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Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 7, verses 13 to 29, as printed in the liturgy.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Watch out for false prophets.
They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?
Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers.
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew, and beat against that house.
Yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew, and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to you.
Good morning, Christ Church.
We are exploring again today the Gospel of Matthew.
And here at the beginning of this Gospel in chapters 5, 6, and 7 is what we call the Sermon on the Mount.
And Jesus has technically finished the body of his sermon.
And so now in these verses, he's rounding it off.
He's landing the plane.
He's applying.
He's exhorting.
He's urging on his listeners the importance and the necessity of practicing and implementing the Sermon on the Mount in their daily lives.
And basically what he's said so far, and you can open up your pew Bible if you like, Matthew 5, 6, and 7.
You can double check what I'm saying here.
But Jesus basically has said, I'm the Son of God.
I've come down from heaven to earth to establish this alternative kingdom.
I've come in the midst of all the kingdoms of this world.
And I've come to call out a people to myself.
And I've come to form that people into the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of light.
And you people that I'm calling out into this kingdom are to be entirely different, utterly unique, right?
Noticeably set apart from everybody else in your thinking and in your living.
And he begins that sermon, you know, with that portrait of the nature and the character of the Christian and what we call the Beatitudes.
And he says, you know, people that have experienced the grace of God in their lives, they are poor in spirit.
And they mourn over their sin and their selfishness.
And they have about themselves a meekness and a lowliness and a humility of heart.
And they hunger and thirst for something that they don't have, which is the righteousness that only God can give.
And out of that, they treat other people with mercy, the way that God has been merciful to them.
And they have a pure heart that wants only really one thing.
And they're peacemakers.
And Jesus says, these kinds of people that are in my kingdom, the world is going to treat you like they treated me.
Blessed are you when you're persecuted because of righteousness.
But Jesus says, just because they're treating you poorly, don't run away.
Don't escape.
Don't retreat.
Jesus says, I want you to live in the world as salt that holds back the decay of this world.
And I want you to live as light that pushes back the darkness of this world.
And then Jesus tells us how to be Christians who live out the moral law of God.
He basically says, I want you to be righteous.
I want your righteousness to be obvious and noticeable.
And so he gives us in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 these detailed instructions for how to be righteous people in relationship with God
and righteous people in relationship with others.
And basically, if you read this whole Sermon on the Mount in one sitting, you experience it like this giant searchlight.
Right?
A hundred thousand lumens just shining into your soul, shining onto your life.
And if you really let it shine on you, you'll cry out and say, I am poor in spirit.
And I really, really need a Savior.
That's what the Sermon on the Mount does to you.
But Jesus, now he gets to the very end of the sermon.
And how does it end?
Well, he says this.
He paints four little pictures for us.
And he says, look, there are two roads.
One leads to destruction and one leads to life.
And there are two trees.
One is good and it produces healthy fruit.
And the other is bad and it produces diseased fruit.
And so that tree has to be cut down.
And thrown into the fire.
And he says there's two different kinds of people who call themselves Christians.
One that does the will of God.
And one that does their own will.
And that person who does their own will is going to hear me say one day, depart from me.
I never knew you.
And then he says there are two kind of houses.
There's one that's built on the rock and it stands in the test.
And the other that's built on sand and it falls.
And one of the last words of this greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus says, it fell with a great crash.
And then he drops the mic and walks off the stage.
Imagine if I said to you, hey, I'm going to go swim in the ocean today.
And you, because you're such a good friend, you said, hey, I don't think that's such a great idea.
Because these waters are actually shark infested waters.
And there's an incredible riptide today.
It's already killed multiple people.
So I don't really think you should go and swim.
Is that friend trying to ruin my fun?
Is that a friend who's trying to manipulate me and scare me?
Or is this a friend who's trying to give me a loving warning?
A friend who's trying to save me and give me life?
And I think that's what Jesus is in this sermon.
The Apostle Paul, when he's preaching to the greatest intellectuals of the day in Athens,
in Acts 17, he says,
For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.
He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
And Paul goes on in one of his other letters, 2 Corinthians 5, he says,
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each of us may receive what is due for us,
for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
And here's Jesus, the most loving person who's ever existed.
And he's standing here as the judge of all people,
the judge we're going to meet on judgment day.
And he says,
Here's what's going to be on the final exam.
I'm telling you now.
There's no guessing.
This is the final exam.
So, you ready to listen?
Jesus judges our road, our fruit, our will, and our foundation.
That's what Matthew 7 tells us.
Jesus judges our road, fruit, will, and foundation.
First of all, Jesus judges our road.
He says in verse 13,
The Lord Jesus gets to the end of the Sermon on the Mount,
and he asks us,
What is the point?
What's the most important thing of all that I've said?
What's the one principle above all the others that you really need to grasp?
What's the most outstanding characteristic of the life to which I'm calling all Christians?
In the Sermon on the Mount,
and Jesus says it's narrowness.
It's a narrow gate,
and it's a narrow road,
and it's a narrow life.
And we say,
Well, wait a second, Jesus.
I think you got that backwards.
Don't you really mean to say that
the way that leads to life is one of wideness and one of broadness?
And didn't you mean to say that many people are going to find the path to life?
Because the way you just said it, Jesus, sounds kind of exclusive.
And I think you really want to be more inclusive.
And Jesus,
don't you really want to appeal to more people
and accommodate all of our needs?
And do you really want to sum up your Sermon on the Mount
with this word,
narrow?
And Jesus says,
Jonathan,
thank you so much
for trying to help me be the Son of God,
but
yes,
I meant narrow.
Standing before you are two gates,
and you have to make a decision.
On your left hand is this wide gate
that has a great crowd of people
that's entering in simultaneously.
And on the right,
you have this small gate
that only takes one person at a time.
On your left,
you have this broad road
where the masses of people are surging along it
like a six-lane highway.
And on the right,
you have this small gate,
and it leads to a narrow,
single-track path,
and only a few people
are walking along it.
And Jesus says,
that's what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.
That's the way I want you to walk.
And only there on that path,
that narrow road,
are you going to find me
walking before you.
And notice that the Christianity Jesus describes
is narrow from the beginning.
It's not like,
you know,
at first it's broad,
and then it gets more and more narrow.
Jesus says that the gate,
the point of entry,
is narrow,
and it's hard to squeeze through.
Right?
There's only one gate.
Jesus says it like this in John 14.
He doesn't say,
I'm a way,
a truth,
a life.
He says,
I am the way,
the truth,
and the life.
And then what does he say?
No one comes to the Father
except through me.
So when Jesus says,
enter through the narrow gate,
he's saying,
convert to me.
Submit to me.
Call me your Lord.
Now,
if you've ever been through
a really tight security turnstile
that's tall and metal,
you know,
you can't even get through
one of those things
with a backpack on.
And I think that's kind of
what Jesus is describing.
There's some things
at this gate
that you have to leave outside.
Some things you've got to leave behind.
And what must we leave
at this gate?
Jesus says,
well,
first of all,
you've got to leave the crowd.
You've got to leave the majority.
Right?
You've got to leave behind
the way of the world
and your need to be popular
because what I'm calling you to
is different
and it's strange
and it's uncool.
Because the world says,
hey,
if somebody slaps you,
slap them back.
And,
hate your enemies
and curse those
who curse you.
But what I'm telling you
is if somebody slaps you,
turn them to the other cheek
and let them slap that one as well.
And what I'm telling you is
love your enemies
and pray for those
who persecute you.
And if somebody curses you,
I want you to bless them back.
How in the world do we do that?
Jesus says,
well,
if you're going to leave,
you've got to leave the world behind
and if you're going to do these things
I'm calling you to do,
you've got to leave yourself behind.
Right?
We heard it earlier.
If anyone
wants to be my disciple,
you must deny yourself
and take up your cross
and follow me.
And what's the first thing he says?
You've got to renounce yourself.
You've got to renounce
your old self.
For that's the road
that all of us are born on.
Right?
Is the way of the self.
The way in which
this wide and broad way
that's completely centered
on the self.
And Jesus says
that way
ultimately will destroy you.
Because
if you're centered on yourself,
you can't be centered on God.
And you can't be centered
on other people.
And what you're going to be left with
at the end of your life
is just this small,
pitiful,
little ego self.
And you're going to be
on your deathbed
and all that's awaiting you,
Jesus says,
is destruction.
Irreversible,
eternal destruction.
But
the good news is
Jesus says
I came
that you might have
life.
Verse 14,
small is the gate
and narrow the road
that leads to life
and only a few find it.
You know,
if you've been a Christian
for a while,
you can
attest
that from the outside
the way of Jesus
seems narrow
and constraining.
But once you get
on the inside,
it's quite spacious
and liberating.
And Jesus is basically
saying here,
look,
if you go through the gate
where you have to
renounce yourself
to even get through
and if you walk with me
on this narrow road
where you love God
and you love other people
more than you love yourself,
not only are you going to be
on that way
with the one
who calls himself
the resurrection
into life,
but what you're going
to get at the very end
is the life
of God
himself.
So Jesus says,
which road
are you on?
Which road
are you on?
Jesus judges
our road,
but he also judges
our fruit.
And so he says
next in verse 15,
he says,
watch out for
false prophets.
They come to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly
they are ferocious
wolves.
By their fruit
you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes
from thorn bushes
or figs from thistles?
Now why does Jesus
bring up false
and true prophets
at this point?
Why is he talking
about their fruit
and the difference
between the outward
appearance
and the inward
substance?
Because there's
a danger
that confronts us
as we stand
before this narrow gate
and this narrow road
and Jesus says
the danger
that is confronting
you are people
who claim
to have a new
prophetic message.
These are people
who are inside
the church,
they look like
sheep,
but they're trying
to dissuade you
from listening
to the true
prophecy
of the Sermon
on the Mountain
and the true
prophetic words
of the apostles'
teaching
in the New Testament.
Right?
A false prophet
says,
you know,
you don't really
need to enter
through the one
gate of Jesus.
In fact,
there are many gates.
They're all equally valid
and they all lead
to the same place,
really.
And a false prophet
says,
you know,
you don't really
need to renounce
yourself.
You don't need
to walk
this narrow road.
In fact,
if you interpret
the Bible
in this new,
cool way
that I have
to show you,
then you'll find
this broad
and wide
moral permissiveness
and just sort
of an ethical
salad bar
and buffet
that you can
pick and choose
the things
in the New Testament
that you like
and just have
a God of grace,
he doesn't really
care about
obedience.
You can just
do whatever
pleases you.
If you read
church history
for the past
2,000 years,
it's just
so utterly
simple.
False prophets
want to take
the cross
out of the gospel
and they want
to take the cost
out of discipleship
and they want
to take this
high,
glorious life
of the Sermon
on the Mount
and they want
to bring the bar
way down here
and say,
you know,
it's actually
pretty easy.
There's really
nothing hard,
there's nothing
difficult about
Christianity.
A false prophet
is known more
often by what
they do not say
and what they
leave out of
their message.
They talk about
the gospel
as if there's
absolutely nothing
offensive in it.
There's no
narrowness here.
Humanity is not
on the road
to destruction.
In fact,
all people are
going to get
life in the end
without judgment.
And friends,
I hope you know
that it is impossible
to square that
with the teachings
of Jesus
or with the
things that
he trained
and sent
and commissioned
his apostles
to write.
you just can't
make it say
that.
This is not
just a New Testament
thing,
it's an Old Testament
thing as well.
This is the prophet
Isaiah chapter 30.
The people
of God
said,
give us no more
visions of what
is right.
Tell us pleasant
things.
Prophesy
illusions.
In Jeremiah 6,
they said,
he says,
they dress the
wound,
they,
the false prophets,
dress the wound
of my people
as though it
were not serious.
Peace,
peace,
they say,
when there is
no peace.
You see,
a false prophet
is a comforting
preacher that
will tell you
pleasant things
and say,
well,
there's not really
much wrong
and there's nothing
to really be
concerned about.
And definitely
don't listen to
Isaiah
and Jeremiah
and all their
talk about the
holiness of God
and the justice
of God.
Those guys
are so serious,
they're so intense,
they're so narrow,
God is a God
of love.
There's no justice
in his love,
there's no judgment
in his love.
Wide is the gate
that leads
to salvation.
Broad is the road
that leads
to life.
Doesn't that sound
nice?
Doesn't it look
sheep-like?
Kind of feels
soft and woolly
and warm.
But what does
Jesus call that?
He says it's
wolfish.
It's like a
ravenous wolf
that would tear
the flock
of sheep
to shreds.
And then Jesus
changes this metaphor,
he says a false
prophet is somebody
who bears bad
fruit because
it's growing
on a bad
tree.
Any of you ever
see a shiny,
red,
delicious apple
and it looks
so good
on the outside
and you think,
I should take
a bite of that.
and then what
happens when you
take a bite?
It's just
horrible.
It's tough skin,
it's mealy
flesh.
I was disappointed
in so many
lunches in my
childhood and I
finally got to a
day where I was
like never again.
I'm an adult now.
Like nobody can
feed me this stuff.
It turns out
the selective
breeding over time
it improved
the look
but destroyed
the taste
of the red,
delicious apple.
And Jesus
is saying
be careful
not to eat
the red,
delicious apple
and be really
careful
and be sure
that you are
not a red,
delicious apple.
He says
in verse 18,
a good tree
cannot bear
bad fruit
and a bad tree
cannot bear
good fruit.
Every tree
that does not
bear good fruit
is cut down
and thrown
into the fire.
Two trees,
they're both
in church.
They look
exactly the same
on the outside
but they have
a different nature,
a different life
on the inside
and so they bear
a different fruit.
And Jesus
is telling us
that a Christian
is somebody
who's received
a new nature,
a new life,
a new DNA
on the inside
from God
above.
That their
old nature
of thorns
and thistles
has been done
away with
and that new
nature that
produces luscious
grapes and delicious
figs has come
in.
And Jesus
is asking us,
do you have
that new life?
Do you have
real life?
And you say,
well how do I know
I have that life?
Well here's a test.
How do you feel
when you look up
at the holiness
of God
and you look
inside of yourself
at the sinfulness
of your heart
and you look ahead
at your impending
death
and you look at
the just judgment
of Christ
that's going to
come to you,
how do you feel
about yourself?
Do you feel proud?
Do you feel confident?
Do you feel like,
man I got this?
Or do you say,
I'm poor in spirit.
I'm mourning
over all
of my self-centeredness.
I feel so meek
and lowly
before God.
I'm just hungering
and thirsting
and crying out
for a righteousness
that only God
can give me.
I am desperate
and I am utterly
dependent on Christ
and Christ crucified
to reconcile me
to this God.
That's how you know
you have that new life
in you.
Jesus,
he judges our road,
he judges our fruit
and he also judges
our will.
He judges our will.
He's examining us
and he's saying,
are you a true Christian?
Are you a false Christian?
Right?
And now he comes
to this third picture,
this most serious
and solemn warning yet
and it's given again
to Christians
who are people
who profess
to be Christians
who are conscious
of the fact
that they're going
to stand before God
in the final judgment
and here's what he says.
Verse 21,
not everyone who says
to me,
Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom
of heaven
but only those
who do the will
of my Father
who is in heaven.
Many will say to me
on that day,
Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy
in your name
and in your name
drive out demons
and in your name
perform many miracles
and then I will tell
them plainly,
I never knew you
apart from me,
you evildoers.
Jesus warns us
of the terrible danger
of self-deception
and he says
that on judgment day
there's going to be
many surprises
so be careful
not to rely
on false evidences
because it's possible
to think that you're
a Christian,
to think that you've
received salvation
from God,
to do so much
and to go so far
and then to get
to the very end
and realize
that you were
altogether wrong.
And so he says
the first evidence
not to rely on
is orthodox doctrine
and correct belief.
Right?
You can call Jesus
your Lord.
You can have all
the right truths
about his person
and his work.
You can say all
the right things.
Right?
That Jesus is the
eternal preexistent
son of God,
that he came from
heaven to earth,
that he endured
the bitter shame
and agony
and cruelty
of the cross
to save us
from our sins
and reconcile us
to God,
that he was bodily
raised from death
to life
and that he's now
sitting on God's throne
ruling over all.
You can say all
those things,
Jesus says,
but still not have
entered the kingdom
of God.
Don't get me wrong.
Orthodox doctrine,
correct belief
is essential.
No one enters
the kingdom of God
without saying
all those things,
but not everyone
who says those things
will enter in.
And so Jesus warns us
that intellectual
assent to the truth
is insufficient.
There's a vast difference
between knowledge
about Christ
and knowledge
of Christ.
And Jesus also says
it's not just orthodoxy,
it's orthopathy
that's not enough.
Orthodoxy is right belief,
orthopathy is right feeling.
You not just say
Jesus is Lord,
but he's Lord, Lord.
I'm fervent.
I'm enthusiastic.
I'm excited about Jesus.
And Jesus says
it's not just orthodoxy
and orthopathy,
but orthopraxy,
right action.
You can give
great spiritual messages.
Not that this one's great,
but you can do that.
You can prophesy
in my name.
You can do wonderful works.
You can deliver people
from spiritual bondage.
You can heal the sick.
You can do it all
in my name,
Jesus says,
but where in the Sermon
on the Mount
did I ask you
to do any of those things?
I'm not asking you
to work for me.
I'm asking you
to live under me.
To live under me.
Because what really matters
in the end
is whether or not
I know you
or I never knew you.
And I know all things.
So what I'm talking about
is whether or not
I knew you
in a personal relationship.
Not that you use my name,
but that I knew you
by name.
And how can we know
that we're in a relationship
with Christ?
Jesus says,
it's not people
who say to me,
Lord, Lord,
but those who do the will
of my Father in heaven.
Have you renounced your will?
To do the will of God instead.
Jesus, the judge of all people,
says that on that day,
many people
who've been busy in my name
are going to be shown
to have been doers of evil.
Workers of lawlessness
is what it says.
And why is that?
Because those people
have been active,
very active
to impress other people
in my name.
They've been very active
to please themselves
in my name.
They've been very active
to do their own will
for their own glory.
But what I'm after
is people who want to do
my Father's will
and do it for His glory.
And Jesus is saying to us,
friends,
where's your heart?
Do I know you?
Do you really belong to me?
Have you renounced yourself
and your will
to embrace the holy
and righteous will
of my Father
as I taught it to you
in the Sermon on the Mount?
If you've not done that,
then Jesus says,
you're in great danger
of hearing these awful words
away from me.
Be apart from me.
And if I'm the light,
that means you're going to be
in the darkness.
And if I'm the light,
that means you're going
to be in death.
Oh, I do not want you
to experience
the miserable end
of going into the darkness
and into death,
Jesus says.
So Jesus judges our road,
our fruit, our will,
and finally He judges
our foundation.
And now He comes
to the final
and the sharpest warning
of all.
In verse 24,
He says,
therefore anyone
who hears these words
of mine,
puts them into practice,
is like a wise man
who built his house
on the rock.
The rain came down,
the streams rose,
the winds blew,
and beat against that house,
yet it did not fall
because it had its foundation
on the rock.
But everyone who hears
these words of mine
and does not put them
into practice
is like a foolish man
who built his house
on sand.
The rain came down,
the streams rose,
the winds blew,
and beat against that house,
and it fell
with a great crash.
Jesus' chief concern
in this fourth
and final picture
is addressed again
to people
who are professing Christians.
They like listening
to the Sermon on the Mount.
They like listening
to the teaching of Jesus.
They're members
of the church.
They claim
to be disciples.
And Jesus' question
to us is,
are we seeking
and are we desiring
only the benefits
and the blessings
of salvation?
Do we just want
the house
and the family
in the house
so that we can be
at ease
and enjoy ourselves,
or do we really
want to do the hard work
of digging down
to bedrock?
Both of these people
say they're Christians.
They're building
on the same locale,
same landscape,
same weather conditions.
They build the same
kind of house,
and these houses
are put to the same test
and the same stresses.
And there's no difference
between them
except what lies
beneath the surface.
And Jesus,
in his teaching on this
in Luke chapter 6,
he helps us
because he says
that the wise man,
he dug down deep
and laid foundations
on the rock.
But the foolish man,
he built his house
just right on the ground
without a foundation.
This foolish man,
we don't know
why he chose
not to dig at all.
Maybe he was
just in a hurry.
Maybe he was impatient.
Maybe he just needed
to take some shortcuts
and get quick results.
Couldn't be troubled
to listen to guidance.
Couldn't pay attention
to the rules
that govern
the construction
of a durable edifice.
Maybe he said to himself,
you know,
my ideas are the best,
and I don't have anything
to learn from anybody else.
But Jesus' point here
is that foundation work
is costly.
How many of us
want to spend our money
on a foundation?
It's not fun to,
it's not fun
to spend your time
on a foundation?
I mean,
we can easily think
it's hidden.
It's out of the way.
I can't see it.
It's beneath the surface.
It must not be
that significant
or that necessary.
And Jesus says,
oh,
it's the most vital,
the most important thing
of all,
because if your foundation
is wrong,
everything is wrong.
you will not endure
the unavoidable tests
that are going to come
to you in this life,
and you certainly
won't be able to endure
the test on that day
when you stand
before the judgment seat
of Christ.
And so Jesus is saying,
build your life
on the rock.
Build it on me.
Build it on my life,
my death,
my crucifixion.
Build it on the sermon
on the mount.
I won't,
if you do that,
I'm not going to spare you
the rain
and the floods
and the wind,
but I will support you.
And if you build
your life on me,
I'm not going to cause
your house to glow
in the dark
or expand into
some amazing mansion,
but I will cause
your house to stand.
And some of us today
might be saying,
gosh,
I think maybe
I've built my life
on the sand.
What if I built
my life on the sand?
Well,
if you're poor in spirit,
you'll cry out
and say,
God,
I need a savior.
Jesus,
who embodied
this sermon
on the mount,
who lived beautifully
and perfectly
the life
that we should have lived,
and he died the death
we should have died,
he went up on his cross,
and when he did that,
he was putting himself
on that broad road
that leads to destruction.
Right?
When Jesus mounted his cross,
he became that bad tree
that was cut down
and thrown into the fire.
Jesus was the one
on his cross.
He heard those terrible words,
away from me.
And that's why he was crying out,
my God,
why have you forsaken me?
Jesus on his cross
felt the wrath of God
raining down on him.
And that the floods
of human sin
pouring in on him,
and the winds of evil
blowing and beating
against him,
and what happened
to Jesus' house
on the cross,
it fell with a great crash.
Why?
Why did he do that?
Because Jesus said,
I came
to take all the curses,
all the hell,
all the separation
from God,
that you might get
all the blessings,
that you might have heaven,
that you might have life
with God forever.
And so he's saying,
build your life
on the rock.
Build your life
on this firm foundation
in which you can never,
ever,
even in the final day
of judgment,
ever be shaken.
Friends,
let's build on this rock
in the name of Christ.
Amen.
Thank you.