DO!

Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

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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.

Matthew 7:13–27

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.

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,

2 Corinthians 4:8

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.

Hebrews 12:1

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,

Matthew 12:33–37

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,

Luke 6:43–45

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,

Revelation 19 · chapter mention

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,

Jeremiah 6:14

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

Matthew 15:8

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,

Matthew 8:29

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,

Amos 3:2

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

John 10:7

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

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