Life in Community / John 17
Father, we sing to you and pray that it wouldn’t simply be an aspirational thing, but actual—that we would raise our affections to you. The gospel is indeed a battle for the things that we love at a heart level, because what we love is what we go after. So Father, would you raise our sights and warm our hearts to you, that we would both think of the things of God and long for the things of God in a way that would be pleasing to you. As we spend time in your Word this evening, may it shape us. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Well, it is good to be with you here this week. If you have your Bibles, we’re in Matthew chapter 7, starting in verse 12. A special welcome to the guests who are with us and those joining us via video over at our Fig Garden campus. I’m so stoked that you are here.
The Knockout Blow
I don’t know if anybody here or watching on video is an MMA fan. Is anybody into supporting violence shamelessly? I don’t mind watching; I’m just not necessarily a huge fan. But a couple of weeks ago, my girls were playing volleyball, and I was doing the dad-life volleyball thing. We were in Las Vegas, which is not my favorite city. After the fire-breathing show in the pizza parlor—because it’s Vegas, and they do that kind of thing there—there was an MMA fight on television.
I had no idea who the two fighters were. One guy came out dancing around like, “Yo, check me out!” The other guy walked out looking like, “I’m about to hurt somebody.” I immediately liked that second guy. A huge African American fighter came out, and he wasn’t dancing, he wasn’t pointing at his name, and he wasn’t high-fiving anybody. He had a job to do. I finished eating my pizza and told my daughter, “Let’s stay and watch to see what happens. It’s like modern-day gladiators.”
Sure enough, ding, ding, ding. The fight started, and twenty-six seconds later, it was completely over. That guy went after his opponent, popped him once, popped him twice, the guy’s knee buckled, and it wasn’t even a ground-and-pound. Boom, boom, boom, and it was over. I thought, That’s it? Twenty-six seconds? It reminded me of the old-school pay-per-view days when you’d order a Mike Tyson fight, it would last thirteen seconds, and fifty dollars was out the door. As I thought about that fight, it really wasn’t much of a fight at all—that poor guy just got whooped. It was over.
When we get to the end of the Sermon on the Mount, it is quite similar. Jesus has literally and completely deconstructed the religious leaders of His day. It is over, and they are taking heavy blows.
The difficulty with the Sermon on the Mount is that we have to understand its context. This is not an epistle written directly to a Gentile Christian church; this is Jesus speaking to Jewish religious leaders. So in our time together, I want to show you what Jesus is saying to the religious leaders of His day, and then ask and answer the question: what are the implications for us in our day?
The Inclusio: Living Under the King
If you’re familiar with the literary concept of an inclusio, think of it like conceptual brackets. They are used all over the Bible, and the Sermon on the Mount includes one as well. Look back for a second at chapter 5, verse 17, where the body of the sermon begins:
Matthew 5:17 (NASB)
’Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Jesus speaks to the Law and the Prophets. For the rest of chapters 5, 6, and into 7, Jesus explains the entirety of the Law and the Prophets through the expression of His kingdom, with Him as the King. Remember, this is an upside-down kingdom, different from anything the world has ever seen. The first is last, the last is first, the greatest among you is the servant, and whoever seeks to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for His sake will find it.
Then, when you look at Matthew 7:12, Jesus closes the bracket:
Matthew 7:12 (NASB)
’In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
“For this is the Law and the Prophets” is the second bracket of the inclusio. He starts the concept in Matthew 5:17 and wraps it up in Matthew 7:12. Everything in between is the true fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. If you ever want to know what it looks like to live under the King and His kingdom, just read Matthew 5, 6, and 7.
When you arrive at Matthew 7:13 and following, it becomes a twenty-six-second beatdown. Jesus goes after four primary issues, throwing four decisive punches: two gates, two trees, two professions, and two foundations. Each one is a direct indictment of the religious leaders.
In verse 12, Jesus summarizes the Law with what we call the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Every kid gets taught that. I remember coming home as a chubby fourth-grader from Dry Creek Elementary back when the mascot was the Blue Devils. Some kids had made fun of me, calling me “Bradley Watermelon Belly.” I came home crying to my mom. She asked, “How did that feel?” I said, “It felt awful.” She looked at me and said, “Good. Remember that. The next time you think about making fun of somebody, remember how it feels to be made fun of.” That was my mom’s version of the Golden Rule right there.
People have inherent dignity because they are created in the image of God. We treat others with a sense of shared humanity because we all bear the image of our Creator. The religious leaders listening were probably nodding along, thinking, Yes, that’s right. That’s what we do.
Then, in verse 13, Jesus starts throwing punches. These leaders had drifted from obeying the Law as an expression of a heart for God to using adherence to the Law in place of a heart for God. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows that obeying on the outside while missing the inside misses the entire point. Following Jesus is not behavior modification; it is complete heart renewal. Jesus now walks through the gates, the trees, the professions, and the foundations—each carrying a severe warning.
The Two Gates
Jesus throws the first punch in verses 13 and 14:
Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB)
’Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ’For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus presents two contrasting gates, one of which leads to destruction. He clarifies the narrowness of the gospel and the invitation of the kingdom. The invitation is broad and inclusive in terms of who is invited to come, but the means by which they enter is narrow and exclusive.
Many enter through the broad gate and walk the wide road. That is the way of the world: people doing life on their own terms, following the crowd. But that path leads straight to destruction. In contrast, there is a narrow gate and a constricted way that leads to life, and few find it.
Jesus draws a clear line rejecting universalism—the idea that all roads lead to God, that everyone will eventually be fine as long as they are earnest. The Apostle John would later write to make this crystal clear: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11-13 (NASB)
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Entrance into the kingdom of God is exclusive. It is through Jesus Christ and Jesus alone.
The Two Trees
The religious crowd had the right heritage and correct outward behavior, so they assumed they were safe. They understood the letter of the scriptures but missed the heart—missing the forest for the trees. So Jesus introduces another contrast in verses 15 through 20:
Matthew 7:15-20 (NASB)
’Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ’You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn [bushes] nor figs from thistles, are they? ’So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ’A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ’Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ’So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jesus warns them about false prophets—those who claim to speak on behalf of God but lead people astray. He calls them ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing; they are predators in the flock. How do you identify them? Jesus says twice, in verses 16 and 20: you will know them by their fruit.
The Greek word for “know” here is epiginosko, which means to fully know completely through intimate observation over time. Their true character will be revealed by how they live.
People often misunderstand this passage, assuming it is speaking generally about every Christian’s daily walk. While it is true that genuine faith produces good fruit—as Jesus taught in John 15 and Paul outlined in Galatians 5—the primary subject of Matthew 7:15–20 is false teachers.
John 15:8 (NASB)
’My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and [so] prove to be My disciples.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The religious leaders listening to Jesus began feeling the blows landing because they realized He was talking directly to them. They were the shepherds responsible for guiding God’s people, yet they were feeding them religious hypocrisy and error.
The Two Professions
It would have been easy for a teacher in that crowd to think, Well, He must be talking about someone else down the street, not me. So Jesus delivers the next strike in verses 21 through 23:
Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB)
’Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven [will enter]. ’Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is not based on cultural proximity, religious heritage, church affiliation, or past family history. It is not grandfathered in because of what your granddaddy did. It is not about a system of religious performance. Entrance is entirely on His terms.
There are many who know facts about God and perform outward religious deeds. They say, “Lord, Lord, look at my calendar! Look at what I did in Your name—prophesying, casting out demons, performing miracles!” They use His name for validation, yet Jesus declares to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
These religious leaders claimed to represent God, but they did not know Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, the entire storyline of the Bible points directly to Jesus. By rejecting Him, they missed the central point of all sixty-six books of Scripture.
The Two Foundations
Then Jesus gives the fourth contrast:
Matthew 7:24-27 (NASB)
’Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ’And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and [yet] it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ’Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ‘The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell– and great was its fall.’
A wise person is someone who hears the words of Jesus and acts on them. Scripture teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When you build your life on obedience to Christ, then when life happens—not if, but when the storms hit—your house stands firm because it is founded on the rock.
If you have ever visited Israel, this imagery comes alive. When Jesus speaks of building on sand, we might picture building a nice beach house in Monterey or Carmel. But in the Judean wilderness and the Negev, the desert is made of solid rock, not rolling sand dunes. There is only one place you find sand: deep down in dry canyon riverbeds called wadis.
In the summer, a wadi is shaded, cool, and looks like an ideal spot to rest. But when rain falls high up on the mountains, flash floods come tearing down those canyons with zero warning, sweeping away everything in their path. More deaths occur in the wilderness from flash floods than almost anything else. A man who builds his house on the sand in a wadi is building in the path of inevitable destruction.
Jesus looks at the religious leaders and says: “You think you are safe, but you are not. You think you are righteous, but you are missing the point. You think you are leading God’s people, but you are heading for a catastrophic fall.”
Teaching with Authority
When Jesus finished, the sermon ended abruptly:
Matthew 7:28-29 (NASB)
When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as [one] having authority, and not as their scribes.
When I was a freshman student at Dallas Theological Seminary, they had a tradition where incoming students would share lunch with a senior professor. You might sit with John Walvoord, Howard Hendricks, or J. Dwight Pentecost. Dr. Pentecost was a theological juggernaut who taught at DTS for over fifty years. He was the kind of professor who, if you said, “Dr. Pentecost, can I ask you a question?” would reply, “You just did. Would you like another?”
Some of my buddies were sitting at his table, and one of them worked up the courage to ask, “Sir, what advice would you give to incoming freshmen?” Dr. Pentecost looked at them, said, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine,” stood up, and walked away. My friends sat there thinking, Man, that’s profound… wait, did he just insult us?
In a similar way, Jesus delivers these four knockout blows to the religious establishment, finishes His message, and steps down. The crowds sat spellbound in stunned silence. The word “amazed” in verse 28 is in the imperfect tense, meaning a lingering, ongoing awe.
He taught as one who had authority, not as their scribes. In Jewish culture, rabbis derived authority by citing previous traditions and famous teachers. Later, in Matthew 21, the religious leaders asked Jesus where He got His authority.
Matthew 21:23 (NASB)
When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’
When I was ordained into ministry, the elders of Denton Bible Church laid hands on me, prayed over me, and entrusted me with ministerial authority. That was a high honor, and both my wife and I wept. But Jesus had no earthly rabbinical credentials, no human lineage conferring authority, and no theological tribe. His authority came straight from the Father. He was and is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Implications for Us Today
Since this message was delivered in a specific historical context to Jewish religious leaders, what are the takeaways for our lives today?
First, from the two gates: the means of entrance into the kingdom of heaven remains narrow and exclusive today.
Acts 4:12 (NASB)
‘And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’
We have a holy, sovereign Creator. Humanity rebelled in Genesis 3, falling into sin by nature and deed, coming under the righteous wrath of God. Apart from a divinely provided sacrifice, we have no hope in our own human effort. But God, being rich in mercy, sent Jesus Christ—fully God and fully man—to live sinlessly, die on the cross in our place, rise from the dead, and ascend to the Father.
Ephesians 2:4-7 (NASB)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the only way.
John 14:6 (NASB)
Jesus said to him, ’I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
When I was a young believer, that claim sounded almost arrogant to me. But it is only arrogant if it isn’t true. If you really are God incarnate, if you really conquer sin and death, and if you really rise from the grave, you have every right to declare that you are the only way.
Second, from the two trees: false teachers still exist today. There are religious hustlers who use the gospel for financial gain, who cover up moral failures, and who build ministries around charisma rather than character.
Titus 1:10-11 (NASB)
For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not [teach] for the sake of sordid gain.
Charisma can draw a crowd, but only godly character can sustain a movement through the power of the Holy Spirit. As Paul reminded Timothy, time reveals the true nature of a person’s life.
1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NASB)
The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their [sins] follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.
I have had the privilege and challenge of pastoring here at The Well for nearly twenty years. Over that time, you get to know a pastor—flaws, struggles, and all. We must value sustained faithfulness and character over outward polish.
Third, from the two professions: every believer must actively cultivate a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. External religious activity and knowledge about God cannot substitute for truly knowing Him. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Finally, from the two foundations: we must build our lives daily on the power of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NASB)
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
The gospel is not just the doorway into salvation; it is the power that continually sanctifies and transforms us. I am thankful I am not the same man I was ten years ago, and by God’s grace, I pray that ten years from now I will look even more like Jesus.
Our culture constantly tells us that all roads lead to heaven, that as long as you are sincere, any spiritual path will do. I recently watched the film The Life of Pi, where the protagonist practices multiple contradictory religions simultaneously. But opposing truth claims cannot all be true. Only Jesus solved the human predicament of sin by rising from the dead.
When Jesus asked His disciples if they wanted to turn away, Peter gave the only right response:
John 6:68 (NASB)
Simon Peter answered Him, ’Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
There is nowhere else to go. It is about Jesus and Jesus alone. The King invites us into His kingdom, calls us to build our lives on His solid rock, and commands our full allegiance.
Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we celebrate You. As we conclude our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of the supreme authority and beauty of Christ. Lord, it breaks our hearts to know that many will hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” Yet by Your sovereign grace, You have invited us to receive mercy through Jesus Christ.
May we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Fill our hearts with deep joy and genuine worship as we live under the reign of our King. We thank You and praise You in Jesus’ name. Amen.