Matthew 7
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Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end
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— Prayers ( Blue )
— Promises ( Green )
— Warnings ( Red )
— Commands ( Purple )
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— There is a lot of disagreement on the right way to approach chapter 7
— But it seems that there is a clear underlying theme and it is judgment
— It is not hard to see the connection between this chapter and the preceding one
— We should always regard the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, so it a quick review is in order
First, we get the description of the Christian man, his character. Then we are shown the effect upon him of all that happens in the world in which he lives and his reaction to that world. Then he is reminded of his function in the world as salt of the earth and as a light set for all to see, and so on. Then, having described the Christian as he is and in his setting, our Lord goes on to give him particular instructions with regard to his life in this world. He starts with his relationship to the law. That was especially necessary because of the false teaching of the Pharisees and scribes. That is the theme of that long section in chapter 5 in which our Lord, in terms of six main principles, enunciates his view and interpretation of the law over and against that of the Pharisees and scribes. So the Christian man is taught how he is to behave in general, how the law applies to him, and what is expected of him.
Having done that, in chapter 6 our Lord looks at this Christian man who has thus been described, living in this world, and living it, especially in fellowship with his Father. he has to remember always that the Father is looking upon him. He has to remember this when he is in private and when he is deciding what good he is going to do — his almsgiving, his prayer, his fasting, everything designed to bring about the growth and nurture and culture of his inner spiritual life and being. It always has to be done as realizing that the Father’s eye is upon him. There is no value or merit in it if we do not realize that: if we are out to please ourselves or to impress others we may as well do nothing.
Then we come to another section, in which our Lord shows us the danger of the impact of the life of this world upon us, the danger of worldliness, the danger of living for the things of this life and this world, whether we have too much or too little, and especially the subtlety of that danger
Having dealt with all that He now comes to this final section. And here, it seems to me, He is enforcing again the all-importance of our remembering that we are walking under the Father’s eye. The particular subject He handles is one which is mainly concerned with our relationship with other people; but still the important thing to realize is that our relationship to God is the fundamental matter. It is as if our Lord were saying that the final thing which matters is not what men think of us, but what God thinks of us. In other words, we are reminded all along that our life here is a journey and a pilgrimage, and that it is leading on to a final judgment, and ultimate assessment, and the determination and proclamation of our final and eternal destiny.
— The natural man does not care about his eternal future
— Btu the Christian man is a man who should walk through this life as conscious that it is but transient and passing, a kind of preparatory school
— He should always know that he is walking in the presence of God, and that he is going to meet God; and that thought should determine and control the whole of his life
— We are undergoing a process of judgment the whole time, because we are being prepared for the final judgment; and as Christian people we should do all things with that idea uppermost in our minds, remembering that we shall have to render an account
— That is the controlling theme of this chapter — and it climaxes with the striking picture of the two houses
Q: Does this mean that we should never, in any circumstance, judge? ( 7:1-6 )
Stop Criticizing ( 7:1-6 )
( 7:1-6 ) “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. 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. 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
— “Do not judge” is not blanket statement against all critical thinking
— Paul taught that we should exercise church discipline ( 1 Cor 5:1, 2 )
— When is the last time you heard of a person being excommunicated?
— When did you last hear of a person being kept back from the Communion Table? ( 1 Cor 11:27-29 )
— Scripture teaches us that judges and magistrates are appointed of God
— It is part of God’s way of restraining evil and sin and their effects in this world
— So, if a man says he does not believe in police courts, he is contradicting Scripture
— The question of judging also applies in the matter of doctrine
— Jesus demanded the exercise of moral and theological discernment
— Jesus said to expose false teachers ( 7:15-23 )
— In light of what Jesus says about certain individuals being dogs and swine it is clear that no such wholesale condemnation of forming an opinion is intended ( John 24: cf. 1 Cor 5:12; 6:1-5; Gal 1:8, 9; Phil 3:2; 1 Thess 2:14, 15; 1 Tim 1:6, 7; Titus 3:2, 10; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 10; 3 John 9 )
— Remember what Jesus said about what to do if a brothers sins against you ( Matt 18:15-20 )
— First go to your brother and tell him his fault
— If he will not listen take witnesses and if he will not listen, take it to the church
— And if he will not listen to the church, treat him as a heathen
— Paul says the same thing in 1 Cor 5 and 6, he tells the Corinthians not to keep company with a man who is an idolater, but to withdraw themselves
— To be discriminating and critical is necessary; to be hypercritical is wrong
— Avoid saying what is untrue ( Ex 23:1 ), unnecessary ( Prov 11:13), unkind ( Prov 18:8 )
Q: If this passage does not mean that we are to never judge, what does it mean?
An Erroneous View of God and others ( 7:1 -2 )
( 7:1-2 ) “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.
— This passage warns of the terrible danger of condemning or pronouncing judgment in a final sense
— “Lest you be judged” reminds us that we are not the final court
— To judge another person’s motives or to curse to condemnation is to Play God ( John 5:22 )
— Jesus warns us against a self-righteous spirit
— Jesus tells us to examine our own motives and conduct instead of judging others
— The traits that bother us are often the traits that we dislike in others!
— This might appear as smug, snide remarks to co-worker or as a sudden outburst of anger at your spouse ( which heaps sin upon sin )
— During the millennial kingdom Christ will share some of that judgement with us ( Matt 19:28 ) but until that time we blaspheme God whenever we take upon ourselves the role of judge
“ Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” ( Rom 14:4 )
— Unless a person is continually teaching false doctrine or following standards that are clearly unbiblical, we are not to judge a person’s ministry, teaching or life
What does judgment look like?
— Whenever we assign people to condemnation without mercy because
— They do not do something we thing ought to be done
— Or because we think their motives are wrong
— We play God and pass judgment that only God is qualified to make
— When we setup ourselves as judge we imply that we know all of the facts, all the circumstances and motives
— If we set ourselves up as judge over others, we cannot plead ignorance of the law in reference to ourselves when God judges us
Your life as an example
— James has this principle in mind when he wrote
— “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” ( James 3:1 )
— The person who teaches will be judged more strictly because he/she has a greater understanding
— We are especially guilty if we do not practice what we ourselves teach and preach ( James 3:1 )
— To be gossipy, tale-bearing, critical and judgmental is to live under the false illusion that those whom we judge are somehow inferior to us
Q: Do you find it easy to magnify other’s faults while excusing your own ( 7:1-2 )?
— If you are ready to criticize someone, check to see if you deserve the same criticism
— Judge yourself first and then lovingly forgive an help your neighbor
Going Deeper
— The Pharisees and scribes had become oppressively judgmental
— They proudly looked down on everyone who was not part of their elite system
— They were unmerciful, unforgiving, unkind, censorious (severely critical), and totally lacking in compassion and grace
— Their evaluation of others was based on appearance, on the external and superficial ( John 7:24; 8:15 )
— They lived to justify themselves in the eyes of other men; but Jesus told them that their judgment was utterly contrary to God’s and was detestable in His sight ( Lk 16:15 )
Q: What do you think the “speck” and the “log” represent ( 7:3-5a )?
An Erroneous view of Ourselves ( 7:3-5a )
( 7:3-5a ) 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!
— When we judge critically we also manifest a wrong view of ourselves
— When we have a wrong view of God, we cannot but have a wrong view of others and ourselves
— Almost by definition, self-righteousness is a sin of blindness because it looks directly at its own sin and only sees righteousness
— Ever wonder why it’s so easy to see the speck in someone else’s eye? Because it is a plank in yours…… Ask yourself if you see others imperfections because you may be intimately acquainted with them yourself!
Q: Typically someone will quote that verse and suggest that it rules out any kind of critical or analytical appraisal of what others believe. Was Jesus forbidding Christians from judging what is taught in His name?
The Right Balance ( 7:5b-6 )
( 7:5b-6 ) First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 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
—First, confess your own sin of self-righteousness and a condemning spirit towards others
— Ask for God’s forgiveness and never judge motives or attitudes
— We cannot judge thoughts or intentions of the heart, only God can ( Heb 4:12; 1 San 16:7 )
— God alone knows the secrets things of the heart ( Ps 44:21 )
— He alone can weight the motives ( Prov 16:2 )
— God alone “will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” ( Ro 2:16 )
— That is not our role ( 1 Cor 4:5)
— What Jesus condemned was the hypocritical judgment of those who held others to a higher standard than they themselves were willing to live by
— From another angle: — “This matter of harsh judgment is certainly something about which we need to be very careful. Although Jesus makes it clear that we are not to sit in harsh judgment upon another, He also said that by their fruits we would know them. The late Dr. James McGinley put it in his rather unique fashion, "I am no judge, but I am a fruit inspector." And we can really tell whether or not a Christian is producing fruit.” (Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.)
To whom does this apply?
— This is intended for Christians and not unbelievers
— We are not to judge unbelievers but come along side them and share the gospel
— But for those with whom we have a relationship, if we see a sin that we ourselves have by the grace of God overcome, we can encourage them and come alongside them; we have to first deal with that particular sin or speak in our own eye
Q: What does the term “cast your pearls before swine” mean in Jesus’ teaching ( 7:6 )?
— Pigs were ceremoniously unclean animals ( Lev 11:7; Deut 14:8 ); Jesus is saying we should not trust holly teachings to unholy or unclean people.
— We should not stop giving God’s word to unbelievers, but we should be wise and discerning in what we teach to whom, so that we will not be wasting our time
— “Pearls before swine”… Are we to condemn those who are not a part of His family by holding them to the standard that Christians are held to? Those who are not Christians are already lost and need to hear about Jesus’ saving love. Speaking against their “sins” fall upon ears that are not able to hear. (Rick)
Hendricksen
We must be careful not to put truth in such a way that is likely to be offensive to any type of person. For instance, to go to every unbeliever and say, “Are you saved?” is not the the scriptural method. There is a type who, if you say that to him, will take offense at it, and will not be led on to the truth. The effect of such a question on him will produce this response that our Lord is describing, the reaction of the dog and the swine, the trampling and the rending, the blasphemy and the cursing. And we must always be careful not to give anyone cause to blaspheme or to curse. There are those, of course, who will do that however perfect our method. Then we are not responsible and we can say with Paul, “Your blood be upon your own heads.” But, if the offense is in us, God have mercy on us. A man who is preaching the truth can be guilty of preaching the truth in an unworthy manner. You and I must never be the cause of antagonism; we must always preach the truth in love, and if we cause offense, it should always be “the offence of the cross,” not anything offensive in the preacher. Our Lord was teaching that
Going Deeper
Hendricksen
— Christ’s further sayings and also His actions are a commentary on Matthew 7:6
— How patient He was with Thomas ( John 20:24-29 ) and with Peter ( John 21:15-19 )
— But for Herod Antipas, who often had been warned ( Mark 6:20 ) but had disregarded all of His admonitions, Jesus did not have a single word ( Lk 23:9)
— He pronounced a curse on Capernaum, which had failed to take His message to heart ( Matt 11:23 )
— He instructed His disciples not to remain too long in those places that would reject their preaching ( Matt 10:14, 15, 23 )
— In the parable of The Barren Fig Tree ( Lk 13:6-9 ) He showed that God’s patience, though prolonged, was not endless ( cf. Prov 29:1 )
— To summarize, the Lord when dealing with people in terms of the same truth, dealt with them in different ways and accommodated His way of teaching to the person
MacArthur
— It is futile to try to teach holy concepts to people who will not listen and will only tear apart what we say
— Jesus did not give all of His teachings to everyone who happened to be listening
— On one occasion He prayed, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” ( 11:25 )
— He spoke in parables “because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” ( 13:13 )
— After Jesus rose from the dead he only appeared to believers
Pearls
— Pearls were the most highly valued gems in the ancient world and were often bought as investments, much as diamonds are today
— In the form of a pearl, a great amount of wealth could be kept in a small space— concealed in one’s clothing while traveling or buried in a field for safekeeping ( 13:45-46 )
— The Jewish Talmud spoke of pearls as being beyond price, and some Egyptians and Romans held the pearl in such awe that they worshiped it
— When Jesus warned against believers’ casting their pearls before swine, He was emphasizing the priceless value of the gospel which unbelievers disdain as worthless
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D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Three kinds of judgment in the bible
First, is the final and eternal judgment
Second, is the judgement of God’s children
— This may result in sickness which Paul refers to concerning the Communion Service ( 1 Cor 11 ); God may withhold his protection
— It may be the chastening of God’s children ( Heb 12 )
Third, judgment of rewards
— Romans 14:10 We shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ ( cf. 2 Cor 5:10 )
— 1 Cor 3:13-14 Every man’s work will be made manifest
Reasons why we should not judge
First, we don’t want to be judged by the Lord
Second, we only produce judgement for ourselves ( what measure we judge, we will be judged )
Third, by judging we are foolishly proving we know better; we condemn ourselves ( Rom 2:1 )
Finally, we are incapable of right judgment — 7:3-5 says we can’t pull our the moat in our brother’s eye because we have a plank
Start Loving ( 7:7-12 )
— This concludes the main theme of the Sermon on the Mount, which is to give the standards for Kingdom living
— Jesus has given the standard related to
— Self
— Morality
— Religion
— Money and possessions
— Now He concludes with the standards related to human relationships begun in verses 1-6
God’s Promise to His Children Demands it ( 7:7-8 )
( 7:7-8 ) “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.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— Our Lord does not promise to change life for us
— He does not promise to remove difficulties and trials and problems and tribulations
— He does not say that He is going to cut out all the thorns and leave the beautiful roses
— No, He faces life realistically
— But He assures us that no matter what happens, we never need to be frightened, we need never to be alarmed
— He puts all that in this great and comprehensive promise: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you
Ask
— Asking implies humility and a consciousness of need
— It also implies that God will not only hear but answer your prayer
Seek
— Seeking is asking plus acting
— We should not only pray for a deep understanding of the bible but also diligently search and examine the Scriptures ( John 5:39; Acts 17:11 ), attend services ( Heb 10:25 ), above all strive to live in harmony with God’s will ( Matt 7:21, 24, 25; cf. John 7:17 )
Knock
— Knocking is asking plus seeking plus persevering
— One knocks again and again until the door is opened
— Don’t give up in your efforts to seek God
— Pray your way out of any dilemma
— Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love and understanding; He will give them to you
— God doesn’t want us to have all the answers in our pocket
— He wants us to have fellowship with Him and He wants us to go to Him for wisdom
The Theme is Judgment
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— We have to keep in mind that the theme of chapter 7 is judgment
— It is a dangerous thing to take a scripture verse out of context such as this and try to make it fit our preconceived view point
— How often have we heard Jeremiah 29:11 taken out of context?
— We are not looking at verse 7 and 8 only but considering 7-11
— We are reminded that our life is always under the watchful eye of God so everything we do in this world is tremendously significant, and we cannot afford to take anything for granted
— Our Lord showed in 7:1-6 the danger of condemning other people as if we were the judges, and of harboring bitterness and hatred in our hearts
— He also told us to first remove the beam out of our own eye before helping our brother remove the mote out of our brother’s eye
— The effect of all that is to show us our terrible need of grace
— He has held us face-to-face with the tremendously high standard by which we shall be judged — 7:6
— How can I possibly live up to that standard?
— Here is the answer: Ask, and it shall be give you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
Going Deeper
Hendricksen
The Lord has been admonishing his listeners to abstain from judging others ( verses 1-5 ), yet also to judge ( verse 6 ); not to be hypercritical, yet to be critical; to be humble and patient, yet not too patient; etc. After a detailed examination of the entire preceding paragraph ( verses 1-6 ) the question cannot be suppressed, “And who is sufficient for these things?” ( 2 Cor 2:16 ). This question Jesus answers by urging the necessity of persevering prayer accompanied by earnest effort. To be sure, the threefold exhortation (ask... seek...knock) is general. It pertains to not only to asking for wisdom in the matter to which reference has just been made, but in all matters
Q: If the child had asked for a poisonous snake, would the wise father have granted his request ( 7:9-11 )?
God’s Pattern for His Children Demands it ( 7:9-11 )
( 7:9-11 ) 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!
— The child in Jesus’ example asked for bread and fish — good and necessary items
— Sometimes God knows we are praying for “snakes” and does not give us what we ask, even though we persist in our prayers
— Nor will God give us “stones” or “snakes” instead of what we ask for
Q: Who said “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you”? Also know as the “Golden rule”
God’s Purpose for His Children Demands it ( 7:12 )
( 7:12 ) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
— Confucius ( 551-479 BC) said , “Do nothing to your neighbor which afterward you would not have your neighbor do to you” ( Mahabharata XIII.5571 )
— By stating it positively, Jesus made it more significant
— In many religions it is stated negatively
— It is not very hard to refrain from harming others; it is much more difficult to take the initiative in doing something good for them. It is about doing what’s right as opposed to not doing what’s wrong!
The Golden Rule
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— Here, then we stand face-to-face with our Lord’s final dictum with regard to the whole matter of judging others and our relationship with them
— It sums up what the Lord has said elsewhere in the words, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” ( 22:37-39 )
— What are the things that I like? What are the things that encourage me?
( 7:12b ) for this is the Law and the Prophets.
— This is a summary of the law and the prophets
— It is another way in which our Lord calls attention to the tragic way in which God’s law has been misunderstood
— Perhaps we can go further and say that our danger is to think of the law as being something negative, something prohibitive
— The law which God gave to the children of Israel is a very positive thing, is a spiritual thing
— But the failure of man to live according to the Golden Rule is that he is self-centered
Q: How can we then live by the golden rule?
— We must start with God
Q: What is the greatest commandment ?
— The greatest commandment is:
“ ‘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.’ ( Matt 22:37-39 )
— Notice the order, you do not start with your neighbor, you start with God
— You cannot love your neighbor as yourself until you love God
— When we see ourselves rightly, we are humbled to dust
— In turn, we see others as victims of sin and of Satan, as the dupes of “the god of this world,” as fellow creatures who are under the wrath of God and hell-bound
— We see them to be exactly as we are ourselves, and we are both in a terrible predicament
— When we look at God we realize that He does not treat us according to our deserts; that is not His method
— That is what Jesus was saying in the previous verse about asking for a fish… and the father will not give him a snake
— God does not give us what we deserve; God gives us His things in spite of our being what we are
— “Now,” Jesus is saying in effect, “you deal like that with your fellow man. Do not merely see the offensive and the difficult and the ugly. See behind all that”
— “Look at them,” says Christ, “as I have looked upon you, and in the light of the thing that brought Me from heaven for you, to give My life for you”
Going Deeper
— The Golden Rule is expressed as a negative and it is essentially not an expression of love but of self interest
— It basically goes like this, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
— This version of the “Golden Rule” has been stated by almost every major region and philosophical system (these are not golden but motivated by self-interest)
— Jewish rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to yourself do not do someone else”
— The book of Talbot: “What thou thyself hatest, to no man do”
— Confucius: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others”
— Greek Philosopher Epictetus: “What you avoid suffering yourself, do not afflict to others”
— But all of these fall short of God’s perfect standard
— How we treat others is not determined by how they treat us or who we wish they treated us
— Selfless love serves for the sake of the one being served not itself
Q: Many people find it dogmatic or unloving to tell people that there is just one way to heaven. Pope Francis, speaking for millions of believers, said that even atheists will go to heaven if they follow their conscience. Does God have a “wider mercy” as some claim ( 7:13-14 )?
Which Way to Heaven? ( 7:13-14 )
( 7:13-14 ) “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.
— Men throughout history have been given a choice to accept Christ or reject Him
— We are to enter the narrow gate which shows the narrowness of God’s internal standards
— We come alone through the gate like a turnstile — we bring nothing with us; we come by ourselves; we are not born into the kingdom or born into the church as some religions teach
— The Christian life is narrow from beginning to end
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Christ told us that He came ‘not to send peace, but a sword,’ a sword that may divide mother from daughter, or father from son, and those of your own household may be your greatest enemies. Why? Because we have been set apart. You have been set apart from your family, and have entered by this strait gate that does not admit us by families, but one by one. It is very hard, it is very difficult.
Our Lord is warning against the danger of an easy salvation, against the tendency to say: ‘Just come to Christ as you are and all is going to be well.” No, the gospel tells us at the onset that it is going to be difficult. It means a radical break with the world; it is an entirely different type of life. So we leave not only the world, but also the way of the world outside.
Two Ways
— One way is broad, easy, attractive, inclusive, indulgent, permissive
— There are few rules, few restrictions, and few requirements
— The narrow gate is like a turnstile that admits one person at a time
— It is narrow and one must strip himself of many things such as a consuming desire for earthly things, the unforgiving spirit, selfishness, and especially self-righteousness
— The narrow gate is therefore the gate of self-denial and obedience
— The wide gate can be entered with bag and baggage
—The old sinful nature and all that it contains and all its accessories — can easily march right through
— It is the gate of self-indulgence
— Not to enter in by the strait gate means that you are already on the broad way
Q: Does this teach that we are in a neutral position and have to make a choice?
— I cannot save myself by entering in the narrow gate
— But by doing so I announce that I am saved
— You don’t make yourself a Christian by walking in; you walk in because you are a Christian
Q: But if we fail in many respects, do that mean I am on the broad way?
— Have you decided for this way for your life?
— Have you committed for this? Have you chosen it?
— Is this the life that you are hungering and thirsting for?
— If this a description of you, you are not in the broad way
— Failure does not mean that you have gone back to the broad way, you can fall on the narrow way
— But if you realize that you have done so, and immediately confess and acknowledge your sin, He is “faithful and just” to forgive us our sins and cleans use from all unrighteousness ( 1 John 1:9 )
Going Deeper
Hendricksen
It should be noted that Jesus has already, by way of implication, pictured entrance into his kingdom as being both inviting and difficult, that is, as attended by circumstances both favorable and unfavorable. Favorable, for those who enter are signally blessed. They are the possessors of the kingdom they have entered, are comforted, inherit the earth, shall be fully satisfied, etc. Unfavorable, in the sense that they will be persecuted, insulted, and slandered; and that they are burdened with heavy obligations; for example, they must practice a righteousness that excels that of the scribes and Pharisees; must love even their enemies and pray for their persecutors, must not be hypocritical but must nevertheless be discriminating, etc. Such things are “unfavorable” in the sense that they clash with men’s natural tendencies.
Q: Can you make a profession of faith in Jesus and still find yourself in the wide gate ( 7:13-14 ) ? Why or why not?
— All you have to do is be religious or believe in Jesus and you are widely accepted into that large diverse group
— In the wide gate sin is tolerated, truth is moderated, and humility is ignored
— God’s word is praised but not studied, and His standards are admired but not followed
— This way requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and no sacrifice
— The gate of pride, of self-righteousness, and self-satisfaction is the wide gate of the world, not the narrow gate of God
— The narrow way is the hard way; the fact that “few who find it” implies that it must be sought diligently ( Jer 29:13 )
— Affirmed by Jesus saying “I am the way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). No other way to the Father. Pretty “narrow minded”.
— No one has ever stumbled into the kingdom by accident; it takes striving, effort ( Lk 13:23-24; 1 Cor 9:25; Acts 14:22 )
— It is for those who come in poverty of spirit, mourn their sin, hunger and thirst for righteousness, who want the kingdom at any cost and sell anything to buy that great treasure ( Matt 13:44-46 )
Going Deeper
— When Isreal was in the desert the Lord told Moses to give the people a choice to follow or not ( Deut 30:19-20)
— In the promised land, Joshua gave the people a choice, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” ( Josh 24:13-15 )
— On Mount Carmel Elijah gave people a choice, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” ( 1 Ki 18:21 )
— Jesus gave those following Him a choice to continue with Him and many disciple withdrew ( John 6:66-69 )
— We proclaim the “narrow gospel” because
— it is God’s way and God’s only way for men to find salvation
— Jesus said that that there is no eternal life apart from me ( Jn 10:9; Acts 4:12 )
— It is the only gospel that is given and the only gospel that there is
— In order to come through the narrow gate we must repent ( Acts 20:21; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 3:1-6 )
Charles Spurgeon
You and your sins must separate or you and your God will never come together. No one sin may you keep; they all be given up, they must be brought out like Canaanite kings from the cave and be hanged up in the sun
The Narrow and Broad Gate
— There is nothing to indicate that the broad road is marked as “Hell”
— The point our Lord is making is that is it marked “Heaven” but does not lead there
Q: What does Jesus mean, by their fruits you will know these false prophets - teachers ( 7:15-20 )?
Beware of False Prophets ( 7:15-20 )
( 7:15-20 ) “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.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— Continuing this theme of judgment, the Lord spoke of the absolute finality of judgment with respect to the narrow and wide gate ( 7:13-15 )
— Then, He reminds us again of these things with two special warnings
— There are going to be hindrances to enter at the narrow gate
— There will be false prophets and they are outside the narrow gate
— If you start listening to them, you are entirely undone
— The Lord shows us how to recognize them and how to deal with them
False Prophets
— These are false teachers
— And the real difficulty with this kind of false teacher is that at first you never imagine that is such
— They are in sheep’s clothing
— Jude says that they “creep in unaware” ( Jude 1:4; c.f. 2 Pet 2:1-3 )
— They look like the right people; they have sheep’s clothing on, and no one suspects that they are false
How can we describe these people? What is wrong with their teaching? The most convenient way of answering this is to say that there is no ‘strait gate’ in it, there is no ‘narrow way’ in it. As far as it goes it is all right, but it does not include this. It is a teaching, the falseness of which is to be detected by what it does not say rather than by what it does say. And it is just at this point that we realize the subtlety of the situation. As we have seen, any Christian an detect the man who says outrageously wrong things; but is it unfair or uncharitable to say that the vast majority of Christians today do not seem to be able to detect the man who seems to say the right things but leaves out vital things? We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things
That is the only way to understand rightly this picture of the false prophets. The false prophet is a man who has no ‘strait gate’ or ‘narrow way’ in his gospel. He has nothing which is offensive to the natural man; he pleases all. He is in ‘sheep’s clothing’, so attractive, so pleasant, so nice to look at. He has such a nice and comfortable and comforting message. He pleases everybody and everybody speaks well of him. He is never persecuted for his preaching, he is never criticized severely. He is praised by the Liberals and Modernist, he is praised by the Evangelicals. He is praised by everybody. He is all things to all men in that sense; there is no ‘strait gate’ about him, there is no ‘narrow way’ in his message, there is none of ‘the offence of the cross.”
— The false prophet rarely says anything about the holiness, the righteousness, the justice or the wrath of God or final judgment
—He preaches the love of God, but those other things he does not mention
— He does not say that those things are wrong, but doesn’t talk about them
— To conceal the truth is as reprehensible and as damming as to proclaim utter heresy
— The false prophet does not teach about the utter sinfulness of sin or our inability to do anything about our salvation
— He does not say that we are perfect, but he does not say how serious sin is
— The false prophet talks around the cross; he sentimentalizes about our Lord, but he knows nothing about Paul’s ‘offence of the cross.’
— He has made it a rather beautiful thing, a wonderful philosophy of love and heartbreak because of a world that is not interested
— He has never seen it as a tremendous, holy transaction between the Father and the Son in which the Father has “made” the Son to be “sin for us” and has laid our iniquity upon him ( 2 Cor 5:21 )
Therefore, be discerning
— If we are to become discerning people, we must develop the skill of discriminating between truth and error
— In the OT the main Hebrew word for “discernment” is bin
— It is often translated “discernment,” “understanding,” “skill,” or “carefulness.”
— In Hebrew it conveys the same idea as discrimination
— So discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth
— The discerning person is the one who draws a clear contrast between truth and error
— Discernment is black-and-white thinking - the conscious refusal to color every issue in shades of gray
How do we become discerning?
— “Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.” ( 1 Thess 5:21-21 )
— This is a command from the Lord
— “Examine everything carefully” ( 1 Thess 5:21 ); in this context Paul sets discernment alongside some of the most basic instructions for Christian living like prayer and contentment
— Paul told Timothy to have nothing to do with “Worldly fables fit only for old women”
— “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.” ( 1 Tim 4:6-7 )
— Paul was urging Timothy to know the difference betwen the truth of God and the nonsense of the world
— Paul also urged Timothy to avoid empty talk, shun worldly wisdom, turn away from false teachers, and rebuke those who oppose the truth
( 7:20 ) Therefore by their fruits you will know them
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— Before we come to the details, we must emphasize the great principle which our Lord is here inculcating
— It is that to be a Christian is something central to personality, something vital and fundamental
— It is not a matter of appearance on the surface either with regard to belief or life
— Our Lord is drawing attention to being misled by appearances
— The danger here is trying to make ourselves Christian by adding certain things to our lives, instead of becoming something new, instead of receiving life within, instead of the very nature which is within us being renewed after the image of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself
— No man’s service is of any value unless he himself is changed
Changed heart
— In Scripture the heart is not the seat of emotion but the center of the personality
— The Lord is saying that our words and works are a reflection of who were really are on the inside
— Later in Matthew Jesus says this quite clearly:
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” ( Matt 12:33-37 )
— And again speaking of the nature of the man He says, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” ( Matt 15:18 )
— The first principle is that there is an indissoluble link between belief and life — the nature will come out
Temporary Believers
— The Puritans used the term temporary believers to describe people who seemed to come under the influence of the gospel but later gave clear, unmistakable evidence afterwards that they had never truly became Christian at all
— This happens often a revivals
— Peter describes such cases clearly and graphically:
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” ( 2 Pet 2:20-22 )
— He talks about certain people that had come into the church and gone out
— He uses the description of the pig that is cleaned but then immediately returns to the mire; there is no heart change
— Earlier in chapter 1 Peter says of the believer: “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” ( 1 Pet 1:4 )
— We have been delivered of “the corruption that is in the world through lust”
— But of the so-called temporary believers in chapter 4, Peter says that they have been washed of the “pollutions of the world” not the corruption that is in the world.
— There is a kind of superficial cleansing which does not change the nature
—Washing is of real value and a man who is washed may appear on the surface to be a Christian; but the Lord’s argument is that what really decides is the nature within
Real fruit
— We have to realize that there are people standing outside the narrow gate who say, “You don’t have to test the fruit”, or “You have no right to do that!”
The general test
— There are people who moral and by by nature are pleasant — so we do not look at the man and his life in general, we must try to discover the reasons and motives for his actions
— Does this man life this soft of life because he is a Christian and because of his Christian faith?
— If he does not live this life because of his Christian faith there is no value in it: our Lord calls it corrupt fruit
— False fruit cannot restrain the flesh, so false prophets manifest wickedness ( cf. 2 Pet 2:12-22; Matt 3:10 )
— The OT says that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God
The particular test
— That was the general test, now the particular test
— If a man is not true to Christian doctrine we will find in his life a certain slackness, a failure to conform to true Christian doctrine
— By doctrine we mean
— The holiness of God
— Our utter sinfulness and inability to earn salvation
— The real message of the cross
— What we look for in anybody who claims to be a Christian is evidence of the Beatitudes
— Or it can be put in terms of the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5 and Philippians 4
“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” ( Gal 5:22-24 )
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” ( Phil 4:8-9 )
— Jesus and Paul taught that fruit includes a person’s life and behavior ( Lk 3:3-14; Jn 15:8-10; Gal 5:22-24; Ep 5:9-12; Phil 1:11; Col 1:10; James 3:17, 18 )
— Our Lord reminds us here that if a man is not humble, we are to be wary of him
— If a man’s doctrine is wrong, it will generally show itself at this point
— He will be affable and pleasant, he will appeal to the natural man, and to the things that are physical and carnal
— But he will not give the impression of being a man who has seen himself as a hell-bound sinner, and who has been saved by the grace of God alone
— The ultimate test of all, however, is humility
— If we have the pride of life and of the world in us, of necessity we do not know much about the truth; and we should examine ourselves again to make sure that we have the new nature within us
— What is within is going to show itself
— Finally, we must remember that in the end God is judge
Empty Words and Empty Hearts ( 7:21-29 )
( 7:21-29 ) “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!’ 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.” 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.
— A lot of people can “talk” a great game but don’t have the athletic skills
— And not everyone who talks about heaven is going there
— Jesus is more concerned with our walk than our talk
— The faith that says but does not do is really unbelief
— Jesus was not suggesting that works are meritorious for salvation, but that true faith will not fail to produce the fruit of good works
— This exactly what James says ( James 1:22-25; 2:26 )
— He wants us to do right not just use the right words
Empty Words ( 7:21-23 )
( 7:21-23 ) “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!’
— Every noble cause has hangers-on who love to be associated with it while it is popular but who fall away as soon as criticism or conflicts arise
— Christ’s church is no exception ( 1 Jn 2:19; Jn 8:31; Matt 24:10 )
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— The true Christian says Lord, Lord
— These are people who say the right thing and believe the right thing about Him
— But the alarming and terrifying thing which our Lord says is that not everyone who does say ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven
— Those who do go in say it; anyone who does not say it can never enter into the kingdom of heaven; but not all who do say it shall enter in
— Jesus exposed those who sound religious but have no personal relationship with Him
— Many people think that they are good people and say religious things and will be rewarded with eternal life
— Notice that these people do some remarkable signs and wonders
— In fact, their whole confidence was in these works
— Many will say that they have prophesied in His name — but the Lord will say I never knew you
— We can interpret that for our own age in this way
— It is possible for a man to preach correct doctrine, and in the name of Christ, and yet remain outside the kingdom
— Balaam in the OT delivered the right message, and yet he was a prophet for hire
— Paul said that he beat his body into submission ( 1 Cor 9:27 ) in order that having preached to others, he might avoid becoming a castaway himself
— These people also cast our demons
— It is possible for a person to do even that and be outside the kingdom (MacArthur disagrees, see below)
— The Lord sent out his disciples to preach and cast out demons
— When they returned, Luke tells us: Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” ( Lk 10:17 )
— It is quite clear that that applied equally to Judas
— Our Lord may give power to a man, and yet the man is lost
— Others were doing wondrous signs and miracles and were outside the kingdom
— We remember that when Moses was to deliver the children out of Egypt he had to contend with magicians who were able to counterfeit him up to a point
— Our Lord says in Matthew that in the last days “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” ( Matt 24:24 )
— Paul adds in 2 Thessalonians “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” ( 2 Thess 2:8-9 )
MacArthur
— Not everyone who says.. but he who does
— The barrenness of this sort of faith demonstrates its real character ( cf v.20 )
— The faith that says but does not do is really unbelief
— Jesus was not suggesting that works are meritorious for salvation, but that true faith will not fail to produce the fruit of good works
MacArthur (disagrees)
— Further proof that these works, spectacular as they might have appeared, could not have been authentic
— No one lacking genuine faith could produce true good works
— A bad tree cannot bear good fruit ( 7:18 )
( 7:23 ) you who practice lawlessness!’
— All sin is lawlessness
— Rebellion against god ( cf 13:41 )
— “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,” ( 13:41 )
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
— The Lord has finished His Sermon on the Mount and has given His detailed instruction
— He has laid down all His great and vital principles and He is now applying the truth
— He is confronting His followers with the two possibilities: the narrow gate or the broad gate
— In these verses He continues the same theme — notice the connection
— It is the same warning about the lack of obedience and self-deception
Empty Hearts ( 7:24-27 )
( 7:24-27 ) “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.
— The two lives that Jesus compared have a lot of similarities
— They both build
— They both hear Jesus’ teachings
— They both experience the same life circumstances
— Externally they both look similar
— The house represents religious life and the rain represents divine judgment
— The difference isn’t caused by ignorance but by ignoring what Jesus said
— One built his house on the foundation of obedience to God’s Word
— This faithful servant responded in repentance, rejected salvation by works, trusted in God’s grace to save through His merciful provision
— The other, the man who built on sand, heard the same teaching but never responded in repentance, trusted in himself
— James says that this man made a serious miscalculation
— “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” ( James 1:22 )
— The immediate differences in your life may not appear obvious but eventually they will turn out to affect even your eternal destiny
Going Deeper
— The talkers ( implied in verse 21a ) are those who say, “Lord, Lord” without putting the Father’s will into practice
— The doers ( verse 21b ) are those who both say and do what is pleasing to God
— To build on the rock means to be a hearing, responding disciple, not a phony, superficial one
— Practicing obedience becomes the solid foundation to weather the storms of life ( cf. James 1:22-27 )
Q: To what degree does your life reflect the directions Jesus gave in this sermon ?
Response to the Sermon ( 7:28-29 )
( 7:28-29 ) 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.
— Many in the crowd were amazed, struck out of their senses
— They were dumbfounded by the power of what Jesus said; further proof of His messiahship
— They had never heard such straightforward and fearless denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees
— But most of the people only watch and listened and did not decide — even not deciding was a decision
— They decided to stay on the broad road
Q: Many were amazed at the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon ( 7:28-29 . Undoubtedly, many who heard him speak made no decision for Christ? Why?
Additional Resources
Pope Francis assures atheists: You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven: https://charterforcompassion.org/understanding-our-differences-and-similarities/pope-francis-assures-atheists-you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-god-to-go-to-heaven
Pope Francis: Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34960971
MacArthur, John. Matthew 1-7. Moody Press, 1985.
MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.
MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997.
Sermons on the beatitudes: https://www.gty.org/library/topical-series-library/201/the-beatitudes
Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.
The 10 Most Misunderstood Verses in the Bible: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/content/series/485982?episode=7
William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.
Divisiveness vs Discernment: https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B140407
Discerning Leaders: https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B140409
Discerning Judgment: https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B140410
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids:Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1971.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Chapter 22, False Prophets: https://jameslau88.com/2020/05/18/false-prophets-by-martyn-lloyd-jones/