Why Jesus Said "My Way Is Better" — And What That Means for Your Stubbornness

Meta Description: Pastor Mike unpacked Matthew 7 with honesty and humor, challenging us to trade our stubborn self-sufficiency for the way of Jesus — which is always better. URL Slug: way-of-jesus-is-better-matthew-7-sermon Featured Image: A narrow path through a sunlit forest, representing the "narrow gate" — warm, hopeful, and inviting rather than foreboding.

Let's be honest. Most of us don't think we're stubborn. We think we're principled. We're committed. We have convictions. But this past Sunday, Pastor Mike held up a mirror to every one of us — and what we saw was a little harder to dismiss than we'd like to admit.

In week eight of the church's nine-week journey through the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Mike brought a message titled "The Way of Jesus Is Way Better Than Any Other Way" — and he meant every word of it. Drawing from Matthew 7, he walked us through three powerful movements in Jesus's teaching that challenge the deeply human tendency to do things our own way.

We're More Stubborn Than We Think

Pastor Mike opened with a disarming question: "Is anybody in the room stubborn?" The honest laughter that followed said everything.

He pointed out something that's actually backed by research — that most people, once they've formed their beliefs and patterns of behavior, don't change very much without something forcing them to. He called it confirmation bias: the tendency to filter new information through what we already believe, listening only for what confirms what we already think.

"The sermon on the mount," he reminded us, "is a major disruption to the stubborn ways people think, believe, act, and behave."

Jesus himself acknowledged our stubbornness in his teaching. He repeatedly said things like, "You've heard it said… but I say to you." He wasn't dismissing what came before — he was meeting us where we are and inviting us somewhere better. That's the posture of a good teacher and a loving Lord.

Ask, Seek, Knock — And Keep Doing It

The first major passage Pastor Mike unpacked was Matthew 7:7-11, where Jesus offers one of the most direct invitations in all of Scripture:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

What struck many of us was the way Pastor Mike drew out the original language. In Greek, these verbs carry a present, continuous tense — keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. This isn't a one-time transaction. It's a posture of ongoing pursuit.

He also noted that this passage sits right after Jesus's teaching on worry and judgment — and that's not an accident. If we're not supposed to be anxious about our own lives or critical of everyone else's, what should we do? Jesus answers: seek me.

Pastor Mike then walked us through the illustration Jesus uses — a parent who, when their child asks for bread, doesn't hand them a rock. "Even imperfect humans know how to meet the real needs of people they love," he said. "How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?"

The invitation is clear: trade your self-sufficiency for dependence on a Father who is always good.

The Golden Rule Is Still Golden

From there, Pastor Mike moved to one of the most universally recognized teachings in human history — and reminded us why it's still radical.

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

He connected this directly to what Jesus called the two greatest commandments in Mark 12:30-31 — loving God with everything you have, and loving your neighbor as yourself. The golden rule, he explained, isn't just a nice sentiment. It's the fulfillment of Scripture.

But here's where Pastor Mike's teaching took a turn that genuinely challenged us: he pointed out that when we treat people the way they treat us — especially when they treat us badly — we've essentially made them our God. Their behavior is leading us, not the Lord.

"We can't allow other people's lack of character to determine my lack of character," he said plainly.

He also asked a question that lingered in the room: What if we golden-ruled Jesus? We want him to bless us, love us unconditionally, extend us mercy and grace. Are we doing the same toward him — with our time, our resources, our attention, our devotion?

The Narrow Gate Is the Only Gate

Pastor Mike closed with the weight of Matthew 7:13-14:

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

He was clear and unapologetic: the path to life runs through Jesus alone. Not because of stubbornness or exclusivity for its own sake, but because Jesus himself said it — and either he's telling the truth or he isn't. Pastor Mike's conclusion was simple: "I'm going to go with him."

Rather than discouraging us, though, he used this passage to motivate. If the broad path is crowded, that's not a reason to despair — it's a reason to keep sharing the gospel, keep planting churches, keep living out loud for Jesus.

What We're Taking Into This Week

Pastor Mike closed with a prayer and a challenge that felt like both an invitation and a commission. Here's what we're carrying with us:

• Seek the Lord daily. Get into the secret place. Ask, seek, and knock — not as a checklist, but as a genuine pursuit of your heavenly Father.
• Make the golden rule your daily rule. Start at home, with the people closest to you, and let it ripple outward from there.
• Walk the narrow way — even if you're walking it alone. The way of Jesus is better, even when it's harder.

If you missed Sunday's message or want to go deeper, the full sermon is available on the church website and podcast. Study notes for every sermon are also posted online — perfect for personal devotion or small group discussion.

And if you're looking for a community to process these kinds of questions with, there's a small group for you. Reach out to the church to find the right fit.

"A teachable person can change direction without changing their convictions." That quote from Pastor Mike's message might be the one that stays with us longest. May we be that kind of people — stubborn only about Jesus, and teachable about everything else.

Social Media Excerpt (Facebook/Instagram): This Sunday, Pastor Mike asked a question that stopped us in our tracks: Are you stubborn? Most of us said no — which, he pointed out, kind of proved his point. 😄 Through Matthew 7, he unpacked why Jesus's way is always better than our way — and how the golden rule, the narrow gate, and a posture of asking and seeking can transform how we live. Full blog post at the link!

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