November 24-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Observe what it is saying.
Just as we can determine false preachers by their fruit so can we do the same with false disciples. At this stage of the Jesus movement, calling Jesus, “Lord,” did not have the full divine significance that the title carried after Jesus resurrected. When doubting Thomas saw the resurrected Lord, he said, “My Lord and my God!” He exclaimed that Jesus was truly God. This was a far different expression than what people were using as a title of respect during His ministry as found in Matthew 18:21, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’” It is easy to give respect to Jesus, but it is another thing to declare him to be Lord and God. An oral confession of Jesus as Lord does not necessarily reveal a repentant heart. There must be evidence associated with that confession. To do the will of the Father means obedience to the kingdom of heaven that reveals true redemption and righteousness. The will of the Father is the very message Jesus has been preaching in His sermon. He is the ultimate example and has the clear message of what it means to obey the Father. To be redeemed and be like Jesus will enable us to do God’s will on a daily basis.
Relate it to your life.
My declarations of Jesus must be backed up by my willingness to live the Jesus way.
Do something.
Jesus, give me Holy Spirit help to sync up my profession and my lifestyle. Make me a disciple of integrity in every possible way. Amen.
November 25-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:22, Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Observe what it is saying.
As we continue to consider Jesus’ statement that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only those who do the will of the Father, we come to this startling and disturbing verse. Jesus gives an example of those who call Him “Lord,” prophesy, drive out demons, and perform many miracles. They do great works, all in the name, of Jesus. These are not even common works but miraculous in nature. Surely, these persons will be included in the kingdom of God. How could they do such seemingly holy work and be left out? If they are left out, what is the reason? What did they fail to do? It reminds us that churchgoers today are no more automatically saved than those who ate with Jesus in the past. It is incredible to think that people can do many good things on earth but still not do the will of the Father.
Relate it to your life.
I must understand what the will of the Father is in attaining entry into His kingdom and must be very careful not to assume that my good works add anything to it.
Do something.
Father, give me clarity about Your will. I want to know Your will. I want to passionately do Your will. I want to enjoy being in Your kingdom forever and ever. I humble myself and confess I am a sinner in absolute need of your grace and forgiveness so that I can enter and enjoy fellowship with Your forever. Amen.
November 26-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:23, Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Observe what it is saying.
This is the unfavorable eternal consequence of declaring Jesus, “Lord” but failing to do the will of the Father. This includes those who have even done supernatural works in Jesus’ name, yet somehow have missed doing the Father’s will. This sounds disturbing, and it is. It should cause us to be alerted that Jesus demands our whole being, including our mind, heart, will, and body to be spiritually engaged in Him. What we learn is that just calling Jesus, “Lord” is not confirmation that He is. We, also, learn that doing good works in the name of Jesus is not an automatic bid into the kingdom. These are all good and necessary, but they are not the ultimate litmus test for authentic faith. Jesus spoke the necessary ingredient in the second half of the Great Commission, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” There is an internal mindset for the true believer who is focused on knowing and obeying the word of God in which we then do the will of God. Have I declared Jesus as Lord? If so, great! But wait, am I serving Jesus as Lord? If so, great! But wait, am I wholeheartedly desiring to know and do the complete will of God? If so, great! I am truly redeemed and reconciled to the Father in heaven.
Relate it to your life.
I can know that I am truly redeemed as I wholeheartedly seek to appropriate God’s kingdom and His righteousness into every area of my life.
Do something.
Father, please forgive me where I have stopped short of being totally obedient to Your will and Your word. Give me such a heart and mind that passionately seeks after You, regardless the cost. Amen.
November 27-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus concludes His sermon with a powerful illustration of all that He has proclaimed. He offers a vivid description through the image of homebuilding of those who are true and false disciples. He begins with “therefore” connecting what He is about to say with all that He has previously spoken. In particular, the connection is made with what He just spoke about authentic disciples being those do the will of the Father. In that same vein of thinking, He describes those who listen and practice His message as wise persons. They are wholistic in their manner of living as they believe, speak, and do the will of God. In this illustration, He reveals those wise in their approach to the kingdom of heaven living plan will stand strong when these strong hurricane type conditions batter against them. They will not collapse because they have built their lives upon the strongest foundation possible, the very truth of Jesus’ message. We build strong foundations each day by practicing what we know to be true. It matters that we are faithful in our daily practices in the small and large matters that come before us. Every decision, interaction, and relationship matter in how we cumulatively build a strong faith that can withstand the variety of trials, temptations, and troubles that beat against us.
Relate it to your life.
By the grace of God and Holy Spirit power, I build a strong foundation through faithful attention and obedience to God’s every word.
Do something.
Father, grant me wisdom and courage to build a life that is obedient to Your whole message. Amen.
November 28-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:26-27, But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Observe what it is saying.
In contrast to the positive example of house building from yesterday, we now find the negative one. Instead of putting Jesus’ message into practice, this person does not. They may read or hear the same words but refuse to act upon them. They face the same storm but the major difference is their house comes tumbling down because the foundation is weak. Instead of building a strong foundation, day by day, through obedience, these people go along doing as they please without regard to pleasing the Lord. Their lives are shallow, soft, and empty. They have no internal spiritual strength to keep them from collapsing when the trials and troubles of life beat against them. Jesus makes it clear that the only way to build strong faith is through authentic discipleship in doing God’s will as found in Scripture. James said it this way, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25) The blessing only comes when we put into practice the teaching of Jesus as found in the whole counsel of the Bible.
Relate it to your life.
if I fall to the enemy’s deception that obedience does not matter, then I will fail spiritually.
Do something.
Father, give me Holy Spirit power to believe and practice the truth of Your word so that I may enjoy all You have promised in Your word. Amen.
November 29-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:28-29, When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus’ sermon is completed. Matthew now gives his own commentary that the people were astonished at His teaching. It was different from every other teacher and rabbi. His message had such an authority that had not been experienced before. It is no surprise since the Word of God taught the word of God. The Author of truth spoke truth. Notice how similar author and authority are. You cannot have any purer authority than when the Author speaks what He has written. He did not shade the truth. He did not slant it to the right or the left. Through His proclamation, He did not try to please anyone but His Father. He was not worried about how it would be received and whether it would impact the offering that day. He had total freedom to speak truth in love. When a message speaks the unadulterated truth of Scripture, it will have tremendous power. As Isaiah proclaimed, it will go out and not return void of fruit. It will accomplish exactly what God intended it to do. Every time we read, study, or listen to God in His word, we should expect that His instruction will bring conviction, correction, comfort, or conversion. We should never leave our time with Him and His message unchanged.
Relate it to your life.
If I am truly encountering God in my devotional time, I will know what areas of my life need attention.
Do something.
Father, forgive me when I rush my time with You. May I take time to hear what You have to say. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Observe what it is saying.
Just as we can determine false preachers by their fruit so can we do the same with false disciples. At this stage of the Jesus movement, calling Jesus, “Lord,” did not have the full divine significance that the title carried after Jesus resurrected. When doubting Thomas saw the resurrected Lord, he said, “My Lord and my God!” He exclaimed that Jesus was truly God. This was a far different expression than what people were using as a title of respect during His ministry as found in Matthew 18:21, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’” It is easy to give respect to Jesus, but it is another thing to declare him to be Lord and God. An oral confession of Jesus as Lord does not necessarily reveal a repentant heart. There must be evidence associated with that confession. To do the will of the Father means obedience to the kingdom of heaven that reveals true redemption and righteousness. The will of the Father is the very message Jesus has been preaching in His sermon. He is the ultimate example and has the clear message of what it means to obey the Father. To be redeemed and be like Jesus will enable us to do God’s will on a daily basis.
Relate it to your life.
My declarations of Jesus must be backed up by my willingness to live the Jesus way.
Do something.
Jesus, give me Holy Spirit help to sync up my profession and my lifestyle. Make me a disciple of integrity in every possible way. Amen.
November 25-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:22, Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Observe what it is saying.
As we continue to consider Jesus’ statement that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only those who do the will of the Father, we come to this startling and disturbing verse. Jesus gives an example of those who call Him “Lord,” prophesy, drive out demons, and perform many miracles. They do great works, all in the name, of Jesus. These are not even common works but miraculous in nature. Surely, these persons will be included in the kingdom of God. How could they do such seemingly holy work and be left out? If they are left out, what is the reason? What did they fail to do? It reminds us that churchgoers today are no more automatically saved than those who ate with Jesus in the past. It is incredible to think that people can do many good things on earth but still not do the will of the Father.
Relate it to your life.
I must understand what the will of the Father is in attaining entry into His kingdom and must be very careful not to assume that my good works add anything to it.
Do something.
Father, give me clarity about Your will. I want to know Your will. I want to passionately do Your will. I want to enjoy being in Your kingdom forever and ever. I humble myself and confess I am a sinner in absolute need of your grace and forgiveness so that I can enter and enjoy fellowship with Your forever. Amen.
November 26-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:23, Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Observe what it is saying.
This is the unfavorable eternal consequence of declaring Jesus, “Lord” but failing to do the will of the Father. This includes those who have even done supernatural works in Jesus’ name, yet somehow have missed doing the Father’s will. This sounds disturbing, and it is. It should cause us to be alerted that Jesus demands our whole being, including our mind, heart, will, and body to be spiritually engaged in Him. What we learn is that just calling Jesus, “Lord” is not confirmation that He is. We, also, learn that doing good works in the name of Jesus is not an automatic bid into the kingdom. These are all good and necessary, but they are not the ultimate litmus test for authentic faith. Jesus spoke the necessary ingredient in the second half of the Great Commission, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” There is an internal mindset for the true believer who is focused on knowing and obeying the word of God in which we then do the will of God. Have I declared Jesus as Lord? If so, great! But wait, am I serving Jesus as Lord? If so, great! But wait, am I wholeheartedly desiring to know and do the complete will of God? If so, great! I am truly redeemed and reconciled to the Father in heaven.
Relate it to your life.
I can know that I am truly redeemed as I wholeheartedly seek to appropriate God’s kingdom and His righteousness into every area of my life.
Do something.
Father, please forgive me where I have stopped short of being totally obedient to Your will and Your word. Give me such a heart and mind that passionately seeks after You, regardless the cost. Amen.
November 27-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus concludes His sermon with a powerful illustration of all that He has proclaimed. He offers a vivid description through the image of homebuilding of those who are true and false disciples. He begins with “therefore” connecting what He is about to say with all that He has previously spoken. In particular, the connection is made with what He just spoke about authentic disciples being those do the will of the Father. In that same vein of thinking, He describes those who listen and practice His message as wise persons. They are wholistic in their manner of living as they believe, speak, and do the will of God. In this illustration, He reveals those wise in their approach to the kingdom of heaven living plan will stand strong when these strong hurricane type conditions batter against them. They will not collapse because they have built their lives upon the strongest foundation possible, the very truth of Jesus’ message. We build strong foundations each day by practicing what we know to be true. It matters that we are faithful in our daily practices in the small and large matters that come before us. Every decision, interaction, and relationship matter in how we cumulatively build a strong faith that can withstand the variety of trials, temptations, and troubles that beat against us.
Relate it to your life.
By the grace of God and Holy Spirit power, I build a strong foundation through faithful attention and obedience to God’s every word.
Do something.
Father, grant me wisdom and courage to build a life that is obedient to Your whole message. Amen.
November 28-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:26-27, But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Observe what it is saying.
In contrast to the positive example of house building from yesterday, we now find the negative one. Instead of putting Jesus’ message into practice, this person does not. They may read or hear the same words but refuse to act upon them. They face the same storm but the major difference is their house comes tumbling down because the foundation is weak. Instead of building a strong foundation, day by day, through obedience, these people go along doing as they please without regard to pleasing the Lord. Their lives are shallow, soft, and empty. They have no internal spiritual strength to keep them from collapsing when the trials and troubles of life beat against them. Jesus makes it clear that the only way to build strong faith is through authentic discipleship in doing God’s will as found in Scripture. James said it this way, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25) The blessing only comes when we put into practice the teaching of Jesus as found in the whole counsel of the Bible.
Relate it to your life.
if I fall to the enemy’s deception that obedience does not matter, then I will fail spiritually.
Do something.
Father, give me Holy Spirit power to believe and practice the truth of Your word so that I may enjoy all You have promised in Your word. Amen.
November 29-Sermon on the Mount
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 7:28-29, When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus’ sermon is completed. Matthew now gives his own commentary that the people were astonished at His teaching. It was different from every other teacher and rabbi. His message had such an authority that had not been experienced before. It is no surprise since the Word of God taught the word of God. The Author of truth spoke truth. Notice how similar author and authority are. You cannot have any purer authority than when the Author speaks what He has written. He did not shade the truth. He did not slant it to the right or the left. Through His proclamation, He did not try to please anyone but His Father. He was not worried about how it would be received and whether it would impact the offering that day. He had total freedom to speak truth in love. When a message speaks the unadulterated truth of Scripture, it will have tremendous power. As Isaiah proclaimed, it will go out and not return void of fruit. It will accomplish exactly what God intended it to do. Every time we read, study, or listen to God in His word, we should expect that His instruction will bring conviction, correction, comfort, or conversion. We should never leave our time with Him and His message unchanged.
Relate it to your life.
If I am truly encountering God in my devotional time, I will know what areas of my life need attention.
Do something.
Father, forgive me when I rush my time with You. May I take time to hear what You have to say. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals