The Sermon on the Mount overflows with frequently quoted statements that have become familiar mottoes. Most are better known than Ben Franklin’s wit and wisdom…and they’re certainly more penetrating!
The closer Jesus drew to the conclusion of His magnificent Sermon on the Mount, the greater His intensity. By the time He got to the passage in this lesson, it was clear He was not mildly suggesting we simply resolve to try a little harder and do a little better.
Our need is not to think of ways to get away from the storms of life but to learn the secret of going through them. This brings us to the last words Jesus spoke in His immortal Sermon on the Mount. As He drew His remarks to a close, He used a vivid word picture of two houses, built on opposite foundations. From this familiar illustration, we can learn the secret of an unsinkable life.
Part of what makes stories so effective as teaching tools is their ability to stick with us. But what gives the best stories staying power?
We are exhorted to practice persistent repetition of our requests, not a formulaic repetition of words, which Jesus condemned (Matthew 6:7–8).
Preaching on Matthew 7:1–5, Pastor Chuck Swindoll directs our attention to Jesus’ teaching on judging to help us rid ourselves of a biting, critical spirit so we can truly restore others in a spirit of love and acceptance.
It takes knowledge of God’s Word to discern truth and detect error. Not only from what is said but from what is left out.
Not everyone is ready to hear spiritual truth, so we need to discern our audience. All people share divinely endowed dignity, so we should do to others as we would have them do to us.
Jesus couldn’t have cared less about being politically correct at the expense of spiritual truth, and His statements in Matthew 7:13–23 reveal just that!
Jesus, at a point in His life where the religious trivia champs of His time were plotting to kill Him, answered them with a fierce and pointed statement.
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