Lord, Lord! | Sunday, May 15, 2022

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it... You will know them by their fruits... Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:13–21)

True righteousness is not religious performance—it is humble faith in and faithfulness to Christ, the one narrow way into the kingdom of heaven.

True and False Righteousness

Over the last three weeks we have considered Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters five, six, and seven, as it relates to true and false righteousness—a righteousness that is kingdom of heaven worthy, and a righteousness that is not. Jesus said in Matthew 5:20:

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Those who heard this would have been shocked. Jesus's followers were ordinary people—fishermen, farmers, carpenters, tax collectors—the average people of Israel, not the hyper-religious or super-spiritual. They had traveled with Jesus throughout Galilee, watching Him heal the sick and cast out demons. News was spreading of His miracle at the wedding in Cana, recorded in John's gospel, and of the miraculous catch He caused Peter to bring in, recorded in Luke 5. They were beginning to recognize He was more than a traveling rabbi.

If the scribes and Pharisees—presumed to be the most righteous, most religious people—had no hope of getting into heaven on the basis of their goodness, then what hope did common fishermen and tax collectors have?

The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

But Jesus's teaching reveals that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was not as it seemed. They were religiously and superficially self-righteous, but not truly righteous. True righteousness is not found in showy ritualism. They did good works to be seen and admired. They fasted and prayed loudly in the streets and synagogues so people would marvel at their spirituality.

Luke 18 says they trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and as a result they despised others—looking down on those who were poorer or could not keep the law as they did, believing their wealth proved God's blessing. Inwardly, the Scriptures say, they were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Their hatred of outsiders was like murder in the heart (Matthew 6); their lust was adultery in the heart; they broke oaths and retaliated against enemies.

This is why Jesus cautioned His followers to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Leaven is the yeast you put into dough to make it rise; their sin and doctrine were infectious and could lead you astray. Their way of life was not to be admired or emulated. As Jesus says plainly in Matthew 6: do not be like them.

A Bible Full of Contrasts

So in this passage we are given two ways of life. We will also see two kinds of trees, two kinds of fruit, two builders, and two foundations. The Bible is full of such contrasts from beginning to end. In Genesis alone we see true and false righteousness contrasted in Abel and Cain, Noah and the people of his day, Abraham and Lot, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Moses and Pharaoh, Joshua and Caleb against the ten spies, Saul and David, Israel against the prophets—on and on. These contrasts are illustrative and instructive.

This message was for Jesus's disciples. Back in Matthew 5, when Jesus saw the multitudes, He sat down and His disciples came to Him, and He taught them. Now, in this final section, perhaps the most striking and frightening words of Scripture are found.

Choose Life

This conclusion brings us back to a place of decision. Life is always a series of choices. Moses made this clear in Deuteronomy 30, which we studied earlier this year:

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil... I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days. (Deuteronomy 30:15–20)

"Choose life"—powerful words, and an appropriate word with all the current news surrounding the Supreme Court here in the United States. Jesus begins His conclusion in Matthew 7:13:

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The Narrow and Wide Paths

There are many paths that lead to destruction, but only one narrow way to life. The common view in our time, here in 2022 in the Western world, is that all paths ultimately lead to life and eternity. That is not true. There is one narrow path into the kingdom of God.

This is not only contrary to the common view; it is so incompatible with the inclusivist mindset of 21st-century Western culture that it is condemned as abhorrent and hateful. What I find fascinating is that many who find this teaching abhorrent claim not even to believe in God or the afterlife—and yet they think it a problem that Christians believe there is only one way into eternal life.

The life Jesus speaks of here is life beyond this life—everlasting, eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. The context, going back to Matthew 5, is clear: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (5:3); "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:20); and the kingdom comes up again in 7:21.

Why the Narrow Way Is Difficult

The narrow path is not a path of ritualistic religious observance. That well-worn, broad path is the path of essentially every religion, which says enlightenment and everlasting life are found in doing or not doing certain things at certain times. Religious righteousness is relatively easy. If you give me a list of do's and don'ts, I can probably keep it better than someone else, and then feel more righteous than them. But that is only a superficial, skin-deep righteousness. It will never be kingdom-of-heaven worthy.

It is much easier to appear righteous before men than to be truly righteous before a holy God. If the standard is other people, I can look pretty good by comparison. But if the measuring rod is God's own righteousness, there is no way I can exceed it.

So how do we lay hold of true righteousness? Not by good deeds, charity, prayer, fasting, or wealth—though charity, prayer, and fasting all have their place. To be truly righteous, one must first acknowledge a lack of righteousness: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (5:3). Then one must humbly grieve over that deficit: "Blessed are the meek," "Blessed are those who mourn" (5:4–5). And then one must hunger and thirst for a righteousness that is not their own: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (5:6).

This is the difficult, narrow way. It requires a right recognition of who I am before a holy God and a humble desire for a righteousness given to me in and through Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus could say in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Beware of False Prophets

Jesus continues in verse 15:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits... Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit... Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

There are many false prophets pointing to many false paths, all leading to destruction. They often look good, coming in sheep's clothing while inwardly they are ravenous wolves. John writes in 1 John 4 that many false prophets have gone out into the world, and Peter warns that they secretly bring in destructive heresies.

How do we identify them? By their fruits—the outcomes of their lives, especially those posing as spiritual leaders. True righteousness is characterized by humility, meekness, grace, mercy, and peace. Superficial self-righteousness is characterized by pompous shows of religiosity and greed for wealth.

Paul gives us a guide in 1 Timothy 3:

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous... not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

Several of these stand out: such leaders should not be greedy for money, quarrelsome, covetous, or puffed up with pride. Over time these things cannot be hidden. Those are the kind of people from whom you should depart.

Lord, Lord — One of the Most Frightening Passages

Why is this so important? Jesus continues in Matthew 7:21, perhaps the most frightening passage in all of Scripture:

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

There will be many false disciples cast out of the kingdom. It is not about the state of our profession—these said "Lord, Lord." It is not about miraculous activity in Jesus's name; prophecies and wonders are not validation of genuine faith. In fact, the Scriptures speak of lying signs and wonders done by false followers. These false professors use Jesus's name for their own earthly advantage, but they will have no eternal reward—just as the self-righteous Pharisees already have their reward here and now (Matthew 6).

Doing the Will of the Father

So who has entrance into the kingdom of heaven? "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (5:3), and "he who does the will of My Father in heaven." What is God's will? Jesus tells us in John 6:39–40:

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing... that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life.

And in John 6:28–29: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." So we return again and again to two things: true righteousness is accounted to those who have faith in and faithfulness to Christ. For those who do not trust or follow Him, He will say, "I never knew you; depart from Me." A relationship in which He knows you and you know Him is essential. Jesus taught in John 17:3 that eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ.

Two Builders, Two Foundations

Now we come to the two builders and the two foundations. Matthew 7:24:

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock... But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

If you like to underline in your Bible, underline "and does them" and "does not do them." James, the brother of Jesus, echoes this in James 1:22:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves... But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

It is possible to build a good-looking life on a shallow foundation—and many have, for many will say, "Lord, Lord," only to hear, "I never knew you." The storms of life have a way of revealing the lack of a solid foundation. Why risk the catastrophe of a great fall? Build from the start on the rock.

A Disciple Is an Obedient Follower

Faithfulness to Christ and proof of true faith are seen in obedience to His word. At the end of the day, a disciple is simply an obedient follower of Jesus. And the only way to follow Him obediently is to know Him through His word, where He has revealed His nature and will. The more you know Him from His word, the more you are brought back to a humble, mournful acknowledgment of your spiritual deficit, hungering and thirsting for a righteousness that is not your own—a righteousness that comes not through prayer, fasting, good works, charity, or wealth, but through Jesus Christ alone. He is the only path; He is the narrow way.

Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are those who mourn... Blessed are the meek... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... Blessed are the merciful... Blessed are the pure in heart... Blessed are the peacemakers... Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3–10)

At the very end of the sermon, Matthew 7:28 says:

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Unlike the religious leaders who constantly cited what one rabbi said and another rabbi said, Jesus said, "I say to you—this is the path; this is the only way." Those are important things for us to take heed to. If you haven't listened to the previous three messages in Matthew 5 and 6, I encourage you to go back and check those out.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray that You would cause us to take Your word into our hearts, that we would think about it this week, and that You would work a work of transformation in us—that we would not be those who have a shallow foundation on sand, but a deep and strong foundation built upon You and Your word, following You faithfully and obediently as You empower us by Your Holy Spirit. God, would You work a work in me and in my brothers and sisters, that we would be a great light to a world in such desperate need of Your grace and truth. For we ask this in Jesus's name. Amen.