The Two Ways of Life
The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 38:33
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Intro; Jesus has been giving God’s standards throughout the sermon, standards that are holy and perfect and that are opposed to the self-righteous, self-sufficient, and hypocritical standards of man—typified the scribes and Pharisees. He has shown what His kingdom is like and what its people are like—and are not like.
From here through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly points out two things:
1) The necessity of choosing whether to follow the Lord or not,
2) The fact that the choices are two and only two.
* There are two gates, the narrow and the wide;
* Two ways, the narrow and the broad;
* Two destinations, life and destruction;
* Two groups, the few and the many;
* Two kinds of trees, the good and the bad,
* Two kinds of fruit, the good and the bad,
* Two kinds of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, the sincere and the false;
* Two kinds of builders, the wise and the foolish;
* Two foundations, the rock and the sand;
* Two houses, the secure and the insecure.
Jesus now places a choice to be made to all that are listening in the crowd, and those that are listening today, decide now about becoming a citizen of God’s kingdom to eternal life, or remaining a citizen of this fallen world and receiving damnation in an eternal hell!
This morning I want to preach on “The Two Ways of Life”
Text; Mt. 7:13-14
Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV)
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.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
1. Gate;
1. Gate;
Gate- a door or a hinged barrier used to close an opening in a wall, fence, or hedge: [A barrier to keep things out or some things enclosed]
Gate- among the Jews, signifies the entrance, introduction, or means of acquiring any thing. Jews talk of the gate of repentance, the gate of prayers, and the gate of tears.
Jesus is saying there are “gates” of entrance to the “Two Ways of Life”. But both the broad and the narrow ways point to the good life, to salvation, heaven, God, the kingdom, and blessing—but only the narrow way actually leads to those.
[John MacArthur] There is nothing here to indicate that the broad way is marked “Hell.” The point our Lord is making is that it is marked “Heaven” as well, but it does not lead there. That is the great lie of all the false religions of human achievement. The two very different destinations of the two ways are made clear by the Lord.
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
The broad … leads to destruction, whereas only the narrow … leads to life. Every religion except Christianity, the only religion of divine accomplishment, follows the same spiritual way and leads to the same spiritual end, to hell. There are many of those roads, and most of them are attractive, appealing, and crowded with travelers. But not a single one leads where it promises; and not a single one fails to lead where Jesus says it leads—to …
2. Wide Gate and Broad Path; 13
2. Wide Gate and Broad Path; 13
Every person ever born is already in the wide gate and on the broad path. It’s the way of the world and we are born in sin, so we don’t have to choose it, it chose us! The question is, “Will we choose to stay on it?”
The wide gate/broad path is traveled by many because it doesn’t require much
I can do things my way, believe what I want, and do whatever I want and nobody has a right to challenge me
It is the path of least resistance, everybody is doing it, and it hasn’t cost me anything to follow others
The majority must be right, this many people can’t be wrong
The wide gate/broad path is also loaded with attractions like the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”
The broad path is like the Georgia National Fair. There is so much to see, do, ride, eat and indulge in the pleasures of life. There are so many attractions vying for our attention. They stir the mind and the flesh and appeal to the sensations of a person’s nature.
How much money do we spend trying to win a $5 stuffed animal?
How much money do we spend for 2 minute thrill of a ride?
How many of you have come home with a $10,000 riding mower or a $15,000 side-by-side that you really didn’t need nor could you afford?
The wide gate/broad path sucks us in to temporary satisfaction at a cost we cannot afford! Sin does the same thing!!
Men may think they are smart, but when they choose to live in sin, and stay on the broad path, they reveal how foolish they are.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
Broad Path leads to Destruction- total ruin and loss. It is not the end of existence but the end of comfort in existence. It is not the end of living, but the end of enjoyable living. You do not cease to be, but you cease to be well. It is the destination of all religions except the way of Jesus Christ, and it is the destiny of all those who follow any way but His. It is the destination and destiny of perdition, hell, and everlasting torment. It is the eternal separation of God’s peace!
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
3. Narrow Gate and Difficult Way; 14
3. Narrow Gate and Difficult Way; 14
As we walk through life we are always searching for the meaning of life and our existence. This is where Jesus says that few will find and enter the “Narrow Gate”.
Enter- a choice in life of which path to follow
Narrow Gate- turnstile allows only one person through at a time
[J. Vernon McGee] The picture which is given here is not that of a choice between a broad white way with lots of fun and a narrow, dark, uninviting alley. Actually, He is giving a picture of a funnel. If you enter the 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 10:10). And the longer you walk with Him, the wider it gets. Remember that in Ezekiel’s prophecy (ch. 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.…
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Difficult- hard, to cause hardship, afflict
Jesus is not saying it’s difficult to become a Christian, but that there is only one way to live eternally with God and only a few will decide to walk that road. Believing in Jesus is the only way to Heaven, because He alone died for our sins and made us right before God. Salvation is restricted to coming through Jesus Christ alone. There is only ONE way of salvation, not many ways.
John 14:6 (NKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Difficult- self denial, resist the temptation to return to the broad path
Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Difficult- spiritual battle every day
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The narrow way requires commitment, determination, discipline, control and self denial.
Narrow Way leads to Life- abundant life and eternal life
Abundant life is the here and now!
John 10:10 (NKJV)
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Eternal life in heaven!
John 3:16 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 14:1–3 (NKJV)
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Close;
You have been presented the only Two Ways of Life this morning. All of us are born into the wide gate and are traveling on the broad path of the world.
But Jesus has given us all an opportunity to leave the broad path and choose Him and enter the narrow gate, The Cross!
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Where will the path that you are on right now lead you? Heaven or Hell