Resource Detail

2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel #6

PUT THE WORD OF GOD INTO PRACTICE

Matthew 7:13-29

Key Verse 7:24

1. In what ways do you see the narrow gate and the wide gate being contrasted (13-14)? What might these two gates represent in your personal life or in the world today? When choosing the narrow gate, what kinds of challenges have you faced?
2. What do you think are the characteristics of false prophets (15)? How can we recognize false prophets (16-20)? What could “good fruit” and “bad fruit” look like in our practical lives?
3. How would you describe the difference between true disciples and false disciples (21-22)? What do you think Jesus is warning us about in verse 23? What might it look like to do the will of the Father in our daily lives?
4. How would you explain the difference between the wise man and the foolish man in this parable (24, 26)? What do the houses and the storms represent in your view (25, 27)? In practical terms, what does it mean for us to build our lives like the wise man?
5. What do you think made Jesus’ teaching so amazing to the crowds (28-29)? As you’ve reflected on the Sermon on the Mount, is there a particular teaching or word of Jesus that has personally challenged you? How are you trying to put it into practice?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel May 18, 2025

THE WISE BUILDER

Matthew 7:13-29

Key Verse 7:24

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

A new pastor was invited to a church. On his first Sunday, he preached, “Love one another.” The sermon was very moving and practical. The congregation was so touched that they said to each other, “We’ve got ourselves a great pastor.” On the second Sunday, the pastor again preached the same message: “Love one another.” The members thought, “Our pastor must love this message.” But the pastor preached the exact same message on the third Sunday again. After the worship service, some of the elders came to the pastor. “Pastor, your sermon is excellent. But how can you preach the same sermon three weeks in a row?” The pastor replied, “Yes, I’ve preached the same message for three weeks. But I haven’t seen our church members putting it into practice.” I don’t know if this story really happened. But the lesson is clear: “We must put the words of Jesus into practice.” We often hear Sunday messages but don’t put them into practice. Sometimes we can’t even remember what last Sunday’s message was about. For the past five weeks, we’ve studied the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we will learn the final part. As Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount, he taught us to hear his words and put them into practice.

Let’s read verses 13–14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” First, Jesus gives a clear command: “Enter through the narrow gate.” Then he explains why by contrasting the two gates. What’s the difference between the wide gate and the narrow gate? If you enter through the wide gate, you find a broad road. But if you enter through the narrow gate, you find a narrow road. The broad road leads to destruction, while the narrow road leads to life. Many people enter through the wide gate, but only a few find the narrow gate. To help you understand this better, I’ll show you a well-known illustration. Please look at the screen.

This picture was drawn by a German Christian artist. The title is “The Broad and the Narrow Road.” On the left side, you can see the broad road. The gate that leads to this road is large, arched, and very impressive. Anyone who wants to enter is welcome. Right after entering through the wide gate, you see places that bring people pleasure, like bars, dance halls, gambling houses, and theaters. There’s also a woman looking at herself in the mirror, putting on makeup. One man is loading a cart with a big box of gold coins. Behind a well-dressed middle-aged man, there’s a robber holding a knife. You can also see a man proposing to a woman. A woman is walking arm in arm with a man, and their relationship seems immoral. Further up, there are violent scenes. A war is going on, and people are being taken away as prisoners. And what’s at the end of this road? Yes, a city burning with fire—destruction.

Now let’s look at the narrow road on the right side. First of all, the gate is very small. Next to the gate, a person is weeping and repenting while carrying a heavy burden. This narrow gate isn’t for just anyone—only those who realize their sins and truly repent can enter. Right after entering through the gate, you see a cross and water. This represents being forgiven through the cross of Jesus and being baptized with the Holy Spirit and water. Instead of bars, dance halls, gambling houses, or theaters, there’s a church. The road itself is narrow and rough. It’s a steep path going up a mountain. Not many people walk this way, so it can feel lonely. But along the way, there are people doing good works, serving others, and helping those who have fallen. Sometimes, they even have to fight off a lion that represents spiritual attacks or temptations. But what’s at the end of this narrow road? It’s the glorious, shining kingdom of heaven. Angels greet people at the gate, and those who arrive enter with joy and deep emotion. This narrow road leads us to eternal life.

Through this picture, you can clearly see the contrast between the narrow gate and the wide gate. Would you enter through the narrow gate? Or would you enter through the wide gate? Some people ask, “Do I really have to choose one or the other?” They wonder if there’s a way to enter through the wide gate, enjoy the broad road, and still end up not in a burning city but in the glorious kingdom of heaven. That’s a very good question—and probably a question many people have asked. But the Bible doesn’t show us any path like that.

We might think that most people would enter through the narrow gate. But what’s surprising is that many actually enter through the wide gate, while only a few find the narrow gate. Why is that? It’s because the wide gate is big and easy to find. It looks attractive and impressive. Many people are going through it, so it feels like the natural choice. And most people don’t realize where the broad road actually leads. On the other hand, the narrow gate is small and hard to find. To discover it, you have to pay attention and search carefully. In fact, this narrow gate isn’t visible to everyone. It can only be found by those who recognize their sins and truly repent. Only those who have their spiritual eyes open through the work of the Holy Spirit can find the narrow gate.

What does Jesus say to his disciples? “Enter through the narrow gate” (13). This is not a suggestion or a recommendation. It’s not even just an invitation, like, “I hope you’ll choose the narrow gate.” This is a command from Jesus. In other words, Jesus’ disciples must enter through the narrow gate. Some people think that Jesus is simply presenting two options—the narrow gate and the wide gate—and letting us choose between them. But Jesus is not asking us to choose; He’s calling us to obey. Because we are His disciples, He commands us to enter through the narrow gate.

Jesus’ disciples are people who follow His way. So what kind of path did Jesus walk? Philippians 2:6–11 shows us clearly the way Jesus went. Jesus was God in very nature. But He humbled Himself and became a human being to serve others. He suffered, and He obeyed God even to the point of death on a cross. Jesus walked the path of humility, service, and obedience. And because of that, God raised Him from the dead and exalted His name. God made Him the Lord of all and brought Him into His glory. Jesus’ life was a journey through the narrow road that led to the glory of God.

Jesus commanded His disciples to walk the path of truth that He walked. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Is it easy to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus? We want to go to bars and parties to enjoy and relieve stress. We want to date beautiful women or handsome men. But is it easy to say no to those things and come to worship God every Sunday at 11 a.m.? Is it easy to do one-on-one Bible study each week, write reflections, and repent of our sins? Is it easy to deny your desire to sleep more and wake up at 5:30 every morning to pray and spend time with God? We want to make a lot of money, become rich, buy a big house, drive a cool sports car, and go to fancy restaurants where waiters serve us delicious food. But is it easy to deny those desires and live simply, loving, serving, helping, and sacrificing for others? It’s not easy at all. That’s why walking the narrow road is so difficult. For some people, it may even seem impossible.

Living the life of a disciple—entering through the narrow gate and following Jesus—is impossible by human effort. It’s only possible when we meet Jesus as our Savior, love Him, and receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Entering through the narrow gate means experiencing the grace of salvation through Jesus and stepping into the life of a disciple. For those who have met Jesus personally and experienced His grace, the narrow road may still be hard, but it becomes a meaningful, joyful, and blessed journey. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can finish our spiritual journey successfully and enter the glorious kingdom of God.

Are you walking on the narrow road? Or are you on the broad road? Or maybe you’re hesitating somewhere in between, not really on either path? Jesus gives you a command: “Enter through the narrow gate.” If you’re currently walking the broad road, turn around and run back. Get off that road right now. That path leads to destruction. Instead, I pray that you will receive the grace of Jesus and enter through the narrow gate. When you do, your life will be filled with joy and peace that come from God. And in the end, you’ll receive eternal life and enter the everlasting kingdom of God.

Now Jesus speaks about false prophets. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (15). As we walk the narrow road, we will encounter false prophets. They try to persuade us not to walk the narrow road but to take the easy, enjoyable broad road instead. They lie, saying, “Follow me. You’ll succeed in the world, become rich, enjoy life, and still go to heaven.” They don’t teach the truth. They are often hypocritical, proud, deceitful, and try to manipulate you. They are ferocious wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing, pretending to be kind and trustworthy while their true goal is to destroy us.

So then, how can we recognize false prophets? Jesus tells us, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (16). Those who are not walking with the Holy Spirit cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Ga 5:22–23). They don’t want you to become Christ-centered or live for the glory of God. Instead, they want you to become their follower and live for their glory. In the end, false prophets will face God’s judgment.

Then who are the true disciples? Look at verse 21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Jesus clearly says that those who just call Him “Lord, Lord” will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Only the one who does the will of God will enter. When we read verses 22–23, we might feel confused and even afraid. “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” These words of Jesus are very shocking and frightening. Imagine standing before Jesus on the day of judgment, and He says to you, “I never knew you.” How shocked would you be? “Lord, what do you mean you don’t know me? Look at me closely—it’s me, Juan Seo. I went to Venezuela as a missionary for you. I raised many disciples there. I studied theology. I served as a pastor at Chicago UBF, working hard to serve the college ministry. I served as a pastor at New York UBF, preaching Sunday messages every week, leading many Bible studies, and even attending early morning prayer. And you say you don’t know me?” If Jesus were to say, “Away from me, you evildoers,” how devastating would that be?

If we misunderstand this passage, we might think that we have to do a lot of good works to be saved. But what does it really mean to do the will of God? Does it mean that every single thing we do each day has to perfectly match God’s will? The problem is, we don’t clearly know what God’s will is. John 6:40 helps us understand what it truly means to do God’s will: “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Doing the will of God means believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. It means confessing Jesus as Lord, entering through the narrow gate, and walking the narrow road. We are not saved by our works—we are saved by faith. But even that faith doesn’t come from our own effort. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, we can’t truly believe in Jesus or confess Him as Lord. Real faith comes when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see our sins, leads us to honestly confess and repent, and helps us experience the forgiveness of Jesus. This changes our lives. Anyone who is just pretending to be a disciple, without experiencing true regeneration, needs to take a serious look at themselves. We must experience the saving work of the Holy Spirit, confess Jesus as our Savior, and live for Him. I pray that when we stand before the judgment seat of Jesus, not one of us will hear the words, “I never knew you.”

Look at verse 24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” The wise builder is someone who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice. He builds his house on the rock. What about the foolish builder? Look at verse 26: “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” The foolish builder also hears the words of Jesus. So what’s the difference? He doesn’t put them into practice. Jesus compares this person to someone who builds his house on sand. Today, construction technology is very advanced, and it’s possible to build solid foundations even on sand. For example, the tallest building in the world—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai—was built on sand. But in Jesus’ time, the ground was the key factor in how strong a house would be. Building on rock was hard and took a long time. You had to dig through solid stone. The work was complicated, and the terrain was often rough. It required more workers and higher costs. On the other hand, the sand was wide and flat, so it was much easier to build on. Sand was soft and easy to dig, so laying the foundation didn’t take much time. It also required less workers and lower costs.

A house built on the rock and a house built on sand might not look different from the outside. But the real difference shows up when a heavy rain falls, when a flood rises, or when a tornado hits. A house built on sand collapses in the rain. It gets swept away by the flood. It gets blown away by the tornado. Why? Because its foundation is weak. On the other hand, a house built on the rock stands strong, even when the rain pours, the flood rises, or the winds blow. That’s because it’s firmly built on solid ground.

In 2018, Hurricane Michael, a powerful Category 5 storm, hit Mexico Beach, Florida, and destroyed almost every house in its path. But one house, called the Sand Palace, stood strong. It was specially built to survive strong hurricanes. The builders used deep concrete foundations, strong reinforced walls, and hurricane-resistant materials. When the hurricane passed, the Sand Palace was still there, almost untouched, while everything around it was destroyed.

Our lives can be compared to building a house. Are you building your life with a solid foundation on the rock? Or are you building your life with a weak foundation on sand? If you are hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice, then you are building your life on a firm foundation—on the rock. But if you are hearing His words and not putting them into practice, then you are building your life on sand. And that house can collapse at any moment.

Jesus taught us to love one another. He said that if we claim to love God but hate our brother or sister, we are liars. He also said, “If your brother or sister has something against you, first go and be reconciled to them, and then come and offer your gift.” But are we really listening to these words and living them out? The word of God commands us, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” And He also said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” But are we living according to them today? Are you a wise builder? Or a foolish builder?

Today, we’ve learned how we should live as disciples of Jesus. May we enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow road that leads to the glorious kingdom of heaven. May we become wise builders who hear the words of God and put them into practice, building our lives on the rock. Amen.