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Matthew 7:13-29
“Are You In? Or Are You Out?”
Through the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has been telling the disciples, what it means to be part of God’s kingdom, and how a person in God’s kingdom is to live.
Jesus is particularly focussed on people who are in relationship with Him.
Now, as Jesus comes to the close of The Sermon, Jesus gets the disciples, and the crowds, to reflect on a very important questions.
Are you in? Or are you out?
… …
Are you in? Or are you out?
It is a question that should be asked, even of those who call themselves disciples.
Remember, in that group of 12 disciples, Judas is not in … he is out.
Judas cast out demons – like the others.
When Judas preached transformation happened – like it did for the other disciples.
The other disciples who see Judas in action – they all think he is in with the disciples. But he isn’t.
And those people in the crowd? There are many of them who are still out.
They might think they are in.
But looks can be deceiving.
Indeed, we can even deceive ourselves.
So …
Are you in? Or are you out?
That is the key issue Jesus is talking about.
Jesus does this by giving a series of contrasting examples.
The first contrast is two Gates and Roads
Matthew 7:13-14
13 ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The gates and the roads are linked.
It is not very often that you see a gate set up in the middle of nowhere without a fence attached to each side … or without it going into a structure or a location.
Gates have the specific purpose of being the entry point.
The gate often gives an indication of the destination.
This gate (Luna Park) … has been providing fun, and fear, since 1912.
This gate (Kirribilli House) … is the entrance to the home of the current Australian Prime Minister.
This gate (sheep gate to a truck) … eventually leads to the meat fridge at Woolworths.
The gate often gives a hint as to what is beyond.
Jesus talks about a wide gate.
Wide gates are inviting and easy to get through. With a wide gate you don’t need to offload any baggage so you can bring whatever you want. The wide gate can accommodate all, without having to make a sacrifice.
You don’t have to change.
You can do live your way.
You can make the rules.
It tolerates many.
The gate is wide so it is the place of least resistance and no restrictions concerning.
It’s very, very attractive.
Especially because, beyond the wide gate, is the broad road. Just like the gate, the broad road has room for any and everyone.
It is the road of easy living.
The road of acceptance and tolerance.
The road has plenty of room and accommodates all.
Like the wide gate, the broad road continues to be very, very attractive.
But those on the road do not realise where the road is going. Just like the sheep entering the sheep gate onto a truck.
The broad road is the road that leads to destruction – the loss of eternal life with Jesus.
That’s where this road is heading.
If we are on the broad road, then we are headed for eternal damnation.
Jesus talks about a small gate.
Since it is small it is not easy to find – especially when the wide gate is so welcoming.
To find the small gate people need to narrow down their focus onto that which is essential. Coming through the small gate means we have accepted that we are hopeless sinners who cannot get right with God on our own … so we must put our faith in Jesus.
Many do not make this choice.
Beyond the small gate is the narrow road.
The narrow road is walked by those who choose Jesus.
Having a heart and life constantly regulated by the direction of Jesus as we walk in submission and obedience.
Rejecting temptation so we can walk away from all self-pleasing and self-seeking diversions.
Being willing to suffer, and go through difficulty, knowing this path is the walk of spiritual warfare.
On the narrow road we deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Christ. We do this knowing that this is the road of eternal life.
The wide gate and the broad road.
The small gate and the narrow road.
They are two entirely separate destinations. It isn’t a matter of going along the journey, and sometimes we walk through the wide gate and on the broad road … and other times we choose to go through the small gate and the narrow road.
It is not a daily choice.
Wide gate today. Small gate tomorrow.
At this very moment we are on one of these two roads.
The wide gate … the broad road … the road to destruction.
The small gate … the narrow road … the road to life.
Are you in? Or are you out?
We move on to the second contrast in Matthew 7:15-20
It is a contrast between Two Trees and Their Fruit
15 ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.
The fruit here is “good” and “bad”. Which, perhaps, makes us think of
… “fresh” verses “rotten”.
… or “healthy” verses “diseased”.
But that is not the imagery. The focus here is on the nature of the fruit.
During a holiday four years ago we travelled to Trephina Gorge – which is not too far from Alice Springs. Growing everywhere at the time were these Paddy Melons.
They look healthy and ripe to eat. They are not rotten or diseased.
They are also toxic to humans, horses, sheep, cattle, and pigs.
The best Paddy Melons are still bad fruit.
In contrast, you can go and visit the Batlow Apple Packing Factory.
This is where apples are graded.
Top grade apples were exported.
Second grade apples were for mainland Australia.
Third grade apples went to Tasmania.
Fourth grade apples could be used to make stewed apples.
There was another lot of apples that were sold to pig farmers.
Only the very rotten ones that had been on the ground for some time were thrown away.
The pig grade apples can still be good fruit.
This is the analogy Jesus has in mind when Jesus talks about good trees bearing good fruit, and bad tree bearing bad fruit.
It is the nature of the fruit, not the quality.
False prophets, even the very best ones who seem so nice and appealing. The ones with the amazing personalities and who are incredibly generous and community minded.
Their nature is to deceive away from Jesus.
They are “bad” fruit.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Who look so gentle and kind and sweet and cuddly. And you just want to bury your face into their fleece and enjoy the softness.
Their nature is to ferocious work against Jesus.
They are “bad” fruit.
That Christian you know, who you heard swear, and who got drunk.
That Christian who gossips, or who struggles with anger.
That Christian who watches porn, or is a bit materialistic.
Their nature is “I belong to Jesus.” Despite their spiritual challenges … in this analogy … they are still “good fruit”.
Remember the big picture.
Are you in? Or are you out?
Don’t look at these verses and use them to find out who are the “good fruit” Christians, and who are the “bad fruit Christians”.
The fact is … there are “people of the world” who can look more Christian than some Christians. We even look at such people and say, “They would make great Christians”.
Jesus isn’t talking about the comparative quality of our Christian service.
The question Jesus is getting us to ask is, “Are you hanging off the right tree?”
A false prophet who is a sheep-skin wearing wolf. They are the fruit of the bad tree.
A believer whose identity is only in Christ … but who is also stumbling and failing. They are still the fruit of a good tree.
Are you in? Or are you out?
So far we may be feeling quite comfortable.
But don’t be too quick to say, “Of course I am the fruit of a good tree.”
Because, as the third contrast Matthew 7:21-23 teaches, there are Two Perspectives
21 ‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one 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 drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!”
There are those who have the perspective that they are saved.
Jesus look at me.
I prophesied in your name.
I drove out demons and performed miracles.
I drove all those people from the retirement village to church every Sunday.
I was generous in my tithing.
I visited the homeless.
I taught Sunday School.
I was baptised, in the ocean, in winter, in Tasmania.
They can give you a litany of service and sacrifice. They are helpful, and sincere, and very generous. They are always working.
And they survey all they have done and, from their perspective, they are in.
But what is the perspective of Jesus?
I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!
Not … “I did recognise you, but then you put on a disguise.”
Not … “You were running a great race, but then fell flat on your face.”
Not … “Your deeds looked promising, but they failed to reach My standard.”
Nothing like that.
Jesus says, “I never knew you. We were never in a spiritual relationship.”
“All those Christianese actions you are listing. None of it was in partnership with Me.”
“All you were doing was evil.”
There was a man who was a good sailor.
He was always the first to get up and never had to be woken for his watch.
He was skilled at sailing and knowledgeable about the weather and the stars.
He was a good leader and all the crew liked him very much and they willingly worked for him.
He looks like a good sailor.
Until you stepped back a little and get a perspective of the whole ship.
He was sailing under the flag of the skull and crossbone.
A good sailor – sailing under the wrong flag.
No matter how Christian our actions look … they are totally useless if we are sailing under the wrong flag.
As we ponder what Jesus is saying these verses should cause us to sit up and take notice.
Especially the words in verse 22
22 Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not
…
Many will say.
Many who are sitting in church doing the Christianese things.
The same ones who others point to and say … “Look how Christian they are.”
They stand before Jesus on judgement day fully expecting that they are in.
But, when it comes to the truth of their relationship with Jesus …
… they have fooled themselves.
… they have fooled others.
… they haven’t fooled Jesus.
Everyone is expecting Jesus to say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Instead Jesus says, “I never knew you. Away evildoers.”
Are you in? Or are you out?
As we work through these verses we see there are so many ways where we can end up being out, and not in. So how can we be sure?
How can we be sure we have not stayed on the broad road?
How can we be sure we are not bad-fruit-false-wolf-prophets wearing sheep-skins?
How can we be sure we aren’t fooling ourselves because we are relying on our Christianese?
How can we be sure? Jesus tells us in the last contrast. Reading Matthew 7:24-27
Jesus starts with 24 ‘Therefore …
Therefore means, “what I am about to tell you is connected to what I have just said.”
It can rightly be argued that this “therefore” is connected to the whole sermon.
24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine …
The words of Jesus started back in Matthew 5:3.
“Therefore, on the basis of all that I have taught, now respond”.
Definitely that is how this “therefore” works.
Which means that what Jesus is about to say also relates to the last three contrasts. “Therefore” is telling us how we can be sure we have eternal life.
In Matthew 7:24-27 the contrast is between Two Builders and the Results
24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’
I want you to picture these two buildings. Both seem attractive and clean, freshly painted perhaps. Both are made from the same material – mud bricks for the walls, thatched grass for the roof. Indeed they could even be the same size and shape. But there is one significant difference between them.
One house has been built by a fool. He started in summertime when the ground was hard and dry. The foolish man saw the bright and sunny days and thought they would never end. So he didn’t worry about a foundation, he just smoothed out a place on the sand and started building. The foolish builder constructs the house as though he is pitching a tent.
The other house has been built by a wise man. He knows the sunny days will not always be there. He takes into consideration the storm and wind and rising waters. He digs through the sand until he reaches rock. His house takes a bit longer to complete then the man next door.
Sometimes, while he was working on his house, he thought he could hear the fool laughing about his careful preparations. But the wise man continued until his house was also finished.
For all intends and purposes the houses look the same ... but there is one big difference.
One gives the illusion of being sturdy – but it has no foundation.
One is actually sturdy – because it has a foundation.
We find out which is which when the rain of difficulty comes.
You can just imagine the foolish man in his house can’t you, as the rains begin to fall. He’s sitting at the table reading the paper. Soon he hears a little trickling noise as water starts coming under the bricks. Soon the trickle becomes a flood and it is washing away the bottom of the wall.
His wife is running around in the house yelling, “Do something, do something”. But what can he do? Within minutes he is standing in the rain. The place where his house once stood has been washed clean, like a wave on the beach which demolishes every sand castle in its path.
How can you be sure you are in and not out?
You can be sure by asking, “Is the building I have built standing on a foundation that will last?”
The foundation of the broad road is a foundation built on self. I will do it my way.
It works, until it doesn’t.
And there are many people on the broad road who have realised that this road is the foundation of destruction. That realisation has enabled them to see the small gate, and they have entered in.
It is a story many of us can relate to.
We have said we will put or faith in Jesus and put into practise the words of Jesus.
We can fairly easily see the foundation when we are on the foundation which is Jesus.
The foundation for the bad trees is a soil of deliberate deception fuelled by a ferocious heart. Not only is it the wrong foundation, the bad trees and bad fruit are determined to prevent people from finding the foundation of Jesus.
We can fairly easily see who is standing on the foundation of Jesus … and who is deceptively trying to get people off the foundation.
The first two are a little easier.
The hard one … the one that we really need to think about
… is when we are saying “Lord, Lord didn’t we …”
… and Jesus is saying “I don’t know you.”
We want to be sure we are not one of the many.
Are you in? Or are you out?
It will come down to the foundation of our identity.
Is my identity in what I do?
I’ve served here. I have done that. I know this more than you.
I am the one the people look to, and admire, and even imitate.
I’ve done the hard yards and deserve to be heard.
Is that where our identity is? On the works and actions.
I’ve done so much that Jesus Himself will be so impressed He will see Me and open the gates of heaven.
Is that my identity?
Or is my identity in Christ only.
Where we understand that we can only ever do what we do in God’s kingdom because of Jesus.
His grace.
His love.
His mercy and sacrifice.
His work of salvation through His death and resurrection.
Where, when we get to heaven, our words will not be “Lord Lord didn’t we …” But all we can say is “Thank you Jesus because I was lost and You … YOU … found me.
This identity where,
… because of His work
… His foundation
We pick up His Word, so it becomes our foundation
We read it.
And meditate on it.
And pray with it.
And we put them into practise.
We do this, even in the knowledge that, when we stumble and fall Jesus, who is our foundation, will hold us fast.
Are you in? Or are you out?
It all comes down the foundation we are standing on right now.
The foundation which determines our identity.
In Christ.
Not in Christ.
Are you in? Or are you out?
Prayer
