Narrow Gate Series

Part Two

We continue with Christ’s eternal wisdom found in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’s last part of this homily shows the goal of false prophets, His rejection of them, and the outstanding result from abiding in Him.

False Prophets

Christ exposes false prophets.

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 recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, 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 recognize them.

Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus spoke on this to separate His doctrine from those who are false. It’s here Christ warns the Disciples and congregation that false prophets’ outward persona deceives people from their inward evilness. He uses fruit as an example to distinguish between God’s truths and Lucifer’s lies.

Jesus tells us the false prophets aren’t honest and they aim their intentions at destroying Christ’s truths. He called them ferocious wolves. Their hearts filled with Satan’s lies spreading blasphemy against God.

Even today we see people proclaiming to be prophets, but God hasn’t given new prophecies since Apostle John wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Everything God wanted to show us of His sovereignty is in the Holy Bible.

Christ pointed out authentic Biblical teachers bring truths anchored in Jesus’s words and centered in God’s undeniable truth. This spiritual fruit (daily bread) avoids the fire of hell because the Holy Spirit works through a believer’s heart, showing the inward holiness God gives to His predestined believers.

God’s Judgement on False Prophocies

After Christ warned them on false prophets, He showed the end results of their eternal destiny. 

Jesus spoke these words:

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!’

Matthew 7:21-23

Christ clarified people who do God’s spiritual deeds enter heaven. It’s in these verses Jesus shows those people proclaiming His name who fail glorifying God are evildoers and denied the Lord’s kingdom. Why does Christ speak harsh words to false prophets? Because they refuse to accept Jesus as God’s Son, so the Lord prevents them from receiving His gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8). These are the leaders who walk others through the wide gate.

How does Christ show false prophets? The answer is God knows the spiritual condition of every person (Luke 16:15). Yes, our Father is omnipotent. Indeed, He created us and knows our minds, bodies, and souls.

Salvation’s Undestroyable Foundation

Jesus finishes His Sermon on the Mount with this:

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.

Matthew 7:24-25

In these two scriptures, Jesus tells those in attendance by hearing this homily and practicing its messages leads to an unshakable foundation in God’s incredible truths. He’s letting us know no matter how tough the narrow gate becomes by living His words, we discover a strength beyond our own.

I think you’ll agree with me when I say abiding in Christ makes life worth living (Matthew 13:23). It’s in Jesus we uncover a holy purpose driven by the Holy Spirit and this draws us closer to God. This spiritual Trinity gives testimony to God’s sovereign grace. Our hearts and souls strive to do good for God’s kingdom. By serving God, we find indescribable love, joy, and peace.

Next, Christ gives fate to nonbelievers.

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.”  

Jesus’ bold speech on disregarding His teaching points to a life headed for hell. Indeed, the people who witness this sermon weren’t gentiles. No, they were God’s chosen ones and understood His nature, but didn’t accept Christ as the Messiah.

Jesus’s primary emphasis is, we can’t weather life’s storms without Him. He explains not following Him is an unwise decision with disastrous results (wide gate). Christ warned them of the consequences of turning away from God’s eternal Light (Matthew 13 18-22).

Once Christ ended His sermon, Matthew recorded the crowd’s reaction.

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Matthew 7:28-29

We can agree on this. Christ’s indisputable words catch our attention. As Disciple Matthew mentioned, everyone present responded in astonishment with His wisdom. They saw no one with this holy authority Jesus displayed. Yet, many of them couldn’t grasp the meaning behind His homily and turned against Him (Matthew 27:22-23).

In my experience, being in Christ and witnessing the way He works through me brings profound results. The Holy Spirit enriches me with unbelievable love, peace, and happiness. This motivates me to continue seeking God.

Given these points, we’re able to find the difference between the narrow and wide gates and identify false prophets. Besides those realities, Christ shows us by applying His words in our daily lives, we find an indestructible bond with God.

Wow! We reached the end of the narrow gate series. Thank you for investing the time necessary to engage in these crucial biblical truths. Next week I give my final thoughts on the series. Until then, peace be with you.