Choosing Righteousness (Matthew 7:13-14)
Choosing Righteousness
Matthew 7:13-14
We’ve been studying through this Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus has dealt with the heart.
It has been a sermon chalked full of conviction and even condemnation.
It has systematically proven to me that I am not righteous.
And therefore this sermon has forced me into a plea for mercy.
But then last week we found some good news.
Jesus revealed that if I desire to be righteous,
All I have to do is ask for it.
And based upon the goodness of God, I will receive it.
And that is great news.
The only thing now that seems strange is that the sermon continues.
If that was the invitation, why does Jesus continue?
If He just told me to ask for righteousness, isn’t that where the service
ends?
I mean, that is how we do it.
We preach hard, we then give an invitation,
But if someone responds, we don’t preach anymore to them.
We shake their hand, tell them we are glad they joined,
And then do our best to beat them to Dairy Queen.
WHY IS JESUS STILL PREACHING?
Well, if you’ve ever read the gospels
You know that Jesus never ended with the invitation.
After giving the invitation
Jesus always proceeded to warn those who responded
About the hardships that were coming,
And what would be expected of them as followers.
Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The point is that Jesus was not just interested in rather or not
You wanted to go to heaven. (That should be obvious.)
Jesus was interested in whether or not you would leave this world
And leave your sin to do so.
Jesus said if you want to be righteous, all you have to do is ask.
Now He wants to know if you are willing to suffer the consequences
Of living a righteous lifestyle.
Scripture doesn’t record many righteous people that lived all that easy.
Scripture actually promises difficulty to all who want to be righteous.
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Matthew 10:24-25 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”
What Scripture teaches is that if you display God’s righteousness
In the midst of this corrupt world you can expect persecution.
You see choosing to live righteously is a conscious choice
To quit pleasing the world and start pleasing God.
And you and I have to choose which that will be.
Jesus wasn’t just interested if you would choose to go to heaven.
Jesus wanted to know if you would choose Him over the world.
AND BELIEVE ME EVERYONE MUST MAKE THAT CHOICE
Throughout Scripture God always required you to choose.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Joshua 24:13-15 “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, ” How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”
And Jesus is no different, He also requires a choice.
And thus far the point is, that you cannot have it both ways.
When Jesus holds out His hand to you,
It is not an invitation to keep your old life and still go to heaven.
The invitation of Jesus is to leave everything behind to follow Him.
And you must choose which you will keep.
And to help you with that choice Jesus describes your options.
When we come to this point of the sermon we are at a crossroads,
And we must choose to take the gate on the left or the gate on the right.
You can’t walk through both, and you can’t stay where you are.
So this morning Jesus outlines for us what options you have.
#1 THE WAY OF THE WORLD
Matthew 7:13
The last time I preached this text I called it “Loop 666”
Because that is what this way of the world reminds me of.
If you take off to Lubbock this next week with SAMS as your destination, most of you will hit loop 289 and run around to SAMS.
WHY?
Because if you stay on 82 there is construction, there are stop lights,
The road is narrow, and the journey is more tedious.
But if you get on the loop, the road is wide, you can set your cruise,
There are not lights, it is a much easier travel.
Well that is what this road reminds me of.
It reminds me of the loop.
It is for all who seek to avoid the perceived hardships of Christianity.
“I want to go to heaven. I just don’t want to be too inconvenienced on my journey, so instead of enduring all that hard stuff, I’ll just get on the loop.”
AND DOESN’T THAT SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA?
But let’s look at what the loop really offers.
1) THE ENTRANCE
“for the gate is wide”
We see right off the bat why so many people choose this gate.
It’s real easy to enter through it.
Not only can you enter, but all your stuff can enter with you.
You can take your friends
You can take your family
You can take your stuff
You can take your sin
There is no initial cost.
And it is a popular notion today.
One of the most popular invitation choruses in the church today is called “Come Just As You Are” (I won’t let Leo sing it)
“Come just as you are, hear the Spirit call.
Come and see, come receive, come and live forever.
Life everlasting, and strength for today, taste the living water that never flows away.”
I can’t imagine anyone rejecting such an invitation.
It is a song catering to the wide gate concept.
You can come to Jesus, and you don’t have to change a thing.
This is FIRE INSURANCE. Jesus as Savior, but not Lord.
They don’t really want to change their lifestyle,
Or give up their sin, or make any sacrifices,
they just want to go to heaven.
This is the road of PROFESSION, not the road of CONFESSION.
What does it mean to profess?
It means to make a claim about something.
There are many who make the claim that Jesus is Lord.
What does it mean to confess?
Confession only takes place when you reveal something that you’ve done.
To confess that He is your Lord, not that He is the Lord.
One who professes calls Jesus Lord.
One who confesses obeys Jesus as Lord.
AND THE WIDE GATE IS PERFECT FOR ONE WHO ONLY PROFESSES,
BECAUSE IT REQUIRES NOTHING OF SACRIFICIAL OBEDIENCE.
The Wide Gate has an EASY ENTRANCE
2) THE TRAVEL
“and the way is broad”
You see, this road isn’t a narrow highway, this baby is a four laner.
It is easy travel.
It doesn’t promise any difficulties, it doesn’t promise any setbacks.
All it requires of you is to put your car on cruise control,
And next stop heaven.
The loop doesn’t travel through any persecution points
There are not places where you can’t see the road clearly.
People love this road, because it is very easy.
Let me ask you a question.
If I told you, all you have to do is make a public profession of faith,
And then just don’t do anything too awful bad for the rest of your life,
And you’ll go to heaven, would you accept it?
I hope not, because it’s a lie.
The sad thing is, many people do accept it.
John MacArthur talks about this way, “The way that is broad is the easy, attractive, inclusive, indulgent, permissive, and self-oriented way of the world. There are few rules, few restrictions, and few requirements. All you need to do is profess Jesus, or at least be religious, and you are readily accepted in that large and diverse group. Sin is tolerated, truth is moderated, and humility is ignored. God’s Word is praised but not studied, and His standards are admired but not followed. This way requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and no sacrifice. It is the easy way of floating downstream, in the “course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). It is the tragic way “which seems right to a man,” but whose “end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12).” (MacArthur, John; MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series: Matthew 1-7, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1985; 454-455)
That accurately sums up the wide road.
It is for those who want no sacrifice and no hardship.
It’s Entrance is Easy, It’s Travel is effortless.
3) THE DESTINATION
“that leads to destruction”
I’ll admit, the wide gate sure looks like the one to take.
So why not take it?
Because it doesn’t go where it says.
HERE IS THE PART YOU NEED TO KNOW
Hanging outside the wide gate is a sign.
It does not say “The road to Destruction” (who would travel it?)
It says, “The Road to Heaven”
That sign was hung by the false prophets we will study next week,
Those wolves in sheep’s clothing.
It is those of whom Peter said:
2 Peter 2:2-3 “Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
They come telling people what they want to hear in order to make a profit.
And through their perversion they malign the way of the truth.
Put another way, they hand a deceptive sign over their door.
They promise freedom while they are enslaved.
They promise salvation while they are lost.
And they claim that their road leads to heaven, when it actually leads to hell.
THE FACT IS THIS ROAD LEADS TO HELL.
It may be easy to enter. It may be easy to travel.
BUT IT DOES NOT GO WHERE IT SAYS
Someone may come and tell you that all you have to do
Is ask Jesus into your heart and then go about your business
And you will go to heaven.
BUT IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU THAT, THEY LIED TO YOU.
We’re good at saying Jesus is the only way.
John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by Me.”
But let me tell you, it has to be His way,
Not just the generic way that you put His name on.
Paul was afraid the Corinthians were being deceived in this way.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”
Don’t buy in to a generic plan that someone put Jesus name on,
And said it will work because Jesus is the way.
Let Jesus speak for Himself, and follow the way He ordained.
Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
His way is total submission to Him. His way is following Him.
Any other way is not the way to heaven,
No matter what the sign on the gate says.
The Entrance is Easy, The Travel is Effortless, The Destination is Hell
4) THE POPULARITY
“and there are many who enter through it.”
This is the sad part about the wide gate.
There are a lot of people who take that route.
Because it looks so easy.
People love the world and so they choose it
And the sad reality is that this road is flooded with people
Who think they are going to heaven, but they really aren’t.
Chad Stubblefield once made a great statement.
“The Church is alive and well. It’s just not as big as we think.”
That’s because according to this Scripture,
Most of the people that are attending our church services
Are on the wide road that leads to destruction.
That is why when it gets difficult, most will fall away.
Matthew 24:9-13 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
AND YET MOST PEOPLE TRAVEL THIS ROAD
Luke 13:22-28 “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.”
Most people seek to maintain this life and as a result they forfeit eternity.
Luke 16:16-17 “Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
The point is that there are all sorts of people
Trying to force their way into heaven
By changing the standard or rewriting the rules, but they won’t succeed.
That road is popular, but it still leads to hell.
BUT THERE IS ONE OPTION FOR YOU.
You can take the road of ease and comfort, and you will even be popular when you travel it. But it will only take you to hell.
The first thing we saw is the way of the world.
#2 THE WAY OF GOD
Matthew 7:14
We will have to give some characteristics of it as well.
1) THE ENTRANCE
“for the gate is small”
The small gate is different from the wide gate.
You can’t go easily through it.
You have to go through it naked.
Your sin won’t fit, the world won’t fit,
You can’t walk through with anyone else.
You have to go it alone, with nothing.
Isn’t this what Jesus taught?
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
It is a small gate, and before you can enter,
You are gonna have to repent of the sin you are carrying,
And lay it all down, and go through without it.
It is a difficult entrance
2) THE TRAVEL
“and the way is narrow”
Jesus never promised the road of a Christian would be easy,
In fact He promised just the opposite.
He only promised He would walk with you.
Unlike the loop, this road goes downtown.
Where the road is narrow.
Where the danger is.
Where the visibility is not so good.
This road will require you to walk by faith, not by sight.
It takes a lot of dedication and endurance to travel this road
But you see, that is the way Jesus expects it to be.
Because the one who will travel that road,
And stay with it until the end, that is one of His.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
John 16:2 “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”
This is not some easy road to travel, it is a marathon.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
When Jesus says “Follow Me”, He isn’t talking about Heaven.
Jesus is asking you to follow Him to the cross.
That’s what is interesting about the sign on this gate.
Wide gate = THE ROAD TO HEAVEN
Narrow gate = THE ROAD TO THE CROSS
Matthew 10:38-39 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
Jesus didn’t take the easy road. If you want to follow, you can’t either.
3) THE DESTINATION
“that leads to life”
It isn’t an easy path to travel, but it is worth it,
You see unlike the wide road, all your comfort is here.
On this path your comfort is for all eternity.
And if you are willing to forsake this life to follow Jesus,
Then this life may be harsh, but the next one will not be.
Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
AND THAT PLACE IS EXCLUSIVE TO THE NARROW ROAD TRAVELERS.
PEOPLE ON THE WIDE ROAD WILL NEVER BE THERE.
You don’t choose this path because it is easy here,
You choose it because it is better there.
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
4) THE POPULARITY
“and there are few who find it.”
NOT MANY FIND IT. – They want the easy way.
Does it not alarm you that most of the people who think they are going to heaven aren’t?
Does it not alarm you that only a few who claim to have eternal life actually have it?
There are many who claim to have eternal life
While still living for themselves in this world.
Yet there are only a few who have truly sold out for Jesus.
They have asked for righteousness and are willing to live in it.
They will accept the consequences and follow Jesus.
They may be headed to heaven, but first they are headed to the cross.
THAT IS WHAT THEY CHOSE.
JESUS PREACHED THIS SERMON TO MAKE YOU CHOOSE.
You can have righteousness if you ask for it.
But before you ask for it, you had better know what you are asking for.
It is not a life of ease, but it is eternity with God.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW WHICH TO CHOOSE.
“What would a man give in exchange for his own soul?”
Don’t be deceived by some sort of social Christianity,
But today choose to follow Jesus no matter the cost.
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,”
