20.5.3a - Matthew 7:15-29 - Choose Wisely

Last week began the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, and this week we will finish it. I hope that I have done some justice to this Sermon. I'm sure more time could be spent on it, but I think we are getting the information out of it that is needed. As we will see in our study this morning, this is foundational for Christians. If you are a Christian who has wondered what you ought to teach, I highly recommend beginning your study with this section of Matthew. Go back and study this section again to teach it to others. All of these sermons are online and available through our podcast for you to relisten to.

In the last lesson, Jesus showed us the way into the kingdom is as simple as Asking, Seeking, or Knocking. However, most will choose to go into the broad gate that leads to a comfortable life rather than the narrow gate that leads to a hard life. Everyone would instead choose the way of external obedience along with self-service. But few will choose the way of self-sacrifice and become more righteous like God is righteous.

Beware of Deceptions

Hopefully, everyone sees that narrow gate now and wants to live the harder way of life. But now, he says something that should startle us. As long as we live on this earth, there is a possibility of being deceived.

False Prophets

Matthew 7:15--20 (ESV) --- 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Some false prophets will arise. False prophets have been a problem since the days of Israel. We will see the problems caused by listening to false prophets in the book of Jeremiah. They lead God's people to destruction by telling them what they want to hear. Jesus gives us a graphic image of a ravenous wolf in sheep's clothing. They come in seeming like they are followers, but they steal people away through deception. We may have some ravenous wolves in this very congregation who have not shown themselves. He wants us to beware.

Then he describes how we can detect these false prophets using another illustration. He says, "You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" It's not hard to recognize those who are trying to steal us away from the truth if we know what the truth is. If we have seen a grape on the vine, we shouldn’t look for grapes in a thorny bush. That might be a poisonous berry. Our best defense against false teachers is to look at the person delivering the message. Everyone is different. We can't tell a false teacher by the color of their skin or their dialect, but we can tell a false teacher by their character and their attitude. People who are liars, cheaters, selfish, boastful, and immoral hypocrites, who place heavy burdens on others that they do not lift, produce fightings, strife, malice, slander, gossip, and rebellion.

Self-Deception

Matthew 7:21--23 (ESV) --- 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

If the first warning wasn't scary enough, now Jesus gets into a more personal warning that gives us all a proper amount of fear.

Some may think that calling out to Jesus and naming him as our Lord is enough, but Jesus says it is not. Many people will emotionally cry out to Jesus as their Lord, but they will fail to recognize that they haven't done the will of God. Words alone are empty. It is not enough to confess a belief in the God of the Bible. It is not enough to call Jesus the Lord of our lives. Words do nothing for us. How many people do we know that make empty promises? How many of us have said we would do things that become harder to do than we expected?

Notice that many people don't stop with a confession. Verse 22 is a problematic text for all of us who are faithful church-goers. He says that many people who are doing things for their Lord will not get into the kingdom. They are teaching others about God, helping others live a healthy life, and they are involved in all kinds of ministries for the Lord. Imagine these hard-working church-goers who expect Jesus to let them in for all that they have sacrificed. Jesus says they will not be allowed in.

What Does It Mean To Know Him?

Many people will speak like Christians and do works like Christians, but Jesus says that he does not know them. Why not? They are workers of lawlessness. Jesus says to them, "Depart from me! I never knew you." These are the last words we want to hear! All of those who enter the broad gate will fail to know Jesus, and he will fail to know them. This life is about knowing Jesus and following his ways.

Matthew 7:24--27 (ESV) --- 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In order to solidify for us how we can know Jesus and how he will know us, Jesus gives us another illustration. Hearing and doing the things Jesus has shown us in this sermon will make us like someone building a house on a foundation that will las while others who start trying to do religious works like everyone else is doing without considering his words will have a home that is ready to fall down. This raises the importance of the Sermon on the Mount.

Those who hear his words in chapters 5-7 and do what he has said will come to know God, and God will know them. To know in this context is not to know about someone. This is similar to a husband and wife coming to know one another in the Old Testament. An intimate, personal relationship with God has to develop as we hear and do God's will as described in this text.

This whole sermon has shown us what that relationship looks like. We are humble, and he exalts us with blessings. We pursue righteous hearts, and he helps us grow in righteousness. We pursue his glory, and he gives us eternal rewards plus everything we need in this life. We love others, and he continues to love us. He is our good good Father, and we are his precious children.

How Do We Know That We Know Him?

Now, let's think for a minute about the other group. They hear Jesus' words, but they refuse to submit to them. What does that look like? This is the scary part of this. It seems like they are building a house, just like the other. They are not murdering, committing adultery, or being unjust in their retaliation. They give to the poor, pray, and fast like all other religious people. Externally, there is nothing wrong with them that we can see. But inside, they are full of death.

Romans 3:12--18 (ESV) --- 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Matthew 23:25--28 (ESV) --- 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

If we are doing this, we are like Saul, who we so quickly condemn in 1 Samuel 15. Saul was commanded to wipe out the Amalekites completely, but he decided to keep Agag alive and use their animals to sacrifice to God. Samuel said to Saul, "To obey is better than to sacrifice." God did not want Saul's religion. He wanted Saul's heart!

That is what he wants from us as well. I can see this in my children. They do good things expecting me to reward them. It is so much more valuable to me when they do good things because they love me. When they aren't trying to abuse the system to get what they want out of it, they aren't self-seeking. I love that! They just want to do what is right and hear me tell them how much I love them and appreciate them for it. If they do what is good with the right heart, I want to give them blessings. I want to buy the best for them, and I want them to enjoy it!

Application

How many of us go through the motions of religion, hoping that God finds some pleasure in our works? Can we really say that we know God or that he knows us? If not, that should scare us. The first and most important thing is not that we read the Bible for this many hours a day, worship this many hours a week, worship in this way, give this much of our money, or become this righteous of a person. The first and most important thing is that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then, all of these acts of worship flow out of that love. This is why Paul says what he does in Romans 12.

Romans 12:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

God cares most about our hearts than anything. We can build a solid house (religious service filled life) on a heart that loves God and desires to do his will. This heart will lead to consistent hours spent in Bible study and prayer. It will lead us to worship Him in the way he commanded every chance we get. We will not care about keeping all of our money because we know that his promised blessing is more valuable. We will strive to be righteous like he is righteous because we admire that incredible quality about him. How amazing is our God? How worthy of all our praise and adoration?

Conclusion

The words of Matthew after this sermon are so appropriate.

Matthew 7:28--29 (ESV) --- 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

The crowds were astonished. Shouldn't we all be astonished? God came down from heaven and taught us exactly what he wanted us to do, and he told us that he would bless us eternally if we do it. As we will see tonight, this is what we have waited for since the beginning of mankind. What a blessing it is to know God and to be known by him. If you are not in a relationship with him, you can ask, seek, and knock, and you will receive.