“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” —2 Corinthians 13:5

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:21-23; 25:31-46.

Introduction:

How easy it is to say “Lord, Lord” and not do the will of God. It seems the verses in Matthew 7:21-23 are frequently applied to deceived people who profess Christ but haven’t really been converted—they give lip service to the Gospel, but use it for their own personal gain.

For various reasons, we rarely apply the curse of these verses to

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” —Galatians 5:22-23

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:15-20; Deuteronomy 13:1-5

Introduction:

Throughout history, false prophets have risen up to deceive the people of God. It happened in the time of Elijah, it happened in the time of John, and it’s happening today. God’s children are being led from the truth of God not only by those outside the body of Christ, but even by those inside the body of Christ (Acts 20:28-31). We’re to be continually watching for false prophets

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:13-14; John 10:1-10

Introduction:

There’s only one gate into the Kingdom of God—Jesus Christ. Entering into that gate requires the blood of Jesus Christ, the only way of salvation for mankind. But, walking in the way of the gate goes much farther than the conversion experience. The “way of the gate” is the way of Jesus Christ and it’s not only doing what He did but being what He was.

Jesus described

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” —Matthew 7:11

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:7-12

Introduction:

An aspiring pastor was studying under the care of a seasoned pastor. He chose this man for his great faith and perseverance in spite of hardships and setbacks, for his commitment to the Word, for his obedience to the call of God’s Spirit.

As the young man was studying his Bible, he stumbled across Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it shall be

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” —Micah 6:8

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-6; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Introduction:

For many of us, judging, not in the sense of discernment but in the sense of condemnation, is as natural as breathing. Seeing others’ faults, sins, and hypocrisy isn’t a spiritual gift from God. With as many of us as good at it as we are, some might think judging to be their “spiritual gift.” We are called

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” —Matthew 6:24

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:24-34

Introduction:

Of all the physical necessities in life, food water and clothing are the most essential. Without the three of these, our life wouldn’t last more than a few days; without any one of them, our life probably wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. The life-sustaining qualities of each are obvious.

Knowing food, water, and clothing are

“If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” —Luke 11:36

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:22-23; 1 John 1:5-10

Introduction:

Spiritual vision was one of the primary themes of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus wanted people to be completely sold out on serving Him—no duplicity, no doublemindedness, no looking back. In Matthew 6:22-23, we’re told that a single eye was the key to spiritual light.

Christ wasn’t referring to our literal eye, but our spiritual. If our

“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” —Proverbs 23:5

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19-21; Proverbs 8:10-21

Introduction:

Our time, effort, energy, money, ideas, and hope can only be placed in one of two areas: heaven or earth. Everything we do is a deposit in the bank of life, and every deposit indicates our priorities. No matter what we do—mowing the lawn, daily devotions, words we speak, judgments we make—we’re investing in our eternal destiny.

What’s difficult about this principle is discerning what really counts

“But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto they Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” —Matthew 6:17-18

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 6:16-18

Introduction:

Much of the discussion in the Sermon on the Mount is devoted to our heart’s motivation. We see this in giving, prayer, adultery, and so on. It’s no wonder that Christ’s discussion of fasting deals with motivation.

It was common for the Pharisees to fast twice a week, on Monday and

“…O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?”—2 Chronicles 20:6.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:9-15; Exodus 16:1-15

Introduction:

The first three points of focus in the Lord’s prayer is the Lord: “Hallowed be thy name,” “Thy kingdom come,” “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:9-10). The last four points focus on our needs: “Give us this day…” “Forgive us our debts,” “Lead us not into temptation,” “Deliver us