1. Today we’re in Matthew 7. We’re almost done with the sermon on the mount – this weekend and next. It’s been a good series and I kind of hate to end it, but when you’re doing a series on the sermon on the mount and you come to the end of it, that’s it. Matthew 7:13-23. Jesus gives us some straightforward, no-nonsense spiritual advice. Here’s what He says.
2. The other day I took the kids to Busch Gardens. Just the boys. We had a blast. They love roller-coasters. Elijah just made the height requirement on most of the coasters, so I was spiking his hair up so he could get in. And we wanted to be the first ones on the rides, so we left early. But I hadn’t been to Busch Gardens in a decade, so I wasn’t sure how to get there. I turned on my phone GPS and set the address in there and no problem.
3. As we got closer to the park, we started seeing clear signs, so we were kind of following both – the signs and the GPS. But when we got like right to the park, the sign that said “parking” was actually on the wrong side of the road but we could see the rides on the right and knew BG was on the right and my GPS kept saying to go forward and turn right. So after a brief battle over which directions to believe, I just kept going and followed the GPS. Came to a little side entrance thing, I don’t know what it was. Didn’t look right, but I saw the park right there and GPS said go, so I followed it.
4. As I’m going in, cars are passing me the other direction, looking at me like you’re going the wrong way. The kids are like “Dad, those people are saying you’re going the wrong way”. Yeah, well they don’t know where I’m going. We’re going a secret way. By now I’m realizing this doesn’t seem right but I can’t turn around and now I’m just curious where exactly the GPS is leading me, so I follow this winding path on the wrong side of the pylons but I know I’m on the wrong road.
5. Well, I finally find a place to turn around – it’s a little roundabout, and as I pull into the roundabout, my GPS says “Destination” and I can almost spit on the front gate of the park…we’re right there. And I’m thinking why can’t we just park right here. And there’s an official Busch Gardens guy coming over to us, so I roll down the window and try to play it cool. I’m about to explain the whole “I just was following my GPS” thing and he says would you like me to park your car? And I looked at his tag and it said Valet. At that moment I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten there, how anybody else would ever get there, but I just played along and said, “of course I do my good man. Why else would I drive up to the valet booth? It was more expensive than regular parking, but the tickets were free so what do I care? The kids were pumped – Dad you drove right up to the front!
6. Let me just ask you – do you know what road you’re on? Jesus tells us here to choose our path well; that there are eternal implications inherent in our choices. Do you know where the path you’re on is leading? What is the logical extension, the destination, the conclusion…where are you heading? Do you know? Do you care? Are you paying attention? Unlike my little story, we’re not going to end up in the right place by accident. It’s not “all dogs go to heaven.” It’s not “as long as you’re not a serial killer, you’re OK.” The path to life is a conscious, calculated choice that we have to make and continue to make.
7. According to Jesus life is an either / or proposition. There is no “Middle Group”. Jesus deals in extremes; yes or no, in or out, hot or cold. Two masters, two treasures, two gates, two roads, two kinds of fruit, two destinations, two foundations. But here’s the problem – we want both. For most people it’s a both / and. We want to believe in God AND live our life. want to live for God, but I also want to live for myself. I want heaven, but I also want to have some fun. I want to grow and mature, but I’m not willing to commit. We want the middle road – to have eternal life and everything Jesus offers, and life the way we want. But Jesus never gives us that option. You’ve got to pick a path – it’s one or the other.
8. And it’s not really an easy choice. The road to destruction, the one we’re NOT supposed to want is well-marked, well-paved, well-lit, well-traveled…neon signs everywhere, hot dog stands, drive-thru Starbucks. Whatever you need to stay on the path is usually what Satan will give you. It’s a wide road with room enough for all kinds of beliefs and backgrounds, opinions and lifestyles – it’s diverse, it’s tolerant, it’s permissive, it’s inclusive, it’s fun. It feels good. Highway to Hell. It’s the Proverbs 14:12 way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
9. But the narrow road. Just think about the word narrow. It’s not a great word –especially in our culture. If someone calls you “narrow”, that’s not a compliment. Unless they’re referring to your waistline. But Jesus says the road that leads to life is NARROW! Not a lot of room for outside opinions, or differing religious systems or self-gratifying sinful lifestyles. In fact, the gate is so narrow that to even get on the road you have to squeeze through by believing John 14:6, That He alone is THE Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. He IS the DOOR, the GATE, the only way to Life.
10. As Paul says in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in NO ONE else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Understand, Oprah doesn’t believe that. She doesn’t teach that. She’s got people all over the planet tuning in and doing her little New Age small group book studies, with her new age guests and her scientology friends. If you watch Oprah, I don’t care, just know that she and Jesus disagree! She’s flat said that there has to be more than one way. But it’s not just Oprah…TV interviews w/ Osteen, Shuller, Graham all have stammered when asked if Jesus is the only way to Heaven.) But Jesus never did. He said I’m it; I’m the road. To be on this road, you can only follow me, only listen to me, only love me, only obey me. it’s a narrow, exclusive, limited road with a small gate and FEW find it.
11. The highway to Hell is broad and wide and people are heading there in droves. But there are going to be a few people who actually ask, seek and knock and stop to think about life, death and truth, and who realize that Jesus is the real deal and they decide to follow him. “FEW” find it. The real question is are you going to be one of the few?
12. (Greek Word for narrow “Thlibo” – afflicted, constricting, pressed in. It’s a road of suffering of hardship of persecution. Jesus promised that. He modeled that. But that’s not what we hear on TV. Where Jesus and his disciples taught and modeled the path of suffering and submission, the message I hear on TV and read in the books is almost the exact opposite – that we can have Heaven and our best life now! Interestingly, right after Jesus tells us that the road He calls us to walk is difficult, narrow, afflicted…he says “Watch out for false prophets!” (Matthew 7:15-16a on screen)
13. These wolves don’t come like wolves – they come like sheep. They look good. False prophets are always going to look good. the devil himself masquerades as an angel of light. They sound good, they’re convincing, they’re believable, they dress well, talk well, act nice, but you have to check the fruit. Their life and teaching. The character, conduct and lifestyle. When we do that, it’s usually pretty easy to see where these people are coming from. (VIDEO)
14. If you can get a boat for $58, imagine what you can get for $1,000. Listen to what Paul warns Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:3-5. “Endure Hardship – the narrow path.”Are you looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear or are you looking for the truth? What voices are you listening to? Could they be wolves in sheep’s clothing?
15. Not on a witch hunt or trying to discredit other ministries, but one of the main jobs of a shepherd is to protect the flock from wolves. And believe me they’re out there. For every msg. where I tell you that Following Jesus is tough, that it’s hard work, that it’s a road marked with hardship, there are thousands of messages being preached that invite you to jump on the broad path. False prophets who will tell you that Jesus is the way to get ahead in life and to have your best life now. And for them, He is. Jesus is their means for getting ahead.
16. By their fruit – it’s interesting that most TV preachers today who preach prosperity will hold up their greed, their excess and their material wealth as a sign that they’re the real deal. This is what Paul deals with in 2 Corinthians 11. So called Christian Leaders who were leading the people astray. What does he hold up as proof of his apostleship? His Rolls Royce? Creflo drives one. His mansion in Beverly Hills? The Crouch’s have one. His 20 million dollar jet? Ken Copeland has one. Nope. He holds up his hardship. He says in 2 Cor. 11:23-30.
17. Following Jesus is hard! (Matt. 7:21-23 on screen) Jesus ends this section with a scary thought – not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” will enter into the kingdom. Not about words but about what? Doing the will of the Father. It’s about doing God’s will. Not just talking. As Jesus says in Luke 6 – why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not what I say? It’s not about talk, it’s about life. not about miracles and prophesy, it’s about a humble heart fully devoted to doing God’s will. To Christ’s Lordship over your life –not just verbally, but practically. Marriage, finance, forgiveness. Where it really counts, will you do what He says? That’s what following Jesus is all about.
18. Are you following Jesus? Have you set your GPS to Heaven and are you willing to go wherever that voice leads? Even though people around you don’t understand. Even though the voices of our culture disagree. Even though it will cost you.
19. As Joshua 24:14-15 says – Choose THIS DAY whom you will serve.
20. (Stairway to Heaven – two paths, in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on. Not necessarily. What you find is…the further you go down a road, the harder it is to go back and start over. You get stubborn, you get prideful, you get hardened, you get bitter. Once you’ve looked at the opportunity to follow God and you’ve said “No”, it’s hard to find it again. Once you’ve hardened your heart against God’s instruction and committed yourself to the path of self and sin, it’s hard to go back.)
21. Two gates, one choice. Two roads, one choice. Two destinations, one choice. Choose well. Let’s pray.
