55 – Sermon on the Mount Part 6; Matthew 7:7-27, Luke 6:31, 43-49

Matthew 7:7 “[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; [b]seek, and you will find; [c]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. 9 Or what man is there among you [d]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [e]will give him a stone? 10 Or [f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 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 what is good to those who ask Him!

12 “In everything, therefore, [g]treat people the same way you want [h]them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will [i]know them by their fruits. [j]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will [k]know them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [l]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and [m]acts on them, [n]may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the [o]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not [p]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the [q]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Luke 6:31 [a]Treat others the same way you want [b]them to treat you.

43 For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, [c]on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good man out of the good [d]treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from [e]that which fills his heart.

46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and [f]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who [g]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the [h]torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the [i]torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 7:7 Or Keep asking

b. Matthew 7:7 Or keep seeking

c. Matthew 7:7 Or keep knocking

d. Matthew 7:9 Lit whom his son will ask

e. Matthew 7:9 Lit he will not give him a stone, will he?

f. Matthew 7:10 Lit also will ask

g. Matthew 7:12 Lit you, too, do so for them

h. Matthew 7:12 Lit people; Gr anthropoi

I. Matthew 7:16 Or recognize

j. Matthew 7:16 Lit They do not gather

k. Matthew 7:20 Or recognize

l. Matthew 7:22 Or works of power

m. Matthew 7:24 Lit does

n. Matthew 7:24 Lit will

o. Matthew 7:25 Lit rivers

p. Matthew 7:26 Lit do

q. Matthew 7:27 Lit rivers

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 6:31 Lit Do to

b. Luke 6:31 Lit people

c. Luke 6:43 Lit again

d. Luke 6:45 Or treasury, storehouse

e. Luke 6:45 Lit the abundance of

f. Luke 6:47 Lit does

g. Luke 6:48 Lit dug and went deep

h. Luke 6:48 Lit river

I. Luke 6:49 Lit river

Commentary

“And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).The greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. In these study passages this week, we are called to spend time in prayer to God, seeking His will and provision, but we also learn that the outward fruit of loving God is, in fact, loving your neighbor. If you do the will of God, that’s the path to eternity with Him, and the will of God is for you to treat others as you want to be treated, not judging or deceiving or withholding from them.

The Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31, is an ideology that many have attributed to Buddha, Confucius, or even rabbis who came before Jesus. However, these pre-Messianic teachings, while similar, are only found “in the negative: “Don’t do to someone else what you wouldn’t want him to do to you.” No positive action is contemplated. Jesus, however, requires His believers to initiate helpful actions toward others” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1273).

This teaching not only has bearing on our actions, but also on how we exercise Biblical discernment. We will be able to identify false prophets by their fruit. How do they treat others? How do they demonstrate an understanding of and obedience to God’s will? What is the overflow of their hearts that proceeds from their lips and manifests in their actions? It is important to note here that Jesus again insists His followers obey the law. When He turns away those who think they have been acting on His behalf on Earth, He says, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Jesus further reiterates His point and encourages His audience to heed His message through several comparisons. The series of contrasts between two gifts, two paths, two trees, and two houses exemplify a common teaching technique in Jewish and Greco-Roman culture at the time (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1189).

The gifts demonstrate the nature of God versus the nature of man. The gates represent the inward struggle of man against this sin nature. The gates “The order of the gate first and then the way suggests the gate is the entrance by faith in Christ into the way of the Christian life. It is interesting to recall that Christians were first called those of “the way” (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9; 22:4; 24:14)… Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. Jn 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. Jn 6:44)” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1189). The analogy of trees depicts evidence of whether we have found the narrow way or not, and the analogy of houses illuminates whether our lifestyle is firmly and permanently rooted.

View the next post here https://onthepath.online/2020/04/10/sermon-on-the-mount-part-7/

Scripture Reference

Matthew 7:7

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 30:19 O people in Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer you.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Matthew 18:19 Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer.”

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Luke 11:9 So I tell you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will remain–so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

John 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

James 1:5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

1 John 3:22 and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Matthew 7:8

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:10

John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

2 Corinthians 11:3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

Matthew 7:11

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

Isaiah 63:7 I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all the LORD has done for us–even the many good things He has done for the house of Israel according to His compassion and the abundance of His loving devotion.

Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Luke 11:13 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

Matthew 7:12

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

Matthew 22:40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Romans 13:8 Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

Galatians 5:14 The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Matthew 7:13

Isaiah 35:8 And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it, only those who walk in that Way–and fools will not stray onto it.

Luke 13:24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.

Matthew 7:14

Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Isaiah 35:8 And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it, only those who walk in that Way–and fools will not stray onto it.

Matthew 7:15

1 Kings 13:18 Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.'” The old prophet was lying to him,

Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Ezekiel 22:27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Daniel 11:34 Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, but many will join them insincerely.

Matthew 24:11 and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.

John 10:12 The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.

Acts 13:6 They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,

Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

2 Peter 2:1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Matthew 7:16

1 Samuel 24:13 As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.

Proverbs 20:11 Even a young man is known by his actions–whether his conduct is pure and upright.

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

James 3:12 My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Matthew 7:17

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Matthew 12:35 The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

Matthew 7:19

Daniel 4:14 He called out in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.

Matthew 3:10 The ax lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Luke 3:9 The ax lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 13:7 So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

John 15:6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Titus 3:14 And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.

Matthew 7:20

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

James 3:12 My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Matthew 7:21

Matthew 25:10 But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

Matthew 25:11 Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be declared righteous.

Matthew 7:22

Matthew 10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 25:11 Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’

Luke 13:25 After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Matthew 7:23

Psalm 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping.

Psalm 119:115 Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may obey the commandments of my God.

Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Luke 13:25 After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

Luke 13:27 And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

Matthew 7:24

Proverbs 10:8 A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.

Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

Proverbs 12:7 The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Matthew 24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?

Matthew 25:2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Matthew 25:4 But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

Matthew 25:9 No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

John 13:17 If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be declared righteous.

James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

Matthew 7:25

Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

Matthew 7:26

Job 22:16 They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a river.

Matthew 7:27

Job 22:16 They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a river.

Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,

Luke 6:31

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.

Luke 6:43

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Luke 6:42 How can you say, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Luke 6:44

Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Luke 6:45

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:35 The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

Luke 6:46

Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you ask, “How have we despised Your name?”

James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

Luke 6:47

James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

Luke 6:49

Luke 7:1 When Jesus had concluded His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

Commentary

Acts 9:2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Acts 19:9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

Acts 22:4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,

Acts 24:14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets;

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.