Earlier this year, we noted Bobbie Houston’s odd tweet about how God “leads only into wide, open, expansive places”.

Do You Believe Bobbie Houston Or Jesus?

This time Brian Houston joins his wife on her wide road and gate campaign. Chris Rosebrough reviewed a snippet of one of Brian Houston’s sermon on his Fighting For The Faith program that addressed this exact issue.

A lot of effort goes into writing out transcripts. Thanks to Craig Brown Reformed Theology for writing the transcript of Chris Rosebrough’s review.

[First Segment – 00:01:52 – 00:05:46]

You can watch this video > http://youtu.be/hjaLQ9xlFLk

Chris Rosebrough, “In fact one of the things we are going to be listening to is we are going to be doing a Brian Houston update and since he is one of these money grubbing televangelist types, we are going to we are going to be playing our Doctor Teeth song when we intro him.

But one of the things I have noticed about Brian Houston lately is a marked difference and I mean a negative difference in his preaching and teaching, in fact it the only way I can describe it and I hate to sound to use the word because it sounds like hyperbolae.

This is really what I think is that it is Satanic and in fact the last sermon that we reviewed here at Fighting For The Faith from Brian Houston was when he appeared at Saddleback church and it was fascinating to watch his manipulation of the biblical text, so that he would not have to actually say what the passage said regarding repentance and contrition and forgiveness and he engaged in a very interesting Bible twist where he you know switched translations to The Message to kind of skip through the part that had the part about repenting and then once he got through it you know he switched back to the other translation he was using and I mean it was an overt clear strategy on his part to not say what the biblical text says and so I was listening to his, the most recent sermon in the Hillsong podcast yesterday and I noticed that we are not going to do a full blown sermon review because actually the way that particular podcast lays out. It wouldn’t make a good full blown sermon review.

But what I noticed in this latest one is a like woah kind of moment.

You know sorry I sound like Patricia King and so yeah and you remember when Patricia King would claim she was getting down those walls she was talking or something like that or the Holy Spirit was nudging her or something and she would be speaking, all of a sudden she would go woo.

Anyway I have been doing this job a little too long, my mind has been going crazy. But anyway coming back to the Brian Houston thing, Brian Houston you all familiar with that text in The Bible where Jesus talks about, “Broad is the path that leads to destruction. Narrow is the path that leads to eternal life,” and I mean if I were to go and ask the average Christian on the street you know what is that passage talking to?

Matthew 7 v 13

“¹³ Broad is the road that leads to destruction. Narrow is the path that leads to life.”

People I think for the most part would say that has something to do with salvation, you know like heaven, hell, eternal life versus eternal damnation. You know something to that effect because that is really what that text is about. Well I am not going to tell you what Brian Houston does with it, but that is not what he did with it. It was so bizarre and so like I have never quite heard a Bible twist like this that I have to play it for you and do a little bit of time teaching today.

Yeah I just want to let you, kind of give you a heads up. Something is up with Brian Houston and what I mean by that is that I don’t think he is capable of teaching the Bible correctly at all anymore and like passages that are like to the average Christian are obvious as to what they are about. He is making points to not teach what those passages are about. But completely recast them in light of his false teaching and Word of Faith heresy. So it will be fascinating, it should be fascinating for you to listen to.

[Third Segment – 00:12:58 – 00:34:41]

Chris Rosebrough, “So with that we are going to dive into the programme proper and since we are doing a money grubbing televangelist update. Here is Doctor Teeth and his rendition of Money.

…

Alright that is Doctor Teeth and his rendition of money, money, money yeah we do that for the televangelists types out here and by the way Brian Houston is a huge Word of Faith prosperity preacher out there in Sydney, Australia. So I think that is very appropriate for him as well. Okay so what we are going to be listening to right now is a snippet if you would not a full blown sermon review. But a snippet from the recent Hillsong church podcast sermon podcast and the name of this the message by the way is Understand the Power Your Words Have on Your Dream. I mean just a name, the name of a sermon like that should clue you in that what you are about to hear has absolutely nothing to do with what The Bible actually teaches. Instead this is a message designed to scratch itching ears draw a large audience in and bring in lots and lots of money, money, money.

But with that I found it fascinating the particular Bible twist that Brian Houston engages in, like to the point of like totally missing the entire point of a particular Bible passage. But rather than me telling you about it, let’s let Brian Houston explain to us, so without any further or due here is Brian Houston from his sermon entitled Understand the Power of Your Words or Your Words Have on your Dream here we go.

Brian Houston, “Begin to speak this morning about destiny definers, specific things that define the path and the destiny of your life.”

Chris Rosebrough, “Things that define the path and the destiny of your life. Oh we are off to a great start aren’t we?”

Brian Houston, “The kind of things that determine whether or not you fulfil God’s potential and God’s purpose for your life or take a different path altogether and I couldn’t help but think again tonight when Sanga talked about a young guy so full of zeal and enthusiasm. You know out of what has God done in his heart at Hillsong, he has already written the sermon for the day, when he can preach it and you know Garrett spoke about a little girl who got so touched, that she already had a vision of a multitude worshipping and her leading the worship and I have got faith to believe that those young people and many more like them will fulfil the thing that God has put on their heart.

But the reality is it all comes down to specific choices they make and certain things that define our destiny and The Bible describes two gates and two paths with two very contrasting destinations. Jesus in Matthew 7 v 13-15 spoke about a wide gate that many take that leads to destruction or to death and on the other hand he talked about a narrow gate that few take that leads to life. It is a path to death and it is a path to life.

Chris Rosebrough, “Now so he is quoting the tail end of Jesus Sermon on the Mount. You know where Jesus talks about the broad road that leads to destruction and the narrow path that leads to life. So he has referenced it here. But is he talking about heaven and hell? Well let’s listen a little further.”

Brian Houston, “They go in different directions and they have very different destinations. You can see those same paths and destinations described right through the scripture. In Deuteronomy 30 v 19 the Lord says…..

Deuteronomy 30 v 19 (NKJV – New King James Version)

¹⁹ I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Praise God. That both you and your descendants the promise for your life. If you take that gate and go down that path it is not only for you but for the generations to come, whereas if you go the other way and take the path towards the devastation of kingdom purpose.”

Chris Rosebrough, “The devastation of kingdom purpose, take the path of devastation of kingdom purpose. What is that?”

Brian Houston, “That said the descendants aren’t even mentioned. Jesus same comparison, He says……

John 10 v 10

¹⁰ The thief comes except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that you may have life, and that you might it have in abundance.

Brian Houston, “Same thing from here from Proverbs 18 v 21 says

Proverbs 18 v 21

²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat it’s fruit.

Brian Houston, “Obviously in life we eat the fruit of the words we speak. Death and life same two paths towards the same destination and one of the destiny definers described here is our tongue or our words. Turn with me to Proverbs 10, if you would please and right through Proverbs 10, verse after verse describes the contrast between the road to life and the road to death. Death not always meaning, that you actually literally are physically dead not breathing going blue, decaying. You can be the living dead. Check out the person next to you is not the living dead.”

Chris Rosebrough, “Okay so you see what he is doing here. So apparently and I had no clue that this was the case Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 is teaching that broad is the road that leads to destruction. He is not talking about hell. He is talking about well the destruction of kingdom purpose in your life. Yeah I think we are going to have to open our Bibles. In fact if you have your Bible open up to The Gospel of Matthew 7, I am going to read for a little bit and see if we can figure out from the context of Matthew 7 as to what Jesus is talking about. In fact we are going to be looking at v13-23. So if you have your Bible, we are in Matthew 7. I am going to be beginning here at v13. Here is what Jesus said in The Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 7 v 13-14 (ESV – English Standard Version)

¹³ “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. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Now the question is, is Jesus talking about the path that leads to the destruction of your God destiny? Well let’s keep reading and see what he says because the context will tell us.

Matthew 7 v 15-20 (ESV – English Standard Version)

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Okay so notice a few things that are going on here. Jesus is talking about on that day, what would that day be? That is the Day of Judgement when Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead and so people will come up to Jesus on the Day of Judgement and foolishly point to their works.

Matthew 7 v 23 (ESV – English Standard Version)

²³ Oh Lord did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name.

These are religious people okay they are out there prophesying, casting out demons. You could think of the Patricia King gang here, you know doing all these things and Jesus will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7 v 23), where are they departing? Where are they going? Answer well if this is the last day they are not getting into the kingdom of heaven. They are on their way to hell.

That is what Jesus is talking about here. But that is not what Brian Houston is doing with this text. He has made this about well you not achieving your God destiny whatever that is, I am not sure what a God destiny is. But I assure you that Matthew 7 v 13 is talking about broad is the road that leads to destruction, narrow is the path that leads to life. That is not talking about whether you achieve your God destiny or your dreams for your life. No this is talking about whether or not you are going to spend eternity in heaven or in hell. Now going back to v21

Matthew 7 v 21 (ESV – English Standard Version)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Okay that is important stuff so okay, you don’t trust me when I tell you this. You don’t want to end up in hell. You don’t want to end up in the lake of fire. So Jesus here is telling us very clearly that just because you have done religious things in the name of Jesus doesn’t make you, doesn’t mean that you are in, okay instead you have got to do the will of the Father. So what is the will of the Father? Well luckily we don’t have to guess on this. We do not have to make this up, because scripture actually defines this very clearly. In fact if you flip over to The Gospel of John 6, I am going to point out a few verses in John 6 and back up into John 3 and we will kind of lay some of this out here. But The Gospel of John 6, I will start at v39. Here is what Jesus says. He says…..”

John 6 v 39-59 (ESV – English Standard Version)

³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me,

Okay this would be the Father right.

John 6 v 39-59 (ESV – English Standard Version)

³⁹ This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6 v 28-29 (ESV – English Standard Version)

²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6 v 47-51 (ESV – English Standard Version)

⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone by Christ’s work alone. Your works do not save you in the slightest. They do contribute to your salvation a bit and so you ought to be doing the will of God right so that you will be saved right. Well it is not something that you do. It is something that is given to you. Belief in Him is actually a gift and this is what Ephesians 2 says very clearly. Let me point this out to you. Ephesians 2, I will start at v1 so we get the context here.

Ephesians 2 v 1 (ESV – English Standard Version)

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let me point this out v8 says

Ephesians 2 v 8

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is the gift of God,

What is the this? When it says, “This is the gift of God.” What is it referring to? The answer is both grace and faith itself are a gift from God. You are not capable of believing the good news. God actually gives you that belief and the reason why is because you are born dead in trespasses in sins and that is why Romans 10 v 17 says…….”

Romans 10 v 17 (ESV – English Standard Version)

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Through the preaching of the gospel God regenerates you. Through the preaching of Law and Gospel you are convicted of your sins and raised to life in Christ and are born from above or born again as John 3 says so clearly. Let me back this up.

John 3 v 16-21 (ESV – English Standard Version)

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Okay so the good news is that Christ saves sinners and has bled and died for sinners like me and like you and he gives us faith to believe in Him, to trust in Him. He regenerates us, raises us from the dead, causes us to be born again, to be born from above, born anew right and this is all God’s work and this is all good news and this is what Matthew 7, Jesus is referring to about being the narrow gate versus the wide gate.

The narrow gate is the one that leads to eternal life and Jesus is that gate. The broad road that leads to destruction is the one that we are all born on and Christ rescues and saves us and takes us off of that broad highway and puts us on the path, literally leads us right into His heavenly kingdom and all of this is by His mercy and His grace. It is not something that you earn or do, it is given to you as a gift. This is what the good news is, but Brian Houston in this sermon literally has changed the meaning of that passage and made it about whether or not you achieve your God given destiny here on earth and that is not what this passage is about at all. Let’s listen a little bit more.

Brian Houston, “Just double check. Look at the key indicators like were they worshipping, were their hands raised, did they say amen, are they smiling, do they have a Bible? Do they look like they love God? Check they are not the living dead. Check their vitals. You see you can be alive but dead to God’s purpose and dead to God’s plan and just those young people I talked about have an awesome future as does every human being in human kind. But the reality is it comes down to whether or not we take the path towards the death of kingdom purpose or the path that breathes life and one of the key issues is our words and here in Proverbs 10 it talks about verse after verse gives contrast and I believe there are specific destiny definers that are themes. I spoke of one of them this morning that was integrity. The scripture says,

Proverbs 10 v 9 (NKJV – NKJV – New King James Version)

⁹ He who walks in his integrity walks securely,

And these that theme runs through Proverbs 10 and the second one is our conversation our words, what is on our lips, what comes from our mouth. It is actually a destiny definer, death and life are in the power of the tongue and there are at least ten verses in Proverbs 10 that gives the contrast between the path to life and the path to death that comes from the way we speak.

Chris Rosebrough, “Yeah again in Proverbs 10, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” That is not saying that your words are like magic and that they create your future. That is not what it is talking about at all. It is talking about how literally like shoot yourself in the foot or how do they put it open mouth, insert foot you can literally cause destruction in your own life by your words, not because you have said things like, “Oh I am sick I have the flue,” and somebody says, “Oh no you have just cursed yourself. Don’t say that.”

That is not what it is referring to at all, instead it is destruction through gossip, lying, deceit, you know things like that – that is what this is referring to. Yeah so something is up with Brian Houston and what I mean by that you know kind of circling back and making my point. It takes some pretty crazy hermeneutical gymnastics to take Matthew 7 v 13-15 and make it about you being on the path to kingdom destiny in this life and you know achieving your kingdom purposes.

That is not what this text is about at all. In fact it is such a bad Bible twist, that I am literally left scratching my head wondering what is going on with Brian Houston because now I am beginning to see a pattern emerging every time I check in with him, it is as if he is purposely and deceitfully making sure that he does not under any circumstance preach repentance and faith and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Instead it is he is making a very concerted effort to twist and mangle God’s Word in such a way that you don’t see what those passages are really saying and again the only word that I can come up with for this type of behaviour it is Satanic.

So what do you think? I would love to get your feedback. If you would like to email regarding anything you have heard on this edition or any previous editions of Fighting For The Faith, you can do so my email address is talkback@fightingforthefaith.com or you can subscribe on Facebook – facebook.com/piratechristian or you can follow me on Twitter. My name there @piratechristian

Source: Fighting For The Faith – With Chris Rosebrough – Brian Houston’s Twisting of Matthew 7 v 13-15, http://craigbrownreformedtheology.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/fighting-for-the-faith-with-chris-rosebrough-brian-houstons-twisting-of-matthew-7-v-13-15/, 10/03/2012. (Accessed 11/03/2013.)