Matthew
7
English
Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Judging
Others
7
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgement you pronounce you
will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why
do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log
that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the
speck out of your eye’, when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite,
first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take
the speck out of your brother's eye.
6
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest
they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Ask, and
It Will Be Given
7 “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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread,
will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11
If you then, who are 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 Golden
Rule
12
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is
the Law and the Prophets.
13
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is
narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
A Tree and
Its Fruit
15
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are
ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes
gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thorn bushes? 17 So, every healthy tree
bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree
cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you
will recognize them by their fruits.
I Never
Knew You
21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day
many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then
will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of
lawlessness.’
Build Your
House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who
hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his
house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded
on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain
fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and
it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The
Authority of Jesus
28
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his
teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as
their scribes.
Bible Panorama
Matthew 7
V 1–5: ‘FIRST’ Before
criticising or judging others, especially on relatively small things, we should
‘first’ examine ourselves to see and correct our own faults. Perhaps we are far
more culpable than those we criticise or judge.
V 6: FOOLISHNESS Jesus
warns against giving holy things to dogs and ‘casting pearls before swine’ as
the pearls may be trampled and the person casting them may be hurt. Both
illustrations apply to the sharing of God’s holy Word with ignorant, reckless
and aggressive people who will refuse to listen.
V 7–11: FAITH Faith
consists of asking, seeking, and knocking, with the sure promise that God will
answer even more than any earthly father will answer the needs of his own
children.
V 12: FULFILMENT The working out
of keeping God’s law and the teachings of the prophets will be such that I will
treat others as I want them to treat me.
V 13–14: FINDING Only
a few people find the narrow way that leads to life compared with the many who
go to destruction. Jesus nevertheless urges His hearers to enter by the narrow
gate to find life.
V 15–20: FRUITSFalse
prophets can be detected by the fruits of their lives and activities. Their
fruits will show that they are not what they pretend to be.
V 21–27: FOUNDATIONThe people whom
Jesus will accept to be with Him in eternity will not necessarily be those who
call Him ‘Lord’ and who have done great exploits in His name. Only those who
know Him will be safe eternally. We must build our lives on the rock of
Scripture rather than on the sand of anything else.
V 28–29: FLABERGASTED! The crowds are astonished when they compare
the authoritative and powerful teaching of Jesus with the weak words of the
scribes.
The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005
Day One Publications.
Yours by His Grace
Blair Humphreys
January 19th 2014
Southport, Merseyside
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