Decision | Matthew 7:13-14

Scripture

• Matthew 7:13–14

About this sermon

Introduction: I was recently interviewed for an internet radio program about Spirit empowered preaching. On that program I explained that the Spirit’s power at work in a sermon is not measured by immediate impressions, but by its lasting fruit, at which point the interviewer raised a good question. I probably won’t get what he said exactly, but I can capture the main of it. “But doesn’t the Spirit’s work in a sermon make some difference in the preacher himself? I mean, I’ve heard sermons delivered about the weightiest subjects as if someone was casually reading the newspaper.” He’s exactly right. I went on to explain that I DO believe that the Spirit’s work is evident in the preacher himself, but what that looks like in the preacher is not measured by volume or sweat. What always shows up in the preacher is that he is (as it was said of Thomas Chalmers) “blood earnest.” The Spirit of God produces in the preacher a seriousness, a sincerity, a love, a concern, A FINALITY that comes across in the sermon. We have said it the past couple of Sundays, but it bears repeating. Whenever you meet with the Word of God you meet with judgment. We come to a decision point. The Word of God judges our condition, and as a result WE JUDGE ourselves, and we judge anyone whom we truly care about. “Where do we all stand in light of this message?” THE POINT IS THAT SCRIPTURE ALWAYS HAS A POINT! You never hear the Word of God rightly, and have it end with “so what?” There is always a purpose. There is always a call associated with it. If nothing else, there is a call for praise and worship. There is the call for a change in our thinking and devotion. And then, there will be a call for a change of course as a result of that change of thinking and devotion. WHENEVER WE MEET WITH GOD’S WORD THERE IS A DECISION TO BE MADE. That is what we see beginning at verse 13. Our Lord now applies the sermon to His hearers. He has delivered this great sermon and He now makes plain that it has brought his hearers to a great point of decision. WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH THESE WORDS? Tonight, I want us to think about that. I want us to think about the inescapability of decision when we meet with God’s Word. We will consider this under four points from verses 13-14. • THE DECISION FOR THIS SERMON This is the matter of first importance. What is Jesus saying to those who heard Him on that day, and what is it saying to all whom the Holy Spirit knew would hear it TO THIS VERY DAY? The word “enter” is an imperative. It calls for a decisive moment. It envisions a point of deciding. Well, what has our Lord been presenting throughout this sermon? • THE SUBSTANCE OF THE DECISION He has been presenting us with a series of contrasts. What will we be? TWO KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DEVOTION TWO KINDS OF TREASURE TWO MASTERS TWO AMBITIONS Then He gave us a warning about judgment, a command to seek our Father for all that we need (including the wisdom to make those judgments), and a summary of the entire sermon in the form of the golden rule. All this sermon, FULL OF THESE CONTRASTS, brings us to the point of only TWO CHOICES. This is important to understand. Those two choices can be demonstrated through a myriad of contrasts, but all the contrasts illustrate TWO DISTINCT WAYS. There is the way of Satan and the way of God. There is the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit. There is the way of the world and the way of the kingdom. There is the way of darkness and the way of light. There is the way of the world and the way of salvation. There is the way of self-righteousness and the way of true righteousness. There is the way of work and the way of faith. There is the way of self-salvation and the way of Jesus Christ. WHAT CHRIST HAS BEEN ILLUSTRATING THROUGHOUT ARE JUST TWO WAYS THAT ARE SET BEFORE MANKIND.