Matthew 7

Let each man think of where his road is leading. Only the narrow road leads to life eternal. Yes, in this life the road is difficult, but remember the destination! (Romans 18:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Jesus says to everyone: “Enter through the narrow gate.” It is not enough to listen to Jesus’ wonderful teaching. We must obey it. We must enter the gate. When Jesus first called His disciples, He said: “Follow me” (Mark 1:17; 2:14). Jesus gives each of us a choice: to follow, or not to follow. We must choose. Let us not wait. Let us not delay. Jesus may not call to us again.

(Luke 6:43-44)

15 Watch out for false prophets. These false prophets are false teachers, false Christians, who try to stop people from passing through the narrow gate. They say: “This is not the way; we’ll show you a wider gate and an easier way.”

Why are they so dangerous? Because they seem on the outside to be good. Their teaching sounds good. But they lead men to destruction. That’s why Jesus calls them ferocious wolves (see Acts 20:29-31).

16 We can recognize false prophets by their fruit, that is, by their teaching and by their work. They talk about God, about Jesus, about love and joy, but they do not talk about the narrow gate. They teach only the easy things, the pleasant things about the Christian religion. But they never teach about the holiness of God, about His wrath against sin.

The false prophets say to sinful man: “Don’t worry; all is well. God will forgive you.” But they don’t preach about repentance, about turning from sin, about denying oneself. Jeremiah spoke of such false prophets in his time: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14). And men like to listen to such prophets, because they say things that men like to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

17-18 Some false prophets are easy to recognize. They are like thornbushes and thistles (verse 16). But other false prophets are hard to recognize. They are like fig trees with beautiful leaves, but they bear bad fruit, or no fruit.

According to the tree, so will be its fruit. According to what we are, so ultimately will our actions be. If we are of the world, our fruit will also be of the world. If we are of the Spirit, our fruit will also be of the Spirit. In Luke 6:45, Jesus said: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” As are our hearts, so will we speak (see Matthew 12:33-35 and comment).

Sometimes a bad tree seems to give good fruit. We are fooled. A person may say, “I am a Christian; I believe.” For some time he may act like a Christian. But in the end he falls away. Peter says that such people are like pigs who have been washed, but then return to the mud (see 2 Peter 2:2022). We can wash a pig on the outside, but if his inward nature is not changed, it will soon go back into the mud. False Christians are like that.

19 A tree that bears no fruit or bad fruit will be cut down. A person who says, “I believe,” but bears no fruit of the Holy Spirit will also be “cut down” and rejected by God (John 15:6).

20 Jesus said: “I chose you … to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16). The fruit we must bear is described in Matthew 5:3-10. The same fruit is also described in other words in Galatians 5:2223. These fruits are the fruits of the Holy Spirit.³⁸ They are the signs of a true Christian. People will know us by our fruit.

21 People deceive themselves in two ways. Some suppose: “If I believe—if I say ‘Lord, Lord’—then I am saved. Then I can do anything I want. I can commit all kinds of sins; I don’t have to obey Christ.”

Others deceive themselves in the opposite way. They suppose that if they do great works, they will be saved. They suppose that if their outward behavior is okay, they will be accepted by God (verses 22-23).

But Jesus teaches in this section that those who only say “Lord, Lord,” but do not obey Him, are going to hell. And those who only do good works but do not have true faith are also going to hell. To obtain salvation both faith and good works are necessary (James 2:24).

To do true good works means to obey Christ. Good works are the proof of our faith. Faith must always give rise to good works, or it is not true faith. Therefore, we can never separate faith and works. Faith without works is dead (see James 2:14-17 and comment). And works without faith are vain. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith natural man cannot obey God’s will. Without believing in Christ and being born again, no one can follow the teachings of Jesus. Only when we have received Christ’s Holy Spirit through faith can we begin to obey these teachings.

In this verse Jesus speaks of those who call Jesus “Lord,” but don’t do what He says (see 1 John 2:4). They claim to know Christ, but they forget that demons also know Him (Mark 1:23-24; James 2:19). The faith of such people is false faith; it will not save them.

Such people may believe Jesus’ teaching, but there is no change in their lives. Some people even pray fervently. They don’t say “Lord” once; they say it twice: “Lord, Lord.” They speak and pray with fervor and great emotion. But, without obedience, such fervor and emotion is of the flesh and not of the Holy Spirit. Only those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and who live in obedience to Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

22-23 In these verses Jesus talks about those who do great works but who do not have true faith nor the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is possible even to prophesy and drive out demons and to perform miracles in Christ’s name without having true faith. But such people will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Paul the great apostle knew this truth. He knew that even though he preached the Gospel and did miracles, if he did not control his body and keep living in faith and obedience, he himself would be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).

Paul also wrote: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy … but have not love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Without the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, without the love that comes from true faith, Paul’s great works meant nothing.

How can people do great works, prophesy, and cast out demons without the Holy Spirit? Where do they get their power to do such works? The answer is: from Satan. Satan is powerful; he controls all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9). Not only is he powerful, but he is also a deceiver (2 Corinthians 11:14). Through Satan, many false prophets perform signs and miracles in order to deceive Christians (Mark 13:22). Above all, these false prophets deceive themselves. They say, “Look at the works I have done.” But Christ says to them, “I never knew you” (verse 23).

How can we distinguish between works that are from Satan and works that are from the Holy Spirit? The answer is this: The works of the Holy Spirit always bring glory to Christ; the works of Satan always bring glory to Satan and to those who do his work.

Jesus said to His disciples: “… do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). In other words, Jesus is saying: “Do not put confidence in the works that you do; only if your name is written in heaven will you be saved.”

There is no more important question we can ask than this: Is my name written in heaven? Is Christ living in me? Is the Holy Spirit living within me? Because if the answer to these questions is “No,” then on the day of judgment Jesus will say to us: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! All your works were for your own glory, not for mine.”

Think of the day of judgment. Each one of us will stand before Jesus on that day. What will Jesus say to us? Will He say: “Come … take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”? (Matthew 25:34). Or will He say: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers”?

(Luke 6:46-49)

24-27 In this parable, Jesus talks about a wise man and a foolish man, that is, a true Christian and a false Christian. Both men think that they are true Christians; both think that they are building their houses on the rock. But the second man is fooling himself.

These two men built the same kind of house. Their houses looked the same. There was only one difference: one had a foundation and the other didn’t. According to Luke 6:48-49, the first man dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. The second man built his house on the ground without a foundation.

From this parable we can learn an important truth: the difference between a true Christian and a false Christian cannot easily be seen. False Christians are like the false prophets of verse 15, who wear sheep’s clothing but really are wolves. When you look at them, they seem just like sheep, that is, true Christians.

What is the most important thing about a house? Its foundation. No matter how excellent a house looks, if there is no foundation, the house has been built in vain. Men need foundations also; and for men there is only one sure foundation: Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). All else is sand.

The false Christian who built his house on sand supposed: “I am safe. I am a Christian. My house will not fall.” Satan desires to give men false security in this way. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Christ, surely supposed at first that he was a true disciple. But from the beginning he was a servant of Satan.

Let each of us examine himself. What kind of house are we building? If our greatest desire is to get security, comfort, peace, then we are building our house on the sand. If our greatest desire is to know Christ and to be like Him, then we are building our house on the rock.

The false Christian seeks his own good first of all. He does not seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). He lives to please himself. He seeks God’s blessings, but he doesn’t seek God. He loves God’s blessings, but he doesn’t love God. He never becomes a true Christian, because he does not put Christ first, he does not make Christ the Lord of his life, he does not make Christ the foundation of his life. His house is built on sand.

The true Christian is the one who knows Christ and obeys Him. He hears the words of Christ and puts them into practice (verse 24). To know Christ is to love Christ. To love Christ is to obey Christ. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” (John 14:21). He is the one who builds his house upon the rock (see Luke 11:28; John 13:17).

How can we distinguish between these two houses? Usually we cannot tell them apart until the rain, streams, and winds come upon them. Only then will the house built on sand fall down.

It is the same with men. Only when trials and troubles come can we tell who are the true Christians. God allows trials and temptations to come upon us in order to test our faith, our foundation (1 Peter 1:6-7). Jesus asks each one of us: “When trials come, will your faith remain firm?”

There are three kinds of trials: the rain, the streams, and the winds (verse 27). The rain stands for various kinds of trouble such as persecution, loss of property, loss of health, and finally, death. These are the trials that come from outside us. The streams stand for worldly desires, worldly pride (see 1 John 2:15). These are the temptations that arise within us. By these two kinds of temptations, outer and inner, Satan tries to overcome us. First Satan tries to make us love the world. Then, if we refuse, he persecutes us.

The winds stand for Satan himself. If the first two kinds of trials fail, Satan attacks us directly with doubt and fear and despair. These are the flaming arrows Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:16. Satan is an evil wind.

Jesus told about these three kinds of trial in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-8). Some seed (the word of God) was taken away by birds, that is, by Satan (Mark 4:15). Other seed sprouted, but was scorched by the sun, that is, by outer trouble and persecution (Mark 4:16-17). Other seed sprouted but was choked by thorns, that is, by inner worries and desires (Mark 4:18-19).

God will test each Christian’s foundation. When the rain, streams, and winds come, will our house stand?

28-29 When Jesus had finished the Sermon on the Mount, the people were amazed. They were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. They were also amazed at Jesus Himself (Mark 1:22).

There have been many great teachers in the world. Their teaching has been wise and deep. There have been great prophets. There have been founders of religions like Buddha and Mohammed. But all these teachers have been men. Jesus is different; He is God. And therefore, He speaks with the authority of God. That is why the crowds were amazed.

In the sight of those who listened, Jesus appeared to be just an ordinary man. He was a carpenter’s son. His speech was ordinary. But there was something unusual about Him. He was not like other Jewish teachers of the law. He spoke with the wisdom and authority of God. We, too, are amazed.

But to be amazed is not enough. It is not enough to say, “This is wonderful teaching.” It is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord” (verse 21). We must obey this teaching. Jesus said that the wise man is he “who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice” (verse 24).

Let each person ask: “Is my house built on rock, or is it built on sand?”