“The Two Ways of Life”
Matthew 7:13-27
INTRODUCTION: Here we have Jesus, the preacher of preachers, finishing His longest recorded sermon, “The Sermon on the Mount”
He closes with a Gospel message, almost like an evangels would today –
He lays before the people responsibilities in the form of parables
Each parable gives two options:
Either enter through the NARROW GATE or the WIDE GATE
Either be a GOOD TREE or a BAD TREE
Either be a TRUE DISCIPLE or be a FALSE DISCIPLE
Either build your life on THE SOLID ROCK or THE SHIFTING SAND
There is no middle ground in any of these parables
He never says that there is PLAN C ’or‘DOOR #3’
He simply says that there are ONLY TWO WAYS in life
He wants the listener to hear the REWARD for going the right way and the JUDGMENT for going the wrong way
He first says that they need to:
I. Realize That There Is Only One Way To Eternal Life
a. “Enter through the narrow gate…”
i. He says that one gate leads to eternal life and one to eternal death
ii. The opposite gate leads to eternal destruction
b. We live in a world of political correctness, and if Jesus gave such an exclusive claim today, He would be laughed at – as many who stand behind His claim are
i. But laughs and scoff do not make His claim any less true
ii. QUOTE: Not believing in rain will not keep you from getting wet in a storm
iii. Some people say, “I can’t believe God would be so cruel as to only give one way to heaven!”
1. But the truth is, “THANK GOD THAT HE GAVE A WAY”
2. God doesn’t have to accept us – we are sinners and He is perfect
iv. God is Holy and perfect and anyone who is going to go into His presence at death must also be perfect
1. Can anyone here boast ‘perfection”? Of course, not!
2. And because the Bible says that no one is perfect and perfection is required for heaven – we are all lost…
v. But thank God HE MADE A WAY!
c. Jesus is saying “Realize That I Am The WAY!”
i. I am the narrow gate!
ii. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…” (John 10:9)
d. He goes on to say, “Be careful of anyone who says that there are other ways”
i. (v. 15) “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves”
ii. Today, more than ever, are there attempts to combine and form a universal religion that encompasses an agenda of ‘many ways to God’
iii. But Jesus says to BEWARE of these, because they are teaching a lie
1. People who say, “ The God of the Bible is the same as the god of the Koran, the same as the Buddhist god, etc.” are teaching a false doctrine
2. Buddhists believe God is not a being, but a force – that’s not the same God this Bible speaks of
3. The Koran says, “Cursed are they that says that Allah (their god) has a son – But this Bible says that God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for my sins
e. Some people might say, “Christians are narrow minded”
i. You better believe it!
ii. Because there is only one way to heaven – the narrow way of Jesus
He then says that once we have the way, we need to:
II. Be Obedient to God in Following His Way
a. (v.21) “Not everyone…but the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven…”
b. This verse should be a wake up call for the nominal Christian
i. The false disciples in this verse were able to talk the talk, but they didn’t walk the walk
ii. Illustration: “Sports talkers” Anyone who has ever played a sport knows that you have your TALKERS and your PLAYERS. The talkers tell about how good they are. They might say, “I can pitch 100 mph fastball” or “I can kick a 50 yard field goal”. But my karate teacher once told me, “The proof is not in what’s said, but what is done”
c. Anyone can pay lip service to God – but no one can fool Him
i. And at judgment I believe there are going to be people who are surprised
ii. Because not everyone who is in church is saved
1. Being a church member does not assure your salvation
2. Quote: “If kittens were born in an oven, they still wouldn’t be a biscuit”
3. When Jesus returns for His own He is not going to get the church roll and start calling names
d. God wants obedience in our lives
i. This verse is not saying that salvation is merited in works – scripture teaches that salvation is attained “by Grace through faith”
ii. But true faith is always accompanied by obedience
iii. Listen to the word of Jesus in John 10:28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
iv. QUOTE: “Faith is having trust in God and obedience is living a life that proves it”
e. Jesus is simply saying, “God accepts those who walk the walk, not just talk the talk”
Then He finishes by telling them to:
III. Be Secure in The Way
a. (v. 24) “…everyone who hears these words…and puts them into practice…is like a wise man who built his house on a rock”
b. This parable is a picture of judgment
i. The firm foundation represents Christ
ii. The house represents our lives
iii. The storm represents God’s judgment
c. Only if we have a sure foundation in Christ will we be secure on the day of judgment
i. If we have placed our faith in anything else we will fall
ii. And great will be the fall
CONCLUSION: Jesus, in His wonderful way of drawing word pictures, concluded His great sermon with a great challenge: Be prepared for judgment
(1) Know that He is the way, (2) Follow that way and (3) Be secure in it
Remember: Jesus is the narrow gate which leads to eternal life and He is the only foundation upon which it stands
Illustration: “Downtown Road Work” It seems like everywhere you go in Jacksonville now there is some road work going on. As I was leaving the hospital the other day and coming home over the Fuller Warren Bridge I noticed that there is a portion of the off ramp that is still not finished. It is blocked by orange cones and signs because if someone were to go that way the road would end with a huge drop off into the riverside area.
One direction leads safely home, the opposite would lead to an assured death
Now no one in their right mind would take that route. They understand the consequences and futility of such a move.
But many people are taking the wrong way spiritually –
Jesus said that His way is “narrow” and there are “few who find it”
And this is so true because I know from experience that there are many more unsaved people in the world than saved
They are ignoring the cautions signs of God’s word and heading straight into disaster
My prayer to day is that you would recognize Christ as the only way to make it safely home into the arms of God
And if you have, that you would give your life in obedience to Him
Remember: Faith is truly useless when it is accompanied by no obedience
(let us pray)
