Leave It All At The Gate

There are a few occasions that we intentionally drop things. What would you think if you saw someone drop 100 dollars, their phone, and their bill folder, and you returned it to them, and they said, I intended to leave it behind? Matthew 7:13-14. When you look at this powerful discourse given by Jesus on the mount, we recognize these were not just empty words to excite the multitude. Based on the teachings of Jesus, lives had to be changed and transformed, and this would be predicated on the decisions of the multitude to obey Jesus' teachings. When sermons are preached, sometimes they enter in one ear and out the other. Because there is no real urgency within us to make the necessary changes, I believe when you look at the words of Jesus, they should penetrate every single heart under the sound of my voice.

Now, we have a choice to make. Every day, we find ourselves at a crossroads in our lives. And each day, we decide which path we are going to take. Not to choose is to determine you will be displeasing to God. We all have choices. Deut. 30:19 "19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;" We have choices to make. Joshua said in Joshua 24:15 choose you this day whom you will serve. You have a decision to make. Isa 1:18: "Come let us reason together. God is giving us time, year after year, month after month. Day after day, hour after hour, and minute after minute to make the right decision that will always us to be in the Few.

When Jesus taught this sermon, the Pharisees set religious standards. They sought righteousness by outward actions but not inward transformation. Jesus said if you are going to be changed, it will not come from the outside in, but from the inside out.Jesus wants to challenge the mind and heart. He wants to see the credibility of our devotion by following Him. Following Jesus can be challenging. Many temptations bombard us. The world calls us by name, saying join us and do what we do. We follow the majority. Not realizing there is a destination before us.

Matthew 7:13-14 “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. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. It is no mystery that there will be more individuals lost than there will be saved. More people will be in the lake of fire than in heaven. And I am so glad that God touches me each morning and allows me to see the light of a new day because that spells the opportunity to do what he says.

Many people chose the majority to follow the wide gate because there was no restriction. Everybody could fit in the broad way. You could carry with you as much as you wanted and still fit through the wide gate. You can take all of your pleasure, desires, and lust with you through a wide gate.

Nobody will be there at the gate to tell you to drop this or that. But understand there is destruction at the end of the entrance. After all the intoxication, backbiting, and immorality, there is destruction. And many people are traveling down that road.

In the church, we are the ones who are to set the example and let our lights shine in a dark world. We are the ones who point the lost to the Savior. But many times, our witness is killed because we fail to go through the narrow gate. The wide gate means you can do whatever you want, say, and go wherever you want, and nobody will question you. No one will say anything to you because they are too concerned about satisfying themselves.

Jesus told them many of you are following a path, but you do not know it leads to destruction. Now, Jesus gave them an alternative. There are certain conditions we must meet to take advantage of the alternative. He said there is a straight gate and a narrow way that leads to life, but only a few will find it. Few will find it because everyone is not looking for it. When something is so bright and attractive, people make up their minds. This is the place I will go to because there is nothing else that will match it. I will not look for another way; everyone is going this way. I will follow the majority. But Jesus said only a few are going to find the straight gate. As Luke said in Luke 13:24, you must strive to enter the straight gate when you find it. That means there are some decisions that you have to make. You can't go through the straight gate as you would the wide.

The word straight means compacted; it is narrow and confined. You are trying to squeeze, and you recognize that you need to release some stuff to fit. Some become very sorrowful because we realize that if I am going to make this decision to walk through this gate, there is some stuff that I have to leave behind. And I am unsure if I am ready to leave this stuff behind. This stuff and these people have been mighty good to me. But I recognize that if I go through the straight gate, I must drop some weight and unnecessary baggage to live the life God wants me to. I have to make some decisions. I will have to drop some stuff to live a pleasing life to God. The question is, am I ready to release what prevents me from walking in the straight gate?

That is the cost of discipleship. Whatever that is not going to put me in favor with God. I must let it go.

But our devotion is shaky because we do not know how to let it go. So, we find a way to justify holding on to some stuff while feeling good about our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes, we create our own standards because of our unwillingness to abide by the standard of God. And somehow or another, we feel good about doing that, which is wrong as long as I can attend church on Sunday morning. If I can be physically present in the church building, that will automatically erase everything that has occurred. Well, you can be here and not here. Your spirituality is not solely based on your presence. But more so on your practice because you can be present and absent. How many people are in here and listening? Who in here has given your time and devotion to God?

You need to give God your everything or nothing. It is all or nothing as it relates to our devotion. Jesus is asking of us what He demonstrated over 2000 years ago. Jesus did not just give part of Himself. He gave the totality of who He was that we might be better.

Going through the straight gate takes self-denial. Luke 9:23, Jesus said deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me. We can only take that first step once we deny ourselves. You must want more of what God wants for you than what you want for yourself.

This type of teaching was very unpopular in the days of Jesus. And it is very unpopular today. One of the most challenging things for people to do is to change. People do not like change. I have been doing this all my life and don't want to change. And if I feel you are trying to influence me to change, I will resist. I am going to fight because I like what I have. We say things like that because we have a limited view of where we are. And we do not realize the path we are on while trying to hold on to stuff will only lead us to destruction. If we can help people see that, I know the church will be better. If the church is a better one, the world will be better.

Right now, somebody is wrestling with flesh. And sometimes you find yourselves in the sandals of Paul. I do not always do what I want to do. There is a war that is going on inside of me. You need to turn the wheel over to Jesus. Let him steer you in the direction he wants you to go. Just coming to worship will not solve all of your spiritual problems. Don't get caught up in man-made solutions to spiritual issues. You need the Lord to work in you. You need the Lord to move you, manipulate some things around you, and navigate you so you can get through the narrow gate.

Once you get through the narrow gate, sometimes it is challenging to stay on the narrow. And if someone has remained on the narrow way since they obeyed the gospel, I need to see you afterward. I need to know the secret because I stumble now and then. I look like a drunkard sometimes. I am over here and over there sometimes. There is a constant battle. Don't think I don't go through stuff just because I minster through the word. What I always say to you applies to me. I have to stay on the straight and narrow.

The temptation will come knocking at my door, but I have to stay on the straight and narrow. Everyone who comes to me only sometimes has my best interest, but I have to remain in the straight and narrow. Some will call me trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Some may be waiting for you to fall, but you have to keep on the straight and narrow. Pray for me, and I will pray for you because this is the road that leads to life.

I must drop something to fit through the gate; I still have to drop more stuff to stay straight and narrow. In Hebrew, we read of a cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1. They serve as our witnesses; they did what God wanted them to do. Pleasing God was not always easy, but they did it. I can always look back at them, and I can celebrate with them and celebrate their victory. But I must lay aside every sin and weight that easily besets me.

How many of us would have obeyed the gospel had we known what we know now? How many of you have lost the desire now that you know what's required? You have to pay a heavy cost. Our decision is about being serious about salvation; therefore, we are willing to change.

The purpose of God's word is to reveal to us not only our weaknesses and insufficiency but also to be everything that God wants us to be. So, I can't read and close the Bible because I don't like what it says about us. Sometimes, we get tired of what the Bible says about us. We think about others instead. We start thinking about the sins of others. We start spending time trying to diagnose someone else's spiritual issues that we ignore on our own. And while you think you are walking on the narrow way by highlighting someone else's problems. You have made a transition from the narrow way to the broad. You are so concerned about what someone else has done or is doing. You have failed to look at your feet to see what trail you are trodding. All of us want to go to heaven. I believe everyone wants to gather around the throne of God in Heaven. But although we want to, only some are willing to do what it takes to get there.

Remember the story of the man who had everything and wanted to take everything with him. I remember Luke 16, where two men died. One was rich, and the other was poor. And this poor man was so poor that he could not afford to go to the doctor. These men lived two different lives. But in the end, their destinies and destinations were also different. The poor man died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. It is good when you have angels as your pallbearers. He was comforted; he suffered abuse in his lifetime on earth. But now he is comforted. Luke is meticulous in recording the rich man who died and was buried. The Bible says in hell, he lifted his eyes from being in torment. But he was able to see Lazurus afar off. And can you imagine amid his torment saying I know that fellow? I have seen him before. He asked me for some food. But now he is looking good. He is comforted. He is blessed, and now I would not mind trading places with him. This man only wanted the crumbs that fell from my table.

Amazingly, the decisions that we make in our lives will come back to us. The Bible says to be not deceived. God is not mock; whatever a man sows, he shall reap. I just wanted a few crumbs from the table and off the table. And now that their situations are reversed. He is burning and in torment; he is not comfortable. He says to send Lazurus that he might dip the tip of his finger in the water and cool my tongue because I am tormented in this flame. It is amazing what goes around comes around. He just wanted the crumbs. He is not asking for a glass of water but a drop from Lazuru's finger.

They are in this place, and a gulf is fixed between them. The rich man could not pass over even if he wanted to. Nor could Lazurus pass over. It was something that was fixed. Now, we need to get this picture clear in our minds. The decisions we make in this life prepare us for the next life. So when you look at life or death, you have today to decide. Don't leave here unmoved and unchanged by the word of God, especially if you know you need to make some changes in your life. Please don't leave her the same way you came in. If God has not changed your state in your body to the gospel, then you will awaken like the rich man.

On many occasions, our greatest enemy is self. If we can only get ourselves out of the way. Paul said I am crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20). If you are not crucified, that is the problem. When you are crucified, you die to yourself, and you live for Christ. He said the life that I now live. We all need a life that we now live. Don't go back to the imprisonment of sin. Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly. When you appreciate that he blesses you repeatedly, even when you don't deserve it, he tries to get your attention. He wants us to be saved; he will not write us off, and he will not let us die without allowing us to return. He wants a relationship with us. And each of us falls from time to time, but what takes place after the fall? Because if you are still living and breathing, the blood is still running warmly in your veins; you have fallen but are still blessed. Because He didn't take you when you fell, the Bible says if you die in your sin, where I am, you can not come.