(adapted from Southeast Christian Church’s series Living a Life of Integrity)
SERIES: “WORDS OF WISDOM FOR KINGDOM LIVING”
TEXT: MATTHEW 7:13-27
TITLE: “MAKE WISE DECISIONS”
INTRODUCTION: A. Several years ago, there was a news story about a man named Don Wyman. He
was muscular and worked for a mining company. One day about 4:00 p.m. he was
alone in a forest cutting down a tree when the tree snapped back in his direction and
knocked him to the ground. The massive oak landed on hi left shin – shattering his
bone and ripping his flesh.
He tried to free himself, using his chainsaw to no avail. He did everything he could
think of, but still he couldn’t get free. He realized that unless he got help soon he was
going to bleed to death. He knew it would be hours before someone might figure
something had gone wrong and come looking for him. So he made a courageous
decision.
Pulling the starter cord from his chain saw he tied a tourniquet to his leg, shutting
off the blood flow to his shin. Then somehow, with his pocket-knife, he proceeded to
amputate his lower leg, just below the knee.
Now, on one leg, he had to find help. He crawled 135 feet uphill to his bulldozer,
climbed in, started it up and drove that extremely slow machine 1/4 mile to his pickup
truck. The truck was a stick shift and he had to use a metal rod to depress the clutch
when he shifted. He drove a mile and a half and came upon a dairy farm where
someone called an ambulance.
1. Don Wyman survived the ordeal.
--But only because he realized that being pinned like that under that oak tree, to
keep his leg might cost him his life.
2. So he had a decision to make.
--And he chose to live.
B. This morning, we’re wrapping up our 12-week study of the Sermon on the Mount with
a message entitled “Make Wise Decisions”
1. Jesus concludes His best-known discourse by encouraging people to make wise
decisions
2. He does so with a well-used method that reverberates through the whole Bible
--the invitation to choose to be wise or to choose to be foolish
a. The book of Proverbs is almost entirely devoted to the comparison between the
wise person and the foolish person
b. Moses – Dt. 30:19-20a – “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against
you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose
life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD
your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.”
c. Joshua – Josh. 24:14-15 – “’Now fear the LORD and serve him with all
faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River
and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable
to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the
gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the
LORD.’”
d. Jeremiah – “"Furthermore, tell the people, ’This is what the LORD says: See, I
am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.”
--God was saying, “You get to choose which way you will go.”
3. Everyday we’re faced with decisions
--Will we be wise or will we be foolish?
4. Jesus gives us three important questions to ask ourselves to ensure that we are
following the way of the wise and not the way of the fool
I. WHICH PATH ARE YOU TRAVELING ON?
--Mt. 7:13-14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only
a few find it.”
A. The foolish person says, “There are no boundaries.”
1. The world thinks total freedom with no restrictions is the goal.
2. Prov. 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to man but in the end it leads to death .”
B. The wise person says, “The Road is narrow.”
1. Prov. 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
2. There’s a reason Jesus says, “Narrow is the path.”
--He knows this route provides the most fulfillment.
C. Comparing the two ways:
1. The broad way
a. The broad way is kind of like an Interstate highway
1). It’s easy to get on
2). You can travel very fast
3). You can be enticed by the many billboards along the way
4). You can quickly exit the highway, partake in whatever pleasure without accountability, and get
right back on again.
5). Chris Gowen: “It is called the Broad Way, because it will allow anything, and anyone
to travel it. You can carry all kinds of baggage with you. You can carry any sin. You don’t have
to give up a thing. You can come just as you are, and not make any changes. There is no
repentance on the Broad Way! No Life Changes have to be made. Anything, and anyone is
allowed, no exceptions! That’s the way of the world. We have room for everyone, except for
one person. It was made plain in Bethlehem.
When Jesus was born, there was no room in the inn. This world has no room for Jesus. Yet, on
the broad way...everything else is allowed. The promoters of the Broad Way say: ‘You can
make a profession of faith in Christ and hang on to your sins. You don’t have to change
anything!!!’”
b. The narrow road is more like a winding rural road
1). It’s not easy to find and therefore not easy to get on
2). You have to be careful how you travel
3). It is very restrictive
4). The word translated “narrow” is from the Greek word for “tribulation” which usually means
persecution
5). You have to leave your baggage behind
D. Two most heinous sins in our society:
1. Making judgement
--We discussed that last week. Jesus didn’t forbid judging. He encouraged us to make sure we make
discernment with a righteous judgement.
2. Insisting there is only one way
--Intolerance
a. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, The New Tolerance: “ In … a society that regards all values,
beliefs, lifestyles, and truth claims as equally valid - there can be only one universal virtue:
tolerance. And, if tolerance is the cardinal virtue, the sole absolute, then there can be only one evil:
intolerance. And that is exactly the attitude we see among the proponents of the new tolerance.
Dr. Fredrick W. Hill, a school administrator, said: "It is the mission of public schools not to tolerate
intolerances." Leslie Armour, a philosophy professor at the University of Ottawa, proposed: "Our
idea is that to be a virtuous citizen is to be one who tolerates everything except intolerance."
But what does it mean to be "intolerant," according to such people? According to the United Nations
"Declaration of Principles on Tolerance," "Tolerance … involves rejection of dogmatism and
absolutism."”
b. Several years back, the Dear Abby column tackled the issue of family quarrels over religion and
family cult members. One reader responded to Abby about her advice:
1). “Your answer to the woman who complained that her relatives were always arguing with her
about religion was ridiculous. You advised her to simply declare the subject off-limits. Are
you suggesting that people talk only about trivial, meaningless subjects so as to avoid potential
controversy?. . . It seems arrogant to tell people there are subjects they may not mention in your
presence. You could have suggested she learn enough about her relatives’ cult to show them
the errors contained in its teachings.”
2). In response, Abby wrote: “In my view, the height of arrogance is to attempt to show people the
‘errors’ in the religion of their choice.”
E. The wise person realizes that the way to life is very narrow as taught in the Bible:
1. Jn 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
2. 1 Tim. 2:5 – “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..”
F. Pursuing the narrow path is an ongoing decision.
1. There is the one time we decide to follow Christ, but we must continue daily to make wise decisions in
order to stay on that road.
2. To head on the pathway to hell requires that you do absolutely nothing: simply follow the crowd.
II. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
--Mt. 7:15-22 – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs
from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, `Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me,
you evildoers!’”
A. The Foolish Person says, “There’s good in everything.”
1. Preachers and teachers can be used as false prophets.
a. Their falseness can rub off on you.
b. We aren’t to be judges but we are to inspect the fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and be discerning of
what is being taught.
--In Acts, it tells us that the people in the city of Berea were more noble than the citizens of
Thessalonica because the Bereans checked everything the apostle Paul taught against the
scriptures.
2. Counselors can send wrong messages, throw truth out the windows, and say, “God just wants you to
be happy.”
3. Educators who teach moral relativism rub off on their students.
4. Musicians can also be false prophets, but there are some whose priority is Christ.
5. Advertisers can send false messages, distorting the truth.
6. 1 Thess. 5:21-22 – “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
B. The wise person says, “There’s a difference between truth and falsehood.”
1. That simple acknowledgement is the only logical conclusion a wise person can come to and yet it flies
in the face of society’s view.
2. Jesus is condemning more than just false teaching; He is discouraging false behavior, impure motives,
and inconsistent actions.
C. Jesus points to “fruit” as the essential method for discerning what is false and what is true.
1. In Israel the buckthorn plant produced little, black berries that could, initially be mistaken for grapes.
There was also a thistle that produced a flower similar to the fig.
--So the idea of carefully examining the fruit of a plant was a familiar one to Jesus’ listeners.
2. So, how do we tell between a false teacher and a true one?
a. We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows.
--Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?
b. We should pay attention to the content of their teaching.
--Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?
c. We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching.
--Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?
3. The author Mel White in his book "Deceived", says the following concerning the cult leader Jim Jones
of the People’s Temple: “He knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need; he
counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement centre, he opened rest home
and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational centre; he provided free
legal aid; he founded a community centre; he preached about God. He even claimed to caste out
demons, do miracles and heal.”
--There were countless church leaders and politicians including the President of the United States who
praised Jim Jones for his work.
D. Along with false teachers, there are false disciples
1. Chuck Swindoll: “Counterfeit Christians, like counterfeit twenty-dollar bills, are not easily detected.
It takes a trained, discerning eye.”
--Sadly, the difference between genuine and counterfeit is always subtle, never obvious.
2. Let’s say I went to a local store with a twenty-dollar bill that was printed on yellow paper, had my
wife’s picture on it, and was shaped in a funny way. Would they take it? However, if a gave them a
crisp, perfectly shaped, green piece of paper with what looked like the right ink and right background,
and had a very distinguished picture of Andrew Jackson on it, I would have a much better chance at
deceiving the clerk.
3. In comparison to money, counterfeit believers are a lot harder to spot.
a. They can mouth the right words or even do the right things but that’s religion
b. Jesus calls us to a consistent path, walked daily and regularly, marked by a radical change
--That’s relationship
III. WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING ON?
--Mt. 7:24-27 – “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. 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. 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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell
with a great crash.”
A. The foolish person says, “I plan for the temporary.”
1. Christ continues throughout the Sermon on the Mount to get people to think long term.
2. As Paul put it, Gal. 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who
sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
B. The wise person says, “I plan for eternity.”
1. Who is the individual who plans for eternity?
-- There is a qualifier, Jesus says: “The one who puts these words of mine into practice.”
2. James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
C. Notice the similarities between the builders:
1. Both are builders
2. Both are building houses
3. Both have similar life situations – they both go through storms
--It’s the storm that proves the difference
a. We have to understand that we’re all building something.
b. And what we build will be tested.
--1 Cor. 3:11-14 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is
Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or
straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built
survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be
saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
D. The important thing is the differences between the two builders
1. Two different kinds of people
--they build on two different kinds of foundations
a. The first hears the Word and then builds upon it
b. The second hears the Word but chooses to ignore it
2. Two different outcomes
a. One house stands firm
b. The other is completely destroyed.
3. This parable is the inspiration for that great old gospel song:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
E. Two different underlying principles
1. If you’re only hearing and reading the truth, you’re not prepared for life’s storms
2. If your foundation is sure, no storm will cause your life to collapse.
3. Jesus didn’t preach this message so it would sound nice or so that we could sit around and discuss it.
He preached it so that we could act on it.
--He emphasized obedience
CONCLUSION: A. Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China
although he could not play a note. Whenever the orchestra practiced or performed, he
would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He
received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living.
Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flautist got
nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument. He pretended to be sick, but
the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took
poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its
way into the English language: “He refused to face the music.”
1. Today you can pretend to be a part of God’s orchestra by just blending in with the
crowd and going through the motions. No one notices because you say the right things,
go to the right places, and hang out with the right people. And you can enjoy the
comfort of being accepted by the crowd of your choice.
2. But there will come a day when you must face the music, one day you will be
separated from everything.
--On that day you will stand alone before God
B. Every day you are building a foundation, based on which path you travel and to whom
you listen.
1. For twelve weeks you have been reminded of things you know like the Golden Rule,
seeking first the Lord, and going the extra mile.
2. The question is: Will you do it?
C. It’s time for you to make your choice:
1. Have I chosen the right gate?
2. Am I traveling the right road?
3. Does my tree bear the right fruit?
4. Am I following those who teach the truth?
5. Is my faith being demonstrated in what I do?
6. Do I truly know God through Jesus Christ?
D. There is an interesting thing about the path you choose.
1. If you choose the broad path, it becomes narrow the longer you stay on it.
--Just ask the alcoholic, or the unfaithful spouse, or the dishonest businessman. The
longer they remain in their sin, the more narrow and confined their lives become. 2.
2. However, if you choose the narrow path, it tends to get wider as you submit yourself
to the Lordship of Jesus.
3. With Christ there is a freedom that can only come from God.
--And that freedom releases you to live life abundantly
