Making the Choice

Hypotheticals

If you had a choice of never eating chocolate again, or never drinking coffee again, which one would you choose?

What if you had a choice of always being healthy, but having no friends, or having lots of friends but having terrible health, which one would you choose?

What if you were offered $10,000,000 but you could never see your family again. Would you take it?

These silly little hypotheticals are actually a bit of nonsense. Sometimes my daughters like to ask absurd hypotheticals like these ones, and of course, they are always pointless because you’re never going to be forced into a decision like these ones.

However, they do help us think about what it is that we value. What is most important to you?

Is money more important than family?

Do we value our health over relationships?

We might not be forced to make absurd choices like I suggested before, but yet we do constantly face choices which even if we’re not conscious of it, will reveal some of our true values.

For example, when work and family commitments clash. Or when saying yes to one person means saying no to another.

Many of the choices you face in life will not be easy. Sometimes one value will be pitted up against another, like when the value of family is pitted against having a good work ethic.

But sometimes it’s difficult, not because of this sort of clash, but because one option is easier than the other. Sticking to our values can actually be hard.

Link with series

Today, we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount - and we’re going to find Jesus laying out a stark choice for us.

In many ways, it is a very suitable conclusion to this whole message.

You see, Jesus has been laying out for us something very different to what we would naturally expect. And he is essentially saying - so, what will it be? Will you follow this way? Or will you follow the alternative? The choice is yours.

Summary

But before we come to this choice, let us do a flying summary of everything we’ve done up to this point.

Well, if you go back about six weeks, I started on what we call the beatitudes. The word which is actually Latin for blessing. It was right back there that Jesus started an upside down message.

You see, he called blessed the things that very much do not feel like blessings… being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek… even facing persecution.

How is that a blessing? But that’s how Jesus started this.

We then heard a call to be the salt and light, before Jesus changed the way we look at the law. Rather than seeing the law for the loop holes it creates, we see a deeper meaning - we find the essence of the character of who God is calling us to be.

In chapter 6, Jesus refocuses our religious practices. Rather than a means for showing off, Jesus is actually inviting us to a deep fellowship with him - the greatest reward we could ever find.

The second half of chapter 6 has Jesus challenging us to a new outlook on life. With our gaze on heavenly treasures rather than worldly treasures, we’re taken to a point where we can lay aside our worries and instead rest on the goodness of God.

Last week, Pastor Warren took us on a journey through the first half of chapter 7. In many ways, it was the continuation of what would happen when the new outlook is put into practice. If we have a heavenly focus rather than a worldly one, then there won’t be as much need for judging, we’ll recognise that all we need to do is ask and we’ll receive.

They may not be easy things to put into practice, but that’s partly because keeping the heavenly focus is not easy.

Two Gates

But this brings us to our concluding passage. Jesus has just challenged us to a new world view. One which is completely different to what the world offers.

And then he gives us a picture of two gates.

You have a choice. You need to go through one or the other. You can’t go through both.

One gate is pictured as narrow. The other is wide. The wide gate is easy. It’s going with the flow. But it leads to destruction.

The narrow gate however, is not easy. But is leads to life.

Which gate do you choose?

The tension we need to hold

Now, before I go on, I want to talk about a particular tension that we need to hold whenever we have these sort of conversations.

You see, I’m going to be talking about the choice we need to make to go down the narrow gate. I’ve already suggested it’s not easy. But here’s the thing. That statement is actually both true and its not true.

It’s not true in the sense that actually, to go through the narrow gate, you just need to accept the free gift that Jesus offers. When you do this, the Holy Spirit will transform you. He will lead you down that narrow road that leads to life. It’s not you, it’s the Holy Spirit working within you.

That’s one side of the tension we hold. The other side is that there is effort we need to make. We’re called to a partnership. And it won’t always be easy. In fact, at times we can be called to make difficult decisions.

But we need to hold this tension together. If we either think that it is just our effort, or it has nothing to do with our effort, we miss the bigger picture.

So yes we are called down a narrow path, but also it’s a path that once we have accepted Jesus, we will be guided down.

Recognising the path

So the question then is - how do we recognise the narrow path?

Well, if you go back over in detail where this sermon on the mount had taken us, which I just gave you a very quick summary a moment ago, we’ll certainly start to get a feel for what this path is.

You see, as I pointed out, we see how different it is to the broad road that the world is offering. Rather than putting yourself forward and valuing worldly things, we instead put God first, love others, and put aside the treasures of this earth for a kingdom goals.

True and false prophets

But to help recognise this path, it can also help to listen to the guidance of others - other people who can speak the word of God into our lives. We can call those people prophets.

And it’s to these people that Jesus turns to now as we get to verse 15.

What is a prophet?

Now when we get to the word prophet, it is important to understand what we mean by this.

You see, when we talk about prophecy, usually the first thing we think of is future telling. Now prophecy does include future telling. There are many clear examples throughout Scripture where a prophets tells of something yet to pass, and then it takes place. And of course, there are somethings yet to take place, most notably the return of Christ.

However, I would argue that the primary role of the prophet is not future telling, but rather speaking the words of God into the situation that the prophet is in.

We see this in the Old Testament prophets. A significant portion of what they say relates directly to the situation they are in. The prophet gives them insight as to why things are happening. They give insight into where they have gone wrong.

As we look at the New Testament prophets, I believe the same thing is happening. The prophet is able to discern the word of God and can show the relevance to the situation in which they find themselves.

In this way, those with a prophetic ministry will be well placed to illuminate the narrow path for us. Sure there will be times when future telling forms part of this message, but for the most part, the prophet can show us when we’ve started to shift towards that broad path that leads to destruction.

Preaching = prophecy?

Now while we’re on prophets, there is sometimes some debate over how broad or narrow we can define prophecy. On the broad spectrum, we could say that good preaching should have a prophetic element to it. But others would look for a more specific calling on a persons life - but for what we’re about to talk about, I think there is warrant to understand the term prophet in a more broad sense.

How to spot false prophets

Essentially in this section from verse 15 to verse 20, Jesus is giving us another choice. You can follow true prophets or you can follow false prophets.

And the reality is, there are many false prophets. The false prophets are the ones who aren’t speaking the word of God, but rather dressing up some nice sounding arguments that don’t follow Jesus’ narrow path.

But this begs the question: which ones are the false prophets?

Jesus gives the answer: by their fruit. But this begs a follow up question - what fruit are we talking about?

Unfortunately, Jesus doesn’t elaborate on this, so we are forced to use our own discernment.

Character and teaching

Well let me suggest that perhaps we can look at two aspects of what fruit refers to here.

First, fruit can refer to the character of the prophet. But secondly, I think it can also refer to the fruit of their teaching - is it true? Does it align with Scripture.

On the first aspect, we can look at honest and integrity. We can look at whether their actions align with their message. They don’t need to be perfect, but they need to be striving towards a Christ like life.

On the second aspect, their teaching should be checked against Scripture. For example, if someone is trying to tell you that if you’re a good Christian then God will bless you with lots of money - then perhaps you might remember back to the beatitudes and think, hang on, that doesn’t really align with what Jesus is calling blessed.

Sometime identifying false prophets can be easy. Particularly if they are the type of prophet who is telling the future. If they predict an event, and then it doesn’t happen - well, I think their fruit is speaking for itself.

But identifying the false prophet is not always easy. And it’s why it is so important that we use great discernment.

Tips for spotting bad fruit

But let me perhaps offer a few tips.

First, be wary of anyone who doesn’t have a level of humility. Though God is infallible, we are not, and when this fact is obscured in a particular person, we have big problem.

Second tip, when you hear something that no body else is saying, it might not necessarily be wrong, but be wary.

And my third quick tip, look at how a person approaches Scripture. If it seems they use it poorly or not at all, then be very careful.

We could probably think of a lot more tips, but I think that is a good start at trying to spot the bad fruit in a false prophet.

But when we find a true prophet, they can be very useful at helping us onto that narrow path.

True and false disciples

So Jesus has essentially laid out two choices. First a choice between the narrow gate and the wide gate. And secondly, the choice between false prophets and true ones.

The next choice he offers us is essentially becomes a lot more personal. It becomes a choice of whether you’ll be a true disciple or a false one.

Jesus tells us that there will be some that say “Lord, Lord”, but will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Essentially he’s saying you can’t bluff your way to heaven.

In life, we learn to be pretty good at acting. We can put on a brave face, even when things are going terribly. But we can also act out a good Christian life. You can do a great job of convincing everyone at church that you’ve got it all together. But guess what, it matters nothing whether you’ve convinced me or not.

The only thing that matters is whether you’ve believed in you heart and allowed the Spirit to transform you.

So the choice really becomes - are you going to rely on your act? Or are you going to rely on your relationship? One will give you accolades in this life. The other will get you place in the next. Which one are you choosing?

Good or bad foundations

Well, in verse 24 we come to the fourth choice that Jesus lays out for us. And as someone who had a career as an engineer, I like the image that Jesus offers for us.

Jesus paints two alternate pictures for us. A man who builds his house on a rock. And a man who builds his house on the sand.

Now you don’t have to have a degree in engineering to figure this one out. It’s a concept which is pretty well understood by most people. When you build something, the foundations matter.

A good foundation is needed for a long lasting building. Poor foundations is a recipe for disaster.

This basic engineering concept is the same in life. The question however is, what constitutes a good foundation in life? And Jesus answers it for us: hearing the words of Jesus, and putting them in practice.

It’s not just hearing, but the putting in practice. Today, you can listen to all the best preachers in the world. But if you’re not putting what they say in practice, you may as well not be listening.

You see, when we put it into practice, this is when it all starts to sink in. What Jesus has to say is not just theory. It rather deep truths that are the essence of life.

Now the thing about foundations is that poor foundations can get you by when conditions are good. But the moment things turn bad, things will crumble.

It’s the same with the foundations in life. If you haven’t let the teaching of Jesus start to shape you life - let’s say for example seeking after worldly treasures, not heavenly ones - then some sort of crisis hits, your treasures crumble, you’ve now got nothings and everything around you crumbles.

You switch it around, you’ve sought after heavenly treasures not worldly ones. That same crisis hits. But there is something steady in your life. Though things crumble, you’ve still got a God who loves you and you know your treasure remains.

But let me really encourage you to be building this foundation when things are good. Once that crisis hits, be it financial troubles, health problems or broken relationships, if the foundations aren’t already there, you won’t have time to start building the foundation at that point.

The sad reality is that I’m sure we’re all aware of people who’ve had some semblance of faith in their life, but it all crumbled once things got hard. Thankfully, I know of even more cases where the opposite is true, that is, where people have been able to rely on a sturdy foundation.

But building this foundation is the best decision you will ever make.

Conclusion

All that we find in the sermon on the mount is challenging stuff. Jesus gets to the heart of the struggle between the worldly way and the way of God.

But all of this challenge leads to a bunch of choices for us.

Are we going to follow it, or are we going to take the easier way?

There’s a narrow gate and a wide gate. One easy, one hard. Which one will you take?

There are prophets out there saying what you want to hear. There are other prophets saying the word of God. Superficially, one is great. Eternally the other one is better. Which one will you listen to?

You can act the Christian life... Or you can let the Spirit truly transform you. Which one are you going to do?

You can be bothered to take the time to build a good foundation… or you can just let the words of Jesus gloss over you. Which one will you do?

If you’ve never consciously made these decisions, then I would urge you to talk with me or another Christian friend you trust. While it will result in some difficult decisions in your journey of life, but the decision is really to let the Holy Spirit in, so it’s not something you do alone.

But even for those who have made a decision before - have you found that in many of these choices, you’ve started to veer to the path of destruction? It’s certainly easy to do because it’s the easy path - the path of least resistance. If this is you, then may this message be a wake up call to shift things into gear.

Think about where you’re going. Think about who you’re listening to. Think about how you are acting. And think about where your true foundations lay.

Jesus is calling you to make a decision. What will you do?

Let me pray...