Matthew 7:13-29
“Don’t look for
shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a
successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that
stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and
requires total attention.
“Be wary of false
preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they
are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma;
look for character. Who preachers areis the main thing, not what
they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook.
These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and
burned.
“Knowing the correct
password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere
with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father
wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and
saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our
God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going
to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves
important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
“These words I speak
to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to
your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.
If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who
built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado
hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
“But if you just use
my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a
stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in
and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
When Jesus concluded
his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like
this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a
contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever
heard.
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