2025.03.02.Sermon Notes. TRUE DISCIPLESHIP - MATTHEW 7 – THE WAY TO LIFE
WILLIAM AKEHURST, HSWC
BIG IDEA: JESUS Continues HIS Sermon on the Mount and Teaching on True Discipleship with insight on Judgment and Discernment, when it comes to “loving our neighbors”.
SCRIPTURES: Matthew 7:1-29, Matthew 22:36-40, John 8:7, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Mark 16:15-16, John 15:7-8, James 5:16, John 10:9, Luke 6:44-45, John 15:5-8, Luke 6:46, Proverbs 10:25, James 1:22, Numbers 32:23, Luke 11:28, Philippians 1:3-6, Philippians 1:9-11
RECAP: In Matthew 6, JESUS spoke about our inner spiritual life. With 3 aspects of prayer, Giving , Prayer, and Fasting, as well as Worldly vs. Heavenly Treasures, and Anxiety or Worry over materials things.
In reflection, JESUS was teaching about Loving GOD over the things of this world.
Now in Matthew 7, we see His Sermon on the Mount continue, but now with regard to Loving your Neighbor as yourself.
Later in Matthew, chapter 22:36-40, JESUS will be asked about which Commandment is the Greatest, to which HE will respond, LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7 will also give us insight on Judgment and Discernment, when it comes to “loving our neighbors”.
Matthew 7:1-29
JUDGMENT AND DISCERNMENT.
(1-2) A SUMMARY STATEMENT ON PASSING JUDGMENT UPON OTHERS.
DO NOT JUDGE (Luke 6:37–42)
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
Judge not, that you be not judged:
This is probably one of the most verses that are taken out of context.
JESUS speaks to the way we think of and treat others and warns against passing judgment upon others, because when we judge, we will be judged in a similar manner.
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged:
Jesus isn’t PROHIBITING the judgment of others, but HE requires that our judgment be completely fair, and that we only judge others by a standard we would also like to be judged by.
For example. Wrong Judgment is when we make judgments by a standard, but ignore that standard in our own lives.
How do we judge others unjustly or unfairly?
• Thinking the worst of others.
• Keeping a list of their faults.
• Judging or evaluating someone by their worst moments. (Keeping a record of their wrong)
• By judging others without considering their circumstances. (To combat this, Put yourself in their shoes)
• By judging others without understanding that we ourselves will be judged by the same standards.
PRINCIPLE: With the measure or standard, or law, that you use to judge, will be measured or standard, or law that will be applied back to you in judgment.
God will measure unto us according to the same measure we use for others.
This should motivate us to be generous with love, forgiveness, and goodness to others.
If we want more of those things from God, we should give more of them to others.
The rabbis taught that God had two measures that He used to judge people.
1. A measure of JUSTICE
2. A measure of MERCY.
Saying that whichever measure you want God to use with you, you should use that same measure with others.
POINT: We should only judge another’s behavior with an understanding that we ourselves will be judged. Therefore, we must consider HOW we want to be judged.
(3-5) ILLUSTRATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF JUDGING.
PRINCIPLE: EXAMINE YOURSELF FIRST
3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
JESUS uses an illustration to demonstrate HIS teaching.
A man with a board in his eye trying to help a friend remove a speck from the friend’s eye. Picturing this scene is something you might find in a comic book or cartoon. But JESUS used this exaggerated illustration to make it more understandable and memorable.
JESUS used the exaggeration of the speck and plank to show how WE may TOLERATE our OWN SIN more than the sin of others.
Look, a plank is in your own eye:
The one with the plank in his own eye may be blind to his own fault, and perhaps not even aware of it. The idea of trying to correct the fault of someone else when we have the same or greater fault, shows us as the Hypocrite!
And our hypocrisy is always more evident to others than to ourselves.
We may ignore the plank in our own eye, while others see it immediately.
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye:
Jesus didn’t say that it was wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye.
But we should deal with the plank in our own eye first.
DEMONSTRATION: Hold a 2x4 before one eye and let the congregation see how ridiculous that looks. You’ll see it too!
(6) BALANCING LOVE WITH DISCERNMENT.
DON’T GIVE THE SACRED TO THE UNHOLY
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
(NLT) “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Some people are simply not ready for the GOOD NEWS, and may turn on you, even attack you. We see this persecution with Christians all the time. Once they are known as Christians, they are hated by the world. Jesus warned us about that, but HE also told us…GO…
Mark 16:15-16 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
GO and share the GOOD NEWS to those while will receive it.
PRINCIPLE: DISCERNMENT. Do not give what is holy to the dogs:
JESUS warned about judgmental attitudes. Now HE reminds us to use discernment to understand that there are some things that should not be given to those who will receive them with contempt.
We might say that Jesus means, “Don’t be judgmental, but don’t throw out all discernment either.”
The dogs and swine represent hypocritical, judgmental believers who reject JESUS’ message of REPENT and the KINGDOM is NOW.
Our pearls of the precious gospel may only confuse those who are blinded to the truth and do not believe and may ridicule the message of Salvation.
JESUS DID NOT say this to discourage us from sharing the gospel. We are to Let our Lights Shine to Glorify GOD. Matthew 5:13-16
This Calls us to be encouraged to use Discernment to look for hearts prepared and ready to receive JESUS.
PRAYER: HOLY SPIRIT, Order our steps, and set divine appointments for us with the lost whose hearts are prepared.
(7-8) BE DILIGENT IN PRAYER UNTIL YOU GET AN ANSWER.
KEEP ON ASKING, SEEKING AND KNOCKING.
EFFECTIVE PRAYER: Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking (Luke 11:9–13)
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Ask… seek… knock: An increasing fervor, going from ask to seek to knock.
We are to pray with increasing fervent intensity, passion, and persistence.
James 5:16 says that “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
PRAYER DEFINED - The 3 ASPECTS OF PRAYER AND THEIR REWARD
1. ASK and RECEIVE
ASK – Make your request known to GOD with confidence and humility
RECEIVE – Reward of asking. GOD promises an answer as FATHER to child.
ANSWERS: Yes, No, Wait.
2. SEEK and FIND
SEEK – With Passion, Care and Application. Search after GOD, HIS WORD, and HIS WILL.
FIND – Reward of seeking diligently. Finding Answers.
3. KNOCK and ENTER IN
KNOCK – As on a closed door (resistance). With Earnest Diligent Persistence, Not giving up or giving in until something happens.
OPENED – Reward is the door will be opened for you to ENTER IN. Persistence gives entry.
THOUGHT: NOT JUST OPENED, BUT FREE TO GO IN AND OUT - AS A RELATIONSHIP - NOT ONE WAY
(9-11) JESUS’ ILLUSTRATION OF THE GIVING NATURE OF GOD.
9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
John 15:7-8 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
James 5:16 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
JESUS goes on to say that when we ask, seek and knock, FATHER provides out of HIS Goodness with Mercy and Grace. HE doesn’t return evil, rather Good to those who ask.
THOUGHT: IF we ask for something that may be bad for us (unknowingly), FATHER GOD, as a loving parent, spares us of the consequence of our lack of understanding, showing us HIS MERCY.
REMEMBER THE SONG: “I thank GOD for unanswered prayers”
(12) THE GOLDEN RULE.
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them:
Long before JESUS, this command was taught with a negative tone. “You should not do to your neighbor what you would not want him to do to you.”
Similar to the THOU SHALT NOTS of the 10 commandments, but JESUS puts it in the positive, saying that we should do unto others what we want them to do unto us.
POINT: To experience love and have people reach out to us, we must love and reach out to others.
In the same way, JESUS taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
And that we love because HE first loved us.
For this is the Law and the Prophets:
Jesus shows that this simple principle – the Golden Rule – summarizes all that the Law and the Prophets say about how we should treat others.
SIMPLY PUT: JESUS SPEAKS OF THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT, 1ST LOVE GOD,
2ND Treat others as you want to be treated. Your Neighbors as yourself.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
PRINCIPLE: Treating others the way we want to be treated helps us to obey GOD’s Commandments.
While this makes the law easier to understand, it doesn’t make it any easier to obey. No one has ever consistently done unto others as they would like others to do unto themselves.
(13-14) DECISION: TWO WAYS AND TWO DESTINATIONS.
THE NARROW GATE: The Narrow Way (Luke 13:24)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
John 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
(NLT) Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.
POINT: CHOOSE BETWEEN 2 PATHS WITH 2 OPPOSITE DESTINATIONS
ENTER by the narrow gate:
Jesus is NOT saying this gate is our destiny, RATHER, the Entrance to the WAY or PATH to Life.
There is a right and wrong way. The Difficult way that leads to life, and the Easy way that leads to destruction.
Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life:
If your road has a gate that is easy and well-traveled, you may be on the wrong path!
POINT: JESUS is commanding HIS Disciples to enter the narrow, more difficult WAY, that most will not choose to follow, that may be marked by persecution but rewarded in the end.
The true gate, is both narrow and difficult.
(15-20) DANGER OF FALSE PROPHETS. TWO TREES AND THEIR FRUIT.
DISCERNMENT
THE TREE AND ITS FRUIT: You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Luke 6:44-45 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
BEWARE of false prophets:
We were just warned of a path that leads to destruction.
Beware of those who are leading along the broad path that leads to destruction. These are false prophets, and we need to beware of them .
EXAMPLE: Prosperity Gospel. Accept JESUS and everything will be good for you. Increased wealth, health and prosperity.
Who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves:
Deceiving even themselves.
You will know them by their fruits:
We guard ourselves against false prophets by looking for their fruits by paying attention to the aspects of their life and ministry.
THEIR MANNER OF LIFE, HOW THEY LIVE
Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?
CONTENT OF TEACHING.
Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?
EFFECT OF TEACHING.
Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?
JESUS SAID, I AM THE VINE, you are MY branches. Rooted in CHRIST, we will produce the fruit of CHRIST.
John 15:5-8
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
THOUGHT: EXAMINE YOURSELF. ARE YOU GRAFTED INTO JESUS AND ALIVE, PRODUCING FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
OR ARE YOU A DEAD TWIG THAT NEEDS TO BE PRUNED OFF?
JESUS warns us to judge ourselves first. To look for the beam in our own eye before dealing with the speck in our neighbor’s eye.
Therefore, before we look at others, we need to ask ourselves. “Do I bear fruit for GOD’s Glory?”
(21-23) THE DECISION BETWEEN TWO CLAIMS OF JESUS’ LORDSHIP, ONE FALSE AND ONE TRUE.
TRUE DISCIPLES: I Never Knew You (Luke 6:46; 13:26, 27)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven:
Jesus spoke here of a proper verbal confession, where these ones called Jesus Lord.
This is vital, but never enough by itself.
WARNING!!!
SPOKE OF JESUS “LORD, LORD” but the heart wasn’t right.
Head knowledge, but lacking heart. HOLY SPIRIT IN THEM.
GO TO CHURCH on Sunday but live like the devil the rest of the week.
THEIR SPIRITUAL LIFE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DAILY LIFE.
Who says to Me…will say to Me in that day:
JESUS STATES WE MUST STAND BEFORE HIM IN THE COMING DAY OF JUDGMENT.
DO YOU KNOW JESUS?
DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
POINT: IT’S A PERSONAL AND DAILY RELATIONSHIP.
HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIZED AND DONE WONDERS IN YOUR NAME?
They did wonderful things in the name of Jesus. BUT, they NEVER really had a RELATIONSHIP of Love and Fellowship with JESUS.
NO RELATIONSHIP?
THE HARDEST WORDS: I NEVER KNEW YOU, DEPART FROM ME.
I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness:
POINT: In the end, there is one basis of salvation; it isn’t mere verbal confession, not “spiritual works,” but KNOWING JESUS and BEING KNOWN BY HIM.
RELATIONSHIP is our connection to HIM– by the Gift of Faith that HE Gives to us – that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.
Connected so much with JESUS, that HOLY SPIRIT RESIDES IN US.
POINT: These are not people who lost their salvation. Instead, they never truly had it…“I never knew you.”
QUESTION: DOES JESUS KNOW YOU?
(24-27) TWO BUILDERS AND TWO DESTINATIONS.
SOLID FOUNDATION: Build on the Rock (Luke 6:47–49)
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
FOUNDATIONS:
• FOUNDED IN CHRIST [ROCK] Will stand testing, persecution, judgment
• FOUNDED IN THE WORLD [SAND] Will fail testing, persecution, judgment.
HEARS AND OBEYS. BUILT ON THE ROCK.
HEARS AND DOESN’T OBEY. BUILT ON SAND
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE BUILT ON THE ROCK, WHO HEAR AND OBEY AND APPLIES GOD’S WORD TO THEIR LIVES.
And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house:
JESUS warns that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials and testing) and in the ultimate judgment before GOD.
Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them:
HEARING GOD’S WORD ISN’T ENOUGH to provide a secure foundation.
WE MUST BE DOERS OF HIS WORD.
HEAR AND APPLY GOD’S WORD MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.
Luke 11:28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
(28-29) CHRIST’S AUTHORITY
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes:
THOSE WHO HEARD, saw that JESUS taught with an authority the other teachers lacked.
POINT: JESUS spoke with AUTHORITY in REVEALING GOD’s WORD.
The people were astonished at His teachings:
WHEN GOD’S WORD is presented in TRUTH and POWER, it will astonish people and set itself above man’s thoughts.
When we really begin to understand JESUS’ Sermon on the Mount, we should find ourselves to be astonished too. As greater understanding draws us closer to HIM we should be changed as HIS MESSAGE can be applied to our own lives as we grow in the knowledge of CHRIST, and learn discernment as we deal with life.
If the WORD has made us to glaze over, then we are not learning, not growing, and not doing what HE said.
We are to be HEARERS and DOERS.
That means, we hear, we learn and we begin to apply these things to our lives.
It’s the still small voice of HOLY SPIRIT that leads us in these truths. We need to listen, and obey.
BENEDICTION Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;…
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Pastor Bill
