"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Introduction:
Through the years, people who are thought of as a being narrow-minded person is also thought of as being a very negative person, and in some aspects they really are. Sometimes in the Church we can be a little bit harsh, and legalistic in the way that we think. Sometimes being narrow-minded can be a bad thing. If for example you refuse to consider other points of view or you are so determined in a course of action that you fail to listen to reason, then being narrow minded is not quite a good thing. I would not dare stand here and suggest that you become narrow-minded in your dealings with others. For example, Jesus could have gotten very upset with Judas who had the habit of robbing Him over and over again of His financial support—but Jesus instead gave Judas a place as a disciple and even loved him until the very end.
And so I’m not advocating for any of us to become overly narrow-minded as it relates to the Church. But sometimes being narrow-minded is a good thing; in fact, it could actually be a blessing. I don’t know about you but if I can focus on God and Him only. If I can only focus on His kingdom and not this world then I don’t mind if you call me narrow-minded, because that is exactly what I’m trying to be. I guess I would be called narrow-minded by most people and I really don’t mean any harm in saying this but, I’m not very interested in learning about the faith of people who don’t believe exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, there are many people who are dedicated to their “religion.” In fact, we may have more “religion” now than we have ever had. But, sadly enough, most of that “religion” is lacking the one thing that is desperately needed: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It doesn’t really bother me if I’m called narrow-minded because as I read these two verses I can see that I am in good company. Some open-minded people would take exception to these Words of Jesus—that you ought enter into the straight gate instead of broad gate. The broad gate is full of open-minded people who believed that anything and everything goes. We have a few issues today in America that we have sent to the Supreme Court Justices in order to get their take on it, we even have a few clergy who have expressed their desire to start being a little more open minded on certain issues. Although open mindedness does sound good on paper, you still have to be careful because if you open your mind too much there is no telling just what might creep in. And so you can call me narrow-minded if you want to, but I’m in some good company.
The world has often pictured Jesus as being so “broad-minded or open-minded” that He will accept any and every sort of response which a human being may make to His instructions and God’s commandments, however, the Bible does not describe Him as being this open-minded. Many believe that God’s love is so large that He will accept anything from a heart that is sincere. As long as you’re sincere about it, it’s all right with God—but they’re wrong and Hell will be full of people who were sincere and had good intentions. The definition of being “narrow-minded” is “lacking tolerance or breadth of view.” In order for men and women to see the importance of having and of living in harmony with the truth, it is necessary for them to see that Jesus was “narrow-minded” in the sense that demanded and still demands obedience of those who professed to follow Him.
Again, if I am narrow-minded I am in good company because Jesus made it very clear that He was “narrow-minded” concerning many subjects. He even sent His apostles into the world to make that very clear. Acts 4: 12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Ephesians 4: 4 - 6, “There is one body, and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through, and in you all”—anyone who wants to call me narrow-minded, I really don’t mind because I am in some very good company.
THE MANY OR THE FEW?
As I read this text over and over, there were two questions that just kept coming to my mind—why are there so many on the road that leads to destruction? And secondly, why are there so few on the road that leads to life? I would think or at least I would like to think that there are more people on the road that leads to life than that of destruction but that’s not what the Word says here and that’s a burden to me. And so we need to ask ourselves, am I one of the many on the road that leads to destruction? Or am I counted among the precious few? I know that these are some heavy questions to try and deal with this, but every once in a while we need to deal with the heaviness coming from God’s Word on personal basis.
Because God’s Word is a two edged sword and it cuts both ways. In other words, eventhough I’m standing behind this pulpit doesn’t mean that the words coming out of my mouth won’t come back and cut me too. Somebody said that, “We need to allow God’s Word to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency, and to overthrow our pattern of thought and behavior.” And so I’ve got to preach God’s Word even when it doesn’t say anything about butterflies, unicorns, baby dolls, and rainbows.
I believe that the foundation of society is trembling; the foundation of society is actually falling apart. There are people who are saying that I will go ahead and do what God says not to do. There’s people today, some of them who are very influential people as a matter of fact, who have decided that they will follow the majority rule rather than to follow what God Himself has already established. They want to follow the majority because after all that proves how open-minded they are. Satan has beefed up his attack on the Word of God, and he is right now deceiving many people into joining him in his outright attack on God’s Word. Satan is in an all out attack to try and make you and me doubt, reject and become unresponsive to the voice of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that my sheep hear my voice, but Satan wants to cut the wool off our backs until we no longer look like His sheep. And so far here in America in particular he has become very effective in his attack on people who profess to be a Christian. And this attack is coming to us from all the directions; it’s coming from Conservatives, Moderates, and Liberals. It’s coming from a wide array of what we call special interest groups; it’s coming from the Congress and the Supreme Court if you will, it’s coming from people that you work with and live next door to, they’re sitting next to you in the barber shop and beauty shop they’re all over the place. And sadly there’s even a few coming to the Church house these days.
The Bible tells us to not be deceived, because what we’re dealing with is actually not human in nature—because the Bibles says that, “…We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The devil is using his secret weapon, a weapon that we don’t normally think of as even being weapon at all—he’s using the weapon of “majority rule” –the doctrine by which a numerical majority of an organized group of people who have the power overrule the wishes and desires of the minority. Let me remind you that it was the majority who shouted, “Crucify Him!”
JESUS DOES NOT ENDORSE THE MAJORITY RULE
But as I looked at this text, one thing that is clear to me is the fact that Jesus does not endorse the majority rule at all. It’s says it right there in your Bible, “Broadway is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which go thereat.” It’s a road or a path in life that the majority will take and this road or path is only leading them to a destroyed life. These two verses of Scriptures just has to be two of most scariest verses in the Bible—because it’s saying a lot of people (a majority of people) actually think that they are living good lives and are headed for heaven simply because of their goodness.
But the text tells us that is not necessarily so. We’re living in a pragmatic world, a very results oriented. A world that needs physical evidence before it makes a decision. The majority rule is all right when it comes to politics but when it comes to what God says we need to throw the majority rule out the window. Throw it out because God does not deal with the majority rule, He has never asked you or me to vote on what He has already established in His Word. I
We’re dealing with some heavy issues today; your neighbors are struggling with depression, people are abused or addicted to drugs, and alcohol, they are struggling with the loss of a job or even if they have job they don’t know how long it’s going to last, and somebody may be sitting next to you whose grieving over the loss of a loved one. There’s [abortion, gambling, same sex marriage, financial problems, racism, suicide, and all kinds of violence to include the use of weapons of mass destruction.]
Most of the issues that we’re dealing today concerns—morality. We are caught up on the question of who decides morality for some reason. And so many of us depend on what the majority has to say about it. But the truth is the majority is not always right—it doesn’t matter what 95% thinks if God has already spoken. Again, the majority crucified Jesus Christ, that’s how the majority is, one day they’ll shout hosanna, and the next day it’s crucify Him. The majority tried to call the shots then and right now today the majority is still trying to call the shots. Even today the majority says to us that there are so many ways we can go—and so many beliefs that we can choose to follow.
THE CHOICES WE MAKE
But right here in the text, you can read for yourself, Jesus says that there are only two ways, two roads, and two paths, two directions that we can travel during our entire life. You only have two choices, and that’s it! And it’s a serious choice we are given because it is choice between entering the Kingdom of Heaven or being locked out of it, and it’s serious! Now everyday life is full of choices, you just made a choice to come to church this morning. But before you got here, you had to decide what time to get up? Should you take a shower or should you take a bath? Which car should you drive? Do you come to the first morning service or the second service? What do the kids need to wear? And that’s just this morning. Each day we are confronted with choices. Do we get married? If so, should we have children? What career path should you take? When will you retire?
But of all the thousands upon thousands of choices we make, the most critical choice for us to make is decision about Jesus Christ and His kingdom. That is the ultimate choice that determines our eternal destiny. All the other important decisions in life hinge on that choice. It is that decision that Jesus here calls men to make. I believe that the choices we make in life have an effect on not just us but those around us as well. Only when you have a made up mind can you become stable and accountable.
Only after you have proven faithful and dependable in your calling will God allow your ministry to increase. In a world like this one, it doesn’t make any sense to me for anyone to not want to follow God. He is the only, living and true God. No other god will answer your prayers. No other god will even hear you. No other god is alive. Jesus Christ is alive and that’s why my mind is made up to follow Him! I know how it is; nobody really likes to be told what to do. And given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection, that’s really what we want.
We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves and the good news is, God does allow you to decide certain things for yourself. Right here in text, Jesus says that there are two paths—which you can take in life. And you are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom, but as you decide, there are a few things you should know about these two options that you have. One of them works and the other one doesn’t, one of them feels right and the other one doesn’t, one of them will be the choice of the majority and the other one will be the choice of only a few. One of them leads to destruction; and the other one leads to life. And although the choice is yours to make, Jesus begins with some very good advice, He says, “Enter into the narrow gate…” Jesus is giving us the inside scoop and He really doesn’t have to—but through His grace and mercy He makes a heavenly suggestion—you’re given two choices here, but I highly recommend that you choose—the narrow gate.
THE NARROW GATE
Whenever we travel using the airlines we have to go through a narrow gate, sometimes when you go to the airport…you encounter the very same thing, and you have to leave your baggage behind—when it comes to this life that we living “baggage” can be defined as anything that is stealing your attention from Jesus and it is anything that hinders your worship. In other words, if you have desire to worship the Lord and you are willing to worship Him, one of the first things you need to do is check your baggage at the door.
Because you really don’t know when the Lord is going to show up and show out in this place. I may surprise a few of us this morning when I say that are only two religions in the world today. There is the religion of the flesh and the religion of faith, the world’s tells us that are many, but there’s only two. Because God said, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” There’s nothing neutral about it, and we are all engaged in a spiritual warfare, we are all born into enemy territory and are citizens of a doomed kingdom. And the truth is, we are participants in the battle even if we act like we are citizens of this earthly kingdom or believe that there is no war to be fought. Sin has placed us on the losing side. We will die on that side and spend eternity in Hell unless we accept the unconditional surrender terms of God.
No wonder Jesus here in the text is highly recommending to us this morning that we ought to “Enter through the straight gate”. There are only two religions, the religion of the faith and the religion of the flesh. One leads to life and the other leads to death, one religion may have ten thousand different names but it has only one source namely the devil. And the devil what does is package it up into many boxes in order to confuse us but it still leads to death. There’s good religion and there’s bad religion, there’s true religion and there’s false religion.
Jesus says “Enter through the straight gate” and before I go any further let me make it clear to you this morning that Jesus IS the straight gate. Jesus is the narrow way, and how narrow is it? Jesus said that, “I am the way, the truth, and the light and no man comes to the Father but by me” how narrow is it? I overheard Peter ask Jesus a good question on one occasion when all of the other disciples decided to leave Him Peter said, “…you only have the Words to eternal life to who else can we go?” How narrow is it? Well, “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory), there is one name given to men whereby must be saved, and that is the name of Jesus.
You have to enter the narrow gate, even if they call you narrow-minded! Tell them that I am narrow-minded because I woke this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus. God the Father was so satisfied with Jesus until He spoke through a bright cloud and His voice came from the cloud saying, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased; (you need to) listen to Him. God was so satisfied with Jesus until He raised Him from the dead; He died for us because no one else could do it. What about David? He took another man’s wife. What about Solomon? He had too many wives. What about Moses? He was murderer. What about Jonah? He ran away from God. What about Elijah? He was too moody. What about Noah? Someone said he got drunk. Jesus, only Jesus will do! If you want to call me narrow-minded, go right ahead and I’ll wear that label with godly honor. Amen.
