Matthew 7:15-27
March 10 - Matthew 7:15-27
Not everyone who uses God’s name will enter the kingdom of heaven. This idea can give us pause. What is Jesus talking about? If someone is casting out demons in His name, doesn’t that make them a Christian?
The answer to this can be found in the beginning of our reading today. This is the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus just spent the last two and a half chapters telling us what God’s kingdom is like and how we are to live and act as part of it. He then gets to a type of person who walks the wide way to destruction while pretending to be on the narrow way to salvation: the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
A prophet is someone who speaks on God’s behalf to the people. A false prophet (a wolf in sheep's clothing) claims divine revelation while actually speaking contrary to God’s Word. They do not keep God’s name holy. Such people are recognized by the fruit they bear, the results of their words. Time will tell if they speak rightly about God or if they profane His name. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!
How are we to make sure we are speaking rightly about God and are not led astray by false teaching? We listen to His Word and put it into practice, like the wise man who builds his house on the rock. We build our lives on THE Rock. We learn to speak rightly about God (and to recognize those who don’t) by reading the Bible, going to Church, and living a life that is guided by God’s law. We make the Bereans in Acts 17 our example and examine the Scriptures daily to make sure what we are hearing is true.
Not everyone who uses God’s name will enter the kingdom of heaven. This idea can give us pause. What is Jesus talking about? If someone is casting out demons in His name, doesn’t that make them a Christian?
The answer to this can be found in the beginning of our reading today. This is the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus just spent the last two and a half chapters telling us what God’s kingdom is like and how we are to live and act as part of it. He then gets to a type of person who walks the wide way to destruction while pretending to be on the narrow way to salvation: the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
A prophet is someone who speaks on God’s behalf to the people. A false prophet (a wolf in sheep's clothing) claims divine revelation while actually speaking contrary to God’s Word. They do not keep God’s name holy. Such people are recognized by the fruit they bear, the results of their words. Time will tell if they speak rightly about God or if they profane His name. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!
How are we to make sure we are speaking rightly about God and are not led astray by false teaching? We listen to His Word and put it into practice, like the wise man who builds his house on the rock. We build our lives on THE Rock. We learn to speak rightly about God (and to recognize those who don’t) by reading the Bible, going to Church, and living a life that is guided by God’s law. We make the Bereans in Acts 17 our example and examine the Scriptures daily to make sure what we are hearing is true.
Recent
Archive
2022
March
Lord\'s Prayer IntroductionMatthew 6:1-21Introduction PrayerFirst Petition of the Lord\'s PrayerExodus 3:13-20Romans 2:17-24Matthew 7:15-27First Petition PrayerSecond Petition of the Lord\'s Prayer1 Samuel 8:1-22Romans 14:13-19John 18:33-37Second Petition PrayerThird Petition of the Lord\'s PrayerMarch Newsletter UpdateMarch Library Update - JonahRevelation 11:15-19Romans 12:1-2Luke 22:39-46Third Petition PrayerFourth Petition of the Lord\'s PrayerProverbs 30:7-92 Corinthians 9:6-15Matthew 6:25-34
April
2021
February
March
Lent 2021 - Apostle's Creed (Belt)Lent 2021 - Apostle's Creed (Anderson)Lent 2021 - Lord\'s Prayer (Belt)March Newsletter UpdateLent 2021 - Lord\'s Prayer (Anderson)Lent 2021 - Holy Baptism (Belt)Lent 2021 - Holy Baptism (Anderson)Lent 2021 - Confession (Belt)Lent 2021 - Confession (Anderson)Lent 2021 - Holy Communion (Belt)
October
November
Creation - Genesis 1:1-2:3Creation vs. EvolutionAdvent Midweek 1Creation - Revelation 4:8-11Creation - John 1:1-5Male and Female - Genesis 2:4-24Apologetics - MarriageNovember 2021 NewsletterAdvent Midweek 2Male and Female - Revelation 7:9 - 17Male and Female - Matthew 19:3-9Stewardship Part 1November 2021 Library UpdateApologetics - Climate ChangeAdvent Midweek 3 (Thanksgiving)Stewardship Part 2Stewardship SummaryCreation Falls - Genesis 3Apologetics - Problem of Evil
December
Advent Midweek 4Creation Falls - Revelation 12:1-17Creation Falls - John 1:26-38Creation Judged - Genesis 6:5-22Apologetics - The FloodAdvent Midweek 5Creation Judged - Revelation 14:6-16Creation Judged - Luke 17:20-37Creation Redeemed - Genesis 7Apologetics - The Ark and BaptismAdvent Midweek 6Creation Redeemed - Revelation 5:1-14