Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Mat 7:24-29 NKJ

Jesus finishes his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount by again comparing the person that hears and applies the Word to their life, as being like a person that builds the house on a strong foundation, on solid rock.  When the trials of life come, they’re not shaken or moved.  The foolish person who has heard the Word, and does nothing is like the person that builds their home on sand.  Rains, floods, and winds soon mean that the house is gone.

 So Jesus’ final words to those listening to his sermon and to those reading the Word throughout history, is to be not just a hearer of the Word but a doer, and there’s a lot to do.

“Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Mat 7:21-23 NKJ)

Some are probably thinking that surely this is a contradiction to the ‘who so ever’?  You mean that I might get to the kingdom of heaven and be turned away?  Let me change one word to help it make sense of this passage, “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice ‘Wordlessness.” So you’re driving down the road, and the sign reads 35 mph, but you decide to drive 50 mph.  The sign reads ‘no entry,’ but you drive through anyway.  At the end of the road, the sign reads STOP, but you drive straight through almost causing a crash, but its okay because you’re driving to church.  Life as a Christian requires that we not only read the Word but that we make application of what we read to our lives because the Word, empowered by the Spirit, contains the will of the Father. Life is not just about getting to the final destination; it’s about the journey.

But what about all the external manifestations? “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we ‘not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name.”  They are just that, external manifestations.  Even King Saul, who was not a godly man, when he comes into the presence of the prophets, starts to prophesy. Let me give you three pointers.

1. Get into the Word of God for yourself.
2. Make sure you’re being taught the Word correctly—check it out for yourself, don’t just say Amen!
3. Make sure the Word is being taught in its context. Taking the Word out of context just because it makes for a good sermon, along with a shout and dance makes the preacher nothing more than a ‘false prophet.’

The Christian life is all about being accountable, and the Word will get you through that narrow gate and on that straight path.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Mat 7:15-20 NKJ)

Jesus has just finished teaching about the narrow gate, the highway of holiness.  Now he warns his hearers to beware of false prophets.  The warning here is not so much about the heretic, but the hypocrites.  The Pharisees were the main recipients of this sermon, with all their false teaching and hypocrisy.  Jesus knows that they would try to persuade the people with their interpretation of Jesus’ teaching.  Outwardly they appear godly (sheep), but inwardly they’re wolves.

Anybody can look as though they are Christian, but their fruit will be the proof.  The fruit is determined by the root, and only the person that has deep roots in Jesus Christ can produce the fruit that Jesus expects.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mat 7:13-14 NKJ)

Most theologians would say that verse 12 ends the Sermon on the Mount and that in the following verse Jesus makes application of the sermon.  When we look back, it is easy to focus on one or two points, but that is not the intention of Jesus.  He wants us to look at the whole sermon and make application in our lives of the whole and not just part.  That’s a lot to take on-board, yes it is, which is why he makes the statement we will be considering today, that the gate is narrow—few want to go through.

I’ve heard sermons preached on the Matthew 7:13-14 text, linking it to John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Preaching that the Jesus way is the way of exclusivity and that all those outside are going to hell. This kind of preaching shows little regard or attention to the Sermon on the Mount and is practicing the very things Jesus warns against— a judgment with condemnation.

Isaiah talks about, “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. (Isa 35:8 NKJ)  My wife, Ann, took a trip once with friends and visited California.  She recounts one journey on Route 1.  The road was just two lanes with rocks on one side and a drop into the ocean on the other.  Perhaps the entrance onto Isaiah’s highway is through the narrow gate and like Route 1 in California, there is little room for error.  The text is not referring to heaven and hell, but about the standard of holiness expected by the Lord today, here on earth. In Pilgrims Progress, Christian was okay as long as he stayed on the road. Like most Christians, we only get in trouble when we get sidetracked, then we are in danger of destruction, trusting in a self-righteous religion rather than a living faith.  Following Jesus’s manifesto for living as found in the gospels is not easy, according to Jesus, there are few who find that place in God in this life, or even try. Narrow is the gate to the enjoyment of abundant life.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Mat 7:7-8 NKJ)

 My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. (Psa 49:3 NKJ)

 Jesus gave us some good advice earlier when he told us to, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mat 6:33-34 NKJ)

 To seek means to search for, try to find, look for.  What better way to seek out an answer to a particular problem than to meditate on the Word, to look for a Kingdom solution.  Another word we might use is contemplation.  Ray Simpson, the author of ‘Exploring Celtic Spirituality,’ says. “Contemplative prayer is natural, unprogrammed; it is perpetual openness to God so that in the openness his concerns can flow in and out of our minds as he wills.” Let’s be honest, when you’re searching for that one piece in a 1000 piece jig-saw, any help you can get is welcomed.  The answer may not always come quickly for sometimes our Father wants us to find the answer to a problem, but also learn from the process, that way we not only discover what we’re looking for, but we also discover more about God and who we are.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Mat 7:7-8 NKJ)

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father.”  (Mat 6:8-9 NKJ)

Remember these words from the last chapter of Matthew, in the conversation of prayer we’re talking to our Father, who’ like any good father knows what we have need of even before we ask.

I was raised in the old school.  My parents were very loving, and I was fortunate to have a loving extended family living in the same house, All because they loved me, didn’t mean they were going to spoil me.  I was raised with values and appreciation for what I had. I was also raised with the requirement that when I asked for something, it was preceded with ‘please’ and ended with ‘thank you.’  If I even thought that I could demand something because it was my right, my parents would have corrected that thought process in no uncertain terms.

Our heavenly Father expects nothing less.  Even though He knows what we have need of, He loves to hear us ask Him with all reverence and respect, after all, He name is Holy.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Mat 7:6 NKJ)

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1Co 2:9-10 NKJ)

 Not everybody is ready to receive the deep things of God, and that can include Christians.  If you take the deep things of God and share them with a person that’s unsaved, or a Christian that spends more time courting the world, then don’t be surprised if they mock you, and trample the holy things underfoot.

 The Psalmist in Psalm 24 asks the question, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? The answer comes, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.”  Not everybody ascends the hill of the Lord.  Some stay behind and settle for a golden calf.  Sometimes you just need to keep the deep things of God in your heart until the time is right to share.

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Mat 7:1-2 NKJ)

 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:1-2 NKJ)

 So, are we to judge nothing or nobody?  If we were to go further into Matthew 7, we would find that this is not the case.  Actually, we are called to discern what we share and with whom we share it with. Figuratively, dogs, or swine, are people who see no value in the things of God. This is followed by the call to judge whether a person might be a false prophet.  Good judgment and discernment are vital as we walk out our salvation daily.  Jesus was concerned with the people of God being condemning because condemnation passes sentence and punishment.  If I condemn a person, then I am saying that there is no hope or room for change.  Paul tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Therefore Jesus warns us not to condemn least we bring condemnation up ourselves.  I thank God for his grace, for while there is still breath in a person, no matter how reprobate they may be, they can still change.  We all need to remember where we came from and the love, grace, and mercy that was extended to us.  With that same measure receive, we should give back.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Mat 6:22-23 NKJ)

Every year I go to the Ophthalmologists, and they check my eyes, looking for signs of damage, degeneration and overall eye health.  Seven years ago I was diagnosed with a cataract in my right eye.  The following year they decided that it was ready to have surgery.  The cataract didn’t really cause much of a problem; you just seem to adapt, with my left eye taking most of the strain.  A little blurry, colors were not sharp, and contrast was poor, but the gradual progressive deterioration meant that you didn’t realize how bad it is until after the surgery.  With a new lens in place, I was amazed at how bright things were, colors were amazing, and the definition was sharp.

 Spiritual blindness can be much like a cataract. You slowly lose the brightness, sharpness, and definition.  Without surgery, blindness is inevitable.  The Word loses its WOW!  Worship becomes just another song, and ministry is just a chore. The Laodicean church thought they had need of nothing, they didn’t see that they were lukewarm and made God sick, “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”– (Rev 3:17 NKJ) I don’t know about you but I don’t want to end my day’s blind. “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, Open the eyes of my heart.  I want to see You; I want to see You.” (Michael W. Smith)

Low mileage, one owner!

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Mat 6:19-21 NKJ)

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (1Pe 1:3-4 NKJ)

 I remember a chorus that we used to sing in church many years ago, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, for and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”  The more we mature as Christians, the greater our desire should be for the things of God, in fact, the material possessions of the world should pale into insignificance in comparison.  So why are some Christians more concerned with a heavenly mansion (a poor translation for a Greek word that translates space/room for everyone) and streets of gold, than the desire to be in God’s presence? The Devil knows, however, if he can just get us to turn our heads away from the Lord and onto that new car, bigger house, a better job, and more money, he knows that the heart will follow.  So to justify our actions, we’ve developed a theology of prosperity.  If I give 10% God will give me a return on my investment.  If I pray for that bigger car, better house, more money, God will supply all my WANTS according to his riches in glory—somehow I don’t think so. The focus of the Lord’s Prayer was that ‘Our Father’ will supply all you have need of.  The blessing he bestows on us come from our obedience and his love. The world, on the other hand, will just tempt you with unobtainable wants.

 When I was a child, Vauxhall Motors brought out a vehicle called a Cresta.  It was flashy, covered in chrome and impressive.  If you bought one of these cars, you soon found out that your investment was nothing more than a rust bucket.  Cars can rust, houses can go into recession, and 401K’s can vanish overnight, but God is always sure and true.

 This world has nothing to offer us; we’re only here for one season, we want to set our hearts on the things above where we will be spending eternity.