King Jesus and the Queen City – Matthew 7:12-27

The passage we looked at this morning really drills down to Jesus practically asking, “Now that I have taught you all of these things, what are you going to with it?” Pastor Alex broke down this passage into three “acts”.

Act 1 – Enter
The path to follow Christ is narrow. In a day of cultural relativism, there is one small gate to a narrow path. The world says that we should all just coexist and that every path leads to heaven. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In order to enter the narrow gate, you must put your faith in Jesus Christ.

Act 2 – Walk with wisdom
False prophets are everywhere, and most of them take just enough “Christianese” to persuade someone into their beliefs. They come from school, work, TV, and social media. We live in a world of chaos because a transcendent Truth is dying a slow death in our culture. One of the essentials that we have identified in order to live an abundant Life in Christ is “Authentic Faith”. You need to know what you believe and why you believe it. Do not make the mistake to believe something because someone tells you to. You need to measure all teaching against the Truth of the Scriptures. Listen critically.

Act 3 – Run with reckless obedience
Reckless is defined as, “utterly unconcerned with the consequences of an action.” We must listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He is our Helper who guides us. When He says, “Go”, we must go. When you listen and respond, there is life change. Another essential of living a Life in Christ is “Obedient Follower”.

The Sermon on the Mount in not meant to be admired. It is meant to be obeyed. Surrender to it’s authority. Because of God’s love for us, we have free will to choose or reject His Truth.

To discuss as a family today
1. Put a note beside your bed, on your mirror, or a reminder on your phone that says, “Who can I bless today? – Matthew 7:12”. Spend a few minutes as a family discussing who you will come in contact with this week as you “do to others what you would have them do to you.”

2. What false prophets do you encounter in your weekly routine? How do you measure those lies against the Truth of scripture? What puts you in danger of listening to those false prophets?

3. Share a time when you “recklessly” obeyed God. How did that change your life? How did it grow your faith?

Prayer
Praise God for who He is. Thank Him for giving us His Word to enjoy and learn from. If you are born again, thank Him for making a way to enter through the narrow gate. Confess the times that you stop listening to Him and allow the voices of false prophets to clutter your mind. Commit to run with reckless obedience and trust His plan for your life.