There are many folks out there preaching the way into Heaven. Unfortunately, most of them are wrong. There is but only one way into Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Good works or deeds will not get you there (Eph 2:8-9). God sent His Son into the world to provide a way of salvation for us (John 3:16). In today’s section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about the Narrow and Wide Gates leading into Heaven and about True and False Prophets. These are important topics and we mustn’t get them wrong. They will make all the difference of whether or not we get into Heaven when the time comes. Read today’s text at Matt 7:13-23.
Jesus starts out by saying that we are to enter through the Narrow Gate (Luke 13:24). There is a Wide Gate where most folks try to enter. This Wide Gate is the path of good works. Most people believe that living a good life and doing good deeds will get them to Heaven and they try to be the best person they can be. Do the right things. But Eph 2:8-9 is clear on this point. No matter how good our good works are, they can never be good enough to meet God’s standards. It is our faith that saves us. We can never earn our way there. The Bible says that everyone has sin (Rom 3:23) and that we all deserve punishment in Hell for our sin (Rom 6:23). This is why The Law was given. To show us our sin and that we can never measure up (Rom 3:20). We need a Messiah to provide a way for our Salvation. We cannot get there on our own. The Wide Gate represents mankind trying to get there on his own while the Narrow Gate represents mankind depending on a Savior, Jesus Christ, providing an answer. Living a life of faith in Christ is something that few find but it is the path to eternal life and Jesus shares that here.
Jesus then goes on to warn His followers about false prophets. He tells them that false prophets come in sheep’s clothing. They look gentle and safe but deep inside, they are ferocious wolves. Just like trees, you will recognize them by their fruit. You can’t pick grapes from thornbushes, and you don’t pick figs from thistles. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. Any tree that doesn’t bear good fruit ends up being cut down and gets thrown into the fire. False prophets are like this. You’ll know them by their fruit.
Jesus goes on then to say that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the ones who do the will of the Father. Many will claim to have prophesied in His name, driven out demons, and done miracles, but He will tell them that He never knew them, and tell them to get away from Him. There were already many false prophets in the Old Testament and there will be many more in the future (2 Pet 2:1, Matt 24:11, Matt 24:24, Mark 13:22).
The Apostle Paul also warned the early church of this. He told them that false prophets would come when he was gone to disrupt the church (Acts 20:29-31) and that they must be on guard. This is a continuing problem that Satan tries to introduce. It is something we must constantly be on watch for as Christians.
In 1 John 4:1-3, we are taught that we must test the spirits to see whether they are from God. How does God’s Word say that we should test them? Compare this with the teaching in Matt 12:33 and Luke 6:44 which say that a tree is recognized by its fruit. Is it possible to know whether a prophet or teacher is from God or not? This is a question we can put to God in prayer and determine the answer.
Rom 2:13 tells us who it is who will be declared righteous in the end. Who is that? In light of this, what does James 1:22 advise us to do?
Responding to God: Praise God for sending His Son and providing such an amazing plan of Salvation. Thank Him that we can trust Him to help us identify false teachers and prophets. Thank Him for clearly teaching in His Word how to travel the road to Salvation and how to find the path of faith in our lives. Seek to live a life of faith in His Son. Ask His protection against false teachings from Satan.
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