The Bible Study Thread!

[Southern Gent]

CONTRAST #6 - Vengeance (5:43-48)
5:43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
This is unique to the sixth contrast because in Lev 18:19 hate your enemy is not part of the Old Law. So this was an expansion, or an addition, to the Law.

5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
The word love is "agapata" (same as in Eph 5:25 where husbands are told to love their wives). It is a purposeful type of love. Love, defined, is doing whatever is in the best interest of the other. We choose to do that. We do everything in our power for others’ best interests - 1 Jn 3:16-18. Christians are to also love their enemies. We make our best efforts for them. We love, because we have the enemies’ best interest at heart. We do what is best for them. We make our best effort. The application for this is clear for Christians. There are many who stand as enemies of Christianity and the Lord's church. The Christian reaction should be one of love and kindness. This is how Jesus responded to His enemies. So should we. When you love someone you should pray for him or her. It is difficult to hate someone for whom you continually pray. This is the illustration of going the second mile. The second mile is the mile of love. God wants us to serve not from compulsion, but from love.

Pray for those who persecute you - bring the name of that person before God, praying for God to help, bless and forgive them just as Jesus did on the cross.

5:45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Sons. When the Bible talks about being sons of the Father it is really talking about the idea of characteristics. Since a Christian must have the characteristics of his Father in heaven, then he needs to love his enemies and pray for his persecutors. How does God love? The example is here.

He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
God blesses not only those who are His, but those who are not His. Some use this passage to illustrate the “supposed” answer to prayer by those outside of Christ. God does bless all, but those blessings do not indicate God approves of all. Some may be evil and unrighteous. According to Prov 15:9,29, “If one turns his face from the law, even his prayers are an abomination to Him.”

5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?
If we do the same as the unrighteous do, then are we any better than they? If you love me, it is easy for me to love you. What is special about Christians is that we love and do good to those who do not like us, and are not nice to us. As a matter of fact, the very ones who are trying to do bodily harm to us are the ones we should love. If we love only those who
love us, we are no different from them.

5:47 And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Greetings are expressions of friendship. The Gentiles greeted those they knew, but not those they did not know. Jesus is saying it is easy for us to love our “inner circle.” Being friendly is something Christians should be to all; out going, reaching out, talking. How many times did we become friends with people by just talking to them - those we knew, as well as those we did not know?

5:48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This is a passage that is easily misunderstood. Many think we are to reach perfection, but there is no way we can - Rom 3:10,23. In context, this is talking about having perfect love. We can love as God loves. When we love our enemies as much as we want God to love us, then we have fulfilled v. 48. When He talks of the perfection of the heavenly Father He is talking about perfect love. Our love is worthless if we show no more than the Gentiles. Rom 13:8 - “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” 1 Jn. 4:19-21 - “We love because He first loved us.”


End Chapter 5

 

[Southern Gent]

CHAPTER SIX
6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Righteousness is something we do in Matthew. But it is not something we do in Romans, it is something we are because of what God has made us. God makes us "righteous”, “justifies” us in Romans. This is not how Matthew is using this word.
There are four areas of righteousness Matthew is going to discuss.
1. In Alms - 6:2-4.
2. In Prayer - 6:5-15.
3. In Fasting - 6:16-18.
4. In Materialism - 6:19-33.

Beware. This warning should provoke some serious thought about practicing our righteousness before men to be noticed by them. We need to be careful about why we do what we do. We need to note what is being done, and how it is being done. Why are we doing these things? To be noticed by men?

Reward. Our Christian deeds should be done only because we want to glorify our Father in heaven, not because we want to receive glory from men. This helps us to understand Mt 5:16 which says let your light shine. Now Jesus tells us the people not to practice them before men. What is the difference? The difference is the reason. It is for the purpose of receiving glory for their acts. They want men to see and give them glory, and when men receive that glory, then their Father in heaven will not reward them. If we do good deeds, and someone sees what we have done, and they glorify God, then that is what Jesus wants. If what we do for the Lord is done to be seen of men, then we are stealing glory from God. We take away from Him what is due to Him, not us. According to 6:19-21 we want to lay up treasures in heaven.

6:2 When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Alms. This word is from "eleeos." We discussed this in 5:7 as meaning “merciful.” The New American Standard Version reads "acts of charity." This is what we are talking about.
Note the times this word occurs: Mt 5:7; 6:2; 9:13,27; 12:7; 15:22; 17:15; 18:33; 20:30,31; 23:23.
What Jesus is talking about is something someone does for someone else, which ranges from the giving of material goods to forgiving. It is significant in Matthew that following Jesus requires His disciples to conduct themselves in a certain way, and that is to give. They (we) must be a giving people, charitable people, forgiving people. Thus, is could be said that a person who is very selfish is not a disciple of Jesus. One who has, but does not share, has missed the point of discipleship. Someone who does something for someone else, and announces he is doing it, wants others to see. Jesus says: They have their reward in full. There is tremendous sadness in this, because God had hoped to reward that person. But, since they already received their reward from others, God no longer intends to give any. Would you not rather have God's reward instead of men's reward?

6:3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing
Our giving is not for public knowledge - to be seen. It is done out of love for God and a desire to serve Him. The expression concerning the left hand not knowing what the right hand does is a figure of speech, emphasizing the attitude of secrecy God's people have when it comes to service.

6:4 that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
God sees and knows. Note the sections talking about Father, which will be covered at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The point here is, God is the one whom we want to see us, and there is nothing we can do that He will not see or know. The key is in our attitude - the attitude that all is done for God's glory. We can see in this that there is a variety of things one can do privately, while others lend themselves to a public nature. There are times when my helping someone else should be a personal deed while, on the other hand, there may be a time when helping would be a public deed. Jesus is trying to show a balance, and stressing the reason why a person does what he does. We can let people know that Jesus is doing things through others without mentioning names and, in doing so, we give the glory to God. It is sad we have reached point of not glorifying God, but the man. But, we need to see what is done. We need to praise God for these people and their good works, but not glorify the people themselves. We must not rob God of the glory that is rightfully His by praising people for the works they do.

 

[Southern Gent]

6:5 And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
He does not say "and if you pray." He assumes that righteous people will pray!
Not as the hypocrites. The two most public places in Jerusalem were the streets and the synagogues. Their praying in those places was done in order to be seen by men. They were hypocritical because they only pretended to be righteous - praying only to be seen by men.
Reward in full. Did you know you receive a reward for saying prayers? What is the reward God gives? The hearing. He is the One who will hear the prayer. That is the ultimate reward we want.

6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Jesus is not saying we cannot pray publicly, but the righteous have a private prayer life. We know God sees and hears even in our inner chambers with no one else around. As a child of God we speak to our Father. He likes it when we talk to Him alone.
Will repay you. He is going to respond to our prayers. 1 Jn.5:14,15 - “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us...”

6:7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Again, the assumption His disciples will be praying. The Gentiles loved to repeat the same things over and over again. Jesus is letting us know how the Father feels about prayer. We should not use meaningless repetition. A prayer can be repetitive and still have meaning. Offering thanks for our food could turn into vain repetitions, but if we are mindful of the fact that God is the One who gives all things, and we are thankful, He will not condemn our prayers. We do need to think about our prayers; the context, the content, the attitude we demonstrate when we pray.
They suppose. This is the reason for their repetitions, to invoke the gods to hear them.

6:8 Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.
Certainly, at first glance, we can see the all-knowing nature of God. He knows before we ask a single word. He knows what it is we are about to say. So, then, why pray if God already knows? Prayer is for us. Prayer is for our benefit. If we do not pray, we do not show our faith in God. Why pray, if God already knows what we need?
1. Because we are commanded to pray. It is the will of God that we pray. See Mt 6:9; 1 Thess 5:17; Phil 4:6; Rom 12:12.
2. Because we are told we will receive when we ask. 1 Jn 5:14,15. There is a good illustration of this in 2 Kgs 19. Hezekiah worried that the king of Assyria will do to his kingdom what he had already done to the Northern Kingdom of Israel - destroy
it. Hezekiah then prays to God. Notice the prayer. Then notice God’s answer. ”Because you have prayed about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.” If Hezekiah had not prayed to God, then God would not have responded. But, he did, and God did!
3. Because it is good for us. It brings us closer to God. It is good to verbalize what we feel. Confession is good for the soul. It is good for us because it helps us prioritize our lives and get things in their proper prospective. We pray, knowing that God knows what we need. This is comforting in that while we feel inadequate in prayer, not fully able to express what we feel, it makes no difference because God knows - especially when we are grieved. Maybe we cannot verbalize how we feel, but God knows. This is comforting - Rom 8:26ff.

6:9 Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
This is often called the Lord's prayer, but it is actually the disciples’ prayer. In this way. This is basically a pattern of the content of prayer.

Our Father. We must appreciate the fact that we are addressing our heavenly Father - recognizing and identifying the relationship that exists between our God and ourselves. Jesus wanted the Jews (and us) to see God as the Father. A good example is that of the ideal relationship with our earthly fathers - our “Dads” - with no reservations about talking to them about whatever it is. God is the perfect Father for us to come to in this way.

In Heaven. Jesus makes a clear distinction between our earthly father and God. He is our Father in heaven. There needs to be balance in whom we are approaching.

Hallowed = special, above all names. It is sanctified, holy, reverend. Jesus wants us to begin our prayers with praise; acknowledging, recognizing, and stating verbally that God is great, that His name is the greatest, and that His name is above all names. He is the Only One. Hallowed be His name. We are not just addressing anybody. This is the Almighty God. God is One who demands respect. His name is Hallowed, and that is what we must acknowledge as we begin our prayers.

6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This is Hebrew parallelism. Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done are saying the
same thing. When God rules as king, His subjects submit themselves to His rule, to Him.
What Jesus is encouraging us to pray here is that God's expressed will for mankind be done on this earth. That is why He says, “On earth as it is in heaven." The angels in heaven do what God wants. They are in total submission to God. Jesus knows this because He has been there, and has experienced their answering the beckoning call of God. Christians shoulddevelop the attitude of the angels. When God says, they do. Thus, the emphasis on Thy will being done. That is also what Jesus prayed in the garden - Mt 26:39.
This is not specifically asking that the church would come. It has little to do with that. It is a prayer that God's rule would take place on the earth. "Thy will be done" is present tense, a continuous action. We want it to be done as much before the church as after the church. So we pray for God's will for man be executed by man. It is God's will that the church be established and in that sense it is true, but the general meaning is that God's will be done on earth. There is nothing unscriptural about praying this. We should pray that God rules on earth as He does in heaven.

Notice as we move into the fourth element of the prayer, we express our concerns and needs. The order Jesus teaches is a lesson for us. Unfortunately, we usually begin with our needs and concerns. Jesus does not teach us this way. We should
(1) praise God;
(2) pray concerning God's work and then
(3) pray for our needs.

 

[Southern Gent]

6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
What is interesting about this part of the prayer is not so much that we ask for needs, but ask for THIS day our daily bread. This refers to the Jews’ wandering in the wilderness. God provided daily the manna they needed. They were to learn to trust God day by day, and not stockpile things so they did not have to worry about God’s blessing them for the next month. Everyday we should turn to God in our needs. Our affluent society has destroyed the power of this statement. Imagine living in an environment with the stomach crying for food, and you have no idea where you are going to get it. It is then you fall down and ask for food for only today. Today I will ask for the Lord's blessing. This expresses humbleness. See 6:33,34. The application is hard to apply in affluent societies. But we must recognize that God can remove His blessings. We must be
grateful that we have what we do have, and our God has given it to us.

6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
We expressed a physical, personal concern, and now we express a spiritual concern. We need God's forgiveness, and we are able to approach Him for it because of the past tense of the following second phrase: Have forgiven our debtors. We come to God asking Him to forgive us, only after we have already forgiven others.

6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’
Numbers 6:24-26 is the prayer of Israel for spiritual protection, which is the last element of the disciples’ prayer. The Greek text has the definite article, “deliver us from the evil.” So it could mean to keep us away from the Devil. It really does not change the meaning, whether Devil or evil. We are appealing to God to help us to stay away from anything that will take us away from His word and His will. 1 Cor 10:13 assures us, “No temptation that has overtaken you...” And 2 Thess 3:1-3, "...pray for us...that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men...from the evil one.” Paul says God will do so, and we need to pray that He will. This is an element in prayer we rarely ever hear - keep us from evil. We hear the asking for forgiveness, and that God will keep some things away from us. God helps us by keeping Satan out of our path. He will also help us by keeping us out of Satan’s path.

Thine is the kingdom. This is probably not a part of the gospel of Matthew. It is not in the best manuscripts, but does not teach something that is wrong. In Lk 11:2-4 we have this prayer repeated, and this ending is not in that prayer. It is not found anywhere in the New Testament. This is an insert, probably by some scribe who was copying the text. Our earliest manuscripts do not have these words. Note the Greek text apparatus on verse 13. The experts give the reading without the "For thine..." passage an {A} reading - and this means that they are 98% sure that what is said is actually what was written in the original.

6:14 For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Jesus expands on what He mentioned earlier. The "for" refers to what He said in v. 12. Jesus is laying down a very common, but very powerful, Biblical truth: being forgiving. God's people should be characterized by this, whereas those in the ancient (and current) society were characterized as people holding grudges. Christianity is that which allows someone who has done something against us to be forgiven (Col 3:13), bearing with and forgiving one another. And we are this kind of people: Eph 4:32 - "forgiving each other just as God in Christ..." Lk 17:3,4 says, ."..and if he repents, forgive him." Does the Bible require us to forgive a person if he does not repent? If someone sins against us and has no intention to repent, we are not required to forgive him. Notice Jesus in saying what He did from the cross. "Father forgive them.” The people did not receive forgiveness until they obeyed what Peter taught in Acts 2:38. Jesus is expressing His attitude and willingness to forgive. This is the way we should be.
If a person is living in sin, and we just forgive that sin without requiring that person to do what God requires - "bring forth fruit" - then we are not encouraging them to do what God requires. Consider an example of church discipline. In Mt 18 Jesus tells us what to do to encourage others to get their life back on God’s path. That is the purpose of discipline. The passage in Luke says if he comes and repents, then you forgive him. That is what God does with us when we come time after time to ask for forgiveness. That is what is seen on the cross. Jesus desired that they be forgiven, but they would not be forgiven until they did something that showed they were willing to repent of what they had done to the Christ. See what Peter says in Acts 2.

6:15 But, if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
We need to be a forgiving people and develop the God-like attitude. This must be done in order to receive God's forgiveness for ourselves.

6:16 And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
The Law of Moses required fasting once a year - on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16; Num 29:7). The purpose of fasting was the denying the body food for a specific reason, such as mourning, or for study and meditation. Fasting is that which has a spiritual emphasis. And since it has this, our fasting is a matter between us and God, it is not to be announced to others. It is done by choice, by Christians who want to spend time denying the physical to focus on the spiritual. It was a part of the early church life - Acts 14:23.

In order to be seen by men. They do not take care of their physical appearance so that everyone can see that they are fasting.

They have their reward in full. They will not receive any reward from God for this. The Pharisee, in Lk 18:12, bragged about his self-righteous attitude and his fasting two times a week.

 

[Southern Gent]

6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face
Jesus assumes that they will fast. No place in the scriptures shows that fasting is commanded. It is strictly a voluntary thing. Jesus was talking to people who fasted regularly as a part of their life style. It would be good for people today to fast. For more on this see notes on Mt 4:2.

Anoint your head - take care of yourself so people will not be able to tell you are fasting. Besides, they do not need to know anyway. This is something between the person fasting and God.

6:18 so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Just do it. Nobody needs to know you are fasting, and God will repay you.

6:19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
This is the beginning of the fourth category: materialism. A constant concern in the first century was the protection of wealth. There were two areas of their wealth they worried about; clothes and money. Clothes would be destroyed by moths, and money would rust. Their houses were made of mud, which could be dug through and easily broken into.

6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
The real emphasis in life is doing the will of God, practicing our righteousness to be seen of God. When our righteousness is approved by God, and not done to be seen of men, then we are making a deposit in God's “heavenly bank." Our emphasis should be on spiritual things, and doing things with spiritual purposes. Our deeds do have a way of being "stockpiled" because He says: Lay up for yourselves - do it, and do it again, having the security of not ever losing that reward. It is guaranteed in God's “bank.”

6:21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
If we are spending our lives and energies on earthly things, then our lives are not what God wants. We cannot spend all our time on earthly things and say that our hearts are with God. This is a revealing passage because you can tell a person's love and interests by looking at his treasures. Almost everything people do shows where their treasure is. Whatever that treasure may be - money, boats, houses, etc., that is where our hearts lie, because that is where our interests lie.

6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
6:23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
If money is the topic in vv. 20,21, and money is the topic in v. 24, then vss. 22,23 are also talking about money. This helps us in interpreting what is a difficult passage for many.

The lamp of the body is the eye. The eye allows images inside the body. If it is clear...light. “Clear” = “sound” or “healthy,” allowing us to see things correctly. Christians see money as a tool to help further the Lord's work, and to meet our basic needs: not something to lavish upon ourselves. If the eye is clear, it sees things in the proper prospective.
If your eye is bad...darkness. “Darkness” in the Bible represents sin and ignorance. This is what Jesus is talking about. We will not see things the way they should be and, as a result, will be filled with things that are ungodly. When we see clearly, we have that attitude of Job - the Lord gives and takes away. If in darkness...how great. Seeing things from a wicked point of view, one grows darker and more evil. One may start out with a clear eye, but it can become dimmer and dimmer until it is full of evil; greed, sin, money hungry, as those in 2 Tim 3:2 (lovers of money). One must be careful.

No one can serve two masters. The one who has a clear eye is serving God; the one who has a dark eye is serving Satan. No man can serve both God and Satan.

You cannot serve God and mammon - wealth, property, or money. If the whole of one’s life is wealth, then the whole body is corrupt. There are people who are able to become rich, perhaps because of a wise investment or an inheritance, but in every society, to obtain a lot of money, people have to do a lot of work - overtime, weekends, etc. What we love is what we give our devotion and attention to; not what we say we love, but what we show we love. Very few people will say they love money and hate God. I may say, “I love God.” Do I? What we do shows what we love. We cannot serve God and money. 1 Tim 6:9,10 says the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and those who desire it pierce themselves with many griefs. We long for it, work for it, and the next thing we know we are in darkness. If the eye is lusting for wealth, then that lust will darken the soul. It will corrupt the heart. If the eye is allowing in the light of God's word, then the soul will be full of God's truth. The heart will reflect the clear, bright teachings of God's Word.

 

[Southern Gent]

6:25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, ad the body than clothing?
“But I have to work to feed and clothe my family, and take care of them.”
Jesus says: Do not be anxious for your life.
This is the first of five times Jesus uses the word anxious. Verses 25-34 discuss anxiety - Jesus’ focus in these section. We see the word in 25, 27, 28, 31, and 34.

Do not be anxious - “stop being anxious.” Anxiety is unnatural concern, generally over things we should not be concerned about, especially these three main categories:
1. Food,
2. Clothing, and
3. Shelter.
Jesus talks about the basic human needs. We should not be concerned about these. This is easier said than done! These three are basic to human existence. Yet, those who are spiritual recognize that God knows we need these things, and will take care of them.
Is not the life more than food and clothing? This is talking about priorities - putting things in their proper prospective. Is not life more than meal to meal and paycheck to paycheck? We worry too much about all these things! It is not our place to worry about these things, that is God's job. In Jn 4:34 Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”

6:26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

Birds of the air:
1. Do not sow,
2. Do not reap, and
3. Do not gather into barns.
They never plant, they never harvest, and they never stockpile for later. This is referring to one's treasure. The birds do not do any of the above and yet the Father in heaven takes care of them. God provides all they need.

Worth much more than they are. The crown of God's creation is man and woman. Everything was created for them. Because of this, they are obviously that which is most valuable to Him. So, as Jesus will say in 7:11, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" So God, our heavenly Father, is One willing to give to His own.

6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?
A cubit measured somewhere between 18 to 24 inches. The American Standard Version
says, “the measure of his life.” The King James Version reads, “unto his stature.” No one,
through worry, can increase either his height or his length of life. Some people worry about
their health all the time and, in fact, probably shorten their lives because of it.

6:28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
Anxiety about clothing falls into two categories:
1. Will it be sufficient?
2. Will it be fashionable? Popular? Stylish?
Observe. “Toiling” and “spinning” represent worrying. Here is the idea of fretting over how to be properly attired. The lilies of the field are some of the most beautiful on the face of the earth, yet they do not worry or work to do it.

6:29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
6:30 But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?
With God it is nothing at all to beautifully clothe the grass of the field, but suddenly they are gone; the flower is faded, and the grass is burned up. With God this is nothing, because He can bring it back if He so chooses.

So arrays or "so clothes." God has made the fields and flowers beautiful. They are beautifully "dressed." If God can do that with something He intends to quickly destroy, will He not provide for His children’s needs even better?

Little faith. This is the first of five times Jesus will talk about "little faith" (8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20). These are people very weak in faith. Faith is the idea of trust or reliance. So Jesus is talking about fretting about, worrying about, or having an anxiety about clothing and shelter. We have to work, but we have to trust in God as well. He will take care of the things by giving us work, but our focus must be on serving Him. Notice the contrast between little faith and great faith in Matthew (e.g. 8:10).

6:31 Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’
Not be anxious. He has already told us why: God will take care of these things. It is foolish to say that God does not know or that He does not care about these things for us. It is also foolish to say God is powerless to do anything about it, because He is supreme in power. He made us and He knows our needs. He cares about us, and He will help.

With what shall we clothe ourselves? A person may ask this and not sin. It is the anxiety that makes this sinful. We need to learn to trust God.

6:32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
God has not missed a single thing, He knows about every single need we have. We can let go of any concern and seek something vastly more important: v. 33.

6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
This is the key: righteousness (5:20). Righteousness is the central idea in the sermon. It is impossible for a person to be righteous while at the same time anxious about food and clothing. Seek first "His kingdom" and "His righteousness" are synonymous. This is what we are to seek. Seek is in the indicative active which is a continuous process. We must continue to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness. It is a day after day striving, just like one who seeks for daily food. We pray for bread, and trust God will answer that prayer, so now we will focus on something else - something spiritual.

His kingdom - His rule. He is not talking about His church, but about seeking first the rule of God in the affairs of men.

Many say the kingdom is synonymous in every case with church. This is not true. The kingdom is the rule of God. That is what Jesus has been talking about. But the kingdom "on earth" is most likely the church, because we have one - and only - one kingdom on the earth, and that is the church. When we talk about people of the world, they cannot be in God's kingdom and not be in God's church. But could a person be in God's kingdom and not be in the church? Are not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom? The kingdom of God includes all of the people of God. Dead or alive. So when we talk about the kingdom we have to examine whether or not we are talking about the church, the living kingdom on earth, or whether we are talking about His over-all rule. Here are some examples that need to be considered:

1. Parable of the tares Mt 13:37-43. After the judgment has taken place, and the Son of Man gathers out of His kingdom...kingdom of their Father. The kingdom, after the judgment, cannot be talking about the church.

2. 2 Pet 1:11. The eternal kingdom will be abundantly supplied. This is not the church. This is the rule of God, the kingdom of God. To accept His rule - His kingdom - will secure your entrance into the eternal kingdom. This explains why "Thy kingdom come" should not be narrowed to mean only the church. This is not only what Jesus is talking about. We are to continually seek His kingdom. Certainly there are passages where the kingdom and the church are the same, but the context has to so determine. Note: Mt 18:16ff. The kingdom and the church are the same.

Col 1:13. ."..transferred us to the kingdom...” This is the church.
Mk 9:1 is talking about the church. There were some who actually witnessed the establishment of the church. The kingdom (church) came with power when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:4ff), and the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff).

We are seeking first the rule of God and:

His righteousness. We have seen what are acts of righteousness according to God: alms, praying, fasting, the proper use of material things. When handled properly, we are following the righteousness of God. Remember 5:20 - it must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. So the meaning here is, seek first His rule and doing what He wants, and all these things will be provided. Do His righteousness. Not man's, but God's.
All these things is the food, clothing, and shelter. Remember, this is the general principle. Lazarus (Luke 16) and those mentioned in Rom 8:31ff. did not receive all of these blessings because it was the plan of God for their lives. We do not know for certain what God has planned for us - Eccl 9:1. We are to be obedient, and let God do what is best for us. We should remember that He loves us regardless of what befalls us - Rom 8:39.

 

[Southern Gent]

6:34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Therefore is referring to the fact that God can take care of the things man is normally anxious about.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow is something we must deal with when it gets here. Worrying about it will not change it.

Each day...own. Each day has its own trouble. To say that God will remove trouble from those who seek first, fails to see what He is talking about here. God will not remove trials.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness - Mt 5:10,11.
Trouble = “kakos” which means evil, turmoil, or bad things. We concern ourselves with the troubles of today, but do not worry about those troubles. "Worry pulls tomorrow’s cloud over today's sunshine."

There seem to be three main points Jesus is making about worry (from 6:25-34).

1. Worry is - unavailing - vv. 27, 28. It does not accomplish anything. It just does not work. Worrying is worthless
2. Worry is - unnecessary - v. 30. It is unnecessary because God has promised to provide. Why worry about things that God will take care of?
3. Worry is - unbecoming - v. 32. All these things the Gentiles eagerly seek. God's children are not showing a very good example to the world when they worry or are anxious. Be anxious for nothing - Phil 4:6.

End Chapter 6

 

[Southern Gent]

Chapter 7

7:1 Do not judge lest you be judged.
Do not be someone who passes or makes judgments. The word judge is "krinete" which means to condemn or to judge as guilty. It is very typical for men to feel differently about others’ sins. They do not like it when others judge them, but they think it is acceptable for them to judge others.

In Romans 2 Paul condemns the Jews because they condemned the Gentiles for doing the very thing the Jews were doing. “Therefore you are without are without excuse...practice the same things.” You say one will go to hell for being a liar, but you lie. (Hypocrisy.) The Jews were passing judgment and not looking seriously at their own lives. They were, in fact,committing the same sins as the Gentiles!

We are not in the judging business. James 4:11,12 is as plain as it can be! “Do not speak against or judge your brother...You are not a doer of the law and not a judge... there is one Judge.” Does this mean that we are not to judge at all, never, or in any situation? No! Consider a number of passages:

Mt 7:18-20 - “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit...so then you will know them by their fruits.” A judgment is made as to whether a tree is good or bad by the fruits it bears. This is the way we are to see if individuals are good or bad, by the fruit they bear. We have to make judgments about the kinds of fruit a person is producing.

Jn 7:24 - Judge with righteous judgment, not according to appearance. Jesus says we need to judge - but the basis has to be of righteousness. God has made the judgment, we are just examining the fruit, and saying what God has already so declared.
Gal 6:1 - If one sees a brother overcome in a trespass, he must make a judgment to do what Paul says here to do. The spiritual one is to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. We judge them as condemned, but go to restore such a one.
Mt 18:15ff - How can the church ever disfellowship if they cannot judge one to be in sin? A judge looks at the evidence and then makes a judgment - guilty or innocent. We do the same in Gal 6:1 on the basis of evidence. We judge them, we do not condemn them, but we do have the right to pass the judgments God has already made.

Jn 3:17 “For God did not send the Son... to judge the world...” The world is judged already because it does not believe. The word "krino" is translated either “judged guilty” or “condemned.” That is what Jesus is saying in Mt 7:1. We are not in the condemning business. Here, in John, Jesus is saying they are condemned already. Romans 14 portrays those who are strong in faith judging those who are weak in the faith. They were judging on things that were outside of the scriptures. We have to use the guidelines given by God or we will end up in confusion and condemn ourselves by our own standards, which are not God's.

7:2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
The way you judge, you will be judged. If our judgment is harsh, critical, and very narrow in the amount of leniency, then we can expect the same type of judgment from God toward us.
Your standard. Our lack of mercy and compassion on others will mean that same lack of compassion and mercy for us from God.

7:3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
The truly righteous do not have time to be pointing their fingers at others. This presents a ridiculous picture as we try to visualize it; one person with a log in his own eye trying to get a speck out of his brother's.

7:4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’, and behold, the log is in your own eye?
Jesus, as the master teacher, is being thorough in his application about judging. If we were to stop here, we would think we should never say anything to people about the things they are having problems with. Jesus tells us to clean up our own lives first, making sure we are looking out for our own spiritual witness.

7:5 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.
He does not say we should not be concerned about our brother. He is telling us to deal with our own problems, then we will be better able to help others deal with their problems. We can not influence others for good when our own lives confess sin and error. Jesus say we are “two-faced” if we are this way (as in v. 5). We blame others for their problems when, on the other hand, we have so many problems we are not really capable of helping someone else. From a practical point of view, those who wrestle with their own weaknesses, and learn how to conquer those weaknesses are better able to help someone else. A “speck in the eye” is a relatively small problem, especially compared to the problems of the one with the “log.” When I have worked through my own weaknesses, then I am better able to help someone else. Jesus is not saying to wait till we are perfect before we can help someone else. Otherwise Gal 6:1 could never be fulfilled. Clearly...to take the speck out...Too often we judge, but we do not try to genuinely help others. We are told to confess our sins to one another (Jas 5:16) but we rarely do that. So,we do not know about each others weaknesses. We feel we are alone, and we go through things alone spiritually, because we do not tell others. The church has to be more open in helping each other, but with love and gentleness. "We are not to see through people, but to see people through."

7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
“Pearl” is the same word as in Mt 13:45, 46 - the pearl of great price. The Pharisees are doing this with the message of Jesus. They do not consider it to be as valuable as it really is. Sanctified food is that which is good for humans, and dog food is that which is not for human consumption. One should not give that which is holy to the dog to eat. The spiritual application is, there are some that are so far gone, we waste our time trying to give them something they do not perceive as holy. A pig will walk on anything, whether it is a pearl or a rotten apple.
Mt 15:14 - let them alone.
Mt 10:13,14 - “If the house is worthy...but if not, let your greeting of peace return to you... shake off the dust of your feet.” Do not keep preaching to those who do not want to hear what you have to say.
Titus 1:15 teaches, “...to those who are defiled...their conscience are defiled.”

Let us look at this from two perspectives:
1. The Pharisees hearing Jesus may be becoming angry at Jesus' words (especially since they have set themselves up as judges of the people).
2. The lesson for the people is to examine their own hearts and determine whether that which is laid before them (Jesus' teachings) is truly holy or not.


7:7 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.
7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. [/B]
Jesus is specific about man’s relationship with the Father. This is so important! In the Greek language these verbs are “linear.” One must continue to ask, to seek, to knock. In Lk 18:1-8 is the parable of the persistent widow. She got what she wanted because she kept on asking, not because she asked only one time. Keep asking, because if you ask once you might not receive but, in context of 1 Jn 5:14, 15, it must be according to His will. If it is in accordance with that, it may be your persistence that determines whether you get it or not. Jesus is teaching about the loving nature of the Father, but their responsibility is to not give up. It is a personal thing to decide whether to give up or not.

It shall be given you. He does not say it “might”, but it “shall.” What might one seek for? The Messiah and the kingdom. If they keep seeking they will find. It may be, upon the first observation of Jesus, they reject Him as such, but if they keep seeking, they will find the Messiah they are looking for. If one really desires to find truth, he will find it!
Jas 1:5 - Ask, receiving wisdom, to understand trials. When there are things we want to know about, we want answers. God is the One to give wisdom. If one is seeking truth, he is going to find it. There is no one who has lived, or will live, who wanted to know truth and did not find it. A person is not eternally damned because I never preach the gospel to him. God will raise someone up if I do not want to do that. If my neighbor wants to know the truth, and I do not give it to them, God will find someone who will, but I will be held responsible as a poor watchman Ezek 33:6. “Seek and you shall find.” It will never happen that one who is seeking will not find because another failed to preach to him. The asking, seeking, and knocking also include prayer which is evident from verses 9-11. There are answers to prayer. Keep on seeking, asking, and knocking and you will receive. If one wants to know, or wants answers, then Jesus encourages them.

 

[Southern Gent]

7:9 Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?
7:10 Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
Certainly no loving father would do such to a son! Neither would our Heavenly Father. Perhaps Jesus is attacking the negative attitude the scribes and Pharisees had toward God. They did not see God as a loving Father because of the captivity, and all the trouble they experienced since the return from exile. Cf. books of Haggai and Malachi.

7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
Even evil men still have some good in them. They do care for their own. Equally, God cares for His own. Your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him. Notice the qualifier - that the Father gives what is good to those who ask Him. Why? Because He is our Father, and fathers like to give good gifts to their children.
Jas 1:17 - every good thing and perfect gift comes...
He is consistent in giving what is good, and everything that is good in our lives has come from the hand of God. Jesusencourages us to pray. What can you name that He does not have the power to answer? Anything we ask, He can give.

7:12 Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus has been talking about the way God responds to those that come to Him and how He is One to do good for them. We want good done to us, so this is what we ought to do for others. We want good gifts, so we should consider what we should do for others. This is called the golden rule and it is, as many have said, a very simple, but very powerful teaching. Why? Because, in obeying this one verse, we could solve all of the woes of mankind! If all would approach life in this way, think of how much better this life would be. What is it you want done to you? Do that to others Mt 6:14, 15.

The Law and the Prophets. This sums up all of the teachings of the Law and Prophets. Cf. also Mt 22:37-40. “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...and your neighbor...”

7:13 Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
Jesus encourages people to enter by the "narrow gate," even though He has not explained what the narrow gate is. Jerusalem had a number of gates, some wide and some narrow. The most popular were the wide gates on the broad path. One would not want to travel the narrow road, especially with robbers, wild animals, etc. The gates were a part of walls, designed for defense so they did not have many wide ones. The people would be familiar with gates, and Jesus makes a spiritualapplication for them.

The gate is wide...destruction. This is a road one does not want to be on, even though it is well traveled. It is well traveled because it offers the easy path, and is comfortable. It is the broad way, the path of least resistance. It is the way to destruction.
Many are those who enter by it. There is a great number of people in the world, but the majority are not going to be saved because they are choosing the easy path. Think about this in regard to basic Christian living. Which is easier, to use the paycheck for self, or to give large amounts to Christian work? Which is easier, to make some calls, and visits, or to stay at home and relax on the couch? Examples in life show us it is easier to do things Satan's way. This is the direction the world takes – the easy road, the broad way. Christianity demands self discipline and self denial.

7:14 For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
Narrow = “strait” in the King James Version. The word means “difficult” or “very hard.” The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a narrow, winding, rocky path which went up hill. Aside from the fact it was a difficult way, the ascent was rapid. These people would be aware of the difficulties in traveling such a road, so they would understand this

Few are those who find it. Few are those who travel on it and, He says, "who find it." One would have to be looking for it to find it. Once he did find it, he had to remain on it. It is a sad Biblical truth that of the billions who have lived through the centuries, only a few will see eternal life. There are many religions today that are teaching all religious people will be saved. This simply does not go along with the teachings of Jesus.

7:15 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
The first century world (as is ours) was full of false prophets. Thus, those who are going to be righteous are going to have to be alert. False teachers do not announce to all, "I am a false prophet.” They come in the disguise of a sheep - soft, harmless, gentle. Paul warns the elders in Acts 20:28, 29 to be on their guard for the flock because savage wolves will come into the church. Jesus is warning the people to beware of false prophets. What is important is the way they approach. They look peaceable, loving, kind, gentle, having all the attributes of being good friends. Satan is a cunning snake, and he knows the best way to persuade people to believe what is not true. Do they know they are false prophets? Some do, as those described in 2 Tim 3:1-5, but others are just misled, self-deceived.
Many other passages warn about false teachers:
Phil 1:10ff preaching from envy and strife. What they are teaching is true, but not for the right reasons.
1 Tim 1:7 those who make assertions about what they do not understand.
1 Tim 4:1ff teachings of demons will be taught.
2 Pet 3:16,17 those who twist and distort the scriptures. There are many who believe in that what they are doing is correct. But many are doing it because they are deceitful.
Mt 24:24 - deceiving, if possible, even the elect.
2 Cor 11:14 - Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2 Pet 2:1 - false prophets among the people.

Inwardly...wolves. In Jesus' illustration the false teachers want to tear the people to pieces. A ravenous wolf is one so hungry that it rips and tears to shreds to feed itself. There are no good intentions in these false teachers. They have only evil on their minds. There are those today who give credit to false teachers. They will say, "But they do so much good." But, if their teachings are going to send people to hell, what difference does it make if they do some good deeds?

 

[Southern Gent]

7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
Jesus will say again in v. 20 "You will know them by their fruits" - a significant point.
Grapes...are they? The one who plants expects to harvest fruits from what he has planted. He does not expect to go to a thorn bush and reap beautiful grapes. We must look at false teachers through God's eyes and not our own. If one obeys a false teacher, he is not a child of God, but a child of Satan.

7:17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
We do not say, "At least it is bearing fruit." If it is bad, it is bad; it is good for nothing.

7:18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit
A good tree cannot produce bad fruit. A good Christian cannot produce bad fruit. On the other hand, a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. A false teacher cannot produce good fruit. What kind of fruit are we bearing? Are we good or bad trees? Good fruit is that of the spirit - Gal 5:22, 23; love, peace, patience, etc. These are the things people should see coming forth from us.

7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Rather than to leave the illustration without an ending, Jesus concludes by saying the rotten trees will face God in judgment and will be cut down. Mt. 3:10 John says the same thing. The axe is laid to the tree and thrown into the fire.

7:20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.
This is how you can tell. Jesus tells them the way to identify a false teacher. He says their fruits determine how we can tell them. So we need to be fruit inspectors! We have to judge what one does; is it good or bad?

7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
The word "Lord" is "kurios" in the Greek. It is a significant word in the gospel of Matthew. This word is often aligned with YAHWEH in the Old Testament Hebrew. "Adoni" is the Hebrew word for "Lord." So Jesus is saying, "Not everyone" who says to Me, kurios, kurios. This is interesting, because Jesus is claiming authority for Himself. Now He is saying, you might say to ME, Lord, Lord. Master, ruler, controller, are all in the meaning of the word "Kurios."
Rom 10:9,10 We have to confess Jesus as Lord.
Phil 2:10ff Everyone tongue will confess.
Just saying the words is meaningless. We will not be able to enter the heavenly kingdom just by verbalizing the Lordship of Jesus. What we do is say, "Lord, Lord" and then do the will of the Father who is in heaven. Many say that faith is all one needs. But Jesus does not agree with that. He said one must DO the will of the Father, and the New Testament is His will. It is His will we do good works, Eph 2:10, and if we do not do His will, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
We do not do the works to merit salvation, but we do them because our Father in heaven has commanded us to do them. And, because we cannot do them perfectly we are guilty (Jas 2) of breaking the Law - law breakers. Since this is true and all sin, we need God's grace. That is the only way, we cannot earn our salvation, but that does not mean that we are not expected to do our best to do what God expects us to do. Grace is extended to those who are trying to do what God wants even though they cannot do it.
Rom 6:1-3. No one should think that he can continue in sin and expect that grace to abound. Many believe once saved, always saved, but that is not true. We cannot continue in sin and abound in grace. We do have to act upon the word of God and His commands and Jesus is going to illustrate this in Mt 7:24-27. James 2:14-26 - faith alone is insufficient. One must work the works of God.

 

[Southern Gent]

7:22 Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
The last time we saw MANY was in v. 13 (the wide gate). So the multitudes who took the broad way believe they deserve salvation, even though they have not been obedient. There will be individuals on the day of judgment who will be surprised when they receive condemnation.
Three categories are mentioned of those who were doing things in YOUR (Jesus') name. But, because they are doingsomething wrong Jesus says He does not know them.
1. Prophesying in YOUR name - They were not promoting themselves. Their prophecies were done by the authority of Jesus.
2. Casting out demons in YOUR name - They did not attempt to take credit for casting out demons. They did it by the authority of the name of Jesus.
3. In YOUR name perform many miracles - The working of miracles was done through the authority of Jesus and His powerful name.
Many think they were not truly performing miracles. If not, then neither was Jesus. "Works of power" is how it reads in the Greek, and is the same terminology used to describe the miracles Jesus performed. This is also similar to Heb 2:3, 4 - signs, miracles, works of power. These are what the apostles and Jesus did; miracles, something supernatural. We do not think about this often. On one hand we believe there were those who were demon possessed, but we do not realize there were miracle workers who were satanic in origin. In the scriptures God's power and Satan's power are often demonstrated during the same periods of time. For example, during the time of Moses, Satan was also allowed to demonstrate his power through the court magicians - Ex 7:11. They were not merely performing "tricks," but were actually working miracles, as was Moses. In the first century Christ and the apostles performed miracles. False prophets also worked miracles and, as Jesus says, in HIS name. But that they were not doing them right.
Mt 24:24. "...will show great signs and wonders." Jesus says false teachers will come performing miracles just as they had seen Him and the apostles do. Satan's miracles are not the same. Jesus' miracles were greater; not different in some circumstances, in the number and in the magnitude. God was still forcing the people to examine what He taught to see if it was true or not. Jesus' miracles confirmed that He was from God because they were greater, just as Moses was able to go far beyond what the magicians taught.
Zech 13:2. Prophecy - "I will cut off the name of the idols...and I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land." He is going to remove the true prophets, and when He takes them out of the land, He will also take the unclean prophets as well. This is all talking about the Messianic period of time. This is in that day, the day of the Messiah. The time will come when these will be removed.
1 Cor 13:8ff. There was to be a time when the miraculous would cease.
There are no supernatural miracles performed by any man today. Satan's influence does prevails in our society, but the supernatural has been removed. Miracles had a purpose, and that purpose was to confirm God's word (Mk 16:20; Heb 2:1-4). There was a supernatural influence in the first century. False prophets were performing great things in Jesus' name so that the people would think they were from God. But Jesus warned them, and us, to watch them they would know the false prophets for what they were by the fruit they produced. They were doing great things, but their lives were not obedient to God's will.
The Law of Moses talks about false prophets. In Deut 13:1, 2 if a person made sign or a wonder that came true, but then he said, "Let us go after others gods," God says, do not follow him.
1 Jn 4:1-6. They must teach in accordance with what the apostles were teaching.

7:23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness.'
There were some not known by Jesus even though they did things in His name. They knew Him, but He did not know them.
Depart from Me. As a result of not following God's law, they were not known by Jesus.
They are not going to be allowed to stay in the presence of Jesus (1 Thess 1:7-9). The opposite is true. One who practices His, He knows. Jesus said in Jn 14:15, "If you love me you will keep my
commandments." We express our love to Him by our obedience.
Acts 19:13,14 the seven sons of Sceva were attempting to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.
Prov 14:12; 16:25. "There is a way which seems right."
It is significant that this occurs twice, maybe to catch our attention to consider the possibility that one can think he is sincere and yet be wrong.

The sincerity of these men in Mt 7 is not under discussion, but what they are doing. They may have thought it was right, but it was not right. Many today see all the good things being done in the name of Christ and would take offense if you implied they would be lost. Look at these who are doing the same things. They are not doing the will of the Father. These appear to be doing what is right, but are not. There are many seeking the truth and Jesus says if they are seeking, they will find it. But if they are not, then they will not find the truth. The reason is because they are not seeking. Is truth knowable? If it is not, then we have no way of judging what is right and wrong. If we are not doing what is right, then we better change. If we are doing what is right, then the other side better change. Who are WE? If we are not the church Christ wants us to be, then we have no right to exist. Jesus is going to condemn religious people who are not doing what God wants done.

Eph 2:19-22. Christ is the chief corner stone. A church has to be built upon the foundation (teachings) of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief corner stone. There are no other alternatives.

7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.
We have not really left the point of v. 21. The one who does the will of God will enter. All who hear and act (“does” is literally the word, same as in v. 21). We are listening to Jesus as He presents this sermon. His will and the will of the Father are the same. He is the spokesman for God. John says He is the Word of God (Jn 1:1). Jesus is what God wants to say to us.
Everyone. Jesus includes every possible hearer listening to these words. Mt 13:9 - "He who has ears, let him hear." God has given us the instruments with which to hear and understand what has been given. The responsibility to act upon what we receive is totally up to us. This is usually taught to children, but is a very important point for adults. Wisdom is exercised when a house is built on a solid foundation. Are we going to build on something that is solid? The one who hears and acts is the wise man. We want to have a lasting quality about ourselves so that when the storms of life descend, we will stand strong.

7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
This is describing the most violent attack on a human structure. The reason it stood is that it was founded on the rock. If someone hears the word and acts accordingly, he will not have to worry about the troubles of life because of what his life is founded upon.

7:26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.
The one who hears and does not act accordingly is a foolish man who builds his life upon that which is unstable and insecure.

7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
If we desire to be characterized as being wise, then we will obey Jesus' words. If we want to be a fool, we follow the ways of the world. Building a house on a sandy foundation is stupid, because all it will be demolished when storms come, and all the effort put into it will be wasted. You can build the most expensive, elaborate home and spend a lifetime doing it. That is the way it is in our lives. We must build on something solid - God's will, and not something unstable of the world.

7:28 The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were amazed at His teaching;
This is the first part of a key phrase - "when Jesus had finished...."
Amazed at His teaching, the reason being...

7:29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus came demonstrating power and authority in His teaching. Authority is a key concept in this gospel. If Jesus is (and He is) the Messiah, He will (and He does) exercise authority. Jesus demonstrated authority in His teaching in chapter 7. Next in chapter 8, He will demonstrate authority over the natural and spirit realms by the performing of miracles, yet another proof that He is the Messiah.

There are Seven Groups of Two's in Chapter Seven.
1. Two judges (1-5). One with the log and the speck, or the one who first removes,
2. Two evil listeners (6),
3. Two fathers (7-12),
4. Two gates (13,14), or the two ways,
5. Two teachers (15-19),
6. Two trees (15-19), and
7. Two builders (24-27).

End Chapter 7

 

[chimney55]

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”


Matthew has started to tell of some of the miracles performed by Jesus. He has already established Jesus as being in the line of David through his foster father, Joseph, which was important to His recognition as Messiah. Another sign of Messiah, given in Isaiah 32:3-4 was the miracles that He would perform.

3Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.

4The mind of the rash will know and understand,

and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

This first miracle recorded in chapter 8 could be seen as especially touching. Jewish law was very specific about leprosy and lepers. They were to distance themselves from all friends and family and live apart from society. If they encountered anyone who didn't have the disease they were to cry "unclean" to warn the other person. We aren't given any idea of how long this leper had been afflicted, but we know that his faith was strong and that he was courageous to face the rejection by the crowds surrounding Jesus. I think that it's significant that Jesus could have just spoken a word and the leper would have been healed. However, we are told that he actually touched the leper who had probably not felt the touch of another human being in years.

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.


We see that Jesus was "amazed". (Although He of course knew it would happen! ) Jews were following Him around asking for healing of their infirmities. This centurion was a Roman who recognized that Jesus had the authority to heal and could make it so without even being present with the sick person. In verses 11-12 He mentions, for the first time, that not only Jews but gentiles as well would inherit the kingdom (and that not all who were "following the law" would be included)

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: (Isaiah 53:4)

“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”

Again, we see Matthew pointing to Jewish scripture to establish Jesus as Messiah.

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”


These might seem to be strange phrases to be uttered by Jesus, but there could be a time when, because of our beliefs, we would be "forced" to leave our homes and families. Which is more important? Being comfortable and among family or following Jesus. Many of us don't have to make that choice. But, these days with Muslims and Jews who come to Christ, they are faced with the same decisions.

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Even though they had witnessed the healing of many, this time they were amazed. They were expecting the Messiah to have authority over diseases. This was the first recorded time that they had witnessed that Jesus had authority over creation and the elements.

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,[c] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.



Many people in our day say that demon-possessed people in the Bible weren't really demon-possessed but just mentally ill. I find it significant here that the demons actually knew who Jesus was immediately. (Would the mentally ill?) They also know of their future by asking “What do you want with us, Son of God?” “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Before anyone asks, I don't know why they asked to be sent into the herd of pigs but Jesus did so. Afterward, those tending the pigs went to town to explain what had happened. Instead of being happy that two men were rid of demons, they were concerned about the loss of their livestock. Does this sound familiar?

 

[blondeambition3]

Afterward, those tending the pigs went to town to explain what had happened. Instead of being happy that two men were rid of demons, they were concerned about the loss of their livestock. Does this sound familiar?

Amen! Yes it does! Sounds like many of us! (lol)

 

[chimney55]

If it's okay with the people who study here, I'm going to change the format a bit. I know that you were used to getting a couple of chapters a week on Tues. & Thurs., but there are days when I can't spend a whole lot of time sitting at the computer. I also "talk" a lot and didn't want the posts to get too long. Therefore, I'm going to try to post part of a chapter each day (or every other day) with notes. I hope that this is okay.


1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

In chapter 8, we saw the authority that Jesus held over disease (such as leprosy), the elements (when he calmed the sea), and demons. Matthew chapter 9 begins by showing us that He had even more authority. Some people claim that Jesus never claimed to be God and that the disciples just made that up after Jesus was crucified. This is because they are not familiar with the cultural context.

The Jews (especially the 'teachers of the law') knew that all sin--even sin against their fellow man---was ultimately sin against God. This is why they made sacrifices in the temple--to get forgiveness from God for their sins. And they believed, rightly so, that only God was able to forgive their sins.

The account of this healing is also found in Mark 2 and Luke 5. When asking which is "easier to say", He doesn't mean the actual words, but His ability to carry out what He was saying. The people had already seen Him heal sickness, but did not know that He was able to forgive sins. In fact, Jesus Himself said that He was doing it to show that He had authority to do so. At this, the teachers of the law said that He was blaspheming because they knew that only God could forgive sins and Jesus was therefore claiming to be equal to God! (And this would have actually been blasphemy if Jesus wasn't actually God!)

Through this miracle, the people saw that Jesus had been given authority over sin, and the religious leaders started seeing their authority diminish.

 

[blondeambition3]

If it's okay with the people who study here, I'm going to change the format a bit. I know that you were used to getting a couple of chapters a week on Tues. & Thurs., but there are days when I can't spend a whole lot of time sitting at the computer. I also "talk" a lot and didn't want the posts to get too long. Therefore, I'm going to try to post part of a chapter each day (or every other day) with notes. I hope that this is okay..

Sounds good to me!

 

[LisaLisa]

Sounds good to me too! We really do appreciate you Chimney!

 

[chimney55]

9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Here we read of Jesus calling to someone who would become one of his disciples (and ultimately the writer of one of the gospels). Matthew the tax collector was looked down upon by the Pharisees and the Jewish population in general. Tax collectors at the time of Jesus were Jews hired by the Romans (that the Jews considered to be enemies and heathens) to collect taxes from their fellow Jews. They were known for trying to get as much money as possible from the citizens. Anything above and beyond what was required by "the empire" they kept for themselves. Generally shunned by the people, their usual companions would be prostitutes and other "sinners" (the Pharisees did not consider themselves to be sinners).

When Jesus was seen by the Pharisees to be eating with tax collectors, they were shocked. But, Jesus pointedly told them that it was the sick that needed a physician not those who were well. He didn't come to call the "righteous" to repentance (they didn't think of themselves as sinners) He came for those who recognized that they were sinners. Matthew also records that Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 (‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ ) that the Pharisees should have recognized.

Note: Matthew's purpose was to present Jesus as Israel's long awaited messiah and king. As such, he quoted Old Testament scriptures more than any other gospel writer. He quoted more than 60 times from prophetic passages in the OT to show that Jesus was fulfilling them.

 

[chimney55]

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”


This is Jesus' first reference to himself as the bridegroom. While the nuptials are pending, and the bridegroom is with them, everyone is happy and celebrating. (It's a wedding, not a funeral.) However, Jesus told them that a day would come when He would no longer be with them. Then would be the time to mourn and fast.

Then He gives the examples of putting something new in or on something old. If you've ever tried to patch an old garment with a new piece of cloth, you know that the first time that you wash the garment the old garment won't shrink, but the new piece will and tears the garment more. In the same way, if grape juice was put into an old skin and allowed to ferment, it would expand. However, the old skin would be "brittle" and unable to expand. A new skin however would be more elastic and able to expand as the wine fermented. This was a hint that things were changing. The old must stay with the old, but the new needed a new "container"--the church.

 

[chimney55]

18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.


27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it. ” 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.


We're seeing here a series of miracles probably recorded by Matthew to show that Jesus was the messiah who was to heal the sick, lead the blind to see, etc. Matthew makes a point that it was because of faith that they were healed---not that they had faith that they would be healed but that their faith was in Jesus!

In the first story, we are told that a "ruler" (elder) came to Jesus. He was part of a group who "ruled" the synagogue. Although, generally, elders avoided Jesus, this elder was probably a "secret believer". He believed that Jesus could do something even though his daughter had died.

Before He could make His way to the dead girl, the edge of His robe was touched by a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Because in the OT blood was considered to be the source of life, she would be considered "unclean" and unable to participate in temple activities. Moreover, anyone who TOUCHED her would be considered unclean as well. She believed that Jesus could "work magic". If she could only touch Him without Him noticing (not wanting Him to realize that He would be unclean), she would be healed. However, Jesus did notice that she had touched Him. And He told her that it was her faith in Him that healed her not magic.

From there, He went to the house of the ruler where He told the people not to mourn because the child was "just sleeping". They ridiculed Him because they knew what a dead person looked like. However, when He touched her hand, she arose. (This is only the first record of people that Jesus
raised from the dead.) It was, by the way, the faith of the father not the daughter that Jesus "responded" to. Again, it's not the amount of faith that a person has, but who their faith is IN.

Again, the blind men were healed because of their faith in the "Son of David" (an OT term for the messiah). They recognized Him to be the messiah. Jesus told them not to tell anyone, but they disobeyed and told everyone "in the country". Even though Jesus knew that they would do this, He didn't blind them again. His mercy and grace abound!

 

[chimney55]

32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

Many people ask if they have committed the "unpardonable sin". We are told that when we ask forgiveness that the Lord is faithful and just. He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Are there any sins that He will not forgive? I've been told by teachers that the Pharisees in the verses have committed the unpardonable sin. They had ascribed to demons the work of the Holy Spirit. (However, I'm NOT saying that this sin, if confessed and repented of, cannot be forgiven by God!)

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Sheep without a shepherd are in danger of being attacked by the elements and their enemies. However, we cannot be the shepherd to ALL of the lost sheep. There are plenty of occasions when there could be a harvest but there are not enough workers. Rather than try to be the harvester all of the time, Jesus tells his followers to ask the "Lord of the harvest" to send out more workers.