Following Christ in World of Confusion
Matthew 7:7-16
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12 In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Following Christ in a World of Confusion
Matthew 7:7-16
- How Big is the Problem of False Teachers? (7:15-16)
- Does Jesus Think We Can Find the Truth? (7:7-12)
- How Do We Pursue Truth? (7:12-14)
1. How Big is the Problem of False Teachers? (7:15-16)
Matthew 7:15-16
Matthew 7:15-16
15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
2 Timothy 2:16-18
2 Timothy 2:16-18
16 But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,
17 and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Jude 1:3-4
Jude 1:3-4
3 Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints.
4 For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
False Teachers Have Always Been An Issue
2. Does Jesus Think We Can Find the Truth? (7:7-11)
Matthew 7:7-11
Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 12:3-5
Matthew 12:3-5
3 Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
Matthew 19:4
Matthew 19:4
4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
Matthew 21:42
Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.This is from the Lord,and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Matthew 22:29
Matthew 22:29
Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
YOU CAN KNOW THE TRUTH. ASK! SEEK! KNOCK!
Psalm 19:7
Psalm 19:7
The Law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
3. How Do We Pursue Truth? (7:12-14)
Matthew 7:13-14
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.