# 27 Gates and Kingdom Citizens - Matthew 7:13-14

Introduction: How many gates have you walked through in your lifetime? Hundreds, perhaps thousands?

· People have gates that lead up to their homes.

· There are a lot of gates on personal driveways.

· Both the Sheriff’s Department, as well as the ISP, are surrounded by fences with gates.

· Actors’ and Actresses' homes have gates.

· Many people live within a gated community.

· The Whitehouse is surrounded by a fence with gates.

What are the most famous gates? Well, the list is so long that I don’t have the time to mention them all, but here are the top five:

1. The Brandenburg Gate (Berlin, Germany) – Erected in 1788 to mark the new eastern division of the city, and was completed ten years later at the encouragement of Frederick William II of Prussia.

2. Gateway of India (Mumbai, India) – The monument commemorates the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911.

3. Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France) – It was constructed by Emperor Napoleon in 1806 to honor those who died in his campaigns and in the ten years leading up to his reign.

4. Tiananmen Gate (Beijing, China) – It was constructed in 1420 and became the main entrance to the Forbidden City. In 1989 it was the location of the infamous civilian protest and subsequent massacre committed by the Chinese government.

5. Catherine Palace Gate (Pushkin, Russia) – This palace was built for Catherine the Great, as a gift from Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, in 1720.

How many of you would like to walk through these various gates that I mentioned? I would! It would be fun to travel the world. In 1994, Debbie and I drove through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. It is massive in size.

As we come to our text in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus wants to have a word with His disciples about gates. He speaks to them about two very specific gates. A narrow gate and a wide gate. You’ll not want to miss what He has to say about these two gates. Every person the world over has walked through one of these two gates – the narrow gate, or the wide gate.

Jesus says,

I. Enter by the narrow gate – 7:13a

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Now, listen to this verse in the New Living Translation,

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.

Christianity is limited to ONE gate. Contrary to the idea of some not every gate leads to God. There is only ONEgate that brings a soul into the presence of Almighty God. Jesus said something very similar in John 10:9,

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Here we have a narrow door. Jesus teaches His disciples about the narrow gate – the only entrance point into eternal life, into a relationship with God.

In John 14:6 Jesus made it clear,

I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Acts 4:12 tells us,

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Christianity is a narrow way and Jesus is the narrow gate. Anyone who comes to God must come through Jesus Christ. There is NO OTHER WAY!

Dr. J. Vernon McGee wrote the following about Matthew 7:13,

He is giving us a picture of a funnel. If you enter a funnel at the broad end, it keeps narrowing down until you come to death, destruction, and hell. But you can enter the funnel at the narrow part, that’s where Christ is – He is the way, the truth, and the life. He says, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:19). And the longer you walk with Him, the wider it gets.

Remember in Ezekiel’s prophecy (Chapter 47) there was a river flowing out from the throne of God, which began as a little stream and widened out until it became a great river. That pictures the life of a child of God – it gets better every day. This is what our Lord was talking about. (Thru the Bible Commentary, J. Vernon McGee).

Next Jesus shares a warning,

II. Jesus warns about the wide gate – 7:13b

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

The Gate is WIDE

Here in verse 13, we see that Jesus teaches that there is a wide gate, that broad is the way, and that the way, or road leads to destruction. It is easy for people to get caught up in the mass movement of a crowd. We saw this being played out in our cities across America.

· George Floyd & BLM Riots - 2 billion in damages nationally. Highest recorded damage from civil disorder in U.S. history. Surpassed the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

· CHAZ or CHOP in Seattle, Washington. The City of Seattle reimbursed business owners $ 3,650,000 for damages caused by rioters.

· January 6th (not an insurrection).

All those events were mass hysteria. People got caught up with the movement of the crowd. They joined in because that was what those around them were doing.

The wide gate will take a soul straight to hell. Worldliness is a gate that is wide and its road broad, and the invitation to go that way is given to children, teens, and adults every day. That wide gate and board road will always lead to destruction.

What is found once you go through the wide gate? You will find a broad road that leads to…

· Rebellion

· Crime

· Hatred

· Sin

· Drugs

· Promiscuity

· Disrespect

· Death

· Denial of God

Walking through the wide gate will always lead you down the road toward death. Separation from the God who created you. The sad truth is that many will walk through the wide gate.

Jesus says,

III. Many go the way of the wide gate – 7:13c

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

It’s true! Thousands and millions have refused the narrow gate, but they have been swept along through the wide gate and broad road. They have entered the roadway to destruction. Remember the New Living Translation read, “The highway to hell.” What is sad is that often those who have walked through the wide gate and who are walking down the broad road are laughing their way to hell

Have you ever seen one of those massive car crunchers that turn an entire automobile into a small square cube? That is the visual picture in my mind concerning the many who are on the road to destruction. They are like a car on its way to being crushed into a cube. Totally Destroyed!

Next Jesus teaches,

IV. Narrow and difficult is the way which leads to life – 7:14a

14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus never promised that following Him would be a bed of roses. He never promised that the Christian life would be easy. No, He made it very clear that it would be a difficult path.

People who have entered the wide gate and who are walking down the broad road do not like it when we say that Jesus is the only way. Therefore…

· The world hates Christianity and those who follow Jesus Christ.

· Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith.

· The Church is under attack in many parts of the world.

· Christians are mocked and made to look absurd.

Jesus said that we are to take up the cross and follow Christ (Luke 14:27). When Jesus took up His cross, he was crucified. Why? Because He taught the truth of the narrow gate and the wide gate. Jesus taught,

difficult is the way which leads to life.

We too have been called to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. Not easy, but the reward is out of this world.

· Some Christians lose their Job because they confess their relationship with Jesus Christ. Christian scientist who won’t give in to the evolution indoctrination. Christian doctors who won’t go along with the COVID-19 story, or doctors who won’t do abortions.

· Some Christians lose their family because they follow Jesus Christ. A Muslim who comes to Jesus Christ is rejected by his family, and the same is true with Hindus. There are many cults that will write off their family members who turn to Jesus Christ.

· Some Christians are called names and abused because they have given their lives to Jesus Christ.

Jesus made it clear that narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life.

Finally, Jesus said,

V. There are few who find it – 7:14b

14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The Church, the body of Christ is small compared to the number of people in the world. The World Population stands at 7.9 billion. It is estimated that 2.4 billion people claim to be Christians, but of that number how many of them KNOW the person of Jesus Christ? How many of them have been born from above – born again?

Jesus said religious Nicodemus,

Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

My encouragement to all of us who know Jesus Christ is to stay on the narrow and difficult way. Don’t listen to all the voices of those calling you to turn and to go through the wide gate and broad road. No, you stay near and close to Jesus Christ.

One man wrote, “I personally would rather enter into heaven with a few, than into hell with the many.” I couldn’t agree more.

Conclusion: So, what is it that we learn from this third section of Matthew 7? We learn the following…

1. Jesus Christ is the narrow gate. Everyone must enter through Him. There is no other option.

2. The broad road is the world’s way and religions of the world.

3. The broad road always leads to destruction, death, and hell.

4. Many people choose (a choice of their will) to enter the wide gate and walk on the broad road.

5. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life (eternal life) there are few who find it.

6. Now (today) is the time to make sure you know which gate you have entered – the narrow gate that leads to life, or the wide gate that leads to destruction. Which have you walked through?