Wide Roads and Rotten Fruit

Intro

As we move closer and closer to the end of the sermon on the Mount Jesus is making it clear that everything he has taught leads us to a choice. Jesus gave his followers sitting at his feet 2000 a choice with two options. It wasn’t like a test with abc or d as options it didnt have an I dont know or non applicable option. It had two choices. And it is the same two choices he gives us as we sit at his feet 2000 years later.

Today we are going to look at our choice of going through the narrow gate that leads to life and the wide gate that leads to death, and Jesus is going to help us make sure we can spot those who try to convince us to join them on the wide path.

Matthew 7:13–14 NIV

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Jesus here gives us an inescapable choice. Some choices we can escape. Have you ever had a choice that you didn’t want to make so you put it off hoping it would just work out, or try to get someone else to make the choice for you? You ever play the what do you want to eat game with your significant other?

it starts out like a polite conversation and ends up like a hostage negotiation.

'What do you want to eat?' 'I don’t care, whatever you want.' 'Okay, how about Mexican?' 'Mmm… not really feeling that.' 'Alright, what about pizza?' 'We had pizza two weeks ago.' And suddenly I’m Googling 'restaurants that don’t exist but might make both of us happy so we can stay married.'”

Some choices we try to avoid. We delay them, dodge them, delegate them. But Jesus doesn’t leave room for that here. He presents us with a choice that must be made. It’s not a ‘choose your own adventure’ moment—it’s a ‘choose your path and walk it’ moment.”

1. The Narrow Path Is the Only Way

Our natural tendency is to choose broad road. That is why so many people are on it. Without Jesus that is the path every single one of us would choose. The word broad means spacious, roomy. Its easy. There is plenty of room on the broad road diversity of opinions and lax morals. It is the road of tolerance and permissiveness. There are no curbs on this road, no speed bumps. The accountability that we learned about last week doesn’t exist on this road.

Travelers on the broad road do what they want to do when they want to do it. They let their sin nature guide them, they follow their hearts and it leads to being superficial, full of selfishness, hypocrisy, Greed, you name it. If you are on the broad road you are a slave to your desires, and convieniance will always trump conviction. That’s the easy way. broad way.

But Jesus calls us to a different path a narrow path, a harder path but a far better path. The broad path’s boundaries are unmarked, their ambiguous. The narrow path on the other hand restricts those on it to what God has revealed in scripture to be good and true. The broad path has no limit to checked or carry on bags, You don’t have to leave anything behind not your sins, self-righteousness or pride. But the narrow path that we are called to, to enter it we must leave everything behind. sin, selfish ambition, covetousness even if necessary family and friends. No one can follow Christ no one can walk the narrow path without first denying themself.

That doesn’t sound easy, it doesn’t sound convenient, why would we choose it. Because one of these paths leads to eternal death and only one leads to eternal life.

The broad road leads to a terrible place called hell where everything good will be destroyed all love and loveliness, beauty and truth, joy peace and hope, gone forever. When we think about that and the fact that we all know people on that road. It should break our hearts, and move us to tears and action because the broad road is a suicide road.

But the narrow road the hard road leads to life. eternal life that begins here and is perfected in heaven where we will experience unhindered fellowship with God. and we will see what real love and loveliness looks like, we will finally see what true beauty is, we will experience complete truth, a joy that will never be taken away and our hope fulfilled. That is where the narrow path leads. It isn’t convienient, You can’t take the things with you on your journey that you wish you could, you will be mocked for it, but in the end to choose the narrow path is to choose to follow Jesus all the way to heaven, all the way to the presence of our father.

It is a choice every single one of us must make. There is no middle way. What choice have you made.

Jesus gives us a warning. if walking the narrow path wasn’t hard enough people will come along to try and get you to choose the broad path.

Matthew 7:15–19 NIV

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Jesus is warning us to beware of false prophets. By even saying that there are false prophets or teachers. Jesus is making a clear fundamental statement which is there is an objective standard of truth. God’s word is our standard of truth.

And anyone who chooses to as Jeremiah would said “speak visions of their own mind” is a false prophet. False prophets are dangerous. I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and one of the major characteristics of the false prophets in the Old Testament

was that they preached a feel-good message that ignored God’s judgment. Jeremiah said they gave people false hope, telling them everything would be fine even when they were ignoring God’s word and living however they wanted. God said, ‘They’ve treated my people’s wounds as if they were nothing, saying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.’ These false prophets gave people a false sense of security. Instead of warning them about judgment or pointing them to repentance, they made them comfortable in their sin. False prophets lull people into a false sense of security. So they don’t take the action needed to find salvation from God’s judgement.

2. False Teachers Widen the Way

I have always been facinated by the tragedy of the Titantic. Clearly im not alone in that or we would have a replica in the middle of Pigeon Forge. But one of the things that I find so tragic about it. Even more tragic than the fact that there was room on the door for Rose and Jack. Was that the Titantic was marketed as unsinkable. Everyone aboard that ship had been told that it was unsinkable to the point that they fully believed it. They had so much faith in that ship. unfortunately they had too much faith. Because they believed it was unsinkable even after they hit the iceburg, crew members and passengers told people there was no danger so many delayed getting to the life boats. and by the time they realized they were in danger they were too late. and only 700 of the 1500 people on board survived.

Their false assurance led to a deadly delay. That is what false teachers do. Just like the crew members who told people everything was fine as the waters were rising. False teachers will tell you everything is ok God loves you. No need to repent. You can just believe in Jesus you don’t have to live for Jesus. You prayed a prayer when you were a kid but there was never any life change. you’re good no need to examine it. You feel convicted just give more. Following Jesus is easy. If it gets hard you just don’t have enough faith. Following Jesus means you are going to be rich. You don’t have to leave anything behind to follow Jesus.

False teachers make the narrow way much broader than Jesus implied. And that walking it requires little to no restriction on our belief on behavior. And just like they led people in the Old Testament to think everything was fine when God’s judgement was coming, just like they did in the church’s Paul wrote to. They are still here today shouting at us to follow them to the easy path.

We live in a time that is easier than any in history for false teachers to gain a platform. It used to be false teachers had to go through a process of ordination, or spend the time to get a degree, or gain influance in a church somehow. and false teachers still made it through and got platforms. But many were weeded out.

Now someone who is false teacher all they need is a phone to gain a platform. They don’t need someone to give them a pulpit they can just start a podcast. So in addition to all the voices of this world screaming at us to join them on the broad path. We have people claiming to be in the Christian community telling us the ship is unsinkable. stay in your rooms. everything is fine.

I believe the scariest thing that could possible happen to anyone, especially the people in this church is to think you’re on the narrow path when in reality you are on the broad path leading to death. That is a horrifying thought to me. is it to you? If you want to come to church every Sunday and hear how easy it is to follow Jesus. and how road is broader than Jesus said, and that the ship you’ve placed your faith in is unsinkable. No need for repentance.

Than respectfully you need to find another church. But if you want to hear a skinny 30 year old, recovering homeschooler present God’s word to you with the promise that I will never lower the bar of scripture to where you feel comfortable but I will always call you up to it. So you always know which path you are on. than This is the place for you. and if I ever fail in that I deserve to lose this platform that you have all blessed me with.

But how can you know if I am false teacher or who you listen to is a false teacher, or students if you go away to college and need to find a church how can you identify if that person is a false teacher Jesus doesn’t leave it to chance. he gives us tests.

Matthew 7:17–20 NIV

Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Just like an apple tree can’t disguise itself from being an apple tree every teacher or position in authority can’t hide forever because their fruit will show what they are

3. Fruit Reveals Who’s Worth Following.

We are to determine who is worth following who is worth listening to by examining their fruit.

What does that mean what fruit do examine?

The first kind of fruit we should examine is a person’s character and conduct. I don’t know about you but I enjoy listening to good communicators who can take God’s word and make it applicable and make it come alive. But I don’t care how good a communicator is I will not listen to them if they have show no evidence of Christlikeness.

That is what Jesus is telling us to do here the first type of fruit is what Paul would later call the fruit of the Spirit. the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of Christlikeness in our lives. When we see a teacher exhibit the meakness and gentleness of Christ, while showing others love, kindness, goodness, while modeling self control. We have good reason to believe that teacher to be true and not false.

But when these qualities are missing and instead of the fruit of spirit being evident in their lives it is the works of flesh impurity, jealousy, self indulgence. We have good reason to take a step back and consider if they are someone worth listening to.

Christians have got to stop choosing charisma over character, and good communicators over christlikeness.

The second test is the fruit of someones teaching. John Calvin said

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount c. Tests

But a prophet’s ‘fruits’ are not only his character and manner of life. Indeed, interpreters ‘who confine them to the life are, in my opinion, mistaken’

We examine how people live but we also examine what they teach. To make sure it lines up with scripture. and what is the fruit that is evident in the lives of those who are listening to the teaching. It isn’t the size of the following that determines a teachers credibility it is how they reverently communicate the word of God along with reverently living it out. I know pastors with small churches that treat God’s word with great care. And I have heard megachurch pastors never open God’s word. I have also heard mega church sermons soaked in scripture and sound doctrine, and I have heard small church pastors twist God’s word to line up with a political view they grew up with.

Good fruit is evident in the health of the followers more than the size of the following. We are to examine what is said and look at the effect or lack of effect on people’s lives. It is also really important to remember that just because someone disagrees with you on an secondary issue does not make them a false teacher.

If you are Calvinist and someone else is Armenian they are not a false teacher. If someone believes in closed table communion and you believe in open table communion they are not a false teacher. If someone is post trib and you are pretrib they are not a false teacher. A false is someone who distorts the core principles of our faith. they don’t preach the diety of Christ, that scripture is the divenly inspired word of God, the death and resurrection of Jesus, salvation by grace and through faith alone. Then they are a false teacher.

They will make people who are on the broad path think they are on the narrow path. And Jesus is warning all of us that they exist. They aren’t hypothetical. They are on tik tock, in our churches and in your podcast app. and we have to be on guard. We have to be careful who we let speak into our lives. Because the greatest tragedy we could allow to happen to ourselves or anyone we know is to listen to a false teacher who convices us we are on the narrow path leading to life when we are on the broad path leading to death.

My question to you this morning is again what path are you on? examine yourself? have you bought the lie someone told you that you can follow Jesus and walk the broad path, that it wont require you to choose conviction over convenience? we are about to take communion. and as you receive the bread and the blood and you are waiting to take it. Examine yourself can people tell which path you are on by how you live your life. have you left the things behind that Jesus calls us to leave behind to follow him on the narrow path.

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 CSB

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”