MATTHEW 7

MATITYAHU 7

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Probably no command is more often broken than this. Much of our conversation is judgement, criticism or condemnation of others.

This is an evil condition, and displeasing to God. We must truly judge circumstances and conditions where our own conduct is affected, or where fellowship is involved; but unless it is necessary for us to judge others in order to know what we ourselves should do, we should very carefully refrain from forming any judgment of another, and especially we should not express judgment.

This is a very important first principle of the Truth. The warning is ...

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Therefore, it is always wisdom to judge with mercy and kindness and compassion and fellow-feeling, wherever we must judge at all.

When we indulge in the flesh-satisfying practice of judging and criticising others, we are not only directly disobedient to this command - we are also manifesting that we do not have the mind and spirit of Christ, and therefore are none of his.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 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.

6 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.

This seems to be a counterbalance to the command not to judge. It parallels another command elsewhere -

"Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

We are not being harmless, but very harmful and fleshly, when we talk about the faults of others.

But though we must view all with love and compassion and sympathy, still we must use care in exposing the things of God to the unholy and profane.

I believe the reference is more to the inner aspects of the Truth, the intimate aspects of association and fellowship, rather than to preaching the Truth. Paul's injunction to "Lay hands suddenly on no man" would be parallel.

This is a fitting and balancing warning in conjunction with the command to judge with compassion, lest out of misguided love we make the mistake of being too lenient in guarding the purity of the Truth. The Truth and the fellowship of the Spirit are holy and sacred and must be jealously guarded from the worldly and profane.

Bro Growcott.

7 ASK, and it SHALL be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

This is certainly the most glorious of the commands. Let us note well that it is a COMMAND. We must believe it, and we must ask.

We can never hide behind a plea of weakness or inability to obey, for here we are commanded to ask for whatever strength and wisdom we need, and God guarantees it. (Mark 11:24):

"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye SHALL have them."

With that guarantee of success, there can be no excuse for failure.

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

"Having his Father's Name." - Rev 14:1

àWhat a wealth of beauty, comfort and promise is contained in that one word,

"Father"

A true father—of which God is the perfect example—is a tower of protection, comfort, counsel, companionship, understanding, inspiration, and firm but kindly discipline and an

ability to enter with infinite patience into the hearts and hopes and problems of childhood.

God's Fatherhood is His greatest promise and blessing—

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed

upon us, that we should be called the SONS OF GOD!" (1Jhn. 3:1).

"If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?" (Matt. 7:9).

There is great depth in this parable of fatherhood. Bread comprehends every form of need, physical and spiritual; and stone every fleshly reaction of unkindness, thoughtlessness,

rebuff, harshness, impatience, and neglect.

Our children look trustingly to us for guidance, example, comfort, assurance, understanding, maturity, Christ-like tenderness and compassion, love, appreciation, encouragement,

companionship, and a personal manifestation of the joy and beauty of holiness. Are we giving them bread, or a stone? Whose fault is it if they starve spiritually?

It is Jesus who brings out in its full beauty this exalted relationship in which we stand. In him the fullness of God's Fatherhood is manifested. This beautiful truth, like so many others, is destroyed by the Trinitarian doctrines of the churches of the world.

At Jesus' first public manifestation, this is his theme—

"My Father's House . . . My Father's business."

Bro Growcott - The 144 000 on Mount Zion

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye 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?

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The "Golden Rule" - best known and perhaps least obeyed command of all. It has a pleasing, soothing sound, and many pay it zealous lip-service, but how it rarely is practiced!

Note that Jesus says this command is "all the Law and the Prophets" - this is the whole spirit of the Old Testament, as well as the New.

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:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Golden Rule has summed up the spirit of all the previous commands, of all the Word of God. Now comes the urgent exhortation to FOLLOW this heavenly way of wisdom, joy and life that he has outlined, though the vast majority are going the opposite way.

The information that few will ever find the way of life, though terribly saddening, is a tremendous revelation and emancipation.

It completely frees us from what would otherwise be the almost insurmountable barrier of finding ourselves going in the opposite direction from all the learned and powerful-

"Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matt. 11:25).

The Scriptures teach us that the majority, and especially the wise and powerful, have ALWAYS been wrong concerning the real facts of life and eternity-blind guides of the blind, leading their pitiful victims only to the grave.

lBro Growcott

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

V 15-20 Here is a place where we must judge-not in condemnation, but in self-protective discernment-care concerning being mislead into association with such as have all the appearances of zealous, harmless, hard-working sheep.

How are we to judge? "By their fruits."

Now, many apparent "fruits" we may find the sheep and wolves have in common-

"Have we not prophesied in thy Name?"

"And in thy Name done many wonderful works?"

We must search deeper to discern the wolves. We would perhaps prefer not to face this issue, but to leave all judging to Christ. But here is the last and crowning command- "Beware of false prophets."

It must be very urgent to be put as the closing warning. It would not be faithful to ignore it. It must be a real danger.

We must endeavour, whatever the present cost in friendship and association, to faithfully keep that which has been entrusted to us, and which previous generations of faithful brethren have preserved and defended. Where false teaching is tolerated, there can be no true fellowship, though many may themselves not follow the falsehood.

Bro Growcott

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Success is simply a matter of pleasing God: happiness is simply a matter of God manifesting His pleasure in our hearts. All else is illusion and delusion: all else is vanity, and -- finally -- sorrow and death.

Life can be ALL deep, quiet, trustful pleasure, even in its pain.

Life can be all empty tragedy and failure, even with its glitter and "success." Don't build anything on anything but solid rock. If there is no eternal foundation beneath it, then the better we build and the harder we labour, the greater the ultimate loss and remorse.

God is the Rock: the only Rock. Build everything you do on Him.

It will then stand firm to all eternity

Bro Growcott.

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.