- “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16).
Introduction. This passage is one of the most quoted in the New Testament. It is a wonderful and refreshing passage, giving great peace and comfort to those seeking salvation. God didn’t want anyone to perish and gave Jesus as a Savior. Faith is the difference between everlasting life and perishing: “for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (Jn. 8:24). While some use this passage to proclaim faith alone will bring salvation, we must also take into account Jesus’ warning that it takes far more than a token faith. To those Jews who had already placed this faith in Him, He warned that only those who abide in His word after believing are “truly My disciples.”
- “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32)
His words at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount also warn about abiding in His word: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” but not abiding in His word, we do “not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” Jesus doesn’t want to be misunderstood. Hearing and believing His words are only a foundation on sand if we don’t do them.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount gives a description of genuine disciples. Only those who “hear,” “believe,” “abide in” and “do” these words “are truly My disciples.” This sermon should be a high priority to those who are “truly My disciples.” Doing these words puts us squarely on the foundation of rock. He began by proclaiming the blessedness of eight character traits. Those who are seeking to become poor in spirit, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted for righteousness abide in His word and are genuine disciples.
Jesus then contrasted six lax attitudes false “disciples” hold toward anger, sexual lust, all divorce (except for the cause of adultery), false swearing, taking vengeance, and hating enemies and persecutors. (Mt. 5:1-48). Those on the rock accept Jesus’ words, abide in them and submit. Next, He warned that any service to God mixed with a desire to be honored by men will receive no reward from God and revealed the wisdom of laying up treasures in heaven. (6:1-34). In the final chapter (7:1-28) He spoke of not judging others and of bringing all needs to God through prayer.
Jesus ended His sermon with three ominous prophesies. First, those doing His words and building on rock will enter the “narrow gate” God provided for them. Sadly, those building on sand and not doing His words will be responsible for creating the “wide gate” that “many” will enter through. The “few” who hear and abide in His word will walk the “difficult way” that “leads to life.” Those who hear Jesus words but don’t do them will create the broad path that leads to destruction.
Are we abiding in these words and acting on them? Did we carefully read His word and do everything He commanded in order to enter through the narrow gate? Jesus commanded baptism to be made a disciple, but multitudes ignore and refuse to do it. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them” (Mt. 28:19).
Never forget His warning! “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Lk. 13:24-25). The thousands of different churches in America today are a monument to the width of this broad gate. We must strive to enter through the narrow gate by following the Bereans. “they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11).
How could Jesus give such a prophesy? His grace and mercy are seen by multitudes today as being so vast, the gate shouldn’t matter at all. Yet here is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ warning that such reasoning is false and only makes the gate wider and the path broader. We must act on His warning that only a few will find the gate and path to life.
In Jesus estimation, even with grace and mercy the path to everlasting life is not easy. No one could know better than Jesus how difficult this path to God actually is. Since He proclaimed “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn. 14:6), He is definitely qualified to speak intelligently about these gates and paths. Don’t ignore His words!
How could any genuine disciple leave this path once he has entered it? Can’t we count on Jesus to keep us by His side every step of the way? Yes, He will do everything except violate or break our free will. All service to Jesus must be given willingly. “Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power.” (Ps. 110:3).
He will not force or compel us to serve and walk with Him. In the parable of the sower, He explained that some will leave the path because of persecution and others because the cares of the world and the deceitful nature of riches that will choke His word. (Mt. 13:18-23). Three of the seven churches of Asia also left the path. One “left their first love.” The second: “I have not found your works perfect before God.” The third: “you are neither cold nor hot.” (Rev. 2-3). Paul’s letters to Corinth and Galatia rebuke and warn about false gates and leaving the path leading to life.
We ignore Paul’s warning to our own peril: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1Cor. 14:37). The words of Jesus’ apostles and prophets hold the same authority as the words spoken directly by Him. Genuine disciples follow the words of every verse in the NT. Yet multitudes building only on sand ignore the words Paul spoke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about the role of women in the church as an example (1Cor. 14:34-35; 1Tim 2:1-8).
Paul’s plea to genuine disciples: “that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Cor. 1:10-11) is also ignored. By hearing but not doing these words we will only increase the size of the wide gate. You can’t just join the church of your choice. Neither can you believe and practice what you want to so long as you are “honest and sincere”.
Jesus’ final prophesy creates reverent fear in the hearts of genuine disciples. Those building on sand ignore them and act as though they were never spoken:
Jesus offered no hope to these disciples except repentance. Calling Jesus Lord and even believing we are performing miracles will not be enough on the final day. Many will hear: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Mt. 7:21-23). While many ignore these words, these are the final words before Jesus said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them” is like “a wise man who built his house 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.”
Conclusion. We must never forget: “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples.” Jesus’ final words before returning to heaven were given to His apostles verify that Jesus expected us to accept that the “My words” we are to abide in begin with first the chapter of Matthew and end with the final words of Revelation. The Holy Spirit-inspired apostles would finish what He started: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:18-20). Those who are “truly my disciples” wanting Jesus to be with them “always even to the end of the age.” will “observe all things He commanded them.”
Jesus ended His sermon with three ominous prophesies. First, those doing His words and building on rock will enter the “narrow gate” God provided for them. Sadly, those building on sand and not doing His words will be responsible for creating the “wide gate” that “many” will enter through. The “few” who hear and abide in His word will walk the “difficult way” that “leads to life.” Those who hear Jesus words but don’t do them will create the broad path that leads to destruction.
- “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.” (Mt. 7:13-14).
Are we abiding in these words and acting on them? Did we carefully read His word and do everything He commanded in order to enter through the narrow gate? Jesus commanded baptism to be made a disciple, but multitudes ignore and refuse to do it. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them” (Mt. 28:19).
Never forget His warning! “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Lk. 13:24-25). The thousands of different churches in America today are a monument to the width of this broad gate. We must strive to enter through the narrow gate by following the Bereans. “they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11).
How could Jesus give such a prophesy? His grace and mercy are seen by multitudes today as being so vast, the gate shouldn’t matter at all. Yet here is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ warning that such reasoning is false and only makes the gate wider and the path broader. We must act on His warning that only a few will find the gate and path to life.
In Jesus estimation, even with grace and mercy the path to everlasting life is not easy. No one could know better than Jesus how difficult this path to God actually is. Since He proclaimed “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jn. 14:6), He is definitely qualified to speak intelligently about these gates and paths. Don’t ignore His words!
How could any genuine disciple leave this path once he has entered it? Can’t we count on Jesus to keep us by His side every step of the way? Yes, He will do everything except violate or break our free will. All service to Jesus must be given willingly. “Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power.” (Ps. 110:3).
He will not force or compel us to serve and walk with Him. In the parable of the sower, He explained that some will leave the path because of persecution and others because the cares of the world and the deceitful nature of riches that will choke His word. (Mt. 13:18-23). Three of the seven churches of Asia also left the path. One “left their first love.” The second: “I have not found your works perfect before God.” The third: “you are neither cold nor hot.” (Rev. 2-3). Paul’s letters to Corinth and Galatia rebuke and warn about false gates and leaving the path leading to life.
We ignore Paul’s warning to our own peril: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.” (1Cor. 14:37). The words of Jesus’ apostles and prophets hold the same authority as the words spoken directly by Him. Genuine disciples follow the words of every verse in the NT. Yet multitudes building only on sand ignore the words Paul spoke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about the role of women in the church as an example (1Cor. 14:34-35; 1Tim 2:1-8).
Paul’s plea to genuine disciples: “that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Cor. 1:10-11) is also ignored. By hearing but not doing these words we will only increase the size of the wide gate. You can’t just join the church of your choice. Neither can you believe and practice what you want to so long as you are “honest and sincere”.
Jesus’ final prophesy creates reverent fear in the hearts of genuine disciples. Those building on sand ignore them and act as though they were never spoken:
- 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. 22 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?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Mt. 7:21-23).
Jesus offered no hope to these disciples except repentance. Calling Jesus Lord and even believing we are performing miracles will not be enough on the final day. Many will hear: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Mt. 7:21-23). While many ignore these words, these are the final words before Jesus said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them” is like “a wise man who built his house 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.”
Conclusion. We must never forget: “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples.” Jesus’ final words before returning to heaven were given to His apostles verify that Jesus expected us to accept that the “My words” we are to abide in begin with first the chapter of Matthew and end with the final words of Revelation. The Holy Spirit-inspired apostles would finish what He started: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:18-20). Those who are “truly my disciples” wanting Jesus to be with them “always even to the end of the age.” will “observe all things He commanded them.”
- But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? (Lk. 6:46-47)