Matthew 7 - Matthew 7th, 2024

Good morning.

My name is Nathan, and I'm one of the pastors here at Church of the Grove, and we're so thankful that you're joining us today as we journey through the Gospels together.

We'll be using the acronym BRED for our time today, which stands for Breathe, Read, Encounter, Apply, and Devote.

As we approach the scriptures today, let's remember that we're not called coming to gain more information, but we are wanting to have an encounter with a personal God.

He tells us in his word that we will seek him and will find him when we search for him with all of our heart.

So, as we enter into his presence this morning, believe that he wants to meet you with you where you are today.

While you may listen to this on a commute or while you're doing something around the house, I would strongly encourage you to set aside some time to go and be in a place where you can totally focus on being with the Lord.

I would suggest having a journal and a pen handy so that you can take notes for anything the Lord might be saying to you.

And with that, let's open up the scriptures to today's assigned passage.

Before we begin reading today, let's first begin by breathing.

Let's be silent with Jesus for a few moments.

And let's just pay attention to him.

Make sure you remove as many distractions as you can and just take a minute in this stillness to just be with Jesus.

Focus your whole self on the Lord this morning.

Maybe even open up your hands to him and then take a deep breath in.

And then exhale out.

Maybe take another breath in.

And then exhale out.

Calming your spirit.

And then just ask for the Holy Spirit to come and to be with you and to lead you as you begin to read through the scriptures together.

So let's now move to the read portion of our morning together.

And as we're reading through this passage today, just slow down and just ask the Holy Spirit, even now, to speak to you through the passage.

What jumps out at you, what grabs your attention, maybe that's the Spirit's voice speaking to you.

Feel free to underline or highlight or even write it down to better help you remember it.

Today we're looking at Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged, for you will be treated as you treat others.

The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?

How can you think of saying to your friend, Let me help you get a rid of the speck that's in your eye when you can't see past the log in your own eye?

Hypocrite.

First, get rid of the log in your own eye, then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.

Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy.

Don't throw your pearls to pigs.

They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking and you will find.

Keep on knocking, and the door will be open to you.

For everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks the door will be open.

You, parents, if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?

Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake?

Of course not.

So if you, sinful people, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?

Do to others what you would want them to do to you.

This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

You can enter God's kingdom only through the narrow gate.

The highway to hell is broad, and the gate is wide for the many who choose that way.

But the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Beware of false prophets, who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves.

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way that they act.

Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?

A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.

So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

On judgment day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name.

But I will reply, I never knew you.

Get away from me, you who break God's laws.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

Though the rain comes in torrents, and the flood waters rise, and the winds beat against the house, it won't collapse, because it is built on bedrock.

But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey is foolish, like a person who builds his house on sand.

When the rains and the floods come and the wind beats against the house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

When Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds were amazed at his teachings, for he taught with real authority, quite unlike their teachers of the religious law.

This is the word of the Lord.

As we asked before, we're trying to determine what the Holy Spirit may be saying to us through his word.

And so we're now moving into the encounter phase of the morning.

So take a moment and think through what verse or verses that the Holy Spirit might have led you to.

What stands out to you today?

What's something that resonated with your soul?

As you think about that verse, just ask the Lord, what are you trying to tell me?

What are you saying to me, God?

Does this verse or passage make you feel a certain way?

Does something jump out?

Does it stir some emotions within you?

What do you think the Lord is trying to say to you?

If you have a pen or some journal of some kind, maybe even take a moment and write a short reflection of what the Lord might be trying to say to you now.

Let's now move to applying the scriptures to our lives this morning.

As the Lord has maybe spoken to you already, now we're turning our focus outward and we're thinking about how we might actually practically live out what God has been saying to us today.

So ask the Holy Spirit now for just wisdom.

Ask, how should you apply this to your life today?

Spend a moment thinking and praying through that, just focusing on the Holy Spirit giving you wisdom and guidance.

Again, if you have paper and pen, I would encourage you to write this down.

And take some moments and time just to write a simple prayer of devotion to the Lord.

What do you need to say to him?

What do you need from him this morning?

Just write that down as you devote yourself fully to him today.

Don't rush through what the Lord might be saying and speaking to you this morning.

But I do pray that today, as you go throughout your day, that the Lord would fill you with hope and joy and peace as you commit your day to Him.

Thank you so much for joining me today for our reading.

And please join us again tomorrow for our next reading.