Matthew 7:1-12
“Grace & The Golden Rule”
Vs. 1-5: How to Judge
Vs. 6: How to Discern
Vs. 7-12: When in Doubt, Pray
Intro.
As we read through this section of scripture, we need to remind ourselves that as Jesus spoke these words, there were no chapter divisions. He did not come to chapter seven and say, “Now, chapter seven!” Thus, this was a continual teaching, all of which linked up with what was already said. So this chapter, which starts out saying, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” ties in with what He had just said previously, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
One of the things that happens to me when I start to get anxious over the things of this world is that I become critical of those who are handling my things in this world. One of my Bible teachers the first day of his class told us that he wanted to share the most profound thing he ever learned from anyone else. He told us that this was the key to maintaining a consistent joyful walk with the Lord. Here they are:
1.) Life is not fair.
2.) People are weird.
3.) Love covers a multitude of sins.
Twelve years have passed since he first told me those words, and they are still profound! Much of our life is not what we go through; rather, it is in what manner we respond. We must learn how to make the right decisions. How to discern between people yet not be critical of them. We need, as God’s children, to treat people in the manner in which we wish to be treated. The key to this is to be found in our constant prayer, asking, seeking, and knocking for the wisdom and power to so love as He loves.
Vs. 1-5: How to Judge
Notice how Jesus teaches here:
A.) First, (Vs. 1), He declares the principal: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
B.) Second, (Vs. 2) He amplifies the principal: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
C.) Lastly, (Vs. 3-5) He illustrates it.
I just love to read Jesus’ teaching because of this; no matter what Jesus taught, He always put wheels on it. To not, as a Christian, live what He taught made no sense. I’ve learned over the years to always take the truths of God and put them in the world in which we live.
For instance, people who say they know God because they have heard about Him think that is enough to go to heaven. I say that is like a person who is dying of an infection who knows about penicillin and its ability to help the healing processes, thinking that just the knowledge of the drug will heal them!
Vs. 1 It is important to understand just what this word “judge” means. Does it mean that we are never to use our intellect to discern anything about another person? So often today you will hear a person say to you or another Christian when confronted about some visible sin in their life, “Judge not, that you not be judged!”
The actual word has a wide variety of meanings, everything from distinguish & discern to condemn & damn. So now we must look at the context in the use of this word to determine its meaning. Clearly, verse 6 helps us here because Jesus is clearly not condemning the proper use of our intellect to discern who is a dog or a pig. Therefore, in the first five verses, Jesus forbids the kind of judgment that condemns or finds fault with another person.
Perhaps this would better be put if it said, “Condemn not that you not be condemned.” In other words, come to no final verdict upon another person’s life. Don’t go around looking for another person’s faults or condemning a person based upon our perception of the motives in which they do something. Weighing the heart or motives of man belongs to God; Prov. 21:2. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts.”
Vs.2 Here Jesus amplifies this point on not condemning another person and not having a critical spirit towards another person. It is a simple truth: a person who is a fault finder in others will have it done to them. When we come to wrong conclusions about someone else, then they will in turn come to wrong conclusions about us.
It always amazes me how my faults always look a lot worse on you than they do on me. It’s great to have kids because every now and then you will hear them say something just as critical as you do with the same expressions that you use, then you go, “Man, that’s ugly,” and the Holy Spirit says, “Yeh, I know!” Now that I’m a little more full, I figured it would be pretty silly for me to say, Man, do you see that guy over their look at how fat they are? If I do sooner or later, someone is going to look at me and say, “Have you seen that fat guy over there?”
Remember that story of David in 2 Sam. 12: where the prophet Nathan came to David after he had taken Uriah, the Hittites wife, Bathsheba, and then when he got her pregnant, he had him put on the front lines and killed. Nathan came to him and told him about a wealthy man who had all the servants and flocks he could ever want, and yet he saw this very poor man who had only one little lamb that he loved.
Well, said Nathan, the wealthy man, took the poor man’s pet lamb and barbecued it for his dinner guests. With this, David became enraged and said, “This man shall surely die!” To which Nathan replied, “You are that man!”
Vs.3-5 Here we are given a clear illustration of the principal about having a critical spirit. Jesus uses real figures in a funny way! The word speck is like a small piece of sawdust. The beam is a massive piece of timber. The beam in which the Lord uses here is a critical spirit against other people. The person who has a critical spirit towards another has a far greater problem than does the one he is criticizing—a lack of love. Our search for faults in others is evidence of the beam of a critical spirit.
I got to tell you this is one of those areas that God is always dealing with me in. Sometimes, as I look over this area of my life, it seems as though I have a ministry of rebuke! The truth is I will never be able to see the little speck in others until I have a spirit of love towards them! Self-righteousness clouds my vision and renders ministry impossible.
Picture this if you will. Would you allow a blind doctor to operate upon your eyes? G. Cambel Morgan said this: “The power to remove the speck to which you object lies not in our acute vision but in the passion and tenderness of your love to remove it!”
Paul said this to the Galations in Gal. 6:1. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” We need to maintain the balance, as one person said, “I’m no judge, but I am a fruit inspector!” We need to love those but hate the sin.
Vs. 6: How to Discern
Vs. 6 Here we see the need to balance this love with discernment. If we were to turn over to 2 Peter 2:22, we would get the right interpretation of what Jesus meant about dogs and swine. “ But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit” and “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” Peter had been talking about false teachers and prophets when he said this.
We are not to condemn a person by way of a critical spirit, but neither are we to take the things of God before someone who clearly wants only to mock them. Clearly this is a call for discernment; you will need to look at the fruit of a person’s life, not condemning them but seeing if they are open for spiritual truths or just want an argument.
My wife had a co-worker a while back who kept on asking questions. At first, it seemed as if the person was truly interested in truth and the Bible. As time went on, all they really wanted was reasons to not believe. Finally, she told him, “Are you really wanting out of the life you are now living, or are you just looking for excuses to stay the way you are?” With that she said she went on to say, “If you really want the truth, come on over for dinner, and my husband and I would love to talk with you further.”
That was the last time he asked her any more questions. Oh, how awful for this man! All he wanted was to find excuses and reasons not to believe; he was not interested in reasons to believe! These are the people that you must continue to live with but not talk about. Jesus does not ever say that we should not let our light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Clearly, then, this is a reference to what we say and share with others! But how will we be able to know whether we are critical in spirit or discerning? Verses 7-11.
Vs. 7-12: When in Doubt, Pray
Vs. 7 First, you will notice here that Jesus uses words that are progressively more intense. He starts with “Ask,” then moves to “Seeks,” and lastly to “knocks.” All of this ought to have the word “keep” in front of them, for that is what it is in the Greek. So the first thing we need to be doing is “continuual prayer.” If you’re not sure how to respond to someone, be in continual prayer; when in doubt, pray!
Now though this truth can be applied to other situations, its clear context is on the right way to treat others and making sure you are not behaving with a critical spirit. So let’s look at these three keys:
A.) Ask: The word means to beg in the sense of complete dependence. The first thing we must realize is that, as far as we are concerned, we are beggars completely dependent upon the Lord, who weighs the hearts of man to rightly know how to treat another person. And if we come to Him in our humility, what will happen? We shall find it! Is that not great when we come to Him in our ignorance and find Him who is all truth?
B.) Seek: Means to desire or to worship God. It implies care; if you have ever lost something that you love, then you are seeking it with a desire much more intense than just asking if someone has seen it. And what will happen as you keep on seeking the Lord? Why, you will find it!
C.) Knock: This word means to rap, and I don’t mean the so-called music. This shows a persistence that leaves no door left closed. And what is promised here? Why will the door be opened?
Vs. 8: Notice what it says here: “Everyone” who asks… seeks… knocks… receives… finds… opened.” Every now and again I will talk to some dear believer who is struggling, and I will tell them they need to give this or that over to the Lord in prayer, and they will say, “I’ve given it to God, but it’s still here; prayer has not worked!” It is not prayer that has not worked, but us! We give ourselves to God, and then we take that area back! We have free wills; we need to lay down whatever is stumbling us at His feet and not pick it up again!
All of this shows passion; would it be that we would go before the Lord seeking Him with our whole heart this way? So many people have a warped view of God. “Hey, if I really give myself to God, then he is going to send me to some awful place or cause me to marry some ugly dude!”
Vs. 9-11 Here again, Jesus uses this illustration to emphasize the truth He just taught. I love my kids, and if they came to me and said, “Dad, I’m hungry,” I know I would not say, Sure thing, help yourself to that rock outside. If I, who am fleshly, know how to love my children, how much more does our heavenly Father?
Now personally, I’m glad God has not always given me the things that I wanted because He knows that they would only harm me. Is it not great to just think about how great God’s love is towards us and what grace He exhibits towards me every day? That is what hit me at the pastors conference this past week. Here I am fussing and acting up all the time, and He just is so patient towards me. My worry ought not to be what God will do to me if I open my heart all the way towards Him, but what I will miss if I don’t!
Matthew 7:12-29
Vs. 12: The Golden Rule
Vs. 13-23 Gates, Trees, & Life
Vs. 24-29 A Sure Foundation
Intro.
We have now come to the end of this 30-minute massage that Jesus taught, called the “Sermon on the Mount.” You will remember that this passage started with the words 5:1-2. “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them,
“Thus, all of what Jesus has been saying refers directly to you and me. This manifesto of the King is to those of us who are His subjects. It is here that we are told the way in which we shall reach those who are not yet His subjects. This section serves as a summation of all that He has taught us thus far.
The sermon will conclude with the response of those who are outside of His Kingdom, and this ought to be of great encouragement to us of the validity of the Word of God. I must confess that I get a bit upset at all the church adds in the paper that says, “relevant Bible teaching.” All Bible teaching is relevant! It makes you wonder what these churches are communicating?.
In the Los Angeles Times recently, there was the story of a man who had been picked up as a robbery suspect. The person who had been robbed was asked to pick him out of a line-up. The six men that were behind the one-way glass were asked to repeat the phrase, “Give me all your money or I’ll shoot.”
When they got to the real robber, instead of shouting the phrase, he yelled at the glass, “That’s not what I said!” All too often to be relevant, we are not teaching the word; we are just repeating phrases of the world, and this has no effect, not so with Jesus, who taught as one who had authority! I think today in many churches if Jesus were in the service He would stand up & shout, “That’s not what I said!”
Vs. 12: The Golden Rule
Vs. 12 Now there are a great many who think that Jesus stole this from other men before Him. It is a fact that others before Him have said words similar to this, for instance:
A.) Hillel had said, “Do not do to thy neighbor what is hateful to yourself, or he will do it to you.”
B.) Socrates said, “What stirs your anger when done to you by others, do not do that to others.”
C.) Aristotle said, “We should bear ourselves towards others as we should desire them to bear towards us.”
D.) Confucius said, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
Yet there is a radical difference between what they all said and what Jesus said here. Theirs are all negative and passive. It is all about not doing. Refrain from harming them; they will not harm you! Don’t rob that person, and they won’t rob you. If you don’t say something mean about that person, they won’t say anything mean about you. This is not what Jesus is saying here. He is positive and active.
Go and treat people the way you would want to be treated. Wow! What a concept! You mean, if you are being a jerk, how would you want someone to treat you? Why, I would want them to come right over to me and call me a jerk, spit in my face, and kick my right leg. OK, let’s see if that is true!
No, you would want someone to love you and spend time with you trying to comfort you and see what is going on in your life. The difference is as great as not breaking the speed limit, which I’m sure all of us obey, and stopping to help stranded motorists. The first is about not doing; the second is about doing.
This golden rule is only golden if it is attached to this prayer above; that is why the word “therefore” is here; it is only as we “ask, seek, and knock” that we are able to so treat others. You see, you can’t do this apart from total dependence upon Him. Just treat your spouse the way you want to be treated, but if you say I don’t want to, then you need a change of heart!
Vs. 13-23 Gates, Trees, & Life
As we come upon this section, Jesus is going to use a three-fold illustration to illustrate our responsibility in following Him. Yes, He is full of grace and truth, but we have a responsibility to follow. It is interesting to line up these illustrations to Jesus’ words in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The first being “The Way,” which links with verses 13–14. Next is “The Truth,” which lines up with verses 15-20. Then lastly, “The Life,” which fits verses 21–23.
Vs.13-14 As we look at this, the imagery is not that difficult. Jesus says that there are two ways: a narrow gate and a wide gate. They in turn lead to a difficult way and a broad way.
What’s interesting about this analogy is what we often forget, namely the end result of the journey. The right way leads to life, the wrong to destruction. The person who is looking at just the benefits of where they are now instead of where they want to go will be easily fooled. What is your goal? Is it to find the easiest path in this life—money, popularity, power? Then the gate is easy to find; you will hear about that gate every day; its roads are paved with big flashing signs.
Now what’s interesting is the word picture you get as you look at Jesus’ analogy of this path of life. Destruction is very narrow, wouldn’t you say? The word can refer to either spiritual, such as damnable, or practical, like waste. I get this picture of one of those machines at a junkyard that smashes cars; they confine them in a box and press in until all you have is a block of steel. So in other words, this picture is like a funnel—the broad entrance that leads to a narrow confinement.
Many find this way to ruin. You can bet that the broad way does not have a sign over it saying, “This way to hell.” No! It is the popular way. A great many people are turned off by Christianity because they say it is too restrictive. To which I always say that is not so! You see, we are set free from sin into the glorious liberty of grace.
1 Cor. 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” And again in chapter 10, verse 23, we read, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.” So our liberty extends to the point where we need to ask ourselves what we are into—is it enslaving us, is it building us more into the image of Jesus?
Now, again, the way of Christ to some may appear to be restrictive, but the end is life. Wow! Talk about freedom. Again, the picture is a funnel only from the other end; you start out at the narrow end and end up at eternal life.
How sad it is that a lot of people are only looking at the gate and the ease of this life. It is like the story I’ve heard of a wealthy man who asked a lot of people which they would rather have: $10,000 right now or a penny a day, doubling the amount each day for a month. Most people said that they would prefer to have the $10,000 up front, not realizing the amount they would have had in a month.
At the end of the first week, you would have only $1.27. By the end of the second week, you would have $81.91. Then, by the end of the third week, you would have $10,321.91, or $321.91 more than the $10,000. Finally, at the end of four weeks, you would have 1 million, 342 thousand, 13 dollars, and 10 cents.
Hey, give me the narrow way that leads to life!
Vs. 15-20 Now we move on to “The Truth.” We have seen the danger of going down the wrong path; now we see the danger of following the wrong person.
1.) First, I want you to know that these false teachers or prophets come disguised. I’ve been watching a series of videos on the Mormon Church. They don’t come out and tell everybody that they believe you can become a god. Neither do they say to everyone that Jesus is the spirit brother of Satan or that Jesus was the child born from the sexual relationship between God the Father and Mary. Or that Jesus had many wives. No, they say that they are just a more full evangelical denomination. That’s sheep’s clothing!
2.) We are told how we can distinguish them: “By their fruits.” One old puritan pastor was fond of saying, “It is possible to put grapes on thrones and figs on thistles, but they can’t grow there.” In the O.T., prophets represented God and declared His truths. Thus they were exhorted in Deut. 13:1–5 to put them to the test by both words and works. Might I suggest a few simple tests?
A.) The first test of a teacher or a prophet is in their life. How do they live? Are they living in humility, righteousness, and faithfulness? Do they look like Jesus? Does their lifestyle point you to Jesus or the world?
(B.) Secondly, what do they teach? Is what they teach consistent with the whole counsel of the word of God? So many of these guys are more interested in fleecing the sheep than caring for the sheep. Gods not broke! If all they do is hit you up for money, then they are at the very least missing representing God.
God is perfectly able to provide for His plan; He will never use guilt or pressure to get you to give. I was reading the other day about one of these guys who has the largest TV audience in the world for any religious broadcast. He endorses yoga, TM, and Zen Buddhism as valid methods of harnessing God’s divine laws. He went on to say that if he came back in 100 years and found some of his descendants were Muslims, it would not bother him. Folks, I would say that this is a false teacher.
C.) Lastly, test their fruit, or if you will, the effect on those that they teach. Are the people growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ? Or are they just being entertained? The Fruit of Christ of Gal 5:22–23, which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” comes from the result of “WHO” we are in Christ. If these things are not evident, then the teaching is most likely man-centered.
Do not be mistaken; you cannot gather good fruit from a corrupt tree. Much of what false teachers say is true; it is what they add that you have to watch out for! Aesop told a story of a wolf who wanted to steal sheep, so he took a sheep skin, put it over himself, and went in among the flock. It just so happened that the shepherd got hungry the same night & went to find the biggest sheep in the fold & plunged a knife into its side. It turned out to be the wolf!
Vs.21-23 Now we come to the last of these three illustrations, which deal with life. Again, let us examine this carefully. The key to understanding this passage is in the words “DOES the will of My Father,” “Many will say to Me, etc.” “I never know you.” Clearly, what Jesus is speaking of is the difference between those who profess and those who practice. It is important to recognize that we are not talking about a person who at one time had a relationship with the Lord and turned a way; clearly,
Jesus is speaking of a person whom He “NEVER KNEW.” It is important, as Paul writes to Romans 10:9, “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.” But it is not just an outward profession; it is an inward relationship signified by the words “believe in your heart.”.
Notice that these people have impressive spiritual accomplishments—”prophesied, cast out demons, done many onders”—all in His name, but this alone is not the sign of true fellowship. The bottom line is that salvation is not on the basis of verbal confession or upon spiritual works; it is based upon knowing Jesus and being known by Him.
These are like people who call a doctor but don’t go to the office. Jesus says that only those that “DO THE WILL OF HIS FATHER” will enter the kingdom of heaven. So what is the ”Will of the Father”? 1 John 3:23 tells us that “His commandment is that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.” Such that they never do this, no matter who practices lawlessness. It is by our obedience that we prove that we have a relationship with Him. A lot of people are out doing things for God, but it is to be noticed for their actions!
Vs. 24-29 A Sure Foundation
Vs. 24-27 We now come to the last section, as Jesus again tells us that it is not just outward conformity, not just mere intellectual consent, but applying truth. Again, let us examine this section:
1.) Both of these men build. All people are building houses in their lives; there is not a person today who is not building their houses of life. They are building the shelters of life—those things that they retreat into to find shelter and comfort in. It is a fact that all people are doing this.
2.) Both use the same material. The material of construction is the same. The fabric of construction material is the same. The materials of comfort are the same: a job, a family, a community. These are not evil; they are simply the places where we live certain substances that enable us to live.
3.) Both were built in the same area. Jesus is speaking here to them in the area of Israel. In fact, this area in the summer was hard and dry, very solid to build upon. Thus, each house looked the same from the outside, built in the same area with the same materials.
Yet with this said, one man’s house stood, the other collapsed. Notice that the true test of their construction came when trials hit. Folks, trials will come; it is only then that you will truly know whether or not you built upon the sure foundation of Christ.
A.) The one who builds his house upon the rock is the one who hears the words of the Lord and does them.
B.) The one who builds his house upon the sand is a blockhead who heard the word of the Lord and did not do it.
A lot of people go to church or listen to Greg Lourie at Harvest and say right on, yet don’t take action.
The only difference between these two men is in the foundation. 1 Cor. 3:11 says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” We cannot just be hearers of the word; we must be doers of the word (James 1:22).
Vs. 28-29 The effect of this 30-minute sermon was that people were amazed. These were not just opinions; they were truths with authority. Folks, we have come full circle, the word of God, sitting His disciples there upon a hill teaching them. The Word of God is life-changing. It ought to excite us as we open the Bible and read the words of Jesus, but may it do more than just excite us; may His Spirit change us.