Untitled Sermon

Sermon Title:

“Only Two Gates: The Truth You Can’t Afford to Ignore”

Primary Text: Matthew 7:13–14

Supporting Texts: Matthew 5–7, Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, Revelation 3:1–3, 2 Timothy 3:5, Luke 13:24, Matthew 16:24–25, John 10:9, and others

INTRODUCTION

Church family… I didn’t come to entertain today.

I’m not here today to sound like one of those singing, hooping, hollering preachers, telling you how blessed you are, how special you are, and how God’s going to turn it around in 30 days. I’m not here to tickle ears or massage emotions.

I’m here to deliver a warning. Not from fear, but from fire. Not to shame you, but to shake you.

I stand before you today as a watchman—one who has seen too much to stay silent.

And let me just say this—I’m not here to talk down on any church I’ve ever been to. I honor the houses I’ve sat under, the men and women of God who’ve poured into me. But I also have to tell the truth. And the truth is—for too long, in too many churches in our communities—we’ve been fed half-truths… or outright lies. We hear Sunday after Sunday about how merciful God is… how much He loves us… how He’s just waiting on us to call His name so He can open every door, make every way, fix every problem.

And yes—He’s a Waymaker.

Yes—He’s full of mercy.

Yes—He is Love.

But that’s not the whole story.

We rarely hear about the flip side of the coin. We rarely hear about His wrath. We rarely hear about His justice. We rarely hear what happens when His patience runs out. We rarely hear the full counsel of God. And I came to proclaim this morning—that a half-truth is a whole lie.

On September 11, 2001, I was on tour with the Battle Color Detachment of Marine Barracks Washington. We were stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, preparing to transit to Camp Lejeune.

And I often wonder—if I could go back to that morning, knowing what I know now… if I could stand at the airport gates before those planes took off, or at the base of the Twin Towers before impact, or at the Pentagon before the flames—what would I scream?

I’d scream:

“TURN BACK! DANGER AHEAD! DON’T GO THROUGH THAT GATE!”

That’s how I feel right now.

Because in Matthew 7, Jesus isn’t giving motivational quotes.

He’s not handing out life coaching.

He’s issuing a final warning.

He stands at the end of the most radical sermon ever preached and says clearly:

“Enter through the narrow gate.”

“There are only two gates. Choose wisely.”

[SECTION 1: SETTING THE SCENE – WHO IS MATTHEW?]

Before we dive in, let’s understand who’s writing this account.

Matthew—also known as Levi—was a Jewish tax collector.

A man seen as a traitor by his own people because he collected taxes for Rome.

He was hated. Outcast. Labeled.

But Jesus called him.

Not with a long speech. Not with a debate. But with two words:

“Follow me.” (Matthew 9:9)

And Matthew did. He left everything behind.

From that moment on, he began to walk with Jesus.

And he recorded his journey—not as a scholar standing at a distance, but as a firsthand witness of the Son of God.

His Gospel was written primarily to a Jewish audience to prove one thing: Jesus is the promised Messiah.

So when Matthew documents this sermon in chapters 5 through 7, he’s not scribbling notes on random ideas. He’s writing the most explosive, most confrontational teaching Jesus ever gave.

[SECTION 2: FLOW OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT]

Let’s not skip past that.

The words we’re about to read come at the end of what we now call The Sermon on the Mount—Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

Let me walk you through the flow of this sermon:

He starts in Matthew 5 with The Beatitudes—statements that completely flip the world’s values on their head.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit… the meek… those who mourn… those who are persecuted.”

Not the rich, not the powerful, not the influencers—but the broken.

He moves into teaching about being salt and light, about living with a righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees.

Then He redefines the Law:

“You’ve heard it said… but I say to you…”

He says hatred is like murder.

Lust is like adultery.

He calls us to radical purity, integrity, and love—even for our enemies.

In Matthew 6, He exposes fake religion—people who pray to be seen, who fast for attention, who give for applause.

He commands us:

“Store up treasure in heaven… seek first the Kingdom… stop worrying about your life.”

In chapter 7, He warns us not to judge with hypocrisy, calls us to persistent prayer, and then…

He ends it with a punch:

“There are two gates. One leads to life. One leads to destruction.”

That’s the tone. That’s the urgency.

And this brings us to our main text:

[SECTION 3: MATTHEW 7:13–14 – THE GATES]

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.” (CSB)

This ain’t poetic.

This is black and white.

Two gates. Two paths. Two crowds. Two destinies.

No middle road. No gray area. No spiritual Switzerland.

Jesus is telling us:

There are only two gates. And most people are choosing the wrong one.

Now, here’s where I have to slow this thing down.

[SECTION 4: 3M NAVY DOCTRINE PARALLEL – DISCIPLINED ENTRY]

I served in the United States Navy.

And one of the most critical systems across the entire Navy is the 3M program—the Maintenance and Material Management system.

Everything is documented. Everything is scheduled.

There are daily, weekly, monthly maintenance routines.

You don’t just decide what to do. You follow the checklist, the manual, the instructions.

You don’t get to say, “I feel like doing it this way today.”

No. You follow procedure.

Because if you don’t? If you cut corners? That’s called gundecking—and when you’re caught, you answer for it.

They’ll march you right into Captain’s Mast.

You stand before the Commanding Officer.

And there are consequences.

Now hear me:

Jesus is our Commanding Officer.

He has given orders, warnings, and procedures for life and godliness.

And many of us have been gundecking our spiritual walk—taking shortcuts, ignoring the manual, doing what feels right instead of what is right.

And Jesus says:

“If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief.” (Revelation 3:3)

[SECTION 5: WIDE GATE VS NARROW GATE – DEEP DIVE]

Let’s define these two gates.

The Wide Gate:

Crowded

Comfortable

Popular

No conviction

No change required

It tells you: “Follow your heart.”

It says: “God knows your heart” as an excuse to sin

The Narrow Gate:

Small

Unpopular

Hard to find

Requires humility

Requires repentance

Denies self

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

[SECTION 6: DECEPTION IN THE CHURCH – DEAD BUT LOOKING ALIVE]

Jesus said to the church in Sardis:

“You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1–3)

Too many of us look alive on Sunday—but we’re dead by Monday.

We know how to clap.

We know how to shout.

We know the lyrics—but we don’t live the life.

“Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5)

That’s the wide gate.

[SECTION 7: A BIBLICAL PATTERN – MOSES, JOSHUA, JESUS]

God has always made it simple.

“I have set before you life and death… now choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

“Enter through the narrow gate.” (Matthew 7:13)

Same message. Different messenger.

But the choice is always yours.

[SECTION 8: STRIVING TO ENTER – IT TAKES VIOLENT INTENTION]

Jesus said in Luke 13:24:

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

The word “strive” here is agonizomai in Greek.

It’s where we get the word “agony.”

It means to fight, to wrestle, to struggle to get in.

Why?

Because everything in your flesh wants to take the wide gate.

Everything in this world wants to distract you from Jesus.

You will not drift into the narrow gate.

You have to discipline your flesh.

You have to wake yourself up.

You have to follow the manual—even when it’s not popular.

[SECTION 9: JESUS IS THE GATE]

“I am the gate. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9)

The gate is not a philosophy.

It’s not positive thinking.

It’s not church attendance.

It’s Christ Himself.

[SECTION 10: CLOSING – A FINAL INVITATION]

You don’t accidentally walk through a narrow gate.

You don’t just meander into life.

You make a choice.

Right now.

Right here.

Today, you stand before two gates.

One is wide… but it leads to death.

One is narrow… but it leads to life.

And Jesus is calling.

Not with empty promises. Not with ease. But with truth.

“Enter through the narrow gate.”

INVITATION:

If today you’ve been living on autopilot…

If you’ve been gundecking your walk with God…

If you’ve just been going through the motions…

Then I’m asking you, as your brother… as a watchman… as one who’s seen the flames before they hit:

Turn around.

Wake up.

Strengthen what remains.

And walk the narrow road.

Because the gate is open—but not forever.