Which Road are You on?

Intro.— In the old Testament, Moses confronts the children of Israel and said, “I have set before you life and death, th blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you might live” (Deut. 20:19).

Joshua challenged the Israelites as they entered the promised land, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

Elijah called for a decision on Mt. Carmel: “How long will you hesitate between two opinions” If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (I Kgs. 18:21).

The Lord said “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death” (Jer.21:8).

In our text we find 2 gates; great and small; 2 roads, broad and narrow; 2 destinations, life and destruction, and 2 crowds, the few and many. The Lord continuew(Matt 7:16-27) to describe 2 kinds of trees, good/corrupt; 2 kinds of builders, wise/foolish, and 2 foundations, rock/sand. The choices are clear-cut. He demands a decision. Which way will you go?

I. TWO GATES—This is a demand for action Now. It is not enough to stand and appreciate the gate—one must enter.

A. The wide gate—leads to destruction. Jn.3:16-21.

B. The narrow gate—leads to life. Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12. Christ is the gate. He is the way. There are no other ways to Heaven.

C. There is no 3rd gate, no other alternative. There is no room for broad religious tolerances to adapt to the humanistic ego There are not many true religions; there is one! and so the options are only two: true/false, right/wrong, God’s way/our way.

D. Both systems claim to be the way to God. the wide gate is not marked “This way to Hell”; It is labeled “Heaven” the same as the narrow gate. But it does not lead there! Satan paints his gate so that it looks like the door to Heaven, and “Many are those who enter by it.” Our Lord describes the right gate as narrow. No one comes into the Kingdom of Christ on Nat’l lineage, some base on denominational affliliation, family lineage, church membership-It is no enough to be born in a christian family, or to ride the coattails of a believing spouse. Believing is an individual act.

E. Entering the narrow gate is not easy. “for the gate is small.. and few are those who find it.” The message of Jesus does not accomodate cheap grace or easy believism. Only those stripped of everything can enter the narrow gate. The Rich Young Ruler searched until he found the gate, When he saw he had to leave everything behind, he turned away. The baggage of self-riighteousness, selfishness, sin, materialism, (whatever), must be left outside, or we’ll never make it through. The good news is that although the gate is narrow, it is wide enough to accommodate the chief of sinners (I Tim 1:15).

F. For those insisting on taking luggage, the broad gate may be more appealing. It is marked “Heaven”. It may even be marked “Jesus”—but it is not going to Heaven. It is the gate of religion for the masses, a wide, open gate through which anyone can pass without getting rid of self-righteousness, pride, material possessions, or even sin. But there is no salvation for those who choose this gate. Salvation requires repentance which leads to transformation: 2 Cor. 5:17; Tit. 3:5-6.

II. Two Ways—One is broad and open; and the other is hard and narrow. Ps. 1 also speaks of 2 ways “the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” The choice has always been the same. The broad road is easier.— You get a moral smorgasbord, no limitation, no boundaries, just as long as you love Jesus and believe in God.—There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of Death.” (Prov. 16:25).

A. Jesus did not seek multitudes. He looked for individuals who knew they were lost. He did not eagerly invite people to follow him, in fact, He did more to discourage potential followers. Jn 6:64, 66, 67.

B. He did not want casual followers, but people willing to give their lives for Him. Lk. 14:25-27. He demanded those who really want to follow Him step out of a crowd and pick up a cross.

C. Those on the narrow way should expect perseution. Jn. 16:2 “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God’s service.” The road is hard. Jesus neve presented Christianity as a soft option for weak-kneed, feeble souls. When a person becomes a christian he declares war on Hell. and Hell fights back. Following Christ can cost one’s very life! Does that sound like a horrible road to travel? It isn’t. Christ Himself leads the way and supplies the strength.( Jn 15; Phil 4:13).

III. Two Destinations— The two gates is a choice for eternity. The broad road starts easy and ends hard; it ends up in Hell. What looks so enticing leads to destruction. The narrow gate may not look appealing, but it is the way to life. The way starts out hard but opens to the eternal bliss of Heaven.

Conclusion—The broad way is the natural choice, from a human point of view. We prefer sin to righteousness. Jesus said, “Men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19). It is easy to follow the crowd. You can even add Jesus to all your sins and possessions so you can feel religious. You never have to deny yourself or take up a cross.

I believe that the popular evangelistic message of our age actually lures people in deception. It promises a wonderful, comfortaable plan for life. It obliterates the offense of the cross. I Cor. 1:23-”But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” Gal. 5:11--”the stumbling of the cross has been aboished.”

Though it presents Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, it says nothing of the small gate or narrow way. Its subjeact is the love of God, but there is no mention of God’s wrath. It sees people as deprived, not depraved. It is full of love and undertanding, but no mention of a Holy God who hates sin, no summons to repentance, no warning of judgement, no call for brokenness, no expectation of a contrite heart, and no reason for deep sorrow over sin.

It is an easy message of salvation, it calls for a hasty decision which gives false promises of health, happiness, and material blessing THIS IS NOT THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS.

“The gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are thosee who find it.”

To come to Jesus Christ a person must say “yes” to Him. That means He takes 1st priority and becomes the Supreme Lord of our lives. Christ will not give salvation to those whose hands are filled with other things.