Extra Baggage Series

This morning- complete our SOTM series.

SOTM- more than an ideal we have to live up to.

Picture of Jesus- taking His disposition and supernaturally working it into our lives.

Throughout SOTM- confronted w/alternatives-

two kinds of righteousness

two treasures

two masters

Jesus died for us so we have the freedom to choose …

what treasure we will go after or

what master we will follow.

Constantly make choices in- realities of everyday life.

We chose either to follow the …

prevailing culture of today or

Kingdom of God.

V7:13-14

This is a warning from God.

When God warns us it is out of His love for us.

He wants us to avoid His judgment.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. NASU

His instructions in- SOTM are designed to encourage us to modify our thoughts/heart/behavior.

God- God of love, but for those who do not choose to walk w/Him- there are serious consequences.

God is not asking us to walk down an impossible road

Jesus came to make us new creatures and deposit in us the same disposition that governed His life.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASU

There are four alternatives we find in these verses …

1. Two gates we can enter

Wide gate- no limit to the baggage we can take w/us.

There is nothing we need to leave behind-

sin, self-righteousness, pride- we can take it all.

To enter- narrow gate- must leave behind everything- sin, selfishness, covetousness, ambition.

Impossible to follow Christ w/o denying ourselves.

Lk 9:23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. NASU

2. Two ways (paths) we can go

Psa 1:1-2, 6

* Broad way- spacious and roomy …

there is ample room for diversity of opinions

there are no moral distinctives

it is a road of tolerance and permissiveness

man can follow- inclinations of- his fallen heart

* Narrow way- has boundaries that are clearly marked

The narrowness is not religiousness or legalism.

It is God’s revealed truth, His light, that confines us to the path God defines for man in His Word.

God’s revelation places boundaries on belief/behavior

It is in these boundaries that we will find true freedom

3. Two crowds we can walk with

On Wide road- large crowd- heading for destruction.

On Narrow road- small crowd- chosen eternal life.

One thing is clear- there are no other gates, no middle way, no neutral groups.

4. Two destinations

We see these two destinations throughout scripture …

Psalm 1- righteous prosper, wicked perish

Dt 30:15 "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; NASU

God- Creator- not the Destroyer, created man to live.

V7:15-20

Jesus warns against false prophets because they exist.

Mt 24:11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. NASU

The existence of false prophets assumes there is an absolute, objective, standard of truth.

Unlike today where truth is relevant to the individual.

In Bible days-

true prophet- spoke truth by divine inspiration

false prophet- claimed- same divine inspiration, but spoke error.

Jer 23:16 Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord.

False prophets will either try to say that the …

narrow way is wider than Jesus said it was, or

broad way does not lead to destruction.

False prophets advocate- many roads that lead to God.

False prophets today- Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle.

There is no path to God apart from Jesus Christ- all other roads are broad roads leading to destruction.

Jn 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. NASU

We are to judge prophets by their fruit.

What fruit is Jesus talking about?

1. Character and conduct

Does their lives exhibit Christ like behavior?

Gal 5:19-23

A true prophet- exhibits the fruit of Spirit more than deeds of the flesh.

However, you cannot conclude that just because a man lives a good life that he is a true prophet.

We must also examine his teaching, what is he saying

2. Teaching and doctrine

Mtt 12:33-36

If a tree is known by its fruit, we have a responsibility to judge a teacher by his teaching.

The Word of God is the ultimate guide in determining whether a man’s teaching is truth or error.