TAWG - December 10, 2022 - Matthew 7:1-29
December 10, 2022

Matthew 7:1-29

7:1-5 | With the command to Judge not, Jesus is not forbidding spiritual discernment (1 Cor. 6:5}). Instead, He condemns the kind of judgement that comes from a hypocritical and unkind spirit (Luke 6:37; Rom. 14:3). Christians should never judge by appearances or in a manner by which they themselves would not want to be judged.

7:7-11 | Jesus commands His followers to pray using three imperatives: Ask, Seek, and Knock. All three words are in the continuous present tense, so they mean keep on asking, seeking and knocking. All three commands are also accompanied by a response from God: His people receive, find, and have the door opened to them. God answers prayer (21:22; Mark 11:24; Luke 18:1-8; John 15:7; 1 John 3:22; 5:14-15).

7:12 | Known as “The Golden Rule” (Luke 6:31), this verse is best understood as an extension of Jesus’ teaching on prayer – and a lesson in the second commandment to love others (Lev. 19:18). It is easy for Christians to say that they love others, but do they prove that love by their prayers and their sincere care?

7:13-14 | Jesus consistently teaches the difficulty of following Him (10:38; 16:24-25; John 15:18-19). The two gates in these verses represents every person’s choice: following Jesus or following any other path. Only the more difficult, less-chosen gate to follow Christ leads to life.

7:15 | Whenever the true and narrow way is taught, there are always false teachers who disguise themselves as genuine shepherds.

7:16-20 | Believers glorify God and identify themselves with Him by producing spiritual fruit, which includes good works and steadfast character (3:10; 12:33; Luke 6:43-45; John 15:8; James 3:12). Where there is no spiritual fruit, there is no spiritual life (faith).

7:21-23 | Someday, every person will stand before God in judgment, and the reality of every person’s relationship with Jesus Christ will be revealed (Heb. 4:13). Without a personal relationship with Christ, religious words and religious ways – such as attending church, filling positions of church leadership, and performing good works – have no value (Luke 13:25).

7:24-27 | Jesus was especially interested in three responses from His disciples: 1) they should listen carefully enough to His words that they truly hear them; 2) they should work to understand those words to the best of their ability; 3) they should faithfully act on the words they have come to understand (Luke 6:46-49).