{"id":96912,"date":"2026-07-24T10:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=96912"},"modified":"2026-07-24T10:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:36:27","slug":"transformation-in-matthew-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/transformation-in-matthew-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Transformation in Matthew 7"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Hugh DeLong<\/p>\n<p>What will you do with Jesus and His teaching? Reading the Sermon on the Mount (again &#8211; how many times? Many!), I am yet again struck by its personal demands. Believe in Jesus? <b>What <\/b>does that mean to you? Just the mental assent to certain facts about Jesus? Of course, those facts must be at the foundation; after all, the usual expression about Jesus is to refer to Him as Jesus Christ. Yet, even with that simple phrase, it is to be understood that there is a &#8216;the&#8217; that is to be included &#8211; He is Jesus <b>the <\/b>Christ. He is the promised Messiah. He is the way, truth, and life. He has revealed how we are to relate unto God. Thus, we read the Sermon on the Mount again and try to learn what it means to follow the teaching of Jesus. This is not for the faint of heart, but it is accessible for all.<\/p>\n<p>Today our reading schedule is on chapter 7 of Matthew&#8217;s account of Jesus&#8217; preaching.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Following Jesus requires us to inspect our very inner being &#8211; this teaching of Jesus must always be applied personally. Each of us must remove even the &#8216;speck&#8217; that hinders our relationship with God.<\/li>\n<li>We must <strong>seek<\/strong>, that is, seek you <b>first <\/b>the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Again, this demands a foundational change of my personal character. What <b>is <\/b>the most important aspect of my life?<\/li>\n<li>Treat others as you desire to be treated. This simple sentence, if applied, would change the world.<\/li>\n<li>Those three thoughts, when examined by us who would follow Jesus, prove to be too difficult for most people. We yet struggle with &#8216;my will&#8217; versus God&#8217;s will! It <b>is <\/b>a narrow way &#8211; first denying self, crucifying self, and being able to say &#8220;<em>not my will, but yours<\/em>.&#8221; Even in difficult situations that prove uncomfortable, we must faithfully follow Jesus&#8217; teaching.<\/li>\n<li>Beware of false prophets. The problem with following Jesus is that it is easy to get side-tracked into following someone&#8217;s view and teaching about what such following entails! Do not believe every teacher &#8211; I John 3:1.<\/li>\n<li>Obey! Belief in Jesus demands this very change of not only <b>knowing <\/b>but <strong>doing<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Matthew closes this by showing us the reaction of those who heard Jesus:\u00a0<strong>His teaching is with authority.<\/strong>\u00a0As the Father would state: &#8216;<b>This <\/b>is my beloved Son. <strong>Hear ye Him!<\/strong>&#8220;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Reading this sermon brings the same conclusion that the original hearers had: Jesus&#8217; teaching is of a higher authority &#8211; <strong>His<\/strong>. He is the Lord, He is the <strong>King<\/strong>, He is the Son of God who has all authority. Read again (and again) this sermon. How well are you making its principles the foundation of your relationship with God. In these three chapters you will be challenged to examine and change your character, your inner being, your way of relating unto God. We are never done not only reading but &#8216;doing&#8217; His will.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How has this sermon changed your life?<\/li>\n<li>What is there that you find difficult?<\/li>\n<li>What remains in your will that hinders you doing God&#8217;s will?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is a difficult sermon.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Hugh DeLong What will you do with Jesus and His teaching? Reading the Sermon on the Mount (again &#8211; how many times? Many!), I am yet again struck by its personal demands. Believe in Jesus? What does that mean to you? Just the mental assent to certain facts about Jesus? Of course, those facts&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[674],"class_list":["post-96912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-change"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-boy-girl-relationships-not-advisable-at-a-young-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":1},"title":"Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age Answer: Youth is a time of impatient desires. They want the things available to adults, but adulthood seems so far away. The typical teenage boy enters puberty around the age of 11. The typical teenage girl enters puberty around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-lost-the-surprise-somewhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":2},"title":"We Lost the Surprise Somewhere","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I remember watching Mayberry RFD and related shows most of my childhood. Poor ignorant Gomer Pyle who worked as an auto mechanic was a notable character. But I can still recall my shock when I found out that Jim Nabors, who played Gomer, could sing --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Gomer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32196,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-take-out-insurance\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":3},"title":"Is it a sin to take out insurance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it a sin to take out medical insurance or legal insurance? Are we rather expected to put our faith in the Lord to take care of those things? Answer: We were taught to pray, \"Give us this day our daily bread\" (Matthew 6:11), but God still commands us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-book-of-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":4},"title":"The Book of My Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many author\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":96912,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord&#8217;s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). We have been questioning the idea of everyone taking it a second\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96912"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96915,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96912\/revisions\/96915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}