Matthew 7:13-27 (NASB)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
BIG IDEA
There is a clear distinction between the life of a
Warning 1 – There Are Two
Matt. 7:13-14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Prov. 14:12 – There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the
way of death.
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
enter and will not be able. Luke 13:24 (NASB)
Psalm 16:11 – You will make known to me the path of life; In your
presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Matt. 16:24-25 - 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to
come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow
Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it.
Warning 2 – There Are Two Types of
Matthew 7:15-20 (NASB)
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.
We cannot bear good fruit apart from
John 15:4-6 (NASB)
“Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Examples of Fruit:
Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,
Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
Matt. 5:16 – Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Eph. 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
James 2:17 “Faith without works is dead being by itself.”
Warning 3 – There Will Be Two Groups on the
Matthew 7:21 – 23 (NASB)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Warning 4 – There Are Two Types of
Matthew 7:24-27 (NASB)
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine,and acts on them, will be like
a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
Everyone who hears these words and
man who built his house on the rock. Both groups hear Christ’s words, but only
the wise apply them.
Romans 10:9-10 - If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.