Ethics of the Kingdom: Final Judgments Pt. 3

On our way to the Grand Canyon, the map on our phone gave us two options for our journey. One was quicker, showed no signs of traffic, and was pretty much all interstate—meaning we could test the limits of our new van. The alternate route that was presented was a little bit longer, showed a portion of the route that had significant traffic, and barely any of it was interstate. Given the options, which way would you have gone?

Well, we chose to go the longer way. It was far more difficult of a drive, we were at a dead stop in traffic, but the view was unbeatable. (Insert photo here)

For every person, a choice is laid before you—a way that leads to destruction and a way that leads to life, there are no other alternative routes. Today, you must ask yourself this question...

Which way will I choose to go?

In the closing remarks of Jesus’ sermon, he brings to a head the point that He is trying to make, there are only two options, and you have to pick one—fading treasure on earth or eternal treasure in heaven, the cold cruel master that is money or the gracious loving Master that is God, and depending on what you choose determines the path that you will take. (Insert OT Scripture Examples)

Matthew 7:13–14 HCSB

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Matthew 7:13 HCSB

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.

Jesus again presents His audience with the obvious fact that He is demanding from them to make decision. Here He describes two gates, two ways, two destinations, and two crowds.

Jesus again presents His audience with the obvious fact that He is demanding from them to make decision. Here He describes two gates, two ways, two destinations, and two crowds.

Not All Roads Lead to Heaven—in Fact, Only One Does.

As we look at the gates, one narrow and the other wide, we look at the entry point to the path that leads the crowd to the appropriate destination. Yet, Jesus says “Enter the narrow gate.” This command is an invitation by Jesus, and He is issuing that same invitation today— how will you choose to respond to it? You see, if Jesus must tell us to enter through the narrow gate, we must then assume that we have not done so already. We then need to realize that we did not instinctively walk through the narrow gate that He beckons us to. And if we have not already entered the narrow gate, and there are only two ways, then what gate have we all already walked through? The wide.

And if we have not already entered the narrow gate, and there are only two ways, then what gate have we all already walked through? The wide.

We Have Already Made Our Choice, and Didn’t Even Realize it.

Broad Way

We have naturally walked through the broad gate and we did so with great ease. By the broad gate are we able to seek our personal pleasure, our personal goals, and our bear with us our personal baggage. As we enter through this gate, we carry with us no thought of our neighbor, but inevitably recognize that all people are potentially an enemy. Anyone could very well be a threat to me and my personal happiness, but fortunately the wide gate leads to the roomy way. The word that is used here to describe the way has by some translations been translated “broad” as read in the HCSB, NIV, NASB, KJV, and even the NLT. Yet, what is meant by the term “broad,” but that the broad way is a spacious way as translated by the NET, and the spacious way is also the “easy” way as translated by the ESV. So you and I have already entered through the wide gate, and because the way is roomy, each of us can pursue our own personal pleasures, truths, ideologies, methods, and the like in order to see that we are fully satisfied in our lives. We live in a world where we believe everyone deserves to be happy, and we should allow everyone to pursue happiness by whatever means necessary. This means that we find a wide range of lifestyles and patterns of living. Each person is striving for the same goal, and while we might believe we are taking various paths to achieve that goal, in reality, the road we are on is wide enough to accommodate the traffic.

Some people are pursuing happiness by means of relationships. Perhaps finding “the one” can bring meaning and purpose into their lives. Today we see many marriages fall apart due to the common theme that their spouse no longer made them happy. Similarly, we see people chasing after happiness in friendships, in sexuality, and family, but the end result is remains the same—emptiness.

Others today are pursuing happiness by means of achievement. Just maybe another degree, a new business, a greater title will satisfy their thirst for happiness. “More money equals more joy,” that’s how the saying goes right? But what tends to happen when money is earned, homes are purchased, and greater status is achieved? Worry. What will happen to what is gained if the stock market crashes, a storm comes through or thief breaks in, or a new up-and-coming talent enters the workforce? Happiness gives way to worry when money is our master and earthly treasures are our desire.

Still, some pursue happiness in faith, but faith in what? Perhaps if they are religious enough they will find a satisfaction that will outweigh the parts they loathe within themselves—a spiritual morphine. Then they can begin to critically evaluate and judge the flaws of others around them in order to enhance their sense of spiritual maturity. They go to church, they serve, they even occasionally give to the offering, as these practices seem to fulfill the hole within the happiness they find lacking in life.

Notice now how easy it is to lay out a broad number of ways that we see our world pursuing happiness. The gate is wide and the way is roomy, but each path leads to the same destination—destruction. Grant Osborne says it like this,

The broad road is the way of the world, which accepts any pattern of life. People can carry anything they wish along it, so “many” will travel this road. The problem is that the final destination of such a road is eternal “destruction.”

It is no wonder we see so many suffering from sense of a lack of fulfillment and satisfaction. Have you noticed that no one has come out and said, “This much money will make you happy,” “This kind of job fulfillment will give you the lasting sense of purpose you have been searching for,” and even the ones who have said, “You can find happiness in manner you love,” are also the ones who are in great distress and trouble because of their broken relationships. In the end, we can pursue happiness in every form and every fashion, but all we can really accomplish is brief numbing of the pain we experience each and every day. This is a path that we have all chosen to take. Whether we’ve recognized it or not, we have already made our decision. This path leads to an eternal destruction and separation from God in a place called hell.

It is no wonder we see so many suffering from sense of a lack of fulfillment and satisfaction. Have you noticed that no one has come out and said, “This much money will make you happy,” “This kind of job fulfillment will give you the lasting sense of purpose you have been searching for,” and even the ones who have said, “You can find happiness in manner you love,” are also the ones who are in great distress and trouble because of their broken relationships. In the end, we can pursue happiness in every form and every fashion, but all we can really accomplish is brief numbing of the pain we experience each and every day. This is a path that we have all chosen to take. Whether we’ve recognized it or not, we have already made our decision. This path leads to an eternal destruction and separation from God in a place called hell.

In C.S. Lewis’ work Screwtape Letters, he describes this journey in this way—the way to hell does not have to be paved with spectacular wickedness, in fact, Lewis says,

Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

So whether you have recognized it or not, you have made the decision to go down a path that ends in destruction, and some of you are still on that path not realizing the significant danger you are in.

But you do not have to live in danger or fear, and true happiness can be discovered, but not on the path that you are already taking—you must go a different way.

But you do not have to live in danger or fear, and true happiness can be discovered, but not on the path that you are already taking—you must go a different way.

Jesus Beckons Us to Make a Different Choice.

Matthew 7:14 HCSB

14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

If the wide gate and the roomy way led to a satisfying destination, Jesus would not invite us to “Come.” Yet, Jesus knows our fate should we continue the path we are on and implores us to go the other way.

Now the narrow gate is just that—narrow. It provides no room for baggage, it provides no room for personal glory, or personal treasure. No, those things must be left behind at the entry. This entry is not one that we just so happen to stumble upon and the path one we wake up mysteriously walking on one day. No, the entry way is clear, defined, and constricted. In order to go to the path that leads to life, you must go to the cross that leads to death. There is only one way to eternal life and that is through the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. In , Jesus says that He is the door, and the only way we can find life, abundant life, is through Him. Again He says in that “He is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by Him.” The way to life is clearly marked, and as Grant Osborne says,

the entrance will entail great difficulty, restricting admission on those things Jesus has prohibited.

Such restriction though is hard for a world that longs for inclusivity. We want to create a syncretistic world where all truths can be possible, even if they conflict, and every road lead to fulfillment, even if they are morally perverse. The popular author of The Shack, William Paul Young, wrote in a recently authored book, Lies We Believe About God, that we do not need to be saved, and that sin does not separate us from God. In fact, the cross was not even God’s idea, so Young claims. Jesus has always been salvation, it just appeared when he did. Yet, if Young is right what would the benefit be of Jesus’ death, other than to show us what obedience looks like? And if we are in no danger of judgment and there is no need to repent of sin, why would Jesus go to the cross? If destruction was not a real fate they everyone faces at the end of the wide gate and roomy way, why would Jesus implore us to enter by Him through the narrow gate? The fact of the matter is according to , our sins do alienate us from God. In our stubbornness we tread a path that is leading us to eternal separation from God, and no amount of copies sold of The Shack will diminish the reality that you and I need to be saved because our sin separates us from God, and so by His design and according to His plan, Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and sits on the throne presenting the gate that we must pass through in order to gain eternal life.

Now, when we respond to the invitation of Jesus and pass through the narrow gate that leads to the way of life, you must know that this road is not one easily traveled. In fact, while some translations render the way as “Narrow,” such as the NIV, NASB, and KJV, that rendering does not best portray the meaning of the word. For a narrow passage can be passed through still with ease, we just might need to suck in our guts. The passage Jesus is describing is not one with narrow walls, but rather describes what the path is paved with—tribulation. The word used here shows up in many passages that talk of affliction and tribulation. Passages such as , where Paul told the church that he, and those with him were going to suffer. Again he said in that God rewards those afflicted for the sake of righteousness, which I believed Jesus said already in the Sermon on the Mount in . , , and 7:5, Paul continues to use this word to highlight the struggles they endured for the sake of Jesus. It is no wonder then that so few people take this path. Certainly the narrow gate of the cross presents a challenge to all for it beckons us to come and die in order that we might live, but then add to the fact that the path Jesus calls us to walk is not one filled sunshine and daffodils, but hardship and suffering, it is no wonder why so few choose to respond to the invitation of Christ.

In reading the Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, whose name is Christian, left his home that was called Destruction and set out for the celestial city, Mount Zion. As he made his way he approached a hill that was steep and imposing—the name of the hill was difficulty. As he neared the hill he met two men, one named Formalist and the other Hypocrisy. Neither of them were eager to climb the hill and both sought another way. But remember, there are only two ways, and Jesus gives us no other option. So as Christian approached the hill, he said of it, “The hill, though high, I covet to ascend; the difficulty will not me offend, for I perceive the way to life lies here. Come, pluck up, heart, let’s neither faint nor fear. Better, though difficult, the right way to go, than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”

This truth is not one that just happens to appear in the New Testament, that there are two paths—one leading to destruction and the other to life. describes two kinds of ways, two kinds of destinations, and two kinds of people. The wicked go in a direction that is contrary to the law of God and find that they will be judged at the end of their path and scattered as chaff in the wind. But the righteous one described has surrendered to the Word of God, following the path that God had prepared for him, and is like a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit in it season. This person will join the assembly of God as God watches over his journey.

Still, few find this path. Yet, how could they find it unless those who walk it invite them to? As Jesus presents to His audience the entry gate that leads to life, He then leaves us, those who have passed through that gate to invite others to do the same. It is crucial that we who are following Jesus call others to see the gate and the life that awaits them on the other side. Unfortunately, only a few find this gate because only a few are willing to tell others about it.

Returning to the story of Pilgrim's Progress, the man called "Christian" leaves behind his family and friends in the city of destruction. He encounters other individuals throughout his journey. He caught some sleeping and tried to wake them in order to warn them of the coming judgment day; others climbed the wall to get onto the path, but none would heed the Christian's words as he told them to go through the gate and continue along the difficult path.

As he begun his pilgrimage he carried a heavy load, but when he saw the cross, and the one who hung on it, his burdens were taken. He said, (insert quote) So as he ventured to the difficult hills, he was able to climb knowing (quote of difficult path and easy one that leads to woe). When asked why he made the journey he said, (quote directed to piety).

Could it be the reason that we see so few people point others to the gate that is Christ, is because they themselves have attempted to find alternative routes to eternal life? For if we really believe that Jesus is the only way to stand before God whole and well, then certainly we would not only be desperate for such a fate for ourselves, but for others as well. But we continue to look for another way, longing for something easier, with lesser demands. We go on looking and finding something better, but only to find in the end there is nothing better, nor greater, nor more wonderful than Jesus. He alone gives life, and gives it abundantly.

While we would rather be non-commital and indecisive in almost everything in life, Jesus leaves us in a position where a decision is unavoidable and a commitment must be made. Unknowingly you have already made a decision to go your own way and pursue your own glory, but at the end of that path is an eternity separated from God in a place called Hell. How fortunate for you and me that this does not have to be our fate. Today, you have someone standing in front of you, directing your attention to the narrow gate where Jesus stands. There, all your baggage,all your hurt, and all your sorrow can fade in the light of His glory; your sins be forgiven, your ragged garments of self-righteousness exchanged for a robe of white, and experience new life found only in Christ. You are at a crossroads, which way will you go? When the Christian saw the cross, his burdens immediately were lifted, and he said,

Thus far did I come laden with my sin; nor could aught ease the grief that I was in, till I came hither, what a place is this! Must here be the beginning of my bliss? Must here the burden fall from off my back? Must here the strings that bound it to me crack? Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be the Man that was there put to shame for me!

Perhaps you have already made the decision to enter through the narrow gate, but have found the way to be so difficult and exhausting that you have stopped your pursuit of God. Maybe today you needed the reminder of the great hope that you have in store that only Christ provides. Today, commit yourself again to Him. Jesus knows the journey is difficult, He said it would be. But He also said that He would not leave us without help. He has given us His Holy Spirit in whom we press on in this journey. Decide today to once again follow after Christ and to pursue that heavenly kingdom!

Right now I am calling you to respond. You must make a decision, either to follow Christ for the first time, or to commit yourself still to following Christ. Which way will you choose to go?

I am going to pray, the musicians are going to play and sing softly for the next few moments, so that you can have time to respond to the message today. How will you respond? Are you on the path that leads to destruction? Are you in need of greater commitment in the midst of adversity? Then come, as soon as I am finished praying, come.