June 27, 2020
We are going to spend the next two weeks together as a church reading Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount! The Sermon on the Mount is the first of Jesus’ major teachings recorded in the gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus explains the ethics and values of the kingdom of Heaven as opposed to the ethics and values of the world. The values and principles that are to govern our lives as followers of Jesus and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven are wildly different from those that govern the various cultures of our world, including the culture in which we live.
Over the next two weeks, allow the words of the Lord Jesus to challenge the way you think, expose the worldly and idolatrous values and desires of your heart, and transform you to live in the new way that He has laid before us!
In this passage Jesus gives His followers two warnings: we are to vigilantly guard against false prophets or teachers, and we are to carefully examine our own lives and hearts. Jesus’ teaching in v.15-20 is an extension of His teaching in v.1-6. As His followers, we cannot have self-righteous and hypocritical attitudes towards others, but, with a healthy acknowledgment of our own sin and need for grace, we must examine what fruit is being borne in the life of one who claims to teach the truth about God.
We must be careful what voices we are allowing into our lives to influence us; Jesus warns us here that there willbe many false prophets who will come to us “in sheep’s clothing”, when “inwardly [they] are ravenous wolves”. We must gauge what we hear taught against the truth of God’s Word, and we must look carefully at the kind of life such a teacher is leading to determine whether or not they are true.
Jesus’ next teaching is one of the most sobering, terrifying passages in Scripture. It is possible to call Jesus “Lord”, to say all the right things and to affirm the right set of beliefs, but not be truly saved. The determining factor here is clear: while obedience is not what saves us, those who have truly been changed and transformed by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus always live changed and transformed lives of obedience.
The primary indicator of true, saving faith is a life of holiness and obedience to God’s commands, a life characterized by submission to the will of God, and without that obedience and submission to God’s will there is no evidence of true faith. May our lives be characterized not only by referring to Jesus as “Lord”, but by submitting to Him as Lord!
Matthew 7:15-23
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 thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 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.’
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- Can you have Jesus be your Savior without submitting to Him as your Lord? What can we do to surrender more fully to His authority?
The TV is full of false prophets. Maybe the majority are false, or have elements of false teaching. Stay away from them. Pray for discernment. Study apologetics. Examine them in light of the Word.
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are my lifeline. I want to be connected to You on every level. Please help me keep my eyes on You in everything I do. You will know my heart from the friends I keep, the words I speak and the actions I take. May they always be a testament to You. I want to bear fruit for You, Lord. Please help me as I work my fields and show me how to bear more fruit. I want my soil to be rich and life giving, not dry and void of any substance. Help me as I plant my seeds, that they will be bathed in Your sunshine and be nourished by Your living waters. In Jesus’ name
Amen.
Heavenly Father, you alone are righteous and holy. Grant me this day ears to hear your voice, eyes to see the right path, and the mind-set to follow you. Someday, when I cross over to Gloryland, after I pass through the judgement fire, may I hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Until that day, I give you my time, my efforts, my all. Today Father, my all that I do point others to your son, Jesus. Amen
Lord, help me to do Your will.
I can submit to you Lord, because I trust you. I know you love me, have a plan for me that ends with me being in your presence forever. Help me enjoy being in your presence now, by submitting to you moment by moment, giving up on what I want and embracing your will.
Amen Eduardo! Let’s all pray for Pastor Stephen as he studies and prepares to teach us God’s word. Thank you Lord for a Godly leader that we can trust to always deliver the truth of God’s Word. We all still have the responsibility to study and apply he word to our lives 2 Tim. 2:15 & Acts 17:11…
Thank you for speaking out for Pastor Trammell ability to preach God truths
AMEN and HALLELUJAh!! Lord, keep me on the path of righteousness. Guide Pastor Trammel to bring a good sermon this Sunday. Keep me steadfast in your word and love. Please help us rid of this coronaviras. Keep us safe and well. Please heal those you are sick because of this virus. I ask this in Jesus name Amen
Don’t let me lose sight of You, Lord, in the complex logistics of everyday life and give us safety and strength during these critical days of this pandemic. You are in control.
I pray for those whom have not submitted to Jesus that their eyes and ears may be opened up before it is too late. Jesus is coming back soon and he is trying to show everyone that we must put our trust in him. I am so blessed that he choose me as his child and he has been in my life for 46 years.
I enjoy reading the the daily devotionals and prayers. Thanks to all who takes the time to participate and a big thanks to Pastor Stephen.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for choosing me and for continuing to use me. Thank you for wisdom to recognize your truth and for sending me to your word and always praying that I seek you before listening to others. Please continue to guard our hearts, ears and tongues that they may be used to edify you and you only. I pray that you would continue to bind Satan away from me and others so that we can do the will of the Father. Thank you for your goodness and most of all dying on the cross for our sins. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
Lord, You are my Savior and my Master. Thank you for giving me the gift of eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Thank you for choosing me to become your child and be a part of your family. Help me submit to your will each day. Help me to die to self and to live for you. Galations 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.“ May my life show that I’m truly saved and that Christ will be seen through my words, thoughts, and actions. Forgive me for the times when I was not yielding to your will and for not making you the top priority in my life. Thank you again for saving me.
“This, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matt. 7:20
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22
I love how God’s Word teaches me His Word! May this broken world see His love through us, as we allow His Spirit to freely have His way in each of us, His children, who are called by His name. May His name be hallowed in all we do. “To God be the glory, great things He has done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son…”
I have a lot of young adults in my family who know who God is and say they are Christians, but I see no fruit or obedience. I pray everyday they will come to a true encounter with Christ.
I lived the life of not knowing Jesus as mentioned in verse 23; Jesus said, “I never knew you, Karen!” The scary thing is that I believed I was a Christian. But I did not live for Him and I did not bear fruit. Yet he found me when I was 44 and I turned to him and my life changed. I am so thankful Jesus did not give up on me!