The Sermon on the Mount: A 21-Day Guide to the Greatest Sermon Ever PreachedSample

The Better Way

To close out His sermon, Jesus presents a series of four images illustrating the ways we can respond to His teachings. Narrow and wide gates, true and false prophets, true and false disciples, and wise and foolish builders. Through each of these word-pictures, Jesus asks us the same question:

Will you actually take what I have said and put it into practice?

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

Jesus lays before us two options. We can enter through the narrow gate by walking the narrow road that leads to life, or we can go through the wide gate by traveling down the broad road that leads to destruction. Whether we realize it or not, all of us are moving in one of two directions. Either we’re following Jesus and moving toward life, or we’re not following Jesus and drifting toward destruction. In the eyes of Jesus, there is no middle ground, neutral road, or third option. You’re either following Him or you’re not.

How can you tell the difference? The next three images reveal the answer.

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

Throughout our lives, people will claim to have the answers to life’s biggest questions: What are we here for? What is God like? Who are you, really? What difference do you make? What does it take to be fully known and deeply loved? Where is all of this heading? Is my life still worth living? But, Jesus warns us that not all of these experts, teachers, gurus, and pastors will actually have our best interest in mind. Jesus calls them “ferocious wolves” in “sheep’s clothing.” What motivates them is not your well-being but their own selfish desires and sinful appetites. To them, you are nothing more than a means to an end, a piece on the board to be manipulated and maneuvered in whatever way advances their interests.

How then can we know if the people we’re looking up to and learning from are worth listening to? We have to get close enough to them to see the fruit their life is producing. If the fruit is good, then they are true. If the fruit is bad, then avoid them like the plague.

What kind of “fruit” are we looking for? In his letter to the churches in Galatia, the Apostle Paul lists out the fruit that is produced when we are ruled by sin, and the fruit that is produced when we are led by the Spirit.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19-25 NIV

But here’s where things get tricky—false prophets are often really good at playing pretend. They put on the clothing of a sheep. They present themselves as good, trustworthy, and caring. And, tragically, a great number of people believe the act and fall straight into their trap. This is why it matters so much that we look closely—not just at their public persona but who they are when they’re off-stage, off-camera, and in the real world.

If that part of their lives is unavailable to you, you’ll need to use even more discernment to look for sprinkles of the “acts of the flesh” that Paul described as “obvious,” because those things can only remain hidden for so long.

True and False Disciples

“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. 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?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

What’s the difference between a true and false disciple? False disciples are all talk with no action. They may say that Jesus is Lord, but empty words don’t get you into the kingdom of heaven. Access to God’s kingdom comes through faith in Jesus.

Faith is not simply saying you believe in Jesus. It’s not even believing that you believe in Jesus. It’s living in a way that shows you believe in Jesus. We like to say faith is trust, based on evidence, that leads to obedience.

Obedience is evidence of real repentance.

And it’s here, in the contrast between true and false disciples, that Jesus highlights the necessity of actually doing what He says. To be clear, though—this does not earn us salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God that we receive not because of what we do, but because of His love.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

“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. 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. 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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

In this final image, Jesus pulls all the strands together into a single test: Will you actually take what Jesus has said and put it into practice?

If so, then you’re on the narrow road that leads to life; you will become a true prophet whose life produces the fruit of the Spirit; you’ll develop the discernment to identify the wolves pretending to be sheep; you will not simply say that Jesus is Lord but you will live as if He is Lord by doing what He says—because you’ve heard His words and made the choice to put them into practice. As a result, your life is being built on the rock and will remain standing no matter what storms come your way.

But, that will only be true if you actually do what Jesus asks of you.

What did Jesus say?

Follow the example of the wise person by putting Jesus’ words into practice.

What did Jesus do?

Jesus walked the narrow road and never strayed from it. He fulfilled every command in the Law and showed the world what a life fully devoted to God actually looks like.

Jesus is the true prophet whose life produced fruit unlike any the world had ever seen. Every word He said was an expression of the life He lived.

Jesus is the true disciple of His Father who didn’t merely say the right things and pray pretty prayers; He did everything He was asked, even to the point of suffering and dying on a Roman cross.

Jesus is the wise builder who put into practice every command of God, establishing a kingdom here on earth that cannot be shaken.

How can I apply that to my life today?

Decide to fully commit to doing everything Jesus has asked you to do—not as a way to earn His love or grace, but as a way to demonstrate that you belong to Him and are a part of His kingdom.

Remember: Obedience is the evidence of our repentance.

Today, identify an area of your life where you are not being obedient to Jesus. Pray, repenting of your disobedience and asking God to help you change your habits so you can obey Him better.