Sermon - Trinity VIII 2022 - Matthew 7:15-23

The Broad and The Narrow Way, Gawin Kirkham, 1883

Todays’ Gospel lesson is quite sobering. It’s a commonly held belief today that everyone is going to heaven, regardless of what they believe, since God is so loving that He could never send anyone to hell. That belief is called universalism. Aside from that belief being patently wrong, it’s also a misunderstanding of love. 

Love doesn’t tolerate evil. Love actually hates those things which threaten the beloved object. For example, I love my wife, if my wife got cancer, I would hate the cancer and want to destroy it. It would be a terrible thing to say that I’m tolerant of the cancer since the cancer is killing her. Likewise, God loves us and what is good and hates what is evil, because the evil destroys us and the good. If God was tolerant of evil, that would mean that He doesn’t love us nor love what is good. So if God was tolerant of evil and let evil into heaven, then heaven would be no different than the earth we presently live in and those whom He loves would continue to suffer!

Thus Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” It’s for that reason that Jesus tells us to “beware of false prophets.” A false prophet is one who teaches us to do what God has not commanded, and therefore is one who teaches us to do evil. God does not tolerate evil. True teachings and false teachings matter, because one way leads to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation.

So just as universalism is a satanic lie, so is it a lie that Christianity is easy and that it’s easy to get into heaven. Jesus said right before our reading today: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

This too is a sobering truth. There will be more people in hell than there will be in heaven. Many will enter hell because that’s the easy way. “If you live according to the flesh you will die.” Living by the flesh is easy and comes quite naturally to us since we live in the flesh. Sinning is usually easy for us and we can do it without even thinking. Living according to the flesh is kind of like living on autopilot since it takes no effort. Any lazybelly can live according to the flesh.

But few will be in heaven since the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and on top of that, there are few who even find it. Christianity is not the easy option in life, and I’m sure many of you know that already! Out of about 9,000 people in our county, how many of them go to church weekly? I’d be surprised if it’s 10%. What this tells me is that Christianity isn’t easy nor convenient, and you are all making a sacrifice to be here every Sunday! What you’re doing is hard and difficult and I’m proud of you for it!

But as scripture reminds us: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Just because someone considers themself a Christian doesn’t mean that they will go to heaven. ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

These people that Jesus described believed themselves to be Christians, and yet the Lord declared “I never knew you!” This means that there are many people today who consider themselves Christians, and who by all means look like Christians, but actually are not. This should cause every one of us to pause and consider whether Jesus is talking about us. Am I one of those people who call upon Jesus, speak in His name, and do good works in His name, yet am not actually a Christian?

So how do I know? What is it that reveals whether or not I’m a true or false Christian? Jesus said it quite plainly: The one who does the will of the Father in heaven will enter heaven. And again Jesus said: “You will know them by their fruits.” Or as the Lord said through Jeremiah: “Let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.” So there are two things a Christian must possess in order to enter life: [1] faith in the only true Triune God and [2] a life which lives this faith in thought, word, and deed.

Of those two things, the more important is faith. It is Jesus Christ who has obtained us with His most precious blood shed upon calvary. We have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry out to God as our Father and Jesus as our brother. We are children of God, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. All of this wonderful salvation is received through faith! It is faith which grasps these promises of God and makes them our own! It is only faith in these promises, revealed in God’s Word, which grants us eternal life.

We don’t just have a generic faith. Rather, we have a very specific faith. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and His atoning death and resurrection. But if our faith is in anything or anyone else, we will not be saved. If your faith is in your own holy works, you’re not saved. If your faith is in your membership at a specific church, you’re not saved. If your faith is anywhere other than in Jesus’ blood and righteousness, you’re not saved. Therefore our faith must cling resolutely to the pure and trustworthy Word of God, since no other faith saves.

The second thing a Christian must possess is a life which lives this faith in thought, word, and deed. Jesus talks about good trees bearing good fruit and bad trees bearing bad fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Those who trust in Jesus Christ and are heirs with Him of the resurrection to eternal life will live lives according to God’s design. If your faith is in the Word of God you will be trying to live according to that Word. But if you’re intentionally sinning and living against God’s Word, that means that your faith isn’t firmly rooted in God’s Word. If that’s the case in your life, then go to your pastor and ask for forgiveness and prune that diseased branch of sinful living from your life.

Now, that being said, don’t trust in your good fruits to make you a Christian, what matters ultimately is the faith. Remember that there are false Christians. One of the reasons there are false Christians is because there are false prophets. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” St. Paul uses this same analogy to warn the Ephesian elders in Acts: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian and speaks as a Christian should be trusted. Everything must be tested against the Word of God. Remember, false prophets are pointing people to have faith in places other than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. False prophets teach people to live in ways that don’t conform with the Word of God. False prophets lead people down that broad and easy road of destruction.

This is why there are different denominations, because false teaching can and does lead to death. But there’s also a need to beware of false prophets not only in other church bodies, but even and especially within our own church body! You must test everything your pastor says with the word of God. If he’s teaching wrongly, every Christian has the obligation to confront their pastor with the Word and show him his errors before he leads others astray down the broad and easy road. 

As this sermon comes to an end, I know that these are sobering and difficult things which our Lord teaches us today. It’s not a pleasant thought that so many won’t be going to heaven. However, this does give us cause to be that much more zealous and excited about God’s Word when it is taught in its truth and purity! If false teachings lead to death, then how wonderful it is to know the true teachings of God’s Word which leads to everlasting life! The Word of God’s grace is able to build us up and give us the inheritance of God’s kingdom! This is an incredible thing! So just as we’re alert against lies and sins which lead us down the broad and easy road of destruction, let us find joy, gladness, and excitement in the true Word of God and good fruits by which we will enter into the kingdom of heaven on that great and awesome day!