Discipleship Training: Week 6 by Heather Compton

This week, let’s finish the Sermon on the Mount. Read Matthew 7. 

There are so many great take-aways from this chapter. One of the main things people get mixed up on is the first few verses talking about judging. Of course we do not have the ability to judge people to Hell, only He can do that. However, we are judging things every day. Any decisions you make are a judgment of some sort. What the Lord is against is developing a spirit of fault finding (one that overlooks your own shortcomings and becoming judge over others).  Look at 1 Corinthians 2:15. This scripture alone breaks apart the carnal person’s perspective of the above passage.  Look at it in the New Living translation: Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things. The spirit wants to lead you into discerning right from wrong, judging all things. 

In Matthew 7:7-12 we go back to the subject of prayer and asking. The word ask in this passage is word number 154 in the Strong’s Concordance. It is the word Aiteo. This word means to request or petition. The word usually describes a servant making a request of someone in higher authority (an individual asking something of God). See Matthew 21:21-22. We also see examples of this in other scriptures. I will list below and you should take time to look them up.

Ø  Mark 6:25- Subject to king

Ø  Luke 11:11- a child from a parent

Ø  Acts 3:2- a beggar from a person of substance.

What can you take from these examples to help you in your “asking”?

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When I read these scriptures, persistence is a word that I always hear.  The person with persistent faith will have their needs met.  See Luke 11:5-8.

Internal Reflection: Look at Matthew 7:15-20. Are you a tree producing good fruit? There is some pretty harsh wording on what happens to branches that aren’t producing fruit.  This scripture ends by saying “just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, you can also identify people by their actions.” Are your actions leading people to Christ?  Can they look at you and see Him? When they see you are they seeing good fruit? If not, make changes today.

 Key Verse: Matthew 7:7 (Take time to memorize if you haven’t already)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

What else stood out to you in this chapter?  What will help you moving forward?

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