Author: Scott Lane

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29(day five) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them…”

It’s the end of the sermon and Jesus is calling for a response.  There are acts of obedience that must ensue. He has just contrasted the difference between saying and doing. In these last four verses, He is contrasting the difference between hearing and doing. When we hear the Lord, we must respond- repair, renovation, demolition, construction. We must find eternal truth and start there (foundation). If the Lord continues to speak to us, then there is a call to obedience.

“We need to consider that the Bible is a dangerous book to read, and the church is a dangerous society to join. For in reading the Bible we hear the words of Christ, and in joining the church we say we believe in Christ. As a result, we belong to the company described by Jesus as both hearing his teaching and calling him, Lord. Our membership, therefore lays upon us the serious responsibility of ensuring that what we know, and what we say is translated into what we do.“ – John Stott

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Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day five)

“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

These are the four most dreaded words in scripture. “I never knew you.”  Yet, there is hope and comfort in them. Jesus is mandating that what is absolutely essential for eternal life, is a relationship with God through Him. God desires a relationship with us- a relationship that shapes our minds, hearts, and wills. Interaction. Engagement. Speaking and listening. Learning and growing. Serving and sharing. If this relationship is real it must be vibrant- producing fruit. There must be a connection to what we profess and our actions. You evilDOERS (emphasis mine). Verbal and moral. Lips and life. Attitudes and Actions. All/both are evidence and affirmation of a relationship with the Lord. (See James chapter 2)

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:13-14 (day five) “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
There’s not much of a sales pitch in our text this week. Jesus doesn’t make the Christian life seem desirable at all- narrow, hard, few.  From  a human perspective, not a good marketing or advertising campaign. I’m always curious how much the commercials cost for “the big game”. This Sunday evening, advertisers will pay around seven million dollars for thirty seconds to make their products seem fun, adventurous, and widely known and used. What you won’t  hear too much this Sunday afternoon, is the “long game”. Jesus always has this in mind. In other words, the economy of the Kingdom of God is best understood and appreciated from an eternal perspective. Patience. Discipline. Courage. Endurance. That’s why He says through the small gate and on the narrow path there is life, and through the wide gate and broad path is destruction.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:7-11 (day five)  

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” The Greek tense of the verbs in our ReVerse passage carry the meaning of a continual action. Ask, and then keep on asking (seek, knock).  The English language leaves that out. The original readers would have picked up on this verb tense. With it, comes the idea of urgency, intensity, and frequency. Jesus then illustrates His point by depicting a child engaging with his dad, asking for bread then fish. Jesus will later say “unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.“ (Matthew 18) Oh, that our relationship with God would be described like that. Am I determined and desperate (like a child) to understand, hear from, and trust my Heavenly Father? 

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:1-6, 12(day five)  “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.”  Jesus’ words are brilliant in this section of His sermon. He knows full well (as should we) that we cannot, on our own, remove any logs (sin).  Only the Lord can do that. Furthermore, this process (every time we are inclined to judge or correct others) of removing our own “logs” should teach us deep humility. Every time we see something sinful in others, there is the possibility/probability of sin in our own hearts and lives that should be dealt with- That’s a lot of confession. And every time the log is removed (only by God) we experience His love and forgiveness- That’s a lot of forgiveness. Maybe we are so quick to judge others because we haven’t experienced and learned from countless times of the Lord’s forgiveness required to adhere to this teaching.

What would our judging words and actions be like (in intensity and frequency) if influenced by hearts that experience constant confession and frequent forgiveness? I’m guessing quite different.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:25-34 (day five)

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

It’s worth noting that in this short passage, Jesus 3 times says “Do not worry”, and another time He questions the value of worrying. Why all the worrying?  What is it about the human heart that lends itself to worry?  Let me offer 3 possibilities.

First is trust. Remember earlier in this sermon, in the Model Prayer, we are encouraged to pray that God would give us our daily bread. If we pray that way each day and worry about it later, then perhaps we really don’t trust God to meet our needs.

Second is control (close to #1). We take back control of meeting our own needs (the examples Jesus gives are so inward and selfish focused). It’s a description of someone who has resumed complete control of their lives and all the details involved.

Third is despair. The life that looks into the future without any certainty will worry. It’s a distorted view of the future that makes no provision or accounting for the sovereignty of God, the promises of God, and the indwelling of the Spirit.

Lives marked by vibrant faith, obedient surrender, and joyful hope are ones that find very little space and opportunity for worry.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:19-24(day five) “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“  Jesus makes an amazing proclamation. “Your heart always follows your treasure.” Jesus uses a comparative strategy to drive home His point and help us conclude, the treasure “stored” in heaven is superior to that which is “stored” on earth.
What if Jesus was warning against a greedy selfishness? Store for yourselves– A heart turned inward and focused only on self. What if our “treasures” could be used to encourage and minister to others? What if we heeded the call this year to “Love Your Neighbor” (2024 church theme) by also using our treasures?  What if our hearts were intentionally focused and filled with the hope and certainty of eternal (heaven) things rather than temporal (earth) things?  Would that shape the way we live and love?  (Jesus thought so). Jesus is not only making sense, He is helping hearts find genuine faith, hope, and love.