The whole point of the Sermon on the Mount, is to show them that their view of everything is wrong. That their system doesn't meet God's standards of righteousness. He wants to bring them to the point of brokenness over their own sin. Tragically, like many today, they never got the message.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for this challenging Word for us today. Lord, we confess these words are difficult for us to hear because of our sin, nevertheless, it is much needed in the times in which we live, where many are falling victim to false teaching. So many have taken Your Truth and twisted it to fit the sin in their own lives. They have failed to count the cost of what it means to follow You. What a tragedy to be deluded our entire life, only to be shut out of Your Kingdom. Lord, we know that when we enter through the narrow gate there is security. We pray for those who are being deceived, having a false confidence they are secure. We ask and pray that today You would have mercy O' Lord, open their hearts to the clear revelation of the Truth of Scripture, as Christ has taught us. May they enter through the narrow gate, the narrow way that leads to eternal life. All for Christ's sake and for Your glory.Many Christians don’t have a problem with Jesus being a Savior, they do however take issue with His being Lord and Master! They have a hard time accepting that Jesus. The popular view that all paths lead to God and to eternal life is a heresy. Seeking eternal life through Christ alone is a less popular choice, one with specific requirements, which eliminates the majority. True Christianity stands alone. A self-righteous man does not face his own sinfulness. Notice that Jesus mentions the narrow gate twice, He mentions the wide gate only once. Both roads point to heaven, but only one will take you there.
Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7. Christ’s command to enter does not deny that salvation is by grace alone; it simply affirms the reality that those who choose to enter have been given God's grace to be saved.
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
I'd like you to notice the gate comes first, so before you get on the road, you have to go through the gate. There is an implied sense of urgency here. An imperative call to action. A command. Jesus is calling us to a very narrow, exclusive way of life. All other religions are on the broad road, there is room for a man and his sins. The way of Christ is very narrow, there's only room for man, his sins must be left behind. No one is born into God’s Kingdom, no one enters without having made the decision to enter. Jesus challenges His hearers who would be tempted to simply stand in amazement to make a decision.
Today, there is a tolerance for sin. In fact, it is celebrated even within the church. This is deeply disturbing. They have created a theology and standards that goes well beyond the teaching of Christ. Jesus teaching is very, very clear, He said it is a narrow way. "If you’re going to be in My kingdom, you’ve got to come on these terms. You must enter this narrow way." This is a command, with no alternative! Hell will be full of people who think they can enter God's kingdom through the wide gate on their own terms.
I've often heard people say "Christianity is exclusive. It doesn’t give room for anybody else." They are exactly right. You can only enter His kingdom on His terms. You can only enter God's kingdom on God’s terms through God’s prescribed gate, there is no alternative. Listen, it's God's kingdom, He has the right to determine the terms. And that is through Christ alone, Who is that way.
In John 14:6, Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
When we get there, we'll soon realize we can’t all go through together, we have to enter alone. Many people think that they’re on the right road to heaven, because they go to church, they listen to the sermons, they read the Bible, yet they fail to apply it's Truth to their lives. Salvation is exclusive and intensely personal. Contrary to what is being taught today, salvation isn't easy. Just fill out this little card, say this prayer and believe. That's cheap grace and easy believism! Those people aren’t on the right road. There is a real price to pay to true salvation.
Listen as I read from Luke 13, Luke 13:22 and following. "And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,"Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out."
By the way, the word strive in the original text is the word "agnizomai," from which we get the English word agonize. Agonize means an intense struggle as with an adversary. Salvation doesn’t come by ease. I realize that's not the popular view, I know it's not what many want to hear, but this is what Jesus said. God's kingdom is for those who strive, whose hearts are shattered over their sinfulness, who long for God to change their life, they agonize to enter it. No one enters without having made the decision to abandon his sin, agonizing to enter.
Despite what is being taught today, it’s never easy to become a Christian. I believe that one of Satan’s pervasive lies. That's why we must overcome Satan, agonizing all the way over your own sinfulness. We cannot enter through the small gate with self-righteousness in one hand and our sin in the other. If you're coming to Christ in that way, you’re on the wrong road.
That brings us to verse 14, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Here, the message is clear, the requirements are concise, hard, and a strict. The narrow way is framed by the loving, chastening hand of God. Who when we stumble will set us on our feet again. There's absolutely no room for deviation. In Luke 14, Christ tells us that if you're going to follow Me, there a few things you need to know. "If you do not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
Nowhere in Scripture did Jesus make discipleship easy, in fact, He made it as hard as it possibly could be made. If you want to follow Christ, you'd better count the cost. You better consider persecution, your better think about those who want to kill you. Christianity is not for the weak, the timid, when you become a Christian, you literally declare war on hell. Without Christ, everyone is going to end up in the same hell. It’s easy to follow, when there’s no standards of morality, when you can drag your sin along with you. Every person will live eternally either in damnation or blessing. I encourage each and every person to carefully consider the destination, because you're going to spend eternity there! That's going to be a major shock for some people. Try preaching that message.
Psalm 1 says "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."
In Matthew 22, Jesus said " For many are called, but few are chosen."
It saddens me terribly that the church has conformed with the wickedness of the world, changing it's views on marriage, sexual immorality, abortion and other things that against the clear teaching of the Word of God. Christianity is no longer characterized by the teaching of Christ, we've chosen the path of least resistance. The majority of people are on the wrong road, that's why Jesus says here, there are few who find it. As far back as the Old Testament, it's always been a small remnant of believers. Throughout redemptive history, it’s always been the few who seek God with all their hearts. The narrow way restricts both the believer’s actions and attitudes, especially in regard to sin.
In verse 21, Jesus says "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." The good news is the narrow way is wide enough to receive even the worst of sinners, but you must choose it and you come alone. The narrow path is often lonely, one must turn away from the masses, often times leaving behind friends and family. Those who are willing to forsake everything are never truly alone, Christ is always with us.
For many reasons, the narrow way is difficult, it's marked by pain and frustration, as we fight against ungodliness, bitterness, anger, and resentment. We must conquer our own sin in order to help others conquer their sin with love, faithfulness, and gentleness. Though we are instructed to contend for the faith, we are never to be mean spirited. And when circumstances warrant it, we must speak boldly and bluntly, as did John the Baptist, the Apostle John and even Jesus Himself did. Our motivation is found in upholding the Word of God, not winning an argument. We must confront error and false teaching.
In II John 1:9-11, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds."
In Closing..
It's sad to say, that many who travel the wide road, how could so many people be wrong? Because they have no idea where it leads, they fail to heed the warning signs, ultimately plunging head long into eternal death.
Many today prefer unity, acceptance and tolerance over sound teaching. I am convinced that Jesus would never embrace the doctrinal heresy and apathy toward the truth for unity and celebrating diversity. Jesus was never meek in confronting religious hypocrites, false teachers and every form of false religion.
Today, we often hear people say "What would Jesus do?" I believe in order to find the answer, one only needs to look at what Jesus did!
Jesus' interaction with culture was filled with conflict throughout His entire earthly ministry, even becoming hostile at times. He never bowed down to the intimidation of the religious leaders of the day, nor did He soften His message to please the crowds. He did not treat the differences between truth and error as merely theological disagreements. Anyone with a superficial knowledge of the Gospels, knows He confronted false teaching, and dealt with it sternly. His interaction with the scribes and Pharisees was marked by acrimony and rebuke. Even warning His followers against their damning influence, as He revealed the Truth of God.
Ironically, it was the outcasts of society who opposed His teaching, it was the most devout, respected religious leaders. Sadly, the more successful they are, the more deeply they can infiltrate the church and the more convincing they are at undermining the Truth. The force behind it all is none other than Satan himself.
The Church of Christ must reclaim true Christianity in America by putting sound doctrine at the forefront! You cannot overcome the world as long as you continue to live as those who are of the world. Nobody is a Christian who doesn’t live by the Truth.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen