Folding Chair Theology

Bruce and Justin wrap up their series through the Sermon on the Mount with a discussion about Jesus's declaration about entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 7:13-29
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Road to Emmaus, Jason Upton (song)
Beautiful Outlaw, John Eldredge (book)
The Chosen (TV series)
The Grey Man Podcast, Mike Sian (podcast)
The Vox Podcast with Mike Erre (podcast)
Neat (documentary)*

*correction: I said Neat was on Netflix, but it's on Hulu.

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what it means to ask, seek, & knock with a mindset of treating others how you desire to be treated.

Matthew 7:7-12
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets.

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about one little verse. What did Jesus mean when He talked about giving what is holy to dogs and casting our pearls before swine? What this about giving the gospel to people who won't listen?

Or was it more in line with what He's been talking through for 2 chapters now? How do dogs and pigs and pearls of wisdom have anything to do with seeing people as image-bearers and restoring relationships?

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what Jesus talked about when it comes to judging others and the beam in our eye.

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what Jesus talked about when it comes to worrying about material things.


Matthew 6:25-34

25 “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his height[o] by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the idolaters[p] eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God[q] and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Mentioned in this Episode:

In this episode, Bruce and Justin take a break from the SOTM series and invite Rick Hicks, the host of Red Pill or Blue Pill.

We invited Rick on to the show to talk through some racial and societal topics. As a black man, living in Idaho and married to a white woman, he has a unique perspective on these issues.

Mentioned in the episode:
Glenmorangie Whisky
The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what Jesus meant when He talked about treasures in heaven and trying to serve two masters.

Matthew 6:19-24

19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures[n] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!

24 “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

We did take a ton of information from The Vox Podcast episode on this subject. But, Mike Erre hits on a TON of other stuff that is SO good. Listen here...

The Vox Podcast w/Mike Erre: Ep 277, A Singular Devotion

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what Jesus meant when He told us how to pray and how we're forgiven.

And bonus, we had an in-studio, LIVE, audience. Well, we had one person watching, but it was our good friend, a friend of the show, and our biggest fan, Daniel Hall. It was great having him there.

Matthew 6:5-15
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mentioned in the Episode:
With God Daily (Devotional), Skye Jethani
The Holy Post Podcast

In this episode, Bruce talks through the connection between Jesus's parables about The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son. While it may seem like they have nothing in common, what if I told you that they were almost the same story? Well, they are. Check out why...

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Bruce and Justin continue the SOTM series with a discussion about what Jesus meant when He talked about giving to the needy. It has so little to do with money... you're not going to believe it.

Matthew 6:1-4
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.