Be On Guard

Intro

We are on the second last installment of our series, BE. If you want to catch up, we’ve been in this series since 2023 began, unpacking the Sermon on the Mount.

The overarching theme has been be different, and sometimes the call to be a follower is not easy. Jesus has often times raised the bar to uncomfortable heights. It is not meant to be a discouragement, but a constant reminder that without the Holy Spirit’s help, you and I simply cannot meet the requirements. The entrance fee to enter the kingdom of God is so high, so steep, you and I could never pay it, which only solidifies our daily need of the Jesus’ and His forgiveness. Don’t be discouraged, but be humbled because without God, this is impossible, but with God, anything is possible.

As much as I have enjoyed this series, I am looking forward to our next series, which will take us right to summer. It is called Elementary, and we will look the teachings that the Bible tells us are basic. You may be surprised at the topics we look at. So that starts in two weeks time.

This morning, we are looking at the idea of entering the kingdom of God. Two times this morning, Jesus is going to use that phrase, Enter the Kingdom, and we are going to look at the context of that statement and what it means for us today.

Matthew 7:13–14 NLT

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

The Narrow Gate

One of the things to remember is that Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience. One of the things that his audience would recall from the Old Testament is the number of times the prophets talked about the remnant. The prophets were talking about the exile, how many would go but only a remnant would return; or only a remnant would remain faithful.

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Jesus picks up this idea, and it plays through the New Testament with words like elect or chosen. There is this idea that though the call to eternity has gone out to many, only a few will actually answer the call.

But look at the way that Jesus describes the journey. The highway to hell is broad and the gate is wide. It is the path of least resistance; it is easy street. The gates to hell, or destruction as some translations say it, are always open; they will never turn anyone away.

The path to life, and I would add the path to true life, everlasting life; it is going to be difficult. If anyone ever told you that being a Christian would make your life easier left this passage out of their description. Jesus Himself often describes how the world will turn against those who take on the name of Christ. Becoming a Christian doesn’t make life easier. It makes life more meaningful, it gives life purpose, and it removes the shame and guilt that can so easily accumulate. It makes life better in so many ways, but it doesn’t make life easier.

I would say this is the biggest hurdle that new believers face, especially after baptism. Every baptism class I teach, I tell the candidates that they need to prepare their hearts, because we have a spiritual enemy that is going to throw everything he’s got at them to throw them off.

The deception that being a believer makes life easier has caused more harm then most things the church has taught. If you come into faith believing that, the first sign of trouble floods your faith so much doubt, it is hard to recover.

The comfort of the wide road is what cause many believers to stumble. It is the little detours on to the highway to hell that we tell ourselves makes life easier, but actually makes getting off that highway harder and harder.

Which path do you find yourself traveling?

Matthew 7:15–20 NLT

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

False Prophets, Wolves, and Bad Trees

this passage should bring to mind Jesus’ teaching in chapter 5 where He tells His followers to let your good deeds be seen by others. In that passage, He was saying that by letting our good deeds be seen, others will praise our God.

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Here, Jesus saying that you will know the quality of someone’s life by the fruit they produce. In the gospel of John, Jesus will tell the disciples that unless you abide in Him, and He abides in you, it is impossible to bear good fruit.

What is good fruit? Galatians tells us that fruit of the Spirit is

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

but that is just one list. Jesus started the sermon on the mount talking about mercy, hungering for righteousness, humility. There are very tangible marks of a believer that can be seen by others.

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The opposite is true. Arrogance, pride, conceitedness, immorality; these would be considered bad fruit. You aren’t passing judgment, you are just seeing things for what they are.

There is another mark. In Acts 20, Paul would describe wolves as those who draw other onto themselves instead of pointing them to Christ. Wolves are those who take the message of Christ and twist it for personal gain.

Everyone, good and bad, will be shown for who they truly are based on their fruit. And what do we do about false prophets? I found this fable and I thought it was appropriate

One of Aesop’s fables is about a hungry wolf that put a sheepskin over himself and cruised into the sheepfold. It just so happened that the same night, the shepherd also had a strange craving for mutton. So he went out to his sheepfold and plunged his knife into the biggest sheep within the flock, which, of course, turned out to be the wolf.

The wolf who was disguised as a sheep was eventually dealt with by the shepherd. So, too, our Good Shepherd watches out for His flock.

God will deal with the wolves, one way or another.

How is your fruit?

Matthew 7:21–23 NLT

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

What Just Happened?

I don’t know about anyone else but this passage has always made me uncomfortable. As far as I can tell, the people in Scripture who cast out demons, prophesy, and perform miracles are pretty good and faithful disciples. I almost find myself asking Jesus the same question the disciples did when He told them it was hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. How can anyone make it?

One commentator offered these three possible explanations:

They lied. They may have wanted to do these great and amazing things, but never actually did them.

They did them by the power of Satan. We know that Simon the Sorcerer in Acts was able to perform amazing feats and yet never possessed the power of the Holy Spirit to do them. Remember, we have an enemy that will try to counterfeit the things of God if it means deceiving those that are saved.

God used them in spite of themselves. Balaam prophesied, even though he didn’t follow God. King Saul prophesied, though his heart was focused on himself. Even Caiphas prophesied, even though he set himself as an enemy of Christ. Even in my own life, I’ve had conversation with someone who didn’t want anything to do with God, yet God used them to confirm or answer a prayer I had. God can use anyone to accomplish His will, regardless of where their faith is at.

There is another really important line that we cannot miss. Jesus said that He would reply to those, “I never knew you.”

That seems like a weird thing to be said by an all-knowing God, at least at face value. There is an important distinction that you need to remember. There is a big difference between knowing about someone and knowing them. I know all kinds of things about Trevor Harris, the new quarterback for the Saskatchewan Riders. I know most the teams he played for, I know which ones he was good and which ones were less good.

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But I don’t have a relationship with him. I know about him, but he doesn’t know about me or know me. But each of you, I know you to varying degrees, and you know me. We have a relationship that goes beyond stats and facts.

It is possible to do great and amazing things for God and never really have a relationship with Him. God knows everything about each one of us, but does He really know us? More importantly, do you know Him? Are you developing a relationship with your Father, or do you call him Lord just to cover your bases?

ABIDE