Matthew 7:11-15
 
Mat 7:11 (KJB)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
 
When Jesus tells these people that they are evil, He is not making a railing accusation against them but is making a comparison between the sinful state of fallen man and the pure holiness of God. Even those who are sinful parents have a desire to give good things to their children and to take care of them. If earthly parents, who have many foibles, are willing to do good for their children, then how much more does the Heavenly Father want to do good for His children. He is perfect and knows exactly what our needs are and therefore does everything perfectly and for our good, even though sometimes we may not understand His ways. Nevertheless, when we come to God and seek Him, He does not turn away or seek to do us harm as the Lord Jesus Christ just pointed out.
 
Mat 7:12 (KJB)
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
 
This verse is called the Golden Rule and it is the summation of all the teachings which the Lord gave in the last two chapters. It is the sum of the law and the prophets. The guideline for understanding this verse is to place ourselves in the position the person is whom we are dealing with. Would we want to be treated in the same way we are treating them? (James 2:8 KJV) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: James sums it up and calls it “the” Royal Law, not “a” royal law. This is a verse to ponder when doing evangelism, whether we are doing it ourselves or sending the Gospel forth by ministry or missionary. If I was unsaved and someone knew what my future was beyond death and they did not tell or warn me, how would I feel about that? We as Christians know the future of both Christians and the unsaved and it if is in our power to bring the Gospel to them, then we should place ourselves in their position and realize they are one heartbeat away from eternal damnation. Wouldn’t you want somebody to tell you the Gospel? Do unto others as you would have them do to you and that is in all areas of life. The highest form of love is to tell someone that they can live forever in eternal bliss in Heaven instead of eternal damnation. We go and tell, but God is the one who does the saving so we just need to be prepared to go.
 
Mat 7:13 (KJB)
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
 
Strait - The word comes from the French word “estreit” which means narrow. “Estreit” comes from the Latin word “strictus.” To be strait is to be “narrow, tight, strict, or close.”
 
(John 1:1 NWT) In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. John 1:1 is from the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and if you notice how they view the Lord Jesus Christ. They refer to Him as “a” god. The way it should be translated is: (John 1:1 KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. The Jehovah’s Witness Bible like many false religions around the world see the Lord Jesus Christ as just one way to attain Heaven. The words “enter in” in the Greek are in the Imperative Mood making them a command. The broad way leads to destruction because it always bypasses the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross. In every other world religion, salvation always comes by the works and will of man. Hinduism makes you do yoga and meditation and devotion to one of the thousands of Hindu gods. Buddhism makes you follow an 8-fold path. In Islam your good deeds are weighed against your bad deeds, or you must die fighting against the Infidels. If you investigated all the world’s religion including Roman Catholicism and apostate Protestantism, you will find that it is all by works. Knowing that salvation in Christianity is only through Christ and that all world religions require works gives us good insight into the narrow way and the broad way. (John 14:6 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Three times in John 14:6, the word “the” is used to denote that Jesus is the only way and not “a” way.
 
Mat 7:14 (KJB)
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
 
Jesus makes a tremendous comparison between the strait gate and the broad way. The strait gate is the Lord Jesus Christ and when we receive salvation through Him, it leads to eternal life. We begin living eternal life the moment we are saved because our souls have been resurrected unto eternal life. (Rom 6:4 KJV) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. When people are told that the only way of salvation is through the Lord Jesus Christ and then are told His requirements, they are turned off. (Mat 16:24 KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. No one wants to deny themselves or even die to self because that removes the glory from the person. The Pharisees and Sadducees enjoyed the limelight and they were not going to give that up and die to self. The same way all self-serving men are. This why there are many who name the name of Christ but in their works they deny Him. (Titus 1:16 KJV) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:16 describes the majority of churches around the world because they serve Satan and the desires of men.
 
Mat 7:15 (KJB)
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
 
Ravening - Robber, thief, swindler, and preying
 
There are two types of false prophets which we must be on the lookout for. Notice they come to you in sheep’s clothing. The first type is the one who sits next to you in the pews and brings to you all kinds of spurious teaching that they have learned either through the television or radio, or have been studying. When I was a young Christian back in the summer of 1981, I was attending a Bible Conference and a person approached me with the Urantia Book which was first published in 1955. The name “Urantia” is another name for planet earth. It is supposed to reveal the mysteries of God, Jesus, the universe, world history, and ourselves. It is a totally New Age Book. Now the man that approached me with it was not a minister or he did not have a suit but he was on the grounds as one who was attending the conference.
 
The second type of false prophet you need to look out for is the one who is a teacher or preacher. Notice in the verse Jesus states that they “come to you.” This means, just as the man did above, they will come to you by means of in person visits like the Mormon missionaries or the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They will come to you in your car by means of radio or into your home by means of TV. This is why Jesus commands His people to “beware” of these false prophets. One of the subtleties of the false prophet is that they look legitimate and that is what makes them dangerous because you think they are a true Christian. This is why it is imperative that we know the Scriptures so we can spot them immediately.

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