Matthew 7:7-29
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
A. \\#Matt 1:1-2:23\\ The Offering of the King
1. \\#1:1-17\\ The King is Offered to the Reader
2. \\#1:18-25\\ The King Is Offered to Joseph
3. \\#2:1-12\\ The King Is Offered to the East
4. \\#2:13-23\\ The King Is Offered to Herod
B. \\#Matt 3:1-17\\ The Announcement of the King
1. Announced by John
2. Announced by the Father
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
A. \\#Matt 4:1-4:29\\ Powerful but humble
1. \\#4:1-11\\ Powerful but humble before Satan.
2. \\#4:12-17\\ Powerful but humble before government.
3. \\#4:18-22\\ Powerful but humble in the selection of His
disciples.
4. \\#4:23-25\\ Powerful but humble in ministry.
B. \\#Matt 5:1-7:29\\ Wise and Godly
1. \\#5:1-2\\ The Setting
2. \\#5:3-12\\ Be All You Can Be
3. \\#5:13-16\\ Do the Work
4. \\#5:17-19\\ Honor the Law
5. \\#5:20-6:18\\ Do It Better-Grace Always Exceeds the Law.
a. \\#5:21-48\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with people.
(1) \\#5:21-22\\ Keep It Civil
(2) \\#5:23-26\\ Make It Right
(3) \\#5:27-32\\ Keep It Pure
(4) \\#5:29-30\\ Control Your Vessel
(5) \\#5:31-32\\ Make It Work
(6) \\#5:33-37\\ Keep It True
(7) \\#5:38-42\\ Go the Second Mile
(8) \\#5:43-48\\ Love Them Anyway
b. \\#6:1-18\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with God.
(1) \\#6:1-4\\ Give unto God Alone
(2) \\#6:5-15\\ Pray unto God Alone
(3) \\#6:16-18\\ Fast unto God Alone
6. \\#6:19-34\\ Invest For Eternity
a. \\#19-20\\ An Investment Strategy
b. \\#21-24\\ Investment Truths
c. \\#25-34\\ Trust God Alone
7. \\#7:1-6\\ Don’t Judge
8. \\#7:7-11\\ Pray without Giving Up and Doubting
9. \\#7:12\\ Do Right by Others
10. \\#7:13-14\\ Walk through the Right Door
11. \\#7:15-20\\ Watch for False Professors
12. \\#7:21-23\\ Be Careful You Are Not A False Possessor
13. \\#7:24-27\\ Be Certain You Respond Wisely
14. \\#7:28-29\\ Closing
I. \\#7:7-11\\ Pray without Giving Up and Doubting
A. \\#7-8\\ A Promise
1. \\#7\\ Given - "Ask, and it shall be given, seek…find, knock…
opened."
2. \\#8\\ Emphasis - "For every one that asketh, receiveth…
seeketh, findeth… knocketh, it shall be opened."
3. While we may not always understand the results of our praying,
there can be no doubt of the promise of praying.
a. Jesus said it WILL work.
b. If our prayer does not get answered, we need to investigate why
it is not working.
c. Not to find out why our prayer is not getting answer is in
itself a lack of faith. We are not expecting God to answer
the prayer to begin with.
d. This text actually gives us A reason why our prayer might not
be answered.
B. \\#8\\ Don’t quit.
1. The Greek verb tense used on the words that end in "eth" (seeketh,
findeth, knocketh) is in the present, active, participle tense.
a. Present means that the action is going on now.
b. Active means that you are doing the action.
c. Participle means that it is continuing action. (It corresponds
to words in English that end in "ing.")
2. So the idea is start praying now and keep on praying. Don’t quit.
3. Whether we like it or not, getting answers to prayer is hard work.
a. It takes time, that is; that is, we must make it a priority.
b. It takes consistency; that is, we must be pray regularly.
c. It takes fervency; that is, we must give our whole heart and
soul to praying.
4. The lack of any one of these three is quitting.
a. You may still be saying words, but prayer with time,
consistency, and heart is not praying.
b. It goes back to what Jesus taught as being vain and repetitious
praying \\#Matt 6:7-8\\.
C. \\#9-11\\ God will Treat You Right
1. Jesus wants us to understand that God will treat us right.
a. The very thought implies that God is a good God who wants to
give us good things and do good things for us.
b. This does not mean that God will never let bad things happen to
us, but it does mean that even the bad things can be used for
our good.
2. \\#9-10\\ Some earthly examples of those who do right.
a. \\#9\\ A good father will give his son bread to eat and not a
rock.
b. \\#10\\ A good father will give his son a fish to eat and not
a serpent to bite him.
3. \\#11\\ The point
a. God is at least as good as a human father.
b. God desires to "give good gifts" to those "that ask him"; that
is, God wants to answer those prayers which are good for us.
c. The idea here is that if we are asking for help, needs, wisdom,
or anything that is good for us, God by default wants to give
it to us.
d. Prayer is not intended to "convince" God to do something.
(1) It is us requesting the very things that God wants to give
us.
(2) Prayer will not do anything else.
(3) God intends to give us good, and that is what we are to
ask for.
II. \\#7:12\\ Do Right by Others
A. This verse seems as though it needs to be joined with the thoughts
around it and perhaps it does.
1. \\#Matt 7:11\\ Jesus spoke of God being good and now He commands
us to be good.
2. It may be that we must treat others as we would want that they
"should do to you" in order for us to get our prayers answered as
Jesus was teaching in \\#7-11\\.
B. However, this verse could stand alone.
1. Jesus’ command may simply be to point out that we are to treat
others as we want to be treated. This is often called the Golden
Rule.
Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
2. "for this is the law and the prophets" - Jesus says that to treat
others rightly is the substance of everything the Law and Prophets
command.
a. This might imply that one of the main reasons God commands us
to keep things right with Him is so that we can get along with
others.
b. Regardless, it is commanded and important that we treat others
right.
III. \\#7:13-14\\ Walk through the Right Door
A. If our goodness has anything to do with the verses before \\#12\\, it
has nothing to do with the verses after. These verses clearly deal
with salvation and good works have nothing to do with it.
B. The Commodities - "destruction" \\#13\\ or "life" \\#14\\.
1. Destruction is a reference to hell, damnation, eternal separation
from God.
2. Life is a reference to salvation, heaven, restoration with God.
3. Every human being is on a journey with one of these destinations.
4. In order to find the latter, one must enter through the correct
door.
5. So this command is a choice. Which door will you choose?
C. \\#13\\ The Command - "Enter ye at the straight gate"
1. "Straight" means narrow or small.
a. The main point of these verses is that the way into heaven is
narrow and small.
b. Modern man likes to think there are many ways to heaven, but
that philosophy does not align with Scripture.
c. Jesus said there was only ONE way.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.
d. The way to heaven is narrow indeed. There is one single Door
and no other.
2. Jesus’ desire—yea, even His command—is that we enter into heaven
through His atoning work.
3. Some would say those who hold to this truth are narrow minded.
Considering it was Jesus who made the statement, I take that
as a compliment.
D. \\#13\\ The Comparison - "for wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction"
1. While the way to heaven is "narrow," the way to hell is "wide."
2. While there are "few" to enter into heaven, "many" will go to hell.
3. Such is the sad state that mankind is in.
E. The Compassion
1. While some go to great extremes to point out that Jesus’ words are
narrow minded, they fail to recognize that He and He alone paid
the high price to make the way to life possible.
2. Further, Jesus does not request mankind to accept His work, He
commands it.
3. These two facts point to the compassion that God has for mankind.
4. Today, would you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior?
IV. \\#7:15-20\\ Watch for False Prophets
A. \\#15\\ A Warning
1. "Beware of false prophets" - The warning is to watch for those who
would prophesy or preach a lie to the believer.
2. The danger of the false prophet is that he would lead the believer
from the truth.
B. \\#15\\ A Description
1. These false prophets "come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves."
2. The fact that these wolves come dressed in the clothing of sheep
indicates two truths.
a. They are among the believers as one of believers.
(1) Any wolf is dangerous but especially the wolf that is not
recognized.
(2) Because the church is open to all and membership is
granted more on one’s testimony than any other criteria,
it is easy for the church to accept unbelievers’ into the
fellowship.
(3) These unbelievers are then free to roam about the
sheepfold unnoticed. They have amble opportunity to sow
their false doctrine, especially among the weaker
believes.
b. They come in to deceive.
(1) A wolf does not accidentally find itself in sheep’s
clothing. Some intent is required.
(2) As hard as it may be for some to accept, Satan has his
willing workers who with purpose and intent lead those
astray who are ignorant of the Bible.
C. \\#16-20\\ A Sign
Matt 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
1. The mark to distinguish between the confused believer and the
ravening wolf is the work they do.
a. I have known some good people who taught error. (I imagine
that I have as well.) The fact that error was taught does
not mean that person is a wolf come to deceive and destroy.
b. To find the wolf, we look past the error that is being taught
to the life of the teacher.
c. A wolf may look like a lamb but it cannot behave like one. To
do so is against wolf’s nature.
d. By looking at the lifestyle (the fruits) of the false teacher,
they will soon manifest themselves as either a confused
believer or a deceitful wolf.
2. \\#16-18\\ An Illustration
a. This principal is illustrated by the tree and its fruit.
b. Good trees bring forth good fruit while bad trees bring forth
corrupt fruit.
(1) Jesus’ parable does not elaborate on the specific fruit
the false prophet will produce, but one might assume it
will the works of the flesh.
(2) Lusts, envy, compromise, bitterness, anger, jealousy -
These and many others will likely mark the wolf.
3. \\#19\\ The End - The end of the false prophet is that he will be
hewn down and cast into the fire.
a. The false prophet will stand before God twice condemned.
b. First, because he was unsaved. That is and always will be
the worst crime a person can commit for it alone damns the
soul.
c. Second, because the false prophet has handled the truth,
rejected it, and then sowed error among the believers.
V. \\#7:21-23\\ Be Careful You Are Not A False Possessor
A. The last section dealt with those who chose to reject Christ. This
section deals with those who thought they had accepted Him.
B. This is not parable but a prophecy about those who hold to false
professions of faith.
1. \\#21\\ Some will not enter into heaven.
a. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven" - Salvation is not merely a
profession. Some obedience is also involved.
b. "but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
(1) Salvation is also about obedience to the WILL of the
Father.
(2) It is not the Father’s will that we earn salvation but
that we believe on the Son.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him
up at the last day.
2. \\#22-23\\ Many who will not enter into heaven are thinking they
will.
a. \\#22\\ "MANY will say to me in that day" - The Lord did not
say SOME but many. This further emphasizes the words Jesus
spoke in \\#13-14\\. Only a "few" will find the path into
heaven while "many" will go into the way of destruction.
b. While righteous works do manifest a salvation experience, they
do not earn salvation. Notice the works of these:
(1) "…have not we prophesied in thy name?"
(2) "…cast out devils?"
(3) "…done many wonderful works?"
c. \\#23\\ "…ye workers of iniquity."
(1) Jesus gives His opinion of a false possessor attempting to
earn a place before God by doing good works.
(2) He calls them workers of evil.
(3) Generally speaking, He is not too happy with them.
3. \\#23\\ The end
a. "I never knew you"
(1) Although these people did good works and even had the
authority to command demons, Jesus NEVER knew them.
(2) That makes it clear that Jesus did not know them for a
time and then forgot them. He NEVER knew them.
b. "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
(1) The end of these false possessors is that they will be
separated from God forever.
(2) This is damnation.
VI. \\#7:24-27\\ Be Certain You Respond Wisely
A. As Jesus begins to close His sermon, He gives a parable to describe
what will happen to those who do and do not listen to it.
B. The house mentioned in this parable is the life we live; the rock is
truth; and the sand is error.
1. \\#24\\ Those who listen are "liken… a wise man which built his
house upon a rock":
a. \\#25\\ "the rain descended.. the winds blew" - That is the
hard times of life came.
b. But the house "fell not; for it was founded upon a rock." The
"rock" is truth.
2. \\#26\\ Those who do not are "likened unto a foolish man, which
built his house upon the sand":
a. \\#27\\ "the rain descended…floods came…winds blew: Life
tested the foolish man’s life.
b. "And the house "fell: and great was the fall of it."
(1) Because this man’s LIFE was not built upon the rock of
TRUTH, it did not withstand the trials of life.
(2) The destruction caused by not building life upon the truth
found in Jesus’ words is called "great," indicating that
there is much loss and harm for failing to do so.
VII. \\#7:28-29\\ Closing
A. These verses close out the sermon and this section which introduces
Jesus as the wise and godly King of Israel.
B. It appears the common people noticed Him.
1. "the people were astonished at his doctrine" - The wisdom of Jesus
came through His teaching. This was probably noticed all the more
since Jesus had no formal education in the Scriptures.
2. "he taught them as one having authority" - But it was not just the
content of Jesus’ message that moved the people. It was also the
confidence. Jesus spoke with knowledge and the assurance that
what He said was so.
3. "not as the scribes" - This is contrasted with the teaching of the
religious leaders of that day. With all of their education, they
had lost the assurance that God’s Word was true and could be
trusted.
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