Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:21-24)

As Jesus is wrapping up the “Sermon on the Mount,” he is repeatedly heightening the contrast between true and fake believers. We saw this contrast over the last two weeks and we see it again in today’s passage.

In his exceptional devotional book on the Sermon on the Mount, my friend Skye Jethani says, “For me, this is the most frightening passage in all of Scripture.” I concur. Because Jesus says “many” of us will do this. It is very possible to “declare with your mouth...

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Throughout my career, I’ve probably spent 100X more time, money, and energy measuring professional fruit—revenue, leads, conversion rates—than I’ve spent intentionally measuring personal fruit—who I am becoming as I pursue that professional fruit.

But the implication of Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount is that we will be hyper-intentional about measuring that personal fruit.

Of course, it can feel much easier and practical to measure professional fruit. But it’s not impossible to ...

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus made clear that the “narrow road” of following him is costly (see Luke 14:25-33). So one helpful question to ask to discern whether you’re on the “broad” or “narrow” path is this: What is your Christianity costing you?

I can’t say that my faith has always cost me that much professionally. But the more serious I get about following the way of The Way at work, the higher the material cost (and spiritual blessing) tends to rise.

For example, I recently set a new goal that led me to retool my criteria for which speaking engagements I’ll accept. But when I made that decision, I already had a full calendar of events that didn’t meet my new criteria.

Trust me, I was very tempted to cancel those speeches. But Jesus said, “let your yes be yes.” Period. Not,...

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7–12)

This passage is a favorite of preachers of the so-called “prosperity gospel.” Commenting on this passage, pastor Creflo Dollar says, “God loves us and wants the very best in life for us—this is His will.” And that “best life,” is often interpreted materially. Dollar says, “God wants us to live abundant, prosperous lives, including in our finances.”

Yeah, not so much.  

Jesus didn’t hav...

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

My daughter Kate is the boldest evangelist I know…but she’s 9, so she’s not always the wisest or most emotionally intelligent. :)

Case-in-point: Last school year, Kate was sharing the gospel with a friend at school I’ll call Addison. After a few days of faithfully sharing Jesus’s good news, Addison abruptly said, “Kate! I’m tired of talking about Jesus. Can we please talk about something else?”

Sweet Kate came home discouraged, unsure of what to do next. That’s when I pointed her to today’s passage.

On the surface, Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:6 sound a bit…bizarre. I can imagine his original audience thinking Dogs, pearls, and pigs? What in the world are we talking about, Jesus?

Here’s how one group of theologians summarizes the most common interpretation of this text: “Jesus uses dogs and pigs as representative of thos...

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Conflict is ever-present at work. In today’s passage, Jesus calls us to prioritize introspection of our own shortcomings before we think about inspection of someone else’s. 

Why? Because as pastor Tony Merida explains, “Our assessment of the other person [in a conflict] is wrong…because something is blurring or blocking our vision. And it’s not a speck—it’s a 2 x 4!”

So how do we clear our vision in conflict—especially since Jesus implies that we’re...

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, an...

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-24)

Today’s passage shows us three important truths as we follow the way of The Way at work.

#1: Chasing temporary treasure isn’t just wrong—it’s foolish.

As we saw last week, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” is a command, not a suggestion....

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:16-20)

Jesus mentions eternal rewards more than ten times in the Sermon on the Mount, making it one of the most common themes in his manifesto of the Kingdom of God. A few of those mentions are in today’s passage which point us to two important truths.

#1: Jesus commands you and I to chase after eternal rewards. 

And he...

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not for...