Matthew 7:15, 20-23 15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 20…by their fruit you will recognize them. 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. 22Many 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?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
Last week we looked at a very disturbing verse regarding the number of people who find the path leading to heaven…Jesus says “only a few find it” …don’t know about you all but that verse is a little troubling.
This morning we’re looking at another verse…just as troubling…where Jesus is telling people that He never knew them and to get away from Him…not something you want to hear at Christmas time.
These are not verses that are frequently preached…they’re harsh…cruel…unpleasant but clearly these are the words of Jesus…so what gives?
Last week we began looking at what has been identified as ‘the two ways’ … where Jesus begins to make a series of contrasts between those who are believers and those who are not:
1. two gates…small and wide (7:13-14)
2. two paths…narrow and broad (7:13-14)
3. two groups…the few and the many (7:13-14)
3. two destinations…a life with God…a life without God (7:13-14)
4. two types of trees…the good and the bad (7:17-20)
5. two types of fruit…the good and the bad (7:17-20)
6. two types of builders…the wise and the foolish (7:24-27)
7. two types of people who profess Jesus…the sincere and the false
8. two types of expressions that define the saved and the lost.
The ‘two ways’ is a concept used numerous times in Scripture.
…Moses said to the people, I have set before you this day life and death, good and evil.
…Joshua, who succeeded Moses, said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served. But as for me…we will serve the Lord.”
…Jeremiah was told by God to tell the people: Behold, I have set before you the way of life and the way of death.
…Elijah called for a decision when he said, “How long will you choose between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him. If Baal, then follow him.”
Last week we looked at the two gates leading to two different ways…one gate is small with a narrow path…the other gate is wide with a broad path…here’s what’s interesting about these gates…the word ‘enter’ in the Greek is in the aorist imperative tense.
Here’s what that means…it’s demanding that a definite and specific decision be made…being a command it’s saying you can’t remain neutral…you can’t just admire or ponder the gate…you can’t just stand around outside and consider which gate to go through… you can’t straddle both at the same time…you have to enter one or the other…there has to be an action taken…every person will enter one gate or the other… it’s a certainty…here’s why.
There’s a default action that occurs here…people can’t just go through life living a ‘good’ life…not really doing anything seriously wrong…living by the Ten Commandments…taking care of my family…paying taxes…not committing any of the seven deadly sins…all the while believing they’ll go to heaven…is WRONG.
The premise that God understands our weaknesses…so in reality…He’s for us and therefore He never looks at the sins we’ve committed because He desperately loves and wants us in Heaven for eternity…that idea is WRONG.
If you don’t make the determined decision to go through the narrow gate…you automatically default to the wide gate…and the consequences that go along with it.
Having established there are only two paths available…the way to salvation through the narrow gate that leads to God’s kingdom…OR…the wide gate that leads to destruction…Jesus now distinguishes between the two types of people that will enter the respective gates.
Starting in [v. 15] Jesus begins to define the obstructions that cause people to be confused about which gate to enter…here’s where the confusion comes in:
The TWO ways Satan uses to distract people from walking through the narrow gate.
The FIRST distraction is false prophets…Jesus says to watch out for false prophets [7:15] …in a culture that is eager for easy religion…that requires no effort and offers no consequences…false prophets are becoming more prominent in today’s age of tolerance and rebellion against God.
Statistics indicate this generation more than any other wants to live however they’d like…without any boundaries or authority…and there are plenty of teachers and preachers who are eager to give people what they want to hear…they’re good at what they do…that’s why they make the money they do.
I think unless you’re really into searching out what these false teachers are saying you probably won’t recognize the error in their message.
The most brazen ones are pretty easy to detect…most Christians can easily recognize they’re liars and see through their schemes…some of the outlandish doctrines they propose are blatantly obvious:
False prophets preach the gospel of prosperity.
False prophets refuse to call out sin…that’s just to offensive.
False prophets don’t believe in hell or the need for repentance.
False prophets don’t believe Jesus is the only way.
False prophets don’t believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.
False prophets endorse the earn-your-way-to-heaven efforts
They masquerade their preaching behind an evangelical vocabulary of talking about divine things while living a life style that is enticed by fleshly desires.
AGAIN…this goes back to [7:1] regarding judging…a verse we talked about in detail…”Judge not, that you be not judged…a verse that is two dimensional.
First…it’s a warning to be careful in how you judge people…calling on us to first remove the plank in our own eye [5] then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye…But…also emphasizing that:
…It’s time for Christians to start being vocal and judgmental against those who would abrogate Christian values.
…It’s time for Christians to start being judgmental against those who refuse to take a biblical position on issues that are in direct defilement of God’s commandments.
…It’s time for Christians to start being vocal and judgmental against those who preach another gospel for personal gain.
Jesus gives us ways to identify these pontificators… “By their fruit you will recognize them” they are oriented toward money…prestige… recognition… popularity…being selfish…being proud…arrogant…and egotistical…revealing they do not belong to Jesus…Jesus says to watch out for them.
The SECOND distraction is false people…we all know people who are members of denominations other than Southern Baptist…I’m not going to hammer other denominations…or nitpick their doctrinal beliefs…but for those groups that are outside of what is labeled as “Christendom” they are leading people down the path to destruction…they are intense in their belief…but are false in their theology.
These groups need to be identified for what they are…cults.
People in cults are sincere in their beliefs…I’m not belittling their character…we all know people who are members in these cults…they’re passionate about their beliefs and because we know them to be trustworthy…honest…and caring… and basically for the most part they’re living a life that reflects Christian morals… we tend to be understanding of their ideas….not realizing they’re on an open wide path that leads to destruction.
I want to share with you the three largest cults in America today that are leading others down the broad path that leads to destruction…what these three cults have in common…despite their uncommon association with each other…is what makes Mormonism…Jehovah Whiteness…and Islam a cult:
…Each one believes the Bible has been corrupted…God’s Word has been changed
JW – claim 50,000 + errors
MOR. – D&C 73:4 – new translation of the bible 7/2/1833
ISLAM – The Qur’an…God’s final revealed authority
…Each one has their own translation of God’s Word
JW – New World Translation is the only accurate unbiased source available today
MOR. – Book of Mormon – most correct of any book on earth. The JS translation is a KJV he corrected as necessary.
ISLAM – The Qur’an is the greatest wonder among the wonders of the world…Hadith
…Each one has an infallible interpreter
JW – God appointed Russell to provide spiritual truth
MOR – J. Smith – Ranked only 2nd to Jesus in importance
ISLAM – Muhammad was the Seal of the prophets…the greatest of all the prophets.
…Each one fails to recognize the true Jesus or the Trinity
— Jesus is not the Son of God
JW – Jesus is an angel…1st one God created…identified as Michael the archangel called the Son of God
MOR. – Jesus is God’s other Son along with Satan…who attained the status of god in the pre-existence.
ISLAM – There is only one God…no Son…no Spirit
JW – He is an impersonal force…He is not God
Mor. – He is a ‘spirit person’ who can be in only one place at a time
ISLAM – There is only one God…no Son…no Spirit
…Each one has Salvation by works
JW – Salvation is earned – a combination of faith plus works.
MOR. – A person’s eternal destination depends on individual efforts here on earth.
ISLAM –
Sura 23:102 – Only those whose scales are heavier in the balance will find happiness
Sura 23:103 – those whose scales are lighter will perish and abide in Hell for ever
Sura 50:17 – two angels who keep the account, one sitting on the right, one on the left, take it down.
There is nothing in their theology that remotely agrees with what is written in the Bible.
Unfortunately, there are people in these cults who genuinely believe they are on the narrow path…they have been duped into believing they are on the path to the Kingdom… BUT the reality is…they are on the wide path to destruction.
Even more tragic than that are the so-called Christians who sincerely believe they are on the narrow path…BUT look what Jesus says about them:
“Not everyone who says to me Lord…will enter the kingdom of heaven…”
If that statement doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will…it’s a simple but saddening fact: not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” will enter the kingdom.
Jesus is reiterating what He said in [v. 14] “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Jesus is referring to people who outwardly call Him Lord…who go to Church… who live a “Christian” lifestyle…who have even done supernatural things…but will ultimately be denied entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
22Many will say to me on that day did we not prophesy in
your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in
your name perform many miracles?’
…despite that…they will not be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven.
How many who proclaim “Lord, didn’t I go to church?” … “Didn’t I teach Sunday school?” … “Didn’t I help with AWANA?” … “Didn’t I give to the church?” will be turned away…no amount of religious activity will gain people admittance into the kingdom of heaven.
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me…”
What a tragic thing to hear.
IMPORTANT…Jesus is not saying these people have lost their salvation…they were never saved in the first place…that’s the reason these verses aren’t preached in many Churches today…they disrupt people’s life style…they’re too demanding.
People who are unsaved don’t want to hear about being obedient…these churches are in the business of only accommodating people…their whole intent is to NOT challenge people’s lifestyle…or to have them think seriously about if they have a true relationship with Jesus by accepting Him as their Savor…for them… church is just going through the motions of being religious.
Jesus is advising us that there are those who would derail God’s purpose for our lives… He is telling us in no uncertain terms that entering the kingdom of heaven is more than mimicking a religious lifestyle of doing stuff.
I said at the beginning of this message that this portion of Jesus’ Sermon has been identified as ‘the two ways’ …the last of the ‘two ways’ statements is the two types of expressions that define the saved and the lost.
The statement that defines the lost is: [7:23] then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.”
The statement that defines the saved is: [25:21] “well done good and faithful servant.”
Every person who has ever lived will one day hear one of those two statements.
The kingdom of heaven is not for those who merely address Jesus as Lord with their words…you can call Jesus Savior…but that doesn’t mean you’re saved…or try to justify why you should be allowed in the Kingdom because of the accomplishments you’ve done in His name.
Matthew 7:14 and 23 teaches that there are only a few people that make it to Heaven…the reason is not because salvation is hard…because it’s not…Salvation is easy…the Bible speaks of the “simplicity that is in Christ.” [2nd Cor. 11:3]
SO…then why do only a few people make it to Heaven…why will some be denied entry into Heaven…why will some be told “I never knew you get away from me”
It’s because they have been deceived by false religion…false prophets…false teachers…and secular philosophy.
As a result…few people will enjoy the eternal peace…joy…and blessings of Heaven because they are on the broad highway to destruction…having rejected Jesus as their Savior.
In the previous two chapters Jesus has laid out the qualities of those who are on the narrow path…it’s not a matter of forcing yourself every day to keep a journal of what you’ve done…it’s NOT living a life where you feel you have to do this or have to do that…it’s living a life indwelt by the Holy Spirit who helps you… not forces you…to stay on the narrow path.
Jesus is giving us advice and a warning about the importance of our spiritual preparation.
The way to Heaven is narrow…if you want to go to Heaven…you must place your trust in the Son of God…then you can rest peacefully with the thought that your eternal future is in good standing with God.