The Narrow Road

INTRO: A middle aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.

While on the operating table she had a near death experience.

Seeing God, she asked "Is my time up?"

God said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."

Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a facelift, liposuction and a tummy tuck.

She even had someone come in and change her hair color.

Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital.

While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I though you said I had another 40

years?"

God looked closely at her, and then replied, "Oh Hey! I didn't recognize you."

As funny as that story is, there is a very similar thing that will take place on the day of judgment that we all must go through.

That is why Jesus gave us the illustration of the Narrow and Wide Gates.

Many seem to think that this illustration shows a funnel-like image where the narrow gate is concerned.

But, not only is the gate narrow, so is the road.

Matthew 7:13–14 NIV

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Scripturally speaking, more people will find their way to destruction than will find their way to heaven.

Not that there won’t be a lot of people in Heaven, but proportionally, only a few.

What should this mean to the average Christ wanna-be? (I am one!)

It means that the easy way out of this life is do nothing for, be nothing for, and know nothing about God.

Therefore, we should constantly be in a state of examination where our lives are concerned.

Many in the church reach a point where they think they have it all under control.

They have served their time in the trenches and now it is time to sit back and reap the benefits.

This creates a sense of entitlement, and that is not healthy in a society and certainly not in a church.

We must recognize that we are vulnerable without vigilance; unless we constantly seek the face of God any of us can be sidetracked by the Devil.

That’s why we must examine our lives.

That’s why we must submit to having others, in the faith, help us to correct our lives if they see a problem.

2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

What’s the test? In a moment…

1 Thessalonians 5:21–22 NIV

but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

Not only should we test ourselves, but we should beseech God to test us, as well.

Through tests of our faith our faith gets stronger.

Psalm 26:2 NIV

Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

“But,” you might ask, “what are we testing for?”

Contrary to the politically correct crowd of today, we must test ourselves, and others, to see if their life matches their words.

We must make a…judgment (Oh, my!).

And, the criteria we use for ourselves and others come from scripture.

In a section of Matthew 7 titled A Tree and Its Fruit we begin to see, and should come to understand, that if someone claims to be one of God’s then there are certain ways one can tell if they have spoken the truth.

Jesus says,

Matthew 7:15–18 NIV

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

What are fruits which a true Christian can bear?

The N.T. gives several answers to the question.

1. Developing Christian character IS fruit.

If the goal of the Christian life may be stated as Christlikeness, then surely every trait developed in us that reflects His character must be fruit that is very pleasing to Him.

Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in nine terms in...

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Peter urges the development of seven accompaniments to faith in order that we might be fruitful in...

2 Peter 1:5–8 NIV

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Two of these terms are common to both lists: love and self-control.

The others are joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, virtue, knowledge, endurance, piety, and brotherly love.

To show these character traits is to bear fruit in one's life.

2. Right character will result in right conduct.

...and as we live a life of good works we produce fruit.

Colossians 1:10 NIV

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

This goes hand in hand with increasing in the knowledge of God, for as we learn what pleases Him, our fruitful works become more and more conformed to that knowledge.

When Paul expressed how torn he was between the two possibilities of either dying and being with Christ or living on in this life, he said that living on would mean fruitful labor or work.

Philippians 1:22 NIV

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

This phrase could mean that (1) his work itself was fruit, or (2) fruit would result from his work.

In either case, his life and work were fruit.

So may ours be.

3. Those who come to Christ through our witness are fruit.

Paul longed to go to Rome to see some fruit from his ministry there.

Romans 1:13 NIV

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

And he characterized the conversion of the household of Stephanas as the first fruits of Achaia.

1 Corinthians 16:15 NIV

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters,

4. We may also bear fruit with our lips by giving praise to God and thankfully confessing His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NIV

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

In other words, our lips bear fruit when we offer thankful acknowledgement to the name of God.

And this is something we should do continually.

5. We bear fruit when we give money.

Paul designated the collection of money for the poorer saints in Jerusalem as fruit

Romans 15:28 NIV

So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.

Also, when he thanked the Philippians for their financial support of his ministry, he said that their act of giving brought fruit to their account.

Philippians 4:17 NIV

Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.

Matthew 7:19–23 NIV

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

There are those who will stand before God having gone to church all of their lives and god will say “I don’t know you.”

There will be those who stand before God having done wonderful things for their church, and God will say “I don’t know you.”

Some will stand before Him who have sung solos in church and He will say…

Some will have worked around the community…

Many will have been good people by the world’s standards, and He will say…

The world looks at us and says “What’s the difference?”

“There are many who go to church and I see them during the week acting just like I do.”

“Look at all the failed TV preachers; they are just as money hungry and depraved as the next guy.”

“If God can change people why aren’t people who call themselves Christians changed? “

Isn’t that the question?

What makes us Christians? A Poem

It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong; Not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; Not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; Not what we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians.

CLOSE: On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription:

“James Butler Bonham—no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.”

No literal portrait of Jesus exists either.

But the likeness of the Son who makes us free can be seen in the lives of His true followers. - Source unknown

Matthew 7:20 NIV

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Does the world recognize Jesus in you?

Only those recognized as Christ-like are walking on the Narrow Road.

Which road are you on?

Let us pray...