Preached in Markham Baptist Church, December 3, 2006

Well, we have been on a journey these last three months through Jesus’ words in Matthew 5,6,7.  I hope you have found it helpful.  Personally, I have found it to be a most uncomfortable ride as the words of Jesus have convicted and challenged me.  I have been forced by Christ’s words to examine my life and my relationship with Christ and what it truly means to be a Christian in this world. 

I have been pushed to examine my thought life and identify the deep-seated sins of anger, contempt, revenge and lust.

I’ve been faced with some difficult self-examination questions – am I doing what I am doing for God’s glory or to win applause from others.

Do I truly seek to things of this kingdom, like love, joy and peace, or am I as materialistic as the next guy?

Am I truly honouring God in my relationships or am I seeking to control others and manipulate others?
    All those are difficult questions raised by Jesus in this sermon.  And the questions are all the more difficult because I am made to realize that I come up short on so many of the answers.  So Christ’s words are very convicting.

But as I said earlier in this series – it is not Jesus’ intention to rub our noses in our failings and shortcomings.  He has said that he has come to fulfill the law in us.  So, one of the effects of Christ’s words is to enable us to recognize our complete spiritual bankruptcy, to show us that we cannot be what God wants us to be without Christ in our lives.  So it all causes us to turn to God, and say, who will save us from this body of sin and look to Christ for complete cleansing and change of heart.  We need Christ in us in order to fulfill God’s word in us.

Of course there is another reaction we can give to this sermon of Jesus and that is the reaction of rejection  - indifference is the same as rejection.  It is very possible for us to continue on our way as we always have.  I’ve had this feeling that what Christ asks us to do is so hard – so painful – so self-abasing – humbling – that it would be easier to simply carry on as we always have been.

Our culture makes that reaction easier.  The greater culture loves us when we’re not really committed to anything to strongly.  And the Christian culture very often supports, encourages, even models nominal Christianity.  “Be nice, go to worship once in a while, throw some money in the offering once in awhile and you’re in.”

It is very possible to hear our Lord’s sermon – be convicted for a moment and then go on as we always have been – relating as we always have, thinking as we always have, behaving as we always have.

So, this brings us to the closing words of the sermon.  When Jesus essentially says to us, “Don’t turn your back on what I’ve been saying, don’t be satisfied with where you are in the kingdom of God – with your same old sin, with your same old sinful reactions, with your same old ways of nominal Christianity.

In these closing words Jesus makes his appeal.  Choose the narrow way, choose the fruitful way, choose the obedient way.

In verses 13-14 he says “choose the narrow way.”  The narrow way is everything Jesus has just said in Matthew 5,6,7 about being in his kingdom. 

Don’t choose the broad way.  Now, we need to understand how Jesus says these words.  Sometimes I think we read Scripture with the same passion we would a telephone book. 

Can you hear these words uttered by the one who said “I am the way the truth and the life – no one comes to the father but through me.”  “I have come to seek and to save the lost.” 

If those words are true he is saying the words in Matthew 7:13-14 with a great deal of passion and urgency.  “Don’t go the broad way!”.  You who are weary of playing church by putting on a mask of superficiality, come enter the narrow way.”  You who are tired of anger and want to be free of revenge and contempt and manipulation and lust come and enter the narrow way.”  So many others are on the broad way, the easy way, the way that rejects Christ's words and refuses to come to him in poverty of spirit and continue in their superficiality, their anger, their contempt, their wanting revenge – so many are on that path and that way simply leads to destruction!

He is saying these words as passionately as one would scream after a child who is running into on coming traffic and certain death.  There is much urgency in his voice as one trying to wave down a truck to warn of a bridge that is washed out.  Or the same fear one would have as you somehow try to stop a train that has jumped the tracks and is headed for a certain head collision with a north bound train.  Stay away from the broad way – it leads to destruction. 

I wonder if he doesn’t preach this part of his sermon with tears running down his face. Tears of compassion for the many of us who are on the broad way and headed for certain destruction. 

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.  To life.

Sometimes we hear that word narrow and we get a picture of it being restrictive and prohibitive, solemn and boring.  And in some ways, if you follow Christ it is restrictive.  You have to say no to self and your own agenda and desires and put him first in your life.  And in a sense that is restrictive.

But in a deeper way following Christ and his words leads to life.  It leads to freedom from those sins that haunt you, and the attitudes that plague your relationships.  All that we have talked about in this sermon series – it all leads to life.

Do any of you watch the T.V. show Dr. Who?  It is hugely popular in England and has a following here in North America.  It’s about a man who is able to travel from time to time, universe to universe, nation to nation, in his space ship called the Tardis.  Do you know what the Tardis is?  It’s a narrow vertical box, an old-fashioned British Police Box, almost looks like a telephone booth.  It’s that cramped and narrow but on the inside it is spacious and opens up to unlimited exciting adventures. 

That’s the Christian life.  It is narrow; it is following Christ alone and putting him first.  But once inside you discover that you are in the kingdom of God.  And the kingdom of God is magnificent in its scope.  It is so out of this world that to describe it with the terms of our world would be to cheapen it but it is the only way we can think of it.  In terms of space it is limitless.  In terms of time the kingdom of God is forever and ever, eternal, no beginning and no end.  In terms of character it is righteousness, peace, joy – joy focused on God, centred on God, that praises and celebrates the character of God.

The kingdom of God is not narrow but expansive and limitless – it is truly life. 

So, it is possible to reject Christ’s words here.  But Jesus passionately calls us to travel the narrow way – to walk in the way of the kingdom.

And then at verse 15 he says as you travel the narrow way watch out for false prophets.  Prophets are not foretellers but forth tellers, proclaimers of the Word of God.  So, beware of those who distort the word of God.  They may appear to be wonderful Christians, regular lambs on the outside, but on the inside they are ferocious wolves.

We have wolves around our cottage and they are ferocious – just ask our farmer friend across the road has lost sheep and chickens to ferocious wolves.

And as you journey along the path of the narrow way you are bound to meet such people, people who are out for themselves, seek their own acclaim and fame and agendas.  And we are to watch for them lest we be lead astray.

How will we know such people since often they are disguised as normal Christians?  In fact Jesus says in verse 22 and 23 that such people will prophesy in Jesus name, and will even drive out demons and perform many miracles – all outward appearances are good – but we will know them Jesus says in verse 16 by their fruit.

Now we need to ask some questions, what is the fruit of a life – Jesus makes it plain in verse 21 that it is doing the will of the father in heaven.

Well, what is the will of the our father in heaven?  It is clearly all that Jesus has said before in his sermon.  It’s being poor in spirit, it’s being salt and light, it’s giving up anger, contempt, lust, and revenge. Doing the will of the father is loving the neighbour, giving to the needy and saying prayers and doing other pious acts with an eye to please the Father and not anyone else.  It’s not storing up treasure on earth but in heaven.

That’s the will of the Father, that’s the fruit.  That’s how you will recognize a true follower of Christ.

SO, Jesus says, choose the narrow way that leads to life and as you do watch out for false prophets. 

But not only this. Jesus says in these verses that we are to choose the fruitful way ourselves.  We can choose to ignore Matthew 5, 6 and 7 saying – “what you have asked me to do and be is too hard.  To give up my right to anger and call others fool, to look at the blackness of my own heart is too hard.  I can’t bear it.  But Jesus says don’t worry it will be fruitful.  You will, in the process bear good fruit.  You will be doing the will of the Father and that always bears fruit.  Doing the will of the father bears fruit.

I think of David who one evening saw the beautiful Bathsheba and desired her and so he went to bed with her and had her husband killed in battle.  And in think of how the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin.  David at this point could deny it – Off with his head! – but he didn’t he traveled the narrow road of humility and repentance and took responsibility for his sin.  His life bore fruit because he traveled the narrow way. 

His sin had some awful consequences. But I think of the fruit of David’s life, millions upon millions of people so greatly encouraged by David, saying, “If God can love David, God can love me.  If God can forgive David, God can forgive me.” 

Now of course the narrow way would have been not to do what David did with Bathsheba in the first place.  But I am talking to those of you who have heard Christ’s words – are convicted – but are hesitant to admit your need to change the superficial Christianity is suiting you fine – and you don’t want to give up your anger, contempt, revenge and lust for fear that it will be too hard.

And Jesus says, it’s okay, you can do it and as you do your life will bear fruit.  Your relationship will be healthier for it, your demonstration of God’s love will be greater, your experience of God’s grace will be deeper, your knowledge of God’s power will be that much more awesome.

Your life will bear fruit.  Don’t be satisfied with saying the words and the outward demonstration of driving out demons.  Let Jesus Christ probe your heart and change you from the inside and your life will bear fruit.

I don’t believe that this message is heard often enough in our churches. There is a great danger of thinking we are Christian because we have the right parents, we say the right things, we condone the right things, we condemn the right things but all the while we have shut God out of our heart and not allowed him the change our anger, contempt, lust, greed and all that he speaks about in this sermon and thus bear good fruit, doing the will of the father.

So that when you meet Jesus face to face he will tell such a person I never knew you.

So John Newton once said, If I ever reach Heaven I expect to find 3 wonders there.  First to meet some I had not thought to see there, second, to miss some I thought to meet there, and 3^rd, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.

So, choose the narrow way, the fruitful way, then verse 24-27, choose the obedient way.  

Jesus speaks of building your house on the rock.  Jesus is often described in Scripture as a rock.  He is not the rock in this passage.  The rock described here is verse 24 – it is the hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice.  This is the foundation that enables one to withstand life’s difficult times, it is obedience to the word of our Lord.

Notice that Jesus tells of two builders who do indeed build a house each. The casual observer walking down the street would not be able to tell the difference between the two homes.

In the same way professing Christians often look alike.  You cannot tell which is genuine and which is false.  Both appear to be building Christian lives.  Both hear the words of Jesus.  Both read the Bible, go to worship, listen to sermons and buy Christian literature, all the marks of modern evangelical Christians today.  You cannot tell the difference between a genuine Christian or a false one – until the storm hits.  Then you will know, Jesus says.

The real question, Jesus explains, is not whether we hear Christ’s teachings, nor even if we respond and believe it – Scripture says that even demons of hell believe in God and they shudder – it is not simply that we have heard. 

The Christian faith is rather what we do with what we hear.

We can listen to the Word of God, we can study the word of God we can ponder and memorize the word of God – all wonderful activities that we indeed should be doing and will bring great blessing to our lives but all of it is useless waste of time and effort if we are not doing what the word of God says.

IN the late 1890s there was a famous tightrope walker named Blondin.  He strung a tightrope across Niagara Falls, and then in front of ten thousand screaming people, he inched his way from the Canadian side of the falls to the U.S. side.  When he got there, the crowd began shouting his name. 

Blondin! Blondin!  Blondin!

Finally he raised his arms, quieted the crowd and shouted to them, “I am Blondin, do you believe in me?”  The crowd shouted back, “We believe, We believe, We believe.”

Again he quieted the crowd and once more he shouted to them, “I’m going back across the tightrope but this time I’m going to carry someone on my back.  Do you believe I can do that?”  The crowd yelled, “We believe, We believe!”

He quieted them one more time and then he said, “Who will be that person?”  The crowd went dead silent.  Nothing.

Finally out of the crowd stepped one man.  He climbed on Blondin’s shoulders and for the next three and half hours Blondin inched his way back across he tightrope to the Canadian side of the falls.

Friends we have churches full of people who lift their voices to God and say the prayers they have always aid, shout, “We believe, we believe, we accept the facts,” but being a follower of Christ is much more than that.

It is saying not only, “I believe” but I will do.

Jesus ends his sermon and he looks at you and he looks at me and he makes his appeal – choose the narrow way, choose the fruitful way, choose the obedient way. 

He will not make you choose, he will not force his way on you – if you choose no, he respects that – but know the love in his voice as he outlines the choices and notice the consequences of choose choosing the broad way, the fruitless life, and the disobedient life. 

How much better we choose the narrow way, the fruitful way, the obedient way. 

To get us to realize that we need Christ in order to fulfill God’s word in us. 

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - December 2006

[Home] [Coming Up] [Programs] [Sermons] [About Us] [Contact Us]