Choose Wisely

Introduction

A couple of weeks ago whenever we began our study of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we talked about choices. We looked at the Beatitudes and looked at how we are supposed to live a different life as Christians. This requires a daily choice to die to self and life for Christ! A month ago we looked at and how Jesus commands His followers to not store up earthly treasure but instead heavenly treasure. In looking at these verses we talked about the importance of making good decisions and choices. Some of our choices are easy: a chocolate chip cookie versus a raisin cookie. Other choices we face are difficult: which place we should go or what we should do with our lives. We face many difficult choices and many easy choices each and every day. It is estimated that we make 35,000 choices every day! Many of these choices we make are made instantaneously - we wake up and we go to the bathroom. That’s a choice but we do it because we haven’t gone to the bathroom in several hours and usually we just have to go!

There are other choices that are much harder. Again, though, Jesus helps by eliminating many options. We are given 2 options time after time in this passage of Scripture. The wide or narrow gate, the good tree or the bad tree, actually following Jesus or not truly following Jesus, the solid foundation or the weak foundation. While these verses and situations might not make much sense to us in our context 2000 years later, we can certainly understand Jesus’ overall message. We face choices each and every day of our lives. Sometimes the right answer is obvious, other times it is not. In either situation, though, we are commanded to choose the right option. The ball is in our court - we are held responsible for our actions.

There have been a great many theological debates regarding our choices and our ability to choose. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, all Christians can and should agree that God is sovereignly in control and mankind is held responsible for our actions. As a result, as Christians, we must make the right choice. We must enter the narrow gate, bear fruit, follow Christ and build our life on the solid foundation of God’s Word. These things might not make us popular in the eyes of others. They certainly won’t be easy and they might be controversial in the eyes of some people, even some professing Christians, but it is what we are called to do by Christ in these verses. Seek wisdom, make good choices, follow Jesus and glorify God.

Matthew 7:13-29

Matthew 7:13–29 NASB95

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” 28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Choose the Narrow Gate (13-14)

are pretty popular verses that many of us know well. We, as Christians, are not to enter through the wide gate because it leads to destruction. Instead we are to enter through the narrow gate which leads to eternal life! Did you know that the percentage of Christians in the United States has decreased significantly over the last 7 years? According to Barna research, the percentage of evangelicals stayed pretty stead throughout 2003-2012 but something happened in 2012… The percentage of atheist/agnostic/non-identifying people more than doubled (9% in 2012 to 21% in 2018) over the next 6 years. As a result, the percentage of evangelical Christians has decreased from 36% in 2012 to 26% in 2018. From a numerical standpoint, Christianity is no longer the “majority” group of Americans. Many people have a Christian background and many people could tell you some basic Christian facts, but that is not what saves!

The gate that leads to destruction is broad and appealing. Have you ever driven through St. Louis on either I-44, I-170 or I-270? St. Louis has some massive highways and interstates with 4, 5 or sometimes 6 lanes of traffic! Some of you might absolutely detest driving on such roads because of the traffic and confusion, but others might find it really cool to be in a bigger place than Conway/Morgan, Missouri. Think of the difference between a 6 lane interstate and the road that connects Morgan and Rader. That bumpy, uneven dirt road is much more difficult on your car than a smooth sailing interstate, right? Even if you don’t like the interstate, the interstate is a much smoother drive. Likewise, it is much easier and faster to do things the way that the world says to do things. It is much more appealing to our human nature to please our flesh and do things that make us happy rather than doing things that we are called by Scripture to do that might require us to look differently than people around us.

Not only can wide and narrow refer to popularity, but they can also refer to difficulty. The Greek word in verse 14 for “narrow” comes from the verb “thlibo” which means to experience trouble while “broad” in verse 13 can mean spacious or prosperous. We are not called to travel down the spacious, prosperous path that is smooth sailing. We are called to follow Jesus Christ. This path is much smaller, but it leads to life and very few find it.

Lots of people walk down the broad, popular road. There are next to no rules on this road. It is well-known. It is open-minded. It is inclusive. Many people say that we’re all going to heaven anyways, and this is a message that this road tells us often. This road, though is not new. Its origin is in the Garden of Eden whenever mankind placed its trust in ourselves rather than in God. The world promises happiness and rewards, but in actuality it is a dead end road that leads to eternal destruction. Jesus calls us to walk down the small road. Again, few find this road. This shows that universalism - the belief that all people make it to heaven - is unfounded and incorrect according to Scripture. Not everyone is saved. We’ve talked about this extensively, but Jesus Himself said that He was the only way () and Peter echoed this idea in whenever he declared that there is salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus Christ!

The road that follows Jesus Christ is exclusive. It is a lonely road that will involve suffering and persecution. Look at the early church! If we take our eyes off of the eternal joy awaiting us, then we will lose hope along the way. We travel down this little path because it is the path that Jesus calls us to walk on.

Choose the Good Tree (15-20)

Jesus’ next section moves from the path that we walk on to the fruit that we bear and the things that we teach others. This was something we discussed two weeks ago regarding judging others and how some people view calling false teachers out as a “no-no” because it’s “judgmental” yet that’s exactly what Christ shows we are supposed to do here! Christ cautions His followers against false prophets who are wolves camouflaged in sheep’s clothing. There were people back in Jesus’ day who claimed to speak in the name of God but did so falsely. If you turn to in your Bible you see a man named Simon the magician who was a popular false teacher who Peter rebuked strongly! We are not specifically told who is being talked about here in , but the idea is wide enough to cover anyone who falsely claims to know the way of the Lord. Anyone who leads people astray from God and Scripture. Notice, though, Jesus says that they came to the people. The false teachers do not have to be sought out, they seek others out and look innocent. They have a good message at surface level. Maybe they have a couple of really solid sermons that you’ve heard and you assume that they are a great, Biblical pastor as a result.

This issue existed then and it exists now as well. There are people who look like sheep and who sound good to our ears but they are actually ravenous wolves. Their inward reality is different than their outward appearance. They put on a front to deceive followers and their true interest is in personal gain and profit. Church, we must be aware of wolves who look like sheep. This requires discernment, judgment and evaluation. We put their words up to the test of God’s Word, not our opinions or passages of Scripture that we prefer over others.

So, you’re probably wondering, how are we supposed to judge and evaluate other teachers? How are you supposed to evaluate the teaching you hear each and every week? You evaluate it by the fruits of the teacher. Jesus declares that good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit - that seems like a pretty cut and dry way of looking at things, right? Sometimes Jesus’ teachings are so direct and matter of fact that we find ourselves a little perplexed. We read and we ask, “really? Is it that simple?” Many things are complicated in our world, whether it be following rules or the fine print of a contract, we simply expect to have a long list of things to abide by, yet that’s not what Jesus does here in our text. He simply says that you will know them by their fruit. Good fruit = good tree, bad fruit = bad tree.

Now we have to ask, what is fruit? Certainly we would agree that Mahatma Ghandi was a great teacher who taught some good principles, but he was not a Christian. On the converse, we know some professed Christians who do terrible things. How can we know a good tree and good fruit? We conduct 2 tests: A doctrinal test and a practical test. Do they teach that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? If so, then they pass the doctrinal test. Next, we ask, are they legalists who extend no mercy to others or are they universalists who say that everyone is just fine as they are and that humans should just live their best life now? If they teach this then they fail the practical test. You can have right mental knowledge and fail to bear good fruit. We must walk the walk and practice what we preach. Failure to do so means that we fail to bear good fruit.

The reason that this matters so much is found in verses 19-20 as Christ declares that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This is not good news, friends! This is a universal declaration from Christ, every false teacher, every bad tree, every tree that fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and burned. We know that fire destroys physical trees and can cause widespread devastation and destruction, but we also know that “fire” can be used of the eternal destruction awaiting these false teachers. This might sound harsh, but Jesus’ point is again very direct. If you teach and believe anything other than salvation being by grace alone, though faith alone, in Christ alone then you will be cut down and burned. Jesus doesn’t desire us to attain head knowledge, He doesn’t want some religious activities or traditions, true Christian discipleship involves a change of status. A change of ownership must take place.

We choose to bear fruit. We believe in Jesus Christ and we know that we are not saved because of our own works but we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. If you have been saved this morning and you have the Holy Spirit coursing through your veins then you should naturally bear fruit. A bad tree does not bear good fruit, it is impossible. Therefore, good spiritual fruit must be the result of a good tree. I pray that we are all connected to the good tree this morning!

Choose to actually follow Christ (21-23)

Verses 21-23 of are arguably the most terrifying verses in the entire Bible. These verses should not cause us to not have confidence in our salvation because Jesus certainly paid it all on the cross of Calvary for all who are “in Christ” as tells us. We should not simply ask, “Do I know Jesus?” With that said, these verses should cause us to ask ourselves this question: “Does Jesus know me?” To think that people who think they know Jesus could be met with “depart from me, I never knew you” is absolutely awful, yet that is what Scripture shows us. Friends, it’s not about “knowing Jesus” in the sense that you know about gravity or you know about historical facts. That’s now that it’s about, the idea in Scripture is not head knowledge but rather Lordship. There is a huge difference in these 3 verses regarding those who have a false profession (Lord, Lord) and those who do the will of the Father and genuinely follow Christ.

Maybe you’re a little taken aback by because you’re familiar with which says

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

As the VBS saying puts it, just “A, B and C” - Admit, Believe and Confess.

The issue is that the Bible doesn’t want us to simply profess Christ as Lord but to instead know that Christ is Lord. You know people like this, right? Perhaps this is even you this morning! You say that Jesus is Lord and you know some stuff about Him, but you don’t really know Him. Your actions do not reflect a change of status. Your actions do not show that you are under new ownership. A transformed and obedient life reveals true, genuine faith. Maybe you don’t have the most incredible testimony or you don’t feel like you did anything crazy in your life and that God can’t use you and that your testimony isn’t special. Every testimony is incredible because it shows the power of Jesus Christ bringing the dead back to life! Even if you grew up in the church, you don’t become a Christian by osmosis. You don’t become a Christian by coming to Sunday school, although Sunday school certainly deepens your faith and understanding of Scripture. Salvation is not found in a verbal profession!

If Salvation was founded based on some words that people said then nearly everyone would be going to heaven because we’ve all said the right words. We do this in our own lives as well, right? You get in trouble and you say what you need to say to avoid being punished or to get off the hook as best you can. You are talking with someone and you put on a face to say the right things in order to end the conversation sooner rather than later. We say things for the sake of saying things all the time. You can go up to 100 people on the street and many of them would say that they are “Christian” in some capacity, but how many will remain loyal to Christ whenever push comes to shove?

If a verbal profession does not equate to salvation, then what does? The extreme position here says that our lives and our works save us. This is not what Scripture is saying! Scripture, instead, is saying that the reality of our faith and change of status will be made evident to others by living a fruitful life. You bear fruit as a Christian. You look at things differently as a Christian. You follow Christ when it’s not necessarily popular to do so as a Christian because its not about you! It’s not about doing traditional things. It’s not about singing the songs or reading the Scripture. It’s not even about just praying the prayer. It’s not about the works! It’s about the heart.

Just as wolves disguised as sheep can fool many people, some people can fool us this side of heaven, but verse 23 makes it crystal clear that no one will fool God. In fact, Christ declares that for these people He will say, “I never knew you.” For the person who is a bad tree, bears no spiritual fruit, this is the end result awaiting them. This is awful news, but it’s Biblical. This should cause us to fall on our knees in prayer and ask ourselves if we follow Jesus for Jesus or if we follow Jesus for anything else.

I love the way that DA Carson puts this passage of Scripture, “It is true, of course, that no man enters the kingdom because of his obedience; but it is equally true that no man enters the kingdom who is not obedient. It is true that men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; but it is equally true that God’s grace in a man’s life inevitably results in obedience. Any other view of grace cheapens grace, and turns it into something unrecognizable. Cheap grace preaches forgiveness without repentance, church membership without rigorous church discipline, discipleship without obedience, blessing without persecution, joy without righteousness, results without obedience. In the entire history of the church, has there ever been another generation with so many nominal Christians and so few real (i.e., obedient) ones? And where nominal Christianity is compounded by spectacular profession, it is especially likely to manufacture its own false assurance.”

It is true, of course, that no man enters the kingdom because of his obedience; but it is equally true that no man enters the kingdom who is not obedient. It is true that men are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; but it is equally true that God’s grace in a man’s life inevitably results in obedience. Any other view of grace cheapens grace, and turns it into something unrecognizable. Cheap grace preaches forgiveness without repentance, church membership without rigorous church discipline, discipleship without obedience, blessing without persecution, joy without righteousness, results without obedience. In the entire history of the church, has there ever been another generation with so many nominal Christians and so few real (i.e., obedient) ones? And where nominal Christianity is compounded by spectacular profession, it is especially likely to manufacture its own false assurance.

We live our the Word in our daily lives as Jesus notes in

Akin, D. (2019). Exalting jesus in the sermon on the mount. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

John 14:15 NKJV

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Out of the 35,000 choices we make each and every day, no choice is as important as choosing to life for Jesus and obeying His commands rather than doing whatever it is that we think is correct.

Choose the Solid Foundation (24-29)

The final choice we see in this passage of Scripture talks about 2 different foundations: a solid rock and sinking sand. Danny Akin notes that every person has a source of authority that shapes their worldview. This authority influences how we think, act, and live. It could even determine how we die. For the person who believes in the ultimate authority of Scripture, they must build their entire life on the foundation of Scripture. This requires wisdom and this requires a daily seeking of the will of God.

Many people build their life on their opinions and what makes sense. To the person who thinks that blue is the best color in the whole wide world, they are going to probably buy a lot of blue products and other people will understand that they like blue. To the person who likes a particular thing or who has a specific hobby, they probably think that their collection is unique and other people understand that they have a passion for collecting that item. Just as people have passions, preferences and opinions, we all build our life and our choices are influenced by these things. As a result, we all have the choice to either build our foundation on what we want or upon God’s Word. Jesus’ final section has both a similarity and a crucial difference, these individuals both built houses but they did so on different foundations. The results were extremely different as a result!

Likewise, if we build our life and choose to act solely upon our preferences and what our society says is correct, we will end up like the man who built his house on the sand. Our world is ever changing, friends. Yet, we know that God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Christ’s final message is directed at everyone as verse 24 makes known. He encourages people to be doers of the Word (act upon them). Whenever we hear that a storm is coming, some of us are skeptical of the weathermen. As of late, you would be wise to be pretty skeptical of what they say on the news weather wise! But whenever Jesus tells us that trials and tribulations are coming our way, we can take it to the bank that these things are not only coming but they will effect us. As a result, we must be prepared. These storms will rock our world and shake us to our core. Sometimes these storms include things like losing a job, being told that you’re not doing a good job or being diagnosed with cancer, these are real things that rock our foundation to its core, but the even more devastating truth is the coming judgment of God.

As the hymn puts it, the churches one foundation is what? Jesus Christ!

Whenever we place our faith and build our foundation on the Word, we are able to stand firm during the storms of life. Rather than disobeying and looking like a fool, we remain true and are obedient. Whenever the storms come, the person who is in Christ is not shaken by the opinions of others or by the diagnosis given to them by the doctor. They care infinitely more about what their Creator thinks about them.

Conclusion

Christ concludes His Sermon on the Mount and the people left and were amazed at His teaching as someone who had authority. Christ preached this counter cultural message and He did so not based upon someone else’s authority but as the eternal Son of God who was present at Creation itself! Christ’s message is clear: We must choose wisely. We are not simply to admire this sermon but we are to actually obey it. We are commanded to get out of the way. To remove our biases, preferences, opinions, and traditions and remove them with the Word of God and to move when God says to move and to stay whenever God says to stay.

So, what will you choose today? Will you choose the narrow gate that is difficult and leads to eternal life or the wide gate that makes wonderful promises and makes you feel great and comfortable but leads to eternal destruction? Will you choose the good tree or will you choose the bad tree that tickles the ear and pleases our flesh and tradition? Will you choose to actually follow Christ or simply give Him your lip service a couple times per week? Finally, will you choose to build your life on God’s Word or upon your own preferences and personal ideas?

As the song Cornerstone puts it,

“My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly trust is Jesus' name”

I pray that this is true of you and your life today. I pray that this remains true of our church as well as our world continues to change on the outside and try to get us to conform and compromise. Let’s encourage one another to hold true to Scripture and love one another along the way. Even people who see things a little different than us. Let’s pray.