MATTHEW 7
OPENS WITH...(SERMON ON THE MOUNT CONTINUED)
Verses 1-2 tells us A summary statement on passing judgment upon others.
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
Judge not, that you be not judged...
Here Jesus moved to another idea in the Sermon on the Mount. He had primarily dealt with themes connected with the interior spiritual life (attitudes in giving, prayer, fasting, materialism, and anxiety over material things).
Now He touches on an important theme related to the way we think of and treat others.
We remember that Jesus called for a righteousness that was greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). In the way some people think, the way to make one's self more righteous is to be MORE judgmental of others. Jesus here rebuked that kind of thinking.
Judge not, that you be not judged...
With this command Jesus warned against passing judgment upon others, because when we do so we will be judged in a similar manner.
Among those who seem to know nothing of the Bible, this is the verse that seems to be most popular.
Yet most the people, priests, preachers, and others who quote this verse do NOT understand what Jesus said. They seem to think (or hope) that Jesus commanded a UNIVERSAL acceptance of ANY AND ALL lifestyles, actions, or teaching.
Just a little later in this same sermon (Matthew 7:15-16), Jesus commanded us to KNOW ourselves and others by the FRUIT of their life, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that.
The Christian is called to show unconditional love. But the Christian is NOT called to unconditional approval NOR UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. We really can love people who do things that should NOT be approved of.
So while this does NOT prohibit examining the lives of others, it certainly prohibits doing in the spirit it is often done.
An example of UNJUST judgment was the disciples' condemnation of the woman who came to anoint the feet of Jesus with oil (Matthew 26:6-13). They thought she was wasting something; Jesus said she had done a good work that would always be remembered. They had a rash, harsh, unjust judgment.
1. We break this command when we only speak to others of their faults.
2. We break this command when we judge an entire life only by its worst moments.
3. We break this command when we judge the hidden motives of others.
4. We break this command when we judge others without considering ourselves in their same circumstances.
5. We break this command when we judge others without being mindful that we ourselves will be judged.
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged...
Jesus did NOT prohibit the judgment of others FOR SEEN AND KNOWN offenses/wrongs. He only requires that our judgment be completely fair, and that we only judge others by a standard we would also like to be judged by.
When our judgment in regard to others is wrong, it is often not because we judge according to a standard but because we are hypocritical in the application of that standard - we ignore the standard in our own life. It is common to judge others by one standard and ourselves by another standard - being far more generous to ourselves than others.
With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you...
This is the principle upon which Jesus built the command, "Judge not, that you be not judged." God will measure unto us according to the same measure we use for others. This is a powerful motivation for us to be generous with love, forgiveness, and goodness to others. If we want more of those things from God, we should give more of them to others.
DID YOU KNOW...JESUS WAS CHASTISING THE POLITICAL/SOCIAL/RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THAT DAY.
WHY?
According to the teaching of some rabbis in Jesus' time, God had two measures that He used to judge people. One was a measure of justice and mercy for Jews and the other was a measure of justice for all other people.
Jesus CORRECTED THEIR WRONG TEACHING/PREACHING/IDEOLOGIES. Which ever measure you want God to use with you, you should use that same measure with ALL other PEOPLES.
Verses 3-5 tells us An illustration of Jesus' principle regarding judging.
"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 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? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
The figures of a speck and a plank are REAL figures, yet used humorously. Jesus shows how we are generally far more tolerant to our own sin than we are to the sin of others.
Though there might be a literal speck in one's eye, there obviously would not be a literal plank or board in an eye. Jesus used these exaggerated, humorous pictures to make His message easier to understand and more memorable.
It is a humorous picture...
A man with a board in his eye trying to help a friend remove a speck from the friend's eye. You can't think of the picture without smiling and being amused by it.
An example of looking for a speck in the eye of another while ignoring the plank in one's own is when the religious leaders brought the woman taken in adultery to Jesus. She had certainly sinned; but their sin was much worse and Jesus exposed it as such with the statement, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first (John 8:7).
THEY SAID THEY WERE ALL WITNESSES WHO CAUGHT THE WOMAN IN ADULTERY...YET THE MAN WHOALSO COMMITTED ADULTERY WAS NOT NAMED AND NOT BROUGHT BEFORE JESUS.
Look, a plank is in your own eye...
Jesus indicates that the one with the plank in his own eye would not immediately be aware of it. He is blind to his obvious fault. It is the attempt to correct the fault of someone else when we ourselves have the same (or greater fault) that earns the accusation, "Hypocrite!"
Our hypocrisy in these matters is almost always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately.
ANOTHER GOOD OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE OF HYPOCRISY WAS...King David's reaction to Nathan's story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man's lamb. David quickly condemned the man, but was blind to his own sin, which was much greater (2 Samuel 12).
First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye...
Jesus did NOT say that it was wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye. It is a good thing to help your brother with his speck, but not before dealing with the plank in your own eye.
Verse 6 tells us Balancing love with discernment.
"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 give what is holy to the dogs...
After He warned us against judgmental attitudes and self-blind criticism, Jesus here reminded us that He did NOT mean to imply that the people of His Kingdom, THOSE WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST AND CALL HIM LORD, SAVIOR, MASTER, & FRIEND, suspend all discernment. They must discern that there are some good, precious things that should NOT be given to those who will receive them with contempt.
The dogs and swine here are often understood as those who are hostile to the Kingdom of God and the message that announces it. Our love for others must NOT blind us to their hardened rejection of the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Jesus also spoke in the context of correcting another brother or sister. Godly correction is a pearl (though it may sting for a moment) that must not be cast before swine (those who are determined not to receive it).
Nor cast your pearls before swine...
Our pearls of the precious gospel may only confuse those who do not believe, who are blinded to the truth by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4) and may only expose the gospel to their ridicule.
The gospel is to be preached to every creature, Mark 16:15. But when the Jews were hardened, and spoke evil of that way before the multitude, Acts 19:9, the apostles left preaching them.
Of course, Jesus did not say this to discourage us from sharing the gospel. Previously in this very sermon Jesus told us to let our lights shine before the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus said this to call us to discernment, and to encourage us to look for prepared hearts that are ready to receive. When we find such open hearts, we can trust that God has already been working upon them.
Verses 7-8 tells us Jesus invites us & teaches us more about prayer: to keep on asking, seeking and knocking.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Ask … seek … knock...
We see a progressive intensity, going from ask to seek to knock. Jesus told us to have intensity, passion, and persistence in prayer. The fact that Jesus came back to the subject of prayer - already dealt with in some depth in Matthew 6:5-15 - shows the IMPORTANCE of prayer.
In this three-fold description of prayer as asking, seeking, and knocking we see different aspects of prayer and different aspects of its reward.
1. Prayer is like asking in that we simply make our requests known to God, and everyone who asks receives. Receiving is the reward of asking.
2. Prayer is like seeking in that we search after God, His word, and His will, and he who seeks finds. Finding is the reward of seeking.
3. Prayer is like knocking until the door is opened, and we seek entrance into the great heavenly palace of our Great King. Entering through the opened door into His palace is the reward of knocking, and the best reward of all.
The idea of knocking also implies that we sense resistance. After all, if the door were already open there would be no need to knock. Yet Jesus encouraged us, "Even when you sense that the door is closed and you must knock, then do so and continue to do so, and you will be answered.
Yet the image of knocking also implies that there is a door that can be opened.
SPURGEON says it well, :Any uneducated man can knock if that is all, which is required of him. . . . A man can knock though he may be no philosopher A dumb man can knock. A blind man can knock. With a palsied hand a man may knock. . . . The way to open heavens gate is wonderfully simplified to those who are lowly enough to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, and ask, seek, and knock believingly. God has not provided a salvation which can only be understood by learned men … it is intended for the ignorant, the short-witted, and the dying, as well as for others, and hence it must be as plain as knocking at a door."
Ask and it will be given to you...
God promises an answer to the one who diligently seeks Him. Many of our passionless prayers are not answered for good reason, because it is almost as if we ask God to care about something we care little or nothing about.
God values persistence and passion in prayer because they show that we share His heart. It shows that we care about the things He cares about. Persistent prayer does not overcome God's stubborn reluctance; it gives glory to Him, expresses dependence upon Him, and aligns our heart more with His.
No soul can pray in vain that prays as directed above. The truth and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus are pledged for its success. - Ye SHALL receive - ye SHALL find - it SHALL be opened. These words are as strongly binding on the side of God, as thou shalt do no murder is on the side of man.
Verses 9-11 tells us Jesus illustrates the giving nature of God.
"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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!"
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Jesus makes it clear that God does NOT have to be persuaded or appeased in prayer. He WANTS to give us not just bread, but even more than what we ask for.
Thankfully, the times we ask for something as bad as a serpent without knowing, like a loving parent God often mercifully spares us the just penalty of our ignorance.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven...
It is blasphemous to deny God's answer to the seeking heart. We then imply that God is worse than even an evil man is.
Conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount: A partial summary and a repeated call to decision.
Verse 12 tells us A summation of Jesus' ethical teaching regarding our treatment of others: the golden rule.
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them...
The negative way of stating this command was known long before Jesus. It had long been said, "You should not do to your neighbor what you would not want him to do to you." But it is a significant advance for Jesus to put it in the positive, to say that we should do unto others what we want them to do unto us.
In so doing, Jesus makes the command much broader. It is the difference between not breaking traffic laws and in doing something positive like helping a stranded motorist.
This especially applies to Christian fellowship. If we would experience love and have people reach out to us, we must love and reach out to others.
For this is the Law and the Prophets...
Jesus shows that this simple principle - the golden rule - summarizes all the Law and the Prophets say about how we should treat others. If we would simply treat others the way we would want to be treated, we would naturally obey all the law says about our relationships with others.
This makes the law easier to understand, but it doesn't make it any easier to obey. No one has ever consistently done unto others as they would like others to do unto themselves.
Verses 13-14 tells us The decision between two ways and one of two destinations.
"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. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
Enter by the narrow gate...
Jesus did not speak of this gate as our destiny, but as the entrance to a path. There is a right way and a wrong way, and Jesus appealed to His listeners to decide to go the more difficult way, which leads to life.
He understood and taught that not all ways and not all destinations are equally good. One leads to destruction, the other to life.
Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life...
The true gate is both narrow and difficult. If your road has a gate that is easy and well traveled, you do well to watch out.
Verses 15-20 tells us The danger of false prophets and the decision between two trees with their fruit.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Beware of false prophets...
Jesus just warned us of a path that leads to destruction. Now He reminds us that there are many who would try to guide us along the broad path that leads to destruction. The first step to combating these false prophets is to simply beware of them.
Warnings against false prophets are necessarily based on the conviction that not all prophets are true, that truth can be violated, and that the gospel's enemies usually conceal their hostility and try to pass themselves off as fellow believers.
Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves...
It is in the nature of these false prophets to deceive and deny their true character. Often they deceive even themselves, believing themselves to be sheep when in fact they are ravenous wolves.
The basic fault of the false prophet is self interest.
It can be expressed by a desire for gain or an easy life; a desire for prestige; or the desire to advance one's own ideas and not God's.
Teachers who preach for hire, having no motive to enter into the ministry but to get a living, as it is ominously called by some, however they may bear the garb and appearance of the innocent useful sheep, the true pastors commissioned by the Lord Jesus, or to whatever name, class or party they may belong, are, in the sight of the heart-searching God, no other than ravenous wolves, whose design is to feed themselves with the fat, and clothe themselves with the fleece, and thus ruin, instead of save, the flock.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE ICONIC/POPULAR MEGA CHURCHES AND MEGA MINISTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. YOU SEE THE LEADERS & THEIR FAMILIES ARE OBSCENELY WEALTHY, WITH COMPOUNDS, SEVERAL HOMES, PLANES, YOU NAME IT, WITH ALL THIS WORLD OFFERS, BUT ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THEIR OUTREACHES/MINISTRIES THEMSELVES ARE IN THE RED. HOW CAN ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO BE REPRESENTATIVES OF JESUS AND HIS WORD, WHEN THEY DEMAND THE GROCERY MONEY OF A SINGLE MOM, OR TO PUT DONATIONS ON A CREDIT CARD, OR ANY NUMBER OF THINGS TO INSURE THEIR PRAYERS ARE HEARD, THEIR SALVATION MET, THEIR NEEDS MET...WHEN THEY ARE IN DIRE STRAITS?
You will know them by their fruits...
We guard ourselves against false prophets by taking heed to their fruits. This means paying attention to ALL aspects of their life and ministry.
We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?
We should pay attention to the content of their teaching. Is it true fruit from God's Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?
We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching. Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit...
This fruit is the inevitable result of who we are. Eventually - though it may take a time for the harvest to come - the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of "tree" we are.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit...
Not to have good fruit is to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no fruit, and he that brings forth bad fruit, are both only fit for the fire.
SPURGEON says it well, "It is not merely the wicked, the bearer of poison berries, that will be cut down; but the neutral, the man who bears no fruit of positive virtue must also be cast into the fire."
Earlier in the chapter Jesus warned us to judge ourselves first, to look for the speck in our own eye before turning our attention to the beam in our neighbor's eye. Therefore before asking it of anyone else, we should first ask: "Do I bear fruit unto God's glory?"
Verses 21-23 tells us The decision between two claims of Jesus' Lordship, one false and one true.
"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. 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?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven...
Jesus spoke here of a proper verbal confession, where these ones called Jesus Lord. This is vital, but never enough by itself.
This warning of Jesus applies to people who speak or say things to Jesus or about Jesus, but do NOT really mean it. It is NOT that they believe Jesus is a devil; they simply say the words very superficially. Their mind is elsewhere, but they believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit - only bare words and passing thoughts.
JESUS TELLS US THERE ARE MANY WHO KNOW THE BIBLE AND CAN QUOTE IT...THEY HAVE HEAD KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORDS, BUT NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD. WE MUST HAVE HEAD AND HEART LOVE AND KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. BOTH ARE ESSENTIAL.
This warning of Jesus applies to people who say "Lord, Lord" and yet their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might.
Who says to Me … will say to Me in that day...
It is staggering that Jesus freely claims He is the one people must stand before on that final day of judgment, and He is the one who is rightly called Lord. This obscure teacher in a backwater part of the world claimed to be the judge of all men in that day.
By saying "in that day" Jesus drew our attention to a coming day of judgment for all men. "What is the chief object of your life? Will you think as much of it "in that day" as you do now? Will you then count yourself wise to have so earnestly pursued it? You fancy that you can defend it now, but will you be able to defend it then, when all things of earth and time will have melted into nothingness and you stand before The Lord Himself?
Lord, Lord, have we not...
The people Jesus speaks of here had impressive spiritual accomplishments. They prophesied, cast out demons, and had done many wonders. These are wonderful things, but they meant nothing without true fellowship; true connection with Jesus. They ARE deceived. Satan has limited powers and Satan whispers, speaks to, and misleads many and grants many short term, in the moment signs and wonders...but they do NOT last.
Jesus did not seem to doubt their claims of doing the miraculous. He didn't say, "You didn't really prophesy or cast out demons or do miracles." This leads us to understand that sometimes miracles are granted through pretended believers, given to them by Satan himself, reminding us that in the final analysis, miracles prove nothing.
Significantly, they even did these things in the name of Jesus. Yet, they never really had a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus.
If preaching could save a man, Judas would not have been damned. If prophesying could save a man, Balaam would not have been a castaway.
I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!...
In the end, there is ONE basis of salvation. It isn't mere verbal confession, not "spiritual works," but PERSONAL, ONE ON ONE knowing Jesus and being known by Him. It our connection to Him - by the gift of faith that He gives to us - that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.
AND WE NOTICE SOMETHING ELSE IMPORTANT HERE...In addition, these are not people who lost their salvation. Instead, they never truly had it (I never knew you).
Verses 24-27 tells us The decision between two builders and their destiny.
"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: 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. 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: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock...
In Jesus' illustration of the two builders, each house looked the same from the outside. The real foundation of our life is usually hidden and is only proven in the storm, and we could say that the storms come from both heaven (rain) and earth (floods).
The wise and the foolish man were both engaged in precisely the same avocations, and to a considerable extent achieved the same design; both of them undertook to build houses, both of them persevered in building, both of them finished their houses. The likeness between them is very considerable.
And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house...
A storm (rain, floods, wind) was the ultimate in power to generations that didn't have nuclear weapons. Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials) and in the ultimate judgment before God.
Time and the storms of life will prove the strength of one's foundation, even when it is hidden. We may be surprised when we see who has truly built upon the good foundation.
It is better that we test the foundation of our life now rather than later, at our judgment before God when it is too late to change our destiny.
Jesus may have had in mind an Old Testament passage...
PROVERBS 10:25, "When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation."
Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them...
HERE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT TRUTH.
MANY RELIGIOSITIES TEACH, PREACH AND PROCLAIM THAT MERELY HEARING GOD' WORD SAVES.
JESUS TELLS US THE TRUTH...MERELY hearing God's word is NOT enough to provide a secure foundation. It is necessary that we are also doers of His word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing (Numbers 32:23) - and great will be our fall.
Wherein lay the second builder's folly? Not in deliberately seeking a bad foundation, but in taking no thought of foundation … His fault was not an error in judgment, but inconsiderateness. It is not, as is commonly supposed, a question of two foundations, but of looking to, and neglecting to look to, the foundation.
Yet no one can read this without seeing that they have not, do not, and will not ever completely do them. Even if we do them in a general sense (in which we should), the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount drives us back again and again as needy sinners upon our Savior.
WE NEED JESUS CHRIST. HE IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION, THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH, AND THE ONLY LIFE...THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN SAVE. NOT EVEN ALMIGHTY GOD CAN SAVE...ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN SAVE.
Verses 28-29 tells us The effect of Jesus' sermon on those who heard Him.
"And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes...
His audience could not but notice that Jesus taught with an authority lacking in the other teachers in His day, who often only quoted other Rabbis. Jesus spoke with inherent authority, and the authority of God's revealed word.
JESUS QUOTED FROM THE BIBLE. HE NEVER HAD A WAGON LOAD OF SCROLLS TO READ FROM, TEACH OTHER, HE SIMPLY READ THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS, WHAT THEY KNEW AND WHAT THEY DID NOT. WHAT LIES HAD BEEN PREACHED TO THEM, AS WELL, THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM TO HECKLE, SNEER, SLANDER HIM. JESUS READ ALL HEARTS AND MINDS IN AN INSTANT. JESUS KNEW IN AN INSTANT WHO WAS ACCEPT HIM, WHO WOULD DENY HIM, WHO WOULD REJECT HIM, WHO FOLLOWED HIM FOR FOOD, PROTECTION, AND SADLY ENTERTAINMENT IN AN INSTANT. JESUS KNEW WHO REALLY WANTED HIM. JESUS KNEW THE HEARTS THAT WOULD ACCEPT HIM IN AN INSTANT.
THAT IS WHY HIS SERMONS/TEACHINGS WERE DIVERSE AND FOCUSED ON THE LIVES, KNOWLEDGE OR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE AROUND HIM.
Two things surprised them: the substance of his teaching, and the manner of it. They had never heard such doctrine before; the precepts which he had given were quite new to their thoughts. But their main astonishment was at his manner: there was a certainty, a power, a weight about it, such as they had never seen.
The people were astonished at His teachings...
Whenever God's word is presented as it truly is, with its inherent power, it will astonish people, and set itself apart from the mere opinions of man.
THAT IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT NOT TO CHANGE ONE SINGLE WORD OF THE GOSPEL. IT WAS RECORDED AS IT IS BECAUSE JESUS KNEW WHAT TOUCHED HEARTS, CHANGED MINDS, HUMBLED, CONVICTED THE SINNER, AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE CROSS.
I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT...WE HAVE ALL BEEN TO RESTAURANTS AND ORDERED FOOD, DRINK, DESSERTS. AND WE CAN INSTANTLY TELL WHEN THEY USED REAL NATURAL INGREDIENTS AND WHEN THEY USED FAKE/DILUTED MEAT, CHICKEN, MILK, EGGS, SUGAR IN THEM. THE REAL NATURAL INGREDIENTS TASTE & SMELL WONDERFUL. THE FAKE ONES TASTE LIKE CHEMICALS AND WORST MAINLY TASTELESS.
When we really understand Jesus in this Sermon on the Mount, we should be astonished also. If we are not astonished, then we probably have NOT really heard or understood what Jesus has said.
I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT EVERY TIME I STUDY THE BIBLE, VERSE BY VERSE, I LEARN SOMETHING NEW. MY UNDERSTANDING GROWS, IT CLICKS.
I AM ALWAYS ASTONISHED. BECAUSE I HAVE READ THE SCRIPTURES BEFORE BUT IT NEVER CLICKED... BUT THAT IS A GIFT FROM JESUS CHRIST. HE SAYS IF YOU SEEK ME YOU WILL FIND ME. IF YOU SEEK WISDOM, I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS.
SO AS CHRISTIANS, ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS WE CAN RECEIVE, ONE OF THE BEST COMPLIMENTS ANY OF US WHO LOVE OUR LORD JESUS AND HIS WORD AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS, IS TO SEE AND HEAR THE WONDER, THE AMAZEMENT, WHEN THE LIGHT BULB GOES ON, AND FOR THEM TO SAY I NEVER KNEW THIS.
BUT REMEMBER THIS AS WELL...To have the hearers astonished was a good thing; but it was not good if that was the extent of the effect. A good preacher always wants to do far more than astonish his listeners. HE WANTS TO POINT THEM TO JESUS IN ALL THINGS.