MATTHEW CHAPTER 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OBSERVATION STAGE

The purpose of the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the normative rules of language, context and logic which limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Matthew. This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.

Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.

I) [Mt 7:1-29]:

A) MATTHEW CHAPTER SEVEN CONTINUES TO EXPOUND UPON THE KEY THEME OF CONDUCTING ONES TEMPORAL LIFE THROUGH SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD (HEAVEN) AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. THE COMMANDS IN CHAPTER 7 RANGE FROM NOT JUDGING OTHERS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE JUDGED IN THE SAME MANNER BY GOD; NOT CONVEYING GODLY THINGS TO THOSE WHO WOULD NOT LISTEN - EVEN TRAMPLE THEM AND BE HOSTILE; ASKING, SEEKING AND KNOCKING FOR GOOD THINGS OF THE FATHER SO THAT HE MIGHT GIVE THEM TO HIS CHILD; DOING TO OTHERS AS ONE WOULD HAVE DONE TO ONESELF; CHOOSING BETWEEN THE TWO GATES AND PATHS: THE WIDE ONE TO ETERNAL DESTRUCTION WHICH MANY ENTER, THE NARROW AND DIFFICULT ONE TO ETERNAL LIFE WHICH FEW ENTER; BEING WARY OF FALSE PROPHETS / TEACHERS; NOT PRACTICING WORKS OR DECLARING JESUS AS LORD OF ONES LIFE IN ORDER TO ENTER ETERNAL LIFE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER - TRUSTING SOLELY IN HIS SON TO THAT END

B) MATTHEW CHAPTER SEVEN VERSES 1-5 HAVE IN VIEW JESUS' COMMAND AGAINST JUDGING OTHERS UNTO CONDEMNATION WITHOUT OBJECTIVE GODLY DISCERNMENT. THE STANDARD BY WHICH ONE IS TO JUDGE IS VIA A PROPER UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS, I.E., SCRIPTURE

C) JESUS COMMANDED ONE NOT TO CONVEY GODLY THINGS TO THOSE WHO WOULD NOT LISTEN - WHO WOULD TRAMPLE UPON THEM AND BE HOSTILE

D) ASKING, SEEKING AND KNOCKING FOR THE GOOD THINGS OF THE FATHER SO THAT HE MIGHT GIVE THEM TO ONE WHO IS HIS CHILD, I.E., DISCIPLES / BELIEVERS

E) JESUS SUMMARIZES WHAT HE HAS BEEN TEACHING WITH, "THEREFORE, WHATEVER YOU WANT MEN TO DO TO YOU, DO ALSO TO THEM, FOR THIS IS THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS" IN THE SENSE OF ACTING TOWARD OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM ACT TOWARD YOU, I.E., AS MOTIVATED BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

1) [Compare Mt 5:17-18]:

F) RELATIVE TO SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, JESUS GAVE THE KEY INSTRUCTION IN ORDER FOR ONE TO GAIN LIFE IN THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF HEAVEN / KINGDOM OF GOD. HE SAID, "ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE; FOR THE GATE IS WIDE AND THE WAY IS BROAD THAT LEADS TO [ETERNAL] DESTRUCTION. AND THERE ARE MANY WHO ENTER THROUGH IT. BECAUSE NARROW IS THE GATE AND DIFFICULT IS THE WAY WHICH LEADS TO [ETERNAL] LIFE, AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT." SO ENTRANTS THROUGH THE NARROW GATE THEREAFTER WILL ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES SUCH AS PERSECUTION FROM THE WORLD BECAUSE OF ONE'S FAITH, AND GOD'S TESTING AND DISCIPLINE OF HIS CHILDREN / BELIEVERS. PERSEVERANCE IN GOOD WORKS UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT IN VIEW

1) [Compare Mt 5:10-12]:

G) JESUS WARNED HIS DISCIPLES TO BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS. ON THE OUTSIDE, THEY APPEARED TO BE HARMLESS - FELLOW DISCIPLES / BELIEVERS; BUT INWARDLY THEIR ACTIONS WERE PREDATORY AND EXTREMELY HARMFUL. THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY REVEAL THEMSELVES BY THEIR ACTIONS; FOR EVERY TRUE PROPHET BEARS GOOD FRUIT, BUT A FALSE PROPHET BEARS BAD FRUIT AND MUST BE REMOVED FROM FELLOWSHIP - HIS INFLUENCE DESTROYED

H) NOT EVERY ONE WHO CONFESSES JESUS AS LORD IN THE SENSE OF ACKNOWLEDGING JESUS AS MASTER OF ONE'S LIFE IN ORDER TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BUT THOSE WHO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER - THOSE WHO EXPRESS A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE UNTO ETERNAL LIFE PLUS NOTHING ELSE. THERE WILL BE MANY WHO WILL APPEAR AT JUDGMENT DECLARING JESUS AS LORD AND PLEADING THEIR MANY WORKS WHICH WERE DONE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD - MANY OF WHICH WERE MIRACULOUS - IN ORDER TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. BUT JESUS WILL TELL THEM THAT HE NEVER KNEW THEM, THAT PERFORMING WORKS IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR ETERNAL LIFE WERE LAWLESSNESS

I) THE ONE WHO WOULD LISTEN TO JESUS' TEACHING AND RESPOND TO IT IN OBEDIENCE, JESUS DECLARED WOULD BE A WISE MAN, WHOSE LIFE WOULD BE BUILT AS A HOUSE UPON A STRONG FOUNDATION - IT WOULD WEATHER THE STORMS OF LIFE. BUT THOSE WHO WOULD LISTEN TO HIM AND NOT ACT, JESUS DECLARED WOULD BE A FOOLISH MAN, WHOSE LIFE WOULD BE BUILT AS A HOUSE UPON A WEAK FOUNDATION WHICH WOULD NOT WEATHER THE STORMS OF LIFE, BUT SUFFER DESTRUCTION

J) WHEN JESUS FINISHED, THE CROWD SUDDENLY REFLECTED GREAT ASTONISHMENT AT HIS TEACHING; FOR HE WAS TEACHING THEM WITH THE AUTHORITY OF GOD, AS THE SPOKESMAN OF GOD; NOT AS THE SCRIBES WHO WERE LIMITED IN THEIR CAPACITY, FLAWED IN THEIR NATURE, AND WHO MANIPULATED THE SCRIPTURES TO SUIT THEIR OWN AGENDA

CONTINUE TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 8