Jesus' Call to Response

Okay, well, great to see everybody. If you don't know me, my name is Kevin, one of the leaders here, and we're going to spend some time praying together.

One of the things Jeremy just mentioned is as a church, we love to pray, and prayer is such an important part of everything that we do.

And when you come to church on Sunday, we don't just come to run through a program. We come to encounter the living God, and one of the ways we do that is through prayer.

And so will you join me as we pray together? And I know I say this often, but I want to encourage you to really listen and to agree and to join in in this time of prayer.

This isn't just me praying, this is us as a church coming before our Father. And so let's pray together.

Gracious Father, it really is such a joy and a privilege to gather together to praise you and to adore you, to hear from you and to encounter you again this morning.

Gracious Father, you are liberating truth. You who are sovereign and all-powerful, you who are forgiving and welcoming, we love you and we need you.

Father, we pray that we will continue to grow in our knowledge and our understanding of who you are and your truth.

Lord, may we never rest on a system of doctrine or just have head knowledge, a system of religion that does not bring us closer to you and your ways,

that does not help us to turn from our self-centeredness and sin, and God rejoice all the more in your goodness and grace.

Father, we confess how easy it is to come to you when we are in need or in trouble or distress or when we are worried about things.

We find it very easy to run to you, but Father, we pray that you will help us to not only come to you in those times and then go our own way,

but to walk in your way day in and day out when life is good and when it's tough.

Father, forgive us this sin, we pray, and help us to never fail to come to you who are full of grace,

you who are the friend of sinners, you who love at all times,

you who are so familiar with each and every temptation and weakness, and yet God without sin.

Father, help us to never limit our devotions to particular seasons or days of the week,

but to love you each and every day.

Help us to never simply look the part or act Christianly on Sundays or certain occasions,

but to follow you and walk with you in each and every season of life.

I really pray for your grace and to help us in this regard, Lord.

Father, this morning we confess that our hearts are heavy when we consider the state of the world,

whether it's political fighting across nations that has real consequences for so many ordinary citizens,

whether it's civil wars that are raging, often forgotten, unreported,

God, whether it's immigrants fleeing to countries looking for a safe place to call home and yet seldom welcomed anywhere.

Father, we think of many homes even here in Hong Kong and around the world in which there is so little joy,

little love, there is pain, there is bitterness, there is unforgiveness, there is hurt.

Father, we're brokenhearted when we think and hear of attacks that bring terror and fear,

when we hear of floods and monsoons and storms that ravage homes and take lives.

Father, this morning we mourn with a heavy heart the presence of sin in our lives and in our world,

and we long for heaven.

Jesus, you were so right when you said that the life apart from you,

while it looks appealing and self-fulfilling, it really does end in heartache and destruction.

And so God, while we are grateful for progress in society, for increased freedoms,

and the acknowledgement of people's liberties and rights,

Father, we acknowledge that we are not more happier or content society.

We acknowledge our need for you.

Humble our proud.

Help us, God, not to walk our own path, but to follow you.

Jesus, come and have your way, we pray.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Come soon, we pray, God.

Come and bring your kingdom to our city and to our hearts, Lord.

Lord, we need you, Jesus.

Come and have your way in our lives, we pray.

In your patient and long-suffering name, amen.

Amen.

Let's listen to the reading of God's word.

Thanks, Victoria.

The scripture reading comes from Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Please follow along in your bulletins or on the screen.

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 farm bushes or fixed from thistles?

So every healthy tree bears good fruit,

but the deceased tree bears bad fruit.

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit,

nor can a deceased 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, do 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 thus 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.

And when Jesus finished these sayings,

the crowds were astonished at his teaching,

for he was teaching them

as one who had authority

and not at the scribes.

This is the word of God.

Thank you, Victoria.

Okay.

Well, if you have been coming to Watermark for a while,

you will recognize this picture.

Not that one.

The next one.

The Upside Down Kingdom.

And we have been doing this preaching series

for the last six months.

We started on the 9th of December last year

when we looked at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel,

and we looked at how the arrival of Jesus

led up to Christmas,

and then after Christmas,

we just kept on going,

and we met John the Baptist in chapter 3,

and then Jesus eventually in chapter 4.

And Jesus comes on the scene,

and he says,

Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is here,

therefore follow me.

And he calls these people to follow him,

and then we went into the Sermon on the Mount,

and we just kept on going.

And so for six months,

we've been looking at Matthew's Gospel,

and today is the final episode.

Today it comes to a conclusion.

Now, just so you know,

sidebar,

next week,

Tobin Miller,

who is the founding pastor of Watermark,

is going to be preaching here,

and so we're looking forward to having him.

Yes.

And I have never met Tobin.

I'm looking forward to meeting him this week.

And then after that,

we are going to preach through the book of Habakkuk

for three weeks,

and then Haggai for four weeks,

and then after the summer,

we're going to do Revelation

from September to December.

So that's our preaching schedule

for the rest of the year.

Okay.

Now, before we dive into our passage today,

I want us to step back

and just to consider

the structure

and the flow of thought

through Matthew's Gospel,

because it's going to help us feel

the force of the passage

that we're looking at today.

And so,

Matthew's Gospel

is structured

very deliberately.

In fact,

all the biblical writers

wrote their books

or their literature

very deliberately.

And

the way that Matthew

has written it

is in order to convey something

or to let us know

something about Jesus.

If you're new to the Bible,

you may sometimes

read the Gospels

and think,

why does it in the one Gospel

it seems like Jesus says this

and then does that?

But if you read another Gospel

like Luke or John or Mark,

it seems like

he first does that

and then afterwards

he says this.

In other words,

sometimes the order

seems the wrong way around,

and that can be confusing.

And the reason is

because the biblical writers

weren't writing

a purely chronological history,

A,

then B,

then C.

They've structured

their writing

in such a way

as to communicate

a message

and to tell us

something about Jesus,

not just what happened,

but why it happened as well.

So in English,

we've got this phrase

where we say

the medium is the message.

In other words,

if you're communicating something,

the way that you communicated

actually communicates

the message

as much as the words

themselves.

I'll give you

a silly example.

Let's say I

write a love letter

to my wife

and I find some

tissue on the floor

and I unravel it

and I scribble on there

I love you

and I give that to her.

Or if I take the time

to make a beautiful card

and then write

the same words,

one of those

is going to communicate

something a whole lot

differently than the other.

Because the medium

is the message.

The way that something

is communicated

communicates as much

as the actual words

themselves.

Now this is what's happening

in the Gospels.

And so Matthew,

the way that he structured

his Gospels,

there's seven parts to it,

kind of like seven episodes

in a series.

There's an introduction,

chapters one to three,

in which he tells us

that Jesus

is the true and better

Abraham,

Moses and David.

When you read

the opening chapters

of Matthew,

it's all about

Abraham,

Moses and David.

And he's communicating,

he's telling us something,

that all three of these

constantly point to Jesus.

Jesus is the fulfillment

of all of that.

And then there's

a concluding

kind of section

or paragraph

at the bottom,

and that's how

Jesus is the true

and better Passover.

He's the lamb that died

for the sins of the world,

but he didn't stay dead,

he came alive again.

And in between,

these opening and closing

paragraphs or sections

are five unique sections.

And they resemble

the five books of Moses

in the Old Testament.

And each one of these sections

has a similar structure

and feel to it.

It starts off

with some narrative.

Jesus went here,

he did this miracle,

he encountered these people,

et cetera.

And then it ends off

with the body of teaching.

And the last sentence

in each one of these

five sections

is the same sentence.

It's kind of like Matthew's,

he's carefully

constructing something.

In other words,

he's saying,

let's think about this section

for a moment.

And he does a whole thing there.

And then he moves on,

says,

now I want you to consider

this part about Jesus' life.

And now I want you

to consider this part.

The reason I'm telling you this

is for the last six months

we've focused on

the introduction

and the first section.

And so,

for six months

we've been going through

Matthew's Gospel

and we've seen,

we've met Jesus

in the wilderness,

we've met him

being tempted

by the devil,

his baptism,

et cetera, et cetera.

He arrives in Galilee,

he says,

follow me,

the kingdom of heaven

is at hand.

That's all the narrative.

Then he goes into

this body of teaching

which is called

the Sermon on the Mount.

That's right.

And we've been there

for about four or five months

and we've paused

in a couple of places

and we've looked at

how Jesus speaks

about a mission

and evangelism.

He talks about

the Beatitudes.

He talks about prayer.

He talks about money.

He talks about

all these things.

And in the Sermon on the Mount,

he's now unpacking

and explaining

what he said

in the wilderness

which is,

follow me

for the kingdom

of heaven is at hand.

He's showing

what life in the kingdom

looks like.

He's showing

what does it mean

when you follow him

and say,

yes, okay,

I'll follow you.

And the Sermon on the Mount

is his unpacking

of what this kingdom,

this new kingdom,

looks like.

And it turns out

it's an upside down

kind of kingdom.

It's a kingdom

in which blessed

are the poor in spirit

for they inherit the earth.

Blessed are those

that mourn

more so

than those

that don't.

And so from chapter 4

onwards,

we've been following Jesus

and he's been

following his narrative,

following his teaching.

And now,

we get to the end.

And we get to the very

final passage.

And the passage of Scripture

we're looking at today

is kind of the conclusion

to this first section.

And Matthew

has deliberately

structured his gospel

to come to this passage today

and like a great trial lawyer

before the jury

is saying,

okay,

you've heard all the evidence.

You've met Jesus

in the wilderness.

You heard what he had to say.

You've listened to his teaching

about prayer.

You've listened to his teaching

about money.

You've listened to everything

he has to say.

And like a trial lawyer,

he's coming with

this closing argument.

And this is what he's saying.

Now,

how are you going to respond?

You've heard about

everything I've seen,

I've said.

You've seen how

I handle temptation.

You've seen how

I'm the fulfillment

of the Old Testament.

You see how

all the law and the prophets

come to me.

Now,

how are you going to respond?

What are you going to do

with everything you've heard

and seen

for the last six months?

And so,

let's see

how Jesus says this.

Okay?

Let's see Jesus

closing argument

to the jury,

which is you and I.

Look at verse 13.

He 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.

But the gate is narrow

and the way is hard

that leads to life.

And those who find it

are few.

You see what Jesus is saying?

In light of everything

you've heard,

in light of all that you've seen,

how I fulfilled

all of the law

and the prophets,

you've seen my baptism,

you've heard my invitation

to come and follow me,

you've heard my explaining

what life in the kingdom

is like,

what are you going to do?

He says,

there's two options

before you.

You can receive my invitation,

you can follow me,

and by the way,

it's hard

and we'll talk about that,

or you can reject

my invitation

and go your own way.

And Jesus' challenge,

his summons for a response

is as relevant today

as it was 2,000 years ago.

Now in some ways,

Jesus' invitation here

to respond

is his black and white invitation

is challenging for us

in this day and age.

And it rubs against

our modern sentiment.

And the reason is

because we live in a world

that today really values choices,

don't we?

You go to the supermarket

and there are 17 varieties

of bottled water

and you can choose

anyone you want

in any flavor or color.

We live in a world

that we value choice.

But in addition to that,

we also like to keep

our options open,

don't we?

We do this with relationships.

We get into a relationship

but we don't want to commit too much

in case there's somebody else

that's waiting up there.

We do this with jobs.

We do this with careers.

We do this with our calendars.

How many of us get invited

to something

and we wait until

the very last minute

before we decide

whether we're going to go

in case something else comes up?

We live in an age

in which we value choice

and we like to keep

our options open.

But in this way,

Jesus really challenges us

and he makes life

a lot easier

because his invitation

to come and follow him

is a binary choice.

He says,

you've got two options here.

You can either join me

in my upside down kingdom

or you can choose

to reject me

and go your own way.

But Jesus doesn't allow us

to sit on the fence.

And one of the reasons

is because Jesus

is never meant

to be admired.

He's meant to be obeyed.

And so his invitation

is not just come

and admire my teachings.

It's come and obey me.

Come and follow me.

Jesus is calling

for a response.

Later on in Matthew's gospel,

he says in chapter 12,

he says,

whoever is not for me

is against me.

Again,

he gives us

these two binary choices.

And one author,

Matthew Green,

said it like this.

He says,

there is no comfortable

middle ground here

embracing most of us,

kind of like the bell curve,

right?

Leaving on either side

either the very good

or the very bad.

How comfortable it would be

if that were the case.

No,

Christianity is not about

being very good

or very bad

or very comfortable.

It's about being

in God's kingdom

or staying out.

It is about allegiance

to God

or it is about rebellion.

It is an awesome choice

that we face.

And paradoxically,

the Sermon on the Mount,

this is probably

the one section

that often gets

most neglected.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount

is very well admired

by both Christians

and non-Christians alike

with his gracious words

and his teachings

about turning the other cheek.

But all that teaching,

Jesus then comes to us

and says,

okay,

you've heard my teaching.

What are you going

to do with it?

How are you going

to respond?

And yet we tend

to neglect this part

of the Sermon on the Mount.

Now,

look at how he frames

these two choices here.

He says his way,

the way of following Jesus,

he's got three words

to describe it.

What does he say it is?

It is,

it's hard,

it's narrow,

and it's unpopular.

He says the way

of choosing him

is the hardest thing

you'll ever do.

It's the most

life-consuming choice

that you can ever make.

It's not something

that you can just do casually.

It'll demand all of you.

But then conversely,

he says,

the way of rejecting him,

he describes as wide

and open,

it's easy,

and he says,

there are many

that find themselves

on that path.

Now,

the question is,

why?

Why is it

that the way

of rejecting Jesus

is an easy way

to do it?

Why is that so much easier?

Well,

I want to give us

a couple of things

to think about,

and my friend,

Andrew Haslam

in London,

helped me think about this.

First reason,

maybe,

why the way

of rejecting Jesus

is so much easier

is because

the chances are

we are possibly

already on it.

We're already

on that path.

In other words,

if you haven't

already chosen Jesus,

there's a good chance

that you're already

on the path

which is wide

and easy

and in which

everyone else

finds themselves

on that path.

Jesus doesn't hide

the fact that he is

the dividing line

in all of history.

He says,

either you are

on my side

or you're not

on my side.

And if you haven't

deliberately chosen

to live for him,

he says that actually

the way you find yourself

is that you're against him.

And this applies

if you are

a strong atheist

against Jesus,

whether you are

a devoted Buddhist,

whether you are

just an average agnostic,

or maybe even

if you are a nominal

or a cultural Christian,

someone who maybe

just grew up

in a Christian culture

or family

and you think that

by birth

that makes you a Christian.

But friends,

Christianity is not

something that you

just fall into

by way of your race

or your culture

or where you were born

or what family

you come into.

It's a deliberate choice

to follow Jesus.

And so Jesus says,

if you haven't made

that deliberate choice,

chances are you're

on the path

that is wide

and easy

and doesn't know him.

Conversely,

Jesus says,

his way is hard

because it requires

a deliberate decision,

a choice to follow him.

And it's a weighing up

of the options

and it's a choice

to walk away

from a whole lot

of other things

that might be attractive.

But Jesus says,

he calls us

to choose him.

Here's another reason

why it's easy.

Because the way

that is wide

and easy,

it's easy

because it simply

feels good.

And what I mean

by that is that

it's compatible

and confirms

our natural desires,

which are generally

self-seeking.

I don't know

how many of you

have read

that commencement address

by David Foster Wallace

that he gave in 2004

at Kenyon College.

Anyone familiar

with David Foster Wallace's

commencement address?

So David Foster Wallace

was a very famous

American author

and academic

and he gave

this very famous speech

at Kenyon College

in 2004,

which kind of went viral

across the internet.

And he was a humanist,

he wasn't a believer,

he didn't believe

in God at all,

but he gave a very

honest assessment

of humanity

and he actually

took his own life

four years later

in 2008.

But listen to what

he says here

and I agree

with his assessment.

I don't agree

with his solution,

but listen to his assessment.

He says,

everything in my own

immediate experience

supports my deep belief

that I'm the absolute

center of the universe.

I'm the realist,

the most vivid,

the most important person

in existence.

We really think about

this sort of natural,

basic self-centeredness

because it's so

socially repulsive.

But it's pretty much

the same for all of us.

It's our default setting.

It's hardwired

into our boards

at birth.

You see what he's saying?

He's saying the natural

orientation of the human heart,

no matter what culture

you come from,

is that we are

self-centered.

I am the most real,

most vivid,

most important person

in existence.

And that's why Jesus

says that the root

which rejects his call

to be the absolute center

of all that you are

is so much easier

because it's compatible

with our natural desires,

the way we find ourselves,

the way that we are brought up.

It feels so naturally.

It completely fits

with the default position

of our hearts.

But Jesus says

that conversely,

the way you're following him

is demanding.

It asks us to day by day

to lay down our lives.

It asks us to every day

to surrender

our self-centeredness

and say,

Christ,

you be number one

in my heart.

You take the stage.

You be center in my life.

Here's another reason why

the way of rejecting Jesus

is so easy.

Because everybody else

seems to be on it.

As human beings,

we are naturally social beings,

right?

We love community

and to be around people,

loneliness and isolation

and independence

is not good for us.

We are naturally social beings.

And the Bible says

that the reason why

we are social beings

is actually because

we are made in the image

of the God

that is himself communal.

He is Trinitarian.

He is triune.

And therefore,

because we're made in his image,

something of God's nature

is reflected in us

and we are by nature

social beings.

And what that means

is that we love to be part

of some kind of crowd,

some group of people.

Even if it's not the crowd,

we must be part of some crowd,

right?

Is that not right?

I was chatting

to somebody recently

who,

a high school student,

who was saying

that her friends

will go shopping

and buy clothes

based on,

and choose an item

of clothing

based on what response

they'll think they'll get

on their Instagram account.

And so as they're looking

through the shops,

they'll think,

how will this look on me

on Instagram?

And how many likes

or dislikes

or responses

will I get?

We love to be part

of the group.

We are social beings.

I don't know

if you've ever tried

to swim upstream

of a fast-flowing river

or maybe you've been

in the sea

and the current

has pulled you

in one direction.

You've tried to swim

against the current.

And it's an exhausting

and a scary experience.

When I was a little boy,

I think I was six years old,

it was on Christmas Day

and our family went

to the beach

and there was no one else

on the beach

because it was raining

and miserable

and there was

this strong current

pulling out

and I was swimming

in the sea on my own

and before I knew it,

the current was

taking me out to sea

and luckily,

there were lifeguards

that my dad ran

and called them

and the only time

in my life,

a lifeguard had to save me

and pull me out of the water.

But if you've ever

had to try and swim

against the current

or swim upstream

of a river

that's fast-flowing,

it's exhausting.

Even the strongest swimmers

find it a tiring exercise

and that's what it's like

when Jesus says

it's so much easier

just to go with the culture,

go with the crowd,

go with what's popular

and conversely,

he says,

following me is difficult

because it's a call

to go against

what may be popular.

Today, more than ever,

it's socially awkward

to talk about Jesus

or to claim to follow him

or to adhere

to what he says

about life

and sexuality

and money

and community.

Maybe you're a Christian

here this morning

and you've come

to know Christ

but your family

doesn't want you

to get baptized.

It's hard to make

the decision

that is hard

that is not popular

with either your family

or culture.

Here's another reason

why it may be so much easier.

There are spiritual forces

involved keeping you

on the way

that is easy.

I know this may be

a little bit esoteric

for some of us

in a very intellectual city,

in a modern city

like Hong Kong,

but Jesus says

that there are spiritual forces

at work

that are trying to

do everything

in their power

to keep you

on the path

that is easy

and wired

and divorced

from him.

C.S. Lewis

in his brilliant book

Screwtape Letters,

he makes this point

that there are evil forces

involved

but one of their key strategies

is to keep you blinded

to the reality

that they are actually there

dedicated to your destruction

and your downfall.

And he says

that they are at work

trying to destroy our lives

but they are helping us

to not realize

they are active

dedicated to our downfall.

And so there is a real

spiritual battle

that is involved

and Jesus says

for all these reasons

this is easy.

And so for these

and many other reasons

Jesus cuts against

the grain of populism

and soft appeal

and he summons

he even commands us

he says

you have got this choice

before you

which way are you going

to live your life?

There is a way

that is easy

and it is wide

and it is popular

and it is not going

to demand much from you.

But I am warning you

it is a dead end

it leads to a way

that is destructive.

He says

follow me

follow my kingdom.

It is narrow

it is hard

it is demanding

but it is the way

that leads to life.

And this is something

that we sometimes

struggle with

because today

more than in Jesus' day

we struggle with the idea

that there are

two binary choices.

One of the supreme values

of our age

is tolerance

and open mindedness.

And so we struggle

with the idea

that Jesus says

I am truth

my way is right

all other ways

are not true.

And sometimes

when Jesus says

this is truth

follow me

I am truth

it feels like

a punch to the stomach

right?

But Jesus doesn't

hold any punches

he doesn't hold back

he says

to follow him

is to walk in truth

to reject him

is to reject the truth.

Jesus says

that he gives us

these two choices.

Now for some of us

we think

that feels

way too binary.

It doesn't feel

open minded enough.

How can Jesus say

there is only one truth?

Don't all religions

end up pointing

to the same God

anyway?

I was having a conversation

with a friend of mine

a few weeks ago

and we were talking

and this was his

exact argument.

He was saying

all religions look

different on the surface

right?

Jesus says this

and Muhammad says this

and Guatama Buddha

said that.

They all look different

on the surface

but underlining

they're all the same thing.

They all lead

to the same God

anyway.

And so the idea is

shouldn't we be

more open minded?

Some people say

I don't believe

any one religion

is true

to the exclusion

of others.

They're all just

different paths

that lead to the same

destination.

But friends

if we think about that

that belief statement

is as much

a belief statement

as much a statement

of what's true

in the world

and what's not true

as Jesus'

exclusive claim

to say I am the way

the truth

and the life.

To say all religions

are just different paths

that end up in the same way

is an equally strong

statement of belief

of what's true

as anything else.

To say it doesn't matter

what you believe

all beliefs

just end up the same

is as strong a statement

as Jesus' statement

to the exclusivity

of Christ

and the gospel.

There's a scientist

Neil deGrasse Tyson

he famously said

recently

said the great thing

about science

is that it's true

whether you believe

in it or not.

But the thing is

that's not only true

for science

that's true

for anything

that's truth.

Right?

That's the case

for all truth.

Whether you believe

in it or not

it's simply true.

And so Jesus

is as honest

as you can get

he says follow me

enter by the narrow gate

follow the way

that is hard

the path

that few have trodden

because it's true.

And because

what does he say here?

Because it ends

in life.

It ends

in life.

Jesus says

I've got the

I've put these two choices

before you.

Now

at the end of the chapter

Jesus changes analogies

but he actually says

the same thing.

He's calling for a response

except this time

he calls us to consider

not so much

the ease

or the difficulty

of the choice

but the outcome.

What is the result

of the choice

that you're going to make?

And so look at what he says

here in verse 24.

He says you've got two choices.

Everyone then

who hears these words of mine

and does them

will be like a wise man

who built his house

on the rocks.

Now

admittedly

this wisdom

looks like foolishness.

Okay

that's why

it's an upside down

kind of wisdom.

It's a wisdom

that doesn't look like wisdom

on first appearances.

It's a wisdom

that says

it's more blessed

to give away

than to hoard.

It's a wisdom

that says

it's more blessed

to mourn

than to just be jovial.

It's a wisdom

that says

it's more blessed

to be poor in spirit

than not so.

So it's an upside down

kind of wisdom

but it's a wisdom

in which Jesus says

it's harder

it's more difficult

but it leads to life.

Conversely

he says

though the storms come

and the rains fall

the typhoons ravage it

those who have heard

and not just heard

but accepted

and received my words

they will stand.

their lives will be

like a rock solid house

on a rock solid foundation

that will not

that will withstand

the storms of life.

And contrary to this

Jesus says

there's another option

and that's to dismiss

my words

and to dismiss it

as a version of truth

as what's true

for those people

but mainly

not true for me.

And he says

that when we do that

look at what happens

it's both foolish

and it's dangerous

because in the end

a life which is built

on that kind of reasoning

that kind of approach

that kind of decision

leads to great heartache

great pain

great agony

and in the end

it leads to destruction.

Now friends

the obvious question

is this

why on earth

would anybody

that is engaging

on a building project

why on earth

would you build

on a shallow foundation?

Why on earth

would you build

on sand

when you could build

on rock?

Why would you make

the decision

especially if you're

building a house

that you're going

to live in

or your children

are going to live in

or imagine someone's

building a school

and your children

are going to go

to the school

right?

Why would anybody

choose on a shallow

superficial foundation?

I mean that's just

ridiculous.

Well the reason

is obvious

because it's cheaper

because it's easier

and because at the time

you think

that it's good enough.

You think the foundation

is going to stand.

Nobody builds a house

and says

listen I know

this is probably

going to fall

in the first storm

that comes

but let me just

do it anyway.

At the time

it feels like

the safe thing

to do

but one change

of season

one freak storm

one accident

comes

and everything

is in ruins

and the consequences

is not just

a loss of money

it's loss of life

and that's

Jesus' point here.

He says

the choices

that we make

in life

whether consciously

or not

the choice

that you make

and especially

your response

to who Jesus is

and his claim

to be the way

and the truth

and the life

has radical

implications

for our lives.

And so Jesus says

I give you this choice

you can't sit

on the fence

you can't try

and have one foot

in each camp

which way

are you going to go?

the way

that is wide

and easy

and popular

or the way

that is narrow

and hard

and demanding

but it's the way

that leads

to life.

Now as we

come towards

a close

maybe I shouldn't

say that too soon

if you look

at your Bible

you'll see

that we skipped

over two paragraphs

okay

look at your

bulletin

in verse 13

Jesus talks about

this narrow gate

and this narrow way

and then in verse 24

he talks about

these houses

these two houses

and in between that

Jesus gives two warnings

for those of us

that are Christ followers

or consider ourselves

Christ followers

to test the sincerity

of our faith

and to see whether

in fact we are

walking with Jesus

whether in fact

we are part of

this upside down kingdom

remember Jesus

is constantly challenging

the religious people

in this day

and he's constantly

calling them

to a sincere faith

to see whether

they are really

walking with him

or whether they are

just being religious

and so Jesus here

calls us to examine

our faith

and to test

the genuineness of it

and he gives us

two warnings

of imitation faith

look at the first one

in verse 15

he warns against

false teaching

and false teachers

he says in verse 15

beware of false prophets

those who come to you

in chief clothing

but inwardly

are ravenous

wills

they may look the part

they may say

the right things

they may bleat

like sheep

but actually

they are sinister

and Jesus warns

against false teachings

and in the new

testament

there are two

indicators

of false teachings

the first one

is that a false teacher

generally likes to tell you

exactly what you want

to hear

so in the book

of 2 Timothy

the apostle Paul

writes this young leader

and he says

Timothy beware

of the false teachers

and he says

these false teachers

will come

and they will tell people

what their itching ears

want to hear

in other words

these teachers

will go to people

and they will very

cleverly work out

what is it

that you want to hear

what is a message

that will appeal

to your ears

and that will

draw a crowd

and then they will

tailor that message

to exactly

what you want to hear

and Timothy

Paul says to Timothy

the problem with this

is that it will lead

to a shipwrecked faith

that's an amazing image

isn't it

imagine a ship

and it smashes

against the rocks

or drives into an iceberg

and it still looks

all fine on top

but underneath

there is a gauging hole

and it is taking in water

and it is just a few hours

before the ship

lifts up

and sinks

to the bottom of the ocean

and Paul writes

and he says

that's what happens

when we listen

to false teaching

to teachers

that will just tell us

whatever our ears

want to hear

now friends

when we think of

false teaching

what do we generally

think of

we think of

prosperity gospel

right

people who say

okay

you give a thousand dollars

and God will give you

ten thousand dollars back

right

that's true

but these days

there is a far

softer

and more subtle

version of the same

kind of teaching

it's a teaching

that says

God exists

to make you happy

and comfortable

God exists

to cater

to your felt needs

God's existence

in the world

is around

how to make you

happy and comfortable

and

your convenience

and the result

of this kind of invitation

to walk the wide

and the easy path

to tell us

exactly what we want

to hear

to build our lives

on a faulty foundation

is that when things

don't pan out

the way that we expect

the end

is destruction

and a shipwrecked faith

and that's why

friends at Watermark

I know it may not be

the most sexy thing

in the world

but we are committed

to preaching

week in and week out

the Bible

because we want

to be a church

that is not grounded

on my opinions

or Chris's opinions

or anyone else's opinions

or on what anyone

wants to hear

we want to know

who is God

and what has he said

so that when the

storms of life come

and the challenges come

our faith doesn't

get shipwrecked

it stands firm

in the midst

of the storms of life

and so can I just ask you

there will no doubt

be a time

when many of us

move away

out of Hong Kong

to another city

or maybe even

in Hong Kong

you move to another church

when you move

to another church

will you ask yourself

this question

not just

is the parking lot

comfortable and convenient

is the kids ministry

entertaining

how good looking

is the worship leader

will you ask yourself

this question

are they teaching

God's word

is this church

rooted and founded

in God's word

or are they just

telling me

what I want to hear

okay

that's the first

indication of false

teaching

the second indication

is this

false teaching

focuses on the

Christian lifestyle

or Christian behavior

or Christian conduct

but it's disconnected

from who Jesus is

and his death on the cross

what he did on the cross

and so there may be

a whole bunch of teaching

which is practical wisdom

how to get by in life

how to make your life

really work

and count

and how to be

a successful businessman

or whatever

whatever else

but the problem is

it's not connected

to who Jesus is

the problem of sin

why Jesus died

on the cross

what's wrong

with the world

and how Christ

has come to heal

and save it

by his death

on the cross

and so all it is

is that teaching

is practical

secular humanism

in a Christian

religious coat

of paint

and friends

is that ever

going to call you

down the difficult path

is that ever

going to tell you

to deny yourself

and to follow Jesus

of course not

it's going to invite you

down a wide

and an easy path

but it's a path

that leads to destruction

and so Jesus says

beware of false prophets

those who come to you

in sheep's clothing

the second warning

is this

and we're not going to

spend much time in it

verse 21

he says

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's in heaven

and Jesus warns us

against not just

false teaching

but against

false assurance

in other words

a superstitious

kind of faith

that just says

if I say the right

things

if I do the right

actions

if I prophesy

or go to CG

or say the right

things

that makes me

a Christian

and Jesus says

it all comes down

to do you know him

do you have

relationship with him

do you love him

now

as we come to close

both the sermon

and the series

I want us to come back

to the beginning

and to ask ourselves

this one final question

what is the purpose

of the sermon

on the mount

what is Jesus

actually trying to do

in all this kind of stuff

is it just practical

idealism

is it as Leo Tolstoy

once said

it's a blueprint

for utopia

it's kind of this

practical

pragmatism

of how to really

make life

most comfortable

and convenient

is it as others

have suggested

a temporary moral system

until we get to heaven

friends

Jesus in the sermon

on the mount

shows us

what life

in the kingdom

looks like

he shows us

what life is like

when he is king

and we've come to know him

and follow him

remember right in the beginning

Jesus says

follow me

for I bring you

the kingdom of heaven

and he's showing us

what life in the kingdom

looks like

what it looks like

to follow him

but the problem is

none of us

can even begin

to live out

this kingdom ethic

unless we've entered

the kingdom

and the problem is

that none of us

can enter the kingdom

on our own

right here

at the beginning

Jesus gives us a clue

how to find our way

into the kingdom

and to live

his kingdom

and the clue is this

the way

into the kingdom

is the exact same way

as the way

of the kingdom

and what I mean

by that is this

the way of the kingdom

of God

the way of Jesus

kingdom

is narrow

and it's exclusive

he says

it's my way

and it's my way only

but that is

the same as the way

into the kingdom

is equally narrow

and it's equally exclusive

Jesus is

me and me alone

I am alone

the way to truth

I alone

am the way to life

I am alone

and the way

to the father

Jesus is radically

exclusive

in his invitation

to follow him

but also his invitation

into the kingdom

Jesus didn't come

to bring a religion

or to conduct

a system of morality

and ethics

he didn't come

to bring a religion

he came to bring

a revelation

he came to say

this is what

the kingdom of heaven

is like

this is what

God is like

this is what

my way is like

this is what

it looks like

to follow me

Jesus came to bring

a revelation

to show us

what the kingdom

of God is like

to show us

what God is like

and to show us

what it looks like

as we turn from

ourselves

and turn to him

Christianity

at its heart

is a revelation

of who God is

and how we can

know him

it's not a religion

Jesus came to bring

a revelation

but he also came

to bring relationship

he came to say

follow me

on this narrow path

but he didn't just say

walk the narrow path

and I'll see you

at the end

he said

I'll walk this path

with you

in the book of Isaiah

at the end