There is no love in it. II. Then there is no law in sin. It is the heroism of self-denying love! II. James (James 3:12) uses the same image, probably having this passage in mind; for, as already remarked, he often refers to the Sermon on the Mount. The sense is, 'Because ye are my disciples, and bound to understand the OT. Judge not, that ye be not judged. That the most holy things ought not to be offered indiscriminately to all persons. Matthew 7:6. It is nothing exceptional; it is the inevitable that tests it. “Judge not.” It is a question of motives. ", "I Christ, will say unto the false prophets, who have taught and done miracles in My Name, in the Judgment Day, I knew you indeed as My prophets, who did miracles in My Name: but as My friends and sons whom I predestinated to the inheritance of My glory, I know you not. 6. For by far the greater portion of men are infidels, Turks, Saracens, or heretics. The condition that we must ask may be shown to work out into. bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. We should note, however, that while Jesus accepted that there were such He did not condemn all such preachers (Luke 9:49-50). God"s so patient in dealing with impatient servant. He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." It is plain and simple. They even say that the Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Upon a [the] rock.—Theophylact, Jerome, Olshausen [Alford, Wordsworth], refer this to Christ; others take it in a more general sense. H. Harris, Short Sermons, p179. 37 "For by your words you shall This fruit is of two kinds—1. All those are false prophets who preach any other way than that which our Lord has marked out. Thus was the noble "royal law according to the Scripture" destroyed by the petty quibbling use of the word "neighbour." For many false prophets still prevail today. There are those who, besides saying "Lord, Lord," besides always saying it, so the repetition may mean, really labour much for Christ in their way. No word can wisely be spoken that even seems to check the activity of sincere piety. In all ages the false has followed the true.—False money is never coined except where good money exists. 1. These things are put in contrast with a heavy beam or block. III. It carries us beyond the love of sentiment to the love that is seen in action. I consent to the truth." 15. "If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? 21-23. In ἐνδύμασι προβ. 3. You read Socrates, Aristotle and Confucius and all, and you see that they, all of them put this in a negative thing. Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in 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: Matthew 7:13 — Comments- The broad way is the easy way, that way that everyone does things. "—Some may like to illustrate the two ways by the well-known story of the Choice of Hercules. But Christ was not as the scribes. That kind of preaching which allows you to indulge in sin — that sort of teaching which lowers the standard of God’s Word for you, and makes you think more of your own judgment than of the teachings of Christ — away with it. They look just like sheep. He went out and wrought miracles in the name of Christ, and then sold Christ for pieces of silver. And this, not by the action of a mere arbitrary retribution, but by a law deeply laid in the nature of things. Have you noticed the tremendous emphasis today upon broadness? Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). He says the same thing that He said in the previous verse, but by a still more striking similitude. If ye then being evil, &c. Being evil: i.e., "by the natural propensity to evil, which ye have contracted in your nature by sin." He is still considered to be building, but merely on sand, the shifting uncertainty of men's thoughts, with no solid basis of fact. Now if I, being evil; that is on this lower level of human kind. M. Taylor, The Miracles of Our Saviour, p110. Hear S. Augustine: "The temerity wherewith thou dost punish another will punish thyself. 2. That the entrance to a sinful life is wide.—Above the entrance there is written by the enemy of our souls, "Do as you like. Do not let that golden rule remain merely as a record in this Book, but take it out with you into your daily life. But there is also a wide gate—the legalism of the Pharisees, and a broad way—that of external Judaism; and many there are which hurry along this road to that awful historical destruction,—the great ἀπώλεια of the Jewish nation. The great ones will recommend to you great liberality and breadth; but enter yet in at the strait gate. and in thy name have cast out devils? For though it is possible to give in the most open and public way without at all indulging the petty motive of ostentation, yet so weak is human nature on that side of it, that our Lord puts His caution in the very strongest terms, counselling us not only to avoid courting the attention of others, but to refrain from even thinking of what we have done; for that seems to be the point of the striking and memorable words "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.". Here lies the root of many a blind, cruel condemnation of Burnses, Swifts, Rousseaus, which one never listens to with approval. We can all recall the struggles we made, the hardships we endured, in gaming some position we sought. THE BEGINNING OF COMMON HANDICRAFT IS DIFFICULT. So here Jesus does not solve the mystery of the ultimate destiny of human souls. He will give them, surely, without asking," our answer Isaiah, Does He do it in nature? בטלית, in a garment which reached to the feet, and was made of the wool of sheep. The "golden rule" must be put into action if we ourselves ate to live. The great day. (2) All builders have a choice of foundations. Aug., see Op. The one promises to lead the young Hercules by the shortest road, and without any toil, to the enjoyment of every pleasure. Unto a wise man. also Isaiah 49:15; Ephesians 3:14); 3. the moral duty implied in the ordinary demands which we make upon our neighbors ( Matthew 7:12); 4. the contrast between the highway along which the multitude travels, and the narrow path on which the elect walk ( Matthew 7:13); 5. the natural law, according to which the fruits correspond to the tree, and the contrast between good and bad trees ( Matthew 7:16); 6. the right and proper disposition of things: the evil tree is cast into the fire ( Matthew 7:19); 7. the teaching of experience, as illustrated by the house reared upon the rock, and that erected upon a foundation of sand ( Matthew 7:24). The life-building founded on the sand will be wrecked. The Scribes sought their own glory and the applause of men. The entering by the strait gate is therefore the entering into life (into the Messiah’s kingdom), but still brought about through following the narrow way, which is reached by means of the strait gate. May we not, then, note, that while Christ does love, for his own reasons and in his own sense, what the world and the better part of it do not over and above love, viz. If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more, the argument there is from the lesser to the greater. How often is their profane tongue employed in sneering at revelation, and mocking at experimental religion. said "that at first the path of virtue is narrow and confined, but afterwards it becomes wider by degrees; the way of pleasure, on the other hand, is not wide at the beginning, but afterwards it becomes more and more straitened." From the subject of giving our Lord turns to that of asking. II. But these old boogieman stories, "Oh now you be careful what you say you"re not gonna do," that"s just what God will make you do, you know, so that we begin to be apprehensive of the will of God. S.]. There are those who have the beam in the eye, but do not consider it. To them the Master says, as to the men, "Give not that which is holy to the dogs". Ye shall know them by their fruits. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good H. P. Liddon, Sermons on Some Words of Christ, p63. By that which is holy, he understands Baptism and the Eucharist, which must not be given to impure and unworthy persons; pearls are the mysteries of the truth, inclosed in the Divine words as in the depths of the sea, i.e., in the profundity of Holy Scripture. What words of power indeed to lay our hearts bare before God! He does it in quite another way. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Much easier is the broad way of selfindulgence, avarice, pride and ambition, but the end of it is death. So we do those things which it is supposed God requires, but we remain in nature unchanged. — The Narrow Way to Life ( Luke 13:22-30) - When God saves a Prayer of Manasseh, he purges him and deals with his heart to lay aside many activities of life that everyone else is actively involved in. Even when you did all these miracles. It is right to ask for such things as we need, and that we be saved from the things which we fear; but the chief of all prayers, in which all other are included, is this—"Not my will, but Thine be done". But woe to us, miserable, who changed superfluity into necessity.". And the Gloss says, "God does not deny Himself to those who ask, for He voluntarily offered Himself to those who asked not for him. “It fell: and great was the fall of it.” When the testing time comes, the one who has built his hopes for eternity on anything short of Christ Himself will come to disaster. Not many enter that gate; for there is a wide gate very much nearer, through which many are always entering; and which, therefore, as it were, thrusts itself on their notice. (2) As regards the evil in the world. So said the faithful and true Witness. The mere hypocrite is the goat in sheep’s clothing. For a miracle, even a solitary one, so long as it is real and plain, is not only a probable, but a morally certain proof of true doctrine, whence Christ and the Apostles use it as an inviolable argument for proving the Christian faith. J. R. West, Plain Preaching to Poor People (9th Series), p149. Mark 11:24. They stand to represent those professors who continue life on precisely the old principles, but think they secure themselves by freely using Christ's Name. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. "I know mine own," he saith, "and mine own know me." Morality divorced from religion is a flower without root, which may bloom for a while, but in the end must wither away; religion without morality is - nothing at all; worse than nothing, for it is a sham. The thorns and thistles are the heretics. : The Lord had before commanded His Apostles, that they should not do their alms, prayers, and fastings before men, as the hypocrites; and that they might know that all these things may be done in hypocrisy, He speaks saying, "Take heed of false prophets. The word for beam really means a stick of timber, but was used colloquially in the Greek speech of our Lord’s days on earth as a synonym for a splinter, which, though small in itself, seems a veritable beam because of the pain it causes. Can you see the difference? ", "The temerity wherewith thou dost punish another will punish thyself. And accordingly 'enter in through it' (Matthew 7:13) and 'find it' (Matthew 7:14) need not be specially assigned to the gate or the way, being applicable to either, and thus to both. Such, to a large extent, they have been. "Faith without works is dead." So also S. Perpetua saw in her dream a golden ladder, but hedged about with knives and swords. All negative. It is logical that, when we pray in faith, we should thank God for the answer when the request is made and before the answer is received. The idea is that God will not mock an earnest suppliant, by appearing to answer his prayer, and giving him something which, though apparently good, is really noxious. ] What does 1Kings The construction of the sentence is not, indeed, rhetorically exact; but it belongs to that graceful negligence of art and rule, which is the peculiar charm of the colloquial style, and is no less so in English than in Greek.”—P. Wonderful, glorious promise of God! That is why Jesus says, Grapes They spent their lives in retailing what other people had said. Prophesied, προεφη τεύσαμεν.—Grotius and Fritzsche understand it as prophesying; Meyer, as referring to the prophetic office of the early teachers, 1 Corinthians 12:10. In the clothing of sheep. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Beware, take yourselves away from, have nothing to do with, pseudo-prophets, with false teachers. Some of the less crew of ill quality, vanity, conceit of superior illumination—that worst ignorance that is so ignorant that it has not a suspicion of it—irresistible or certainly unresisted loquacity, presumptuousness,—these may have the dominion that effectually make the self-sent prophet, the false prophet. Thought is really criticism, estimate, judgment on things. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. It was by means of his name that they performed these wonders, and this is repeated three times; surely then he would not reject them. There are, indeed, few sins that have as much evil effect upon others, as does this sin. There are certain foundational truths that we need to have undergirding our Christian experience. The latter evidently signifies, “he shall be esteemed, or treated like.” Accordingly, the active mood here must be rendered: I shall esteem, or treat, him in the judgment (Tholuck and Meyer). Theirs was a righteousness as it were of the tips of the fingers, whereas He must have "the whole body full of light"; theirs was a righteousness that tithed mint and anise and cummin, and neglected judgment, mercy, and faith; theirs was in the narrow sphere of the letter, that which He demanded must be in the large and lofty region of the Spirit. This can be harmful and even fatal. Search and try beyond the outward appearance (not as it may appear at the time, but wait for the autumn and the fruits). It was the purpose of God that they should be the light of the world. The beatitudes are eight in number: they are designed to comprise the whole of the christian temper, and they strikingly mark that our Saviour was influenced by the eternal Spirit who inspired the prophets. What a forecast, what an assumption, how high the ground on which he stands. Mercy, not duty, was its key-note. Note2, the order which Christ employs. The eye does not see itself and its own blemishes, but those of others. He claims that the most secret thoughts of the millions of the human race are naked and open before Him, and this is in effect, a claim to be divine. Not every one, but only some of them, only those of them who do the will of God. works of the flesh, i.e., impurity, covetousness, anger, selfishness, and all It, as it were, compares God and man, and shows the superiority of God to man. Const. So S. Athanasius, in his Life. They felt the Preacher loved them, and they yielded to love. On the other hand, however, it runs up to heights even quite out of sight of the easy-going virtue of the day; for those who belong to this kingdom are men full of eager aspirations, bent on heart purity, given to efforts for the good of others, ready even to suffer the loss of all things for truth and righteousness’ sake. Again: "A man richer in learning than in good works is like a tree with many branches and few roots—the first wind overthrows it; but a man whose actions are greater than his learning is like a tree with few branches and many roots—all the winds of the world may storm against it, but cannot move it from its place." ', 12. —J. to what we are to avoid: (1) With reference to that which is without. Likewise, many lives parallel in the days of youth, until they meet the point of decision for Christ at which time they divide asunder, one choosing the pathway that leads to Heaven, and the other the pathway that leads to destruction. False christians. Beams of wood in eyes is quite an impossible conception; and when he spoke of it it must have caused a smile. Such was the method of the early Church. What is it then that has brought us into the position in which we find ourselves to-day, when the great mass of working-men turn their backs entirely upon the Church of God? The same goes for people who bring teaching that lead God's people away from God. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. But though they confess it, it doesn"t mean they"re gonna enter the kingdom of heaven because not all who say "Lord, Lord" are gonna enter the kingdom of heaven. The connexion is either that it is parallel to the first ὅτι, and thus gives a second reason for decision in entering through the narrow gate; or, and better, that it gives the reason for the statement in Matthew 7:13—many pass along the wrong way because the right way requires at the very outset so much determination and afterwards so much self denial. The Sermon on the Mount. He will guide us to the strait gate-the submission to the claims of Christ-thus leading into the narrow way of unselfish devotion to God and to the interests of those for whom Christ died. A believer, not much taught in the Scriptures, sent us a few weeks ago a question about a certain publication which was sent to him with the promise of leading him into a better knowledge of the Bible inasmuch as it was devoted to Bible study. It is our only mode, for we cannot read motive. Popular Saints. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. revile and profane) what you offer them, and assail you with ridicule and blasphemy. Directly we start judging others we become blind to our own defects. But it is right that we should suffer one with another, and bear one another"s burdens." 18. For if we compare Matthew 5:20 of the preceding chapter, and remember its subsequent development in the verses which follow, we find that it agrees with the warning before us in insisting on righteousness of the heart as distinguished from that which is merely outward. How impressively is this stated throughout the whole passage! Sin. difference. 2. Who preach false doctrine in those things that are essential to religion who teach that which is contrary to the truth as it is in Jesus, to the truth which is accordingly to godliness. I"ve had it. [In sheep's clothing.] "Lord, Lord, haven"t we been preaching in your name?" Supposing that it was certain that we were intended to have, in the recorded sayings of the discourse of the mount, a closely connected discourse, we might feel it difficult to pronounce with any confidence on the connection of this thrilling passage, and feel anxious and grieved proportionately that we could not discharge more satisfactorily the responsibility herein which lay on us. Gen 5:22; Gen 7:1; Jos 24:15; Daniel 1; Daniel 3; Daniel 6; 1Ki 18:21; Joh 6:67-69, etc.). Hosea 8:2). Our Lord does not soften this rigor at all, but goes on to declare that the way pointed out by him is indeed one hard to find and follow, and that there is great danger of being deceived by false guides, and of self-deception; yet he does not present these facts as an excuse for shrinking back, nor even say that in spite of these things we must make the effort, but urges the very difficulties as a reason for going forward. 1. go to war and you have an opposite opinion? a Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. I. Two great mistakes on this point are named, next, by our Lord. It"s more than having correct spiritual language. Oh! Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (concise) << Hebrews 6 | Hebrews 7 | Hebrews 8 >> (Read all of Hebrews 7) Complete Concise Chapter Contents. They take more than the life; they destroy the soul. We speak of the commonwealth, a word which is supposed to mean the common welfare; but the common welfare is quite beyond the power of any earthly government, which at most can only give protection against those enemies that would hinder the people from doing what they can to secure their own welfare. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? John had been a burning and a shining light, but the Saviour came arrayed with miracles, and adorned with grace. 4. Luke 13:26.—Then will I profess unto them,—openly on that day. The Lord then knowing that there should be false teachers, warns them of divers heresies, saying, "Take heed of false prophets.". Observe that although the word "hear' in these verses cannot indicate that full "hearing" which it sometimes connotes (Matthew 10:14), yet it seems to mean more than merely listening, and to imply both a grasp of what is intended by the statements made and at least some acquiescence in their truth (Acts 2:22; Revelation 1:3; John 5:24). Matthew 7:21. My belief, after a long experience, is that a man may say all he ought to utter at one "standing" in an hour, excepting a budget speech or a government explanation, when documents are read. the answer Isaiah, "We know that our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ". Jesus uses now-famous phrases here like “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and “you will know them by their fruit” to make His urgent point. II. Contra Epist. We are tempted to form hasty prejudices about people, the results of first impressions. If we disobey this command, we need not be surprised if others pass judgment on us in a similar way. She had taught a Sunday School class twenty-two years, and professed to be a Christian, nevertheless, all that did not save her. How many people there are who are in poverty, because they have not learned to present their petitions before God. They present themselves as disciples, but in reality bring destruction. ‘Let’s go down the broad road.’ You see, the false prophets are the people A Prophet is a man who speaks for God, how then can the word "false" be put before "Prophet"? Eugene Bersier, Twelve Sermons, p19. Accordingly the caution now must needs be much stronger: "Be ye not as the hypocrites. Jesus spoke with authority about bearing fruit - : There are two ways and two gates. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing', but inwardly they are ravening wolves. that continually bears bad fruits is marked as corrupt and is cut down. Some elements of the illustration our Lord here employs, may be found in Proverbs 12:7; Isaiah 28:16 f.; Ezekiel 13:10-16. Have you ever asked for it? "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his command-merits." And so in the conclusion of that judge no, because you"re setting the standard in the measurement, He concludes it by declaring, "Therefore all things whatsoever that you would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.". It probably had reference to the false teachers then among the Jews. References.—VII:29.—T. But all these things are falsely inferred. Deny yourselves; only the way of the cross leadeth to the crown of life. xl. It is long before we get the idea thoroughly wrought into our lives that lawless life is simply destruction. The Holiness of Manhood.—First, I think, human nature itself. Consider this in connexion with the Christian Church. "For with what judgement you judge, you shall be judged". in such clothing as they would wear if they were sheep. To all appearance Christ himself was nowhere without exciting a vast amount of inquiry and a vast variety of it. We are to learn the voice of the Father and do His will (. If you haven't seen it already, I would recommend "The Chosen"! In Matthew 10:16 ‘the wolves’ will presumably include the civic leaders and their religious counterparts, for we must remember that the Jewish lay leaders also liked to give the impression that they were deeply religious. ", "0 Lord, if it be error which we believe, we have been deceived by Thee. Judge then this soul." I was always pleased with the motto placed under the figure of the rosemary in old herbals: Sus apage, haud tibi spiro. It was the easier route. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Can straitened, signifies pressed, pressed together, cramped; a Greek writer uses it when he describes one as occupying "a straitened cell"; so it implies not merely that the road is narrow, but, as it were, cramped, confined, so that there is difficulty in passing along it. Contributed by Dr. Jonathan L Vorce on Mar 19, 2021. And having declared these terrible things that people were doing in the world, he then said, "And thou art inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judges another: for in the same time that you"re judging another, you"re doing the same things yourself." Let the world speak for itself, publish its manifesto, which it does large enough, loud enough, false enough. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise Prayer of Manasseh, which built his house upon a rock; 25. And I need to think of Lord not as a name but as a title. peace. It is comparatively easy to be a thorough exponent and example of heathenism or Mohammedanism; but where can you find a perfect Christian? Is he to be the Arbitrator as well as the Teacher? We are to wrestle with God in prayer, as Jacob wrestled with the angel (perhaps with God Himself), and said, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me' (Genesis 32:26). When I see someone or hear someone who is not right on, I have to be able to judge "Hey that man"s a false prophet. Thou hypocrite (Matthew 6:2, note). For it was not secondhand truth He retailed, but a fresh and authentic message direct from God. Seek the good, the real, and the durable.—There is a true God; there are true doctrines; there are true and blessed hopes and promises; there are true teachers—the chief of which is Jesus Christ; there are true Christians and true characters. And I said, "Isn"t that a little late to find out?" The false prophet is the counterfeit preacher. False prophets do not. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.". We are all builders. If his strength was taxed to the uttermost, will life be easy, safe, and victorious for us? And done many wonderful works. Chapter 7. Why would we ever think of asking for what is useless or harmful? They look harmless, but inside they are very dangerous to the unsuspecting. Such persons are also blind. Rather, the rock, as in Luke 16:26, 'upon the sand.' A bad tree produces bad fruit, and wrong teaching produces wrong behaviour (Matthew 7:15-20). For how many tyrants, now in hell, would Jerome"s sack, Benediet"s frock, Arsenius" tears, Elisha"s cowl, have sufficed to keep them out of hell? Yes; in every age of the Church they are very numerous. And this is so true with us. “All things, therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, thus do ye also to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” This, many professing Christians and others, who make no profession at all, call the golden rule. It shows us a balance and measure, by which every one may see at once what is his duty. This main object is accomplished perfectly; a whole volume on the form of prayer could not have done it better, or so well. If he does, he is a false prophet.' Enter ye in at the strait gate — The gate of true conversion, of self-denial, mortification, and universal holiness; the gate in at which few, comparatively speaking, are inclined to enter. Dykes: "Amid the endless varieties to be found in life's broad road, there is but this single mark by which to recognize all travellers: they take the path which seems right in their own eyes." With Jesus, teaching was a matter of life and death; with the scribes it was a matter of profession. And for us all the advice is good, "Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."—R.T. Tischendorf remarks, Proleg. Confucius say "he who throws mud looses ground". 3. Tholuck: “In practical application, the term αἰτεῖτε is generally referred to prayer, ζητεῖτε to our endeavors, and κρούετε to the investigation of the Scriptures.” We regard the passage as marking a climax,—the word ζητεῖτε, like בִּקֵּשׁ in Jeremiah 29:13-14, indicating earnest desire; and κρούειν perseverance, even though an answer seemed denied. Who can I share the holy things with? By giving in to the false prophets no good fruit is produced. You not only give, but you know how to give so as not to disappoint the asker. All is well at first. You know my downsittings and my uprisings, you understand my thoughts afar off", "The wise man dug deep and laid his foundation on the rock", "Duh that"s it. We have done the things we ought not to have done, we have left undone the things that we ought to have done, and we come without excuse or defence, for thou hast given us light enough to see all the way, and help enough to sustain us against every assault, yet have we utterly failed and there is no white day in our whole life, without scar or blot upon its beauty. He was a judge"s Song of Solomon, and he stood at last in a felon"s dock, and the judge who was trying the case knew, and knew well, the man"s father. Observation: Paired Alternatives, Controversial Warnings Observation is the initial task in Searching the Scriptu
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