Welcome to all of you joining us today – especially to any of our kids and students – it’s worship together weekend so I hope you are joining with your families and watching service. Today we conclude our series Outrageous: a call to radical living from the mouth of Jesus himself – looking at the sermon on the mount. We’ve really spent the last 2 months focused on the words of Jesus – first with the parables and now with the sermon on the mount – thru the parables He taught us what his upside down kingdom is all about and thru the sermon on the mount he is teaching us how to live in that kingdom – from beginning to end it is full of provocative teachings about how the world works and living like he lives in the world – in his upside down kingdom that he introduced thru the parables – picture this – Jesus has moved up to a hillside and he has sat down (on a rock I suppose) as all rabbis did when they were teaching – and his disciples are gathered around him – and this message is for them – the ones that have given up everything to follow him – not to say that there wasn’t a crowd gathered as well but this sermon is not focused on the crowd – it is telling his followers what it means to be a disciple of his – some have called it the discourse on discipleship – and what he is sharing with them and with us – is both good news and hard news – it’s the good news of the gospel – the coming of the kingdom thru Jesus but to live in this kingdom is not an easy road – it will be one of tough choices and difficult decisions and persecution – it is a calling that won’t make sense to much of the world – it is a mandate to live in the present in a way that will only truly make sense in God’s promised future.
God blesses the poor, those who mourn, the humble
Love your enemy
Be salt and light
If someone slaps you on one cheek – give them the other as well
If someone takes you shirt – give them your coat too
Here is the right way to pray
This is hard stuff – these are ways of living that don’t come naturally to us – it is contrary to human living
But the disciples have already seen this lived out by Jesus as they have been following him
remember, these demands come after a huge show of grace on Jesus’s part. Healing and calling came first. Everyone, whether disciple or crowd, has known or seen Jesus’s gracious, freely given power toward these people. This is God’s way: grace first, then task. Compassion then expectation. Healing, then the imperative. Jesus shows us who he is first and what his life is about, and then he says, “Now, here is what it means to say you are my disciple.” – to follow me. And what Jesus demands is the work of the kingdom of heaven – living out his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven – that’s part of the Lord’s prayer – your kingdom come – your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
And here we are at the end – the last several verses of 3 full chapters of Jesus teaching what it means to live out kingdom values
Fun fact: Of course, we couldn’t cover the entire Sermon on the Mount – so when you have time, I would highly recommend reading the entire thing. It starts in Matthew chapter 5 and goes all the way thru chapter 7.
So how does he wrap up this time with his followers – what are his parting words – the last part of it is really in 4 sections – so we’re going to look at each section individually and then wrap it up at the end
Starting in Matthew 7 verse 13
Matthew 7:13
And I have some help this weekend – since it’s worship together – I have some friends that are going to recite a portion of each scripture before we dig into it.
Matthew 7:13-14 – Intro/set-up
Video: 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
These 2 verses kind of stand-alone but lead into the next 3 sections. The next 3 sections are going to focus on how to recognize those that are true followers of Jesus with those that are not – genuine or false. And this sections sets that up a bit – by setting up the difficult road it is to follow Jesus – to be his disciple – the gate is narrow and the road is winding and rough but it leads to life – where the gate to destruction is wide and easy to find.
Jesus listeners would have been familiar with walled cities that had different types of gates – some were wide and several people at a time could go in and out – a gate that felt like this:
Image of wide gate
and then there were other smaller gates that you had to really look for – they were small and hard to get thru and had steep narrow, stairs – these gates would allow one person at a time – maybe looked like this:
Image of narrow gate
You must really want to pursue Jesus and his kingdom. It is not something you just fall into. It takes focused effort and energy to find that narrow gate and walk thru it
If you just move with the flow and go along with no true pursuit of him – you will get caught up in where the crowd is taking you – you will move in their direction and at their pace
Black Friday
Let me tell what is on the other side of this narrow entrance is far better than Target
Fun fact: I’m actually not a big fan of Black Friday – I rarely if ever venture out in those crowds. Exhausting…
Jesus has spent the previous chapters and verses explaining what it looks like to choose Him – to follow Him – to be His disciple – and he is now wrapping it up by saying – look it’s not an easy ask – it’s like finding and squeezing thru a narrow gate and taking a really winding hard road – now he’s asking will you pursue it?
Will you be complacent or lazy in your pursuit of Jesus or will you fervently pursue Him and his kingdom?
In life you will often find that the wide gate may be more popular, but it is not more powerful.
It may be easier but not eternal
It may appear fun, but it will never be fulfilling.
It may seem desirable, but it will never have depth.
The narrow gate leads to a difficult road – sometimes with hardship and persecution but will lead to life – the wide road is open and easy but will lead to destruction – this intro sets up the next three sections which are pictures of what it looks like if you’ve truly chosen that narrow gate and what it looks like if you haven’t
Section 1 - Matthew 7:15-19
Video: 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Jesus starts this section by talking about sheep and wolves.
Verse 15:
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”
Again, using images that his followers understand – he’s followed by shepherds and farmers – they understand these word pictures – sheep, wolves, fruit
Don’t fall for those that appear to follow thru the narrow gate but don’t bear fruit – you will know who is a true follower by the lives they lead – you will see the fruit of the spirit in them and thru them
Luke says it like this in chapter 6
The Tree and Its Fruit
43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:43-45
The thorn bushes and thistles grow in the midst of the vineyard or alongside the fig tree. This is why we are being warned here; no place is necessarily safe from invading evil, but all of these plants produce a fruit of some kind. Thorn bushes and thistles produce a fruit that is useless and worthless; compare that to grapes and figs – useful and valuable. We should be able, upon examination, to see the difference.
With the wolf analogy – Little Red Ridinghood – at first, she was fooled – but as she really looked and examined – she started to see the big teeth – the big furry hands – eventually the wolves will show themselves
The issue is that there is a connection between a person’s essence, their being, their deepest character, and the works that they do in the world – the way they live out their lives. Good fruit connects the heart to action; bad fruit also connects the heart to action. One is worthwhile, the other worthless. If someone is truly a follower of Jesus – their life should scream that – love, mercy, humility, kindness, gentleness, self-control, patience – if this is not what you are seeing – then this is not what they are about…
Section 2 – Matthew 7:20-23
Video: 21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
These verses are connected to the verses we just read about the fruit – both sections are about people really “pretending” that they know Jesus – that they follow Him – that they are his disciple
We’ve all played pretend before – that’s why I love theatre because I get to pretend, I’m something I’m not – I once played a famous author – well clearly, I’m not but I pretended I was
Fun fact: The very first part I remember playing was Raggedy Ann in a dance recital. I think I was 4 or 5.
That’s what Jesus is talking about here – people pretending that they truly know Him and are truly doing his work – they can even look pretty good on the outside but what is happening in their heart – performing great acts in the name of Jesus but they don’t truly know Him – they don’t have a personal relationship with him
And where we might not always see it or recognize it – Jesus does
Doing the will of the Father – is sacrificial and not done in a boastful way. It’s hard, selfless, others focused work. Practical obedience. Even those false prophets who can fool us – will not fool Jesus – he will judge the heart
And he is clear in both sections how feels about it
Verse 19
“So, every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
And verse 23 – Jesus says:
“But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
We need to beware and try to see and recognize those that don’t truly know Jesus but try to persuade people to their way of thinking but we can feel secure knowing that Jesus sees them – he knows what their about – and he will be the ultimate judge – and if we seek him he will give us the wisdom and discernment to see it too.
Most people can only live a lie for so long – it usually gets brought into the light. It’s usually exposed.
Section 3 – Matthew 7:24-29
Video: 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
The scripture goes on to say that when the rain came in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against the house
the house on the rock – won’t collapse
the house on the sand – will collapse with a mighty crash
Song:
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
And the rains came tumbling down
The rains came down and the floods came up
The rains came down and the floods came up
The rains came down and the floods came up
And the house on the rock stood firm
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rains came tumbling down
The rains came down and the floods came up
The rains came down and the floods came up
The rains came down and the floods came up
And the house on the sand went smash
Fun fact: I learned that song when I was about 4 years old at Faith Missionary Church and I have never forgotten it.
It all comes down to this – how is your house built – on rock or sand? The houses may look the same on the outside, but they will only weather the storms if their foundation is strong. Yes, we must hear the words of Jesus but if we don’t obey and act on those words it is empty. Learning does not create a strong foundation – learning done does. Are we as individuals and as the church doing the words of Jesus or just hearing them or reading them or thinking how great they are?
When I am trying to teach my kids something – the only way they will truly learn it – understand it – is if they do it – spelling, math, driving a car – doing laundry – they can’t fully grasp it if they just listen to me talk about it – they have to do it – action
So what foundation is your house built on – a firm foundation of enacting what Jesus has taught you – a foundation that bears good fruit – a foundation that chooses that narrow gate and the difficult path that leads to life
Or the flimsy, weak foundation of hearing but not enacting – listening but not doing – taking in but not living out
And when the storms arise – beating, driving, flooding storms in our lives – it will be clear to all what our foundation is.
In these last verses – Jesus is saying you’ve heard it all – you know what I expect from you – what I want for you – what it means to be a disciple of mine - what do you want to do with it – build your house on all I’ve just shared or no
Are you wise or foolish?
Matthew finishes up by saying the crowds were amazed at Jesus’ teaching – that he taught with real authority – unlike the other teachers – Jesus is setting himself apart here – he is speaking with great authority – in ways he hasn’t up to this point
The entire sermon – all that he has said in the previous verses lead to this last question will you listen to his teaching and follow it? Or will you listen to it and not obey it? He has laid out for his followers – for all of us – the way of his kingdom – the upside down – contrary – self-sacrificing way of his kingdom – and we have the choice – will we build our lives on it? Will we truly build our lives on it? All of what he is preaching – He has laid it all out – you want to be my disciple this is what it looks like – it’s hard but it will lead to true abundant rich deep life. Can you imagine how the world would change if all that claim to be followers of Jesus actually lived out the humble, loving, merciful, forgiving, selfless way that he puts forth in the Sermon on the Mount?
So that’s the question I want to give you a moment to think about – is this the life you want? Is this the life you need?