Day 59: The Way

As sad as it is to say, I have to be honest: the last couple of weeks I've had issues with the sermon at church. Let me clarify: nothing was wrong with any of these messages, but there was something wrong with me...I was zoned out and lost for parts of each message, checking in and out at my own convenience. Even now, looking back, I'm not really sure what was going on there.

But, today brought me back.

God brought me back, like He always does.

Our study on the Sermon on the Mount came to an end today, as we finished up Matthew chapter 7. The incredible teacher that Jesus is, he ends this passage of teaching warning us about being pulled away from the gravity of His love, commands, and teachings.

The first warning outlined is one that most Christians are aware of, as it discusses how we are not called to take the wide and easy gate that leads to destruction, but instead to choose the narrow path to life that few seem to find. Is Jesus trying to trick us? Why is the path so narrow?

The path is narrow because the world is not after our joy. If it was, it would care more about us rather than letting us unleash our wild desires and passions for things that could harm us. Of course there is more room on a journey that requires less of us, which is exactly why I think so many people end up taking it. This is a struggle that I've faced for many years in my walk with Jesus, and something that still pops up from time to time. I become so enraptured with what the world has for me, that I forget what God has for me, and I stumble into the wide gate to death.

But then He calls me back, and I return, because Jesus is the way, and if I'm not following Him, I know that I'm following a hollow life.

John Mark mentioned that the gate is a metaphor for our culture that we live in. Are we letting ourselves fall into what our culture says is acceptable? He used the example of being single and looking at what the world says we should chase after versus what Jesus tells us.

The world says that sex is what we need, and that promiscuity is normal. Why not share your body with someone else to feel good? It's carnal, and we are human...give in. Sadly, I've believed that lie, and I've given in before. I am guilty of the lust that this world taught me was natural. JM also said, “Lust is using another person to satisfy your needs,” and I almost fell apart. I not only felt convicted of this statement because I had done this to another person, but the feelings of having this done to me were heavy on my heart. Why had I done this...why had someone done this to me? The only answer is that we were both on the broken and wide path.

But, what Jesus teaches speaks volumes in the other direction. He calls us to purity, to loving one person completely for the rest of our lives. He calls us to beauty, and passion, within the context of marriage. Instead of teaching us to lust, or use others for our needs, he teaches us to love, which means sacrificing our lives for another person like Jesus sacrificed His at the cross.

Even if I wasn't a believer, I would choose having someone sacrifice for me, and being able to sacrifice for them, than using someone or having them use me. 

It's both the right, and intelligent, choice like Jesus.

In addition to the culture we live in, Jesus also calls us to watch for false prophets, or those wolves who are dressed in sheep's clothing. 

It's disheartening to think about it, but it's imperative to realize that within a congregation, you will have your sheep and you will have your wolves. Churches are a mixed bag, as JM put it, and so we need to see others for who they are and watch. Now, that doesn't mean we have to be “heresy hunters,” but we do need to be aware so that we are not pulled away from Jesus by the false messages of these wolves. And, Jesus is quick to tell us how to spot these people: look for their fruit.

Now, a while back when I used to go to the way (we're talking 4+ years ago), I noticed that as it was growing, it seemed to become something other than what was intended. And, when I discuss it with friends now, we all pretty much come to the consensus that it morphed into a meat market. There were people cycling in and out of it, mostly looking to pick off innocent sheep from the flock.
Some of the sheep resisted, but others were led to the slaughter, being taken away from the church and Jesus by a relationship, or lust, or anything else not of God.

I don't mean to be dramatic, but walking away from Jesus IS a life or death matter.
Trust me, I know.

And so Jesus teaches us to look for fruit in teachers, specifically. Look at their theology, teaching, doctrine, because fruit comes out of character. How are they living? What comes out of their lives?
And, I really liked what JM said about not trusting people who aren't willing to show their weaknesses, or “never trust a man until you can see his limp,” because it is true that people who can't admit what they struggle with are hard to figure out. If we are all believers and follow Christ, we need to be able to show what we struggle with while seeking fellowship and prayer. And so we need to observe the character of those who teach us, and look for transparency, so that we are not led astray.
We can't let false prophets pull us from The Way that is Christ.

Lastly, Christ tells us how to build our homes. JM shared an awesome story of his visit to Galilee, and how it becomes so hot there that the sand literally bakes and becomes “rock” solid. And so, people are tempted to build there homes on the stiffened sand, rather than dig deep to reach the solid bedrock. This easy route is what Jesus warns us about earlier, and is what leads to houses being ruined. If we set our hopes on sand, they will fall when the rains come. But, if we set ourselves on the solid rock that is Christ, we will be secure even when the storms come.

In essence, we are all builders – so what are we building our lives on? Building our lives on a rock is building obedience to Jesus. There is a difference between learning and becoming, and that is where the building comes into place. We can learn, and learn, and learn, but our lives will remain unchanged until we do something with what we've learned, until we become what we are learning...and become like Jesus.

Everyday it's a choice to obey and follow Jesus, and we need to actively make that choice. We can't listen, learn, and then not obey; it just doesn't make sense. 

JM mentioned in closing that his mind learns faster than his character can grow, and I realized that I'm just like that, too. I focus on learning so much that I pay attention only to what I know rather than making sure that I actualize it. I need to make sure that my character is growing alongside my learning, so that I am not learning for no reason.

JM ended the message with a reminder that Jesus is not only Lord and savior, but that He also teacher, something that we so often forget. 

He is most intelligent teacher that we could ever learn from...so why is it that we rarely mention his intelligence? 

Jesus is not only the “right” way, but He is the intelligent way. Sin is not only the “wrong” way, but it is the stupid way. 

So, avoid the wide gate, and false prophets, and be sure to build your house on the rock that is Christ.
Live your life in light of what you learn, and become what God is teaching you.


In Christ,



Lilia