Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

What It’s Like When God Is in Charge (Part 7)

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

Yesterday, we looked at one of the most misunderstood teachings of Jesus to learn some important lessons about how we can truly love others well. Today, we’re going to dive into the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus presents four word-pictures that all point toward the same challenging and powerful truth. We’ll unpack the first two today. Let’s start with number one.

Picture 1: The Narrow and Wide Gates

“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.” Matthew 7:13–14 NIV

Everyone is going to wind up somewhere, but few people wind up somewhere on purpose. Most people drift through life and arrive somewhere accidentally. We go with the flow. We follow the crowd. We do what’s comfortable and convenient. And at the end of the road, we find a wide gate that leads to destruction.

Thankfully, there’s another road we can walk. Another gate we can enter. This road is narrow and this gate is small, so only a few people end up finding it. These people don’t go with the flow; they walk with the Spirit. They don’t follow the crowd; they follow Jesus. They don’t just do what’s comfortable and convenient, they do what’s right—and they do it on purpose. The result? They find life.

Where are you heading? Are you drifting through life aimlessly? Or are you following Jesus intentionally? The Jesus way of life isn’t something we can do halfway. It requires full devotion and total commitment.

Entering the narrow gate doesn’t happen accidentally. It has to be chosen intentionally.

Picture 2: True and False Prophets

“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.” Matthew 7:15–20 NIV

How do you know whether someone is true or false? Jesus doesn’t tell us to listen to their sermons, look them up on social media, or trust our gut. He tells us to look at their fruit. Because, if they are truly holy and wise and good and faithful and just, then their lives will produce good fruit. But, if they’re false, the fruit of their lives will be sour, bitter, and rotten.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

This is the fruit that we should look for. Are they patient with people? Are they kind? Do they speak to and treat others with gentleness and respect? Throughout your life, you will encounter people claiming to be holy teachers and wise shepherds. They’ll look good on the outside but be totally corrupt on the inside. Watch out for these people!

Humans often celebrate and elevate people based on their charisma and competence—their energy and experience. We settle for someone with a good vibe, instead of someone with a God-honoring life. But God looks at something totally different than we usually do. He celebrates and elevates people based on their character—who they really are.

If you want to know the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet, look at the fruit their life is producing.

This invitation is for us, too. Because, like we learned yesterday, Jesus challenges us to look in the mirror before we ever point a finger. That’s why this picture comes after Jesus’ teaching about judgment. Examining the fruit of our lives and the lives of those claiming to be teachers and shepherds is a way to practice the type of judgment we define as discernment. Discernment is good and helps us see what’s right, and what’s true, and what we need to do on this journey of following Jesus. So, let’s start with ourselves and intentionally choose Jesus' way of life. As we do, the Holy Spirit will produce fruit in our lives that prove we belong to Jesus.

Application: Read back through the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 and reflect on your own life. Is that the kind of fruit people see when they are around you? Are you patient with people? Are you kind? Do you treat and speak to others with gentleness? Do you follow through on what you say you will do? This kind of fruit is produced in us as we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, intentionally following Jesus. Is there a change you need to make, to focus not on doing what’s merely comfortable or convenient, but on doing what’s right and what leads to good fruit in your life?