"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:21-23

1. The difficult way

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

There are some people who would have us believe the Christian life is one of ease and comfort. One in which we enjoy nothing but prosperity, health and wellbeing. The Christian life is a blessed life because of the One who goes with us through it, but it is a difficult life. We are going against the world, the devil and the flesh. That is why Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God because we are in a war not a picnic. Jesus clearly states in the above verses, "difficult is the way" and He modeled that for us in His own life. If my life is problem free it may be because I am floating down stream with everyone else. But when I start going upstream against the current that's when it gets interesting. The first test to see if I am in the way? Is my path easy or difficult?

2. The fruit inspection

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:15-20

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gets very specific in what will flow out of the life of a person who is part of the Kingdom of God. We find what we expect: prayer, fasting and giving. But Jesus also spends a lot of time on relationships, how we treat others. How do you treat others? What fruit is your life producing?

3. The storm test

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27

Someone wisely said a Christian is like a tea bag; you don't know what is in them till they get in hot water. The storms and difficulties of life reveal the nature of our faith and the strength of our Christian character.

You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors . James 1:3 (MsgB)

Jesus didn't want the truths of the Sermon on the Mount to live in the realm of theory, but He wanted them to flow out into the lives of His followers. How did you do on the test?