1. YOUR
DECISION
MATTHEW 7:13-29
SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA

2. ©2012 LifeWay Christian
Resources of the Southern
Baptist Convention.
Reproduction prohibited
without the express
written consent: LifeWay
Christian Resources SBC.

3. Focal Passages:
Life or Destruction?
Matthew 7:13-14
Genuine or Counterfeit?
Matthew 7:15-23
Rock or Sand?
Matthew 7:24-29

4. This lesson is about
choosing to build
life on Jesus &
His teachings.

5. *Life stretches before us as
a huge road map covered
with various routes and
destinations.

6. *Many decisions lay
before us in our lifetimes.

7. *As teenagers we may
have asked, “Should we
choose more education or
enter the work force?”
*Who will be our closest
friends?
*Which guy or gal should

8. we choose as a spouse?
*Where should we live?
*The most important
decision was whether to
trust Jesus and fashion
our lives according to His
teachings.

9. Jesus used three
illustrations on how to
live to conclude His
Sermon on the Mount:
1) Two roads
2) Two trees
3) Two foundations

10. 1) Two gates and roads –
Matthew 7:13-14
symbolize the decision to
trust and obey Jesus or to
rely on self and chart
one’s own course.

11. 2) Two kinds of trees -
Matthew 7:15-23
show the results of that
initial decision in this life
and the judgment.

12. 3) The two foundations -
Matthew 7:24-29
reveals how that initial
decision works out when
hard times impact us as
well as at the Judgment.

13. The conclusion of the
Sermon on the Mount
stands as both:
1) an encouragement and
2) as a warning.

14. Romans 15:4
4 “For everything that was
written in the past was
written to teach us, so that
through endurance and
the encouragement of the
Scriptures we might have

15. hope.”
Romans 15:4 NIV

17. Life or Destruction?
Matthew 7:13-14 HCSB
13“Enter through the
narrow gate. For the gate
is wide and the road is
broad that leads to
destruction, and there are

18. many who go through it.
14 How narrow is the
gate and difficult the
road that leads to life,
and few find it.”

20. First, let’s consider the
two gates:
*One of them is narrow
and easily overlooked;
therefore, few find it(v14).
*The descriptive term
narrow is not inviting.

21. *We have heard all our
lives that being narrow-
minded is not good.

22. None of us want to be
hemmed in; we like to go
our way singing,
“Don’t Fence Me In”.

23. Nevertheless, Jesus had
sound reasons for
insisting we enter through
the narrow gate (v. 13).

25. The other gate is wide,
easy to find, and
apparently more
attractive (v. 13).

26. *Large crowds enter that
gate, but it isn’t jammed;
people readily can see
they have plenty of room
to enter.
*Clearly, that gate is the
popular choice, for many

27. go through it (v. 13).
*Some of them assume that
because many people enter
there, it must be the best
choice. Unfortunately, the
majority is not always
right.

28. Consider the two roads:
*The narrow gate leads to
a difficult road (v. 14).
*The word translated
difficult literally means
compressed.

29. *The gate and the road
beyond it both hem us in.
*It wends its constricted
way through deep valleys
and over high mountains.

31. *Rough and rocky patches
occasionally mark its
surface.
*The body of the Sermon
on the Mount describes
that road; walking it is
tough.

32. *The roomy gate leads to
a broad road (v. 13).
*Freshly paved and well
maintained, it offers
plenty of rest stops and
picnic areas with scenic
overlooks.

34. *Entertaining and
interesting attractions line
this road, and travelers
flock to them.
*They claim any fool
could see the wide gate as
the wise choice, for it led

35. to a road that affords
many delights.
*Consider the two
destinations:
The narrow road … leads
to life (v. 14).
What an amazing claim!

37. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 “I call heaven and
earth as witnesses
against you today that I
have set before you life
and death, blessing and
curse.

38. Choose life so that you
and your descendants
may live,
20 love the Lord your
God, obey Him, and
remain faithful to Him.
For He is your life, and

39. He will prolong your life
in the land the Lord
swore to give to your
fathers Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

40. Joshua 24:15
15 “But if it doesn’t please
you to worship Yahweh,
choose for yourselves
today the one you will
worship: the gods your
fathers worshiped

41. beyond the Euphrates
River or the gods of the
Amorites in whose land
you are living. As for me
and my family, we will
worship Yahweh.”
Joshua 24:15

42. *What appears as a
foolish choice has
spectacular benefits.
*C. S. Lewis, the effective
Christian teacher and
writer who helped many
take the narrow gate and

43. walk the difficult road,
described his conversion
to Christianity in a book
entitled Surprised by Joy.
*In a sense, he thought his
life had ended as he
moved toward God.

44. *He expected life to take
on hues of gray and black.
*The book title reflects the
reality he experienced.
*He found life; eternal life
in the hereafter, yes, but
also abundant life in the

45. here-and-now.
John 10:10 NIV
10 “The thief comes only
to steal and kill and
destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and
have it to the full.”

47. Deciding to trust Christ
and walk with Him looks
bleak to some unbelievers,
sort of like viewing a
cathedral’s stained glass
windows from the
outside.

49. On the inside, the sun
shining through the glass
brings alive the incredibly
lovely colors that take our
breath away.

51. Trusting Jesus brings us
into a personal
relationship with the
Father Who created us,
loves us, and wants us to
have the best life possible.

52. *That does not mean the
Christian life is easy, but
it is the most fulfilling and
satisfying way to live.
*So the narrow, difficult
road leads to a wonderful
life!

53. *The broad road leads to
destruction (v. 13).
*What seems so promising
at its beginning ends in the
worst disaster imaginable,
the lake of fire (Prov. 14:12;
Rev. 20:15).

54. Proverbs 14:12
12 There is a way that
seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to
death.

55. Revelation 20:15
15 And anyone not found
written in the book of
life was thrown into the
lake of fire.

56. *Whether or not you view
this fire as literal or
figurative, the worst
aspect of hell is eternal
separation from God.

58. No hope abides there,
only the deepest and
unrelenting regret.

59. *Even in this life, the
popular path doesn’t live
up to its billing.
*Sin destroys like a
corrosive poison that kills
the brightest and best
aspects of life.

60. *What early on brings fun
and pleasure eventually
brings sadness and
misery.

61. *Sin kills friendships,
destroys marriages, ruins
reputations, and
bankrupts businesses.

62. Genuine or Counterfeit?
Matthew 7:15-23
15 “Beware of false
prophets who come to
you in sheep’s clothing
but inwardly are
ravaging wolves.

63. 16 You’ll recognize them
by their fruit. Are grapes
gathered from
thornbushes or figs from
thistles?
17 In the same way, every
good tree produces good

64. fruit, but a bad tree
produces bad fruit.
18 A good tree can’t
produce bad fruit;
neither can a bad tree
produce good fruit.

65. 19 Every tree that doesn’t
produce good fruit is cut
down and thrown into
the fire.
20 So you’ll recognize
them by their fruit.

66. 21 “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 in Heaven.

67. 22 On that day many will
say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,
didn’t we prophesy in
Your name, drive out
demons in Your name,
and do many miracles in
Your name?’

68. 23 Then I will announce
to them, ‘I never knew
you! Depart from Me,
you lawbreakers!’”
Matthew 7:15-23

70. True story of
Donnie the Deceiver here
at FBCJ.

71. *Religious fakery is not
new.
*Both the Old and New
Testaments speak of false
prophets, and Jesus
warned us to beware of
them (v. 15).

73. How can we tell whether
a preacher, teacher, or
layperson is genuine or
counterfeit since they
bleat like sheep rather
than snarl like wolves?

75. *To do that isn’t always
easy, especially with
religious teachings on TV
and the Internet.
*Jesus said, however, we
can recognize them by
their fruit (v. 16).

77. *Jesus elaborated on His
analogy of telltale fruit.
*Thornbushes and thistles
do not produce edible and
nutritious fruit, so in that
sense they are bad (v. 17).

78. *Grape vines and fig trees
produce edible and
nutritious fruit and thus
are good (v. 17).
*To expect a bad tree to
produce good fruit is folly;
it can’t happen(v.18).

79. Orchard owners know
which trees produce good
fruit and which do not,
and they cut down and
burn worthless trees
(v. 19).

80. *What “fruit” are we to
examine?
*Because the bad trees
represent false prophets,
the fruit certainly
includes their false
teachings.

81. *We can listen to determine
whether the teachings major
on “saved by grace” but
minimize obedience to
Christ. (“Believers’ sins are
forgiven, so sinning doesn’t
matter anymore;

82. do what you please.”)
*Do they emphasize God’s
love and ignore God’s
holiness and righteous
judgment? (“God is love,
so He won’t allow anyone
to go to hell.”)

83. *Do the teachers talk more
about themselves, their
achievements, their
education, their Christian
work, and so forth, than
they talk about the Lord?

84. *Do they rightly interpret
Scripture or primarily
present their own
opinions?
*Do they seriously lift up
Jesus’ teachings in the
Sermon on the Mount as

85. God’s will for His people
or virtually dismiss them
as being unrealistic saying
“Wouldn’t it be nice if
everyone lived that
way?”.

86. *Do they imply our
obedience, service, and
giving help save us?
*We also can observe the
influence of the teachings
on the hearers.

87. *Are the people becoming
godlier or more worldly?
*Are they seeking to do
God’s will or going their
own way?
*Are they putting others’
interests above their own

88. or demanding their own
way?
*Are the people accepting
Jesus’ standards in His
sermon or explaining
them away?

89. *Aside from these
counterfeit Christians’
teachings, we can examine
their conduct.
*What evidence might
point to their having hearts
of ravaging wolves?

91. *The term translated
ravaging indicates they
are covetous and prey on
others.
*They might hunger for
money, position,
recognition, or power.

92. *So, watch how they act.
*Are their lifestyles
selflessly Christian?
*Are they honest?
*Do they answer
questions truthfully or
become evasive?

93. *Are they more concerned
with their status or with
serving the Lord?
*How do they make and
use money?

94. *Do they pay their bills?
*With whom do they hang
out?
*What kinds of cars or
homes do they own?
*Would Jesus wear a Rolex
on His television show?

95. *When out of the
spotlight, are they kind
and considerate of others
or irritable and impatient?
*What do people who
have known them for a
long time have to say

96. about their moral and
ethical practices?
*Obviously, we cannot
know or watch Christian
leaders who post
materials on the Internet,
preach on television,

97. or produce written
materials.
*Not all of them by any
means are false prophets,
but some are.
*Be cautious about
accepting what they say

98. or supporting them
financially.
*The Internet search
engines may be helpful in
finding what people who
have investigated them
have to say.

100. Jesus asserted bluntly,
“Not everyone who says
to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will
enter the kingdom of
Heaven” (v. 21).

101. John 15:5 NIV
5 “I am the vine; you are
the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much
fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing.”

103. *Are you bearing much
fruit?
*Sadly, many people who
assume they are saved are
lost (v. 22).

104. *This includes all false
prophets and all whose
Christianity is superficial.
*“I never knew you!”
supplies the reason (v. 23).
*The only way to know
Jesus personally is to yield

105. our hearts to Him by
faith, that is, to make Him
Lord of our lives.
*Anything less is just
religious ritual and
activity.

106. Some supposed Christians
will boast of their
Christian service, saying
they have prophesied,
driven out demons, and
done many miracles in
His name (v. 22).

107. Many impressive so-
called Christian works
have been done through
human ingenuity, clever
deception, and even
satanic influences as seen
in 2 Cor. 11:14-15.

108. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
14 “And no wonder! For
Satan disguises himself as
an angel of light.
15 So it is no great thing if
his servants also disguise
themselves as servants of

109. righteousness. Their
destiny will be according
to their works.”
2 Corinthians 11:14-15

110. Jesus, knowing their
hearts, will respond to
this boasting,
“Depart from Me, you
lawbreakers!” (v. 23).

111. *They gave time and
effort to sensational
Christian causes, figuring
that would get them into
Heaven.

112. *Unfortunately, they
reserved the right to
decide for themselves
what they would do and
which of Christ’s
commands they would
obey or ignore.

113. *In other words, they held
fast to lordship over their
lives, never yielding their
hearts to the Lord by
faith.

114. A number of churchgoers
hang onto the notion they
can earn a place in the
kingdom, ignoring
numerous Scriptures such
as Ephesians 2:8-10:

115. “You are saved by grace
through faith, and this is
not from yourselves; it is
God’s gift—not from
works, so that no one can
boast. For we are His
creation, created in Christ

116. Jesus for good works,
which God prepared
ahead of time so that we
should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
*Nail this down: we are
saved by faith in Christ.

117. *Salvation is the root;
good works are the fruit.

118. 2 Peter 1:3-11
3 “His divine power has
given us everything
required for life and
godliness through the
knowledge of Him who
called us by His own

119. glory and goodness.
4 By these He has given
us very great and
precious promises, so
that through them you
may share in the divine
nature, escaping the

120. corruption that is in the
world because of evil
desires.
5 For this very reason,
make every effort to
supplement your faith
with goodness, goodness

121. with knowledge,
6 knowledge with self-
control, self-control with
endurance, endurance
with godliness,
7 godliness with
brotherly affection, and

122. brotherly affection with
love.
8 For if these qualities are
yours and are increasing,
they will keep you from
being useless or
unfruitful in the

123. knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
9 The person who lacks
these things is blind and
shortsighted and has
forgotten the cleansing
from his past sins.

124. 10 Therefore, brothers,
make every effort to
confirm your calling and
election, because if you
do these things you will
never stumble.

125. 11 For in this way, entry
into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ will
be richly supplied to
you.”
2 Peter 1:3-11

126. *Salvation is the root;
good works are the fruit.

128. No quantity of good
works can offset the
penalty for even one of
our sins.

129. *These are sobering and
shocking verses.
*We who are genuine
believers can be assured
of our salvation and the
Lord’s welcome into
Heaven.

130. Still, Jesus’ words warn us
to take stock of how well
we are responding to His
Word and lordship.

131. He is not looking to us for
spectacular acts of service
but for consistent acts of
obedience.

132. *May we bring glory to
Him and find peaceful
assurance as we walk
with Him.
6 “Whoever claims to live
in Him must walk as
Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6

133. Colossians 2:6
6 “So then, just as you
received Christ Jesus as
Lord (by grace through
faith), continue to live in
Him.”

134. We all know people
whose “fruit” testifies that
their faith in Jesus is
genuine.

135. Unfortunately, we
probably all also know
those in whom we
“recognize” some
counterfeit fruit.

137. If others were examining
your life, what counterfeit
fruit might they identify
that needs to be “cut
down and thrown into the
fire”?

139. Rock or Sand?
Matthew 7:24-29
24“Therefore, everyone
who hears these words of
Mine and acts on them
will be like a sensible
man who built his house

140. on the rock.
25 The rain fell, the rivers
rose, and the winds blew
and pounded that house.
Yet it didn’t collapse,
because its foundation
was on the rock.

141. 26 But everyone who
hears these words of
Mine and doesn’t act on
them will be like a
foolish man who built
his house on the sand.

143. 27 The rain fell, the rivers
rose, the winds blew and
pounded that house, and
it collapsed. And its
collapse was great!”

145. 28 When Jesus had
finished this sermon, the
crowds were astonished
at His teaching,

146. 29 because He was
teaching them like one
Who had authority, and
not like their scribes.”
Matthew 7:24-29

147. Word Study: Authority
Authority translates a
word with several shades
of meaning—authority to
choose, to do something
with great ability, to rule,
and absolute authority.

148. *The precise meaning is
determined by the
context.
*The context of its use in
Matthew 7:29 is Jesus’
teaching in the Sermon on
the Mount.

149. *The audience clearly
perceived that He taught
“like one Who had
authority, and not like
their scribes” (v. 29).
*The scribes often sought
to support their teaching

150. by quoting famous
rabbinical scholars of
yesteryear.
*Jesus spoke as the One
Who had absolute
authority in Himself to
declare God’s truth.

151. While Jesus certainly has
absolute authority, the
term’s use in verse 29
likely means the people
recognized His authority
in the sense of His being
an exceptionally

152. competent teacher of
spiritual truth because He
got His words straight
from the Father, not from
some dead sage.

153. Maybe you grew up
singing:
The Wise Man Built His
House Upon the Rock, the
children’s song based on
Jesus’ words in these
verses.

154. *This illustration provides
perhaps the most familiar
part of Jesus’ sermon.
*At times I can recall a
sermon illustration but
not the point illustrated.

155. *Be sure to catch Jesus’
point here.
*Although Jesus is the
church’s foundation, in
this account of two houses
the foundation represents
doing (or not doing)what

156. Jesus commanded us to
do.
*Jesus contrasted the fate
of those who heard His
words and obeyed them
with others who heard
and did nothing.

157. He described obedient
hearers as sensible, and
the disobedient hearers as
foolish (vv. 24,26). Why?
*Because eventually the
rain fell, the rivers rose,
the winds blew and

158. pounded that house.
*Some interpreters believe
the storms represent the
damaging and even
devastating events that
befall all of us in this sin-
cursed world.

159. *Those who hear and
obey Jesus have a
foundation that sustains
them in hard times.
*They don’t collapse into
bitterness or hopelessness
but endure and persevere.

160. *Those who hear but do
as they please are on their
own and will suffer for it
greatly.

161. While that interpretation
of storms certainly has
merit and expresses truth,
in this context Jesus may
have used the storm
image to illustrate the
final judgment.

162. The conclusion of the
sermon contains strong
warnings (vv. 13-22).

163. *The broad way leads to
destruction (v. 13);
worthless trees are cut
down and thrown into the
fire (v. 19).
*“On that day” of
judgment, lawbreakers

164. will be rejected (vv. 22-
23). *In line with that, the
great collapse of the house
built … on the sand easily
could stand for falling
under God’s righteous
judgment (v. 27).

165. 1 Corinthians 3:8-15
8 “Now the one planting
and the one watering are
one in purpose, and each
will receive his own
reward according to his
own labor.

166. 9 For we are God’s
coworkers. You are God’s
field, God’s building.
10 According to God’s
grace that was given to
me, I have laid a
foundation as a skilled

167. master builder, and
another builds on it.
But each one must be
careful how he builds on
it.
11 For no one can lay any
other foundation than

168. what has been laid down.
That foundation is Jesus
Christ.
12 If anyone builds on
that foundation with
gold, silver, costly stones,
wood, hay, or straw,

169. 13 each one’s work will
become obvious, for the
day will disclose it,
because it will be
revealed by fire; the fire
will test the quality of
each one’s work.

170. 14 If anyone’s work that
he has built survives, he
will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is
burned up, it will be lost,
but he will be saved; yet
it will be like an escape

171. through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:8-15

172. *In any case, obeying is
the only wise choice.
*We’ve heard, read,
studied, and even taught
Jesus’ words.
*That is vital but by itself
only puts us in the

173. position of a rookie in the
National Football League.
*He has the play-book,
has studied it, and knows
his assignment for every
play. He is well coached
and practices hard.

174. *Then he gets in a game,
forgets what he’s seen and
heard, and relies instead
on what worked for him
on the college level.
*Immediately, he is
benched.

175. The same would be true
of replacement referees
in the NFL!

177. *We know much of what
we should do, but do we
keep that in mind as we
travel through each week?
*Do we practice what
we’ve learned?

178. *Do we allow Jesus’
words to bear fruit that
glorifies Him?
*We should renew our
determination to be doers
of the Word and not
hearers only (James 1:22).

179. James 1:22
22 “Do not merely listen
to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do
what it says.”

182. *We should choose to
trust Christ and walk in
His ways as He has
taught us.
*We need to persevere as
we walk the difficult road
with Christ.

183. *May we not only be fruit
inspectors but also make
sure we produce fruit
pleasing to the Lord.
Colossians 1:10
10 “walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord,

184. pleasing Him in all
respects, bearing fruit in
every good work
and increasing in the
knowledge of God”
Colossians 1:10 NASB

185. *We should adopt as our
life goal to do the Father’s
will.
*Let’s rejoice that for life’s
storms and the judgment
to come, we have built on
the only foundation that

186. ensures our eternal
security—obedience to the
Lord Jesus Christ.
*In other words, let’s
build our lives on Christ
and His teachings.

187. *Prior to turning to Christ,
each of us built our
“house on the sand.”
*Did yours “collapse” at
some point?
*If so, remember that
experience, how you felt,

188. and what helped you
survive.

189. *Allow that experience to
make you more diligent in
seeking out others whose
houses have collapsed or
are subject to collapse
because they, too, built on
the sand.

190. Help lead them to the
Rock!

191. Biblical Truths of This
Lesson in Focus:
• Let us rightly judge
ourselves before helping
fellow believers in their
Christian walk.

192. • Let us be honest about
our own spiritual
struggles rather than
pretending we “have it all
together.”

193. • Let us relate to others
with discernment when
witnessing to them.
• Let us pray persistently
and confidently for God’s
grace to obey and serve
Him.

194. • Let us build our lives on
Jesus and His teachings.

195. As you reflect on this
lesson, consider ways you
can better build your life
on Jesus and His
teachings.

196. Next week:
From Failure to Salvation
John 4: 7-39