When my wife
asked me to write a Bible study for CBSB, I wasn’t sure initially what I wanted
to write about. As the days went on
however, God brought some things to the forefront of my mind, and it began to
weigh on my heart that this was the topic I needed to share. Today I want to talk to you about the wide
and narrow path in Matthew 7:13-23.
These scriptures teach us that the whole of mankind are on two different
paths, one path leading to eternal damnation, and one to eternal life. I’d like to talk about what the Bible has to
say about these two paths and how to know which path you’re on.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it." The Bible teaches
us that all of mankind is heading down two very different paths. The
Bible tells us that wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many on this road of destruction, but very few are
on the narrow path that leads to life. Do you know which path you are
on?
Of the two paths,
one leading to destruction, one leading to eternal life, verse 15 tells us that
we need to "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." We are told to beware of those putting on the badge that
says “Christian” but there has been no change within, they are still “ravening
wolves.” I think that this verse
describes those that think that if they just call
themselves Christian, that they somehow are Christian and that they're somehow
on the narrow path leading to eternal life.
Some folks put on the badge for good reasons and some not so good. Don’t be fooled just because some man in a
suite comes on the TV and preaches a beautiful message. He may even ask you to touch the TV screen
for a special blessing or for healing power.
Don’t be fooled! There are a
multitude of good-hearted Christians sending their hard earned income to a
bunch of ravening wolves. Now I’m not
saying that every TV evangelist is a ravening wolf, but I’ll tell you right now
that many are! Many of those so called modern day prophets or apostles are just trying to figure out how to get money
out of your pockets and into theirs.
On the other hand
not everyone out there that has put on the name of Christianity as a badge is
out to rob you blind. Some have good
intentions. But, even though they put
these badges on for good reasons, they have never come to the saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ. I’ve met many people that have put on the badge
“Christian” but have never trusted Christ as their personal Saviour. I remember a few years ago asking a deacon in
our local church, when it was that he had accepted Christ as his Saviour. The answer he gave was this: “Well I was baptized in this here church in
Texas as a child, then later I got baptized in this church down south and then
I got baptized in a church across town, but then I got baptized in this church
just for good measure.” I’m sorry folks
but getting into the water won’t put you on the path that leads to life, it
just gets you wet! Let’s look at
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace
are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast." Grace is unmerited favor. It’s something that you just can’t earn. God gives it to you freely. Romans 6:23 also tells us that it’s the “gift
of God.”
Matthew 7:16 "Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles?" This verse tells
us that we'll know them by their fruits. Know who? Christians and non-Christians, the sheep and
the wolves, those on the narrow path and those on the path to destruction. How do
you tell the difference between a person who's just wearing the Christian badge
and an actual Christian? If verse 16 is accurate we can identify the real
Christians against the wolves by their fruits. Now you’re probably asking
what will this fruit look like? Look at Proverbs
11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he
that winneth souls is wise." The fruit is a “tree of
life.” I remember being shown a family
tree once. A family tree charts a family
beginning with descendants of many generations past, and as the generations
pass by, the tree gets larger. We’ve
probably all seen a family tree. Think
of the tree of life as a family tree. A
Christian comes along and leads someone to Christ, and then trains the new born
Christian to do the same (Matthew 28:19-20), the new Christian then leads
another to Christ and so on. What you
now have is a “tree of life.” Look at the rest of Proverbs 11:30 “…and he that
winneth souls is wise.” There’s no
missing it, winning souls and beginning your own tree of life is the fruit of
the righteous. This is the real way to
tell the difference between the sheep and wolves. This is the way you will tell if a person is
a real Christian or just wearing the badge.
“Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
The wolves are NOT bearing good fruit.
The wolves are not leading people to Christ. The wolves do produce followers but are
leading them right down the path of destruction.
Matthew 7:17-18“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Don’t ever
expect a wolf to be leading anyone to Christ, it just isn’t possible. Now listen, a good tree can’t help but bring forth
good fruit. A true believer can’t help
but tell others about Christ. A true
believer just can’t help but tell the good news of what has happened to him or
her. Remember that nobody goes to pick
apples from a thistle bush.
Matthew 7:19 "Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire."
Look closely at
the wording of this verse. It doesn’t
say that a tree that produces little or no fruit will be cast into the fire,
but a tree that doesn’t produce “good” fruit.
Remember a good tree can’t help but produce good fruit just as an evil
tree will produce evil fruit. A true
believer will produce good fruit. Now a
true believer may produce little fruit at times, but he will still produce good
fruit rather than evil fruit.
Matthew 7:20 "Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them." I’m always hearing
people say that God looks on what’s on the inside of a person and that’s true that He does. But we as humans can’t see what’s on the
inside of a person. All we have to go by
is what we see on the outside. The
outward appearance of a Christian is a direct manifestation of what has
happened on the inside. Let me give you
an example of how you can know a Christian by their fruits. I know a man that has called himself a “pastor”
for many years. The man has never been
to Bible college or seminary, he has never pastored a church, never been
ordained by the local new testament church, but still calls himself a
pastor. He believes that you should
never speak about hell because you “can’t scare folks into getting saved.” Someone one once asked him to describe heaven
and he admitted he knew absolutely nothing about the subject of heaven (he even
brags about this). In all the years I’ve
known this man he has never lead a single person to Christ, I’ve never know him
to ever attempt it. He has though taught
several that it’s ok to tattoo your body, drink and live like the world. “Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Based on his fruits, I don’t believe the man has actually come to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We on earth are going to know Christians by their fruits,
and non-christians by their fruits.
Matthew 7:21 "Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." The wide path is full of mankind wearing a label
or a badge saying Christian. They're walking down the wide path that
leads to destruction saying 'Lord Lord' and saying 'I'm a Christian' but they
have never come to that saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:22 "Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works?" That “day” refers to the day of judgment. See Revelation20:11-15 (see scripture above). And on
that day of judgment many will ask, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your
name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many
wonderful works?' Think about all the modern day prophets out there.
They’re out there prophesying, speaking in tongues, preaching, healing the
sick, and yet Christ is going to look at them and tell them "I never knew
you." “But we did such wonderful
works in your name,” they’ll say. Don’t
forget what Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches us “…Not
of works, lest any man should boast.”
I wonder how many well intentioned individuals are walking that wide
path to destruction trusting that their works are getting them into heaven. What are you putting your faith into
today?
Matthew 7:23 "And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Notice that term in
verse 23 "I never knew you": It isn't that "I knew you once and
forgot you", He isn’t saying “hey you once had salvation and lost
it.” No Christ is saying that He never
knew them. They never came to that
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and yet the Bible tells us they did wonderful
works, they healed the sick, prophesied, and yet Christ has never known them.
As you read these
verses, you realize that these people were shocked to find out that they were
in that broad way of destruction. They stood before Christ thinking that
they had for all this time been in that narrow way that leads to life doing all
these wonderful works for God. They were
surprised by Christ's Words, when He says "I
never knew you." Notice that He says "depart from me, ye that work iniquity." That
word iniquity means sin. How in the world could prophesying in the name
of Christ, casting out devils in the name of Christ, and all these wonderful
works, be considered sin or iniquity? Attempting to work for your
salvation is iniquity. By rejecting
God’s free gift of salvation and attempting to do it all on your good works is
sin. The wide road of destruction is
filled with those attempting to work their way to Heaven. God looks at
those works as works of iniquity.
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