WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.660 Matthew 7, verse 13 to 29. 00:00:06.679 --> 00:00:10.740 I'm speaking in the summer at a conference, and I'm on the last night of the conference. 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:15.300 ! It's a Welsh conference, there were loads of people at the wedding yesterday from Wales, 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:20.440 ! And they kept saying to me, you need to send them home singing, whatever that means, at the 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:25.039 end of a week. I think what they mean is the sermon at the end needs to uplift them and 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:29.980 encourage people and send them home singing. It's a good way to end a sermon like that. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.159 Isn't it? In an upbeat kind of way. To give something positive. Kind of pizzazz to it. 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:44.259 Something that lifts you up, harries you up, and keeps you going through the week. That 00:00:44.259 --> 00:00:49.100 is what Jesus does though, is it? I'm at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. What does Jesus 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:57.960 do? Jesus gives you this solemn and extended, serious appeal. And in fact, it's somewhat 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:03.859 frightening at the end of the Sermon. You see, Jesus is at this point in our text, kind 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:11.680 of concluding the so-called Sermon on the Mount. His instructions from 5.17 to 7.12. And now, 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:19.099 what Jesus does is he presses it on your conscience and on mine. And he applies it. And he gets 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:25.439 so solemn and so serious. And so serious is the issue. You notice that he brings up the issue 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:33.939 of judgment. And he brings up the issue of destiny a number of times. So look at verse 13. He speaks 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:43.759 about destruction versus life. In verse 19, he speaks about a tree that is cut down and is cast into the 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:51.719 fire. In verse 23. He says to people, I never knew you'd get away from me. And then in verse 00:01:51.719 --> 00:02:00.540 27, you have this house collapsing. And it's so serious about the ultimate end. And it's so 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:07.240 possible that we can deceive ourselves about whether we're truly in the kingdom of God or not. 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:17.900 so easy. And so urgent that Jesus teaches us this morning to test whether we are a genuine 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:25.919 disciple of the Lord Jesus. And he presses it upon you. And you want to say, Jesus, if you 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:31.199 want to end a sermon, this isn't the way to end it. This isn't the way to send people home 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:35.859 singing. But since Jesus did end it in this way, we've got to take the time to listen to 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:40.760 what he should not have said, haven't we? So what does he do? Four things. First of all, 00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:46.580 he confronts you with the way that you must follow. He confronts you with the way that 00:02:46.580 --> 00:02:54.980 you must follow. Look at verse 13. He says, enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide 00:02:54.980 --> 00:03:01.220 and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who go down that way of destruction, 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:06.359 they are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And those 00:03:06.359 --> 00:03:14.460 who find it are few. The way that you must follow Jesus is so candid. The Lord Jesus never 00:03:14.460 --> 00:03:21.419 holds anything back. He tells you what you need to know. He never deceives you. He comes 00:03:21.419 --> 00:03:24.400 straight out of it. And he says, if you want to enter the kingdom of God, if you want to be 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:29.920 Christian, it will be tough. He does not appeal to you and say the Christian faith, the Christian 00:03:29.920 --> 00:03:36.520 life is a wonderful and exciting thing. And I have a wonderful plan for your life. And 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:42.500 I want you to join me in this adventure. That's never the way the gospel is presented. There 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:47.480 may be some truth in that, but that's not what he says. He says, the gate is narrow. The way 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:55.479 is confined. Don't admire it. Don't consider it. Enter it. But you see how he presses this 00:03:55.479 --> 00:03:59.939 on us and the point he makes. He presents the way that we must follow. And it's not just 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:07.560 an entrance. It's not just a gate. Can you see that? It's a way. It's a pilgrimage. It 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:15.399 is a road that is narrow and confined. And he says it will be difficult. In fact, the word 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:21.120 that he talks about in verse 14, how confined is the way, is the root word in the Bible from 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:28.840 which we get the word affliction. It means to press in. It means to be restricted. It means 00:04:28.840 --> 00:04:38.160 to bring something into bounds. It means to put pressure on it. And so this word that is 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:44.360 sometimes translated as affliction, it may be that Jesus means to imply what Paul and Barnabas 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:50.360 said to those Christians in Acts 14. He says, through many afflictions, you may enter the 00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:56.000 kingdom of God. He may be telling us that this way that you enter is a narrow way and it's a way 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:01.500 of suffering and affliction and distress and difficulty. And he doesn't hide that from you. 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:07.060 Perhaps part of the difficulty is unpopularity. 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:17.060 But there's another way, isn't there? There's another gate. A broad gate. A wise gate and a broad way. 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:29.300 And there are going to be many that go on that path. And he is saying, I don't want you, as one writer 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:34.480 says, I don't want you to be part of a great herd. I want you to be part of a little flock. 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:41.860 And so I want you to go in by the narrow gate. But if you go into the narrow gate of the kingdom 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:45.819 of heaven, it won't be a popular thing to do. You will be going against the grain. 00:05:47.520 --> 00:05:54.120 And we have a culture, don't we? And a whole society that says you just go along with things. 00:05:55.280 --> 00:06:03.000 You go along with the flow. You just don't stand out. And that is the culture, particularly, 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:10.900 in which we live. You can be an individual. You can be who you are and whoever you want to be. 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:15.959 As long as you agree with everybody else. You've got to go along with the flow. 00:06:17.299 --> 00:06:21.079 And Jesus is saying, no, no, no, you've got to go against the wind. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:25.519 And it's a difficult way. And it's not a popular way. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.159 And he wants you to know the way that you must follow. 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:33.699 And that's true, isn't it? 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:37.859 That you will meet that, if you are a Christian, you will know that 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:43.699 to stand out and to stand apart and to go against the flow is difficult and it is hard. 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:48.600 And every single one of us who's seeking to live for the Lord Jesus will find that, 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.460 whether you're in school or college or work or at home. 00:06:53.780 --> 00:06:55.020 You might say, well, what do you know? You're a minister. 00:06:56.400 --> 00:06:57.800 And I want to say, actually, I know it every week. 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:04.960 Because the thing that I get tired most in doing week by week is having to make decisions that I know will displease you. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.580 Of having to tell someone what I wish that I didn't have to tell them. 00:07:12.460 --> 00:07:16.500 And so the Christian life is a life of sometimes having to take the unpopular way. 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:22.560 And as you seek to follow Christ, you will find it again and again and again that that is the way. 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:23.480 That is the walk. 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:29.839 And our job as Christians is to encourage one another in this and not to excuse one another out of it. 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:33.060 The way that you must frequently follow. 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:39.139 Secondly, Jesus impresses us and confronts us with the vigilance that you must exercise. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:41.180 The vigilance that you must exercise. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:42.579 That's from verses 15 to 20. 00:07:42.579 --> 00:07:51.699 Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 00:07:53.259 --> 00:08:00.979 And he is warning his disciples about people who teach a version of Christianity, but it is false. 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:08.120 You will always have teachers and false teachers as well. 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:15.639 And the problem is, Jesus is saying, he is saying they are so subtle that you can't tell them from their manner. 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:20.699 But these teachers, they seem really sound and spiritual. 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:28.860 And as fervent as they may be, they seem to have the voice of authority and certainty in the way that they speak and so on. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.620 And it's hard to tell them apart. 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:33.799 But they seem to be part of the flock. 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:34.980 They seem to be genuine. 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:38.080 It's very difficult to detect. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:47.100 In 1943, the British were jamming some of the radar and interfering with some of the radar of the Germans. 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:51.700 And so with some of their communications to their fighter pilots, 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:55.680 the Germans had to make use of a radio telephone mechanism. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:59.559 And they would use that to give their fighter pilots instruction. 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:06.479 And it somehow happened that the British discovered what that frequency was of that radio telephone. 00:09:07.479 --> 00:09:09.059 And they managed to hook into it. 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:17.620 And they set up a powerful station in which British men could actually speak into the radar of the German planes. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.799 British men who spoke fluent idiomatic German. 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:26.879 They could listen to the German controllers who were talking to the fighter pilots. 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:28.699 And they learnt their accents. 00:09:28.859 --> 00:09:31.379 And they could begin to imitate them and their verbal text. 00:09:32.359 --> 00:09:33.199 And they listened to them. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.479 And they got to the point where they could even imitate the inflections of the German controllers. 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:42.859 It was a night when British raids were on a German city. 00:09:43.199 --> 00:09:46.219 And the German controller was talking to his fighter pilots. 00:09:46.959 --> 00:09:48.419 And he was trying to give them instructions. 00:09:48.419 --> 00:09:54.639 And he said to them, he knew that there were ghost voices, he called them. 00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:59.639 That is the British who were giving German instructions to the German pilots. 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:01.579 And throwing them off and confusing them. 00:10:02.219 --> 00:10:06.199 And so the German controller shouted, beware of ghost voices. 00:10:06.579 --> 00:10:09.039 Beware of being led astray by the enemy. 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.599 And at one point, one of the German controllers let out with a burst of profanity. 00:10:13.719 --> 00:10:14.980 He started swearing and so on. 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:22.000 The British ghost voice in perfect German said, the Englishman is swearing. 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:27.300 The German controller got so angry and said, it is not the Englishman swearing. 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:28.440 It is me swearing. 00:10:29.420 --> 00:10:33.100 And he got so confused that the German pilots began shouting at one another. 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:35.759 And casting abuse at one another. 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:37.060 Because who do you follow? 00:10:37.259 --> 00:10:38.259 Who's the real German? 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:41.480 When it all sounds the same. 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:42.340 Who are you going to follow? 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:44.759 Who are you going to listen to? 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:45.860 How are you going to know? 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:49.799 And that is the situation Jesus says in the church. 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:53.120 You're going to have false prophets and false teachers. 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:54.319 And how are you going to know? 00:10:55.819 --> 00:10:57.639 You won't be able to tell from their mere manner. 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:00.659 How will you be able to discern them? 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:04.279 And Jesus in light of this gives us criteria. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:06.459 You've got that criteria in verse 16 to 20. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:08.620 He says, by your fruits you will know them. 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:13.860 The principle is this. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.519 He says, in time, your character will become known. 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:20.000 Their character will become known. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:24.019 What you are will be shown by the fruit that you bear. 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:29.240 Fruit will inevitably disclose character in time. 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:31.980 Jesus puts it in this way, doesn't he? 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:32.620 Verse 17. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:34.500 He says, every healthy tree bears good fruit. 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:36.820 But the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:39.379 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit. 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:41.639 Nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:45.399 It's really obvious, isn't it? 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:46.139 Really simple illustration. 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:47.560 Bad tree, bad fruit. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:49.259 Good tree, good fruit. 00:11:50.820 --> 00:11:53.279 You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. 00:11:55.560 --> 00:11:58.279 You can tell whether it's healthy and sound and good. 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:04.500 On the other hand, if a tree doesn't produce good fruit, you can tell that the tree is defective. 00:12:06.339 --> 00:12:09.699 You can tell from the evidence what the inner condition is. 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:15.899 Thomas Boston, the Puritan pastor, put it this way. 00:12:15.959 --> 00:12:19.360 He says, he puts a little bit of a different twist on it, but the same basic idea. 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:20.439 He says, you look at the trees. 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:21.579 You look at the trees in wintertime. 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:25.259 Trees in wintertime, they've got no leaves, have they? 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:26.020 They're bare. 00:12:26.660 --> 00:12:27.360 They're barren. 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:33.440 But once the spring starts to come, you begin to see, don't you, buds and leaves. 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:36.360 And you can tell what's a living tree from a dead tree. 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:39.340 You do it by evidence. 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:40.860 And that's what Jesus is saying here. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.480 And so here is the vigilance you must use. 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:46.960 You must judge them by their fruits. 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:49.159 And what are the fruits of various false teachers? 00:12:52.680 --> 00:12:53.659 What is their teaching? 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:56.340 What is the fruit? 00:12:56.420 --> 00:12:57.659 Well, one fruit is this. 00:12:57.759 --> 00:12:59.279 What are they teaching about Jesus Christ? 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:02.500 You ask a very simple question, isn't it? 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:05.120 Who is Jesus of Nazareth? 00:13:06.379 --> 00:13:07.759 And what do you say about him? 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:18.179 And if they hedge a little bit, you press them and you say to them, do you believe, as John taught us, that Jesus is God in human flesh? 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:21.179 You can tell a lot whether they're a true teacher or not from that. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:24.120 Or what's your view on God? 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.899 You get behind the kind of come on lines. 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:34.840 Another way that you test false teachers is, you see, does their teaching produce strife and confusion? 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:37.620 You've got to be careful. 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:44.399 We know that the truth is going to make people upset and unhappy and it will arouse opposition. 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:45.480 It will frequently do that. 00:13:46.259 --> 00:13:51.240 But you have to realise that teaching that is false and false teaching will disturb churches. 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:53.720 And it will cause strife. 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:56.819 And it will cause confusion amongst false people. 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:02.459 Another thing is this whole idea of servitude, if I can put it like that. 00:14:03.259 --> 00:14:05.039 And that's far more likely in a church like ours. 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:09.439 That you have some teacher which you really appreciate. 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:16.039 And there comes a certain point in maybe that movement where they demand a certain loyalty from you. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.939 It can happen with ministers who've been there a long, long time. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.220 And suddenly there are those who are loyal and those who are not. 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:30.779 And if you're not loyal to their teacher, your discipleship is somewhat suspect. 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:38.480 And if you don't pledge your loyalty to them, or your devotion to them as a person, you need to really watch that. 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:49.720 Anyone who tries to steal your devotion and pull you away and places themselves almost above the Lord Jesus is a false teacher. 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:50.860 And you've got to recognise that. 00:14:52.300 --> 00:14:53.600 It's a matter of sexual immorality. 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:54.700 It's in 2 Peter 2. 00:14:55.540 --> 00:15:03.399 One of the marks of false teachers, not always, but frequently, is their lives are marked by sexual immorality. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.779 And not just their lives. 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:10.220 That doesn't necessarily say that somebody's a false prophet in itself. 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:13.180 Because many people, people like you and I can fall like that. 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:19.360 But frequently in their teaching, they will weave into it various kinds of false teaching. 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:23.160 They will call good evil and evil good. 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:29.580 And it will be a kind of justification for a sexually immoral life. 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:32.779 They'll make it part of the bag, if you like. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:34.860 It's a mark of false teachers. 00:15:34.860 --> 00:15:37.899 And then there's a matter of grief, isn't there? 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:39.180 Of covetousness and money. 00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:43.800 I'm not saying that every appeal for funds necessarily means you're a false teacher. 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:45.919 I want you to give generously to Getham in two weeks. 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:52.019 But a false teacher is primarily concerned, isn't he, with money. 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:53.200 With your gifts. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:54.240 What you'll give. 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:55.100 And your finances. 00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:57.879 And that is some of the marks of a false teacher. 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:01.460 You've got to be vigilant. 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:06.040 And the people who are most susceptible to false teachers. 00:16:06.980 --> 00:16:08.460 Are people who are nominal Christians. 00:16:09.780 --> 00:16:11.400 People who sit in churches like this. 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:14.340 Whether it's a Presbyterian church, or an Anglican church, or a Baptist church. 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:18.720 And they've never really taken the time to get themselves into the Bible. 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:22.060 And so as a result, they're not well grounded. 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:24.920 And they are the ones who are sucked in by false teaching. 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:29.759 And they can't detect when it's off beam. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:32.740 Because they've never been aware of the truth. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:36.039 And so you must be vigilant, Jesus says. 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:38.000 Because the stakes are so high. 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:39.460 Look at verses 13 and 14. 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:43.899 The stakes are so high because it is death or life. 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:45.360 It is destruction or life. 00:16:47.539 --> 00:16:48.679 And that's why it's so important. 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:54.259 Thirdly, Jesus confronts us with the shock that you must face. 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:56.939 The shock that you must face. 00:16:57.019 --> 00:17:01.319 Verses 21 to 23 are the most terrifying verses in the New Testament. 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:07.500 He says to us, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. 00:17:07.660 --> 00:17:09.160 That is the tagline, isn't it? 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:11.980 Of someone who's an evangelical. 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:13.220 Lord, Lord. 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:18.119 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:22.139 And you might say as you read those verses. 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:25.659 Yeah, Jesus is making a distinction, isn't he, between those who speak with their mouths. 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:29.299 Those who kind of have merely words of commitment. 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:32.139 And those who really do in his father's will. 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:37.899 He's making a distinction between those who speak with their mouths and their actions. 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:39.019 But that isn't the distinction. 00:17:39.179 --> 00:17:39.839 That's not right. 00:17:41.979 --> 00:17:43.599 David verse 22 explains it there. 00:17:43.679 --> 00:17:45.419 He says, on that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord. 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:46.340 Did we not prophesy? 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:47.640 Did we not speak in your name? 00:17:48.300 --> 00:17:50.160 And did we not cast out demons in your name? 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:52.840 And didn't we do many mighty works in your name? 00:17:54.800 --> 00:17:57.740 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:58.980 Get away from me. 00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:00.460 You workers of lawlessness. 00:18:02.360 --> 00:18:03.820 Can you just notice a couple of things with me? 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:05.300 Verse 22, look at how it starts. 00:18:06.580 --> 00:18:07.940 Jesus says, on that day. 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:18.320 I love the way Jesus assumes to himself that he is the judge of men and women on the last day. 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:19.580 Can you see that claim? 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:24.000 You don't always have to have an overt claim of authority. 00:18:24.320 --> 00:18:26.299 You don't need Jesus to say, I am the judge. 00:18:26.340 --> 00:18:28.039 Look at what he says in verse 22. 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:28.860 On that day. 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:30.519 Sometimes he just assumes it. 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:34.360 This is the man who will judge the living and the dead. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:36.259 Back in 1731. 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:41.500 And Jesus says, many will say to me, on that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:43.660 And didn't we cast out demons in your name? 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.079 Didn't we do many mighty works in that name? 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:48.240 And he'll say, get away from me. 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:49.279 I don't know who you are. 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:50.619 You workers of evil. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.539 But I want you to see in verse 22. 00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:57.680 They had done something, hadn't they? 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:00.440 It wasn't merely words. 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:01.619 It wasn't just talk. 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:03.000 They prophesied. 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:04.200 They cast out demons. 00:19:04.379 --> 00:19:05.259 They done mighty works. 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:07.400 If I can call it a successful ministry. 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:11.059 They had a successful ministry. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:12.779 They were gifted speakers. 00:19:13.879 --> 00:19:16.279 And yet they had no part in Jesus Christ. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:20.619 There's something phony, isn't there? 00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:30.219 It's like when you go to a rugby game and they've kind of put the crowd noise through the PA. 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:32.699 You can't understand it. 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:34.019 And you're there. 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:36.779 And the noise is great, but the atmosphere is rubbish. 00:19:37.979 --> 00:19:39.939 And it's because it's kind of a fake atmosphere. 00:19:40.139 --> 00:19:41.199 It's like Milli Vanilli. 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:43.779 Do you remember Milli Vanilli? 00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:44.079 Do you remember? 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:46.220 And they'd sing, didn't they? 00:19:46.299 --> 00:19:47.879 But they were lip syncing. 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:48.619 It wasn't right. 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:49.660 Or Boney M, wasn't it? 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:51.839 The black guy in Boney M wasn't really singing. 00:19:52.379 --> 00:19:53.639 Some Scandinavian guy. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:54.799 You didn't know that. 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.619 And so, there was just something phony about it. 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:00.599 Something not real. 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:05.439 Well, I never spotted that about Milli Vanilli or Boney M, did we? 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:07.759 Just enjoyed their quality music. 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:10.059 And you don't spot it. 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:17.199 And Jesus says to see in verse 22, there's going to be many, many deceived on that day. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:23.359 Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we preach sermons in your name? 00:20:23.639 --> 00:20:25.179 Didn't we lead Bible studies in your name? 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:26.240 Didn't we run the youth group? 00:20:27.399 --> 00:20:28.839 Didn't I teach Sunday school in your name? 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:30.299 Was there an elder in your name? 00:20:31.439 --> 00:20:32.539 I saved a month's diaconate. 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:33.899 I brought meals to people. 00:20:36.299 --> 00:20:38.000 And he will confess, I don't know who you are. 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:44.599 It's where we put our confidence, isn't it? 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:46.939 Do we put our confidence in our kind of Christian record of achievement? 00:20:48.699 --> 00:20:50.059 And Jesus says it won't wash. 00:20:52.379 --> 00:20:53.899 What does Jesus say is considered? 00:20:54.119 --> 00:20:56.039 It's not those who say, Lord, Lord. 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:58.579 Not those who've got the evangelical language. 00:20:58.579 --> 00:21:02.039 But the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:06.680 What's the will of his Father in heaven? 00:21:06.940 --> 00:21:08.339 What is the will of his Father in heaven? 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:10.059 It's really simple. 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.200 It's a Sermon on the Mount. 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:14.759 It's what we've looked at for the last couple of months. 00:21:14.879 --> 00:21:16.299 It's next from chapter 5, verse 17. 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:19.139 The will of my Father in heaven. 00:21:19.139 --> 00:21:28.119 It's the one who believes in the miracle of kind of casting out anger in his relationships with others. 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:33.720 It's the one who knows that miracle in his life of sexual purity and marital fidelity. 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:41.240 It's like the miracle of straightforward truth-telling and not misusing God's name, of being straight. 00:21:42.360 --> 00:21:49.279 In your words, it's like the miracle of daring to reflect the likeness of your Father to the world, towards unbelievers and your enemies. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:51.960 And to show a degree of mercy. 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:59.460 The one who does the will of my Father is the one who doesn't try to establish a Christian reputation, even amongst other Christians. 00:21:59.460 --> 00:22:02.900 But the only thing that matters to them is the love of their Father in heaven. 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:07.120 Whether it's in their giving or their praying or their fasting or their repenting. 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:10.759 The only thing that matters to them is speaking to the Father and pleasing the Father. 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:15.740 And the only thing that matters to this person is that he can tell others. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:21.380 It's not that he can tell others that he's having a certain struggle with a certain sin and that he's been weeping and repointing. 00:22:21.840 --> 00:22:23.620 But no, he does it behind closed doors. 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:27.779 And the only thing that matters is that his Father knows. 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:30.380 And his Father forgives. 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:33.720 That's the person who does the will of the Father. 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:41.079 And if my Father really does feed the birds and clothe the flowers, then I can trust him with this week. 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:44.299 And he's going to do the same for my needs. 00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:55.240 And the will of my Father is not some outstanding Christian service that I've chalked up or that I've preached loads and loads of sermons. 00:22:55.240 --> 00:23:00.859 Now you see, we must be really, really careful not to deceive ourselves. 00:23:03.539 --> 00:23:09.700 Ask yourself, as you look at this text, many will say to me, Lord, Lord. 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:21.640 There are people out there, there are some people that think familiarity with Jesus, or knowledge about Jesus, or association with Jesus is somehow eternal life. 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:26.220 But mere familiarity is not. 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:36.640 Just notice, there are people in this passage out there that have done many mighty works in your name, Jesus. 00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:44.860 The fact that somebody does a miracle, a mighty miracle, does not mean that they're a genuine disciple of Jesus. 00:23:44.859 --> 00:23:48.619 Let's say we had someone here who was blind this morning. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:52.139 And we got them up the front. 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.059 And they were healed, him or her, of the blindness. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:24:00.639 That in itself would not authenticate that person as a genuine disciple of Jesus. 00:24:02.379 --> 00:24:05.079 You can read 2 Thessalonians 2 or Revelation 13. 00:24:06.299 --> 00:24:09.019 Even the final Antichrist will do great miracles. 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:11.179 And he's not in the kingdom of heaven. 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:18.380 Miracles are no indication that you're in the kingdom of heaven. 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:25.299 Success is not an indication that you're in the kingdom of heaven. 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:30.380 Giftedness is not an indication. 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:33.640 Do you see how careful we must be? 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.580 I love this, because what it means for you and I, it means this. 00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:46.919 That doing the will of my Father in heaven requires of you and me the mundane obedience to his Father's will. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:50.960 I think that's brilliant. 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:57.619 God does not require of you some outstanding service record that you can boast about. 00:24:57.619 --> 00:25:03.859 He's not asking you to do something remarkable. 00:25:04.299 --> 00:25:07.979 He's not asking you to do something kind of crazy for the Lord. 00:25:07.979 --> 00:25:11.500 He's asking you to live for him in your day-to-day life. 00:25:14.039 --> 00:25:16.419 And so let each person examine him on herself. 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:21.239 Lastly, Jesus confronts us with the obedience you must render. 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:23.980 The obedience you must render. 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:34.579 See in verse 24 to 27, because we're so likely to be received, he underscores, doesn't he, that we are to hear his words and do them. 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:38.579 That is the genuine test of a Christian disciple. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:40.779 You hear his words, verse 24, and you do it. 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:50.639 And the person who does that is like a person who builds their house upon a rock, and the wind comes and the floods rise, and the wind comes down and the house still stands. 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:59.900 And the person who hears Jesus' word and doesn't do anything builds his life on sand. 00:26:01.100 --> 00:26:02.860 And the whole thing gets washed away in the storm. 00:26:04.560 --> 00:26:12.020 And what Jesus is saying is the person who builds their life on hearing and doing is like a person who builds upon a rock. 00:26:13.080 --> 00:26:20.080 And your life will be secure in a storm, whether it's the storm of the Last Judgment, which I think it is, and I also think it's the other storms of life. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:26.600 And there is a certain stability and security to that person's life who's built their life on Jesus' teaching. 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:34.540 And you might say, but I wonder why Jesus places such importance on hearing and doing his word. 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:39.680 Why are Jesus' words and his teachings so important and so vital to him? 00:26:41.020 --> 00:26:44.920 And I think it's because what we do with someone's words, 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:50.580 your obedience to someone's words shows what you think of that person. 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:58.100 And your obedience to Jesus' words reveals your attitude of Jesus' person. 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:04.240 So children, your mum or your dad, they tell you to do something, 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:08.339 and you say to your friends, you say to your mum or dad, 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:10.039 but my friends, my friends don't do that. 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:11.279 They don't have to do that in their home. 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:13.079 And what do your mum and dad say? 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:15.539 Your mum and dad say, but I'm telling you. 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:18.059 But I'm telling you to do it. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.140 I'm telling you as your mum. 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:22.940 I'm telling you as your dad. 00:27:22.940 --> 00:27:26.759 And by not obeying your mum or dad's instruction, 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:28.900 it shows what you think of your mum or dad. 00:27:32.180 --> 00:27:35.039 Parents might say, you did not do what I told you to do. 00:27:37.320 --> 00:27:39.740 So by not obeying my instructions, 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:42.580 you are reflecting your attitude to that person. 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:48.420 And your obedience to Jesus reflects your attitude towards Jesus. 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:54.500 And it shows whether you are one of his disciples or followers. 00:27:55.320 --> 00:27:56.440 That's why it's so important. 00:27:58.300 --> 00:28:01.500 Just notice with me, Jesus doesn't say there'll be no more floods. 00:28:03.080 --> 00:28:04.800 He doesn't say you'll be spared the rain. 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:07.240 He doesn't say you'll be spared the wind. 00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:08.779 He doesn't say you'll be spared the flood. 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:10.560 He doesn't say you'll be spared the darkness. 00:28:10.800 --> 00:28:13.580 He doesn't say you'll be spared the storm. 00:28:14.620 --> 00:28:17.480 He doesn't say if you do that, and so on. 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.799 He doesn't say that your house will become a mansion. 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:24.180 He doesn't promise you a six-bedroom house in Richmond, 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.259 or anything like that. 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:28.880 He says just that when you come through that, 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:30.700 that when you come through the floods, 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:32.960 and the darkness, and the wind, and the storm, 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:34.900 you'll still be standing. 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:39.019 And I think, again, that's a real encouragement 00:28:39.019 --> 00:28:40.220 to us as Christian disciples. 00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:44.700 You, you might say, well, that's not very much, is it? 00:28:44.700 --> 00:28:47.960 It's not just much to survive. 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:51.100 But I think the longer you go, 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:52.680 and the longer you live as a Christian, 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:55.539 the more significant it is 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:56.980 that when the storms come, 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:59.080 and the wind blows, 00:29:00.080 --> 00:29:02.080 it makes all the difference in the world 00:29:02.080 --> 00:29:03.100 that when it's all over, 00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:05.380 you're just still standing on your feet. 00:29:05.380 --> 00:29:09.140 You're just still standing. 00:29:10.840 --> 00:29:12.080 That's a great thing, isn't it? 00:29:14.020 --> 00:29:16.640 And that is the obedience you must render. 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:18.320 That is the stability you can have. 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:20.320 And Jesus is concluded his sermon, 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:21.140 and there's the reaction. 00:29:21.260 --> 00:29:22.600 Can you see the reaction, 28, 29? 00:29:23.140 --> 00:29:24.420 The crowd says in verse 28, 00:29:24.520 --> 00:29:25.720 they are astonished at his teaching. 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:30.600 They've had that note of authority 00:29:30.600 --> 00:29:32.339 they weren't used to from their scribes 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:33.180 and from their teachers. 00:29:33.900 --> 00:29:34.980 And we can't go into that now. 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:35.700 We don't need to. 00:29:36.920 --> 00:29:38.700 But this you need to watch out for. 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:39.779 You need to watch out 00:29:39.779 --> 00:29:42.000 for your reaction to Jesus' teaching. 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:46.400 There's a certain danger 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:48.160 if you are with the crowd 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:49.620 and you just stand there 00:29:49.620 --> 00:29:52.240 and you are astonished at his teaching. 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:56.500 There's nothing wrong with that in itself, 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.039 but there's a great danger in it. 00:30:00.180 --> 00:30:00.900 Horatio Nelson, 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:03.900 he was an admiral in the British Navy 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:05.700 years ago. 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:08.359 And it was said that he had a great reputation, 00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:10.759 that he showed great courtesy 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:13.059 to his conquered enemies. 00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:15.539 And on one occasion, 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:16.660 there was a defeated captive 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:18.440 who came onto Nelson's boat, 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:19.620 onto Nelson's course deck, 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:21.779 in order to surrender and so on. 00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:23.960 And this defeated captain, 00:30:24.099 --> 00:30:26.099 he knew of this tradition of Nelson, 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:27.900 that he was well known 00:30:27.900 --> 00:30:29.680 and renowned for his courtesy 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.299 to conquered enemies, 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:32.059 to people. 00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:34.920 And when he came onto the ship, 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:36.480 he walked over to Nelson's 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:37.960 with his hand outstretched, 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:40.579 as if he was going to get a reception. 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:43.539 And Horatio Nelson said, 00:30:43.620 --> 00:30:44.599 one sentence to him, 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:46.039 your sword first, 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:48.059 and then your hand. 00:30:48.059 --> 00:30:52.720 You may be astonished at Jesus' teaching, 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:54.119 you may admire it, 00:30:54.659 --> 00:30:57.279 but really it doesn't actually matter to you. 00:30:57.579 --> 00:30:58.579 And Jesus says to you, 00:30:58.639 --> 00:30:59.879 your sword first. 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:04.379 The first issue with the Lord Jesus Christ 00:31:04.379 --> 00:31:06.839 is will you submit to his authority? 00:31:07.099 --> 00:31:08.740 Will you bow before him? 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:11.880 And will you call him Lord? 00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:17.259 And you must ask yourself that, 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:17.900 have you done that? 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:20.240 It's not just, 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:21.660 do I admire Jesus? 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:22.700 I quite like his teaching, 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:23.880 I'm interested in it. 00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:26.480 But have I bowed to him 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:28.140 as Lord and God? 00:31:28.140 --> 00:31:31.940 Because it makes all the difference 00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:32.759 in the world. 00:31:34.060 --> 00:31:34.980 In this life. 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:37.080 And in the next life. 00:31:38.820 --> 00:31:39.420 Let's pray.