“Radical” Chapter Two
If you are like me the first chapter of “Radical” was well…RADICAL! This. Is. A. Hard. Book. I think that you, after reading chapters 1 & 2 will agree with me. Lot’s of new ideas and lots of new questions that go right a long with the ideas! In this book and throughout our study we are going to be asked to continually search to see if our understanding of the gospel is American or if it’s Biblical. As He shows us where we’ve been wrong ad challenges us with the truth…then we have decisions to make. Do we change…or keep doing things the way we’ve always done them? I have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Do we do that in our Christian walk? Do we do the same things over and over expecting our lives to somehow end up differently? It’s time to take a serious look at what we’re doing and make some radical changes!
Take a look at page 29 in the book. Sometimes we are faced with the reality that we might be afraid of the God of the Bible. Afraid of Him and maybe even afraid of what following Him might cost us.
Chapter two helps us see and come face to face with our sin. When we are faced with our own sin, it should cause a positive response in us toward God. But, as Page 31 says…we have the audacity to look God in the face and tell Him “No”. We must be careful that we do not fall into the trap of thinking we can do some “thing” to improve ourselves or our relationship with the Lord.
David Platt says in a video on Chapter 2 that the wonderful thing about God is this. Although He requires much of us…when we are obedient as His disciple, He gives us such joy and when that joy is combined with His glory it makes for one wonderful life! (Makes me want to watch, It’s a Wonderful Life!!) No matter what sacrifice is involved. I am finding that to be so true as I host one missionary family after another at A Refuge. They are filled with such joy, even though their lives, by American standards, is lacking.
We will be looking at the Sermon on the Mount for this lesson. If you want to, please take the time to read Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6.
Jesus does something amazing with this sermon. He completely overturned the Jewish (and our) understanding of righteousness. The sermon starts with the Beatitudes…Matthew 5:1-12. Here, Jesus says that joy is not found in good circumstances. The Greek word for “blessed’ here, a word that Jesus uses over and over in the Beatitudes is an adjective meaning “blessed, happy or privileged.” He says again and again that true joy is found in a persons knowledge that he is following God.
He tells us in Matthew 7 that there is a Radical Road we must travel as a Jesus follower. Let’s break it down into 4 parts.
Lesson 1 God’s Way Leads to Eternal Life, Not An Easy Life
Matthew 7:13-14 “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.”
The word road or path here is “hodos” in the Greek. It actually is used 46 times in the N. T. in a figurative way and means “focusing on the course one takes in life.” Understanding this word in this way helps us see more clearly what Jesus is telling His listeners. He first talks about the “wide” path. This Greek word is used only once in the N. T. and it is here. It is an adjective meaning “spacious or broad.” In Jesus’ day, describing a road in this way meant the journey was easy, free from hazard and danger, and you could see what was ahead. And what would the traveler find at the end of this path or journey? Jesus said he would find a wide gate. How many people are on the wide path? It says “many” are traveling that path. And where are they headed? Right into DESTRUCTION. Even though they can see where the path is heading, they still CHOOSE to follow that path.
The other path is described as “narrow.” The Greek meaning here doesn’t simply mean it’s more exclusive ,but it is “pressed hard upon”, as grapes in a wine press. Every other use of this particular Greek word for narrow in Scripture has a sense of tribulation, difficulty and opposition from culture. FEW people are on this path. And this path is leading to a wonderful place…LIFE. Even though this path is harder here, it is the only way to experience true LIFE here in this life and ultimately there, in heaven. The gate at the end of the narrow path has great significance…because John 10:7-9 tells us the gate is actually Jesus. By keeping our eyes fixed on the “Gate”…the journey, even though difficult…takes on new meaning to us and gives us greater joy.
Lesson 2 The World’s Way is Deceptive and Leads to Destruction
Matthew 7:15-20 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
In all these verses Jesus is making sure we see that the broad path and worldly values are not restricted to those outside the church community. He uses the imagery of wolves dressed as sheep in this passage. In essence Jesus is saying that the harmless appearance of worldly values has a dangerous presence inside the church if a careful watch is not kept.
He then moves on to describe two different trees. Good. Bad. It is evident, according to Jesus that each one is known to be either good or bad by one thing and one thing only…it’s FRUIT. According to these verses, when speaking about people and not trees, Jesus is saying that it is impossible to exhibit something that is not part of our character. One way or the other…the fruit that we bear will show what kind of tree we are…good or bad. He then says that the outcome for the trees rooted in bad behavior and bearing bad fruit…it is thrown into the fire. In this passage Jesus is telling us to be on our guard as to what kind of fruit we are bearing and also He is giving us permission to look at the lives of others and observe what fruit they are bearing.
Lesson 3 God’s Will Enables a Relationship With Jesus, Not Man’s Ability
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The hard thing here is that Jesus is actually speaking to people within the church community. Do these people believe they are saved? I think the answer is definitely “yes.” They have spent their whole lives doing things in their own ability…pretending they were doing it for Jesus…while all the while they were doing it by and for themselves. They wanted to enter into the Kingdom on one thing…THEIR WORKS. Knowing all the right things to say and do can never save a soul! The only way to eternal life is through faith in Jesus…He gives us a true relationship with God that is shown by us submitting to His will. Worshiping and serving according to our own abilities and desires with no regard to what He is telling us to do, results in us worshiping a god we have imagined…not the One true God. The end result of that is…”I never knew you.”
Lesson 4 God’s Word is the Sole Foundation for Radical Living
Matthew 7:24-27 “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 rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 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 rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Jesus gives us only two foundations in this passage of Scripture…sand and rock. The Greek for sand is “ammos” and it is used to describe the seashore. But, is usually used to describe a multitude. Remember that MANY travel the easy path…and their foundation is built on sand.
The word for rock in the Greek is “petra” which is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 16:18 to describe what the church would be built upon. It is obvious the people building these homes have one thing in common….they both hear the same message…God’s Word. The stark contrast between the two lies in what they do with that message. The wise listen to it and then CHOOSE TO OBEY. The foolish listen and CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT. They both do something with what they hear…and that choice makes one wise and one foolish. But, the sad thing is by being foolish, the house that was being built with much worldly effort and time is now destroyed. The only thing left behind is the pile of rubble left from the storm. But, the wise house that stands…once the storm has passed…it remains…tall and secure and firmly planted on the Rock.
There are two radically different ways to live:
The well traveled, crowded, broad easy path with a wide gate at the end…a house built on only sand.
The less traveled, narrow, hard path with a narrow gate (Jesus) at the end…a house built on a Rock.
As we continue through this book, I encourage us each to not get bogged down by all that we are learning. It can seem overwhelming at times. Instead, let’s pray as we read - ask Him to speak to us as we read and teach us what He wants us to learn through our reading. Then as He speaks we will listen (and build our house on the Rock), watch for ways that He is using the Word to change us and then obey. Storms of life are sure to come, you may be in the middle of one now…or there may be one just around the corner for you. But, as we travel down the narrow path and build on the Rock…we can be assured we are on the way to joy and life!
Take time this week to write down some short term and long term goals that you feel the Lord is directing you toward. As we go through this study…watch for ways that He is using this study to help you with those goals.
Read Chapter 3 for next week. And watch for signs of whether you are following the American gospel or the Biblical gospel. We’re all in this together! I’m learning so much about myself that is both scary and freeing at the same time. May He be praised forever!!!!
Sending much love,
Debbie
