Put To The Test

Opening Scripture

Matthew 7:1–29 NIV

“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. “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. “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. “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. “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. “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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Jesus kicks off the finale by addressing the human obsession with critiquing everyone else’s lifestyle while ignoring our own corruption.

Jesus is not forbidding all moral discernment; He is forbidding hypocritical fault-finding

In ancient Near Eastern society, dogs were not pampered household pets; they were feral, disease-ridden street scavengers.

Pigs were ceremonially unclean, destructive animals.

Pearls were the most exclusive, wildly expensive luxury items of the ancient world.

Jesus goes on to talk about more hard hitting truths that shook people to their core as He closed out His first sermon (The Sermon on the Mount).

Even in our current day these things aren’t easy to listen to BUT it is necessary for us to Hear and receive within our lives.

Jesus teachings puts us to the test to see how devoted we are to following Him.

The Vision Test

Romans 2:1 NIV

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

In Jesus day and even in our current day we hold so tightly onto acts of religion that we use it as an excuse to judge others who are currently struggling in their walk of Faith.

Our Struggles may look different but God see’s them all the same

Jesus doesn’t call us to condemn one another or even tare one another down — He calls us to LOVE one another

Jesus calls us to build one another up.

Often times our vision gets clouded by the judgement we cast

In order to judge someone else we must be willing to judge ourselves first

If we can’t see the sin within ourselves but we can see it clearly in others than we have failed the vision test that Jesus gives to us…

The Faith Test

Luke 18:1 NIV

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

We never like to address the reality that when our Faith is tested we are tempted to call it quits…

We want to quit church

We want to quit loving others/ helping others out

We want to complain about whats going wrong instead of trusting God to make things better.

The 12 apostles went through similar situations and even while they were walking with Jesus He had to remind them to never quit praying… Staying connected to God is important!!

When our Faith is tested it may seem like God has left us BUT HE HAS NOT!! He is in it with us, fighting for us!!

Our faith is tested with fire in order to authenticate our relationship with the Father.

The Production Test

Luke 6:46 NIV

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

The Father looks for spiritual fruit being produced within our lives

The Fruits of the Spirit were modeled and lived out flawlessly through Jesus’s earthly life.

We as followers of Jesus are to be more like Christ simply by:

Having a personal relationship with Him

Learning from Him

Obey His Instructions

People will call Jesus “Lord” but refuse to live out one of His commands

Being a follower of Jesus requires us to be productive with our Faith

We are productive with our Faith by:

Loving one another

Making room for prayer in our lives daily

Being genuine with God and others

Leading others to Jesus, Not away from Jesus.

Your Next Steps

1. Drop the Clipboard

This week, the moment you catch yourself judging a coworker, a family member, or someone online, mentally drop the clipboard. Shift that critical energy into a quiet prayer asking God to work on your own construction zones instead.

2. Run the Fire Drill

When life gets hot and your faith is tested by fire, our toxic default setting is to panic, complain, or pull away from God. This week, when the pressure spikes, don't run from the heat—run the Kingdom fire drill.

3. "Go Live" with One Thing

Stop treating Jesus’s commands like a podcast you just passively listen to on Sundays. Talk is cheap, and vocabulary doesn't save a house in a storm.

4. Clear the Airwaves

Cut through the static this week by intentionally clearing the airwaves in your circle.

5. Dig Past the Dirt

This week, identify one area of your life—your finances, a relationship, or a secret habit—where you've been taking the easy way out. Do the heavy lifting required to anchor that specific area directly to biblical truth, even if it costs you comfort or convenience.