Standing Out and Fitting In
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares several challenging words. Some of those are in Matthew 7: “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.’”
Matthew 7:13-17(NIV)
There is a way that leads to God and a way that does not. Jesus talks here about false prophets, deceivers, bad fruit and the problem with going our own way.
Matthew 7 is filled with a series of warnings and choices. He talks about the dangers of the wrong path, the wrong teachers, the wrong kind of religious faith and the wrong type of foundation.
There Are Two Paths
In verses 13-14, Jesus describes two paths with two gates. There is one way, Jesus says, that is easy. The gate is wide, the road is comfortable, and many people travel that way. But, their final destination is destruction. But there’s another way to go. The gate is narrow, and the path is hard, but for those who travel that path, their final destination is life, eternal life.
Be Aware Of Being On The Wrong Path
Jesus warns that we must be aware of being on the wrong path.
How do we know if we’re on the wrong path?
The Path to Life is NOT the popular path. Jesus says that there are many on the path to destruction, but few find the path to life. The right way will contradict often what the world is chasing after. So, if your desires, your goals, your values, your ambitions look the same as the culture around you, you might be on the wrong path.
The Path to Life is NOT the easy path. The path of following Jesus was never meant to be easy. We will have trouble in this world, we will be opposed in this world. But God will sustain us and remind us of our destination.
There Are False Prophets Around Us
A false prophet will:
Deny what the Bible affirms
Add to or take away from the Gospel message
Reject the authority of God’s Word
Reject the deity of Jesus
Stir up division and disunity
Jesus tells us we can identify them in one key way–their fruit. Fruit means their words and their actions, and the impact of their lives. You are what you say and do.
Truth must be our goal and aim. Where do we find truth? God’s word is truth.
Popular Culture Can Whisper Falsely To Us
Here are some popular slogans today:
You be you.
Be true to yourself.
Follow your heart.
Find yourself.
The key of these false lies around us finds purpose in life is to find one’s deepest self and then express that to the world, creating that identity in a way that counters whatever family, friends, previous generations or religious leaders might say.
That the highest good is individual freedom, happiness, self-expression and self-definition. This gate is broad and echoes around us daily.
How Do We Pay Attention To Jesus’ Warning?
God’s Word challenges the “Me” with “Us” and then puts the “Us” under God. Our human tendency is to look inward when God’s Word says to look upward. The upward look is something we resist because it implies that someone or something is above us, and that Someone might have authority over us. We resist anything that might stifle our self-defined freedom.
So, how can we respond?
We don’t look inward to discover our inherent worth but upward to God who gives His image to us.
We recognize in the Gospel that the affirmation that matters most is that of our Heavenly Father who looks at us, loves us, and gives us grace.
Admit we are broken, that we are rebellious against God and turn to God’s grace and love.