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Read (and listen!) through the New Testament in 8 weeks with your small group or on your own.
Immerse: Messiah is the first of six volumes in Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience. Messiah takes the reader on a unique journey through every book of the New Testament. Each section of Messiah begins with one of the Gospels, and together they combine to provide a life-changing reading experience centered on Jesus. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures, can be experienced in Messiah through the rich variety of lenses provided by the books of the new covenant.
The Immerse Bible Series is the proud winner of the prestigious Bible of the Year award from the ECPA Christian Book Awards. Immerse: The Reading Bible is specially crafted for a distraction-free listening and reading experience, helping you dive in and get immersed in Scripture. You’ll have a great experience using Immerse by yourself. But for an even richer experience, try reading with friends.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience is an invitation to a different kind of community interaction with the Bible. Less like a Bible study, more like a book club.
- 8 or 16-week Bible listening plans take you through a large section of the Bible like the New Testament or the Torah
- Meet once a week for a free-flowing discussion about the text
- Wrestle with questions and celebrate ‘aha!’ moments together
Nothing impacts spiritual growth more than spending time in Scripture. Immerse removes many of the barriers that make Bible reading difficult and invites communities to become transformed together through the power of God’s word.
Welcome to the saddleback church anchored life challenge which can also by found on the saddleback companion app or by purchasing the immerse messiah book from tyndale.
The anchored life challenge includes speakers such as Andy Wood, Rick Warren, and Stacie Wood.
Immerse Messiah 26
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Andy Wood: [00:00:00] Welcome to Immerse Messiah reading for week six, day 26.
Rick Warren: Immersed in Matthew, a generation after Jesus lived, the Jews living in northern Israel and Syria, who believed in Jesus as their Messiah, faced a strong challenge. During the Jewish Roman War in A. D. 66 70, most Jews in southern Israel moved north, safely away from the fighting around Jerusalem. But the subsequent destruction of the Jerusalem Temple raised troubling questions for Jews.
Rick Warren: Without the Temple, what was the future of Judaism? Where would they find their focus on identity? Groups led by the Pharisees argue that they should focus on a recommitment to the Law of Moses as interpreted in Israel's traditions. These Pharisees saw the followers of Jesus as a threat to this renewal, especially since Jesus offered new answers to [00:01:00] their questions.
Rick Warren: So the Pharisees sought to expel Jesus followers from the synagogues, cutting off their ties to the Jewish community. The Gospel of Matthew was written to help these followers of Jesus meet this challenge and remain faithful. Although later tradition identifies the author as the Apostle Matthew, the book never names its author.
Rick Warren: Matthew's message is that Jesus really is the culmination of all that came before. Hence, Matthew highlights various ways Jesus fulfills and continues the Jewish story as told in the First Testament. First, Matthew presents a list of Jesus ancestors, organizing it into three groups of fourteen generations each.
Rick Warren: The first group identifies Jesus as a descendant of Abraham, whose calling launched Israel's story. The second group confirms that Jesus is also the descendant of David. Israel's great king, the third group of fourteen, begins with Israel's exile in [00:02:00] Babylon, highlighting that Jesus has come to save his people from their sins.
Rick Warren: The list can also be viewed as six groups of seven, presenting Jesus as beginning the seventh seven, a special number of completeness in Judaism. Matthew is presenting Jesus as the new beginning God's people have been waiting for. Second, Matthew portrays Jesus as a new Moses by recording parallels between the two figures.
Rick Warren: As babies, they both escaped a pagan king, who was trying to kill Hebrew boys. In addition, they both lived in Egypt for a time, brought the people instruction from God, and went up a mountain just before departing. Moses by death, Jesus by ascension. Urging God's people to go into the land and live under God's reign.
Rick Warren: Third, Matthew connects Jesus to Israel's story by organizing Jesus life into five books. This organizational pattern reflects the Torah, the five books of Moses. [00:03:00] In each of these books, Matthew first describes what Jesus did, and then presents what Jesus taught. Each teaching section concludes with some version of the phrase, When Jesus had finished saying these things.
Rick Warren: Overall, this combination of action and teaching reveals the present expression of God's renewal in our world, which Matthew calls the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew's five books explore five themes. The foundations of the Kingdom of Heaven are built on a deeper righteousness that leads people to act as true children of your Father in Heaven.
Rick Warren: The mission of the Kingdom of Heaven demonstrates the mercy and compassion of God by bringing people freedom from disease and oppression. The mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven is that it begins in barely noticeable ways and advances through suffering and sacrifice. The family of the Kingdom of Heaven comprises a new community marked by forgiveness, [00:04:00] love, and restoration.
Rick Warren: The destiny of the Kingdom of Heaven is to bear witness to Jesus, despite persecution, until the good news about Him has been proclaimed to all nations. Matthew's story culminates with Jesus winning the decisive victory over God's great enemies, sin and death. In his real story, God's ancient rescue of his people from Egypt formed the pattern for all of God's subsequent acts of salvation.
Rick Warren: The Passover meal illustrated this pattern, and Matthew shows Jesus observing a Passover meal with his twelve disciples and instituting a new covenant right before his own sacrificial death. And powerful resurrection. Jesus has brought a new exodus, a great new rescue of his people. Jesus the Messiah, has carried Israel's story to its decisive moment when the good news of God's kingdom is announced to the whole world.[00:05:00]
Andy Wood: The gospel, according to Matthew, this is a record of the ancestors of Jesus, the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.
Andy Wood: Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nashan. Nashan was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother There was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. Whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse.
Andy Wood: Jesse was the father of King David. [00:06:00] David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.
Andy Wood: Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manassa. Manassa was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jokin and his brothers born at the time of the exile to Babylon after the Babylonian exile.
Andy Wood: Jehoiakim was the father [00:07:00] of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was a father of Zerebabel. Zerebabel was the father of Abiad. Abiad was the father of Eliacim. Eliacim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliad. Eliot was the father of Eliezer. Eliezer was the father of Mathan.
Andy Wood: Mathan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who was called the Messiah. All those listed above include 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Babylonian exile, and 14 from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah. [00:08:00] This is how Jesus the Messiah was born.
Andy Wood: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the engagement quietly.
Andy Wood: As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David. The angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Andy Wood: All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet. Look, the virgin will conceive a child, [00:09:00] she will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel. Which means, God is with us. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her, until her son was born.
Andy Wood: And Joseph named him Jesus. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
Andy Wood: He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, Where is the Messiah supposed to be born? [00:10:00] In Bethlehem in Judea, they said, for this is what the prophet wrote. And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah. For a ruler will come from you, who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.
Andy Wood: Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him too. After this interview, the wise men went their way, and the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
Andy Wood: It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, [00:11:00] and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Andy Wood: When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up. Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. The angel said, Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
Andy Wood: That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, I called my son out of Egypt. Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill [00:12:00] all the boys in and around Bethlehem.
Andy Wood: Who were two years old and under, based on the wise men's report of the star's first appearance. Herod's brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. A cry was heard in Rhema, weeping in great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.
Andy Wood: When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. Get up, the angel said. Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead. So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod's son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there.
Andy Wood: Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of [00:13:00] Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said. He will be called a Nazarene. In those days, John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Andy Wood: The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, He is a voice shouting in the wilderness. Prepare the way for the Lord's coming. Clear the road for him. John's clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley Went out to sea and hear John, and when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.[00:14:00]
Andy Wood: But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, He denounced them. You brood of snakes, he exclaimed. Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, We're safe for we are descendants of Abraham.
Andy Wood: That means nothing. For I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the axe of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God.
Andy Wood: But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am. So much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will [00:15:00] baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never ending fire.
Andy Wood: Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, but John tried to talk him out of it. I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, he said, so why are you coming to me? But Jesus said, it should be done. For we must carry out all that God requires. So John agreed to baptize him.
Andy Wood: After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my dearly loved son, who brings [00:16:00] me great joy. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
Andy Wood: For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus told him, No. The scriptures say, People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Andy Wood: Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the temple and said, If you are the son of God, Jump off, for the scriptures say he will order his angels to protect you, and they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. Jesus responded, [00:17:00] the scriptures also say you must not test the Lord your God.
Andy Wood: Next, the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I will give it all to you, he said, if you will kneel down and worship me. Get out of here, Satan, Jesus told him, for the scriptures say you must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
Andy Wood: Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee. In the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, this fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah.
Andy Wood: In the land of [00:18:00] Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee, where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined. From then on, Jesus began to preach. Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Andy Wood: One day, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers. Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people. And they left their nets at once and followed him.
Andy Wood: A little farther up the shore, he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their [00:19:00] father, Zebedee, repairing their nets, and he called them to come too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom, and he healed every kind of disease and illness.
Andy Wood: News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed, he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went. People from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea.
Andy Wood: And from east of the Jordan River. One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His [00:20:00] disciples gathered around him and he began to teach them. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him. For the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Andy Wood: God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure. For they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
Andy Wood: God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you, and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things [00:21:00] against you, because you are my followers. Be happy about it, be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven, and remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Andy Wood: You are the salt of the earth, but what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Andy Wood: Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of [00:22:00] Moses or the writings of the prophets.
Andy Wood: No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear. Not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.
Andy Wood: But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But I warn you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that our ancestors were told, you must not murder.
Andy Wood: If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to [00:23:00] judgment. If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the temple, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, Leave your sacrifice there at the altar.
Andy Wood: Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.
Andy Wood: You have heard the commandment that says, you must not commit adultery, but I say, anyone who even [00:24:00] looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye Even your good eye causes you to lust. Gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Andy Wood: And if your hand, even your stronger hand, causes you to sin Cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. You have heard the law that says a man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce. But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery.
Andy Wood: And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. You have also heard that our ancestors were told you must not break your [00:25:00] vows, you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord. But I say, do not make any vows, do not say, by heaven, because heaven is God's throne, and do not say, by the earth.
Andy Wood: Because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, By Jerusalem, for Jerusalem is the city of the great king. Do not even say, By my head, for you can't turn one hair white or black. Just a simple, Yes I will, or No I won't. Anything beyond this is from the evil one. You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury.
Andy Wood: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say, do not resist an evil person if someone slaps you on the right cheek. Offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If a [00:26:00] soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
Andy Wood: Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow. You have heard the law that says Love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you, and that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
Andy Wood: If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect. Watch out. Don't do your good deeds [00:27:00] publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in Heaven.
Andy Wood: When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do. Blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity? I tell you the truth. They have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Andy Wood: Give your gifts in private. And your father who sees everything will reward you. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth. That is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself.
Andy Wood: Shut the door behind you and pray to your father in private. Then your father who sees everything [00:28:00] will reward you. When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need, even before you ask Him.
Andy Wood: Pray like this. Our Father in Heaven. May your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
Andy Wood: If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. And when you [00:29:00] fast, don't make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting.
Andy Wood: I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting except your father, who knows what you do in private. And your father, who sees everything, will reward you. Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
Andy Wood: Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, [00:30:00] your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness.
Andy Wood: And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, How deep that darkness is. No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.
Andy Wood: Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them, and aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing?
Andy Wood: Look at the lilies [00:31:00] of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Andy Wood: So, don't worry about these things saying, What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
Andy Wood: So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged, for you [00:32:00] will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?
Andy Wood: How can you think of saying to your friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye, when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite. First, get rid of the log in your own eye. Then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy.
Andy Wood: Don't throw your pearls to pigs. They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks. Receives. Everyone who seeks vines and to everyone who [00:33:00] knocks the door will be opened.
Andy Wood: You parents, if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him? Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.
Andy Wood: This is the essence of all that is taught in the Law and the Prophets. You can enter God's kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Andy Wood: Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves. You [00:34:00] can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.
Andy Wood: So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. So you can identify people by their actions. Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my father in heaven will enter.
Andy Wood: On judgment day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. [00:35:00] But I will reply, I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws. Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
Andy Wood: Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floodwaters rise, and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.
Andy Wood: When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority, quite unlike their teachers of religious law. This concludes today's Immerse Reading [00:36:00] Experience. Thank you for joining us.