Where Else Would We Go

In one paragraph

This message was the final installment of the Sermon on the Mount series, working through Matthew 7 in full. The pastor drew on Luke's parallel account throughout to fill out the argument, and he followed the chapter from beginning to end, showing how its pieces fit together into one coherent call. The opening section on judging, already covered in the Luke series back in November, got a quick but...

Read together

1. John 6:66-68 Many disciples walked away after a hard teaching; Peter says 'where else would we go, You have the words of life'
2. Matthew 7:1-2 Do not judge so that you will not be judged; by your standard of measure it will be measured to you
3. Matthew 7:3-5 The speck in your brother's eye versus the log in your own eye
4. Luke 6:37-38 Do not condemn, pardon, give and it will be given to you, pressed down shaken together running over
5. Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, do not throw your pearls before pigs
6. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened
7. Matthew 7:9-11 If a son asks for bread would you give him a stone; how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask
8. Luke 6:35 God himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people
9. Matthew 7:12 The golden rule, treat people the way you want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets
10. Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate; wide is the gate that leads to destruction, narrow is the gate that leads to life
11. Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets in sheep's clothing; you will know them by their fruits
12. Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of the Father
13. Luke 6:46 Why do you call me Lord, Lord and yet do not do what I say
14. Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say Lord, Lord did we not prophesy, cast out demons, perform miracles in your name; I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness
15. Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them
16. Matthew 7:24-27 Wise man built his house on the rock, foolish man built on sand; rain and floods came and the house on sand fell
17. Luke 6:48-49 One who heard and acted dug deep and laid a foundation on rock; one who did not act had a house without foundation that collapsed
18. Matthew 7:28-29 Crowds were amazed at Jesus's teaching for he taught as one who had authority and not as their scribes
19. 1 Peter 4:10-11 Each given a gift to serve one another; speak as with oracles of God, serve with God's strength so that God may be glorified

Talk about it

1. Pastor Josh pointed out that the scrutiny we apply to others is the scrutiny that will be applied to us, and that everyone we meet is fighting a hard battle we know nothing about. How does keeping that in mind change the way you actually treat people day to day?
2. Jesus tells his disciples not to throw pearls before pigs or give what is holy to dogs. Pastor Josh connected this to knowing your audience when sharing truth. Have you ever shared something you held dear and had it trampled? What did you learn from that about when and how to speak?
3. The sermon drew a contrast between the wide gate that many enter and the narrow, constricted way that leads to life. Pastor Josh said that if you see a mob forming, it is probably not the few who have found it. What does it look like practically to resist group think and stay on the narrow way?
4. Jesus says many will call him Lord and point to prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles, yet he will say he never knew them. Pastor Josh tied this to the earlier call to be merciful, not to judge, not to condemn, to pardon, and to give. What is the connection between knowing Jesus and actually living those things out?
5. The sermon closed with the image of a house built on rock versus one built on sand, and Pastor Josh said living out the Sermon on the Mount would alter life not just for you but for everyone in your sphere. What is one specific thing from Matthew seven that you sense God asking you to act on rather than just hear?