Matthew 7:13-29 Part 2
- Who are the authorities in our culture? When something needs explaining who comes on the news?
- Who are some of the best known teachers on the radio or in the churches? How do you rate Rob Bell, T.D. Jakes, or Bill Hybels?
- How do you distinguish a good mentor or teacher from a poor one?
Read Matthew 7:13-29
- How are false prophets described? Does this seem overstated to you?
- What kind of fruit might an unhealthy teacher produce?
- Who were unhealthy teachers in Jesus’ time?
- Why are trees thrown into the fire?
Jesus teaches us that there are people with dangerous motives who set themselves up as authorities in this life. There are teachers who have a mask of kindness and benevolence but inside their motives are twisted. The religious teachers of Jesus’ day had large sections of the Bible memorized, they were moral, and they were concerned about the future of Israel. However, many of these teachers did not have a loving relationship with God and they did not teach others to have one. The fruit that Jesus is looking for is not good behavior.
- What title do those who do not enter the Kingdom of Heaven give Jesus?
- What does this title mean?
- How do the fake followers of Jesus make their case?
- What is Jesus’ criterion for excluding fakes? What is their punishment?
- How does Jesus contrast those who accept the authority of his teaching with those who do not?
In Matthew 7:13-29 Jesus is giving a summary of the Sermon on the Mount. The point is that those who are in the Kingdom of Heaven accept the absolute authority of Jesus. Their lives are rooted in relationship with royalty – heaven’s royalty. Jesus is ‘Lord’, but not in title only. He must become the absolute dictator who is consulted in each area of life. Those who die to the culture, or to their own selves, will reap stability and good fruit. Most importantly the reward of establishing Jesus as the absolute authority is that you receive Jesus as the reward. Chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew display practical proof that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has the authority whether we like it or not.
- Do you know Jesus?
- Do you know how to cultivate a relationship?
- How does a person establish Jesus as the absolute authority in their life?
Plymothian 