Who is Jesus? According to Matthew 7:

Jesus has a keen sense of the reality of the human condition and He is not afraid to address it: 
  • You who judge - take care of yourself first.  
  • You who know how you want people to treat you - treat other people in the same way.  
  • You who claim to be righteous - do your fruit testify to the accuracy of your claim?
  • "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
Jesus obviously sees that the human condition leans toward sin. He says that people will turn towards him crying "Lord, Lord" and expect to be received into heaven. But those who don't do the will of his Father will be turned away because He, Jesus, never knew them.

Jesus offers the listener wisdom, but the listener must hear His wise words and put them into practice or else he will reap the consequences of foolishness.

Jesus is one who speaks with an authority that stands out among human authorities.

Big Idea: Jesus understood the human condition and offered words of wisdom with authority that could guide people away from foolishness and towards the kingdom of heaven.

Profound Identity:
  • People will address Jesus as "Lord" (Matthew 7:21).
  • Not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21).
  • There is a relationship between doing the Father's will and personally being known by Jesus (Matthew 7:21).
  • People will prophesy in the name of Christ without knowing Christ (Matthew 7:22).
  • People will cast out demons in the name of Christ without knowing Christ (Matthew 7:22).
  • People will do deeds of power in the name of Christ without knowing Christ (Matthew 7:22).
  • Jesus will send away people he did not know (Matthew 7:23).
  • Jesus will call people who did good in his name, but did not do the will of God, "evildoers" (Matthew 7:23).
  • The words of Jesus are words of wisdom that should be put into practice in one's daily life (Matthew 7:24).
  • Wise people will put Jesus' words into practice (Matthew 7:24).
  • Jesus' words are like a solid rock or foundation that can be built upon (Matthew 7:24-25).
  • It is foolishness to not act upon the words of Jesus (Matthew 7:26).
  • Crowds were astonished at Jesus' teaching (Matthew 7:28).
  • Jesus taught with an authority that was different than that of the scribes (Matthew 7:29).
  • Jesus had real authority (Matthew 7:29).
Prayer:

Jesus,  please help me to listen to Your authority in my life. Help me to live my life in responsive obedience to Your Father's Will. Amen.


This blog entry is one of a series of entries in my quest to go chapter-by-chapter through the New Testament answering the question "Who is Jesus?"






Comments

Marriage Course said…
Hello Friends,

Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. He is the most important person who ever lived and the second person of the Trinity. Thanks a lot for sharing with us...
10:16 PM
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