Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7.
!
I have no idea how long this sermon is, because I usually need to move it to a word processing
document and then look at the page numbers to see how long it is.
And so hopefully we're not here for three hours, but I think, and I trust that we'll
be okay.
So please bear with me.
Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 to 27.
The main substance of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount has been concluded, and
so now he is really bringing everything to a close, at that point, tying a bow on it,
with a series of warnings highlighting the importance of obeying and putting into practice
everything he has taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
And so that's where we are today, Matthew 7, 13 to 27.
But before I read, let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.
Heavenly Father, this is your Word, and we are your people.
So we humble ourselves before your Word and place ourselves under your authority.
It is a hard word, but you give it, Lord, because you love us.
So help us to receive it, and help us to not be hearers of the Word only, but doers of the Word.
Energized by your grace in Jesus Christ, empowered by your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
If you are able, please stand to honor God as we read from His Word, as He addresses us in and through His Word.
Matthew 7, 13 to 27.
Enter by the narrow gate.
For the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction.
And those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.
Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits.
Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.
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.
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?
And then will I declare to them, I never knew you.
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
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.
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.
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.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Please be seated.
There are billions of professing Christians in the world today.
There have been billions more throughout history.
But what if many of those professing Christians don't actually make it into the kingdom of heaven?
What if God's word teaches us that many who profess Christ outwardly will not actually be saved?
On the one hand, it's true that the Bible teaches us that in the end, the saints of God will be an innumerable throng.
Revelation 7, 9 describes that throng.
It says,
There's going to be many of us in the end, the cumulative number.
The cumulative total of all saints throughout all history will indeed be an innumerable throng.
On the other hand, the Bible also teaches us consistently of the fact that, relatively speaking, compared to the rest of the world,
at every time and juncture in human history, those who believe and trust in him and who are actual regenerate Christians are few.
In the parable of the wedding feast, later in Matthew 22, 1-14, Jesus says that many who are invited to the wedding feast,
which symbolizes heavenly bliss and in the fellowship with God, they actually do not come, even though they've been invited.
And some who come to the feast, they show up, it says, with no wedding garment, meaning they don't have the means.
They don't have, they've not been cleansed by Christ.
They don't have the right to enter in.
And so they are cast into the outer darkness.
Jesus, then, at the conclusion of that parable, says this,
Many are called, but few are chosen.
In Luke 13, 23-24, someone asks Jesus explicitly,
Lord, will those who are saved be few?
And Jesus gives him a straight answer.
Strive to enter the narrow door.
For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Meaning, there will be a few.
This passage is what parallels our passage this morning in Matthew 7, 13-14, where Jesus says,
Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction.
And those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.
How, then, can we tell true Christians apart from the false Christians?
From those who, true Christians who are on the narrow gate and the narrow way,
from those who are on the broad way to destruction?
Jesus' answer is obedience.
And the key word that recurs throughout this passage is the word do.
It began with verse 12, which summarizes the ethical commands of the entire Sermon on the Mount
and, indeed, of the entire law and the prophets, where it says,
Do to others what you wish they would do to you.
The word do, it first occurred there.
And then you see it again in verses 17-19, where it says,
So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
The word that's used there, translated as bear, in Greek,
is actually the exact same word that's translated do, earlier in verse 12.
So if you translate it literally, it would be that every healthy tree does good fruit,
produces good fruit.
This theme of doing continues in verse 21.
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Then who will enter the kingdom of heaven?
But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Similarly, Jesus says in verse 24 and 26,
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
Given this prominent theme, we can summarize Jesus' main point in this passage with the words of James 1.22.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only.
To drive his point home, Jesus gives us four illustrations, really warning vignettes,
that emphasize the importance of doing God's will, not just hearing it.
And he warns us against four types of people, that we should not be like that,
and also warns us against such people who will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
First, I'm going to call drifters, people who are drifting along with the patterns of this world and conforming to the patterns of this world, conformists.
Second, deceivers or imposters, the wolves in sheep's clothing.
Third, the deluded, those who think that they are saved but are not, but are actually hypocrites.
And lastly, the dabblers or the dilettantes who dabble in the faith, who hear things and pick up things here and there,
but are not actually practicing it and living by it.
Jesus' first warning concerns the conformists.
He says in verses 13 to 14,
This is a decision that confronts every man and every woman, and there's no way around it.
Jesus makes several stark contrasts between these two spiritual options.
And these two options differ in four ways.
First, in the point of entry.
Second, in the path itself.
Third, in the people, the number of people who choose them.
And fourth, and finally, in their destination, where it leads.
First, the point of entry is different.
Jesus tells us to enter by the narrow gate,
but in contrast, the other gate is wide.
The narrow gate implies a high barrier for entry.
The wide gate implies a low barrier for entry.
Repeatedly in the ensuing chapters, Jesus speaks of the high cost of following him.
He says that his disciples are like sheep in the midst of wolves.
What happens to sheep in the midst of wolves?
They get devoured.
He says in the same way, you will be persecuted.
You'll be reviled.
You will be killed for his name's sake.
Matthew 10, 16 to 33.
Similarly, he says in Matthew 16, 24 to 26.
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
According to Jesus, following him entails losing our lives.
Counting our very lives forfeit for the sake of following Christ.
It means denying ourselves our own selfish purposes and priorities and submitting them to God's purposes and priorities.
It involves taking up our own cross, dying to our sinful desires, and saying along with the apostle Paul in Galatians 2, 20,
I have been crucified with Christ.
I no longer live, but Christ lives within me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
According to Jesus, following him entails first, losing our lives.
Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
We must lose our lives.
And a necessary corollary to that is that we must also lose the world.
Jesus says, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?
We must lose the world.
James 4, 4 says this,
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
What exactly is the world?
1 John 2, 15 to 16 explains,
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life
is not from the Father, but is from the world.
In order to follow after Christ, we must leave the sinful world behind.
This is what it means to enter by the narrow gate.
I imagine a narrow passageway, maybe in the cave,
from a scene in The Lord of the Rings or something in the two towers,
where you have to drop all your bags, you have to leave your horse behind,
because it's only barely narrow enough for you to get through with your body.
Or I imagine this like crawl like hobbit hole, you know,
where you have to get on your hands and knees,
and you have to crawl through because it is so small and narrow.
The narrow gate through which every Christian is saved
is one that requires us to humble ourselves before God.
It requires submission to the Lord and renunciation of the world.
The other gate, on the other hand, is wide.
In fact, it's so wide, it's almost as if there's no gate at all.
It says those who enter by it are many.
The barrier for entry is very low.
So low, in fact, it's as if there's no barrier,
because this is the default gate at which every single human being finds him or herself.
No tickets are required.
There are no security guards.
There are no bag limits.
This gate is wide.
It's open to everyone.
Anyone.
There's something about this notion of inclusivity and openness
that appeals to people who are naturally compassionate and considerate toward people,
which that, in and of itself, is a good thing.
Who among us wants to be known as the exclusive one, right?
For this reason, well-meaning Christians sometimes lower the bar,
and they widen the gate.
Oh, you don't believe certain fundamental doctrines of the faith.
Oh, you disagree with the Bible's ethical teachings.
Oh, you're living in willful disobedience to God's commands
because you don't think that that particular command is important.
Don't worry about it.
Come right in.
God is gracious.
He overlooks our sins.
Everyone is entitled to the freedom of conscience.
The problem with that approach
is that we do not have the authority to widen the gate.
We think that we have widened the right gate for people to enter in.
What we have actually done is direct them to the wrong gate,
to the wide gate and the easy way that leads to destruction,
not the narrow gate and the hard way that leads to life.
However compassionate and considerate it might appear to us,
giving people a sense of security,
a false sense of assurance,
on the broad way to destruction,
is not compassion but cruelty.
Second, the two spiritual options before us also differ in their path or way.
The way to life is hard,
but the way to destruction is easy.
The words hard and easy don't quite capture the imagery
that's being employed here by Jesus.
The word translated easy here in the ESV
is not the exact same word that was translated in the earlier verses wide,
but it has a similar meaning.
It's a word that means broad and spacious.
This path is easy because it is broad and roomy.
Imagine a well-paved 10-lane highway
like the ones you see in California,
though somehow they still have traffic in it.
You have all the room you could want.
You can do somersaults on it and cartwheels on it,
and you never have to worry about falling off the road.
The word translated hard, on the other hand,
in verse 14, is also not the same word
that's translated as narrow,
but it's also a similar word.
It's a word that means to press upon or to be narrow.
It's a word that describes the crowd
pressing in against Jesus in Mark 3, 9,
so that it says that his disciples fear that he might be crushed.
It's the same word that's used in the New International Version
of 2 Corinthians 4, verse 8,
to describe the life of faithful followers of Christ.
It says that we are hard-pressed on every side.
That's the same word, but not crushed.
So the reason why this way is hard
is because it is narrow.
It's tight.
Imagine a wilderness journey
where you have a narrow sliver of path to walk on,
and you have little room to the left or to the right.
You're pressed in by rocks and crags
and tree branches and bushes everywhere,
and you're navigating through this hard-pressed path.
The Christian's pilgrim journey is like that.
We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not driven to despair.
Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Struck down, but not destroyed.
Becoming a Christian does not make your life
automatically smooth and easy.
Jesus guaranteed to us in John 16, 33,
in this world you will have tribulation.
And 2 Timothy 3, 12 says,
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
The broad way that leads to destruction is easy.
It's smooth.
It's well-paved and inviting
because it's the path that appeals
to the sinful, natural man.
It's the path that fits with,
that's conformed to the well-grooved patterns
of our sinful world.
So it is natural,
it feels natural to go down that path.
But the narrow way that leads to life
is hard, full of toil and pain.
Why?
Because our sinful flesh rails against this way,
against the Spirit of God within us.
As it says in Galatians 5, 16 to 17,
we must fight to keep in step with the Spirit.
We must fight to mortify our sinful flesh,
disciplining our body and keeping it under control,
as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, 27,
laying aside every weight and sin
which clings so closely,
and running with endurance the race
that is set before us,
as it says in Hebrews 12, verse 1.
Our sinful flesh resists the way.
The sinful world also resists the way of God.
It pressures us to conform to the sinful values
and patterns of this world,
and when we don't,
it ostracizes us and persecutes us.
So we must fight daily
to renew our minds in God's Word
and to be transformed in doing so.
So the world resists it,
our sinful flesh resists it,
and the devil also resists it.
He rages against the people of God,
prowling around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour,
as it says in 1 Peter 5, 8 to 9.
And we must stand in faith firmly and resist them,
putting the whole armor of God
through prayer and supplication
and by wielding the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God,
as it says in Ephesians 6.
So these two spiritual options
differ in the point of entry,
they differ in the way itself,
and third,
they differ in the number of people who enter them.
Those who enter by the wide gate
and the broad way,
it says,
are many.
But those who enter the small gate
and the narrow road are few.
In other words,
the path of the Christian disciple
is not popular.
It's not the normal way
in this sinful world.
Right at the onset,
Jesus is counseling us
to give up the hope
of world's acceptance
and acclaim.
Even in historical times
when there was great revival
among the churches of God,
like the first century
that we see recorded in the book of Acts,
even in such times,
Christians were always
a small minority.
The sinful world hates
the light of Christ
because they don't want
their dark evil deeds
to be exposed,
as it says in John 3.20.
Christians are never going to be
loved by this world
because our belief
exposes their unbelief,
because our obedience
exposes their disobedience to God.
If we are ever approved
by this world
or acclaimed by this world,
that should be a cause
not for celebration
but concern.
Jesus said in the Beatitudes
earlier in Matthew 5.11-12,
Blessed are you
when others revile you
and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil
against you on account of me.
Rejoice and be glad
for great is your reward in heaven.
For so they persecute
the prophets who are before you.
In the same parallel,
the Beatitudes,
in Luke 6.26,
Jesus adds this,
Woe to you
when all people speak well of you,
for so their fathers did
to the false prophets.
If we find ourselves
aligned with the many people
of this world
and not with the few
of Christ's disciples,
that's not a sign
that we're this enlightened Christian
who's not like those other
backwards and bigoted Christians.
More likely than that,
we are on the broad way
that leads to destruction
and the world sees nothing
in us to persecute.
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
are you spoken ill of
by the people of this world?
Then take heart.
Be encouraged.
For that's how all the faithful people
of God in past ages
have been treated.
So Jesus is here warning us
that the conformists
who drift along the currents
of this world
rather than swimming upstream
against the current,
those who fear the judgment of man
more than the judgment of God
and therefore follow along
with the masses,
they will not enter
the kingdom of heaven.
That brings me to the final contrast
in Jesus' analogy,
the fourth difference.
The two choices differ
in their final destination.
This is the reason
that Jesus commands us
to enter by the narrow gate.
For, he says,
this is the reason he gives,
for the gate is wide
and the way is easy
that leads to destruction.
For the gate is narrow
and the way is hard
that leads to life.
Jesus is here speaking
of eternal destruction
and eternal life
as we can see
in the following verses.
These two stark choices
that Jesus offers us,
there's no way around them.
These are not two ways
that take different routes
to get to the same destination.
No, they inevitably,
unavoidably lead
to two very different destinations,
either to eternal life
or to eternal destruction.
There is no third way
on this spiritual pilgrimage.
We are either on the way to hell
or on the way to heaven.
We are either with Christ
or against him.
Indecision is a decision
because if you do not heed
Jesus' command
to enter by the narrow gate,
you are already at the wide gate
and the broad way
that leads to destruction.
It's keeping in view
this ultimate destination
that enables us to persevere
in the hard and narrow way
when it's frankly hard.
The people of this world
might on the surface
look like they're really
enjoying themselves
on that broad way
and the easy way.
Maybe they are doing cartwheels
and somersaults
along that 10-lane highway path.
They don't have to fight greed.
They can acquire and acquire
and acquire and get as much
as you want
and spend on everything
that you want,
that you want on luxuries
and the finer things in life.
They don't have to worry
about chastity or purity.
They can sleep around
with as many partners
as they want,
have sex with whoever
they want.
They can drink,
they can gamble,
they can wield great power
and abuse it
and by getting that power
and exercising authority
they could earn
the praises
and the admirations
of the people of this world.
But in the end,
where does it lead?
It leads to death,
to destruction,
to eternal damnation.
in contrast,
we who are on the hard
and narrow way,
we are wasting away outwardly,
being persecuted,
reviled.
But it says,
in 2 Corinthians 4,
16-18,
we are being inwardly,
we are being renewed
day by day
for this light,
momentary affliction
is preparing for us
an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison
as we look not to the things
that are seen
but to the things
that are unseen
for the things that are seen
are transient
but things that are unseen
are eternal.
That's the first vignette
or the image
that the metaphor Jesus shares.
The second type of people
that Jesus mentions
in verse 15-20
are the imposters.
So not all who are
on the broad way
are aware
that they are non-Christians.
So these people
are those who
pretend to be Christians.
Verse 15 says,
Beware of false prophets
who come to you
in sheep's clothing
but inwardly
are ravenous wolves.
These people look like sheep.
They come in sheep's clothing.
They know how to pass
as Christians.
They know Christian jargon.
They know the Christian subculture.
They can quote scripture
and appear pious and godly.
They are invariably
quite nice
and they are winsome
and persuasive
as charlatans tend to be.
They may for this reason
even be widely respected
within the church
and among Christians
as leaders
and as prophets of the Lord.
And it's precisely
because of their deceptive powers
that Jesus warns us,
Beware of false prophets.
But how then
can we tell these impostors
apart from true Christians?
Jesus tells us
in verses 16 to 20,
You will recognize them
by their fruits.
Our grapes gather
from thorn bushes
or figs from thistles.
So every healthy tree
bears good fruit
but the diseased tree
bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree
cannot bear bad fruit
nor can a diseased tree
bear good fruit.
Every tree
that does not bear good fruit
is cut down
and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them
by their fruits.
Twice Jesus says
you will recognize them
by their fruits.
The main point
of this metaphor
is pretty straightforward, right?
Most of us
live in the city.
I mean,
we're all here in Boston
and maybe we don't know
trees very well
and shrubs very well.
It might be
only a few of us
probably can look
at trees and bushes
and recognize them
by their leaves
and trunks
and branches.
You know,
but all of us
no matter how dull
we are
can recognize trees
by their fruit, right?
When there's an apple
on a tree,
that's an apple tree.
When there's blueberries
on a bush,
that's a blueberry bush.
Likewise,
we know how to tell
a diseased tree
or a healthy tree
by looking at their fruit.
If a vine
produces juicy
and plump
and sweet grapes,
then we know,
oh,
this is a healthy vine.
But if a vine
produces this
shriveled up
and sour grapes,
then you know
that there's something
wrong with the vine.
It's a diseased tree.
But when it comes
to applying
this self-evident principle
to people,
what exactly
are the fruits
that we're looking for?
Remember that
in Matthew 7,
7 to 27,
here in this
large passage,
there is an emphasis
on doing the will
of the Father
in heaven.
Are these
so-called prophets
doing the will
of the Father
in heaven?
Are they doing
to others
what they wish
they would do
to them?
In Jeremiah,
the Lord God
condemns
the false prophets
who are committing adultery,
who are strengthening
the hands of the wicked
so that there is
no justice
in the land.
Definitely one of the things
in view here
are false prophets
who live falsely,
who undo
the word of God
by the works
that they do.
That's one aspect of it.
However,
I think there is
a situation
that is even more
prominently
in Jesus' mind
when he warns
of false prophets here.
Because what prophets
are primarily known for
are not their works,
but their words.
what they say,
and they are called
false prophets
when they prophesy
falsely,
a message that God
has not given them,
but they relay it
as a message
of the Lord.
And whenever Jesus
uses the example
of the metaphor
of trees
and their fruits,
he seems to emphasize
the fruit of our lips,
what we say,
our speech.
You can see this
in multiple places
in the gospel.
If you go to
Matthew chapter 12,
verse 33 to 37,
Jesus says,
either make the tree good
and its fruit good,
or make the tree bad
and its fruit bad.
For the tree
is known by its fruit.
You brood of vipers,
how can you speak good
when you are evil?
For out of the abundance
of the heart
the mouth speaks.
The good person
out of his good treasure
brings forth good,
and the evil person
out of his evil treasure
brings forth evil.
I tell you,
on the day of judgment,
people will give account
for every careless word
they speak.
For by your words,
you will be justified,
and by your words,
you will be condemned.
Similarly,
in Luke chapter 6,
verse 43 to 45,
Jesus says,
for no good tree
bears bad fruit,
nor again does a bad tree
bear good fruit.
For each tree
is known by its own fruit.
For figs are not gathered
from thorn bushes,
nor are graves picked
from a bramble bush.
The good person
out of the good treasure
of his heart
produces good,
and the evil person
out of his evil treasure
produces evil.
For out of the abundance
of the heart,
his mouth speaks.
Again,
whenever Jesus uses metaphor,
he seems to focus
on our speech
and the things
that we say
and the things
that we teach.
Earlier in Matthew 5,
17 to 20,
when he was speaking
about how he came
to fulfill the law
and the prophets,
he said,
not only those
who relax the least
of these commandments,
but also those
who teach others
to do the same,
those who teach others
to relax God's commands,
teach others
to break his commands,
will be held accountable
to God.
I think that's primarily
what God has in view here.
I refer you again
to the image
of the false prophet,
the second beast,
in Revelation chapter 19,
or chapter 12, 11, sorry,
where this false prophet,
the second beast,
is described
as looking like a lamb
but speaking like a dragon.
That's how you recognize
a false prophet,
by their speech.
In what ways
do they reveal
that they are false prophets
by what they say?
It's the same thing
that false prophets
have always said.
In Jeremiah 6, verse 14,
God denounces
these false prophets
saying,
they have healed
the wound of my people
lightly,
saying,
peace, peace,
when there is no peace.
Jeremiah was prophesying
sword and famine
to the people of Israel
because of their idolatry
and their adultery,
spiritual adultery
and unfaithfulness to God.
Sword is coming,
war is coming,
famine is coming,
but then there was
this whole host
of false prophets
who were telling
the Israelites,
oh, don't worry,
peace, peace,
you will have peace.
And God denounces them
for saying,
peace, peace,
when there is no peace,
healing the wounds
of my people lightly.
They were promising
these sinners
cheap grace,
peace without repentance.
They were dismissing Jeremiah,
saying,
well, Jeremiah,
you know him.
He's always a Debbie Downer.
He's always been.
He's harsh,
narrow-minded,
a theological snob,
a legalistic Pharisee.
Don't listen to him.
He understands nothing
of the wideness
of God's grace,
the broadness
of God's love.
God's love.
In other words,
these false prophets
preached a gospel
without a narrow gate
and a hard road.
they preached pleasant
and unoffensive messages
that appealed
to the sinful natural man.
When pressed,
these false prophets
might concede
that sin is real,
but they certainly
don't like to talk about it.
They make light of sin.
They heal the wounds
of the people lightly,
putting a little band-aid
on skin cancer,
prescribing some antacids
for someone
who's experiencing
heart failure,
saying peace, peace
when there is no peace.
D. Martyn L. Jones
concurs.
He says,
the false prophet
very rarely tells you
anything about
the holiness,
the righteousness,
the justice,
and the wrath of God.
He generally emphasizes
one truth about God only,
and that is love.
He does not mention
the other truths
that are equally prominent
in the scriptures,
and that is where
the danger lies.
I believe such false prophets
and false teachers
are even more dangerous
than the overt opponents
and persecutors
of the church,
because when you have
these persecutors
of the church
from without,
it's obvious
that they are there,
and we can prepare ourselves
and defend ourselves,
but with the wolves
in sheep's clothing,
it's harder to recognize them,
and they destroy the church
from within
and ravage the people of God,
the sheep of God's pasture.
But the imposters
will all one day
be exposed by God,
and it says,
every tree that does not
bear good fruit
will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So that's the second kind
of people.
The third kind of people
Jesus warns us about here
are the hypocrites,
the deluded.
Jesus is bringing
this comparison
even closer to home.
There are people
who are really convinced
that they belong
in the kingdom of heaven,
but in fact,
they don't.
Jesus says in verse 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.
Jesus is speaking
of those who confess
him as Lord,
which we are supposed
to do that.
He's not saying,
don't worry about
confessing Jesus is Lord.
He says,
not everyone who confesses
Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom
of heaven,
but no one who does
not confesses
Jesus is Lord
will enter the kingdom
of heaven.
That's true too.
So we are supposed
to confess him,
but that confession
itself isn't enough.
What does it say
in Romans 10?
You must confess
with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord
and you must believe
in your heart
that God has raised
him from the dead.
These people don't
actually fully trust him,
believe in Jesus.
They don't have
a personal relationship
with Jesus.
So Jesus says of them,
I never knew you
in verse 23.
They are the hypocrites
that Jesus announces
in Matthew 15 verse 8
who honor God
with their lips
while their hearts
are far from him.
James 2 also speaks
of such people,
the people who claim
to have faith
but who had no good works
to accompany
their so-called faith.
James 2 19 says,
you believe that God
is one,
you do well.
Even the demons
believe and shudder.
A mere cognitive belief,
intellectual assent
that God exists
and that he is one
is insufficient.
That kind of faith,
even demons have it.
They believe that God exists.
Later in Matthew 8 verse 29,
the demons will address Jesus
as, oh son of God.
But do these demons
have saving faith?
Of course not.
That is,
that confession,
oh son of God
from the demons
is light years apart
from the confession
of Peter later on
in Matthew
when he says,
you are the Christ,
the son of the living God.
a mere acknowledgement
of Lord,
Lord confessing him
is insufficient.
It's those who do
the will of the Father
in heaven
who will enter
the kingdom of heaven.
But here's the sobering reality
and the reason why
this passage
has troubled the conscience
of many people
throughout history.
These hypocrites
are genuinely deluded.
they think
that they did
do the will of God
in heaven.
On the day of judgment
they will say to Jesus,
Lord, Lord,
did we not
prophesy in your name
and cast out demons
in your name
and do
many mighty deeds
in your name?
And there's no indication
in the text
that they're lying
or that they're being
misleading,
making misleading
grandiose claims.
No,
they sincerely believe
that they prophesied
and cast out demons
and that they did
mighty wonders.
Prophecy is a gift
of the Holy Spirit
as Ed mentioned earlier
in the service.
It's the gift
that God gives
to enable people
to receive messages
from God
and relay them
to others
to build up
the church of Christ.
However,
spiritual gifts
are natural gifts
sanctified,
consecrated
by the Holy Spirit.
So,
if I could use
some examples,
a university professor
who is very gifted
in teaching
might be converted
to Christianity
and now he has
a consecrated gift
of teaching
to build up
the church of Christ
through preaching,
perhaps.
Or,
there might be
a woman
who seems
to have
premonitions.
Even from a childhood,
she received visions
and has dreams.
when she's converted,
now those dreams
and visions
are also converted
in a sense.
They are sanctified
and consecrated
for the purposes
of God
and they use it
as a gift of prophecy
to build up the church.
The reason why
I mentioned
these examples
is to show
that a person
can prophesy
without being
a genuine Christian.
Perhaps the most
famous example
is Balaam
in Numbers 22-24.
The Lord
enables this
pagan seer
to prophesy
with striking
accuracy
and specificity
of the future.
And yet,
the Bible's
assessment of Balaam
is not good.
2 Peter 2-15
describes him
as someone
who loved
gain from wrongdoing.
Revelation 2-14,
Jesus himself
condemns those
in the church
of Pergamum
who hold
the teaching
of Balaam.
And Jesus
rejects Balaam
as someone
who put
a stumbling block
before the sons
of Israel
so that they
might eat food,
sacrifice to idols,
and practice
sexual immorality.
So it is possible
for unsaved,
unregenerate people
to do these kinds
of impressive deeds.
Not only that,
these people
have cast out demons.
In Matthew 12,
22-32,
when Jesus himself
casts out a demon,
the envious Pharisees
accuse him
of casting out demons
by the power
of the prince
of demons,
Beelzebul.
And Jesus
asks them
a question
to challenge them.
He says,
if I cast out demons
by Beelzebul,
by whom do
your sons
cast out demons?
Therefore,
they will be
your judges.
In other words,
Jesus is saying,
well,
why don't you go
ask your own
Jewish sons
who go around
and casting out demons
and see if they
can cast out demons
by demons
because that doesn't
make any sense.
Jesus is here
admitting that
there were
Jewish exorcists
who were casting
out demons.
That's what you see
in Acts 19,
13-16,
the sons of Sceva.
It's not as effective
as the Christians
who are indwelled
by the Spirit of God
and have the authority
of Christ behind them.
But nevertheless,
it can happen
in a limited way,
in some way.
And of course,
we see in Revelation
the false prophet,
the second beast
being empowered
by the devil
to do similar things,
although it's not
casting out their own demons.
They do other wonders
and signs.
This is still not all.
These people say
in verse 22,
did we not do
many mighty works
in your name?
That word do
is again the key word
that recurs
throughout this passage.
They're claiming
to have done
what Jesus says
that we must do
to do the will
of the Father in heaven.
We did it, Lord.
We were not hearers only,
we were doers.
Nevertheless,
Jesus declares,
I never knew you.
Depart from me,
you workers
of lawlessness.
Jesus is not saying
that he has never
heard of them.
Jesus is the omniscient,
risen,
and ascended Lord
and judge
of all the earth
in this scene.
He's speaking
rather of personal
relationship.
He's speaking
of election.
in the same way
God speaks of it
in Amos chapter 3,
verse 2,
referring to his people Israel.
You only have I known
among all the families
of the earth.
That doesn't mean
that God doesn't know
about any of the other
families and peoples
in the world.
It means that
you only have I chosen
as my people,
my own special possession.
That's what Jesus is saying.
I never knew you.
He means you never
belonged to me.
You were never
one of my people.
But how can that be
when these people
prophesied
and cast out demons
and did many mighty works
in Jesus' name?
Notice that Jesus calls them
workers of lawlessness.
They were hypocrites.
They did many
public impressive works
that were ostensibly
for God,
but they weren't really
doing it for him.
Because in other,
perhaps less visible
areas of their life,
they were workers
of lawlessness.
This reminds me
of Deuteronomy 13,
1 to 5,
where there's warnings
against false prophets.
He says,
If a prophet
or a dreamer
of dreams
rises among you
and gives you
a sign or a wonder,
and the sign or wonder
that he tells you
comes to pass,
and if he says,
Let us go after
other gods
which you have not known
and let us serve them,
you shall not listen
to the words
of that prophet
or that dreamer
of dreams.
For the Lord your God
is testing you
to know whether you
love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul.
You shall walk
after the Lord your God
and fear him
and keep his commandments
and obey his voice
and you shall serve him
and hold fast to him.
even if what this false
prophets say is true,
even if they do
signs and wonders,
if they then say,
Let's turn away
from the Lord,
that's a false prophet.
I think that's what
these self-deceived,
deluded people
were doing.
The obedience
that Jesus demands here
is not just
external acts.
Jesus is after our hearts.
Not just what we do,
but why we do
these things.
When you do your acts
of devotion
and service
and righteousness,
do you do those works
out of your personal
relationship with Jesus?
Are they expressions
of your wholehearted
love for him?
Maybe you love
debating theology
and the finer points
of theology.
You love charts
and cross-references
and you're greatly
stimulated by dissecting
the word of God.
But maybe you're not
a lover of Jesus.
You're a lover of logic
and argumentation
and literary analysis.
Maybe you love apologetics.
You love to engage
unbelievers with
the cosmological argument
or talk to them
about the credibility
and the reliability
and the historicity
of the scriptures.
But maybe more
than loving Jesus,
you love your intellect
and showcasing it
to others.
I'm not saying
that these activities
are bad in and of themselves.
They're good things
and we should do.
You should study theology.
You should learn apologetics,
but I'm trying to show you
how they can all go wrong
if our heart's not
in the right place.
Maybe you love to talk
about your devotional practices,
how much scripture
you've read
or memorized,
how much you've journaled,
how much you love God.
You're always trying
to produce tears
when you're talking
about God.
You want people to know
how genuine you are.
But what if your zeal
is misguided
and more than loving Jesus,
you love to show people
how much you love Jesus.
What if you're a pastor
or a missionary
and you have given your life
to building up the church?
You've worked yourself
haggard,
but in the end,
you're doing it for yourself.
You're gaining followers
after yourself.
What if ministry
was not a context
for loving and serving Jesus,
but was actually a pretext
for making much of yourself?
What if Jesus said
you could never preach again?
Would you still read your Bible?
What if Jesus said
that you could never
be a missionary?
Would you still evangelize
the lost around you?
What is so alarming
about this passage
is that Jesus says
in verse 22,
on that day,
many will say to me,
Lord, Lord,
but then I will declare
to them I never knew you.
The word many here
matches the many
who enter the wide gate
and the broad way
that leads to destruction.
It's not few
who are self-deceived.
It's many
who are self-deceived.
And this reality
should make all of us
examine ourselves
for all that we are doing
to serve the Lord.
Do we have a personal
relationship with Jesus?
If all your titles
and positions
and reputations
and ministries
were stripped from you,
would you still love God
with all of your heart?
The final vignette
in verses 24 to 27
summarizes this whole passage
and brings it to a close.
Everyone who then
hears these words of mine
and does them
will be like a wise man
who built his house
on the rock.
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.
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.
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.
This is a particularly
hard-hitting passage
in light of the recent
flash floods
along the Guadalupe River
in Texas.
Maybe some of you guys
have seen videos,
literal houses
floating down the river
that's swelling up,
destroying people's lives.
This also happened
in this arid area,
part of the world
that Jesus is preaching in
and Jesus is warning
against that.
And notice that
the two builders,
they build houses
that probably look
very much the same.
There's no indication
that they're radically
different houses.
They look the same
on the surface.
This is what I call
the dabblers,
the dilettantes,
the people who
go in and out of church,
people who've heard sermons
and know how to say
Christian things,
people who give
the appearance
that they are Christians.
Yet, fundamentally,
there's something amiss
because they did not
build their house
on the rock.
They did not build
their house
on submission to Christ
and obedience
to his commands.
Rather, they started
without the foundation
and built to show
what appears
to other people
to be a house.
instead of starting
with humbling oneself
before God
and before Jesus.
I do want you all
to hear these things
and examine yourselves
as I did,
but I also don't want you
to go back home
with despair
if you are a genuine
follower of Christ,
which I suspect
most of you are.
I was reading
a chapter
in the sermon,
Studies in the Sermon
on the Mount
by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones
on this chapter,
and he was
mentioning a preacher
named Robert Murray
McShane,
and he said
that this preacher
walked so intimately
and personally
with God
and was so full
of the Spirit
that people
who in the audience
who heard him preach
said that when he came
to preach at the pulpit
that people would start
weeping right away
because they sensed
that this man
came straight
from an audience
with the living God.
And I read that
and I wept.
And I wept.
If I could be
a preacher like that.
How many times
when I should have
shut my mouth,
blabbered
to make myself
look good
instead of trying
to make Christ
look good.
If you are being
convicted
by the sermon,
I want to
leave you
with this
hope
because as Jesus
goes through
the sermon,
he makes an interesting
and suggestive
shift.
He says
in verses
21 to 23,
not everyone
who says to me,
Lord, Lord,
will enter
the kingdom of heaven.
Notice he said,
not everyone
who says to me,
not everyone
who says to God,
not the Father.
This is the first time
in Matthew
when Jesus calls
himself Lord.
The Lord,
Lord.
And then
look at verse 24
when he says,
everyone then
who hears
these words
of mine
and does them
will be
like wise men
who built his house
on the rock.
He doesn't say here
everyone who does
the words of the Father,
the will of the Father
as he said
in the previous passage.
No, he says
these words of mine.
Jesus is putting
himself in
the very place
of the living God
because he is
the son of God.
And he's doing this
because he knows
what he's going
to accomplish
on the behalf
of his people
by going to the cross
and dying for the sins
of people
to save them
and to make a way
for them
to go to the kingdom
of heaven.
And that's what
we read about
in John 10
that Ed mentioned
in the assurance
of pardon
in our service.
What is
the narrow gate
that leads
to the kingdom
of heaven?
Jesus says
in John 10
verse 7
truly truly
I say to you
I am
the door
of the sheep.
And he says
I am
the good shepherd
I know my own
and my own
know me.
I laid out
my life
for the sheep.
That's what
Jesus did
for us.
He doesn't just
point to a way
and say
well that's a really
hard way
but you have
to make it.
You have to
get through there.
You have to
squeeze in somehow.
You need to
push a little harder.
No Jesus says
I am
the way.
In John 14
6
I am
the way
the truth
and the life.
I am
the door.
Jesus says
in John 14
6
John 15
5
I am
the vine.
Whoever
abides in me
and I
in him
he it is
that bears
fruit.
1 Corinthians
10
tells us
Jesus
is
the rock.
1 Corinthians
3
says
that there
is no
other
foundation
upon
which
we
can
build
but
Jesus
Christ.
So
all these
things
if we
go back
from this
passage
and say
you know
what
I just
need to
kick
myself
a little
more
be a little
harder
on myself
and work
a little
hard
and push
harder
and do
it
do it
and I'm
going to
make it
I promise
you
you will
not
make it.
It's
too hard.
The gate
is too
narrow.
The way
is too
hard.
You
will
not
make
it.
But if
you go
now
and hear
Jesus
say
I
am
the
door
I
am
the
way
I
am
the
tree
the
vine
in
which
you
can
derive
nourishment
from
I
am
the
rock
upon
you
should
build
it's
not
about
just
here's
what
you
need
to
do
here's
a
list
of
things
go
do
it
Jesus
says
no
I
am
the
way
come
to
me
come
to
me
and
believe
in
me
come
to
me
that
I
died
for you
on the
cross
for your
sins
and was
raised
from the
dead
so you
might
have
eternal
life
come
to
me
so you
might
be
one
with
me
so you
might
live
with
me
and have
fellowship
with
me
that I
might
come
and live
inside
you
and dwell
in
you
so
my
spirit
might
empower
you
that's
the
hope
of
the
gospel
so
let's
cling
to
that
together
let's
pray
yes
father
thank you
for sending
your only
son
Jesus
Christ
to
be
the
way
that
we
need
it
Lord
for
there
is
no
other
way
Lord
many
of us
in this
room
have
tried
we've
tried
these
other
ways
they
don't
work
they
don't
lead
us
to
you
they
don't
lead
us
to
the
kingdom
of
heaven
but
Lord
we
confess
and
we
worship
you
because
of
this
that
Jesus
is
the
way
the
truth
and
the
life
and
because
of
him
we
have
a
pathway
to
you
we
have
been
reconciled
to
you
Lord
help
us
to
cling
to
this
truth
so
that
we
might
be
able
to
persevere
till
the
very
end
in
Jesus
name
we
pray
amen