Enter Through the Narrow Gate

In one paragraph

Carl walked the congregation through Matthew 7, the closing chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. He moved quickly past material already covered from Luke and focused on the sections that filled in the fuller picture of what Jesus was asking his disciples to actually do. The passage opens with the warning about judging others by a harsher standard than you apply to yourself. Carl connected this...

Read together

1. Hebrews 4:16 opened the service, quoted as the basis for approaching God's throne of grace with confidence
2. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 quoted during the offering, Paul giving thanks for the church and God enriching it in every good way
3. 1 Peter 4:7-10 quoted in the offertory prayer, specifically verse 10 about using gifts to manifest the glory of God
4. Matthew 7:1-2 do not judge so that you will not be judged, by your standard of measure it will be measured to you
5. Matthew 7:3-5 the speck and the log, remove the log from your own eye before taking the speck from your brother's
6. Matthew 7:6 do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs
7. Matthew 7:7-8 ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened
8. Matthew 7:9-11 a father giving bread not a stone, fish not a snake, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
9. Matthew 7:12 the golden rule, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, this is the law and the prophets
10. Matthew 7:13-14 enter through the narrow gate, the wide gate leads to destruction, the narrow way leads to life
11. Matthew 7:15-20 beware of false prophets in sheep's clothing, you will know them by their fruits
12. Matthew 7:21 not everyone who says Lord Lord will enter the kingdom, but the one who does the will of the Father
13. Matthew 7:22-23 many will claim to have prophesied and cast out demons in Jesus' name, and he will declare he never knew them
14. Matthew 7:24-27 the wise man who built his house on the rock versus the foolish man who built on sand
15. Matthew 7:28-29 crowds were amazed at Jesus' teaching because he taught as one who had authority, not as their scribes
16. Luke 6:46 why do you call me Lord Lord and yet you do not do what I say, paired with Matthew's version of the same sermon
17. Psalm 86 referenced as basis for prayer, Lord I call out to you in my day of trouble because you answer me
18. Psalm 119:165 great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them, quoted near the close of the sermon

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl talked about removing the log from your own eye before helping someone else with a speck in theirs. Where in your own life right now is it hardest to turn that kind of honest attention on yourself instead of on someone around you?
2. The sermon described the difference between sharing the gospel with someone who has given no authority to God's Word versus showing them what a saved life looks like and waiting until they ask. How have you seen each of those approaches play out in your own relationships?
3. Jesus says to ask, seek, and knock, and then compares God to a father who gives good gifts to his children. What makes it hard to actually believe God will respond that way, even when you know the passage?
4. The sermon pointed out that the people Jesus turns away in Matthew 7 were prophesying, casting out demons, and doing miracles in His name, yet He says He never knew them. What do you think the difference is between doing things for Jesus and actually knowing Him?
5. The closing image is a house built on rock versus a house built on sand, and the sermon tied that to hearing Jesus' words and acting on them. What is one specific thing from the Sermon on the Mount that you have heard repeatedly but have not yet acted on?