Unshaken: Chapter a Day

Matthew 7 Discussion

• Pastor Plek

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Dive deep into Matthew 7 where Jesus delivers his powerful conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount with crucial instructions for kingdom living. This chapter tackles judgment, discernment, prayer, and the fundamental difference between merely hearing God's word and actually living it out.

The discussion examines Jesus' surprising statement about human nature when he casually acknowledges our evil tendencies while highlighting God's superior goodness as a Father. This tension between our brokenness and God's love creates the perfect backdrop for understanding true faith. We explore how many people reject the label of "evil" when in reality, acknowledging our fallenness is the first step toward receiving Christ's righteousness.

Perhaps most challenging is Jesus' warning about false disciples who say "Lord, Lord" but won't enter the kingdom. These individuals may prophesy, cast out demons, and perform miracles in Jesus' name, yet lack the authentic relationship that comes through obedience. The episode unpacks how religious activity—even seemingly supernatural ministry—doesn't guarantee true connection with Christ.

The chapter culminates with the parable of the wise and foolish builders, reinforcing that hearing Jesus' words without putting them into practice leads to destruction. This teaching perfectly concludes the entire Sermon on the Mount, challenging listeners to build their lives on the rock of obedience rather than the sand of mere intellectual agreement. Listen now to discover how approaching God with childlike faith transforms our understanding of prayer, judgment, and authentic discipleship.

Pastor Plek:

And welcome back to A Chapter. A Day Keeps.

Pastor Holland:

The Devil Away.

Pastor Plek:

We're looking at Matthew, chapter 7. We're looking at final instructions on kingdom living. Take a look at verses 1 through 6 and judging other people carefully. We're looking at 7 through 11 of like, seeking the Lord and asking him for things to do, things to have God move on your behalf. Verse 12 hits that golden rule of treating people as the way you want to be treated. Verse 13 and 14, narrow and wide gates. Enter the narrow gate leading to life, not the broad way to destruction. Wide gates enter the narrow gate leading to life, not the broad way to destruction.

Pastor Plek:

Verses 15 through 20, how will you know a false prophet who might lead you to destruction? Bam, beware of wolves in sheep's clothing, judged by their fruit. And then you're going to look at true and false disciples. There will be people who actually say Lord, Lord, but they're not actually going to enter the kingdom of God. And then we're going to look at people who are wise and foolish builders. The wise build on the rock by hearing and doing Jesus's words. What are some things that stuck out to you in these verses?

Pastor Holland:

In the last part, where he talks about the wise and foolish builders, it says not everyone that hears these things or everyone that hears these things and does not do them is the foolish man, and just the one who hears them and does them is the wise builder. And just the importance of even as we're doing a podcast like this and reading the word, it is not enough to just hear God's word. That just really struck me again is the importance of that. It's not enough to just hear God's word. That just really struck me again is the importance of that. It's not enough just to hear it. You have to do what it says.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, I like that. The thing that just struck to me and I know I probably overdo this, I talk about a lot is when Jesus talks about judging other people, he says first take out the log or the speck out of your own eye, then you can judge other people. In other words, when you can see clearly, then it's okay to judge. But I think sometimes ain't nobody can judge me, is what I hear a lot. Yep, like nobody can tell me I am wrong, and I think that's the age of this world where everyone has their own truth and so therefore nobody can judge me, only God can judge me.

Pastor Plek:

But clearly Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians 5, to purge the evil from among you, that you're actually supposed to judge other Christians. But then he gets into don't give holy things to the unholy, like don't try and like minister gospel something that only someone who understands the gospel can understand Don't waste your pearl among swine. So it's a real reality. Don't try and give truth to people that can't receive it. And so you've got to be discerning in that. So I thought that was sort of an interesting juxtaposition of those two different ideas, kind of clashing of like shouldn't you judge somebody? You should, but they've got to be able to hear it and your job is discern whether they can hear it or not.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, I also love just another observation verse 11. He's talking about asking from God and he says you know, if your son asks you for something, you know you're going to give it to him. And then he says in verse 11, if you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

Pastor Holland:

And he just says that just so casually, like you, then, being evil, you know because you're evil, yeah, exactly Like you know how you guys are evil and you know there's it's just duh. You're evil, yeah, and we would be so offended by that today, yeah.

Pastor Plek:

I did have this conversation yesterday with a person that called in of all things just for marriage counseling, help, and I started with, like let's get us all on the same page. I just want to make sure you know where you're at with heaven. Do you know for sure you're going to heaven? And the person was like, absolutely I'm going to heaven. I go why? Well, I'm a good person, I'm a good parent, I'm a good spouse, I'm pretty good in everything. And then I go well, what's tough about that is if you've hated your spouse in your heart, have you ever done that? Well, yeah, well, then you've committed murder.

Pastor Plek:

That's from Matthew, chapter five. And so, like, what is good mean? According to Jesus, you are evil, because the thoughts in your heart and in your head that may never come out, they're never exposed, that God can see, reveals the evil of your heart. And so there is no one good, no, not one, which then gets us into who then can be saved, right, like? I think that's the reality, that is the struggle, and Jesus will then ultimately be that sacrifice, dies on the cross, be raised from the dead, and once you believe in him, in his righteousness, that's what gets you to heaven. But I thought that was fascinating that there's a reality here where people reject evil when you should sort of like, yeah, I am that bad.

Pastor Holland:

That was me, I think. I shared when we were going through chapter 5. I shared when we're going through chapter five, Like I was like I'm a good person, Of course God would let me into heaven. And it was reading the Sermon on the Mount where I was like, oh, I'm not a good person and like none of Jesus's teaching here is really going to hit home unless you can accept that, saying you then being evil. If you can accept that and be like, yes, go on, Jesus, I understand I'm evil and I'm broken. And then he goes on like if you, as an evil person, knows how to give a good gift, of course God is going to give you gifts. And yeah, you just have to be able to accept that first of all, and then you can accept everything else Jesus teaches. But you got to go yes, I'm an evil person in need of salvation. Jesus, please help me.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, and that is what he's trying to get. Religious leaders, religious people who were justified by their own works, were always constantly looking at their lives going. I'm not that bad. I'm not that bad. I'm not like those people. And Jesus said well, you sure aren't like me. Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. Okay, what are some thoughts about God or people that you could draw from here? People are evil, yep.

Pastor Holland:

God is a good father. He knows how to give good gifts to his children.

Pastor Plek:

Foolish people hear God's word but don't act on it Right. And how about this? Maybe many people are deceived into thinking verbal faith is enough.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah.

Pastor Plek:

Like a verbal declaration Lord, lord, he's Lord, yeah, yeah. Like a verbal declaration Lord, lord, he's Lord, yeah.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, and I mean the other things that they did. We prophesied in your name, cast out demons, done many wonderful works. This teaches about people that you can have a Christian looking life and not be a Christian and there are other powers at work other than the Holy Spirit and the power of God.

Pastor Plek:

And I think that's what people struggle with Like, because people will point to like miraculous things that happen. I remember this one buddy of mine in the army he goes. I was at this bar and I saw this girl and I prayed that God would let me have sex with her and then he did and I was like he's like now I believe in God. I said you were praying a different God, other than my God answered your prayer and so there could be like some sort of thing happening. Congratulations, you're praying to demons.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, we're praying to demons, yeah, but saying Lord, Lord without obedience is just lip service, which you know. Your lips give glory to me, but your hearts are far from me. I think that's the problem of that sort of Lord, Lord kind of talk.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, okay. And then you get to the end and just that idea again about the builders of, like Jesus saying, okay, this whole sermon here that I just gave you, it's not enough that you just hear it, you got to do it. Don't be a fool, be a wise person. And so kind of transitioning from interpretation into application of you got to do what Jesus says.

Pastor Plek:

And he has divine authority. Like he doesn't teach, like the teachers of the law, he's able to take the scripture and apply them and say do this thing and make it really come alive.

Pastor Holland:

All right, prayer comes to mind for me, okay, knowing that God will give good gifts, and so, praying to him, I think about taking this passage and if, like, okay, I'm sitting around the table with my family and I'm, you know, what do we take away from this One? You know my children, hey, I want you to. You know, get on the narrow path. I want you to not just hear God's word but obey it. And in order for us to do that, well, we're going to need to pray. And when we pray and ask God to help us, we know he's going to, because he's a good father. So, the praying for God to give you the good things that you need to obey his word like the wise builder.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, I man, I was really keen on that same verse. God gives good things to his children and I know for a lot of people they're high anxiety people. They look at God as like withholding, as if he's in heaven, going like you got to earn this, as opposed to a child who asked for ice cream every single day and it's almost like you could say the kid's spoiled because he gets whatever he wants. A child who asked for ice cream every single day and it's almost like you could say the kid's spoiled because he gets whatever he wants, he knows where to ask and he has hope that his parents are going to give good things. And I think that's the childlike faith that God desires from us and that the child has for his parents, that has functional parents that love him.

Pastor Plek:

That's an expectation that my parents aren't going to leave me, me, in a worse off space, that I can come to them, ask for something really good. I can be. I'm allowed to be disappointed when they don't give me what I want, but I have to obey them still, love them still, but I expect that my parents love me and my parents will give me good things. How much more will my father in heaven give good things. That's why he says knock, seek, ask. He wants to give good things and I think that we can get so wrapped up in just feeling like a self-criticism, a self-worthlessness, that we are not valued enough. Had another conversation with somebody on this, that your relationship with your earthly father might've been dark and evil, or you didn't get good things and you got a lot of criticism. So that's all you expect from God.

Pastor Holland:

I think this is really good with what we were talking about earlier of understanding we're evil, right If you, then who are evil, but at the same time we're loved and we're evil, right If you, then who are evil but at the same time we're loved and we're evil. But if you've come to faith in Christ, you are forgiven of your evil, wicked thoughts and deeds and everything. You're washed, you're adopted in the family of God so that you can call on God as your father in heaven. And so you're evil in your flesh and in your sinful nature and yet, at the same time, loved by God, adopted into his family, and therefore call on him, ask him, pray to him, seek, knock and knock and knock and know that like he's good and he's going to take care of you and he wants to give you good things.

Pastor Plek:

And then the two things, like a mercenary would go to God in a transactional way hey, give me this and I'll be a good listen. If you get me out of this, I'll do whatever. Yeah, as opposed to a child of God goes, I just mercy dad, give me what I need and I think that's where I really see that as well, like a knowledge to really lean into knowledge to believe.

Pastor Holland:

Yeah, that'd be powerful. Anything else, yeah. One other thing, I don't know that the you know judging others and take the log out of your own eye, and maybe you know you're listening to this and you're frustrated with someone or gotten in an argument, or you know feeling judgmental towards someone, and just to pause and reflect and go okay, do I have a log in my own eye? I got something in my own eye, you know, in my own life some sin, some pride, some, whatever that I need to deal with and to take that to God in prayer and confession and let him work on your heart so that you know the purpose of righteous judgment is to offer correction that leads to life to other people, and so I think Jesus wants us to be able to correct people back onto the narrow path, but we first let's do business with God ourselves and confess our own sins.

Pastor Plek:

Yeah, and you know the thing on the narrow path, I think both of them are here. It's like there's this religiosity where, like I have the appearance of doing good things, of and that doesn't save you, um, or I do religious activity but I don't come from a place of faith in joy and I put my full trust in you. There's a transactional nature to it and then on the other side of like unwise person that leads to destruction that you can clearly see and so. But the narrow road is putting your faith in Jesus and in his work not your own work and then enjoying him as a child enjoys a father. Amen. Hey, thanks so much for watching. We'll see you tomorrow on A Chapter A Day.

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