Matthew 7:13-20
There are two paths that every person in the world is walking on: the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. You must make a decision in your life as to which way that you are going to walk, and this must be done frequently.
The reason that I say it must be done frequently is that it is easy to find yourself on the wrong path far too often. These verses have been used to tell people that there are few people going to heaven (“few there be that find it”) and that salvation is hard (“straight is the gate, and narrow is the way”). Actually, these verses are not speaking of your eternity, because you don’t find Jesus; He finds you!
Jesus does not say that the straight gate leads to “eternal” life. We have thrown that word in to try and explain what Jesus was talking about, but we need not put words in His mouth to have a marvelous meaning from this text. Jesus is saying that there are two paths on which to walk. If you follow after the narrow way, where Christ’s finished work serves as the lone gate, then you will walk a path that few people find. There are millions of Christians who continue to operate in their day-to-day walk by their own works and efforts instead of resting in Christ’s finished work. They are walking exactly like the lost, on a road that will lead to destruction in so many areas of their life.
This is the cause of many Christians seeing so many disasters in their life and family. They are attempting to live out “religion”, while not resting in relationship. Notice that Jesus goes on in this text to explain who you should look out for, because it is the “false prophet” of verse 15 that causes so many people to choose the wrong path.
The Bible never says that you will know if someone is a Christian or not by their fruit, though that is often said. It does say, “You shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16), with the “them” being the false prophets of the previous verse. The false prophet will bring forth “thorns” and “thistles” (verse 16), and it is incapable of bringing forth good fruit (verse 18).
We must be on guard for the false prophet because they are ravening wolves inside. Wolves feed on sheep, so a good indicator of whether or not you are near a false prophet is not what they act like or look like, because they are wearing “sheep’s clothing” (verse 15). An indicator of a false prophet’s nature is the fruit of their ministry. Are the sheep being whipped and scattered? Are there many who have run from the church because of that ministry? Are the people sitting in the church producing the fruits of the Spirit? The answer to these questions will indicate whether you are near a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Decide to go the path of the finished work of Christ. There is but one door in, as you must labor to enter into the rest of the Lord (Hebrews 4:11), but the abundant life that is found on that path is truly a product of the good shepherd (John 10:10). Only His Finished Work works, so guard the Finished Work!
There are two paths that every person in the world is walking on: the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. You must make a decision in your life as to which way that you are going to walk, and this must be done frequently.
The reason that I say it must be done frequently is that it is easy to find yourself on the wrong path far too often. These verses have been used to tell people that there are few people going to heaven (“few there be that find it”) and that salvation is hard (“straight is the gate, and narrow is the way”). Actually, these verses are not speaking of your eternity, because you don’t find Jesus; He finds you!
Jesus does not say that the straight gate leads to “eternal” life. We have thrown that word in to try and explain what Jesus was talking about, but we need not put words in His mouth to have a marvelous meaning from this text. Jesus is saying that there are two paths on which to walk. If you follow after the narrow way, where Christ’s finished work serves as the lone gate, then you will walk a path that few people find. There are millions of Christians who continue to operate in their day-to-day walk by their own works and efforts instead of resting in Christ’s finished work. They are walking exactly like the lost, on a road that will lead to destruction in so many areas of their life.
This is the cause of many Christians seeing so many disasters in their life and family. They are attempting to live out “religion”, while not resting in relationship. Notice that Jesus goes on in this text to explain who you should look out for, because it is the “false prophet” of verse 15 that causes so many people to choose the wrong path.
The Bible never says that you will know if someone is a Christian or not by their fruit, though that is often said. It does say, “You shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16), with the “them” being the false prophets of the previous verse. The false prophet will bring forth “thorns” and “thistles” (verse 16), and it is incapable of bringing forth good fruit (verse 18).
We must be on guard for the false prophet because they are ravening wolves inside. Wolves feed on sheep, so a good indicator of whether or not you are near a false prophet is not what they act like or look like, because they are wearing “sheep’s clothing” (verse 15). An indicator of a false prophet’s nature is the fruit of their ministry. Are the sheep being whipped and scattered? Are there many who have run from the church because of that ministry? Are the people sitting in the church producing the fruits of the Spirit? The answer to these questions will indicate whether you are near a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Decide to go the path of the finished work of Christ. There is but one door in, as you must labor to enter into the rest of the Lord (Hebrews 4:11), but the abundant life that is found on that path is truly a product of the good shepherd (John 10:10). Only His Finished Work works, so guard the Finished Work!
