“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Matthew 7:13-29 NLT
Jesus is God, and He has the right to call for absolute obedience. There are five major teaching sections in Matthew (chapters 5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25), and each section ends with a call to obey (and consequences if we don’t). The crowd was amazed at the teaching of Jesus because He taught with authority. He did not cite other rabbis (which was the custom), and He called for total obedience to His teaching. His teachings are the words of life.
There will be storms in life—that is guaranteed. Christ did not spare Himself from those storms but suffered rejection, misunderstanding, injustice, pain, and death. Each one of us has a choice—will we blame God for the storms or prepare for the hurricane? The words of Christ are a firm foundation that can withstand the storms. But if we are honest, His words are often NOT the foundation of our lives. We give much more authority to news, friends, entertainment, and our own opinions. These cannot withstand the storms.
Christ made it clear: fruit is not optional for salvation (see also John 15). There can be false fruit (Matthew 7:22), but producing no fruit is not an option. Those who have a relationship with Jesus (v.23) surrender to the work of the Spirit and produce good fruit (see Gal 5:22-23). The priority in our lives is to be closer to Him, experiencing His love and power, and obeying His commands.
Do you see the words of Jesus as optional advice or commands to be obeyed? What will you do to learn, remember, understand, and obey the teachings of our Lord
