Matthew 7:13-14
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Two Gates
Two Gates
Don’t pleasure read much.
One quote in the book stuck out in my mind more than anything else I learned.
Osama Bin Laden issued a statement months earlier making a threat to America.
A Gallup poll taken on September 10, 2001, found that fewer than 1 percent of Americans considered terrorism to be the nation’s No. 1 concern. But they didn’t know that a countdown had already begun. Nineteen bin Laden devotees, radicalized young Arab men living in the United States, awoke on September 11, 2001, determined to fulfill the fatwa. In twenty-four hours, the poll results would change, along with everything else.
Mitchell Zuckoff Fall and Rise
We had fooled ourselves into thinking we were safe until it was too late.
Spiritually, I believe this may be the case for many in our area.
This passage today I believe is a call to examine ourselves. See which path we are on. To take the message and warning seriously and evaluate before its too late.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
Look with me in .
is a apart of a larger section of Scripture known as the sermon on the mount.
Its the longest sermon recorded by Jesus that we have in the Gospels.
You should know we are picking up in the middle of a larger sermon.
But I’m not a slither of the preacher or teacher that our Lord was, so we will take two verses and focus in on them.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
From the beginning here and from our reading earlier, I’m sure that you notice that Jesus is teaching, but he is teaching through a series of pictures and explanation.
He does this often. We see this all over the New Testament, but in this particular passage, Jesus is explaining and having the crowd that is listening to Him focus three particular pictures. Gates, Trees, Houses. Specifically 2 gates, 2 trees, 2 houses.
But I want to be clear here, Jesus isn’t just telling you about gates, about trees, and about houses, because he wants us to know about different types of gates, trees or house.
He is teaching this, because each Picture provides for those who hear it with a spiritual meaning.
So as we go through these pictures, we have to ask:
What do do these pictures mean? Not what do they mean to us? What did Jesus mean by the pictures?
The first metaphor, or picture that Jesus uses here in this part of the Sermon on the Mount is the picture of two gates.
There is a narrow gate and there is a wide gate.
There is a few distinguishing factors about each gate of which, we should take note, because they do have a deeper spiritual meaning.
But Jesus isn’t just telling you about gates, about trees, and about houses, because he wants us to know about different types of gates, tress or house.
Each Picture provides for those who hear it with a spiritual.
So as we go through these picture, we have to ask:
What do do these pictures mean?
First, lets look at the wide gate.
“Enter through the narrow gate.”
The wide gate is wide.
That’s the operative command here.
There is no ambiguity. He is very clear.
Now, I know I have just given you some revolutionary information. Everybody knows the wide gate is wide. But what does he mean by wide gate? Again, Jesus is not telling them about the two gates to increase their understanding of gates.
There is a narrow gate, and he desires that we go through it and he gives us the reason why the narrow gate is the gate we should enter.
He is telling them this information to explain to them a great spiritual truth. So the first thing we need to understand is:
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 7
for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
The Wide gate is wide- and what he means by that is that:
It is a gate large enough for the world.
The reason that Jesus urges us that we go through the narrow gate is that the assumption is that those who have not entered the narrow gate are on a path of destruction.
A gate that calls to every man.
Its a gate that many of our friends and family have entered.
Its a gate that seems pleasing to the eyes.
Those who go through it are normally not satisfied going alone. They will bring friends with them.
Its the easy way out.
Its where and what everybody else is doing.
And don’t miss this, it very well may be the gate to which are headed.
The wide gate is wide.
The Wide Gate accommodates the broad path.
The gate would need to be wide to because there are many people on the path leading up to it.
Again, it being the broad path shows us that the majority that is most people are on the broad path.
The Broad path obviously is traveled by:
Atheists.
People who worship other gods
By murderers
By liars
The drunkard
By those who do not live according to God’s design sexually whether that be the adulterer, the homosexual, the one who has sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage.
And the reality is that the majority of these people will even tell you that they are traveling along the broad path.
They readily admit that they have no time for God or the things of God. These people are obviously on the path that leads to destruction and for the most part, they know it.
However, this is sad part. The broad path is often not so obviously traveled by:
Pastors- Men who fulfill the duties of the job without really possessing and having salvation. Men who are nothing less than hypocrites. Fakes.
Deacons- Men who were put into a position, but do not have Christ. Do not serve Christ. Look for ways to to escape worshipping and learning about Christ.
Church members- people who have walked an aisle, said a prayer, been baptized.
They hold on to a past “decision” they made to walk an aisle in the church. They hold on to a moment in time when they were baptized.
Lets be clear though- Changing geographical locations in a building during a worship service invitation does not save us. Repenting of sin and trusting in Christ saves.
Being baptized does not save.
In fact, if you are trusting on your church membership or baptism to save you or anything else you have done that you think make you acceptable to God, you are severely mistaken and in danger of hell.
We have to ask the question at this point.
Divine Sovereignty
Divine Sovereignty
General
Psalm 103:19 NASB95
The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 NASB95
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
1 Timothy 6:14–15 NASB95
What does it mean to be saved?
Negatively. Its not:
that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
1. Not profession
Not profession
Many people profess to be Christians. Few are saved.
Not outward lifestyle
2. Not outward lifestyle
Psalm 47:8 NASB95
3. Not baptism
Not baptism
4. Not partaking of the Lord's Supper
Not partaking of the Lord's Supper
Not being called a Christian
5. Not being called a Christian
God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.
Not being born in a "Christian country" or into a Christian family
6. Not being born in a "Christian country" or into a Christian family
2. Positively -- REAL SALVATION IS:
Psalm 47:2 NASB95
To be saved means to be delivered in this present life from the GUILT of sin by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. to be delivered in this present life from the GUILT of sin by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you free from guilt because of Christ?
To be saved means to be pardoned, justified, freed from every charge of sin, by faith in Christ's blood and mediation.
a. to be pardoned, justified, freed from every charge of sin, by faith in Christ's blood and mediation.
Are you trusting in Christ alone?
b. to be participant in eternal life. BUT THIS IS NOT ALL.
To be saved means to be participant in eternal life.
For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.
Do you have eternal life? Are you sure? Why are you sure?
2. to be delivered in this present life from the POWER of sin,by being born again, and sanctified by Christ's spirit.
To be saved means to be delivered in this present life from the current POWER of sin, by being born again, and sanctified by Christ's spirit.
Do you live currently in victory over sin? Are you, by the Spirit’s power, killing sin effectively in your life?
a. to be free from hateful dominion of sin, the world, the devil, by gaining a new nature implanted in us by the Holy Spirit.
To be saved means to be free from hateful dominion of sin, the world, the devil, by gaining a new nature that has been given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Are you a new creation? Have you changed? Are you changing? Have you been converted?
Romans 8:28 NASB95
b. Whoever is thus renewed in the spirit of his mind, and converted, is a saved soul. BUT THIS IS NOT ALL.
Whoever is thus renewed in the spirit of his mind, and converted, is a saved soul.
To be saved means to be delivered in the day of judgment from the AWFUL CONSEQUENCES of sin.
3. to be delivered in the day of judgment from the AWFUL CONSEQUENCES of sin.
Are you fearful of hell? Do you fear that you will be there one day?
a. to be declared blameless, spotless, faultless, and
To be saved means to be declared blameless, spotless, faultless, and complete in Christ, while others are found guilty and condemned forever.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Do you rest in the promise of because you know you are in Christ?
complete in Christ, while others are found guilty and condemned forever.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Or do you worry that you will face condemnation?
To be saved means to be owned and confessed by Christ
b. to be owned and confessed by Christ
Do Christ own you Do Christ confess you?
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 8:31 PM September 17, 2019.
To be saved means to receive the reward prepared for the righteous, in the day of Christ's second coming.
c. to receive the reward prepared for the righteous, in the day of Christ's second coming.
Do you long for the day of Christ?
This is complete salvation, and few are completely saved.
d. This is complete salvation.
The Bible bears this out.
In
The majority of people do not believe.
“There are many who enter through it.” as opposed to the few who enter through the narrow gate.
This principle has been true throughout the ages
This verse of Scripture is pretty clear that the majority of people use the wide gate.
This was true in the Old Testament.
Noah’s day: 8 people in the world were saved.
What about Sodom and Gomorrah? Not even 5 found that were righteous. The rest destroyed.
What about the days of the Judges?
What about the days of the kIngs?
In Jesus’s day, he came to his own, his own did not receive him.
It has been true, It is true, and it will be true that the majority of people do not believe.
I know that South Carolina is statistically one of the most Christian states.
The majority of people claim to believe.
The reality htough
But the majority of people do not follow Christ. The majority of people are not living according to the Word of God. Do we really think that a holy God is going to lower his standard?
is that 47% of the people who claim to believe in God
Eventually, we have to admit that Jesus is right. The majority of people are not believers. Especially in our world and context, many say that they believe, but Christ and His word has no bearing and NO impact and NO mark on their lives at all.
I want you to understand this morning, and I know this is going to be hard to hear, but Christ does not become Savior of a man without becoming his Lord.
I would say that this is probably the hardest part for us here today. We can’t imagine the majority of the people we know and love are not believers, but that is probably the reality.
We can’t imagine that little Johnny and little Susie’s profession of faith that they made when they were four because they were scared or because everyone else was doing it is not real, but again, JESUS DOES NOT BECOME SAVIOR WITHOUT BECOMING LORD.
When Jesus saves a life, Jesus takes over a life.
Thats why it seems that the only thing someone has to do to be declared saved by us is to die. We assume the best of people.
The gate is wide. The way is broad and most are headed there. This isn’t popular preaching, but its true.
This hopefully corrects the notion that someone dying means they are in a better place. The reality is according to this verse, for most people, is that they probably are not in a better place.
Just to be clear
The Wide path and the wide gate lead to destruction.
It matters. There is an eternity at stake.
Hell is a reality.
“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The destruction that awaits those who enter the wide gate is eternal. It is a place of eternal conscious torment.
Those who have been there 100 years will be there a million from now.
Those who have been there one moment will never again experience a blissful or restful second. Forever and eternally destroyed, because they have sinned. Do we really want to play with this?
Jesus says that most are headed there, because most are content to remain on the wide path. Most are content to go through the wide gate.
Are you on this path? Are you headed with every breath and every heartbeat closer and closer to entering the wide gate thats leads to destruction?
The Bible says very clearly:
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
I’ve spent a lot of time on this today. I realize that, but I am convinced that the greatest danger in the church and maybe even our church today is the danger and reality of false conversions and false hope.
We
There is hope. But its found in a very specific and and narrow way.
Look what he says in verse 14
“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
1. The gate is small.
Where the wide gate is large enough for the world. Where The wide gate welcomes all kinds of godlessness and worldly righteousness, the gate that leads to life is small.
Where the wide accommodates both the non religious and the religious, the narrow gate only accommodates those who are covered and clothed in Christ.
While there is more than one way into the wide gate, there is only one way through the gate that leads to life.
The gate is small. There is only one way in.
The next part is much like the first.
It says the way is narrow. Some translations translate this “the road is hard.”
2. The road is hard.
The way that leads to life is not easy.
The narrow way is not free from hard times, sickness, or financial trouble.
The narrow way is not free from persecution or hatred.
The narrow way means that you will most likely be unpopular.
The narrow way is not the cultural Christianity that we see in our area.
The narrow way is following Christ.
And following Christ means dying to yourself, taking up your cross daily.
Following Christ means more that Sunday morning church attendance when it fits our schedule.
It means more than that.
It means more than occasionally taki
Its hard. Its narrow.
Those who are on the narrow path often find themselves in harms way, often suffer greatly, lose their family, lose their jobs, some even lose their life.
Its a narrow gate. Its a hard road.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: The King’s Principles: True Judgment (Matthew 7)
Here, then, is the first test: Did your profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? If not, then it was not a true profession. Many people who “trust” Jesus Christ never leave the broad road with its appetites and associations. They have an easy Christianity that makes no demands on them. Yet Jesus said that the narrow way was hard.
Its hard. Not easy.
Few find it.
That is not many.
Few.
In Noah’s day......8 people.
In Sodom and Gomorrah..... less than five.
Today in our culture.... Few.
But the few find life.
There is a way that leads to life, but it comes only through Christ, and it comes by submission of our entire life to his lordship.
There is coming a day where it will be revealed which road you are on.
There will be no question, no time for examination on that day.
The time will come. The warning will materialize. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you are safe.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?