, hidden light, while useless and ineffective, still remains light. But Jesus says we are not to remain hidden, but shine our light before the world. There are not to be any closet Christians.

Law, righteousness, and the kingdom (Mt 5:17-20)

Jesus never invalidated the Mosaic law. Instead, he is the fulfillment of the law. A yot is the smallest Hebrew letter, while a tittle is the smallest stroke of a letter.

The Pharisees tried their best to keep the law, as they understood it. For Jesus to say your righteousness must exceed the Pharisees' would surely be a blow to the disciples.

Six contrasts in interpreting the law (Mt 5:21-48, Lk 6:27-30,32-36)

Jesus now moves into a section where he shows exactly what the law means. The Pharisees' outward appearances were such they appeared to keep the law, but Jesus says no one can keep the law, for it is a matter of the heart, not one of outward actions.

Mt 5:21 Exodus 20:13. Simple enough. We can easily think we can keep this, but Jesus tells us what this verse really means.

Mt 5:22 Angry with my brother is murder? Argh! We all fall short of this goal, and that is Jesus' point throughout this section. We have no hope of keeping the law. It was only meant to show us our sinfulness, not cause pride due to our assumption we are keeping it.

"Raca" means empty or empty headed. How many times have we called someone empty-headed? That alone is enough for a one-way ticket to hell.

Mt 5:27 Exodus 20:14. Again, it appears we can keep this.

Mt 5:28 Jesus tells us what this really means, we have no hope of keeping it. The law is spiritual, but we are carnal (Romans 7:14).

Mt 5:29 Was Jesus being literal here? Are we to cut off our hands? Gouge out our eyes? There are two points here.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

Mt 5:31-32 Two Rabbi's offered different interpretations on what exactly the law meant in Deuteronomy 24 regarding divorce. Shammai was conservative, holding uncleanness meant only sexual immorality. Hillel took a more liberal approach, saying if a wife burned her husband's toast, that was grounds for divorce. You could imagine which view was more popular! Jesus clearly sides with Shammai and the conservative view.

Lesson: The Unpardonable Sin?

<Soapbox mode = ON>

Any one who has been to a wedding has heard the phrase "what God has joined, let no man separate". The idea is from Genesis 3:24 - "the two shall become one flesh". Imagine taking two pieces of paper, covering with glue, and placing together. Could you get them apart? Yes, but in the process you would irreparably damage them both. That's what happens in a divorce. And that doesn't consider the children - the resulting single-parent families trying to raise them, the inevitable fighting about visiting rights, child support, who stays with who on which holidays. And it goes on and on and on. It's a very messy situation.

The Lord hates divorce (Mal 2:14-16). Quite a statement coming from a God of love. God's goal is one man and one woman, married for life. But as humans, we continually mess that up. But sin really means "missing the mark". Divorce misses the mark God ordained for man. It's just that simple. We are imperfect creatures, continually missing the mark God has set. Divorce is just one of many problems we have.

But sadly, today the Church can (sometimes) make this a big issue. Is divorce wrong? Of course. But turning to Matthew 12:31-32, we see Jesus says "every sin will be forgiven men, except divorce, that will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come." What? That's not what your Bible says? Listening to some well-meaning teachers today you would think Jesus had that in mind. Consequently, we shun and look down on people who are divorced. This ought not to be.

But this brings up an even bigger issue. Our "pet sins" (the ones we think are really bad), are always the other guys. It always looks worse when someone else does it. If we fall, well, it's perfectly understandable - after all, doesn't everyone struggle with that? If it's someone else falling, we think, they were never very stable anyway - always getting into trouble. We can easily get into the idea of "rating" sin - some is worse than others. But that idea is foreign to the Bible.

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10)

How do we get out of such a mess? First, we need to realize all sin is equal, it all causes us to miss God's mark. Secondly, sin causes us to have a need for a Savior. We have all fallen, there is none pure and undefiled - in fact, left to ourselves, we won't even seek after God (Romans 3:10-12).

So where do we go from here? Remember the Christians' bar of soap.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Notice who is faithful, HE is, there's nothing we can do to earn forgiveness or salvation (Eph 2:8-9). He already knows our position, our faults, problems, sins and hang-ups. All we have to do is confess them to him, and let him do the rest. (Of course, this is not a license to sin, as Paul points out in Romans chapter six)

Divorce. God hates it, man perfects the art of it. But it's not the unpardonable sin.

<Soapbox mode = OFF> We now return to our study ...

Mt 5:33-37 The idea of oaths comes from Deuteronomy 23:21-23. God does not say we have to make oaths, only if we do, we are to keep them. Jesus says we should avoid them altogether. Why? Because we don't have the power to keep them.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

Mt 5:38 Exodus 21:24. The idea was one of the punishment fitting the crime. It does not mean we are to be vigilantes, taking the law into our own hands.

Mt 5:39 Perhaps you've seen the old movies, where a man takes a leather glove, slaps another man on the face and says "I demand satisfaction" - challenging him to a dual. If the man declined, he was shamed and embarrassed. The idea is similar here. A slap on the cheek (especially the right) was an insult in that culture. We are to endure the insults of others and not react.

This verse does NOT mean we should take any physical abuse or violence. Nor does it rule out self-defense.

Mt 5:40

The outer cloak was an inalienable possession (Ex 22:26, Dt 24:13). Jesus' disciples, if sued for their tunics (an inner garment like our suit but worn next to the skin), far from seeking satisfaction, will gladly part with what they may legally keep.[3]

Mt 5:41 Roman soldiers could compel a citizen to carry their gear for one mile.

Mt 5:43 Leviticus 19:17-18 says we are to love our neighbor. But it had been added "and hate your enemy". That's not in Leviticus.

But who is our neighbor? Jesus tells a parable in Luke 10:29-37 about the good Samaritan. In it He explains exactly who our neighbor is.

Mt 5:44-45 Why should we do this? If we have an enemy, we like to be as the "sons of thunder", and say "shall we call down fire from heaven and consume them?" After all, if we are God's children, and someone is against us, shouldn't God be? But a rather large problem presents itself. Consider Paul and his early persecution of the Church. Now imagine the early members of the Church. Suppose someone said the Church could really grow if they just got rid of this bad guy Paul and his relentless pursuit of them. Imagine if they had followed such advice, and tried to "help" God out by killing Paul. After all, he is completely against us, and could never become a Christian. But God had different plans for Paul. A tragedy could have occurred if they had acted on what they might have been thinking.

We are to pray for our enemies, we never know what God has in mind for them. It's important to keep a heavenly perspective.

Mt 5:46-47 We are to be different from the world. It's normal to hate your enemies. But to pray and do good for them? That would definitely separate us from the world.

Mt 5:48 The conclusion of this chapter. We are to be perfect, just as God is. Naturally, we have no hope of doing this by our own works. But through faith in Jesus, God accounts to us HIS righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:21-26).

Three hypocritical practices to be avoided (Mt 6:1-18)

Mt 6:2 "when" - Jesus assumes we already are!

The Pharisees would actually blow a small trumpet every time they helped the poor, so everyone would notice.

Mt 6:4 "openly" - The question is not whether we get a reward in this life, the question is, whose do you want, God or man's? They are mutually exclusive, you can't have both.

Mt 6:5 Once again, notice the use of "when".

Mt 6:7 Eloquence doesn't matter to God. We have a strange idea when we hear someone use "thee and thou" to say, boy are they spiritual! But does it matter to God? Not really. In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus gives the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector, both going to the temple to pray. The Pharisee extols his self-righteousness, how he fasts twice a week, tithes, etc. But the tax collector wouldn't even look to heaven, he just says "God be merciful to me, a sinner". Who went away justified?

There are examples of short prayers being answered. In Numbers 12:9-15 Aaron makes a lengthy request of Moses about someone who is sick, but Moses just asks "Please heal her, O God, I pray". God healed her by Moses' request. Long, repetitive prayers don't get God's attention more.

But jumping ahead a little to Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus says to ask, and we shall receive. The Greek verbs in those two verses mean a continuous action - literally it means to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Does this contradict the instruction to avoid vain repetitions? You don't need to study Greek to figure this one out. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives a brief lesson on what he means to ask, seek and knock.

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 'for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; "and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Luke 11:5-9)

Persistence counts. But how long should we repeat the same request? Paul gives us a clue in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, with his familiar "thorn in the flesh". He requested it to be removed 3 times, and finally the Lord says "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." At that point, he stopped making the request. How long do we repeat the same request? Until the Lord answers.

Mt 6:8 Many times we don't know exactly what to pray for, or how to pray. Satan likes to make us feel if we don't pray a certain way, or often enough, or in the right language, God won't hear our prayers. Fortunately, Paul helps us out on this problem in Romans.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Mt 6:9-13 Here we have the so-called Lord's prayer. But it would be better called the disciples' prayer. The Lord's prayer is in John 17.

The parallel passage for this is in Luke 11, and just before Jesus gives this model for prayer, the disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray. That is interesting, not for the question, but for what they didn't ask for. They didn't ask how to give a powerful sermon, how to have the greatest church programs, attract the largest crowd, or any of many other possible questions. They simply asked, teach us to pray.

"Our Father in heaven" - This implies a relationship with God. You can't pray this prayer without having a relationship with the one true God.

"Hallowed be Your name" - This is sometimes forgotten. While it's true we can address God as our Father, it's important to remember his position. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33)

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven." - We can pray your will be done, but do we really mean it? If you want to follow your own will, God will let you.

"Give us this day our daily bread." - Not our weekly bread, or yearly bread. For the reason for this, turn to Proverbs. Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)

"And forgive us our debts," - We want mercy, not justice.

"As we forgive our debtors." - Our response to receiving his forgiveness is to forgive others.

"And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." First, God tests no man (James 1:13). But then why do we go through trials? Because untested faith is unsure. God allows trials and temptation so that our true character will become known. To Him? Of course not, he already knows. But he wants us to know. In order to know whether we will stand, He allows trials to come so that our faith is tested. But He always provides a way to through the trial (1 Corinthians 10:13).

If trials are good for us, why do we pray for them not to come? Recall someone who thought they were ready for trials, and even said so - Peter. "If all fall away, I won't", he said. Less than 12 hours later, he denied the Lord 3 times. Why not ask for trials? It's boasting to think we are prepared for them. It's when we think we are ready we will fall.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." - A reminder of who we are talking to.

Mt 6:14-15 This does NOT mean our salvation is conditional. Jesus did the complete work on the cross. An example later in the gospel of John should help explain this. Remember when Jesus washed the disciple's feet in John 13. Upon coming to Peter, he protested saying Jesus would never wash his feet. Jesus response in verse 13 gives us an idea what he is referring to here.

Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." (John 13:10)

"Bathed" means washed in the blood of Jesus, by that we are saved. But traveling by foot during that time, your feet would get dirty, hence the need for feet to be washed. Similarly with us, traveling in the world gets us dirty with sin, and we need a daily washing, not by the blood for salvation, but with the water of the Word for refreshing and renewal. It's that renewal day by day that is conditional on our forgiveness of others.

Mt 6:16-18 Similar to the previous examples. The question is, whose reward do you want? For more on fasting, see Isaiah 58.

Three prohibitions against avarice, harsh judgement, and unwise exposure of sacred things (Mt 6:19-7:6, Lk 6:37-42)

Mt 6:19 Recently in our paper was a story about a woman in Russia who had acquired a great deal of money, and packed it away for safekeeping. But she didn't count on the mice literally eating away her life savings! Truly nothing is safe here on earth.

Mt 6:20 In heaven God is in control, so none of these problems occur.

Mt 6:21 During the recent rise and tumble of the stock market, did you read the business section daily? You might if you have investments there. If you don't, the stock market falling really doesn't bother you very much. That is Jesus' point here. Where your treasure is, your heart, attention and devotion will follow.

Mt 6:22-23 Your eye is the entrance for your vision physically. If your eye is bad, you can't see. But your vision spiritually is your heart. If your heart is bad, you can't see spiritually.

Mt 6:24 "mammon" is not just money, but refers to all material possessions. Many people have misunderstood the use of money. Paul did not say "money is the root of evil" in 1 Timothy 6:10, but the love of money. Money is just a tool to accomplish something. It has no intrinsic value of it's own. If we seek to acquire money for it's own end, that's a problem. We should use it simply as a tool to be used by God as He sees fit.

God's view of money and the world's are vastly different. The world seeks to obtain money for security, power and prestige. God's view is money is just a way to accomplish His work. Security rests with Jesus alone (John 10:11 - Jesus is the good shepherd and continually watches over his flock). Power is God's. And the glory of God he will not share (Isaiah 42:8).

But we must remember to be faithful with whatever God has given us. It's not the amount, it's how we handle it. God is not broke, but He requires us to be diligent to use our resources wisely.

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Mt 6:25 "worry" means anxious thought[4]. Jesus does not say do not care about your life, simply don't be anxious for it. He will take care of us. Worry is when we take responsibility for something God has responsibility for.

Mt 6:26 The birds do not sow or reap, but they do what they can. A misunderstanding of this section has people believing they don't need to get out of bed, or go to work - after all, God will take care of us. A story is told of a man who was stuck in a flood. As the people came around to evacuate them, he said "the Lord will take care of me". As the waters started to rise, he climbed up onto the roof of his house. A boat came by to pick him up and he said "the Lord will take care of me". Finally, the water was up to the roof, and a helicopter came, dropped a rope for him to climb up, but he said "the Lord will take care of me". He finally perished in the flood. Upon his arriving in heaven, he was furious. He yelled at the Lord, I trusted you, and you let me down, where were you when I needed you? And the Lord answered, "Who do you think sent the boat and helicopter?"

The point is, God does look after us, but like the birds, we must do what we can. To do nothing is being a birdbrain! Just remember, birds do not get ulcers worrying about where their next meal is coming from, or if their nest will be there when they return, or anything else. If God looks out for the birds, how much more for his children!

Mt 6:27 If worry could add height, I'd be taller than Goliath.

Mt 6:28-30 If God is watching over us, and we believe He has the power to do anything He wants, do we need to be concerned (Jeremiah 32:27, Proverbs 3:5)? We may never be rich, live in the big house, but he promises to provide for our needs (but not our greeds).

Mt 6:31-32 "The Gentiles seek" - we are to be different from the world. Calm in the midst of a crisis can bring many people to ask why we are so calm. Then we get to explain to them the whole Gospel story, and how God provides for us. And after all, they brought it up.

God provides for our needs. Our job is given in the following verse.

Mt 6:33 Seek is in the present imperative voice. It's a command, something we are required to do. We are not to search after food, drink or clothes first, but the kingdom of God. But if we do, Jesus says "these things" will be added to us. What things? Food, drink and clothes - the objects the world follows after.

Mt 6:34 "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Amen.

Mt 7:1 This verse has been misused much recently, usually by someone trapped in a sin they don't want to get out of and are trying to justify. But skipping ahead to verse 15, Jesus says "beware of false prophets". How do you know? They don't normally wear a sandwich board that says "I'm a false prophet, and I'm here to deceive you". So how do you know? It calls for judgement on your part. Jesus DOES say we are to judge, otherwise, how are we to follow his words about false prophets?

We are called to some judgements, others we are to avoid. Looking at several other passages and the point will become clearer. After some digging in a concordance about the word "heart" yields the conclusion is we are to judge a person's actions, but never their heart for several reasons. The first reason is given by Jeremiah.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Two points, first, the idea man is basically good goes out the window. That idea appeals to man's pride, arrogance and flesh - but it's just not true (Do you have to teach your kids to not share their toys or to lie? No, you must teach them to share their toys, to tell the truth, etc. If man was basically good, you wouldn't have to do that. The idea man is basically good is disproved by watching any young child.) Second, no one can know man's heart. It is beyond man's understanding. So we must never judge a person by their heart. But of course, God knows the heart.

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:10)

As an aside, it's interesting to note God does not repair our hearts. They are beyond help. He just replaces it with a new one.

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: (Ezekiel 11:19)

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10)

But back to Jeremiah 17. God says he searches the heart, and gives to every man according to the fruit of his doings. We can never judge someone's heart, but we can (and indeed, must) judge the fruits (outward actions) of people. For example, someone claims to be a Christian. Do they follow Jesus only on Sunday? Do they have what James would call dead faith? (More on this later in the chapter) In other words, do their works confirm or deny what they say with their mouth? If a teacher is teaching the Word of God, does their teaching align itself with the rest of the Bible? Or is it out of alignment? Beware those who don't want you to question their teaching! An honest teacher will ALWAYS want you to search the Bible for yourself. You must always check everything with the Word of God (Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1, Galatians 1:8-9). Should you follow God or man?

Judge the fruits of a person (outward actions), never their heart. We don't judge to condemn, but to identify (sin, false teachers, etc).

Mt 7:2 I don't want to be judged at all, and definitely NOT by my standards!

Mt 7:3-5 The "speck" referred to would be better known as a twig or small branch. Jesus is not comparing the small and large sins, but the large and huge sins! The point is, it's easy for us to spot large sins in other people because it's the very sin we have. Once we deal with our own sin, it's much easier to help someone else with theirs.

Mt 7:6 If you gave a vicious, nasty dog some pearls, would they admire them, and thank you for them? It's more likely they would be upset it's not some kind of food, and turn on you. At some point, we must realize we are wasting our time with people, they just aren't receptive to God's Word. We are always to be good stewards of what God has given us, and perhaps our most precious commodity is time. We can't get more than we have been allotted by God. Our job is to be as productive as possible with what we have been given.

Application and conclusion (Mt 7:7-27, Lk 6:31, 43-49)

Mt 7:7-8 As already mentioned, seek is a continuous action. It means keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. When God opens a door, it can't be shut (Rev 3:7-8 ).

Mt 7:9 If our children need food, will we throw them a rock and say "chew on this kid"? I don't think so. Our own actions with our children will be used as a model for how the Father treats us as his children.

This was also one of Jesus' temptations by satan - to turn stones into bread.

Mt 7:10 No father would do this. But something else is here. The Greek word for fish is ichthus - big deal you may say. But you know how to spell this (it's on many bumper stickers) IXOYE. It's an acronym for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. If you take the first letter of each word (in Greek), you get IXOYE, which is the Greek word for fish. That's why the fish is a common symbol of the Christian.

The serpent you may also know is a symbol for satan.

Putting the two ideas together and you get the following: if you ask the Father for the real thing (Jesus), will he give you the counterfeit (satan)?

Mt 7:11 Jesus' point in using these two examples. No father would do either to his children. If we are evil (Jeremiah 17:9), wouldn't a loving God do much more (than we would) for His children?

Mt 7:12 The so-called golden rule. While it's true this is found in many religions, it's usually with a different twist. They say don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself. It's negative. Jesus gives us a positive, active command. Go out and DO to others what you want done to yourself.

Lesson: The Narrow Path (Mt 7:13-14)

"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. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Much is here in these two simple verses, but it can be broken down into four different contrasts:

Two Groups

There are only two groups in the world. It's interesting today everyone is trying to identify with a certain group. We have African-Americans, Jews, Christians, Europeans, wealthy and others. Some sense of individuality is found by identifying with a group, whether it be religious, racial, economic, political or national. But Jesus blows all that away with these verses. There are only two groups - saved and unsaved. Everyone is in one of these groups.

Two Destinations

These two groups have two completely different destinations. One group attains life, the other death and destruction.

Two Paths

These two groups follow along two different paths to arrive at their destination. And here is where the difference is practically noted. It's difficult to determine which group someone is in, for we can't judge someone's heart (only God can). Our final destination, while certain, also can't be seen currently. However, what we can see is which path someone is on.

We are all faced with a choice which path to take. But some error can creep in. Jesus says the Christian path is the hard one. The Christian life is never easy. Jesus never said it was. Just the opposite. (John 16:33, John 15:18-20, 2 Timothy 3:12). The world thinks Christianity is easy and a crutch to make you feel better without really doing anything. But it takes guts and integrity to stand up for Jesus and go against the world's moral standards and follow a higher path. As the saying goes, any dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to go against the river. People are the same way. Anyone can follow along with whatever schemes the world has, even as morality changes from year to year. But it takes guts to make a stand for what is right.

Just remember, If you're on the easy path, and lots of other people are with you, you've got the wrong path!

Two Gates

It's at this point we frequently encounter trouble. The cynic may complain Christianity is too exclusive and narrow. He can't believe a loving God (if He exists) could provide only one way to heaven. Doesn't everyone go to heaven (if they're good)? For that reason, they reject the Gospel. But this isn't some custom, designer religion. They would like a cafeteria style religion - a little meat (man is basically good), a little potatoes (everyone goes to heaven), lots of dessert (do whatever feels good to you - your religion is as good as anyone's), but no peas (hell, judgement, responsibility - after all that might heart our self-esteem!). All you have to do is travel along the serving line and take whatever truths you want, and leave any that are unpalatable. But truth is truth and it doesn't change, and neither does God (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). If you don't like it, take it up with God. I just follow it and proclaim it.

Yes Christianity is narrow - Jesus said it was. Review His seven "I AM" statements in the Gospel of John

He claimed to be the only way to heaven. You are faced with three choices: (as C.S. Lewis points out, and strangely enough, the only proof for God my philosopher teacher in college found convincing, not that he was a Christian, he just found Lewis' argument interesting)

He is NOT a "good teacher". Jesus claimed to be God. A good teacher would not claim to be something he is not. That option is not available. He must either be liar, lunatic or Lord. The choice is yours. The proof He is God is easy - the empty tomb. If He was either of the first two options, the Jews or Romans would have produced the body to prove it. The empty tomb proves all He claimed to be (1 Corinthians 15 - but especially verses 1-19).

Christianity is narrow. If you're told you are too narrow and should be more open minded, praise God! That is a confirmation (by the world no less) you are on the right path (This is not a license to be rude or flippant, but is an exhortation to not compromise the truth). But we still have a problem with the cynic. He may agree Christianity is narrow, but is it the only way? What about Buddha, or Islam? How do we know they don't provide a way to heaven? Does there even have to be a God? Didn't we evolve?

Dealing with evolution is simple. I won't even take the time here to fully expand on the idea, but it's just one word: entropy. Entropy means the universe is becoming more and more disordered or chaotic. But for evolution to occur requires the opposite - that things are getting better and better. Now entropy is a well-known and well-accepted concept. But the evolutionists just dismiss entropy for this one theory. For all other scientific endeavors, if you proposed a theory going against entropy you would be laughed at. (I admit this is incredibly brief, but I don't what to spend much time on it, there are lots of good resources on the subject).

OK, so evolution is not possible. But we still have a problem. How do you know WHICH God to believe in? How do we know Buddha didn't provide a way to heaven also? (Buddha didn't die for you, but that's another story ...) Consider the following statement about any God who has the capability to create something so vast as our universe.

Since God has the technology to create us in the first place, He certainly has the technology to get a message to us. The question is, How does He authenticate His message; How does he let us know that it is really from Him and not some kind of a contrivance or a fraud? One technique He uses to demonstrate that the origin of this message is from outside our time domain is by writing history before it happens. He alone knows the end from the beginning and there is no way to counterfeit this characteristic of the Biblical text. We call this "prophecy" (Chuck Missler, "The Sword of the Spirit", Personal Update March 1997 page 13 http://www.khouse.org)

I shall endeavor to solve this problem with an example.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word which is even more sure than this, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:16-21)

What is Peter saying here? Remember Peter was a disciple of Jesus, he spent several years with him, and knew him well. However, Peter says here that he did not follow fables when he spoke of Jesus, but was an eyewitness. Eyewitness testimony is extremely credible. Even in our courts today, if we have an eyewitness to an event, that testimony alone is frequently enough to prove a case (assuming the witness himself is credible - and that is frequently a problem). Nevertheless, we have an even more sure word than eyewitness accounts, namely prophecy. This is what separates the Bible from other religious writings. In fact, God himself says so.

"Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination. (Isaiah 41:22-24)

If God exists and is all-powerful, He can easily predict future events. Any being claiming to be God should have this quality.

Before we begin, we will dismiss a common objection. We will be looking at some Old Testament writings, so surely the possibility exists the Old Testament was somehow written after the events of Jesus' life? Actually, no. It is a historical fact the Old Testament was translated from it's native Hebrew to Greek about 300 years BEFORE the birth of Jesus, so the possibility of someone contriving the prophecy to fit the events is absurd.

OK, lets examine a few of the writings of the Old Testament, and see how they apply to Jesus.

Micah 5:2 - Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. How likely is that? The historical population is about 10,000, and the average population of the earth is about 2 billion. Thus we say the likelihood is about 1 in 100,000 or 105

Zechariah 9:9 - Jesus will present himself as king, riding a donkey. How many Kings have presented themselves riding a donkey? Lets say about 1 in 10,000 or 104

Isaiah 53:7 - He was silent during his trial, thus making no defense. How many people, accused of a capital crime make no defense? Probably only a few, but let's say 1 in 100,000 or 105

Psalm 16:10 - Jesus would be raised from the dead. (Note: in Acts 2:25-28, 13:35 this passage is referenced as referring to Jesus) How many people have been brought back from the dead (after 3 days)? Let's be generous, and say 1 in 100,000 or 105

Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 22 - Details of crucifixion, specifically the piercing of hands and feet. How many people have been executed by the piercing of the hands and feet? Perhaps 1 in 100,000? (105)

Zechariah 11:12 - Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, and the money goes to a potter. Lets say 1 in 10,000 or 104.

OK, we have 6 different prophecies of Jesus, and estimates of the probability of them occurring. The probability of ONE person fulfilling them ALL (assuming 100 billion people have lived) is about the same as the number of seconds the universe has been in existence (based on 15 billion years, this yields about 1017 seconds - we have 1028 {composite probability} divided by 100 billion {Number of people ever lived} = 1017 {number of seconds of the universe}). Imagine trying to pick one specific second out of the time the universe has been in existence.

OK, maybe that IS possible. Let's take 30 prophecies, and let's assume they have about the same chance of occurring. Now we are considering a probability of about 1 in 10129. (1028 * 1028 * 1028 * 1028 * 1028 divided by 100 billion). Now, let's imagine that. Consider a ball of all the atoms in the universe, and let's create a ball for each second the universe has been in existence, and we would still be off by a factor of millions. But let's be conservative. I'll mark one atom in one of the balls, and you find it on the first try! Not likely!

However, we are still only using less than 10% of the prophecies involved. Imagine if we used them all! In short, the odds of one person fulfilling them all by chance is impossible. Basic statistics proves the Bible is true and the very Word of God. All I ask is someone considers the evidence. Any logical analysis of the facts shows the Bible is true. But perhaps that's why David said:

The fool hath said in his heart "There is no God". (Psalms 14:1)

Rejection of Jesus is NOT based on analyzing the facts. It's a reaction from the flesh and from pride. Just as the Jews said "We will not have this man to reign over us (Luke 19:14)", it's a rejection of the supremacy of God, a rejection of our need for a savior, and a statement of the desire to follow our own will.

Mt 7:15-16 False prophets don't announce their presence, that's why they are hard to spot. But Jesus says we will know them by their fruits (outward actions). Later in the New Testament we have two actions common to false prophets that helps make them easy to spot.

Mt 7:17-20 A contrast of two trees. Two trees can look identical until their fruit appears, then the difference is known. We are to test all things to see if they are true to the Word of God. (I John 4:1)

Mt 7:21-23 These can be troubling verses. How do we know we aren't in the group the Lord says He doesn't know? Responding to an altar call is not enough. Going to church is not enough. Reading the Bible is not enough. Believing in God is not enough. Even belief that Jesus is the Son of God doesn't do it (The demons believe that!). In James chapter two he explores these ideas, and concludes these by themselves are "dead faith". James says we need works to back up our faith. Works does not mean we earn our salvation, but simply refers to the fruit of our life. Just as we can determine a false prophet by their fruits (works), so can we tell a true Christian by their works.

Peter says "be even more diligent to make your call and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10), but how do you do that? The Bible speaks of several ways. First, it's important to realize we must NOT consider our feelings. They are easily manipulated by the enemy to deceive us. And if we have a great feeling, what happens when we don't have it? Are we unsaved until we get that feeling back? Hardly. It's simply that feelings are not a reliable assurance of our eternal security. We must trust in the Word of God.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. (1 John 5:9-10)

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

Nowhere does it say anything about feelings. We are not to rely on them. But there are ways to be assured. Both Paul and John speak of this.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17)

What does this mean? How does His Spirit bear witness with our spirit? One way is simple, and often taken for granted. Do you believe the Bible? His Spirit wrote it. If you agree with it, your spirit and His are in agreement. This is not a minor point. Most people certainly don't believe the Bible is the very Word of God. It's just something we as Christians take for granted. But Paul says it's one way we can know we are children of God. Also in that great chapter we call Romans 8 is the following.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

Have you ever been led by the Spirit? If so, Paul says it's because you are a son of God. In this great chapter are two ways we can be assured we are children of God. But John also speaks of the assurance of salvation in his letters.

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:24)

Do you keep his commandments? If you do, it's more evidence you are saved. Not that you have to be perfect, that is not John's point. But that we strive to always keep his commandments. And what are they? We don't have to guess, John tells us.

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:23)

There are two ideas. First, believe on Jesus Christ - that we are sinners in need of a savior and have no hope for eternal life apart from Him. But he adds one other method for assurance of salvation - love one another. So here is another way to test your salvation - do you have love for the brethren? If we don't understand exactly what that might imply, John further amplifies this concept.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. (1 John 3:14)

And what kind of love is he talking about? The Greek word for love is agapao. Simply put, it means totally given over to or devoted. But you don't need to know Greek to understand this, as John explains.

But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18)

True Christians will have a deep, self-sacrificing love for other Christians. Anyone can show love when it's convenient, but someone showing agapao love is more concerned about others than their own needs. It's someone who you can call at 2AM, knowing they are available for you if you need it. This is the defining characteristic of a Christian.

We have several ways in the Bible to be assured of our salvation.

Unfortunately, we frequently rely on feelings and experiences, which not only are unreliable, but also can easily be used by the enemy to deceive us. Satan himself can transform into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:13-14). We must anchor ourselves firmly to the rock of the Word of God.

Mt 7:24-27 There are two foundations here. But you can't tell which foundation someone has built on until the rain comes. Just like the two trees, the two houses look identical until the rain shows the real foundation. And Paul tells us what the rock is, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 10:4)

Reaction of the multitudes (Mt 7:28-29)

The scribes only taught by quoting other teachers. Jesus taught by His own authority without referring to rabbi so and so.

[1] Zodhiates page 930

[2] Zodhiates page 935

[3] NIV Bible Commentary Volume 2: New Testament page 29

[4] Strongs definition 3309

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The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)