Sunday message · That’s What He Said series
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Message Summary
In the That’s What He Said series through Matthew, Pastor Phillip Santillan reaches the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13–29. The sermon opened with the surprising news that God’s kingdom has come to the least likely people, then showed with almost uncomfortable clarity what life in that kingdom looks like, so that his followers would be salt and light and others would glorify the Father. Now Jesus challenges his listeners to decide how they will live.
Phil recalls Francis Schaeffer’s 1976 book How Should We Then Live?, which traced how cultures shaped by the gospel decline when they drift from its standards. The constant talk of decline will continue until Jesus returns, Phil says, and should not weary our hearts. Schaeffer urged Christians not only to know the right worldview but to act on it in every part of society, or as Phil puts it, to bring the gospel everywhere we go, every day we live, with everyone we meet.
Jesus says the gate is narrow and the road to life difficult, and few find it. It is unpopular, Phil admits, but it is what Jesus said: not everyone goes to heaven, because not everyone chooses the road to life. Citing R.T. France, he notes the narrow door in Luke 13:24 answers yes to whether only a few are saved. Jesus’ teaching was hard: reconcile instead of harboring anger, do not blur the lines God drew for sexuality, and love even the enemy who does not look, think, talk or vote like you. Followers of Christ must actively choose God’s way regardless of how others live, since God measures us by his perfect standard in Jesus, not by comparison. There is no middle road, so Phil asks whether we are choosing the narrow way or simply going with the flow.
Jesus also warns of false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing. Without excusing leaders who abuse their positions, Phil says every believer is responsible to guard against false teaching. People are often deceived when they trust signs of successful ministry without looking for fruit: repentance, words that show allegiance to God, and lives shaped by hearing and understanding the word. Seeing fruit takes proximity and time, and Paul’s qualifications for overseers in 1 Timothy 3 include a good reputation with outsiders. Phil reminds the church he will not be their pastor forever, so each person must stay vigilant.
Finally, the wise builder hears Jesus’ words and acts on them. That starts with prayer, asking God to reveal himself through his word, as the psalmist prayed (Psalm 119:18), and continues through studying Scripture together and learning to feed ourselves, as a grown son should not expect his father to feed him. “No one passively enters the kingdom of heaven,” Phil says; passivity leads only to the wide road, deception and a faith with no depth. He closes by asking how we are choosing to live, praying that each heart would echo the hymn I Have Decided to Follow Jesus and take the narrow road that leads to life.