(If you would like to receive Pastor Harris’ weekly sermons via e-mail, Click Here)
(To download the powerpoint file for this sermon, Click here)
(Greek words can be viewed with symbol font )
Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 11, 2010
Jesus’ Warnings About False Teachers
Matthew 7:13-27
Introduction
We have been dealing with warnings about false teachers and mockers since the end of last year in our study of 2 Peter and the follow-up series on the foundational theological errors of false religions, cults, and human philosophies. The danger that we face is real and it is substantial. The current deplorable state of our nation, both morally and even economically, is directly tied to the abandonment of Biblical Christianity by the mainline denominations and the subversion of Biblical theology even within the evangelical and fundamental churches. Paul’s admonition to individuals in Galatians 6:8-9 is also true for church organizations. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked ; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Like Esau, the church in America has for the most part traded in its godly heritage for a mess of porridge founded in demonic and humanistic thought. The danger of falling into the same kinds of errors is why we have taken such time to expose, explain and warn about false teachers and mockers over the last six months.
There are the more obvious dangers from false religions that are based in demonic deception such as Islam and Mormonism as well as those based in the enigmas of eastern mysticism such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Gnosticism and such (See: Demonic Deception and Experts in Enigmas ,). Just as dangerous, but a little more subtle, are the Christian cults which use the Bible, but twist it according to their own man-made theology resulting in a perverted gospel that cannot save. This would include groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Unification Church, The Way International, Unitarian Universalists, Christian Science and many others (See: Cultic Oppression).
Then there are the groups that are even more subtle and may even proclaim the correct gospel, but because their theology is ultimately based in personal experience, traditions, or human philosophies there will be problems ranging from minor theological aberrations to blatant heresy. I have pointed out some of these dangers with examples from Charismatic groups, the “seeker” churches of the church growth movement, and the “emerging church” in their compromise with post-modern thought. Then there are the ideas from these and humanistic philosophies that have infiltrated the theology and practice of evangelical and fundamental churches. The result has been immaturity among the true believers and false faith among those following a perverted gospel (See: Religions of My Fathers, Spiritual Confusion:, Tickets to Heaven, What’s Emerging? and Philosophical Foolishness:.
This morning I was going to begin the new series on Colossians, but this subject of false teachers is so important that I thought it would be more fitting to conclude with Jesus’ warnings at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-27.
Context
The theme of Jesus’ sermon is found in Matthew 5:20, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The first part of the sermon (Matthew 5:3-19) describes the character of this righteousness. Jesus then contrasts the teachings of the Scribes with the actual spirit of God’s righteous law (Matthew 5:21-48). Next, Jesus contrasts the self-righteous practices of the Pharisees with the practices of true righteousness (Matthew 6:1-7:6). He then gives admonitions to seek the Lord and explanation of how to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matthew 7:7-12) before concluding with warnings about false teachers beginning in Matthew 7:13. Please follow along as I read.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those 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 ar enot gathered from thorn [bushes,] nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce 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 he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 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; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. 25 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and [yet] it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. 26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. 27 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”
The Two Gates and Paths – Matthew 7:13-15
Jesus begins this section with a command to enter by the narrow gate. He describes it as narrow, and the path beyond it is also narrow, but it leads to life. He contrasts this with the broad gate that opens up to a broad path that leads to destruction. The great tragedy is that few will find and go through the narrow gate while many proceed through the broad gate.
Jesus has contrasted the nature of true righteousness to the self-righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees throughout the sermon, and this is His call for response. He has given His command, but we have to choose between the two gates. Each opens to a different way of life which ultimately leads to two different final destinations. We either obey Jesus’ command or by default we choose to go through the other gate. There is no other choice.
Let me expand on this illustration a bit to emphasize the contrast Jesus is giving here. Imagine you are standing before two gates. One gate is very narrow, so narrow that only one person at a time can get through. The other gate is very wide, so wide you’re not even sure where it ends. The narrow gate has a few people around it while the wide gate is filled with people.
At the narrow gate there stands a man who looks very battered by life. He has scars on his head, hands, feet and on his side. He stands in front of the gate and stops each person and talks with them individually. Some turn and walk away while others bow to Him, embrace Him and then enter. The sign above the gate says, “This is the way, the truth and the life. No man can go to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
The other gate is very, very wide. There is a big sign at the top of the gate, but at different places along the gate there are different entrance points with smaller signs. Under each smaller sign there is a person or persons standing on a podium who are calling out to the masses of people to enter the gate at their location. They are saying different things, but the goal of each is basically the same. They want the people to enter the wide gate under their particular sign. You notice that at times those under one sign can be quite belligerent toward those under another sign, but you also notice that their greatest animosity is toward the man at the narrow gate.
Among these multiple entrance points that stretch out as far as you can see, you find the following. There is a man wearing the robe of a college professor standing under a sign that says, “The intelligent enter here.” Another a man who is wearing a saffron robe is under a sign that says, “This way to nirvana.” Some people who are wearing very expensive clothing and jewelry are standing under a sign saying, “This way to God’s blessings.” At another sign there are beautiful women and handsome men who have no scars or blemishes. Their sign reads, “This way to self-fulfillment.” Under another sign is a man wearing a turban. His sign reads, “Allah says, “This way.'” You are bit confused for there are a lot of signs that say, “This is the way Jesus went,” yet the group under each of those signs is saying something different about how Jesus went that way. One of those groups added to their sign the words, “This is none other than the Gate to Heaven.” Some of the signs are simple, some are complex, some are rugged, some are dainty, some seem to have been designed for Times Square. Under one sign that says, “There Are No Absolutes,” is a group of people sitting around having conversations. Next to them is another group wearing white lab coats under a sign that reads, “This is All There Is.” There are various religious groups that you had heard about, and quite a few unknown to you. The large sign over the gate reads, “This is the Way of Life, Enter As You Please.”
You can see beyond each of these two gates and down the paths that go from each gate. The wide gate leads out to a wide path that is smooth with gentle slopes. It is filled with throngs of people who are traveling in various groups that formed where they had entered the gate. Some are laughing and joking while others are serious and even crying. Some are singing and strolling along while others seem very determined to get somewhere.
The narrow gate goes out to a narrow path, and by contrast there few people are on it. The path looks rocky and difficult in places with steep inclines and slopes. Those on the broad path point to those on the narrow path. Some are laughing at them, some are mocking, and some are calling out for those on the narrow path to cross over to the wide path. You see a small trail here and there where some have done just that. At this point you cannot see the end destination of each path. But the wide gate seems very attractive to you. It sure looks a lot easier and there are a
lot more folks on it. Both paths claim to be the way of life. You have always heard that what is important is that you are sincere, so why take the difficult way?
Then someone hands you a telescope and directs you to look at the destination of each path. You look and see that the narrow path turns upward into the clouds where you see angels singing to someone who seems to be shining so brightly that you cannot continue to look. Now you look to the end of the wide path. You notice that it slopes downward and then suddenly drops off into what looks like a very dark pit from which smoke is rising.
Which gate do you want to go through now? The choice seems easier to make when we look at the end destination. One is heaven. The other is hell. The problem is that we do not look at the final destination, but our eyes get focused on what is close by, the here and now. We are not looking at where the path leads, but to those at the gate and comparing the call of the man with the scars with those fun loving, beautiful, intelligent, religious people at the
broad gate. But regardless of how attractive the people at the wide gate are, and regardless of what they may promise for this life, the reality is that their final destination is hell.
People do not like the doctrine of hell. It makes us nervous. We do not like to think about anyone suffering at all much less suffering for all of eternity. But the doctrine of hell is Biblical. It is the truth, and it must be proclaimed because it is part of the message Jesus gave us. The word Jesus uses here for destruction, apwleia / apôleia, does not mean extinction or annihilation as some have tried to make it mean. That is a vain effort to get rid of the fact that God will judge and the unrighteous will suffer eternal punishment. If unrighteous man were annihilated and cease to exist, then the suffering would end and hell would not be so bad. But the word here translated destruction speaks of total ruin and loss, not annihilation. The wide gate leads to the broad path that leads to destruction.
Other Scriptures are clear that this destruction is eternal and it involves suffering. John the Baptist declared it in Matthew 3:11,12 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 “And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Paul declared it in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, “And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” Jesus contrasted this destination with heaven in Matthew 25:41 & 46 saying, 41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels . . . 46“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” If Heaven is real and eternal, then so is Hell. If Hell is not real, then neither is Heaven.
Warning of False Teachers – Matthew 7:15-23
With such serious consequences to the path chosen, it is no wonder that Jesus gives such a strong warning about false teachers in verses 15-23. He warns that they are deceptive for they present themselves as sheep when they are actually ravenous wolves (vs. 15). Jesus also explained that a false teacher can be identified the same way any plant can be identified. Simply examine what kind of fruit it bears. Grapes do not grow on thorn bushes and neither do figs grow on thistles (vs. 16). Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit, so by examining the fruit you will know what kind of tree it is (vs. 17-18). Jesus also made it clear that the trees that do not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the lake of fire. That removes the option of thinking judgment can be escaped by somehow managing to avoid producing any fruit. That is not possible, but this statement eliminates it as an option even if it was possible. Without good fruit, you will be cast into hell.
Jesus also gave an extremely strong warning to the false teachers themselves in verses 21-23. Jesus knows that some are so self deceived that they think they are actually serving Him when in reality they do not even know Him. Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is dependent on doing the will of the heavenly Father, not upon doing good works, yet false teachers think that it will be their good works that will save them. That is the hallmark of being
self-righteous. They think they will go to heaven because they called Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” and did many things in his name, and in Jesus’ example here that included prophesying, casting out demons in Jesus’ name and performing many miracles. That description fits a lot of media preachers today.
Just because someone does good things does not mean that they are righteous. Consider a twenty-dollar bill that gets passed around that accomplishes a lot of good things. It bought food for a young family, it was used to get medical supplies for someone who was sick, it purchased some heating oil for an elderly couple during a cold winter, and eventually it was even put in the church offering. Finally it made it to a bank where a bank employee discovered it was counterfeit. The bill was then destroyed because it was fake. It is not the amount of good a person does that is important, but whether they are the genuine article or not.
What is the will of God the Father? That you repent and believe in Jesus the Messiah (John 6:29, 40, Acts 17:30), which also means that you believe He is Immanuel, the Son of God in human flesh, lived a sinless life, fulfilled the prophecies of old, died as a substitute payment for sin, rose again on the third day, ascended to heaven where He is preparing a place for His followers and will one day return for them that they will be with Him for eternity. A person that claims to believe in Jesus but does not believe those things has the wrong Jesus, and the wrong Jesus cannot save you from your sins. Belief in the person and work of the Biblical Jesus is reckoned as righteousness resulting in eternal life (Romans 4). This is the righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees.
The great tragedy is that such false prophets will remain in their delusion and not find out until they are standing before the Lord in judgment that they were self-deceived and self-righteous, but then it is too late to repent. They will hear Jesus’ declaration against them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
Two Different Foundations – Matthew 7:24-27
Jesus concludes the sermon with a final illustration of the difference between the self righteous and those made righteous by God. He uses the example of two men who build houses. Both houses would be similar in construction and outward appearance, but because the foundations are laid on different materials, the ability of the houses to withstand the storms that will come against them will be radically different.
The first man and his house represent all those that will hear Jesus’ words and act upon them. There are many people that profess to believe, but their actions contradict their stated faith. True belief always results in corresponding action. When you believe something you trust it and so have faith in it resulting in actions that correspond to that faith. For whatever reasons, you believed that the chair you are now sitting in would hold you up, and that is why you sat down. If you did not believe that, you would not have sat down. At the same time, a person that claims the chair will hold them up but refuses to sit in it demonstrates they do not actually hold to their stated belief.
Those who hear and heed Jesus’ teachings are compared to a wise man that builds his house on the rock. Since Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience and He specifically refers to “the rock,” they may well have understood this as also a reference to God since He is referred to as the rock so many times in Old Testament (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2; 61:2). A house built on a solid foundation can withstand the storms that will come against it. The rain falls, the floods rise, the winds blow and batter the house, but it remains standing firm upon the rock. The rock does not shift, so neither does the foundation or the house built upon it.
By contrast those who hear the words of Jesus but do not follow what He says are compared to a foolish man that builds his house on the sand. While it is easier to build on sand since you can easily move the sand around to adjust your foundation just the way you want it, that is also its great weaknesses. When storms come and the rain falls and the floods rise, the sand will shift with the water undermining the foundation. The result is that the winds that then batter the house can cause it to shake and collapse.
Storms are part of life. When we build our lives upon the solid rock of God, then we can remain firm in our faith and trust Him no matter what circumstances we face. But if our lives are built on the shifting sand of demonic revelation, man-made theology or philosophy, our experiences, traditions, or majority opinion, then each circumstance we face will cause us to shift resulting in instability and eventual collapse. Even if a person manages to make through their life in some way considered to be successful, the final event of life, death, will leave them without hope in facing God’s judgment (See Psalm 73, Hebrews 9:27).
Becoming Righteous
Which gate you go through and what you build the foundation of your life upon are the same. It will either be God and the truth of His word, or it will be on something developed by man. You either receive God’s grace and are justified by your faith in Jesus resulting in being clothed with His righteousness, or you stand in your own self-righteousness, which can never be sufficient. Even our righteous deeds are as filthy rags before our holy Creator (Isaiah 64:6; Titus 3:5-7). Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes a contrast between God’s grace and men’s works; between the religion of faith and the religion of flesh; between righteousness from the heart that is internal and hypocritical self righteousness which is external. The Scribes and Pharisees did many good things, but their hearts were far from God. They trusted in their own works, not God’s. That is why they would hear Jesus, but refused to obey His commands or follow His teaching. People are still the same way today.
Notice that while His concluding illustration contrasts the wise man and the foolish man, He gave a command back in Matthew 7:13 to “Enter by the narrow gate.” This is not an appeal or a suggestion. Those that love Christ will obey it (John 14:21), and those that do not will stay on the broad way leading to destruction. Because the gate is narrow, you can only go through it by yourself. You can’t get through it as part of a group. Neither your ethnic background, religious heritage or relationship to another person can save you. There is no such thing as second hand faith. Each person must enter individually based on their own beliefs about Jesus Christ.
How then do you enter that narrow gate? First, you must hear what the Lord is proclaiming. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). What is it that Jesus proclaims? It is the same message He has had from the beginning of His ministry, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). What is repentance and how does that come about? Repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of action. You must change your mind about yourself, your
sin and the Savior resulting in faith in Jesus and becoming His disciple. The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the section we often refer to as the Beatitudes, gives the steps of this change.
It begins with being poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The word for poor here, ptwcoV / ptôchos, describes a destitute beggar. We must come to God in humility as a beggar pleading for God’s mercy and favor because we have nothing to bargain with and nothing to offer. This can be done with confidence because even though God resists the proud, He
gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).
When a person recognizes the truth about themselves as a sinful creature before a holy God there will be mourning over that sin. This is the sorrow that produces a repentance without regret leading to salvation while the sorrow of the world produces death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Godly sorrow regrets the hurt, pain and broken relationships caused by sin and desires to be forgiven and have those relationships restored just as David describes in Psalm 51. Worldly sorrow only regrets getting caught in their sin. Jesus said those that mourn will be comforted.
A person that recognizes that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God, Creator of all things and therefore also Lord, will as a result also desire to submit to His authority. This is meekness, and the meek will inherit the earth. Self centeredness yields to becoming God centered and self will yields to God’s will. This is part of walking the narrow path.
Turning from sin and self to the Savior results in a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and Jesus states that those desires will be fulfilled. In placing faith in the person and work of Jesus as the atonement for sin, righteousness is imputed to the person so that they have a right standing with God. In addition, the Holy Spirit works in the individual conforming their character over time to that of Jesus so that they reflect Him in righteous actions as well.
In receiving mercy from the Lord, the person becomes merciful themselves. The change of mind results in a change of heart with a desire to be pure as described in Psalm 25 and stand in the holy place before God. Jesus said the pure in heart shall see God.
The joy of having your sins forgiven results in wanting others to experience the same peace with God, and so the effort is made in pleading with them to be reconciled with God (2 Corinthians 5:20). Jesus said such peacemakers will be called the sons of God. Of course, being a peacemaker is dangerous because those in conflict with God can quickly turn against the messenger casting insults, lying and even persecuting them. And those that strive to live godly lives will be persecuted by the unrighteous
(2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus said we are blessed even when that happens for that is the way the prophets were treated before us, and it is evidence that we are of the kingdom of heaven
Contrary to the twisted gospel often presented in America today, though the Christian life is simple in many respects, it is not easy. The path we must walk is narrow, and the word used here for narrow means “to groan” as from being under pressure. It is used figuratively to represent a restriction or compression. We must resist the pressure of the world to conform us to its image even as we striving to become like our Savior by being living sacrifices for Him and having our minds renewed. (Romans 12:1-2). The world will hate us, but we can rejoice and take courage because Christ has overcome the world (John 15:19-20).
Final Warnings
Be aware that not only is the gate small and the path narrow, but “few are those who find it.” The vast majority of people are on the broad path for self righteousness is the normal state of mankind, and false teachers and mockers are effective in using that to call people to their false religions, human philosophies and cults. Tragically, most people who claim to be Christians have not read their Bible enough to even know what a Christian actually is much less do what Jesus has commanded. This is the fruit of ignorant and aberrant Christianity.
What does this say to us? Some people, perhaps some even here today, know they are on the broad path to destruction. That is not a pleasant thought, but it is true reality. You are not prepared for death and eternity. Repent and seek the Lord to enter the narrow gate. Take heart in God’s promise in Hebrews 11:6 that “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Some people, perhaps some here today, think that they are saved but are self deceived. You need to examine your life as Paul challenged in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” Is your faith actually in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption or in something else you are doing? Self-righteousness will not get you to heaven. Is there enough evidence to convict you in a court of law of being a Christian? Self examination can expose self- deception before it is too late, and true Christians are strengthened by it as they remind themselves of the reality of being saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Finally, we must be clear in telling others about Jesus that we are proclaiming the whole gospel and not selling fire insurance. Our task as believers is to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28 in calling people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Trying to get people saved without calling them to follow Jesus is a false gospel. We point people to the narrow gate so that they can walk the narrow way, for that is the only path that leads to eternity with Jesus Christ in heaven.
Which gate have you entered?
What path are you walking?
Are you building your house on the rock, or the sand?
Sermon Notes – 6/27/2010
Jesus’ Warnings About False Teachers – Matthew 7:13-27
Introduction
The danger posed by false teachers and mockers is
__________ and substantial
Much of the church has traded its ____________ heritage
for a mess of demonic & humanistic porridge
False religions and Christian cults cannot ________and so
leave the soul under God’s just condemnation
Theological aberrations range from silly to heretical
resulting in ____________________or a false hope
Context of the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5-7
Its theme: Matthew 5:20 – your righteousness must
_________ that of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Matthew 5:3-19: The description of the character of the
_____________ (the Beatitudes)
Matthew 5:21-48: Contrasts between the _____________ of
the Scribes and the righteousness of God
Matthew 6:1-7:6: Contrasts between the _______________ of
the Pharisees and true righteousness.
Matthew 7:7-12: Admonitions to seek the ___________ and
fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets
Matthew 7:13-17: ______________ of false teachers and
belief.
The Two Gates and Paths – Matthew 7:13-15
The narrow gate and narrow path lead to ______________.
We either ______Jesus command or by default we have
entered the broad gate and are on the broad path
The narrow gate – “______________ comes to the Father
but through Me”– John 14:6
The _____________ gate has multiple entry points all under
the general theme: Enter As You Please
The wide path is _____ and filled with people. The narrow
path is ________with relatively few people
The final destination of the narrow path is __________.
The final destination of the broad path is _____
People usually choose their path based on _____________
circumstances instead of final destination
Destruction describes total ___________ and loss, not
annihilation
Hell is ______________ and involves suffering – Matthew
3:11-12; 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Warning of False Teachers – Matthew 7:15-23
False teachers are ____________ disguising themselves as
sheep, but they are ravenous wolves
Teachers are identified by the ___________ they bear, just
as a plant is identified by its fruit.
Those that do not produce _________ fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire
Jesus warned the false teachers that entrance into heaven
is dependent on doing the Father’s ________
Doing some good things does not equal _________
righteousness.
The will of the Father is that you ____________ and
believe in Jesus the Messiah
God reckons ________ in the true Jesus as righteousness,
and this exceeds that of the Pharisees’ works
False teachers are self-deceived by their own
self-righteousness resulting in their _________________
Two Different Foundations – Matthew 7:24-27
Those who hear and ________on Jesus’ words are likened to
a wise man that built his house on the rock
The “rock” would have been understood to be a reference to
_____(Deut. 32:4; 2 Sam. 22:3; Ps 18:2; 61:2).
The house built on the rock will ____________ the storms
that come against it.
The house built on sand will have its foundation
undermined by storms and will ______________
Becoming Righteous
You are either justified by ________and are clothed with
Jesus’ righteousness or you stand on your own
The gate is narrow, so you enter through it __________.
To enter the narrow gate you must ________ what the Lord
is proclaiming (Romans 10:17) and repent
The poor in spirit are _________ and gain entrance to the
kingdom of God (Mt. 5:3; 1 Peter 5:5).
Recognizing your sin you ______over with Godly sorrow and
are comforted (Mt. 5:4; 2 Cor. 7:10; Ps. 51)
Recognizing Jesus’ true position as Messiah and Lord, you
submit your will to Him – _________(Mt. 5:5)
A change heart produces a hunger and thirst for
__________________ which will be satisfied (Mt. 5:6)
In receiving God’s mercy, you become _______to others. You
now desire to be pure of heart (Mt. 5:7-8)
You become a ________________ striving to reconcile others
with God (Mt. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:20)
Living righteously results in _____________by the world,
but God will reward (Mt. 5:10-12; 2 Tim. 3:12)
The _____________ path is difficult to walk for we must
resist the pressure of the world and its hatred
Final Warnings
There are ________ that find the narrow gate and walk the
narrow path.
Those on the broad path need to ____________ and seek the
Lord – Hebrews 11:6 is a promise to them.
Examine ____________ (2 Cor. 13:5)
to avoid being self-deceived
The whole gospel must be proclaimed for we are calling for
________of Jesus, not selling fire insurance
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – 1) Write down all the verses mentioned. 2) Count how many times “narrow” is used. 3) Talk with your parents about how to enter the narrow
gate and walk the narrow path
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What are false teachers and mockers dangerous? What has been their effect on American society? What is the theme of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and how would you outline its major points? How do the narrow gate and path differ from the wide gate and path? What kind of people are on the wide path? What are the final destinations of each? What will Hell be like? Why must the doctrine of annihilation be rejected? How do false teachers present themselves? What is their real nature? How can false teachers be identified? Why are good deeds insufficient to gain God’s favor? What is the righteousness that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees? What is Jesus’ warning to the false teachers? What
will their judgment be based upon? What is the analogy between those who hear and heed the words of the Lord and a wise man who builds his house on the rock? Why is that house able to withstand the storms? What is the analogy between those that hear but do not heed the words of the Lord and the man who builds his house on the sand? Why does that house collapse in the storm? How is a man made righteous before God? What is the relationship between the beatitudes and entering the narrow gate and walking the narrow path? Explain. Why are there so few that find the narrow gate and enter it? What is God’s promise to those who will seek Him? What should those on the broad path do? How can you keep from being self deceived? What is the difference between salvation from Hell and salvation from sin?
(If you would like to receive Pastor Harris’ weekly sermons via e-mail, Click Here)
Grace Bible Church Home Page || Sermon Archives
For comments, please e-mail Church office