“Steer to God right away; fly to him, and you will find a peaceful shelter.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Passage
22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:22–27 (NASB95)
Background
Quote-Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day.
Spurgeon was pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel in London for 38 years. Spurgeon authored sermons, an autobiography, commentaries, books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, and hymns. He is said to have produced powerful sermons of penetrating thought and precise exposition, and many Christians hold his writings in exceptionally high regard among devotional literature.
Passage-The book of Matthew is a Gospel that contains Narrative History, Genealogy, Parables, Sermons, and some Prophetic Oracles. It was written by Matthew (Levi), the Disciple of Christ around 48-50 A.D. The key word in Matthew is "Kingdom" and is used 28 times.
The book of Matthew is the first of the synoptic gospels and it was written to reveal the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the line of David. It also was written to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
The old saying is “any port in a storm” meaning a ship would pull into any safe harbor to avoid the tumult at sea. But life isn’t a ship on the waves though it can feel like we are being tossed to and fro. Ther is but one port to seek in life’s storms if we truly want to be safe.
Ask: If the “many” who were doing good works in the name of Jesus why did Christ say, “I never knew you, depart from me?”
Point: Jesus and what He offers is not about the works. Please read the following:
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (NASB95)
Ask: If it isn’t about works, about the things we do then why does Jesus say in the next verse, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them?”
Point: The answer is in the preceeding verse. Please read the following:
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:23 (NASB95)
Psalm 6:8
Ask: If we are doing good works in the name of Jesus how can we be “practiceing lawlessness” at the same time?
Point: The answer lies in the motivations of the heart behind why we do the works in the first place.
Ask: What should be in our hearts when we take action in the name of Jesus?
Point: Love. Please read the following:
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:8–10 (NASB95)
Ask: Why is Paul quoting the Ten Commandments when he tells us to love one another?
Point: The things in scripture that God tells us to do and not do are Him telling us how best to live and treat others. It is love to be kind and considerate to other people treating them as we would want to be treated.
Ask: How can we be sure all of scripture defines what God likes and doesn’t like and that’s how we should act?
Point: Please read the following:
17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17–19 (NASB95)
Ask: But other people don’t treat us like this so what then?
Point: Please read the following:
10“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:10–12 (NASB95)
Ask: Shouldn’t we expect a better life and happiness moreso than in Jesus’ time since He sacrificed Himself for our sins?
Point: Not necessarily. Please read the following:
12So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
16“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
John 13:12–17 (NASB95)
Ask: So, what are we supposed to do then with love in our hearts?
Point: What Jesus said to do in today’s passage and in verse 15 above. He is our example. Please read the following:
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:24–25 (NASB95)
Ask: What is the rock upon which we are to build our house?
Point: Please read the following:
9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:9–11 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and proclaimed the servents sent are not greater than the master who sends them. Are we sent? Yes, we are: 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95). What implication does that have on us and how we act to those around us? We have that command too both in the Matthew text just read and from Jesus Himself; “you also should do as I did to you.” What did Jesus do? He sacrificed Himself. He showed us mercy through His grace, and He forgave us all our sins. So let us go and teach them to observe all that He commanded us in love as we would want to be taught.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 What things do you do to calm yourself and feel “safe?”
Question 2 How many of those things are tied to Jesus?
Question 3 If you either don’t have anything you do to feel safe or don’t have anything tied to Jesus that makes you feel safe, spend time considering how reading scripture can fill that void.
Question 4 Read the passage at the end of the lesson from 1 Corinthians 10:1-17
Question 5 Write down everything that comes to mind concerning how Jesus and brotherly love relate to the 1 Corinthians passage.
Question 6 Consider what things you wrote down about 1 Corinthians 10 that could be used in your own life to feel like your house was built on the rock of Jesus.
Governed by Love
1For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3and all ate the same spiritual food;
4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”
8Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
9Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
10Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
13No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
16Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
17Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
1 Corinthians 10:1–17 (NASB95)
Good stuff!