What's the Bottom Line of the Sermon on the Mount? | Matthew 7:13-20
Series: All: All Authority, All Nations, All Allegiance
Scripture: Matthew 7:13-20 (Main)
Title: What’s the Bottom Line of the SOTM? (Darien Gabriel)
Bottom line: The bottom line of the SOTM is that you have a choice to believe it or not. There is no middle ground.
Q. What do I want you to know?
A. The bottom line of the sermon on the mount (SOTM)—which is that you have a choice which way you will go—the narrow or broad way.
Q. Why?
A. Because to not decide is to decide and choose death and destruction.
Q. What do I want you to do?
A. Enter through the narrow gate embracing the SOTM as your way to follow Jesus
Q. Why?
A. Because it leads to life—abundant and eternal
Discussion questions for group and personal study.
1. How can you know if you are walking on the wide path or the narrow path?
2. Is the choice between the wide and narrow paths a one-time choice, or will you need to choose between them on multiple occasions? Why?
3. Is the path to eternal life narrow because of God's design or man's choices?
4. Read all of Psalm 73. How does the psalmist's realization help us choose the narrow path when it is the more difficult one?
5. True teachers and false teachers will both appeal to Scripture. So how can the church know which teachings are true and which are false?
6. Why are false teachings so convincing at times?
7. What false teachings are popular today that the church needs to be aware of?
8. What are steps the church can take to protect itself against false teachers and false teaching?
9. Is it possible for someone to teach something incorrect but not be a false teacher? Why or why not?
10. If not everyone who says they know Jesus is in fact known by Jesus, how can you know for certain that [esus knows you? How can the church help make sure each person genuinely knows Jesus as their Lord?
Final Questions (optional or in place of above)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
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Intro
The Forgotten Way—do you remember?
Discerning which road to take
Discerning False Preachers/Teachers
Fleshing out the SOTM = the narrow way (aka The Forgotten Way, devotional by Ted Dekker)
This is the beginning of the end of the sermon on the mount (SOTM). Jesus moves from
kingdom character as outlined in the beatitudes (“beautiful attitudes”, Hughes) to
two metaphors of salt and light to illustrate how to live as kingdom citizens.
He followed this with how to live a righteous life greater than the religious leaders.
Then he gave many examples of what this looks like in the raising the bar to the spirit of the law.
Then he gives specific instructions on giving, praying, fasting, materialism, worry, wrongly judging others, and prayer.
He caps this off with the golden rule.
His lengthy conclusion is in effect this: Of all the things I could have said, that’s what I’m saying to you as God in the flesh. Now, what are you going to do about it?
Discerning which road to take
In sum, the SOTM “is about getting on the right road and staying on it.” -Hughes
I. The road to destruction (7:13)
Easy traveling: Picture a large entrance to a city; wide gates, lots of room, easy to travel down
Take it all: You don’t have to leave anything behind to work your way down this street
No boundaries
Apparent freedom
Crowded: Most people are here
Road ends at the edge of the abyss—but the traveler does not!
II. The road to life (7:14)
Road is narrow (but straight or direct) because truth is specific; it is or is not
Salvation is by no other name than Jesus…Acts 4:12
I am the way and the truth and the life…John 14:6
Our affections are narrow; our love for the Lord >…
Our parents
Our children
Our spouse
Ourself
Way is hard: Help is needed
Hard to find: You have to search for it to find it; even then you need help
Count the cost: Jesus is upfront about this road being narrow and difficult; take up your cross…
Leave it all: You don’t need anything
Leads to life: Life that is eternal is knowing the Son and knowing the Father…John 17:3
Few find it: not many traveling on this road
Embracing the beatitudes (by grace through faith) are finding the gate; walking the beatitudes (by grace through faith) is walking the narrow road
This is a command; It’s no accident that Jesus placed this text at the beginning of the end of the SOTM. He knew some would simply marvel at the message. So Jesus commands us to “Enter through the narrow gate”
There is no such thing as everyone gets saved. (Universalism) The Bible teaches that those who choose the narrow way find life. But that most people will not find it because they don’t believe it.
There is only one way to heaven—
“I am the way…” John 14:6
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
“For there is on eGod and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Tim 2:5
Which road are you on today?
Discerning False Teachers
“CHUCK SWINDOLL TELLS THE STORY about an unforgettable evening when a friend of his ate dog food. Contrary to what we might expect, he was not starving, nor was he being initiated into a fraternity. Rather, it happened at an elegant physician's home near Miami. The dog food was served on delicate little crackers with a wedge of imported cheese, bacon chips, and an olive, topped with a sliver of pimento. Hors d'oeuvres a la Alpo! The deed was not perpetrated by an enemy but by a friend. (With friends like that, who needs enemies!) She had just graduated from a gourmet cooking course and decided she would put her skills to the ultimate test_-and did she ever.
After doctoring up those miserable morsels, she placed them on a silver tray.
With a sly grin she watched them disappear. Swindoll's friend could not get enough. He kept coming back for more. Evidently the woman's friends were a pretty laid-back group because everyone had a good laugh when she told them what they had been eating. To each their own.
That is a perfect illustration of what goes on in another realm-namely, religious deception.” -Hughes
III. The character of false teachers (7:15)
They will come and are already present around us
They can be distinguished from genuine ones
They “come to you in sheep’s clothing” i.e. they look like most other sheep
Their preaching
isn’t filled with wrong things as much as it lacks truths that matter
Says nothing offensive
Avoids dwelling on the cross
Avoids talking about sin; some admit they don’t even use the word
Is more about self-help than our need for a savior
Jesus calls them ravenous wolves—that should sober us to wake up and ask ourselves if we’re sitting under this teaching
Goal is to devour and destroy the sheep
2 Cor 11:13-15: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.”
Therefore, Jesus therefore commands us to “Watch out” or “Be on guard” for false prophets/wolves in sheep’s clothing.
IV. Testing the Messengers (7:16-20)—Having given us warnings, Jesus tells us what to test (Hughes)
Two categories: A. What they teach and B. How they live
A. What they teach:
You will recognize them by their fruit (first and last of this section)
Recognize = know; full knowledge of what one really is
4 doctrinal tests suggested by Kent Hughes:
The false prophet avoids preaching on such things as the holiness, righteousness, justice and wrath of God.
He doesn’t say he doesn’t believe these truths;
He ignores them or just acknowledges in passing
He emphases God’s love without balancing it with God’s holiness (justice/wrath)
The false prophet avoids preaching on the doctrine of the final judgment. The Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses do this too. They reject the biblical doctrine of hell in favor or lesser punishments.
The false prophets fail to emphasize the falleness and depravity of humanity.
We are sinners.
We cannot save ourselves.
The false prophets de-emphasize the substitutionary death and atonement of Christ.
They may talk about it
They avoid saying it’s vicarious, substitutionary atonement view
False prophets talk about God and even Jesus. They don’t seem like heretics. They are likable and even pleasant to be around. Churches can even grow under their leadership. But they leave in their wake disciples of unbelief.
B. How they live.
“Being a true Christian means there has been a radical change in the depth of the person through the grace of God.” -Hughes
“There is an awesomely deep connection between what comes out of us and what we are.” -Hughes
“False prophets encourage us to try to make ourselves Christians by adding something to our lives instead of becoming something new.” -Hughes
“Time will reveal the true nature of the fruit.” -Hughes
True Christ-followers:
Display the character of God’s kingdom (beatitudes)
Poverty of spirit
Grief over sin
Meek
Hunger and thirst for righteousness
Merciful
Pure in heart
Peacemakers
Persecuted for Jesus’ sake
Teach others how to live this narrow way (SOTM)
Conclusion
“Today whole groups of people are being served things they would never consciously east, for the sliver trays and attractive garnishes have them completely fooled.” -Hughes
Don’t be superficial in evaluating your preachers/teachers
Don’t be superficial in evaluating your own lives either.
Is the fleece you’re wearing really yours?
In sum, worldviews are contrasted vividly. David French opines the worldview of GOT isn’t “win or die” but “win AND die.” I would say that LOTR seems to be saying “die AND win.” I’m not sure French would say that but it seems like he would.
Pray
References/Bibliography:
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“Sermon on the Mount” by Charles Quayle’s
“The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” by Sinclair Ferguson
Bible.org https://bible.org/seriespage/12-maintaining-peaceful-relationships-matthew-521-26
“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman
“Jesus Manifesto” sermon series, by Darien Gabriel: https://youtu.be/x65i2tqFrXk
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
“Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount” by Daniel Akin (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible
ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (GTB)
"Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes" by Kenneth E. Bailey