Judging 1 - 2.
V1 - 2.  "Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. 

The Lord is exhorting His disciples not to be as the self-righteous Pharisees who put themselves above everyone else and in the position of a judge. Man judges according to the outward appearance (1 Sam. 16:7) and as the facts present themselves before him. He can never hope to be able to judge in absolute righteousness for this is reserved for God who knows the heart of all (Jer. 17: 10). His Word is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The word judge as used here means judgement, so it suggests not only judging but also condemning and passing sentence.  It can also mean to criticise.   Jesus gives three reasons why we are not to judge others:-  That we should not be judged in our turn by others but more importantly by God on how we deal with other people.  Because we will be judged according to the same process that we arrived at our conclusion.   In dealing with us God will use the same measuring stick that we have used in our condemnation of others. Matthew Henry comments "What would become of us, if God should be as exact and severe in judging us, as we are in judging our brethren; if He should weigh us in the same balance."

Reproving  V3 - 6. 
To reprove is to rebuke, convict and expose. Although we are not to judge anyone it does not mean that we are not to reprove for James 5:19-20 Amp. N.T. says 'My brethren, if anyone among you strays from the Truth and falls into error, and another person brings him back to God, let the (latter) one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save that one's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (that is, procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert. 

 
V3- 4   Why  do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye,' while there is a beam in your own?  

We must however, make certain that we are not guilty of the same faults before we seek to correct anyone else.  How is it that we make a big thing about the small faults (mote, splinter, speck) that we see in other people, are quick to point them out and yet fail to see the larger faults (beam, plank) in our own lives?   Jesus uses the word consider which would seem to suggest that we are aware of our own faults but that we push them into the background or we fail to see them because we are to busy looking at others. 


V5   You hypocrite! First, remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.   

To reprove a brother of his fault we have to go about it the right way. First of all we have to consider our own faults and failings and seek to right them.   Although this should not stop us offering a friendly reproof but ought to keep us from being magisterial (tending to dictate) or condemning anyone.  

V6   Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces. 

This verse would seem to be out of place here but Matthew Henry ties it in by saying "Our zeal against sin must be guided by discretion (know how to avoid embarrassment or distress), and we must not go about to give instructions, counsels, and rebukes, much less comforts, to hardened scorners".

Give not - the holy things: To the Jew the holy things were those that were separated for service to God, the sacrifices and the word of God.   These were not to be given as meat for the dogs.   We are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16 and 1 Cor. 6:19) therefore we are not to give ourselves over to anything that would defile (1 Cor. 3:17) but to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God (Rom. 12: 1).  The Bible is The Holy Bible and we are to handle and use it correctly.  To give it to those who will despise and treat it as though it was nothing but dust would be just like giving pearls to pigs for food.

What is Prayer V7 -12
We have heard previously How to pray and What to pray for now Jesus tells us what prayer is.

V7   "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.  

It is  asking that we might receive.   When we know what is the will of God concerning an item for prayer we can ask in complete confidence for it and we will receive (1 John 5:14). Seeking to find - if we do not know the mind of God concerning any matter we are to seek Him until we know what His will is and then having found out to pray that His will be done (Proverbs 8:17, Hebrews 11:6). Knocking and opening -  when we know the will of God and we find a closed door then we are to persist in prayer until God opens the way).    

V8   For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:5-8).

The promise to receive, find, and the door to be opened is to everyone who asks, seeks and knocks. 

V9 - 11   Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you then, although 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!  

If a child comes to his/her parents and asks for something good to eat would they give him/her something that was bad.  If we being sinful know how to give good things, how much more will our Father in Heaven who is perfect, who is in truth good, give to us of His riches in glory if we keep on asking Him (James 1:17).

V12   In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.  
Therefore, in consideration of all that we have heard in these verses, we should make it our principle in life that whatever we desire that others would do to and for us we should first of all do it for them, for in so doing we fulfil the righteousness of God, the Beatitudes.

Two Ways V13 - 14
V13 - 14.   "Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.   But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.  

Jesus declared Himself to be "The Way" to the Father in John 14:6 and He made it quite clear that there is no other way to enter into heaven except by the way that He has made by His atoning death on the cross. He said "I am the door if any man enter in by me, he shall be saved" John 10:9. Peter in Acts 4:12 said "there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we shall be saved. So no matter what anyone else says whether they are professing Christians or belong to other religions there is only one way.  This "gate" is no wider than the width of a man for it is Jesus therefore only one can enter at a time.

A husband cannot take his wife through, a mother/father their children, a brother his sister. Every individual has to enter by his/her own choice.   Because the "gate" is narrow, because it is the way of the cross (1 Cor. 1:1: and 1 Cor. 1:23) there is only a few that will be saved in comparison to the world population.  In saying this Jesus makes it quite clear that not everyone will be saved.Because the gate is narrow it follows that the "way" also is narrow. As we travel along it we will find that we are restricted and disciplined by the Holy Spirit and the work of regeneration and grace being done in our lives. There is no provision made for turning back although on the way there will be many tempting side roads to take (see Pilgrims Progress). There is only room for two side by side, "Jesus and Me." If we were under the impression that once we are saved and started on the road to heaven then all our problems would be solved and we would have no more troubles, then Jesus puts us right here, for the word "narrow" in its fuller sense means "difficult". The difference is that we have Jesus with us and on our side to lead, guide, guard and keep us and the Holy Spirit as our comforter and helper.On the other hand the alternative way has a wide gate.   It is so wide that it does not even have to be searched for and people not only enter by themselves but they take many more with them.  Because the gate is wide the way behind it is broad. There are no restrictions at all anything and everything goes. There is only one place this road can lead to and that is hell (Rev. 21:8).

V15   "Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.

We are given a warning to be on our guard against the false prophets that we will meet on our journey. They wiil be very difficult to recognise for they will be cleverly disguised and to all outward appearance will seem like fellow pilgrims. They will say and do the right things. They will participate in the fellowship, praise and worship but inwardly their purpose is to destroy and tear apart the Church of Christ. To cause division and to undermine the truth and replace it by their own doctrines. How are we to recognise them then? 

V16   You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?
"By their fruits"  Jesus uses an illustration from nature. We do not expect to find grapes on thorn trees or figs from a thistle, it is an impossibility. Therefore no matter how well disguised in appearance these false prophets may be, what is in their hearts will show (Prov 23:7, Mark 7:21-22).   Their fruits are well describe by Paul in (Gal. 5:20). 

V 17 - 18    In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.

A good tree is a cultivated one that has been planted by the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 61:3, Jer.17:8).   New fruit trees purchased from a garden centre have usually been grafted on to an approved root stock so that it will bear good fruit.   So it is with us for we have been grafted into the new Israel of God, into the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 11: 17). Therefore as we abide in Him we can only bring forth good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  The false prophets on the other hand are the bad or wild trees.  It is impossible for them to bring forth good fruit for they are not the planting of the Lord but tares (Math. 13:24-29).  

 
V19.   Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Their end will be to be cut down and burnt (Rev. 21:8).

V20.   So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

How do we recognise false prophets then?   By their speech and behaviour.   For a little while they may be able to pretend to be what they are not but it is impossible to keep this what is in their hearts will eventually manifest itself. 


True believers V21 - 23
These few verses are not easy to understand but I believe they show us that the true believers are not those who call themselves Christians but those who live the life of a Christian. 

V21   "Not everyone who calls me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

The key words here are call and does.   It is not the ones who pay lip service to the Lord but they that are obedient and seek to carry out the Father's will that shall enter the kingdom of heaven. 

V22   On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?'

Many who will stand before the Lord when He comes to separate the goats from the sheep (Matt. 25:31-41) will try to escape by making claims that they prophesied, cast out devils and had done many mighty works in the name of Jesus. 

V23   Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'  

And He will declare before all that He never knew them and banish them from His presence. These are the "mock believers", the "false prophets".

Spiritual Foundation V24 - 29
Here Jesus uses the illustration of house building to show that those who truly belong to Him are firmly established in Him (2 Chron. 20:20 from "believe" , 2 Thes. 2:17, Col. 2:7) 

V24 - 25   (Therefore) "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 

We have the final, therefore, which refers to all that He has said in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a blessed thing to hear the word of God but it is more blessed to allow the Lord to do the work of grace in our lives so that we can carry out His words.  Jesus Christ is the "Rock" ( 1 Cor. 10: 4) on which the foundation of our faith is laid ( 1 Cor. 3:11) and we are being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone (Eph. 2:20). Therefore when temptations and trials and persecution beat upon us like a mighty hurricane we shall not be moved (Ps. 46:5) but remain firm and steadfast. 

V26 - 27   Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!"

On the other hand those who hear but do not carry out the words of the Lord are those who build upon the uncertain, unstable and shifting things of the world which are here today and gone tomorrow.  When the storms of life assail them they will collapse like a pack of cards and there is nothing left of their foolish labours.


V28 - 29   When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,  because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.  

The things that Jesus had spoken to the people in the Sermon on the Mount completely astounded them for although they had heard many things from the Scribes and the Pharisees never did a man speak like this man for the words He spoke were living and power packed words for not only did He speak with authority but He is authority.