Matthew 7 and Leadership
8th S. after Trinity Matthew 7:13.....
Romans viii. 12.
BRETHREN, we are debtors, not
to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall
die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit
himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Matthew 7:
Ask, Seek, Knock
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: 8For every one that asks receives; and he that
seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. 9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10Or if he ask a fish, will
he give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12Therefore all things whatever you would that
men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets.
13Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be
which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find
it.
(Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45)
15Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16You shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree
brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that brings not forth good fruit
is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Why by their fruits you
shall know them.
21Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father
which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name
have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess to them, I never knew
you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
24Therefore whoever hears these sayings of
mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house on a
rock: 25And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell
not: for it was founded on a rock. 26And every one that hears
these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened to a foolish man,
which built his house on the sand: 27And the rain descended,
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell:
and great was the fall of it.
The Authority of Jesus
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29For he taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.
Lord, if what I seek be according to our will,
then let it come to pass and let success attend the outcome. But if not, my
God, let it not come to pass. Do not leave me to my own devices, for you know
how unwise I can be. Keep me safe under your protection Lord my God, and in
your own gentle way guide me and rule me as you know best.
Amen.
NICE LITTLE PRAYER I FOUND
Txt for today- Matthew 7:13-14, " Enter ye
at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it."
How many times have you heard there are many
roads to the same place? We are all on
the same pathway to God, so why does it matter?
Your religion is too narrow.
Well, it works!
Go in the door that is open and is the way to everlasting life. There is one narrow, small gate, door that is
the path to life. The other one is broad
and wide and many are on it, but it is the way to destruction.
Jesus is the Door. He is the way to God only. Other doors look good but are not the way .
---the way of good deeds ..a nice person. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. They never said a cross word or said anything
bad about anyone.
---the way of belonging to a Church only without
true faith
---the way of just believe in anything , other
Gods can help us get there? We all worship the same God , right? I heard on the new President Bush said that
about the Muslim faith. We all believe
in the same God? All religions are fine.
All Churches are fine? We are all going
the same way to the same place?
Your religion is too narrow>? How about getting aboard the airliner that has a working engine
and the one that burns up on take off is not a good bet. It looks the same, but in the engine itself
there are problems. Ice has destroyed
it?
Yes, our religion is narrow and small so to speak
but it is life!
2. There
are false teachers...they look good and even sound good, but are "
inwardly ravening wolves." 2 Peter 2
It sounds the same ....but it is not the
same. But He/she sounds so good?
" ...the Christian is confronted by two ways
only, and if we are not on the strait and narrow way, we are on the wide and
broad way. So indecision and a failure to commit ourselves means that we are
not on the narrow way....Indecision is fatal, because it means wrong
decision. There is no alternative. It is either the narrow or broad way.
The greatest inducement of all , however, to
enter in at the strait gate and to walk the narrow way, is this. THERE IS SOMEONE ON THAT ROAD BEFORE
YOU. You have to leave the world
outside. You may have to leave many who
are dear to you, you have to leave yourself, your old self, and you may think
as you go through that gate that you are going to be isolated and solitary. But
it is not so. There are others on this
road with you....Look at Him (Jesus), follow Him, and realize that ultimately
you are going to be with Him , and look into His blessed face and enjoy Him to
all eternity. He is on this way, and
that is enough." Lloyd Jones
Jude 4
3. 2
fruits and 2 foundations
7:20, 16Matthew.
A good tree does not bring out bad fruit, and vice versa.
The good foundation stood. It was founded upon
the rock. ( Interesting the word is
petra ---rock)
The Christian who seeks the Door that is Christ
has eternal life now and in the life to come.
He/she has faith that God does have His Hand on the world even when it
seems bleakest. Christians have faith in the one God who made it all, and they
can look forward too His grace in this world and the world to come.
The Christian realizes that the things that are
now cannot be compared with the things that are to be . A good illlustration is this. We are in a faithless generation. WE are people of faith who need to encourage,
uplift and have hope. In the midst of a pandemic , not even as serious as some
of the other diseases we have had and difficulties before. Science can lead us to the facts. Faith plus
facts can lead us to a solution. Without
faith we are the ship that is not moored to the anchor .
Can we offer people in our lives faith and hope
in the middle of difficult circumstances?
I like what Colin Powell said about leadership, “
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who
can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can
understand. -Colin Powell”
You and I are called to lead, trust and obey in the crowd
of unbelief. Jesus has led the way
through His suffering and death. Will we
follow or be followers of the crowd ? He is the way and we are His people who
can point to the good, the true and the beautiful.
O
GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and
earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to
give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened to you: 8For every one that asks receives; and he that
seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. 9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him?
12Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to
you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads
to life, and few there be that find it.
A Tree and its Fruit
(Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45)
15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16You shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree brings forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Why by their fruits you shall know them.
21Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in
heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your
name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess to them, I never knew
you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
The House on the Rock
24Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I
will liken him to a wise man, which built his house on a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell not: for it was founded
on a rock. 26And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them
not, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house on the
sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat on that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
The Authority of Jesus
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the
people were astonished at his doctrine: 29For he taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.
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