The Narrow Gate

Introduction

As we continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we find ourselves in the middle of Matthew chapter 7. Last week we covered the principles of the Golden Rule, and with that, Jesus effectively ended any new teaching in His Sermon on the Mount.

As we will see today and over the following four sessions, Jesus starts His conclusion to the sermon. But before we get into that, I want to start off today’s sermon in the same way that I did last week.

I am going to ask that you bow your heads and close your eyes. I am going to ask one question, and while nobody else is looking, I want you raise your hand if you would answer ‘yes’ to this question. How many of you say, “Mike, I know I am not perfect, but I am a Christian. I am a disciple of Jesus. I am a follower of the Lord.”? If that is you, would you raise your hand?

Great, you may lower your hands.

Jesus is ending the Sermon on the Mount. From this point forward, Jesus is in his conclusion of His sermon. Jesus has come right down to this world with a purpose of calling out people from this world to join Him in His new Kingdom. The principles governing this Kingdom of God are so different from what anyone would expect, that Jesus teaches this Sermon on the Mount so that we who are citizens of this New Kingdom will know clearly the principles and characteristics of this new Kingdom. The object of the Sermon on the Mount was to bring Christians to realize their nature, their character as children of God and to show us how to live out, or manifest, that nature and character in our daily lives. Jesus is founding a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven/ Kingdom of God. His people, His disciples, those that name the name of Jesus and call ourselves Christian (Christ followers) must realize that this kingdom is unique and separate from any other kingdom this world has ever known, and if you have been with us since January of 2024, then by now, hopefully, you can see all too clearly that this Kingdom is indeed very different.

We started off by looking at the portrait of a Christian by studying the Beatitudes. We studied that because these Beatitudes are so different and contrary to the world, that Christians would be persecuted and disliked. Even so, Christians are not to become hermits, segregating themselves from the world. Instead, we are to be light and salt.

Then, Jesus begins his practical applications. He reminds us that the kind of life we are to have is entirely different from the world’s. He tells us that the righteousness of the citizens of His kingdom is to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and the Scribes, the religious leaders of the day.

How can we possibly accomplish this? Jesus Exposes the spirit of the law. He shows us how to give, how to pray, how to fast, and in so doing He gives examples of how we ought to love others and interact with them, how we ought to speak to God and interact wit hour Heavenly Father, and also how we are to maintain a watchful discipline in our private, personal walk with the Lord.

Jesus has dealt with our attitude in judging others. He has laid down the principles, he has worked them out in detail for us and then exhorts us to ask, seek, and knock - to be passionate about the way we look to live this out in our lives.

Now Jesus reaches His conclusion. This conclusion is set in three parts with three tests. Tests that we can use to examine our own selves. Today we look at the first test.

This first test asks the question, “What am I going to do about all of this? Will I be content with nodding my head and marvelling at how great a Sermon this has been? Or will I begin to put these principles into practice?”

When Jesus gave this sermon, He did not seek the praise or adulation for how wonderfully worded his speech was. Jesus did not then and does not now desire praise for His sermon. What He desires is for us to put it into practice. The Sermon on the Mount is not simply to be complimented, it is to be carried out.

The Narrow Gate

This morning we will venture into the subject of narrow and broad gates in this sermon titled The Narrow Gate.

Turn with me, if you will, to Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13–14 KJV 1900

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The initial and common interpretation of these verses is that they mean that few people get saved and more people do not. Though this may very well be true, we must once again view these verses in the context that they are given.

To whom is the Sermon on the Mount directed? Who is the intended audience? Christians/disciples of Jesus. Why, then, would Jesus be encouraging His disciples to enter in the strait gate that leads to life if they have already been born again, if they are already His disciples?

Jesus is not throwing out this turn of phrase and this example of a narrow gate and narrow path so that people like Judas Iscariot will truly believe. No, this is a deliberate message for all the disciples that he has been talking to over the last 2 and a half chapters.

Like we mentioned before, this passage here starts Jesus conclusion of the Sermon. This is practical application that is happening here. This is Jesus’ call to action.

So let’s look at these verses and break them down as we look at the application for us today.

Jesus’ illustration is a very practical one. He conjures up for us, in our mind’s eye, a scene not unlike the one we have on the screens now. Here we are, walking along a path and suddenly, we find two gates. The one on the left is very wide and broad. There are many people entering that gate. The one on the right is very narrow. The King James uses a word that is now obsolete and has been since the late 1800’s according to the Oxford English Dictionary. That word is the word “strait.” The word means extremely narrow, having little space navigate through, extremely tight and painfully uncomfortable. This is the word as its meaning in the late 1500’s to early 1600’s. If you are using most any other version, the word used to describe this gate is the word “narrow.” But this is incredibly narrow.

Think of it this way. In Eastern China, there is a restaurant called Mr Zhou La Chufang. Customers may enter this restaurant through a series of openings that get progressively narrower. Those that can squeeze through the smallest, 6-inch gap earn a free meal. Videos of people trying to get through the smallest entry are rampant throughout the internet. Most of those that try to squeeze through that gap find it difficult and uncomfortable and recognize the need to take off purses, backpacks, fanny packs, and even bulky belt buckles and sweaters or jackets.

This is the type of narrowness that we need to be imagining as we picture the narrow gate.

Another thing that we notice from our verses is that there are very few people walking along the path that leads from the narrow gate.

Now picture Jesus standing there in between these gates as he says to us, “This narrow gate that leads to a narrow and difficult road is the gate that I want you to walk through. Enter ye at the strait gate, the very narrow gate. Come through this narrow gate, and you will find me, for I will be leading you.”

The narrow gate and the narrow path is an invitation to an abundant life following Jesus. Jesus does not lead us through the broad gate. He calls us to enter in through the narrow gate. Make no mistake about it, this is an invitation to follow Jesus closely.

What Does the Narrow Gate Mean?

It means that nothing else can be taken with us. Just like those patrons of the Mr. Zhao La Chufang restaurant realize when trying to squeeze through the 6-inch gap, they must take off any baggage and any bulky and obstructive accessories. When we pass through this narrow gate, I can’t take anything with me. This way of following Jesus, which is the only way to follow Jesus, is exclusive right from the very beginning.

What Must Be Left Behind?

The Crowds of the World

In living like a Christian, a Christ follower, we must realize that this is not the popular thing to do. Jesus explains it well: Matthew 7:14 “14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

By entering this gate, you are making a break with the world’s philosophies and with the people of this world. Christianity, true Christianity has never been popular. It is unusual, strange, and different. You cannot hold onto popularity and the Christian life. Inevitably, one will call us to break from the other.

Following Jesus is intensely personal. It is difficult for us to think of ourselves as individual people. For all the individuality that is preached and touted in this world, it sure seems like those who preach that each of us must be unique individuals, they seem to all look alike to each other. But as we learned from our studies on judgment, our Christian walk is ours and ours alone. Yes, ideally, Christians live in community with other Christians, but we are individually responsible to the Lord for our actions and inactions. And no one likes to be unique on their own. We do not like being different. We do not want to be unusual and exceptional. We wish to fit in, to blend in.

But the first step to walking with and following Jesus is to leave the world, and immediately see ourselves as separate from this world. We have gained an individual identity in Jesus Christ. Ultimately, we stand alone with Jesus, as we will on judgment day.

This gate is narrow, and crowds cannot get through. Admittance is one by one.

The Ways of this World

It is one thing to leave the crowd, but it is an entirely different thing to leave the ways of the world. We are called to leave the ways of the world. The whole world is following a certain path. We are to leave that path. We leave those philosophies. The philosophies of the Sermon on the Mount may very well be described as ‘narrow,’ and they are. That is the path of the narrow gate. There is no room for worldly philosophies, those are left outside the gate.

The thoughts and philosophies that advocate ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ cannot go through this narrow gate. The cannot take with us the mindset of vengeance and getting even. In going through this narrow gate, we find those philosophies replaced with “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also,” “whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain,” and love thy enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that despitefully use you and persecute you.”

We leave behind at this gate the instinct to defend our rights, to only love those who love us, and to hate those that hate us. To live in God’s kingdom is to leave outside the worldly instincts and philosophies.

Self

It is one thing to leave the world and the ways of the world behind, but we must also leave ourselves. Self is the fallen, sinful nature. The Bible tells is that we are to “put off the old man.” Ephesians 4:22

Ephesians 4:22 KJV 1900

22 Put off concerning the former conversation [lifestyle] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

If I do not check the “old man” at the gate, how can I love and pray for those that hate and persecute me? How can I not judge unrighteously? We must have no illusions of grandeur. This Christian life is not a life in which we will make a great name for ourselves. It is a life of humility.

The Narrow Path

Whereas the gate helps us understand that the entry into this Christian living is narrow and we can bring nothing along, the narrow path helps us see that there is no broadening after we get through the gate.

Matthew 7:14 KJV 1900

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We’ve already discussed the word ‘strait’ meaning extremely narrow. But now we must look at this word narrow, as in ‘narrow is the way.’ This is word narrow not only means narrow, but the it also means very difficult. Again, in different versions you will see that this passage reads, “and difficult/hard is the path that leads to life.” These are not contradictory translations nor are they coming from different texts.

If you look at the Oxford English Dictionary and look at the history of the use of the word “narrow,” you find that when used in figurative contexts, the word narrow carries an additional meaning. Used chiefly to express the difficulty of following a moral or righteous course in life, esp. echoing Matthew 7:14 (frequently in narrow way). And, yes, the OED does in fact specifically name this passage we are dealing with right here.

It goes on to list nearly 20 examples of this particular use of the word “narrow.”

The narrow path is a difficult path.

Jesus makes no bones about it. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. He tells those that wish to be disciples exactly what the cost is. Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 KJV 1900

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

This is not easy. He tells us that we must, as we saw earlier, deny ourselves. But after that, we are to take up our cross. This is an instrument of death and torture. It is difficult, it is painful. And only after we have denied ourselves and are willing to suffer for trials, tribulations, and tortures for Jesus’ sake, only then can we be Jesus’ disciples.

Anyone can follow the ordinary, and many go through the broad gate of the ordinary. But those that would live a life in deep relationship with God must do the extraordinary. But few follow that path because it is extremely difficult. We have articulated it since the beginning of this series, but this is the first time that Jesus clearly states that the path of following even basic Christian living is extremely difficult. Not just because dying to self and leaving the world is difficult, but because there will be persecution from the outside.

2 Timothy 3:12 KJV 1900

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

From the beginning to the end, the Christian life is narrow. There is no holiday, there are no breaks. This narrow path is a highly contested path, with spiritual warfare all along its route. There are enemies that try to trap us and people that will attack us to the very end. There is no easy pathway for the disciple in this world or in this life. The false teachers are the ones who say that the Christian life should be full of wealth and health. “If you’re poor or if you’re sick,” they say, “it is simply because you do not have enough faith.” Well, these verses absolutely blow those ideas out of the water.

Taking this narrow path is not a command. It is not a suggestion. Those that chose to live their Christian life outside the narrow path and outside the narrow gate are in direct rebellion against God. Jesus does not just say, “Consider me, look at me, admire me.” He says, “Follow me.”

Jesus has preached His sermon and now calls for a decision to be made - enter the narrow gate and follow the hard path, or continue through the wide gate and follow the broad path.

This is the ultimate test of my profession of Christian faith. The test of self-denial. Have I committed myself to this way of life? Is it the thing that controls my life? Does it dominate my life? Does it govern my decision making and my practices?

This calls us to recognize God as true and sovereign. It calls us to submit to Christ’s calling to be His disciple. Jesus is calling us to not think about it, not consider the consequences, but to believe Him and live this narrow life.

What Is the Point?

You may be asking yourself, “What is the point of following this narrow path of discipleship?” Well, yes, it is difficult, but let us not pretend that any other path in life is not full of difficulties. However, that is not a good enough reason. The primary reason we must all follow this path is that it is the only path that leads to real living.

Matthew 7:14 KJV 1900

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

That word life does not refer to eternal life. Remember, Jesus is talking to believers, to disciples. But it refers to the abundant life that He talks about in John 10:10 “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

This word translated life carries the following meaning with it: of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical; a life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to last for ever.

This narrow path is the only one that will give you fulfillment, joy, and peace. It is this narrow path, this hard path, that allows us to experience an abundant life, a life that tis full.

But we do not stumble onto the narrow path. The only way to get there is to intentionally seek that narrow gate and purposefully go in and follow that narrow path. Notice what Jesus tells us:

Matthew 7:13–14 KJV 1900

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Though entering this road is an individual commitment, there are others that are on that road with us. There are not a lot, but there are a few. But most importantly, Jesus is the one who calls His disciples to ‘follow Him.’ “Let him [those that would be His disciples] deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,” He says. Jesus is with us on this narrow road, this difficult road. He is not only there, but He is leading, guiding. To enter this way is to follow the footsteps of Jesus and have a close relationship with Him. If there were no other reason to do enter this gate and follow this way, this would be reason enough. Though you might think there is much to give up and much to leave behind by entering through this gate, ultimately, you lose nothing and gain everything.

So what about the broad path? The phrase that tells us that it leads to destruction is not talking about hell. It is talking about a destroyed life. At the end of this chapter, Jesus talks about to men that built houses. One built his on a rock, the other on the sand. When the trials of life came the house on the rock stood firm, but the house on the sand was destroyed. This man is the man that listened to the teaching of Jesus, this is the disciple that was faced with the choice and did not follow the narrow path. Does that person go to heaven? Yes, but has nothing to show for it.

If you are following any other path, you are on the broad way. It leads to destruction and loss. Nothing will satisfy you long-term, nothing will last. And in the end, all that you built will be lost. When it comes time for your works to be judged, all that will be left is ashes and shame. You will suffer loss of reward, and you will see that all that you worked for in this life was destroyed.

Invitation

There was a time when preachers would ask Christians to make a covenant with God. The practice was common in many churches that after considering a truth like this, that pastors would ask the listeners to go home and take out a sheet of paper and write out a covenant between them an God. These individuals would then sign it and date it, just as if it were a business contract. In so doing, they would sign away any right to themselves. They signed away their ownership of anything they had. From that moment on, they belonged fully to God very much in the same way that a person joining the military surrenders the right to control his own life.

I am not going to ask that you do that, but there is some merit to that practice. It offers a tangible and visible representation of what so many raised their hands about earlier in saying, “I am a Christian, I am a disciple of Jesus.”

For those that raised their hands earlier, can you honestly say, “I am on the narrow, difficult path. I have totally given myself up; I have signed away the rights to my life and the ownership of my things to the Lord”?

The life of a Christian is the life of commitment. The life of a disciple is the life of commitment. We have studied the truth for a year and a half, and it is time to do something about it.

I am going to ask Tahsha to come and play a familiar hymn. You may know it, but I’ll ask you not to join in singing it just yet.

I’ll ask that everyone please bow their heads and close their eyes.

To start off the sermon I asked a question. I am going to ask a variation of that question now. How many would say, “Mike, if I take an honest look at my life, I realize now that I am not truly a disciple of Christ. If a disciple of Christ, if a follower of Jesus is one that is on the narrow path, one that has signed over his life and all possessions, one that truly lives a life of self-denial, and is willing to go through whatever discomfort and trial and persecution in my pursuit of Jesus - if that is what a disciple is [and that is what a disciple is], then I must admit that I am not truly a disciple.” If that is you, would you raise your hand?

Though I usually do give an invitation for you to respond to God about anything that He has been dealing with you about, I rarely do altar calls. I do not often ask people to come to the altar or come and talk to me here at the front, but today is different.

We have studied truths and with this passage of Scripture, Jesus calls His disciples to action. We must do something with the truth we have been confronted with today.

So today I will ask, if you raised your hand saying, “I have not truly been living the life of a disciple,” and you want to do something about it,while Tahsha sings this song, would you come to the altar now.