Two Ways Part 3

[0:00] Go to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7.

[0:22] So we've been talking about the Sermon on the Mount. And we're coming, this is actually the end of it tonight.

[0:35] After a number of weeks. I'm not sure how many weeks we've been on it. But we're coming to the end. And we've been talking, we started off talking about the two ways.

[0:48] There are two ways. Matthew chapter 7, look at verses 13 and 14. We talked about the fact that there's two ways that people can go.

[1:12] The broad way is popular and easy. But it leads to destruction. The broad way, everybody can find it. It's easy. I think I describe it as having neon signs and billboards and everything else.

[1:26] Come this way, you've got this attraction and that attraction and this attraction. And, you know, people get taken in by all that. But then, the narrow way is unpopular.

[1:39] It's difficult. But it leads to eternal life. It doesn't have all those fancy things. It just has Jesus saying, follow me. And a lot of the world doesn't want to do that.

[1:50] And they reject it, partly, we said, because of the exclusivity of it. They say, it's too exclusive. It's just this little narrow path. And it's hard to get to. And it's hard to follow.

[2:01] And it takes you places. Maybe you don't want to go and do all these. But Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And that path, he says, whosoever will may come.

[2:16] So it's not exclusive. It's harder, maybe. But it's whosoever will may come. So it's not exclusive. It's open to anybody. Second thing we talked about was testing the two ways. Look at verse 15 there.

[2:30] And it says, Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing. But inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

[2:43] Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs or thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. But a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. And a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.

[2:56] And neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

[3:07] We talked about the fact that he says, first of all, beware of false prophets. We need to watch out for false teachers. We need to make sure that we're looking and examining what people are doing.

[3:20] I forgot to say it before I came. People are watching what we are doing. And we need to be careful. Because, first of all, we have another thing there. False teachers appear good without examination.

[3:32] They appear good if we're not looking at who they really are and what they're saying and what they're doing. Since there's a lot of attractive, charismatic-type leaders out there who sound good, who look good.

[3:45] But we have to examine what they're doing and what they're saying. Does it line up with Scripture? Is it what God has for us? So keep your eyes open. Because he says there are wolves in sheep's clothing.

[3:58] He says, look, sheep are going to know other sheep. Sheep are going to have a sense of community about them. They're going to want to do things together. They're going to want to be together.

[4:09] He says a wolf comes in. What's he thinking? Food source. In today's day and age, they're thinking target market, revenue stream, crowd of fans, all those type of things.

[4:21] See, a sheep comes in to follow the shepherd. Because the shepherd is going to lead them to where the food is. The shepherd is going to lead them to where the water is. So they want to know who the shepherd is and they want to follow the shepherd.

[4:32] Then he uses the example of trees. Trees with bad fruit. And he talks about the fact that, you know what, a grape vine is going to produce grapes.

[4:43] He says if it's producing thorns and thistles and all these other things, he says that's not what they want. We want grapes. Sometimes those grapes are not going to be good grapes. Sometimes they're going to be damaged grapes. Sometimes they're going to be diseased grapes.

[4:54] We don't want those either. We want good grapes. So we need to look at those who are teaching us. We need to look at those who are claiming to be speaking for God and make sure that they are saying things that line up with the word of God.

[5:09] False teachers inevitably produce bad results. As on your sheet there. It says, look, they're going to produce bad results.

[5:21] You watch where they go. You watch what they say. You watch the results of what they teach and how it affects people. He says also we need to examine our allegiance.

[5:33] Look at verse 21. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

[5:47] And in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[6:00] He says, look, there are going to be those who come along and they're going to do all kinds of things. And we're going to deceive ourselves into thinking that they are doing what Christ wants.

[6:12] And we're going to deceive ourselves into thinking we're following Christ and doing the things that they want. And he says, no, that's not always the truth. Examine.

[6:24] Remember we talked last week, we had communion. And he talked about let a man examine himself. We need to be examining ourselves. Make sure we're following the Lord. Part of what they do, we have their intellectual assent to the truth.

[6:39] Intellectual assent. I know there's a Jesus Christ. I know him in history. I've read about him. I know about him. Well, that's great.

[6:51] The Bible tells us in James 2.19, the devil knows. But that doesn't mean he's going to heaven. He knows this is Jesus. He knows all about Jesus. But he's not on his way to heaven.

[7:03] He says, make sure you know what your relationship with Jesus is. It's not just an intellectual thing. It's a heart thing. It's a, I love him and I accept what he has done for me.

[7:17] By going to the cross, by giving his life, by paying for my sin, he has done all that for me. And so I accept him as Savior. And sometimes we replace true salvation with a lot of fervent emotion.

[7:33] A lot of fervent emotion. A lot of today's things are built on emotion. We get all excited and we do this and that and the other thing. And it always just feels so good. And I feel like a different person after I've been there doing that.

[7:46] But that's not what all knowing Christ is about. I know Steve over here. This Steve right here. I know him. I don't get all that excited about knowing Steve.

[8:00] I don't jump up and down every time my Steve comes through the door. But I know Steve. See, it's not necessarily about emotion. It's the facts of what you know about Jesus Christ.

[8:11] And the fact that he came for me and gave his life. Great works. Great works in Christ's name. We've talked about all these. I'm trying to give you a short version.

[8:23] Great works in Christ's name. And we talked about this. Judas. We all know Judas. But when you look back and you read through the New Testament, Jesus sent out the twelve.

[8:36] Two by two, they went out. And he gave them power to heal, to cast out demons, to preach the word of God. He gave them all of those things. Judas was among those twelve that went out.

[8:47] But Judas wound up betraying Jesus. Was not saved. Was not following Jesus. So we can do great works. Because we've talked about, and Stan was mentioned a few weeks ago.

[8:58] And I've had others that have mentioned, you know, pastors. Who've been preaching for a while and people got saved. And they finally realized they weren't saved. I mentioned a friend of mine who's a pastor.

[9:11] He went to a new church and started preaching. And the first two people saved in his new church were deacons. So make sure you're following Christ and know who he is.

[9:22] And you have that relationship with him. And then the fourth thing there was an association with God's people. I go to church. I'm in Bible Baptist Church every week. I'm there every Sunday.

[9:33] I'm there every Wednesday. I'm there whenever there's a chance to go. I'm there. In a few weeks. Three, four weeks. Mike's Rock's going to be here. Mike is an evangelist.

[9:45] Great guy. Plays trumpet. And preaches. And I'm going to go to those services too. Well, that's great. But just being associated with the church and with God's people doesn't make you saved.

[9:59] What have you done with Jesus yourself? And then he says we should do the will of the Father. Notice that in verse, I think it's 23. 23? Nope.

[10:12] Where'd he go? 21. The end of the verse. He says, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. He said, that's what we're supposed to be doing.

[10:26] Doesn't matter about all these other things. Are we doing what God has for us and what he wants us to do? Are we following him? Which brings us to the third thing, letter C there, which is where we left off last week.

[10:38] We examine the foundation of our faith. The foundation of our faith. Look at verse 24. Verse 24 says, Therefore, whosoever heareth these things of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.

[10:55] And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house, and it fell not. And it fell.

[11:18] And great was the fall of it. It's got two houses. They appear to be similar. You ever go through neighborhoods where you can tell somebody came in and they did a whole project in the neighborhood?

[11:32] Every house is one section over above where I live. Every house is a split level. Every one of them. They just came in, used the same pattern. Just built house, house, and sold them.

[11:45] Or you go to some place and they got all ranches. Every one of them. They built them all the same. Here's two houses. And he says they're basically the same.

[11:55] They look alike. But, you know, you can invite people in. They can spend the night. They can do all these things. But after the storm, only the house on the rock is still standing.

[12:07] You have all gone to the beach. We live not that far from one. You've gone to the beach and, you know, built sandcastle or right in the sand and stuff. And what happens when the waves come in?

[12:20] Waves start coming in and when the waves go back out, all that stuff is gone. Because the sand moves. It shifts. He says they build a house on the sand and the sand moved and shifted in the storm.

[12:32] And the house was no longer standing. You have to have a house that's built on a rock. And Jesus Christ is the rock. He is the foundation. The Bible refers to him as a foundation upon which we're to build our lives.

[12:45] If you want to stand firm when things start happening in your life, when things start taking place that you're just like, Oh, man, I can't believe this is happening. That's happening. The other thing's happening. Are you standing on a firm foundation?

[12:58] And that's Jesus Christ. So now we're at the end of the sermon. So what happens after the sermon is over? Look at verse 28.

[13:10] Verse 28 says, And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, his teaching, his doctrine. For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

[13:24] Verse 28. Verse 28. Verse 28. When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. So after the sermon's over, what happens?

[13:39] Well, first of all, the people marveled at his authoritative teaching. It says, It says, They were astonished at his doctrine, and he taught them as one having authority.

[13:51] He taught them as one who knew what he was talking about. And why wouldn't he? Who's the author of the Bible? Jesus. Who established everything?

[14:05] Jesus, God. So he says he had authoritative teaching. He didn't qualify his words. He didn't leave any room for debate. He didn't leave room for debating between each other about this, that, and the other thing.

[14:23] He said, Look, this is the way it is. He taught as one having authority. And the people had been looking for Messiah.

[14:35] And they're starting to recognize that Jesus might be the Messiah. I want you to look at something with me. Look at chapter 5. Go back to chapter 5. It's where we started out many weeks ago.

[14:46] And look at verse 17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

[14:57] Who can fulfill the law and the prophets? The Messiah that was supposed to come? Look at verse 20. It says, For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

[15:16] He says, I've got the standard for you on how do you get into heaven. Only the Messiah could do that. Verse 22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother and without cause shall be in danger of judgment.

[15:30] Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of counsel. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. He says, Look, my opinion, what I think, is above everybody else's and what they think.

[15:45] He says, This is what's going to happen. Go back to chapter 7. Look at verse 21 again. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

[15:57] He says, Look, I am the Lord. You're right to call me Lord. Again, a term only reserved for the Messiah. Look at verse 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.

[16:12] Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. He says, I get to pass the final judgment on who makes it into heaven or not. Only the Messiah could do that.

[16:24] So here is Jesus. He is the Messiah that they have been looking for. And so what happens after he finishes this sermon? Chapter 8, verse 1 says, When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

[16:41] Jesus was right. He said, Look, this is the way life is supposed to be. Go the straight and narrow way. And it says, After he gave this sermon, a lot of people began to follow him.

[16:53] And that's good. We should follow him. We should do what he says. But then a little later, Jesus is going to preach again. I won't take you there now because of time. But write down John 6.

[17:04] There. John 6, 22 to 66. Long chapter. John 6, 22 to 66. He gives another message there. And he talks about his body and his blood being shed.

[17:17] He talks about being the bread of life. He talks about the fact that he's the Messiah, but he's not going to wipe out the Romans and put Israel in charge of everything.

[17:28] He is going to die himself. And when he says that, something really interesting takes place. When he says, I am the Messiah, but I am not going to do these things.

[17:45] I'm not going to go the direction you want me to. I'm not going to go the direction you think I'm going to. I am going to give up my life. And that verse 66 there in John 6 says this. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.

[18:03] He wasn't what they wanted. He had a plan. His plan was to come and give his life so that we can have eternal life. He came and gave his life to pay for our sins.

[18:16] He came to be the sacrifice for us. That was not what they wanted. They wanted somebody who was going to take care of the problems right then and put them, make them a kingdom they could rule over Rome.

[18:29] And he says, no, that's not the way it's going to work. And it says they turned away and did not follow him anymore. Here's a long sermon we've been looking at where Jesus talks about who he is and what he is going to do.

[18:47] And we can't forget that Jesus, God, is the author of all of this. You know, we need to understand the message. What is the message that God has given to us through this whole sermon?

[18:58] He's given us the message that Jesus Christ is the most important thing that we can ever contemplate in our life.

[19:12] Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ was fully human and fully God. And he gave himself for us. There's nothing more important that we can do than develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.

[19:29] I don't agree with your religion. I don't have a religion. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't believe in religion either. Religion has done nothing but cause problems.

[19:42] I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's what we're supposed to have. And that's what his whole message is about here. This whole Sermon on the Mount. Having a relationship with him.

[19:55] Next week, we'll be doing something else. Other than the Sermon on the Mount. I have no idea what that's going to be yet. But we'll have something else. All right.

[20:07] Prayer requests.