Living in the Kingdom 20
Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14; Deuteronomy 30:19; Jeremiah 21:8
This is a continuation of my series “Living in the Kingdom” and this morning and next Sunday we will be looking at two verses that truly stand out in this whole series. The two verses are Matthew 7:13-14 which says, “13. Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be who go in there. 14. Because narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” Some of you hearing this message over the next two Sundays might become a little uncomfortable because Jesus makes it clear that there will be more people going to hell than will be going to heaven. The reason for this is simple – being a Christian requires work – it requires a change of heart. These two verses are an introduction to what will follow in the rest of the chapter where Jesus explains how we will know those who truly belong to Him by the fruit they bear, not by their role(s) in the Church. He then tells us that not everyone who says that they know Him and believe in Him will necessarily gain access to heaven – meaning that while they might have attended Church faithfully, healed the sick or even preached from a pulpit, they will still end up in hell. These two verses are critical for all Christians to understand, especially for those who believe that because they were baptized they can continue living however they choose by grace.
Here is something for you to chew on. When you walk through any cemetery you will find many tombstones with the letters “RIP” or the words “Rest in Peace” engraved on them. When someone dies, people often say that they “are in a better place” regardless of how they lived here on earth. People often state or pray that God will have mercy on someone’s soul after they have died because mercy is what they will need to stay out of hell. Why do we say these things? Why do we state that someone is “resting in peace” when in reality if they lived a horrible life without ever accepting Christ as their personal Savior they died and went to hell? Do we really believe that people in hell are resting in peace? The only way to keep some people from going to hell is to be honest about those who are actually there! Remember the story of the rich man in Luke chapter sixteen? He died and went to hell and in his suffering asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to inform them of the place so that they could change. That rich man was not resting in peace! We make these statements because it is hard for us to imagine someone being in hell and burning in the lake of fire forever. Even though it is hard for us to imagine these things, Jesus makes it clear that there are two gates we can enter – the one that leads to eternal life with Him or the one that leads to an eternity without Him. The gate that leads to an eternity with Jesus is very narrow. Jesus said, “13. Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be who go in there. 14. Because narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” I am going to read how the Amplified Bible renders these verses, but before I do I want to draw your attention to something that’s very important. Jesus says the wide gate leads to destruction and many will go through it. And then He brings the point home by saying few will find the narrow gate. New Light, Jesus says far more people will spend an eternity in a place not called heaven than those who do. New Light, far more people will spend an eternity in a place not called heaven than those who will.
Now, let’s read these verses from the Amplified Bible. It reads, “13. Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.” I don’t want to rush pass the depth of understanding that the Amplified brings out in these two verses. It says the wide gate is “spacious and broad.” When a room or place is spacious and broad, there are fewer things that get in the way that restrict us and keep us from doing what we want to do. In other words, the wide gate gives a person the freedom to move about and do as they please. They live their lives based on what they believe is best for them. But for those who enter the narrow gate, there is pressure on it that makes it contracts. What is the pressure? It’s the standard that Jesus has set for the narrow gate, which includes following Him and His Word. The Bible is the standard for how we are to live and it is the centerpiece of the narrow gate and that’s why it leads to life. For the person who enters the wide gate, they are their own standard for how they are to live and that’s why their lives are headed for destruction, for an eternity without Jesus. I know I have spent several minutes on this, but it was imperative for me to do so. New Light, all of us must understand this as our eternity depends on it. So, let’s continue to see this from another perspective.
Jesus says that each person that walks the earth is like a traveler headed towards a destination. It is the traveler who chooses the destination and the path they will take to get there. As it relates to where we will spend eternity, Jesus said that there are only two final destinations and only one way to arrive at either place. The first way is straight and narrow while the second way is broad and wide. The first way leads to life and salvation while the second way leads to hell and destruction (the lake of fire.) He says this because of the difficulties associated with the way to salvation, and the easiness (lack of difficulties) associated with the way to hell and destruction. There will be few who choose the narrow path, but many who choose the wide one. Allow me to use an example of two concerts. Let’s say the first concert was held inside of a venue and the ticket price was $200. Once you arrived at the venue you had to pass through security and show proof that you held a ticket. Once your ticket is verified you are allowed to enter the concert with an usher escorting you to your seat. Now the second concert is held outside in a park and it is totally free. You can bring a blanket or chair and you can sit wherever you choose. All you have to do is show up and listen. Now which concert do you think will have the greatest attendance? Of course the second concert will have a much greater attendance regardless of the artist because it is free and there are no obstacles to entering the venue. With the first venue you have to arrive early to get through security. With the second venue you can arrive five minutes before the concert starts and still find a place in which to listen. The first concert is similar to the gate to eternal life – only a small number will enter it because of the obstacles leading up to it (venue, ticket price, security, etc.) However, since the second concert is free and held in the park, there are no obstacles blocking the attendees. This is similar to the gate leading to hell and destruction which many will find.
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses closes the last message he will ever deliver to the Children of Israel with the following, “15. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity, 16. in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18. I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 19. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20. by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) Moses told the Children of Israel that there were basically two roads laid out before them. One led to life while the other led to death. In order to choose the road leading to life they had to do certain things – keep God’s commandments and statutes, love God and obey His voice and hold fast to Him. In other words, the decision rested with them. They had to choose life or death.
God said something similar through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 21:8 says, “And unto this people you shall say, ‘Thus says the LORD; behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.’” The choice was free to them as it is to each of us. It was left up to the Jews to choose which course they would take. God has awarded all of us freewill, which opens up to us a vast range of possibilities (choices). We have opportunities for choosing life or death and it is our decision alone to make. Although God has a plan for us, we must choose to follow His plan leading to life versus following our own lust and desires leading to death. While our plans might seem perfect for us, only God truly knows where “our” plans will lead to. Remember what is recorded in Proverbs 14:12? It says, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” There is a way that seems right in the eyes of man, but that way will lead to death. That “way that seems right to a man” will lead through that wide gate that so many are entering. That way that seems right to a man tells the man that God knows their heart so their sins will be forgiven because they are just a sinner saved by grace and doing what everyone else is doing. That way that seems right to a man tells the man that their past, present and future sins were covered by the blood when they accepted Christ so they repented once and there is no need to do it again. These are a few examples of “a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Jesus said “Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be who go in there.” Doesn’t it seem foolish and unthinkable that Christians, having the passage way to heaven revealed to them in and by the word of God, would choose rather to forsake that path and go their own way, a way which leads down to the chambers of death and hell? Being a Christian can be a challenge and getting baptized and stating that we accept Christ as our personal Savior but demonstrating little commitment to Him keeps us on the same road we were on before we ever made the profession. I want you to remember something, James said, “You believe that there is one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) Many people incorrectly believe that just because they “believe in God and that Jesus is the Son of God” that is all that’s required to go to heaven. Well James reminds us that while believing that is good, it is not enough. He states that even the demons believe this and tremble. Believing is not enough – we must do something with that belief and we see this in Romans 10:8-10. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9. that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10. for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Paul said that we must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. Our external confession (which everyone gives when they publicly accept Christ as Lord and Savior) must correspond with the real, internal feelings as anything less would be hypocrisy. When we acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Savior and believe in our heart that He died for our sins and was raised for our justification, we choose to depend solely on Him for that justification which leads to our being saved. But, and this is the sticking point as to why many will enter the wide gate regardless of their confession, we must be sincere in our profession and our belief. When we believe with our heart, we are affected with a sense of guilt for our sins and acknowledge the sufficiency of the sacrifice which Christ has offered to cleanse us from them. And, because we acknowledge His sacrifice, we accept that we have been freed from sin’s power over us enabling us to live differently from how we lived before. We have mastered the profession of faith, but many still try to hold on to their old ways of thinking and living.
With all of this said, I want to pause and ask you a question. Who was Jesus talking to? In His Sermon on the Mount, who was He speaking to? Jesus was talking to people who had chosen to follow Him. He was teaching kingdom principles to those who had chosen to be a part of His kingdom. So Jesus was talking to us. He was telling us that being a part of His kingdom comes with a price. He was telling us, as you will hear over the next couple of weeks that being a part of His kingdom is much more than just going to Church. It is much more than preaching and/or teaching His word. While this is good, there is something else that is more important. What is most important is that we love God and we love Him. And how do we demonstrate that love? It’s not with the words that come out of our mouths. It’s not with how many Sunday services we attend. It’s not based on how many demons we cast out or miracles we performed. It’s about our love for Him which is demonstrated by our doing His and the Father’s will!
Jesus said “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) He also said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (John 14:21) Finally Jesus says, “….If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” (John 14:23-24) Jesus makes it abundantly clear that those who love Him are those who are keeping His commandments! There is no other way around this. We cannot justify how we choose to live and expect Jesus to say “Ok, I will let you in anyway.” The narrow way is the way of love for Christ followed by the decision to live according to His commandment as found it His word.
I will finish this message next week. But I want you to think about what you have heard this morning. I want you to think about the things that made you uncomfortable. I want you to think about the things that you didn’t like. Whatever they were – look at them as the Holy Spirit shining a light on them and letting you know they need your attention. That’s why it’s so critical for you to do a self-examination of your life based on what you heard this morning. New Light, continuing this message next week won’t matter if change needs to take place in your life and you don’t do it. All of us have things we can do better, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about life altering changes that the Holy Spirit pricked your hearts about this morning and only you know what they are. And if your heart was pricked, that’s a good thing. Hebrews 12:7-8 says, “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8. But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” The word “discipline” means “to educate, instruct or teach.” That pricking New Light is the Holy Spirit drawing your attention to something in your life that needs to go through the crucible of more sound biblical instruction. And, like everything we have talked about this morning, the decision to go through the crucible is totally up to you.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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