Matthew 7:13-14 13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
I’m not deceived into believing that most of the people who claim to be Christians are actually saved…that’s a pretty bold assessment…here’s why:
For most, being called a Christian is a cultural identity and so being labeled a Christian is being part of a religion like any other world religion.
Most in Christendom just go through the rituals of what their religious denomination tells them to do…most think that following some church rituals earns them brownie points with God…some use religion as a way to gain praise… recognition….and rewards from men.
The wording “For the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction” implies that salvation is not an easy decision…it doesn’t fit in with our mainstream culture of living because it’s too restrictive.
It requires a decisive change of life that is in obedience to the principles of God… and for most people they don’t want religion telling them how to live.
Here in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is demanding a choice…an absolute choice… and a choice that renders finality…a choice that leads to a fixed forever in eternity…in a sermon we commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount…it could be better named… which way to heaven… “It’s make up your mind time”
During the past few weeks we have been looking at this sermon…most people driving by probably think we never change that sign…it’s said the same thing for months…the whole sermon has been leading up to this point and to this choice.
Back in chapter 5, verse 1 Jesus started out by uncovering the religion of Judaism …something well-known to the people He was preaching to…we have looked at the various topics Jesus taught about:
Prayer…justice…care for the needy…the religious law…divorce…fasting… adultery…prayer…anxiety…making false vows…judging others…salvation…all for the purpose of sharing with His followers how to live and do BETTER than what society expects.
Showing a standard of love and selflessness that Jesus exhibited when He died on the cross for our sins.
BUT…even though we implement all these qualities into our life style Jesus is saying it could all be for nothing…His whole sermon finds its culmination here in chapter 7, verses 13 & 14.
Jesus is essentially pointing out the insufficiencies of the Jews’ false religion and the pretend religion of today…no matter how much or how often you fast…how much you pray…how well you treat people…how much money you give…or how much you obey Scripture…it’s all superficial…if it doesn’t include accepting Jesus as your Savior…falling under the category of religion if it’s done for show.
Jesus is saying if your intent is to do nothing more than live a life style that reflects these values…hoping that will get you into heaven…your entire life is a charade
…based on a self-made religion in which people are attempting to earn heaven
…mustering up enough self-discipline on the outside to gain public favor …achieving a kind of worldly perfection when it comes to righteousness
…having a religion but falling short of what God requires for salvation
So, He confronts them with a choice. “You want to go to heaven? …there are two doors…one goes to heaven…and one doesn’t…and the choice is clearly an absolute choice…there are only two choices…not many…just two…and the decision is forever.
People respond to that with appalling disgust…this passage causes some to question the goodness of God…after all, if He really wants everyone to be saved …why didn’t He make it easier to be saved? Why doesn’t He simply let everyone into heaven?
With all the religions in the world…and all the supposed insights into spirituality …and with all the ways people have developed new religious systems and spiritual intuitions…—-there’s only one way???
People say, “You Christians are narrow-minded,” my response is “You have no idea how narrow-minded I really am…in fact I’m more narrower than you think.”
You would think there would be literally millions of ways people could choose from…But…in fact, there are only two…there is a narrow way with a narrow gate, and there is a broad gate with a broad way…and those are the only two possibilities.
Here’s a concept people in general have trouble with…God has the right to do it the way He wants…something today’s generation has difficulty with…claiming God’s unfair.
It’s hard for us as humans…especially for Americans to accept the fact that Heaven is not a democracy…we don’t want to believe that there is a loving God whose will is absolute and whose laws are beyond repeal.
We think heaven ought to be like America where each of us has a say in the shaping of our laws…where the ACLU or the Freedom from Religion Foundation as well as other atheist groups challenge any religious activity they believe is being imposed on someone.
They see religion as an infringement on someone’s freedom of choice…not wanting to believe or accept the reality that there is a power outside of ourselves …not wanting to believe that there is a wide gate and narrow gate…for them…any opposition to being a Christian is just exercising their constitutional rights.
The idea is that heaven is a place that reflects the qualities of what they think God is like…and based on that thinking…people assume there are different ways to heaven because my perception of God is really all that matters…conforming God to what I believe about Him because of what I think…is foolishness.
To accept an idea that demands you must enter through THIS gate…is a concept that’s biased… it’s not fair…BUT…all the while…the same people proclaiming how unfair God is are the same ones advocating that fairness is everyone receiving exactly what he or she deserves.
The one gate policy isn’t something the Church invented…men didn’t invent it… it’s the word of God… there’s no other way in…all other ways, though marked heaven, don’t end up there.
We need to keep in mind what Jesus has been laying out for the past two chapters of this sermon…the contrast between RELIGION that is false and religion that is true…between WORSHIP that is false and worship that is true…between divine religion and man-made religion…the choice is between the one…the true way or the false ways.
Jesus is telling the Jews that the religion they were practicing was not the religion that was initiated by God…it’s the religion of man…a religion that was not acceptable to God.
The pinnacle indictment of the whole sermon comes in chapter 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not (οὐ μὴ ) enter the kingdom of heaven.”
There will be no admission into heaven without righteousness…to be righteous means that you are in a right standing with God…it was the loss of righteousness that removed Adam out of his earthly paradise.
It’s not agreeable with God to admit or allow anyone into his heavenly paradise without righteousness.
Looking at the narrow gate… Jesus tells us four things:
FIRST…the gate is narrow
In Two Respects…ONE…it’s more like a turnstile…admitting only one person at a time…you must enter the gate on your own…alone.
TWO…Jesus says that the narrow gate leads to a “hard” road…one that involves hardships and tribulations [John 16:33] …living by faith [Romans 1:17; 2 Cor. 5:7; Hebrews 10:38] …enduring trials with Christlike patience [James 1:2–3, 12; 1 Peter 1:6], and living a lifestyle separate from the world [James 1:27; Rom.12:1].
When faced with the choice between a narrow, bumpy road and a wide, paved highway, most choose the easier road.
Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure…when faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus, most people turn away [John 6:66]. Jesus never sugar-coated the truth, and the truth is that not many people are willing to pay the price to follow Him.
SECONDLY…It’s a very selective gate
Some people think if I join a church or a religion…we’ll all go to heaven as a crowd…BUT…not everyone who joins a church…or who is baptized…or who is in a family of “Christians” gets in.
It isn’t something you inherit
from your parents or your grandparents…it isn’t something you sign up for along
with another person…admittance is your determined decision to accept Jesus’
offer of salvation. There will
not be many people who go in the straight gate.
THIRDLY…It may cost you everything you own
Everybody and everything…even the control over your own life…don’t tell that to
people when they walk the aisle…you are now under the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He guides you for the rest of your life with His purpose for you.
FOURTHLY…Jesus is the gate keeper
Jesus said “I am the door” [John 10:7] since the 1800’s there have been over 100
new religions formed…each having their own lessons…their own doctrines…their own practices despite Jesus’s claim as the only door to God.
Here’s what’s amazing…in a survey 80% of Christians named at least one non-Christian faith that can also lead to God even though Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me” [John 14:6].
There’s only one way to be saved, there’s only one person who is the Savior [Acts 4:12] “There is no salvation in any other name; for there’s no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
Any deviation from the person of Jesus as Lord and Savior…or the gospel of grace will lead you to eternal separation from God.
Then Jesus tells us some things about the wide gate.
FIRST…it’s a “wide” gate
Entry through this gate is easy…it may even be seen as attractive…there are few rules…few restrictions…and few requirements…this way requires no spiritual maturity…no moral character…no commitment…and no sacrifice.
SECONDLY…this gate is the entrance to a broad path
It’s not hard to enter this gate nor walk the road it covers…entering life’s journey through the wide gate leads to a broad path…with many sidetracks…that has no absolutes or boundaries so virtually anything goes.
The path is an easy path and with a free choice to do anything we choose to do… our worldview or belief system has no bounds and we can believe anything we want.
THIRDLY…it’s a gate that leads to destruction.
The phrase “leads to destruction” refers to eternal abandonment from God…the Greek word does not mean annihilation…or extinction…or an end to existence… but that which is ruined and is no longer usable for its intended purpose… “destruction” is not the loss of being, but of well-being.
Those who travel the wide, comfortable road have rejected Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord.
FOURTH…there are going to be “many” who go in this gate.
Why is that? …do people purposely want to be eternally separated from God and their loved ones? …is that what people really desire? …I don’t think any rational person would answer yes to that question…so why do so many people go through this gate?
This is a question that bears serious
consideration…most people, when asked this question, say that the sign over the
wide gate really says “To Heaven” …how obvious would it be if the sign read “To
Hell” so because it’s a lying sign it’s a sign that gives false directions and
people freely enter in.
Satan has paved the wide road with fleshly temptations…worldly attractions, and moral compromises…most people allow their passions and desires to dictate the course of their lives…they would rather create their own religion and design their own gods…that is why many people will go in.
They choose temporary earthly pleasure over the self-sacrifice required in following Jesus [Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Matthew 10:37]…this is exactly what Scripture says about Moses…[Hebrews 11:25] … 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Here’s what this verse is saying…people will spend their entire lives preparing for retirement…going to school…getting jobs…working for advancement…making sacrifices…working on their 401K and retirements portfolios…all for just a few short years of enjoyment after working their entire lives.
Yet these same people will spend little if any time preparing for eternity.
At the beginning of life every person will stand before these two paths…as Jesus closes out His sermon, He has described the character of those who are the subjects of His kingdom…in the previous two chapters He has laid down the rules by which we must live our lives.
He has defined the only two ways available to choose from…you can walk on the broad way that allows you to keep your “baggage” of sin and worldliness and the end result is destruction…OR…you can choose the narrow gate that leads down a narrow road that demands you give up the “baggage” of sin and worldliness.
Here’s the danger Jesus is trying to emphasize…many people will claim to “trust” Jesus but will never leave the broad road because they want to retain their baggage” of sin and worldliness all the while believing they are on the narrow
road…their form of Christianity makes no demands on them.
Here’s the question…and it will be the question asked by every person who claims to have walked through the narrow gate…did your profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? You cannot walk down two roads that lead to two different directions at the same time.