Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-style-parent:””; font-size:10.0pt;”Times New Roman”;} In a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush dated April 23, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson wrote, “To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other.” Attached to the letter was a brief “syllabus” comparing Jesus to Greek and … Continue reading Authority (Matthew 7.28–29)

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-style-parent:””; font-size:10.0pt;”Times New Roman”;} A few years ago, after months of rain had softened the ground beneath them, houses on Blue Bird Canyon in Laguna Beach began to slip their foundations and slide down the hills. For the homeowners, whose dreams and fortunes slid with those houses, it was an agonizing experience. For us, it is a vivid picture of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built … Continue reading Therefore (Matthew 7.24–27), Part 2

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-style-parent:””; font-size:10.0pt;”Times New Roman”;} Whenever you read the word therefore in Scripture, you should ask what it’s there for. Consider the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, which concludes the Sermon on the Mount: “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. 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. But … Continue reading Therefore (Matthew 7.24–27), Part 1

What is the fate of a false prophet?   Jesus provides the answer in Matthew 15.21–23:   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”   With these words, Jesus identifies two false paths to salvation. The … Continue reading Watch Out for False Prophets (Matthew 7.15–23), Part 3

In Matthew 7.15–23, Jesus gives us a warning against false prophets, a test for recognizing them, and a description of their fate.   A prophet is a spokesman for God. For example, Isaiah begins a prophesy by saying, “Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken” (1.2), and “Hear the word of the Lord” (1.10). He ends it with these words: “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (1.20). He often prefaces other prophecies with the words, “This is what the Lord says…” (18.4; 21.6; 31.4; 37.6, 33; 38.1; 45.1, 14; 49.8, 25; 50.1; 52.3; 56.1, … Continue reading Watch Out for False Prophets (Matthew 7.15–23), Part 2