• Matthew 7:9-24
• Matthew 7:12 – See Romans 13:8, 10; Galatians 5:14
• Matthew 7:13-14 – It takes effort to enter the narrow gate leading to life. See Luke 13:24. Compare Matthew 6:33. It takes seeking to find this way, but if we search for it, we will find it!
• Matthew 7:15 – II Peter 2 and II Corinthians 13 both warn of the coming of false prophets.
• Matthew 7:16-20 – See I Corinthians 10:12. We must examine everything we hear to determine if it is from God!
• Matthew 7:21 – See Luke 6:46. Calling on the name of the Lord involves obedience – not just saying the words!
• Matthew 7:24-27 – See I Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20-21. We must build our faith on the right foundation!
• Matthew 7:29 – Compare Titus 3:15. We must speak the authoritative words to others.

• John 14:1-6, 15 – Obedience is the way we show our love for God.
• Luke 10:38-41 – We must focus on the things that are truly important.
• Hebrews 11:6 – Diligently seek God.
• I Corinthians 15:58
• Romans 12:9-21 – Cling to what is good. Be steadfast in your service.
• Ephesians 6:10-18 – Put on the whole armor of God.
• II Timothy 4:6-8
• II Peter 3:10-14
• Wait! What did we just read?
  • Jesus is the only way
  • Love is obedience
  • Don’t miss it
  • Diligently seek
  • Employed for God
  • Stuck to good
  • Long for prayer
  • Right gear
  • Complete the mission
  • What are you?
• The six Lachappelle family values
  • Love
  • Family
  • Hospitality
  • Adventure
  • Depth
  • Emotionally safe
• Matthew 7:21-23
• What is the will of God and how do I find it?
• James 1:22
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
• God’s plan of salvation
• Final takeaways …
  • Diligently seek God daily
  • Pray often and with passion
  • Share with boldness
  • Keep running, don’t quit, finish the race

• II Timothy 4:2
• The preacher should do his work well.
  • He should use the Bible.
    • I Timothy 4:6; II Timothy 1:13; Titus 2:1
  • He should work hard.
    • I Timothy 4:10-16; II Timothy 2:15
  • He should preach without bias.
    • I Timothy 5:19-21
  • He should spur everyone to action.
    • II Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:1, 14
• The church should create a spiritual climate that encourages Bible preaching.
  • Insist on Bible answers to the devil’s problems.
    • II Timothy 3:1-4:5
  • Put God’s word to work!
    • II Timothy 2:2
    • If we are listening to a sermon with the intent to teach the lesson to others, it is a different kind of listening!
  • Encourage all Biblical preaching, not just sermons on favorite topics.

• Church, continued:
  • Practices of local churches in the New Testament, continued:
    • Sounded forth the Word
      • I Thessalonians 1:8
      • Philippians 1:3-5; 4:15-16; I Corinthians 9:1-18; II Corinthians 11:7-9
      • New Testament churches were not offering products or services to the public. They were simply sharing God’s word. Churches today need to stay focused on that mission.
    • They used resources to care for needy Christians.
      • They early churches would pool their money together and use it to help needy Christians. (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 6:1-3; 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-26; I Corinthians 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8-9; I Timothy 5:3-16)
      • Family members were to take care of their own before churches stepped in (I Timothy 5:16), but when special circumstances occurred, brethren took care of their own.
• Heaven and hell
  • All of us have become guilty of sin.
    • Many people only want to talk about positive things in religion, but it’s important to deal with the facts so that the positives make sense.
    • Mark 10:17-33

Bad news: Sin

Good news: Salvation

“One thing you lack” (Mark 10:21)

“treasure in Heaven” (Mark 10:21)

“Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:37)

“repent … baptized … forgiveness” (Acts 2:38)

“you disowned … put to death” Jesus (Acts 3:14-15)

“sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19)

“rejected by you” (Acts 4:11)

“chief corner stone … salvation” (Acts 4:12)

“darkness … dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18)

“light … God … repent” (Acts 26:18-23)

• Jesus and the apostles loved people enough to tell them the painful truth: all of us have become guilty of sin! (Romans 3:23)

• Judgment Day

  • Matthew 25:31-46; 23:24-30, 36-43, 47-50
  • There are many things we don’t know about Judgment, but we know enough. We know we’ll be divided based on whether we’ve obeyed (II Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10-12). One group gets eternal punishment. The other, eternal life.
  • We don’t know when that that is coming! I Thessalonians 5:3

• Heaven and hell

  • Hell is a dreadful, horrendous place!
    • Hell is translated from “Gehenna,” which referred to the Valley of Hinnom, a valley just south and southwest of Jerusalem. It was a place of continual fire for burning filth.
    • Jesus used vivid language to motivate people to stay away from it. Matthew 5:29-30; 18:8-9; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 12:4-5; Matthew 10:28; 5:22

Bad news: Hell

Good news: Heaven

Described as “Gehenna” (valley of filth and fire)

Described as a city made by God

Outer darkness, away from God

Fellowship with Christ and the saved

Worse than any suffering on Earth

Worth any suffering on earth

• Heaven is a place of eternal glory and fellowship with God!
  • Hebrews 11:8-16 – Heaven is a city prepared by God. Matthew 6:19-21; I Peter 1:3-4
  • Imagine living forever in a place with no sinners or wickedness (Ephesians 5:3-5) and where Satan is not allowed (Matthew 25:41).
  • Heaven will be eternal rest, making all our sacrifices during our relatively short lives on earth pale in comparison. Romans 8:18; II Corinthians 4:16-18; Hebrews 4:9-10; Revelation 14:13

• Matthew 7:1-8
• Matthew 7:1-2 – See John 17:24. We’ll be judged by the same standards we use when judging others. We must judge others righteously and use the right standard.
• Matthew 7:5 – We must get our own disposition toward sin right before we can help others get their hearts right.
• Matthew 7:6 – Compare Matthew 15:12-14.
• Matthew 7:8 – Compare Matthew 6:33; Luke 11:9-13.