Monday – 28th January
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7
The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of
exercising a false judgment about themselves, other people, and even the Lord.
Their false righteousness helped to encourage this false judgment. This explains why our Lord closed this
important sermon with a discussion of judgment.
In it He discussed three different judgments.
Our Judgment of Ourselves Matt 7:1-5
The first principle of judgment is that we
begin with ourselves. Jesus did not forbid us to judge others; for careful
discrimination is essential in the Christian life. Christian love is not blind Phil 1:9-10. The person who believes all
that he hears, and accepts all who claim to be spiritual will experience
confusion and great spiritual loss. But
before we judge others, we must judge ourselves.
There are several reasons for this.
We shall be judged Matt 7:1. The tense
of the verb judged signifies a once-for-all final judgment. If we first judge
ourselves, then we are preparing for that final judgment when we face God. The
Pharisees “played God” as they condemned other people: but they never
considered that God would one day judge them.
We are being judged Matt 7:2. The
parallel passage in Luke 6:37-38 is helpful here. Not only will God
judge us at the end, but people are also judging us right now; and we receive from
people exactly what we give.
The kind of judgment, and the measure of
judgment, comes right back to us. We reap what we have sown.
We must see clearly to help others Matt 7:3-5.
The purpose of self judgment is to prepare us to serve others. Christians are
obligated to help each other grow in
grace. When we do not judge ourselves, we not only hurt ourselves, but we also
hurt those to whom we could minister. The Pharisees judged and criticized
others to make themselves look good Luke 18:9-14. But Christians
should judge themselves so that they can help others look good. There is a
difference!
Let's look at our Lord's illustration of
this point. Jesus chose the symbol of the eye because this is one of the most
sensitive areas of the human body. The picture of a man with a two-by-four
stuck in his eye, trying to remove a speck of dust from another man's eye, is
ridiculous indeed! If we do not honestly face up to our own sins, and confess
them, we blind ourselves to ourselves; and then we cannot see clearly enough to
help others. The Pharisees saw the sins of other people, but they would not
look at their own sins.
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Tuesday – 29th January
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7:1-5
In Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus used the
illustration of the eye to teach us how to have a spiritual outlook on life.
We must not pass judgment on others'
motives. We should examine their actions and attitudes, but we cannot judge
their motives-for only God can see their hearts. It is possible for a person to
do a good work with a bad motive. It is also possible to fail in a task and yet
be very sincerely motivated. When we stand before Christ at the last judgment,
He will examine the secrets of the heart and reward us accordingly Col 3:22-25; Rom 2:16.
The image of the eye teaches us another
truth: We must exercise love and tenderness when we seek to help others Eph 4:15. I have had extensive eye examinations, and once had surgery to
remove an imbedded speck of steel; and 1 appreciated the tenderness of the
physicians. Like eye doctors, we should minister to people we want to help with
tender loving care. We can do more damage than a speck of dirt in the eye if we
approach others with impatience and insensitivity.
Two extremes must be avoided in this matter
of spiritual self examination. The first is the deception of a shallow
examination. Sometimes we are so sure of ourselves that we fail to examine our
hearts honestly and thoroughly. A shallow glance into the mirror of the Word
will never reveal the true situation James 1:22-25.
The second extreme is what I call a
"perpetual autopsy." Sometimes we get so wrapped up in
self-examination that we become unbalanced. But we should not look only at
ourselves, or we will become discouraged and defeated. We should look by faith
to Jesus Christ and let Him forgive and restore us. Satan is the accuser Rev 12:10, and he enjoys it when we accuse and condemn ourselves!
After we have judged ourselves honestly
before God, and have removed those things that blind us, then we can help
others and properly judge their works. But if we know there are sins in our
lives, and we try to help others, we are hypocrites. In fact, it is possible
for ministry to be a device to cover up sin! The Pharisees were guilty of this,
and Jesus denounced them for it.
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Wednesday – 30th January
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7:6-20
Our Judgment of Others Matt 7:6-20
Christians must exercise discernment; for
not everyone is a sheep. Some people are dogs or hogs, and some are wolves in
sheep's clothing! We are the Lord's sheep, but this does not mean we should let
people pull the wool over our eyes!
The reason we must judge Matt 7:6.
As God's people, we are privileged to handle the "holy things" of the
Lord. He has entrusted to us the precious truths of the Word of God 2 Cor 4:7, and we must regard them carefully. No dedicated priest would throw
meat from the altar to a filthy dog, and only a fool would give pearls to a
pig. While it is true that we must carry the Gospel "to every
creature" Mark 16:15, it is also true that we must not cheapen
the Gospel by a ministry that lacks discernment. Even Jesus refused to talk to
Herod Luke 23:9, and Paul refused to argue with people who resisted the Word Acts
13:44-49.
The reason for judgment, then, is not that
we might condemn others, for that we might be able to minister to them. Notice
that Jesus always dealt with individuals according to their needs and their
spiritual condition. He did not have a memorized speech that He used with
everybody. He discussed the new birth with Nicodemus, but He spoke of living
water to the Samaritan woman. When the religious leaders tried to trap Him, He refused
to answer their question Matt 21:23-27. It is a wise Christian who
first assesses the condition of a person's heart before sharing the previous
pearls.
The resources God gives us Matt 7:7-11.
Why did our Lord discuss at this point in His
message? These verses seem to be an interruption, but they are not. You and I
are human and fallible: we make mistakes. Only God can judge perfectly.
Therefore, we must pray and seek His wisdom and direction. ''If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God " James 1:5.
Young King Solomon knew that he lacked the needed wisdom
to judge Israel, so he prayed to God: and the Lord graciously answered 1 Kings 3:11-40. If we are to have spiritual discernment, we must keep on
asking God, keep on seeking His will, keep on knocking at the door that leads
to greater ministry. God meets the needs of His children.
The guiding principle Matt 7:12. This is the so-called' 'Golden Rule," one of the
most misunderstood statements in the Bible. This statement is not the sum total
of Christian truth, nor is it God's plan of redemption. We should no more build
our theology on the Golden Rule than we should build our astronomy on
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
This great truth is a principle that ought to govern our
attitudes toward others. It only applies to believers, and it must be practiced
in every area of life. The person who practices the Golden Rule refuses to say
or do anything that would harm himself or others. If our judging of others is
not governed by this principle, we will become proud and critical, and our own
spiritual character will degenerate.
Practicing the Golden Rule releases the love of God in our
lives and enables us to help others, even those who want to hurt us. But
remember that practicing the Golden Rule means paying a price. If we want God's
best for ourselves and others, but others resist God's will, then they will
oppose us. We are salt, and salt stings the open wound. We are light, and light
exposes dirt.
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Thursday – 31st January
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7:13-20
The basis for judging Matt 7:13-20. Since there are false prophets in the world, we must be
careful of deception. But the greatest danger is self-deception. The scribes
and Pharisees had fooled themselves into believing that they were righteous and
others were sinful. It is possible for people to know the right language,
believe intellectually the right doc trines, obey the right rules, and still
not be saved. Jesus used two pictures to help us judge ourselves and others.
The two ways Matt 7:13-14 are, of course, the way to heaven and the way to hell. The
broad way is the easy way; it is the popular way. But we must not judge
spiritual profession by statistics; the majority is not always right.
Quite the contrary is true: God's people
have always been a remnant, a small minority in this world. The reason is not difficult
to discover: The way of life is narrow, lonely and costly. We can walk on the broad way and keep our
“baggage” of sin and worldliness. But if
we enter the narrow way, we must give up those things.
Here, then, is the first test: Did your
profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? If not, then it was not a true
profession. Many people who “trust”
Jesus Christ never leave the broad road with its appetites and
associations. They have an easy
Christianity that makes no demands on them.
Yet Jesus said that the narrow way was hard. We cannot walk on two roads, in two different
directions, at the same time.
The Two trees Matt 7:15-20 show
that true faith in Christ changes the life and produces fruit for God’s
glory. Everything in nature reproduces
after its kinds, and this is also true in the spiritual realm. Good fruit comes from a good tree but bad
fruit comes from a bad tree. The tree
that produces rotten fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know
them” Matt 7:20.
The second test is this: Did my decision for
Christ change my life? False prophets who
teach false doctrine can produce only a false righteousness. See Act 20:29.
Their fruit (the result of their ministry)
is false and cannot last. The prophet
themselves are false: the closer we get to them, the more we see the falsity of
their lives and doctrines. They magnify
themselves, not Jesus Christ: and their purpose is to exploit people. Not to edify them. The person who believes false doctrine, or
who follow a false prophet, will never experience a changed life. Unfortunately, some people do not realize
this until it is too late.
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Friday - 1st February
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7:21-29
God’s Judgment of us Matt 7:21-29
Even picturing two ways and two trees, our
Lord closed His message by picturing two builders and their houses. The two ways illustrate the start of the life
of faith, the two trees illustrated the growth and results of the life of faith
here and now: and the gate that leads to the broad way, making it easy for
people to enter.
But at the end of the way, there is
destruction. The final test is not what
we think of ourselves, or what others may think.
The final test is:
What will God say?
.
How can we prepare for this judgment? By
doing God's will. Obedience to His will is the test of true faith in Christ.
The test is not words, not saying" Lord, Lord," and not obeying His
commands. How easy it is to learn a religious vocabulary, and even memorize
Bible verses and religious songs, and yet not obey God's will. When a person
is truly born again, he has the Spirit of God living within Rom 8:9;
and the Spirit enables him to know and do the Father's will. God's love in his
heart Rom 5:5 motivates him to obey God and serve others.
Words are not a substitute for obedience,
and neither are religious works. Preaching, casting out demons, and performing
miracles can be divinely inspired, but they give no assurance of salvation. It
is likely that even Judas participated in some or all of these activities, and
yet he was not a true believer. In the last days, Satan will use "lying
wonders" to deceive people 2 Thes 2:7-12.
We are to hear God's words and do them see
James I :22-25. We must not stop with only hearing (or studying) His
words. Our hearing must result in doing. This is what it means to build on the
rock foundation. We should not confuse this symbol with the "rock" in
1 Corinthians 3:9ff. Paul founded the local church in Corinth on Jesus
Christ when he preached the Gospel and won people to Christ. This is the only
foundation for a local church.
The foundation in this parable is obedience
to God's Word -obedience that is an evidence of true faith James 2:l4ff.
The two men in this story had much in common. Both had desires to build a
house. Both built houses that looked good and sturdy. But when the judgment
came (the storm), one of the houses collapsed. What was the difference? .Not
the mere external looks, to be sure. The difference was in the foundation: The
successful builder "dug deep" Luke 6:48 and set his house on
a solid foundation.
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Saturday – 2nd February
Topic: The King’s Principals
Read: Matthew 7 Again
A false profession will last until judgment
comes. Sometimes .this judgment is in the form of the trials of life. Like the
person who received the seed of God's Word into a shallow heart Matt 13:4-9,
the commitment fails when the testing comes.
Many people have professed faith in Christ,
only to deny their faith when life becomes spiritually costly and difficult.
But the judgment illustrated here probably
refers to the final judgment before God. We must not read into this parable all
the doctrine that we are taught in the Epistles; for the Lord was illustrating
one main point: profession will ultimately be tested before God. Those who have
trusted Christ, and have proved their faith by their obedience will have
nothing to fear. Their house is founded on the Rock, and it will stand. But
those who have professed to trust Christ, yet who have not obeyed God's will, will
he condemned.
How shall we test our profession of faith?
By popularity? No, for there are many on the broad road to destruction. And
there are many who are depending on words, saying "Lord, Lord"-but
this is no assurance of salvation. Even religious activities in a church
organization are no assurance How then shall we judge ourselves and others
who profess Christ as Saviour?
The two ways tell us to examine the cost of
our profession. Have we paid a price to profess faith in Christ? The two trees tell
us to investigate whether our lives have really changed. Are there godly fruits
from our lives? And the two houses remind us that true faith in Christ will
last, not only in the storms of life, but also in the final judgment.
The congregation was astonished at this
sermon. Why? Because Jesus spoke with divine authority. The scribes and
Pharisees spoke "from authorities," always quoting the various rabbis
and experts of the law. Jesus needed no human teacher to add authority to His
words; for He spoke as the Son of God. We cannot lightly dismiss this sermon,
for it is God who gave it to us! We must either bow before Him and submit to
His authority, or we will be condemned.
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