The Broad and The Narrow; Which Way Will You Go?

This part of the sermon on the mount begins the final closing remarks. The main body of teaching can be summarized in v12.

Matthew 7:12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Who knows what this is called?

The Golden Rule

This overarching principle of treating others how you yourself would desire to be treated is not new to Jesus’s teaching.

It’s not even isolated only to Christianity today. Nearly all world religion, including new age religions and even Wicca's have a similar body of teaching found within their doctrine.

There’s an interesting drama that exists in Jewish history between two famous rabbis. These guys disagreed on just about everything. Both were teaching in Jerusalem around 70BC. The story goes that a stranger came to town one day and asked Rabbi Shamai to explain the entire teaching of the Torah while he stood on one foot. Shamai said, it’s not possible and sent him away. The guy goes to Rabbi Hillel with the same question, and he famously said...

“"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and learn."

Hillel was saying that when you condense the law of God down to its most basic essence, this is what you get. Do not do to others what you would hate them doing to you.

You’ll notice that this can be said in either a positive or negative form.

Jesus says it in a positive form...”So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.”

Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD”

As we’ve studied the sermon on the mount we’re finding that it really does matter to Jesus how we treat each other.

Why do we need a Savior at all? Because we’ve sinned against God, breaking that first and foremost law to love Him supremely, and we’ve sinned against our fellow man.

What is God’s Word saying to us? Love each other like this.

It’s also the prophets…Essentially this is the summation of it all. Love. Love others.

Spurgeon said ““Oh, that all men acted on it, and there would be no slavery, no war, no swearing, no striking, no lying, no robbing; but all would be justice and love! What a kingdom is this which has such a law!”

Is there anyone who doesn’t see this Golden Rule as good? Today there is...

A quote from an article on Harvard Business Review in Aug 2022.

“It’s time to adopt a “New Golden Rule:” Treat others as they would like to be treated. It’s a small change, but one that can make a huge difference. All it takes to put this new mindset into practice is understanding, curiosity, and compromise.”

Brothers and sisters, please remember that we are in a battle, not against flesh and blood, but against darkness and principalities. And what has Satan been doing from the beginning? He’s challenged, distorted, questioned, and lied about the truth of God to humanity. It’s His MO. It’s what He does. He’s a liar and a deceiver.

So, whether it’s Harvard, your friends, some other religion presenting itself as light and truth, remember one thing…truth is not relative. Truth is not subjective.

Later in Matthew Jesus teaches this again…Matthew 22:36-40 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

This is the perfect standard. A law of love for others that is guided and directed by a supreme love for God. This is what Scripture teaches in summary.

But how can one come to love God supremely, and love others not as they deserve, or as they desire, but as righteousness and truth requires?

There’s one way, and it’s through Jesus.

So Jesus takes the next 4 sections of His sermon to explain that this life of love for others and for God is not equally embraced by all.

There are some who are on the right path, and some who aren’t. That’s v13-14

There are those who want you to believe they’re on the path, but they’re not, so they deceive with words that sound like those who are true believers. That’s v15-20

There are those who are self-deceived, and think they are on the path by their many great works, but are not…v21-23

And finally, there’s the question what is the wise and good behavior for those who hear these words of Jesus. In v24-27

All of these come with a strong warning attached.

-The way is easy that leads to destruction

-Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire

-And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

-And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

We’re just focusing on the first 2 today.

The Golden Rule is the rule and way of Jesus the King. Those who walk in this way have a specific way of entry. Here we’re talking about the doctrine of the exclusivity of Jesus.

This way of love and treating others as you want them to treat you is not the way to heaven. That’s often the confusion. But I already love people. I already do good.

Have you entered by the narrow gate?

2 gates, 2 ways.

wide and narrow.

Notice some important details about the two ways...

Gate 1. Wide entry point, easy going, and many people.

Gate 2. Narrow entry point. Hard path. Few who find it and enter in.

Let’s just observe a few things about each, we’ll move on, and then come back for some application near the end.

What’s the more attractive point of entry at first glance? The one that allows the most room. This wide gate allows one to enter in without shedding a single weight or want from their person. Whatever sins a person holds onto can be carried without hindrance onto the broad road through the narrow gate.

The the gate is wide is one with many roads and paths. There’s enough room so that you can be on one path, your friends can be on a different path, and there’s no conflict. On this road exists the muslims, the buddists, the hindus, the Mormons, the JW’s, along with the atheists, the God haters, murders, adulterers, and …they’re all walking the path of harmonious tolerance to destruction. No one’s getting in each other’s way, and all are happy on the broad and easy way.

It’s easy. Not because those on this road don’t have problems or struggles, but on this road there is no need to repent of sin. On this road you carry the common burdens of a fallen world, and you get to keep your sin as well. No repentance. No rules. No accountability. All the pleasure and gratification one could want, and all in the company of the masses.

On the broad road there are many.

As you approach this gate and road, Those who enter by it are many. The crowd is there, you’ll have great company there. But with all this great company, and ease, and pleasure…there’s a major problem. You can’t see from the entry, otherwise nobody would go.

Jesus said “that leads to destruction.”

This is a word that in the original language is not unclear. It means to perish, to utterly destroy, to be ruined - it is the misery of hell that Jesus is speaking of.

Before I speak of the next entry and path, I want to be sure it’s quite clear what Jesus is saying, and why he’s saying it.

As He stands before His disciples as the King, and teaches them about the Kingdom of Heaven, he’s more concerned about their souls than their bodies. He’s more concerned about their souls than that they not be offended by His words. He is not ungracious or unloving to them, or to the large crowd that has gathered to listen.

Look at v13. Enter by the narrow gate

That’s the way.

Nobody argues with exclusivity or narrow mindedness when the fishing shop doesn’t sell pizza. Or when the sign at the park says “Bathroom’s this way”. Or, the only way to bungee jump is with a bungee cord.

Exclusivity is not the problem. Narrow mindedness is not the problem. Sin is the problem.

How can we know this for sure?

Because it’s the only explanation for why masses of people would follow an easy road that leads to destruction. Blindness characterizes lost sheep until Christ comes to a person with His Word, and shines light on the door saying… come this way…that way is destructions.

Not only does Jesus warn of destruction, but look what He does.

John 10:9-11 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

And so we turn to the gate that Jesus shows us, and we begin to see that the gate is Jesus. There’s something quite different about this gate compared to the broad entrance. We see narrowness. There isn’t all that room that the other gate offers. When you enter through Jesus you must shed a few things. But thankfully you don’t need the weight you’re carrying any longer.

That weight is guilt and shame. It’s fear and dread. And you don’t even have the ability to lift the burden from your back. That’s a kind work of the Spirit for those He’s saving.

What else is different about this gate?

Jesus says the way is hard. This is the true gospel…

The other gate promised ease, and required no sacrifice to enter.

This one is narrow, hard to enter through, and as you look out over the path you can see that it’s fraught with danger and toils.

That’s what is to be said to the one who’s coming to Jesus.

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God

These tribulations can vary. This could be hatred for carrying His name, persecution for loving the Savior whom the world rejects, attack from spiritual forces of darkness that eternally oppose all truth and light…but more often I have found that the hardship is not in what comes from the outside, but from within my own heart.

Through the narrow gate and onto that path is where Christians battle against their flesh and war against sin. From within are all manner of evil, and only Jesus Christ and the blood of His cross can aid us there.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I’ll just point out one final difference before addressing the destination...

There are seemingly few who find this path. Few desire it. Few love it. Few take it. EVERYONE who walks the path of righteousness through faith in Jesus finds that at some point there are a great deal of friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, who will not go with you. Brothers, it is comparatively a path that few take.

So why would anyone enter that gate and take this path?

One answer rules over all...

The grace of God.

By grace, God opens the eyes of the blind to see the joy of salvation on the narrow path.

By grace, sinners can shed their burden of shame and guilt and walk onto that difficult path fully alive and free.

By grace, we get Jesus who took a lonely and difficult path of obedience, obedience to the point of death…rejected by many, forsaken by the Father, beaten and bloodied and hanged on a cross to open for sinners the one and only way to eternal life…IT’s THROUGH JESUS!

Two paths. no arguments. one leads to life and the other to destruction. One has Jesus, the other has temporary pleasures that lead to death.

The difficult one is the right one. The easy one is the wrong one. This is clear. And what’s the point. We’re all in this picture, either walking on the good path because we’ve entered through Jesus, or we’re heading for destruction because you love your sin and deny the Savior who loves you and died for you. You might try the golden rule your whole life and treat others with great respect. But remember what Jesus said. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom.

Take the narrow gate.

Trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Be His disciple, take others with you into the narrow gate, embrace the pain and difficulty of the path of life because at the end is something to which nothing can compare.

I beheld, then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the hill "Difficulty," at the bottom of which was a spring. There were also in the same place two other ways besides that which came straight from the gate; one turned to the left hand, and the other to the right, at the bottom of the hill: but the narrow way lay right up the hill (and the name of the going up the side of the hill is called Difficulty). CHRISTIAN now went to the spring, and drank thereof to refresh himself;

and then began to go up the hill, saying: