The Way Forward

Texts: Matthew 7:13–27; Acts 2:42–47; John 13:34–35; Colossians 1:15–20

Central Idea: Jesus describes living in God’s kingdom as the wise way to live, and the church—as His body—is called to reflect His image to the world through love, obedience, and community.

Application: Choose to follow God and His plan for your life. Build your life on the rock of Jesus’s words by actually obeying them, and do this in authentic Christian community.

Introduction

Good morning, church. Take a deep breath with me, because we’ve been on a journey together. Six weeks ago, we opened the Sermon on the Mount and asked: What does it look like to actually follow Jesus? Not just believe things about Him. Not admire Him from a safe distance. But to walk in His way and live by His words.

We’ve covered a lot of ground—the upside-down kingdom values of the Beatitudes, Scripture fulfilled in Christ, radical love and internal transformation, trust over anxiety. Each week, Jesus has been turning our assumptions upside down, showing us that life in His kingdom looks nothing like what the world sells us.

And now Jesus is about to close the greatest sermon ever preached, and He doesn’t end with a soft landing. He ends with three urgent warnings: two gates, false prophets, and two foundations. And then the book of Acts shows us what happened when the first believers actually took His words seriously.

So let’s look at the end of the Sermon on the Mount and then connect it to what it means to live as the body of Christ in the world.

Let’s pray.

Father, we’ve spent weeks hearing the words of Jesus. Now give us the courage to do them. Speak to us, challenge us, change us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1. There Are Only Two Paths (vv.13-14)

Matthew 7, beginning with verse 13 says:

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 isn’t offering a menu of options. There are two paths. Just two. And most people, He says, choose the wrong one.

That’s a stunning thing to say to a first-century Jewish audience. Most Jewish people in Jesus’ day believed Israel as a whole would be saved—the lost would be the rare exception. Jesus reverses that entirely. The few find life. The many find destruction.

The wide gate is the path of least resistance—cultural accommodation, enough religion to feel spiritual without ever letting Jesus disrupt your actual life. No sacrifice. No dying to self. And it’s crowded because it’s easy.

The narrow gate is specific. Jesus doesn’t say, “I am one of many ways.” He says, “I am THE way.” It’s hard because it requires everything we’ve covered in this series—kingdom values, radical love, trust over anxiety, dying to self. But it leads to life. Real, abundant, unshakable life.

Craig Blomberg puts it plainly: in these closing warnings,

“Jesus makes clear there are ultimately only two categories of people, despite all the gradations we might otherwise perceive. Those who hear, obey, and are saved—and those who only hear and are destroyed. In each case, eternal life and judgment are at stake.”

Craig Blomberg

So which path are you actually walking? Not which path you intend to be on. Which one are you on right now? And if you’re here this morning exploring faith for the first time, hear this: Jesus doesn’t promise easy. He never has. What He promises is life—the kind that holds up when everything else falls apart. And that’s worth the narrow gate.

2. Watch Out for False Guides (vv.15-23)

Matthew 7:15–16 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?

Once you commit to the narrow way, you need to know that not everyone who claims to be a guide is leading you toward life. Some teachers have the right vocabulary and the right appearance, but Jesus says they’re wolves. And the test isn’t their charisma or their platform—it’s their fruit.

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.

Does their teaching produce love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control? Or division, pride, and bondage?

Then Jesus says something terrifying. Verse 21:

Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These aren’t atheists. These are people who prophesied, cast out demons, and did mighty works—all in Jesus’ name. And He says, “I never KNEW you.”

The issue isn’t activity—it’s intimacy.

It’s not what you did for Jesus but whether you actually had a relationship with Jesus.

You can serve on every team, attend every service, give generously, and post the right Bible verses on social media, and still be a stranger to Jesus. Because the narrow way isn’t about religious performance. It’s about knowing Him and being known by Him. And out of that knowing comes obedience—not as a burden, but as a response of love. That’s why we say at Turning Point that the first call of every disciple is to BE WITH JESUS. Everything else flows from there.

3. Build on the Rock (vv. 24-27)

Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Both builders hear the same words. Both face the same storm. The difference isn’t information—it’s application. The wise builder hears and does. The foolish builder hears and doesn’t.

Ben Witherington makes a sharp observation here. He says the fool in Scripture isn’t the intellectually challenged person—it’s the person who lacks good moral judgment. The fool has heard the sermon. The fool can probably quote the sermon. The fool just never lets the sermon change how they actually live.

And here’s the thing about sand foundations: they feel fine in good weather. When the sun is shining and life is going well, you can’t tell the difference between the house on the rock and the house on the sand. They both look solid. They both feel secure. It’s only when the storm comes that you find out what you’ve been building on. And Jesus says the storm always comes. Rain, floods, wind—not if, but when. The question isn’t whether you’ll face hardship. The question is what you’ll be standing on when you do.

N. T. Wright adds a fascinating layer. He points out that not far from where Jesus sat on that hillside, Herod’s workers were rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem—God’s House, built on the rock, proof against wind and weather. And yet Jesus later warns that the Temple itself will come crashing down. Meanwhile, He promises that Peter’s confession of faith will form the rock on which something very different will be built—the community that believes in Him as Messiah. Jesus is redefining the foundation. It’s not a building. It’s His words, heard and obeyed, lived out in community.

So what does that look like practically?

It’s not just affirming Christian doctrine—it’s living it. It’s not just attending church—it’s being the church.

Do you embrace kingdom values—humility, mercy, peacemaking?

Do you practice radical love, even when it costs you?

Do you trust God with your finances, your family, your future?

Or are you still white-knuckling your way through life trying to control everything?

This is what it means to DO WHAT JESUS DID—active, costly, joyful obedience.

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a set of warning signs. If you’ve come this far with Him, you can’t just hold on to the steering wheel and hope for the best. You’ve got to keep your wits about you.

4. Living as the Body of Christ

Now I want to pivot, because the Way of Jesus is not a solo project. Jesus didn’t give us teachings and say, “Good luck figuring that out on your own.” He gave us each other. He gave us the church—His body in the world. And this is where the Sermon on the Mount meets the life of the early church, because the narrow way was always meant to be walked in community.

Colossians says Christ is

Colossians 1:15 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

The Greek word is eikon—it means both likeness and manifestation. If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus. And the church is called His body. Bonhoeffer said that to call the community the body of Christ is not merely a metaphor—it IS His body. When the world looks at us, they should see Jesus. So the uncomfortable question is: when people reject God, are they rejecting Christ Himself, or a distorted reflection we’ve projected?

What does a faithful reflection look like? Acts 2 gives us the picture:

Acts 2:42–47 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

See the rhythms?

Scripture, community, worship, prayer, generosity, joy, witness—every one of these connects to the Deeply Rooted vision we’ve been building. This wasn’t a program. This wasn’t a strategy cooked up in a leadership meeting. This was the natural overflow of a community that had encountered the risen Jesus and was living in the power of His Spirit.

The early Christians were genuinely different from the surrounding culture. They rejected all other gods and worshipped only the one God revealed in Jesus. They welcomed the lower class. They valued every human life. The gospel didn’t just change their eternal address—it changed how they lived every single day. That’s the church at its best. Not a religious club. Not an event you attend on Sundays. A living, breathing, sacrificing, joy-filled community that makes Jesus visible in the world.

And the identifying mark?

Jesus told us plainly in John 13:34-35

John 13:34–35 NIV

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Not our buildings.

Not our programs.

Not our production quality on a Sunday morning.

Our love.

When Christians love each other sacrificially—across differences, through conflict, with patience and grace—the world takes notice. And when we don’t, the world takes notice of that, too. So what do people see when they look at Turning Point? When they look at your life?

And this extends beyond Sunday morning into every sphere—work, home, play, school, influence. How do you reflect Christ as a parent? As a coworker? As a neighbor? That’s the Deeply Rooted life: so grounded in Jesus that His way shows up everywhere you go. Not because you’re performing, but because you’ve been transformed.

And we stay rooted through the spiritual rhythms that have sustained God’s people for centuries—

prayer

Scripture

worship

Sabbath

fasting

solitude

witness

service

generosity

hospitality

community

Unity

These aren’t legalistic requirements. They’re not boxes to check. They’re the practices that keep us rooted in Jesus the way deep roots draw water from the soil. Without them, we drift. We coast. And when the storm comes, we collapse. But with them, we stand.

Conclusion:

Three Important Questions

So here we are, church. Six weeks. The Way of Jesus. We started by asking, “Will you follow Jesus as the Way?” Today the question is sharper: What will you actually DO?

First: Which path are you on?

Narrow or wide? Hard or easy? Be honest. If you’ve been coasting on the wide path, Jesus is standing at the narrow gate this morning, and He’s inviting you through. He’s not promising easy. He’s promising life. If you need to confess Jesus as Lord today—today is the day.

Second: What are you building on?

Hearing and doing, or just hearing? Here’s my challenge: pick ONE teaching from this series and actually obey it this week. Forgive someone. Trust God with your finances. Pray for your enemies. Just one thing. That’s building on the rock.

Third: How are you reflecting Christ?

As the body of Christ, what does the world see when they look at us? Are we marked by love? Living in authentic community? Engaged in the rhythms that keep us rooted? Being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, doing what Jesus did?

Let me give you a few practical next steps as we close this series. Join a community group where you can practice these teachings together. Identify one spiritual rhythm to deepen this year—maybe prayer, maybe Sabbath, maybe generosity. Choose one sphere of influence—work, home, school, neighborhood—where you’ll intentionally follow the Way of Jesus. And invite someone to follow Jesus with you, because discipleship was never meant to be a solo journey.

You are not call to make believers, but disciples. So go do that.

Church, Jesus doesn’t call us to admire His teaching. He calls us to follow Him. To build on the rock. To walk the narrow way. To reflect His image. To be His body in the world. This is the Way of Jesus.

The early church took the Sermon on the Mount seriously—and they turned the world upside down. What if we did the same? What if this church, right here in Spokane, became so rooted in His love, so committed to His way, so filled with His Spirit that the people around us couldn’t help but ask, “What is different about them?”

That’s the Way of Jesus. That’s the Deeply Rooted life. And it starts with a choice.

Will you follow Him?

Let’s pray.