Bel Air #7
Bel Air Sermon • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Two Options
Two Options
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 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.
lets pray
Introduction
Today I want to discuss a message in a broader context
We are going to unpack a message from our Lord and savior
I want to give an appropriate title for everyone
Two options
The message right here is not t6o be played with
Satan will do everything he can to make you drift off while you listen to God’s Word
To make you argue in your mind
he knows what is coming in this message
and he knows that Jesus is behind it
He knows that
Make no mistake, Satan knows the Word
Remember when Jesus was being tempted
You saw the devil knows the Scripture
I would dare to say Satan knows the Scripture better than you do
He was quoting Psalms to Jesus
I want you to seriously pay attention to this message
Just two options
Just two
not three
not four
not purgatory
no
only two options
You have only two options for eternity
I want to start by making a very bold statement
this statement is very important and laced with alot of truth
It doesn’t matter your background
your experience
your education
or where you are
You are for the most part the sum of your decisions
Where you are right now and where you will end up when you take your last breath will hinge totally on all of your personal decisions.
Decisions are powerful
Decisions are very consequential
Why?
Decisions are like seeds every time you make one
they bring immediate harvest
and they will bring harvest later in life
Decisions are not to be played with
They are very powerful in our lives
Every day
Every week
Every month
Every year
you and I will make tens of hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of decisions
And probably the apex of all of our decisions
is how you and I and every human being keep responding to the revelation of God in our lives
The apex of all of your decisions will probably continue to be how you respond to God
How you respond to the revelation of God
How you respond to the knowledge of God
the truth of God
the word of God
the Spirit of God
the conviction of God
Your most important decisions you will ever make in this life
it is connected to how every single one of us
every human being keeps responding to the Lord Jesus Christ in this life
Whether you listen or reject Him
that is the apex of your decision
There is no decision you will ever make greater than your continual response to the revelation of God in your life
Truly your decisions are very very powerful
Let us dive into our verses today
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Here instead of giving everyone a model prayer this time, Jesus describes the attitude through which the children of God should bring their requests to Him
This statement also speaks to the willingness of God to answer those who sincerely seek Him
Jesus’ point is that god is listening
paying attention to His people
and ready to give good gifts
This is so remarkable if you truly think about it
The Creator of you and me cares so deeply about us as His children that He hears us when we pray
and He answers
This also speaks to those with doubts and questions about faith
Those who lack faith but pursue truth will find it in Christ
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
since God is listening and loving
Jesus tells His listeners to ask, to seek, and to knock
When you ask, it will be given
when you seek, you will find
when you knock, the proper door will be opened
Remember, these promises are not a means of manipulating God
Prayer has never been presented as a means to get our way, as He was merely magic or a system for success
Instead this is an invitation to interact with a generous Father who loves to hear the prayers of His people
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Here Jesus doubles down on this promise
Everyone who asks of God receives an answer
Everyone who seeks Him will find Him
The door is opened to everyone who knocks
By including everyone, Jesus shows God’s responsiveness to prayer is not based on the goodness of the one who prays
but on the goodness of God
We may think that some are unworthy
God knows among everyone, everyone is unworthy
Jesus shows God is ready to respond to the sincerely asking, seeking, and knocking
The Bible explains that there is enough evidence of God in each person’s life that they should be seeking God
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Those who want God will react to that evidence by searching for Him, and they will find Him
This also means the context of God responding to the prayers of “everyone” is ultimately grounded in the context of Jesus Himself
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me
Our next verse
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Christ is asking His audience which of them would give their son a stone when asked for bread
This shows exactly what kind of relationship Jesus is describing
When we ask something of God, we are asking our Father for something
That is why God is ready to hear and answer our requests
Jesus’ negative example in this demonstrates the character of God.
If a human parent would not give their son a stone when asked for bread
the only perfect Father would certainly never give a worthless thing when asked for something that was truly good
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Jesus is explaining that God would not respond to sincere requests with deception and death
Jesus is answering the unspoken questions from His listeners
Why would God listen to my prayers?
Why would an all powerful God care about my prayers?
Jesus’ rhetorical questions reveal the reason
God is a good Father who would never give evil or emptiness when asked for good
We should notice that the requests from this imagined child are for bread and fish, the most common foods eaten at the time near the Sea of Galilee
In other words, Jesus pictures a request to have a need met, not a request for great luxury or power or fame
A good Father will not turn away such a request if it is in His power to grant it, and all things are within God’s power.
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
This powerful verse reveals essential truth about the nature of people and the nature of God.
Here Jesus is driving the point home
God is a father
your Father in heaven
who gives good things to those who ask because that is what fathers do
It is in the nature of God to give good gifts to those who make their requests in humility and sincerity
Jesus will also clarify elsewhere that nobody can come to the Father in this way except through Jesus, Himself
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Jesus also reveals something about human nature
Jesus is saying even good parents are evil
This is one of the strongest evidences and clarifications of what is called the doctrine of human depravity
In short, this is the idea that human beings are sinful by nature and incapable of true righteousness or goodness
by definition, Jesus is saying we are evil in our hearts
Paul says the same thing here
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The simple fact is humans are naturally evil compared to God
this does not mean that we are incapable of doing any good of any kind
Most human parents provide as best as they can for their children
What none of us are naturally capable of is true Christ-like goodness, selflessness, or righteousness
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
The Golden Rule
do unto others as you would have them do unto you
The fact that Jesus taught the Golden Rule endorses this principle as the will of God
Jesus also teaches here that this was the proper explanation behind the Law of Moses and God’s word to Israel through the prophets
God wants His people to treat others as they want to be treated
this can be applied to most situations in life
It does not need a specific rule for every possible incident
This brings us to our key two verses in text
Two options
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.
And then Jesus comes down to the end of His sermon
Jesus now pivots away from teaching
He has just finished the Sermon of the Mount
He is now looking over the crowd
It is like He is saying “Now that I have said all of this to you”
He pivots towards the end of His message
Jesus makes a demand of them
Jesus makes a demand of you and I
And that is a decision
Remember how important I said decisions are
It is like Jesus is saying
“Now that I have spoken all of this, now that you have heard all of this
Now that you have been aware of all this teaching”
You are now discovered the most dangerous thing in life
The most dangerous things in life is to be informed by the word of God.
Why?
Because once you are informed, you are accountable
I mean people can go around sticking their fingers in their ears and act childish if they want
but once you have been informed, you are accountable for what you have heard
Now Jesus demands a decision
His words were too powerful
too severe
too serious for just an amen
His words were too consequential for what Jesus demanded now
Jesus demanded from the followers, the seekers, and from the skeptics
Now that you have heard everything Jesus had to say
Now Jesus demands a decision from everyone
His conclusion gives powerful illustrations
He talks first about two gates, then two trees, two relationship statuses, and then two houses
Then two realities that end up two different places
I wanted to address the first illustration
two gates
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:
Enter in at the strait gate
for the gate is wide
and broad is the way
this means the way is easy
this leads to destruction
Those who find and enter this gate will be many
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Enter the strait gate where the way is narrow
the way is hard
this way leads to life
Those who will find it are few
Let me say this one more time
Many people will enter the wide gate with the wide path
they will choose this gate because it will make their life easier
they will discover this path leads to destruction
Few people will enter the narrow gate with the narrow path
They will choose this gate with a harder life and decisions
they will receive eternal life
In the eyes of God there are only two gates
That lead to two ways that have two different endings
It does not matter what you believe
it does not matter what you have been taught
According to our Lord
Jesus
in the eyes of God Almighty,
there are only two gates
two ways that lead to two different endings
And if you study the words of Jesus carefully
if you follow His logic
every human being is in one of these two gates
If you follow the logic of Jesus carefully
He is letting everyone know there is no other option
Every person alive right now is behind either one of these two gates traveling down one of these two paths and will end up in one of these two places
There is no other alternatives
there is no neutral gates
there are no other options
there is no third way
just two gates
two ways
two permanent endings
What do we know about these two gates?
He says there are two gates
one is narrow and one is broad
One gate is easy and one gate is hard
First gate
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:
This first gate has a name
the world
people are just running to this gate
this gate is easy
there is no requirement on the front side of this gate
But there is a heavy price
this cost will be exacted on the other side of this gate
the second gate
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
this gate has a name
It is called Christ
The only way to enter that gate
that gate requires a payment
it requires a payment of surrender
a payment of faith
a payment of belief
a payment of turning away from your former life
you can not enter this gate for free
this gate has a cost
the cost of this gate is salvation
it is repentance
it is turning my life over to Jesus Christ
It is being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit
This gate is so narrow
I can only come in alone
on my own personal confession
on my own personal decision
on my own after being drawn toi God
I can not come into this gate on my grandmother’s faith
or on my father’s faith
or my mother’s faith
or my brother or sister’s faith
I must walk through that gate alone
That gate is narrow because I can’t come in with my wife
Why?
Because I got to give my own account before the Lord
So I got to walk through that gate by myself
Now here is the trick
Both gates advertise the same thing
this way to real life
They both have the same promotion, the same ads, the same promise
Come through these gates
Both of them lead to life
One of them is factual
the other gate is deceptive
So both gates make a promise
but only one gate delivers on that promise
Jesus
What is behind these two gates?
two ways
The first way is easy
it is paved with all of the pleasures of this life
It is paved with everything you want
the road is easy
it has no real sacrifices on the way
No sacrifices to God on that way
No turning away from sin on that way
The crowds are walking down this way
It is full of people who want to go in that direction
And most of them will continue to go down this way because it is easy to follow
The second way is hard
it requires sacrifice
It requires putting your trust in Christ
It requires repentance
It requires a relationship with Jesus
You must be willing to give up your worldly desires
It requires prayer
It requires love
it requires obedience
Following God’s word
You need the Holy Spirit to guide you
convict you
teach you
Real faith
real acceptance of Jesus as your Lord and savior
Two permanent outcomes
This gate
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:
leads to this outcome
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is complete separation from God
this is the second death
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
leads to this outcome
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
This is eternal salvation and a permanent relationship between you and God
this is eternal life
Conclusion
The broad road offers comfort, convenience, and company, but it ends in ruin.
the narrow gate demands sacrifice and following His way but it ends in life
Jesus does not ask us to admire the path
He commands us to step through the gate
Where your feet are today determine where your soul will be tomorrow
You can not coast into the Kingdom of God
The choice is set before you
Don’t let the crowd choose your destination
Choose your gate
the ease of destruction
or the narrow road of life
lets pray
