Kingdom Contrasts: Two Paths and Two Trees
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 39:54
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· 11 viewsEnter the narrow gate and walk on the constricted path for it will lead you to life. Beware of false teachers that are recognizable by their fruit because they will lead many astray.
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“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 thornbushes, 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.
Kingdom Contrasts: Two Paths and Two Trees
Kingdom Contrasts: Two Paths and Two Trees
This larger section focuses on contrasts.
Contrasts between two ways of life (Matthew 7:13-14).
The narrow vs. wide.
Two kinds of trees (Matthew 7:15-20).
The good vs. bad tree.
Two kinds of claims about knowledge of Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23).
The disciples profession vs. performance.
Finally two foundations to build one’s life upon (Matthew 7:24-27).
The rock (solid) vs. sand (shifting) of the foundation.
This ending to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount would leave His hearers with the reality of His kingdom or the highway.
“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.
The Contrast of Two Gates, and Ways.
The Contrast of Two Gates, and Ways.
I want to paint a picture for us as we jump into our discussion for today.
Picture yourself walking through a large airport to a terminal.
Then picture one of those large moving walkways.
Jesus paints us a picture here as though the world is moving on a wide and spacious moving walkway.
People have much baggage that they bring with them.
Things like their own self righteousness.
Things like their own upbringing.
Things like their in their own correct political party.
And this moving walkway is very spacious.
There’s a lot of room on it.
But it’s destination is to destruction.
Matthew 7:13 begins the last discernable section of the sermon.
This section will lay down the truth of the kingdom as a final word for those who want the kingdom.
“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.
The wide gate vs. the narrow gate.
The wide gate vs. the narrow gate.
“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.
The command in this section is “Enter!”
We are to enter by the “narrow gate” which is compared with the wide gate.
The Wide Gate
The Wide Gate
Jesus gives an evocative image of a gate and a path.
The gate would be the way a person enters and the path would consist of what we walk upon.
The wide gate is characterized with ease and comfort.
It is the gate characterized by being wide to allow the masses into it.
People have much baggage that they bring with them.
There is no restriction of things you can bring with you.
Things like their own self righteousness.
Things like their own upbringing.
Things like their in their own correct political party.
The way that Jesus warns about is easy or “spacious.”
This wide gate and easy way leads to destruction.
It leads to ever lasting ruin and misery.
The Narrow Gate
The Narrow Gate
But Jesus offers another way.
He offers way outside of this extremely wide walkway.
He offers a way through a small door to the side.
In order to go through this door,
you must put down all your baggage.
You must leave everything else behind in order to come after him.
This door is so small that you actually can’t enter it like a normal man door.
You must enter this door sideways.
It’s a very narrow door that leads to an even narrower corridor.
John 14:6–7 (ESV)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
The Exclusiveness of the Gate
“All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the divine.” —Pope Francis
People always claim,
“Jesus was always so inclusive!”
Jesus doesn’t claim that all religions are moving in the same direction.
He claims that there is a way to God and it is hard.
I just want to make two observations about this narrow gate.
(1) This means that Jesus has the authority to make a command such as this.
His is the terminus upon which history is moving.
(2) This means that Jesus has graciously opened a way for sinners to come to God.
“One cannot complain that the “gate is narrow” who stands amazed that the gate is 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯.” —James Dorman
Children
There are many forms of baggage that you can hold onto.
You can hold onto things like your parents faith.
The fact that you grew up in a local church.
The fact that you’ve always “known“ the gospel.
When we hear Jesus call out for us to forsake the wide gate. t
The wide gate for you may look different than your classmates.
But you need to trust the Lord Jesus and repent of your sins individually.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The easy way vs. the constricted way.
The easy way vs. the constricted way.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
We cannot separate gate from path.
We cannot drive a separation between entrance and obedience.
The call for deciding what gate you’re walking through (decision) demands a direction of life (obedience).
The Easy Way
The Easy Way
The fool from Proverbs is often described as taking this “easy path”
All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast
till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.
The speech this woman “Folly” embodied in a prostitute uses is “sweet” at first.
Like cheese on a mouse trap is sweet before the trap falls.
The same sweetness that later leads an animal into a trap to be destroyed is the sweetness of this seductive speech which leads to death.
In older days, slaughter houses would use a steer they called a “Judas steer.”
The “Judas Steer” would lead all the other cattle into the place for slaughter.
Pilgrims Progress and the Easy Fruit Along the Way
Unbeliever
You don’t have to do ANYTHING to stay on the EASY PATH.
You literally don’t need to lift a finger.
You’re already on the EASY PATH.
But there is a better way.
There is a way that leads to life.
The Constricted Way
The Constricted Way
The corridor that Jesus invites us into through the narrow gate is a narrow path.
The reason I use the word “constrict” here is the same word that has been translated as “hard”, “difficult”, or “narrow.”
It comes from the same root that is used of persecution or tribulation (Gk: θλίβω)
The way of Jesus is hard.
The narrow way both constricts and confines.
There are not a number of opinions on the narrow way.
Think about the man who delights in the Law of God.
The man who is confined by Scripture is the man on the narrow path.
It is the one who knows
John 10:7–9 (ESV)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
It’s almost like you can hear Lady Wisdom crying out from the Proverbs.
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
It’s like we can hear all the prophets and all the Psalmist of old crying out to us.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Jesus again picks up on the image of the gate and the path.
The gate is narrow and the path is hard that leads to life.
The path is littered with tribulation and struggle.
But this is the path of life.
Jesus encourages them that ONLY a few will find the narrow gate.
Only a few will walk the hard road.
If you’re a Christian and you feel like a stranger and an alien and an exile.
Christian as Alien & Exile
The way of Jesus is hard.
It’s not because we have to bear our sins any longer.
But the world and often times many other supposed Christians press in upon us so if you’re sitting here today and you think to yourself, “The way of Jesus is really challenging.” I want to encourage you that I think you’re actually following the way of Jesus.
I want to say something to the person that thinks the Christian life is extremely easy.
I don’t want to discourage you nor you to think that you’re somehow not a Christian.
But I do wanna caution you.
If you’re walking with Jesus and it’s easy right now then you should rejoice.
And delight in the Lord during this time.
But when the constricting feelings of walking in a fallen and sinful world come don’t be surprised.
And don’t be discouraged.
This is the way of Jesus.
Jesus is not trying to declare that only a few people will be “saved” in the end.
We can find just as many texts that would speak of the redemption of many.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
“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.
Leading to death vs leading to life.
Leading to death vs leading to life.
Leading to Death
Leading to Death
I think it’s interesting that Jesus here offers a way back to life.
If you’ve been paying attention to the story of the Bible.
Jesus offers back echoes all the way back to the garden of Eden.
The tree that brought death and destruction, that kicked man out of the garden.
Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
…the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise...
Jesus warns that MANY people enter through the wide door, and many will walk the easy path.
But it will lead them to destruction.
These gates and paths are not the goal themselves, but they are taking us somewhere.
The wide gate leads to a path of “destruction” or (Gk: ἀπώλεια)
Leading to Life
Leading to Life
Jesus comes and offers away that leads back to life.
It’s almost like Jesus is offering away back into Eden.
He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
But the way back into Eden is through the narrow door with the constricting corridor.
The way back to Eden is through the one who calls himself the door.
The way back to Eden comes upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ.
Enter the narrow gate and walk on the constricted path for it will lead you to life.
Enter the narrow gate and walk on the constricted path for it will lead you to life.
I remember one time sitting in a worship night gathering, and hearing the preacher say,
“Being a Christian is easy! If you don’t think the Christian life is easy, then you’re not trusting Jesus like you should.”
What do we do with that?
I tell you what we should do with it.
We should beware of it.
We should beware of any Christian teaching that makes the Christian life out to be something that’s easy to follow.
Jesus puts the warning of false teachers directly after this passage of the narrow and wide gate because he knew this was coming.
He knew that false teachers game have always been the same.
The Contrasts of Two Trees. (Matthew 7:15-23)
The Contrasts of Two Trees. (Matthew 7:15-23)
All throughout the OT we have two striking images of two kinds of trees.
Even from the garden of Eden we are presented with two trees.
Jeremiah 17:5–6 (ESV)
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
We should not be surprised when we hear supposed Christian teachers in our own day saying things like,
“The Christian life is easy.“
“If you’re Christian life is an easy that means you’re somehow a second tiered Christian.”
These kinds of false teachings Have been around since the beginning of the way of Jesus.
Fruits correspond to roots.
Fruits correspond to roots.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
What is a false prophet?
The word for false prophet is a compound word which is literally (Gk: ψευδοπροφητῶν) or “pseudo-prophet” or one’s who speak falsely on behalf of God.
The people of God have literally always had false prophets that though they were speaking on behalf of God but were indeed leading people away from Him.
Similar to Jesus’ warning about hypocrisy earlier (Matthew 6:1), He will now warn His followers about false prophets.
Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
These are people who claim to speak on God’s behalf but do so falsely.
When we think of the pseudo-prophets we probably have evil people in our minds.
But notice the imagery Jesus paints.
On the outside the LOOK like everyone else.
They look innocent enough.
They look gentle enough.
They appear kind and empathetic.
But Christian’s don’t make distinctions from WHAT we see on the outside.
These types of false prophets cannot actually be observably seen.
They attend church.
They look in every way like a sheep, but they are a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Externally it is extremely difficult to tell what they’re like.
They will look like sheep.
It won’t be clear that they are wolves.
But their inward attitudes reveal that they are ravenous wolves.
Their beliefs are revealed and it shows their true nature.
How does the follower of Jesus recognize false prophets?
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
We know false prophets NOT by what they say.
We know false prophets NOT by what they profess.
We know them by what their lives reveal.
We don’t gather produce from thornbushes.
We don’t gather fruit from thistles.
It’s because the kind of plant they are does not produce the kind of fruit we eat.
Trees are recognizable because of the fruit they bear.
Trees are recognizable because of the fruit they bear.
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.
Trees are recognizable because of the fruit they bear.
Trees are recognizable because of the fruit they bear.
What does Jesus mean by “fruit”?
While we can learn something about “false-prophets”, we learn more about the nature of people.
We “didn’t mean for that to happen!” and the false dichotomy between intentions and actions.
We need to beware again of false presuming motives of others.
As we saw before, we are unable to actually understand many of our own motives.
How much less can we understand other’s motives?
But take heart.
Jesus is not calling us to be hyper-critical or to really dig deep on what we think is going on in a person’s heart.
He is calling us to look at the fruit.
We need to pay more attention to what a person’s life looks like to understand that they truly believe.
The fruit of one’s life which is their actions and deeds.
The fruit of one’s life which is their actions and deeds.
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.
What comes out of us is what was within us.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
The heart is the wellspring of life and all speech comes from the heart weather for good or for ill.
The false teachers that Paul warned Titus about can be recognized by the fruit of their lives.
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
It’s not that they are “atheists”, but rather it is by their conduct they reject God.
It’s not just their false doctrine that is condemned but their lives and actions which should be condemned.
The fruit of one’s life is their teaching.
The fruit of one’s life is their teaching.
The false teachers that Paul warns Timothy do the same thing but in their teaching.
1 Timothy 6:2–3 (ESV)
Teach and urge these things.
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,
A quarrelsome spirit within a person is a primary characteristic of a false teacher.
Though a person can be quarrelsome without being a false teacher.
A false teacher WILL be quarrelsome.
he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
The false teachers can also be made known through their desire for “gain.”
Whether that is through influence, financial greed, or any number of motives.
Their controversies are meant to stir up the “depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” people and help them increase in position within their prospective position.
Healthy trees create healthy fruit.
Diseased trees create diseased fruit.
“…the test of their reality is not how they come on but how they come off; not how they appear but what they produce; not how they seem but the theological and moral influence of their teaching and life in the community.”
What happens to these evil trees?
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Just like Jesus says earlier about the broad way which leads to destruction, so bad trees will be cut down and burnt.
Does this mean we need to be always “false-prophet” hunting?
The nature of some sins is we actually don’t see the fruit as clearly.
We shouldn’t be hyper focused on trying to root these things out.
If we seek wisdom from our Heavenly Father and pay attention, it will become clear.
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.
Beware of false teachers that are recognizable by their fruit because they will lead many astray.
Beware of false teachers that are recognizable by their fruit because they will lead many astray.