Please explore the following resources that our Resource Team curated. We think they will help you as you dive deeper into the topics discussed in our sermon series Best Sermon Ever..
Recommended Books:
Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear This book is for those who struggle with having assurance of their salvation after reading a passage like Matthew 7:15-23. It outlines how the traditional “sinner’s prayer” and other mantras can cause more harm than good. The careless way some people explain the Gospel can grant assurance to those who should not have it and keeps it from those who should. It is possible to know that you know you are saved–and that truth will set you free!
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges This book is about spiritual disciplines and the purpose behind them. These disciplines are the primary way in which believers are able to consistently bear the “good fruit” discussed in Matthew 7:15-23. It also steers readers away from a works-based salvation by building everything upon the doctrine of grace.
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene H. Peterson This book talks about the Christian life and what it means to bear fruit as a disciple of Jesus. It argues that it is a discipline that takes time to grow in and the journey is seldom linear. This will remind readers of Pastor Michael’s teaching on living “Up and To The Right!”
What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper This book teaches us how to keep the commandments connected to Jesus and His work by equipping us for a lifestyle of obedience that glorifies God. This book is not meant to be read from start to finish, but by sections that break down Jesus’s specific demands. Demand #21 discusses what it means when Jesus says to “do the will of my Father, who is in Heaven.” Several other commands are also based on teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount.
Recommended Articles:
Cornerstone Blog Erin Childers three part blog series Fruit Trees, Wolves and the Will of God. Highly recommend!!
Desiring God: " 'I Never Knew You' : Fatal Dreams of the Religious Lost" This article outlines three fatal “dreams” of the lost—that mere intellectualism, emotionalism, or activism are enough to secure one’s salvation in Christ. It then encourages us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only in order to bear good fruit.
Desiring God: "Pleasures Never Lie: Why Sin Cannot Stay Hidden" This article explains that while faith is the instrument by which we are saved; our faith is revealed by our fruit. It also offers us encouragement by teaching that good fruit trees take time to grow and offers strategies for assessing the quality of spiritual fruit within ourselves and other believers.
The Gospel Coalition: "How to Survive the Scariest Passage in the Bible" This article acknowledges the many frustrations that can come with a passage like Matthew 7:15-23. The author offers us two ways to maintain–and even build–assurance of our salvation in light of this heavy teaching.
Recommended Podcasts:
Cornerstone Podcast - Warehouse
Recommended Videos:
Does Jesus Know You?: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul In this video, R.C. Sproul expounds on the importance of being known intimately by Christ as His redeemed people
Desiring God: How Do We Discern False Teachers? In this video, John Piper warns us to be wise when throwing around a term like “false teacher”. He then gives the listener four biblical ways to assess whether someone is a false teacher or not.
Recommended Sermons:
Beware False Prophets: Sermon by Voddie Baucham In this sermon, Voddie Baucham warns his listeners that false teachers are not always easy to spot, so Christians need to use careful discernment with every teaching they hear. He also connects Matthew 7:15-20 with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.
Other Recommended Resources:
The Gospel Coalition: Commentary on Matthew This commentary, written by Douglass O’Donnell, breaks down Matthew section by section. It dissects the theme of “proper judgment” found throughout Matthew 7:15-23.
Song: "Love Still Bids You Welcome" by Skye Peterson, Keith and Kristyn Getty
Song: “Tend” by UPPERROOM