Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Two Paths: Choose One
Jesus describes two paths, one is broad, spacious and easy.
The other is both difficult & confined.
One has a wide gate, many can pass through at the same time.
The other has a tight little narrow entrance, you almost have to squeeze to get through it.
But the thing is, you must choose what path you will be on.
What is the most important factor in picking a path?
Does anyone know the
ILLUSTRATION -2005 Fountain Tire Commercial, Going to Winnipeg
What is the most important factor in picking a path? - The Destination
a Large crowd of people, who were willing to go up a mountain to be taught be Jesus.
A narrow minded person thinks
They were making up their minds about him, and about his teachings?
Its an incredible sermon, and we are now looking at the section that begins the conclusion.
Everything is coming together.
Jesus is teaching about who can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Imagine that you are on the Mountain, hearing Jesus teach for your very first time.
Savour his words, and try to follow along with his logic.
Jesus talks about the behaviours and the heart attitudes of its citizens
Mt 7:
Here’s a question to chew on this morning.
Is the only advantage to the difficult path that it leads to life?
What I’m aksing is, “Is the only advantage to being a follower of Christ that you get to go to heaven when you die”?
Jesus describes two paths, one is broad and the other is difficult.
One has a tight little narrow entrance, you almost have to squeeze to get through it.
The other has a wide gate, many can pass through at the same time.
But the thing is, you must choose what path you will be on.
If the answer was that there was no other advantage beside heaven, I think that I’m still going to choose the path that leads to heaven, thats a big deal.
But what I’ve found, is that the journey is full of advantage.
It is amazing to live in community with people who shine with God’s life in them.
What is the most important factor in picking a path?
Back to the topic at hand, Two Paths.
Lets take a quick look at them both.
ILLUSTRATION -2005 Fountain Tire Commercial, Going to Winnipeg
What is the most important factor in picking a path? - The Destination
Wide Gate + Broad Road —>Destruction
If the most important factor in picking a path is the path, then maybe this is the choice for you.
its very easy to find and it promises to demand nothing of you.
you can believe what you want, do what you want, be who you want,
that sounds a lot like most of the marketing that i hear these days.
Its the popular choice, as evidenced by Jesus saying that, “There are many who go through it”.
The caution flag comes up when we hear the destination.
The Wide Gate leads to destruction.
This isn’t a sermon given to a church, is given to people who want to understand what Jesus means when he says, “Kingdom of Heaven”
Huge Crowd.
People who likely consider themselves to be on a path that leads to life, a path that leads to heaven.
Huge Crowd.
People who likely consider themselves to be on a path that leads to life, a path that leads to heaven.
Most people consider themselves to be on a path that leads to heaven.
There is a common and unspoken formula that many people have,
“If I’m Good Enough = I Can Go to Heaven”
-Popular Opinion
What’s the problem with this approach?
Its that we either have no confidence or false confidence.
What’s the problem with this approach?
Its that we either have no confidence or false confidence.
No confidence is the result of believing that we aren’t good enough, and then its hopeless equation.
False Confidence is mistakenly thinking that we are good enough.
For these people, the question they need to figure out an answer to is "Who is the judge of Good Enough?”
Still, the road to destruction is the one that the majority choose.
It has a wide gate and an easy path.
Jesus says..
Narrow Gate + Difficult Road —> Life
First off, this is great news.
Life is available.
There is a way to be confident that we can live both now and forever.
God has not left us without hope.
Imagine that there are some soldiers who have been captured and are now Prisoners of War.
They are in an enemy camp.
What if one day someone came with great news, a plan of escape that would really work.
The plan was not easy, no it was incredibly difficult, but it was guaranteed to work.
Would those prisoners of war be happy or sad to have a plan, even a difficult plan?
They would be overjoyed, freedom is possible.
Jesus, the Son of God, is telling us that there is a way that we can be confident, and have a legitimate hope for life.
LIfe both now and forever.
Life is Possible
Jesus, the Son of God, is telling us that there is a way that we can be confident, and have a legitimate hope for life.
LIfe both now and forever.
You are not a hopeless prisoner, bound by the chains of sin.
Life is possible.
There is a gate, there is a road.
Jesus is the Narrow Gate, His Teachings are the Difficult Road.
Jesus said..
Narrow Gate
only one option
There is a faulty way of being a Christian which is often described as cheap grace.
And it involves this deception,
you don’t get to pick how it works, its narrow,
The Gate is not up to feelings, emotions, popular opinion or majority vote.
You wrongly think that being a Christian is about praying a prayer, and not about walking a path.
But Jesus says, how narrow the gate and difficult the road to life, and few find it.
Jesus is the Narrow Gate, His Teachings are the Difficult Road.
Following Jesus is difficult.
I know that he brings rest.
I know that its the best life.
But, I also know that its difficult.
Mt 5:
Why is there persecution?
Why is it difficult.
Jesus says that it is, “Because of me”.
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