I will be using part of the outlines from our Christian Living series so part of this was written by my mom, and part was written by me. 

Matthew chapters 5-7 are known as the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus was teaching believers how to live. There are so many needed and helpful lessons in these three chapters. I am going to pull out and discuss some of the lessons Jesus taught.

Read Chapter 5

We are going to start by reading Matthew Chapter 5.

The Sermon on the Mount shows us the true heart of God.

The Beatitudes V. 1-12

Chapter 5 starts with Jesus talking to His disciples. Scholars do not think that by disciples it means just the 12 disciples, but that it means disciples in a much broader sense because multitudes were following Him. Each statement begins with the word blessed. It is the word makarios in Greek and it means happy. It refers to a happiness that we have regardless of the circumstances. It is not based on emotion or what we are walking through, but instead it is based on our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus showed us what the heart of a truly happy person looks like and it has nothing to do with having things. In verses 3-11 He shows us who will be blessed (happy). It is those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peace makers, those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and those who are insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused because of Him. 

It isn’t the type of joy that is fleeting and based on our emotions, but it is the deep inner joy that only comes from a relationship with Jesus.

A Deeper Look at His List:

1)Those who are poor in Spirit. The Greek word for this phrase is ptochos. It means those who are in such poverty that they do not have the means to provide for themselves, and they must rely upon others to survive at all. This would have been the beggars. The only hope they had was if someone helped them. Spiritually speaking it means that we have nothing to offer, and we are at the complete mercy of God. It is us saying to God, “please help me because I can’t help myself.” We must be poor in spirit and completely relying upon God to enter the kingdom of heaven. The one who cries out to God, knowing they are a sinner in need of a Savior, is the one who is poor in spirit. We need Him and we must recognize our need for Him. We cannot and should not be trying to make it through life without Him.

2)Those who mourn. The Greek word is pentheo and it means to wail. This is must deeper than sadness. It is when we are crushed by the cares and situations that we are dealing with. It also means when we see the condition of this world we should deeply mourn over lost souls. God promises to comfort those who mourn. There might be sorrow for the night, but joy comes in the morning. If we do not mourn over the lost we have a heart issue that we need to take to the Lord and deal with. We are surrounded by people who are broken, lost, dying, and going to hell. That should matter to us. Sometimes it is easy to get so focused on our own lives, pain, struggles, etc. that we forget there is a lost world that we, as Christians, have been called to share the Good News of the Gospel with. Jesus is their only hope and if we are not bringing Him to them or if we are misrepresenting Him how will they ever see Him?

3)Those who are meek. The Greek word for meek is praus. It means gentleness, humility and a controlled strength. It does not mean weakness. It is when someone offends or insults us and yet we have the strength to remain in control of our actions and thoughts. Meekness is when we don’t think we are special, and we put others first. It is servanthood. It allows God to move in mighty ways through us. The opposite of meekness is putting ourselves above others. The scriptures do unto others what you would have them do to you and love your neighbor as yourself comes to mind.

Matthew 7:12 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.

Luke 6:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

This is the opposite message that the world gives us and even what some ministries and churches give us. Many of the messages we get are all about doing what feels right and what feels good, but that is not a Biblical message. The Bible teaches us to put others first and not just those that we love, like, or feel like deserve it.

4)Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Greek word for righteousness is dikaiosune. It means a state of living rightly with God and others. It is holy and upright living that conforms to God’s standard, not ours and not the worlds. This is a person that eagerly desires and craves Biblical righteousness. The only way to know and understand Biblical righteousness is by reading the Bible. We can also learn from Biblical teaching but the only way we will know if it is Biblical or not is if we know the Word for ourselves.

5)Those who are merciful. The Greek word is eleemon. It comes from the root word eleos which means mercy. This is a person who is kind, even to people that aren’t kind to them. They are willing to forgive others. We cannot give mercy until there has been an offence. Giving mercy doesn’t mean that what was done to us wasn’t wrong. Giving mercy simply means that we choose to let it go. Without mercy and forgiveness, a root of bitterness will take root and that is a huge open door to demonic torment. 

6)Those who are pure in heart. The Greek word for pure is katharos. It means clean and free from contamination or impurities. This is a person with spiritual purity without any hidden motives and a sincere devotion to God. The religious leaders in the Bible did everything to be seen and heard. They prayed to be seen, they gave to be seen, etc., but Jesus said it’s what is in the heart that matters. It’s the motive of giving and the motive of praying. We should never pretend but instead have sincerity and a right and pure heart before God. It is not enough to just do the right things. We must also do them with the right motives.  

7)Those who are peacemakers. The Greek word is eirenopoioi. It literally translates peacemakers. This is a person who desires to have peace. They do not stir the pot, start arguments, or join in gossip. God’s desire is to bring peace into our lives, and for us to bring that same peace to others. We should carry His peace into every situation we face. We should defuse strife, chaos, slander, gossip, and anything else that is not of God.

8)Those who are persecuted for righteousness. The Greek word for persecuted is dediogmenoi. It means pressed upon, pursued after, or caused to flee. This is a person who is harassed, made fun of, or harmed because they choose to do what is right. It is a good indication that we are living right for the Lord if there is persecution from the world in our lives. When we are living our lives for the Lord this world is going to hate us and demons will try to stop us from doing God’s kingdom work.

Jesus Teaches About Salt and Light V. 13-16

Jesus says We are the salt of the earth, and WE are the light of the world. It is not just the pastors, not just the missionaries, not just the evangelists, not just the ones with special training, but Jesus says WE are. Each one of us is called to be the salt to the earth. Every single one of us has kingdom purpose. If you are still breathing you have calling and purpose on your life from God.

Salt is a preservative, and it permeates what it is put on. Light drives out darkness. This world is corrupt and lost in darkness and sin, but God has a plan. His plan is to use us as salt and light for this world. We are called by God to be used by Him to draw the lost to Him. It is possible to lose our flavor and be useless and if we hide our light we will be ineffective.

The only way for salt to lose its flavor is for it to be contaminated. Salt permeates, but it also absorbs. If you put it on the ground it will absorb the impurities and no longer be any good. As a Christian it is very important to not allow any false teachings or beliefs to enter our lives. We must keep our lives pure. If people see us living compromised lives we will not lead them to Jesus.

When we sin we must immediately repent (change of heart, mind, and direction) and God is faithful to forgive us. If the people around us, maybe those we have worked with for years, don’t even know that we are a Christian then we have put a basket over our light, and it is time to address and fix the issue. If people are gossiping and we join in, we put a basket over our light. If they tell ungodly jokes and we join in, we put a basket over our light. If someone flirts with us and we do it right back we put a basket over out light.

We are told to let our light shine before men so that God will be glorified. We should be different and stand out to the world. When they see us they should see God in us. If we are not different we need to make some changes. We are told to let our light shine and that is what we need to do. There are so many lukewarm messages and messages that sugar coat sin, but the truth is we are called to look and act like Jesus. We are called to live lives that glorify God. I am not talking about being perfect. Jesus was the only perfect One, but I am talking about being different from the world, rejecting sin, actively crucifying our flesh, and choosing to walk in the fruit of the Spirit.

Jesus Teaches About the Law V. 17-20

Jesus wanted to make it understood that He wasn’t against what God had given the Jewish people in the OT. He wasn’t going to do away with it, but He was going to fulfill it. The law in the OT covered these 3 things—ceremonial, civil and moral law. The ceremonial law was to teach them how to worship. It was all the different sacrifices and feasts. It was all the directions for the how and when to worship and serve God. Once Jesus died and was resurrected, they no long had to go through the different ceremonies of animal sacrifice, but the lessons learned from them such as how to worship and love a holy God still applied. Civil law included all the dietary instructions on what they could and could not eat. Moral law is where we get the ten commandments. The law was to show that everybody was condemned because no one could keep it perfectly. The law was to show them how sinful they were, but the law couldn’t save them. They needed a perfect once and for all sacrifice and that was Jesus Christ.  

Jesus fulfilled the law, every aspect of the law so that we are no longer under the law. We no longer have sacrifices because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. We no longer need a high priest because Jesus became our high priest. Hebrews 8:13 says the new covenant made the first one obsolete. We can go directly to the Father through the Son.

Hebrews 8:13 When God speaks of “A new covenant,” He makes the first one obsolete. And whatever is becoming obsolete (out of use, annulled) and growing old is ready to disappear.

Some may not read the OT because they think it’s irrelevant, but the whole OT points to Jesus. Luke 24:44 says, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” By the time of Jesus, the OT had been divided into those 3 parts, so He was saying that from Genesis to Malachi was all about Him.

Jesus Teaches About Anger V. 21-26

The Pharisees taught that as long as you didn’t murder you were okay. Jesus had to correct that teaching so that they understood that it wasn’t just what they did, but it was also what was in their heart. We can do the right thing, but what is in our heart is what Jesus wants us to look at. It’s not enough to just avoid killing, but we must also avoid anger and hatred.

The Greek word raca (raka) means empty-headed, fool, numbskull, good for nothing, worthless, and brainless idiot. Jesus says if we call someone a fool, we will be in danger of hell fire. How we treat others—what we say, how we say, and how we feel about them matters.

We must not think that religious acts like going to church, singing, and going to the altar to pray can justify us if we have a broken relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus cares about how we treat others. We are to settle anger and disputes with one another quickly.

Jesus Teaches About Lust V. 26-30

The OT said it was a sin to have sex with someone outside of marriage, but then Jesus said it was (is) a sin if we even desire to be with someone other than our spouse. He taught that not only is the act wrong (what we do), but the intention (what is in our heart) is also wrong. We are to be faithful to our spouse not just with our bodies, but also with our heart and mind. We must look over our lives carefully and do whatever is needed to get rid of anything that causes us to sin. It is not enough to just avoid adultery, but we must also keep our hearts from lusting, remain faithful to our spouse, and remain celibate if we are not married. Watching pornography is also a sin and needs to be dealt with if that is an area of struggle. If we are not married we must remain sexually pure.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce V. 31-32

At the time of the Bible, they interpreted the law as saying men had permission to divorce their wife for any reason. Some rabbis even said a man could divorce his wife if she burnt his breakfast. In Matthew 19:3 we see the Pharisees asking Jesus if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason, but Jesus tells them divorce is only allowed if there has been sexual immorality. Marriage is a covenant, and He is advocating for women by putting a stop to “any cause divorces”.

Jesus Teaches About Vows and Oaths V.33-37

Jesus is talking about using God’s name in order to make a promise. An example would be I swear to God that I will pay you back the money I owe you. We should be people of integrity and known to be honest people. Jesus is teaching them to be truthful and to keep their word. People should be able to trust us without us having to make a vow to them. Our yes should be our yes and our no, no. This isn’t referring to oaths and vows made in a courtroom, marriage vows, and/or contracts.

Jesus Teaches About Retaliation V.38-42

Revenge is usually a person’s first thought when someone does them wrong, but Jesus is teaching us to do good to those who wrong us. It was culturally understood by those listening that when Jesus talked about a slap on their right cheek, it didn’t mean if someone punched them right in the face that they were supposed to let them hit them again. If a right-handed person hits someone’s right cheek, it was a slap by the back of the hand which was considered more insulting than painful.  When someone insult us and we respond by not taking revenge, it shows the goodness of God to those with evil intent. When we do not take revenge we are actually the one in control, not the evil person. It shows that their actions cannot overcome the power and influence of Jesus in our life.

When God told them an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth in the OT, He was wanting the judges to make the punishment fit the crime and for them not to give a harsher punishment as revenge.

Jesus Teaches About Loving Your Enemies V. 43-48

Religious leaders taught that since God hates evil, then they should hate those who were their enemies, but Jesus told them that they are to love their enemies and pray for them. We are to do the same thing so that we imitate Jesus. We show the love of God when we repay evil with goodness. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We are never once told that hate and unforgiveness are okay. We are called to love regardless of how we are treated.

V. 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is a far cry from the hyper grace messages that says it is no big deal if we sin. God covers it and we don’t even have to try to change or worry about it. Jesus said we are to be perfect as God is perfect. We will never be perfect because Jesus is the only one who accomplished that, but we should try. He is our role model, and we should always try to be more like Him.

As we can see from everything Jesus taught it isn’t okay to just have an outward appearance of living a Biblical life. What we think, do in our minds, and in the privacy of our home is just as important.

Matthew Chapter 6

Read chapter 6.

Chapter 6 continues Jesus’ sermon on the mount. From chapter 5 we learned that Jesus taught that righteousness is more than what we do. It is also the motives, our thoughts, and attitudes, that we do it with. It’s a heart issue.

Jesus Teaches About Giving to the Needy V.1-4

The Pharisees would give to the poor, but with the wrong motives. Their motives were self-seeking-look at me, I am so spiritual because I am giving to the poor, I am so righteous. It is possible to do the right thing, a good thing, but do it for the wrong reason. We can see it happening all the time all over social media. If we give to others in hopes of receiving praise and admiration, or to look more spiritual, that is not pleasing to God and He will not reward us for it. When we give, it should be purely done out of compassion to help those in need and wanting to show the love of Christ to others. We should ask ourselves if we would be just as eager to give if no one else knew about it? We should also ask ourselves why we want to give and help others? God rewards us when we do things with the right motive.

So many people want to post everything they do for others on social media. I cannot count the times I have seen cameras stuck in the faces of homeless people showing someone giving them food or praying for them. It is one thing to do videos and posts to raise awareness and needed funds to help, but when people do it wanting to show off their “goodness” it is gross.

Jesus Teaches About Prayer V. 5-15

The religious leaders would pray loudly in public as a way to draw attention to themselves. They wanted to give others the impression that they were so holy and spiritual. It was not a sincere pouring their hearts out to God, but it was them wanting to impress others as they were seen and heard by them. It aways goes back to the heart and our reasons for doing the things we do. It is not enough to just do the right thing. We must also have the right intentions.

Jesus gave us a model for prayer. He was giving us an example of how to talk with God.  Let’s look at each verse.

Our Father in heaven—The Jews of that time did not usually call God by the name Father because it was thought of as being too intimate, but this shows us that God is loving and wants a personal relationship with us. We should start our prayers with worshiping God and recognizing His authority, holiness, and righteousness.

Hallowed be Your name—Hallow means holy, so it means to honor God and His name as holy and sacred.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven—This shows God’s sovereignty and authority. He has supreme power and authority over everything in heaven and earth. God’s perfect will is done in heaven, but on earth because of free will there is evil. We ask that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven. In this part of the prayer we are submitting to God’s will and not our own. Walking in total surrender to Gods plan for our lives and praying for His will to be done means totally laying our will, plans, hopes, and dreams at His feet and surrendering to Him in every area of our lives. It also includes crucifying our flesh.

Give us today our daily bread—We recognize that God is our source and our provider. The word for daily bread in Greek is epiousios. It represents every physical thing that we would need. We come to God depending on Him to supply all our needs. This includes asking God for His physical and spiritual provision for others and ourselves.

And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors—Asking for God’s forgiveness and forgiving others are put together here because we are to do both. If we want God to forgive us, we must also forgive others. If we want mercy, we must also extend mercy.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one— We are to pray for God’s protection and deliverance from our enemy, the evil one (the devil and his demons). This includes standing against demonic temptation, using our weapons of spiritual warfare which includes walking in the authority given to us by God, and learning to walk in victory through Jesus. James 4:7 gives us the blueprint for freedom from demonic attacks. Submit to God, resist the devil, and the devil will flee.

In verse 14-15, Jesus goes back and expands on forgiveness. He teaches us if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. That is how important it is to forgive others. It is a matter of not being forgiven by God for our sins if we don’t.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

Jesus Teaches About Fasting V. 16-18

He starts this teaching with the word ‘when’ and not ‘if’, so we learn that it is expected that we fast. Here again we read that Jesus is teaching not to do things, in this case fasting, to be seen as holy by others. Jesus’ teaching was so different from how they saw the religious leaders living their lives because they were all about their image and how they looked, but they did not have it in their heart. They did things out of the wrong motives and lived hypocritical lives. We can see the same in many of our churches today. When we fast we do it to crucify our flesh, hear from God more clearly, and as a way to have discipline in our Chrisitan walk. 

Jesus Teaches About Money V. 19-24

Everything that we may try to hold on to can be gone in a moment. We see the truth that it can all be gone in a moment by looking at those who were in the recent floods, fires, and tornados that lost everything. Every material possession is temporary. We will not be able to take one thing with us when we leave this world. The only treasures that will never decay and that will last are those we have put in heaven. Everything we do for God and His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Many times the Jewish people in the Bible tried to serve two masters. They tried to worship God and their pagan gods at the same time. That never worked and it never turned out well for them and it is the same for us today. We must give God all our heart and we must surrender our all to Him. If we say we love God, but then our heart shows that we love money more, that we are greedy and selfish, it will reveal where our love truly is. We cannot have two masters. There is no walking the fence with one foot in the world and one in the kingdom of God because the fence does not exist. We are either serving God or the devil. There is no middle ground.

Jesus Teaches About What We Watch V. 22

We must be careful of what we watch because our eyes are the lamps of our bodies. If our lamps are clear our whole body will be full of light, but if our eyes are bad our whole body will be full of darkness. What we watch and listen to matters. It is not just innocent entertainment…it matters.

Jesus Teaches About Worry V. 25-34

It is impossible to worry and trust God at the same time. We can’t say I trust God, but……. When we say ‘but’, we cancel out where we just said we trust God. However, this kind of trust only comes one way. How we can trust God to provide for our basic needs is found in verse 33 – But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. We must choose to trust Him and His Word.

Matthew Chapter 7

Read chapter 7.

Jesus Teaches About Judging Others V. 1-6

Matthew 7:1 is often pulled out and misused by the world, and some Christians, to tell Christians that they cannot judge others. It is also often used by folks who want to stay in their sin without being confronted and challenged to break free from it. They use this verse to say that we cannot disapprove of anyone’s beliefs, actions, or any choice they make. They say that if we call something sin, then we have judged them. People who use it incorrectly will say and teach that we are not allowed to judge others based on this scripture, but that is not true. This scripture says to not judge other Christians for sins that you are also doing and to not judge from a place of self-righteousness. That is why it is so important to read and study the whole Bible and not just one scripture that can be twisted to fit an agenda. Jesus said to expose false teachers. We must judge what they are teaching to be false to do that. We are told that we will know a tree by its fruit. We must look at the fruit and make a judgement about what it is producing.

Footnotes from the Amplified Bible

1. Matthew 7:1 This is not a prohibition of judgment, nor is it a command to stop using godly wisdom, common sense, and moral courage together with God’s written word to discern right from wrong, to distinguish between morality and immorality, and to judge doctrinal truth. There are many judgments that are not only legitimate but are commanded (cf John 7:24; 1 Cor 5:5, 12; Gal 1:8, 9; 1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 10); however, you cannot judge another if you are committing the same type of sin.

We are told to test everything (judge) to see whether it is from God or not.

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source]; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.

Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].

At the time Matthew was written the religious leaders did everything to be seen by others. They thought their religious acts is what made them holy and righteous. They would look at others who were not being as showy with their deeds and judge them not to be as holy and righteous as they were. Jesus was talking about those who had an arrogant, hypocritical attitude that would judge others as unworthy.

Jesus shows that we are often blind to our own sin. It is so much easier to see someone else’s faults than it is to see our own. It is not wrong to try to help a brother or sister in Christ but we must deal with our own sin first, so that we will go to them with a humble and right attitude.

Jesus Teaches About Asking, Seeking and Knocking V.7-12

The Greek verb used with these 3 words (asking, seeking, knocking) implies that it is constant. It is not a onetime thing. It is something you are always going to do. God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children.

Verse 12 has become known as the golden rule. Matthew 7:12 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.

God wants us to treat others the same way we want to be treated. If we obeyed this, think how much better the world would be.

Jesus Teaches About the Way to Heaven V. 13-14

We have a decision to make. Will we walk through the narrow gate or through the wide gate. The narrow gate is a hard path, but it leads to eternal life. The wide gate is easy, but it leads to eternal damnation. The path to heaven is narrow, meaning there is only one way and that’s through faith and obedience in and to Jesus because He is the only one who died for our sins. The wide path implies that there are many ways to be saved, but none of them lead to heaven. Many think they are on the narrow gate, but they are not. They have not had a heart, character, and life change yet, but they have been told they are fine, and they have believed that lie.

Jesus Teaches that we will Know People by Their Fruit V. 15-20

A false prophet is someone who says they speak on God’s behalf when they really do not. It is also anyone who makes false spiritual claims and teachings. They are not just wrong about what they say, but they are intentionally deceiving others. False prophets were common then and they are common today. We must be able to know when someone is a false prophet. They can use words that make themselves sound religious. They may look and sound the part, yet if we know the true Word of God, we will see that what they teach is laced with falsehoods. We are to inspect their fruit which means to inspect their lives, their teachings, and their prophecies. Only real spiritual fruit will come from a true believer. Sometimes false prophets are under a spirit of deception, and they do not even realize they are not operating in the Holy Spirit. Both types, intentional and unintentional, can produce false signs, miracles, and wonders. That is why we cannot base whether they are operating in the Holy Spirit solely on what we see them do. It must also be what we hear them teach. If it does not line up with the Word of God it is not okay.

V.15 Beware of false prophets because there are many of them.

Ways to Test Prophetic Messages 

Does it edify, encourage, and draw you closer to the Lord?

1 Corinthians 14:3 But [on the other hand] the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them].

This could include a message to do something to come back to the Lord, but it will not be full manipulation or control. It could be to stop a sin or something similar, but it should drive you to repentance and not create condemnation that causes you to run from God.

Does it line up with scripture? God will never give a word that contradicts His written Word. If it does not line up with the Word of God it is not Him. It should be thrown out immediately.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Does it glorify God? If it doesn’t point back to God and only points to the one giving the message there is an issue. The Holy Spirit always points to the Father. It should not be about the speaker being a superstar in the Christian circles.

John 16:13-1413 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.

Does it produce good fruit such as drawing you closer to God, creating deeper levels of surrender, and/or walking in God’s perfect will?

Did it come true? (Caution, even if it did you must still make sure it lines up in all the other ways.) If they are constantly getting it wrong and missing the mark something is wrong. I recently heard a popular “prophet” say that many of his prophecies do not come true because God gives him the messages, the church prays, and then God changes the situation, so it does not happen because of the prayer. However, upon closer research I found out that he has caused numerous people to lose everything they had because he told them to invest poorly, sale every, make unsound investments, and so many more bad choices.

Does it encourage obedience to God?

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder which he spoke (foretold) to you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us follow after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve and worship them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and all your soul [your entire being]. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and you shall fear [and worship] Him [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and you shall keep His commandments and you shall listen to His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to draw you away from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

Does it release bondages or create them? Messages from God will not create bondages in your life. His Word brings healing, freedom, and deliverance.

2 Corinthians 3:17 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].

Bondage, confusion, and fear are not products of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:15 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”

1 Corinthians 14:33 33 for God [who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. As [is the practice] in all the churches of the saints (God’s people),

2 Timothy 1:7 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

I have recently heard many prophetic words that have been covered and delivered with fear. I am not sure if any or part of the message originated with God, but by the time they were delivered a spirit of fear had attached to them.

Does it bring forth life? God’s Word will always produce life.

2 Corinthians 3:6 6 He has qualified us [making us sufficient] as ministers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not of the letter [of a written code] but of the Spirit; for the letter [of the Law] kills [by revealing sin and demanding obedience], but the Spirit gives life.

Does your spirit bear witness (discernment)? Do you see red flags with the message or the speaker? Does it feel off? If so, listen to that and don’t be quick to just accept it.

1 John 2:27 27 As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, [a]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].

What to Do When You are Given a Prophetic Word

Ask Yourself: Does it line up with the Word of God? Is this confirmation about something God has already been speaking to your heart? What does God say about the message? Does it link up with His Word? How does it make you feel/discernment? Do you see any red flags with the message or the speaker?

If it lines up with God’s Word and God is using it for confirmation accept it.

If it does not line up with God’s Word or character discard it and verbally command any demons connected to that message to go in the name of Jesus. Don’t dwell on it and don’t let fear attach to you because of anything spoken that was not from God.

If you are not sure if it is from God or if it lines up with His Word, file it away, pray on it and ask God to confirm it.

V. 16-19 We must also examine our own fruit. What is being produced in our life? Are we producing the fruit of the Spirit or our flesh? Are we producing fruit that shows the character, heart, and purpose of Jesus? Are we producing fruit for the kingdom of God or this world?

Jesus Teaches About Those Who Build Houses on Rock and Sand V.21-29

Jesus ends His sermon with describing two things that will be done with His teaching. We will either obey it or disobey it (build our house on the rock or the sand). Obedience is a full surrender to Jesus and God’s will. It is not just an outward appearance of being holy or righteous. It is possible to look and talk the part, but still not be in a relationship with God. In this passage they listed their works thinking that should have gotten them into heaven and should have earned them the right to enter heaven, but Jesus tells them He never knew them. Only those who believe in Jesus, that the blood He shed on the cross paid the price for their sins to be forgiven and made it possible for them to be righteous before God, have repented (having a change of heart, mind, and direction), have accepted this free gift, and who do not disregard His commands will enter into heaven.

V. 23And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’

Those listening that day were astonished and shocked at His teachings. They had heard a lot of teachings from the religious leaders, but Jesus was different. He told them clearly and bluntly what was true and what was false. He told them what sin was and how to truly enter the kingdom of heaven. He shows us that just doing good for God is not enough. We must do His will. We do His will by walking in obedience to Him and His Word.

V. 24 It is not enough to just hear (going to church and hearing preaching, listening to messages, reading messages) about scriptures. We must also act upon them. We must be changed by them. We must live a life of obedience to God.

V. 25 The storms of life will come. Demonic attacks will come, but if we are deeply rooted/planted in the Word of God they will not shake us. Being firmly rooted in His Word is more than just knowing His Word. The Bible must be our firm foundation. It must be something we live and obey, and by obeying the Bible we are obeying God.

Video Links

Part One: https://youtu.be/OYqz4Ky0OPk?si=Tac81ANrj4YPj9k1

Part Two: https://youtu.be/Ejf_D6imvMk?si=aOc569Eb5JBm8GX4

Part Three: https://youtu.be/_PF4mxf5soA?si=Vh41WY_BT3VrA4FP

Blessings,

Nichole Henson

Fullness of Joy Ministry

fullnessofjoyministry@gmail.com