On Solid Ground

On Solid Ground

Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with an invitation for His listeners to make an important choice about three things:

1st—the path they will follow, 2ndly—the teachers they will listen to, and 3rdly—what will they do with His teachings.

The two ways tell us to examine the cost of our profession. Have we paid a price to profess faith in Christ?

The two trees tell us to investigate whether our lives have really changed. Are there godly fruits from our lives?

And the two houses remind us that true faith in Christ will last, not only in the storms of life, but also in the final judgment.

Matthew 7:13-27 ? 13Enter ye in at the strait gate: [path] for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

In verses 13 and 14, Jesus advises his listeners to choose the correct path for their lives-to go through the “narrow gate.” To go through the narrow gate is to go against society’s grain.

Most people go through the wide gate, but on the other side they find destruction.

Let me ask you dear listener, what path are you on? Are you traveling through the wide gate on a path to destruction, or are you on the road less traveled? Are you going through the narrow gate that leads to life?

For those who’ve traveled through the narrow gate, Jesus gives a warning. He says to be careful who you listen to.

Notice He never says that there is PLAN C ’or’ DOOR #3’

He simply says that there are ONLY TWO WAYS in this life.

He wants the listener to hear the REWARD for going the right way and the JUDGMENT for going the wrong way

He first says that they need to:

Realize That There Is Only One Way To Eternal Life

“Enter through the narrow gate…”

He says that one gate leads to eternal life and one to eternal death[destruction]

The opposite gate leads to eternal destruction

if Jesus was here in person today and gave such claim, He would be laughed at – as many who stand behind His claims are today.

But laughs and scoff do not make His claim any less true

I’m certainly glad that He did give us the way that we can go to heaven.

God did not have to accept us – because we are sinners and He is perfect

God is Holy and perfect and anyone who is going to go into His presence at death must also be perfect.

How can we become perfect some one may ask? By believing and trusting God to do what He said He’d do and except The Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord AND SAVIOUR

Rom. 4:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:

GAL. 3:6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Can anyone listening boast ‘perfection”? Of course, not!

And because the Bible says that no one is perfect and perfection is required for heaven – we are all naturally lost… but thank God HE MADE A WAY!

Jesus is saying “Realize That I Am The WAY!” I am the narrow gate!

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he shalll be saved…” (John 10:9)

In verses 15 to 23, Jesus says that not every prophet is from God and that believers must test them by examining their fruits.

Since there are false prophets in the world, we must be careful of deception. But the greatest danger is self-deception. The scribes and Pharisees had fooled them selves in to believing that they were righteous.

There are people who know the right language, believe intellectually and appear to obey the right rules, and still not be saved.

Jesus gives us these truths to help us judge ourselves.

The broad way is the easy way; it is the popular way. But we must not judge spiritual profession by statistics; the majority is not going the narrow way.

All of us want to trust our leaders, however let me say that the final authority in true churches is not the teachers or the deacons or even the pastor, it is God’s Word!

Many of us read behind men who we think are credible, but let us keep in mind that their only men and men are not infallible. We listen to Christian radio, and hear other preachers

· A wise man once said,” Respect every teacher, but to also suspect them.” Respect them for their calling and the office they hold, but suspect that they could be wrong in what they teach and their motives might be less than pure.