Discernment

Dad Jokes

If you are at an apple store and you see a robbery, does that make you an iWitness?

Don’t trust people who do acupuncture, they are a bunch of backstabbers

What did the duck say when he bought chapstick? Put it on my bill

When I found out my toaster wasn't waterproof, I was shocked

What happens when you touch Dwane Johnson’s butt? You hit rock bottom...

Fathers Day

It’s father’s day and my father is one of the greatest influences in my life.

And that is impotrant dads that you hear that…

Not just that my dad was one of the greatest influences on my life but for better or worse, you will be an influence on your kids.

You are one of the biggest influences in their lives...

If your absent…You will be an influence

If your present…you will be an influence

If your harsh you will be an influence

if your gentle, you will be an influence

Your influence doesn't guarantee your kids will turn out as great adults or following the Lord even....But for better or worse it makes a huge impact

Well the story I want to tell about my dad is about how my dad gave me the best gift he could have ever given me…It was his work ethic...

I work hard today, because my dad made me work hard…

Because Trust me. I was a lazy kid…I worked harder at getting out of doing work than I did actually working

But my dad made me work and not a day goes by that I am not thankful that...

My dad worked a corporate job in downtown LA, so many days, the first time I saw him was at dinner time…He was already long gone by the time I woke up most mornings...

But on the weekends, that was yard work time, that was carwash time…that was sprinkler fixing and window washing day...

and here was the deal…On the weekends, all I wanted to do was sleep in…But my dad would say...”If I am working, that means your working”

and OHHHHH I Hated every second of it...

I would hide in the bathroom…you know…pretending to have huge stomach issues…But it turns out…My dad was wise to this

I remember one day in particular where I was hiding out in the bathroom and then I heard all of the lawn equipment turn off…and I remember thinking…Oh good there done…I’ll just waltz out there and go…oh shoot you guys did all the work

My dad at it turns out was smarter than a 10 year old...

He had just finished trimming all of the shrubs and he had left all of the picking up for me...

So I remember this moment like it was yesterday and it is so key to my life that my dad did this…

We had dodger tickets for later that night and my dad calmly told me:

You can sit in the bathroom the entire time we are all working, but I will always leave you work to do, and its your choice, you can pick up every last leaf or you can stay here tonight while everyone who worked gets to go to the dodger game...

My dad sat there and watched me pick up every last leaf

Now from my perspective as a dad now, this is a very logical and smart move

But my 10 year old self thought that the world was cruel and unusual punishment

I complained…I was angry...

I said things like, I can’t believe you wouldn't take me to the Dodger game...

And he would say, no son, its your choice to go to the game or not…Every last leaf...

But it was in picking up all of those leaves that it that day in that moment…And its something that I didn’t realize was happening until it happened...

In that time of working and the time it took to pick up all the leaves.....I fully submitted to my dad’s authority...

Now, My dad was just trying to get me to pull my own weight around the house and he was trying to shape me into a person who worked hard...

But what actually happened that day is that we were two people at a standstill and it became a question of who is in charge?

Who has the authority here?

I have a very strong work ethic today because my dad didn't want me to be lazy and he loved me enough to take me through what I thought was hell....

And he took me though an experience of making me work but what really happened in picking up all of those leaves is that I fully submitted to the authority of my father

I think my dad knew that ten year olds, living under my own authority is a disastrous idea

But if I submitted to his authority then he could actually shape me and mold me.

Why? In learning to joyfully submit to my father, it became easy and natural to submit to my heavenly father later on

So not only did my dad teach me about how to have a great work ethic, It was only when I fully submitted to his authority that that I was freed up to just be a kid and play…

I knew what was expected of me

I knew he was in charge

I knew that he wanted what was best for me

The biggest gift my dad ever gave me was not only his work ethic but making me to come under his authority.....

And at the time it wasn’t fun…But it was absolutely the best thing for me

Because now I know how to surrender to God’s authority

Parents, if your kids don’t know how to submit to your authority you have to teach them or else you are setting them up for failure…

You are setting them up for never being able to submit to the authority of the Lord

So we have been in the sermon on the mount and what is Jesus’s main invitation?

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God...

It is literally that you come under the authority of God

See, how will our kids ever joyfully surrender their own authority to God if they never come under your authority first?

As a kid I had no idea I was doing it, but by hiding out in the bathroom I was giving out the message that I am in charge, I’ll do what I want to do, I am in control... I am my own authority...

And at the time I would have never been able to articulate that I was attempting to live under my own authority…This is just the default way of life…the wide road that many walk down without understanding what they are doing

I guarantee that if your kids truly believe that they are in charge at home, they wont be able to articulate it…in fact if you asked them, they would say their parents are in charge…I would have when I was 10...

By my actions said..I am in charge

And what Jesus addresses today in the Sermon on the mount is this default way of life where we ultimately end up believing that we are in charge of all things...

So let’s look at our text today…Because I think this is what Jesus is saying right up front..

He is almost saying…You’ve heard my sermon, now submit to my authority

I mean the last lines of the sermon on the mount are Matthew’s editorial note that everyone was amazed at the authority that Jesus taught with

Lets read

Matthew 7:13–23 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. “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. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “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!’

This entire section is about obedience....In fact next week is our last week in the Sermon on the mount and it is all about putting Jesus’ teaching into practice…

Jesus is not offering anything new for the sermon on the mount in these last two weeks....But he is saying…You’ve heard what the ethics of my kingdom are…now enter the narrow Gate. walk into my kingdom

And if we are going to be the type of people who obey, we must first surrender our authority to his...

So Jesus starts this section by talking about the two paths that we can go down…either good or evil...

and Our world wants us to believe that there are so many more than 2 roads to go down…that there is really no such thing as good or evil…

In fact, the deception of our world is to say, whatever road you go down is great because you are just going down it…and we need to celebrate that road…Even if it is the worst thing for you.

This is simply the way that our culture thinks

But when God took on flesh he came to say, watch which road you walk down. It matters because there are only two roads…regardless of whatever you might believe....

Father’s, what road are you walking down?

Jesus, for the last part of the sermon on the mount is essentially asking if we are going to obey him?

Which road will we go down?

So let’s break this down a little

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.

Father’s need to choose to walk down the narrow road.

Now salvation is something that God does for us…He died on the cross, we simply have to accept God’s free gift of salvation

But every day after that there is a choice...

There is a choice that can derail your life or a choice that can take you deeper in following Jesus

Entering the narrow gate is a choice...

See the wide gate is something we do by default…without ever thinking to much about it

David the Psalmist reminds us of this...

Jesus is simply reminding us of what his greatest relative said...

Psalm 1 NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

David lays out these same series of choices...

There is a narrow road of the righteous and the wide road of the wicked

and Fathers you have to see that in everything you do, you pave the path for your kids

Grandfathers…The story you are writing right now will be apart of the identity of your grandchildren

What road are you on?

Hearing this verse about the wicked, I think there is this tendency to say…well I am not wicked…its not talking about me...

I used to think that walking in step with the wicked was like smoking in the bathrooms or cussing or any number of things that I just wouldn't consider doing....

But what I have come to realize is that the way of the wicked that leads to destruction and the way of the wide path is simply just the way that most people live and act by default

it is acting as if money and status are the most impotrant things

It is living as if aging is something to worry about

It’s joining in on the trash talking in the office

Its speaking like you are following God but acting in rebellion to God...

The way of the wicked is simply the way that most people talk...

Its the default way of life that you don’t even need to think much about...

Fathers: Are you living by default or design?

Father's, you have to be models of what it means to live by deign, to live by God’s narrow way...

If you are wondering what that is, go read the sermon on the mount again.

Because Jesus is clear…that is what the narrow way is.

But Jesus has so much more to say

Matthew 7:15–20 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. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Father’s need to model discernment

The reason why as a parent you need to get ahold of authority in your kids life early on is so that when they are in high school and have a best friend that looks great on the outside....but you can see that the friend is really bad news…you can actually say something about it and have authority with your kids...

Parents…If you don’t take authority early in the life of your kids and help them walk in God’s authority, then the world is glad to do that for you

We live in a time where there are a thousand false narratives for truth...

And our kids need to be able to pick up on what the truth is and what a lie is

Because Dad’s & Mom’s…You’ve been around the block…you know what’s true and what is false....You need to model discernment...

Its actually the only way to stay on the narrow road..Your kids need to learn discernment...

Who do they listen to in life?

Who can to listen to so that they can stay on the narrow road?

Jesus is warning us of spiritual deceivers and people who are interested in doing evil while proclaiming that they are all about goodness

Parents…you know that trick!

The only way you can give your kids your discernment is by having authority in their lives and walking down the narrow road....

And its imperative that you do, because, every tree that does not bear good fruit gets thrown into the fire

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!’

Fathers need to model faithfulness

Father’s, do your kids catch you praying? Do they stumble upon you reading your Bibles?

Do they see this active relationship with Jesus?

Because, This verse is all about being faithful too the end...

Its not just talking and praying like a christian...

But it is having a living relationship with Jesus

One of the things that I have learned from my kids is that they want to learn what I really believe deep down in life...

The way that they learn that is through studying my words and actions

What Jesus is talking about here are the people who talk the talk of Jesus but in reality, they live in outright rebellion to Jesus...

I think there is this temptation in the Christian life to get comfortable and to say…I accepted Christ when I was 5 and then to feel like your fine or your good...

But really you are holding on to the declaration of a five year old and living in outright rebellion to God

Following Jesus is a life, and just like anything, it can grow or diminish....

So fathers…When your kids study your life will they find your faith is growing or diminishing?

That’s an impotrant question because Jesus will examine your life

thats what this scripture is all about

How will Jesus find you?

Faithful or in rebellion

Challenge

Maybe your here and you are living in outright rebellion to your father in Heaven...

I believe one of the invitations of Jesus is to live under his authority

So fathers…The best thing you can do here today is to surrender to the authority of God...

You can do that with a prayer: “Father, I give you full authority in my life....”

Maybe this father’s day…The greatest gift you can give your kids is the decision to walk in God’s design of faithfulness on the narrow road.