VTR – Matthew 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13-14

 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,

 and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way

 which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 

The Narrow Gate

 

“The narrow gate,” sounds very exclusive.  But, consider that the beginning of any path in life is narrow; to choose one path, you must reject all others.  Narrowness implies a particular choice.  You cannot hold the belief that all paths and all choices are the same.  Isn’t this exclusivity necessary for success in music, sports, business, or any other discipline?

When confronted with a decision, you must realize that you are an individual and that you have a choice.  You don’t need to go along with a crowd to do evil.  By nature we are slaves of convention, traditions, habits, customs, and social mores.  For example, in the hippie movement, people who were trying to be independent ended up all looking alike.  The pressure to conform to the non-conformists was immense.  They didn’t want to be “squares.”  There are exceptions, eccentrics, who delight in being different.

Have you ever noticed the pressure children put on parents not to be different?  They hate it when their parents are different and unusual.  (I confess the delight I had in acting a bit odd in a crowd with my teenaged daughter some years ago.)

We tend to conform to the group we are accustomed to.  But, one of the first things that happens when you become a Christian is that you care less about what the crowd thinks because you realize that you are a unique child of God and have found a higher purpose.  It is still difficult to extricate yourself from the crowd, but you do it for the safety of your soul.  You are desperate to have someone come with you; but in the end, if no one does, you will take that narrow road anyway.

 

 

A Difficult Way

Not only is the gate narrow, but also the way is difficult.  Our old selves cannot endure it.  It is not an easy way because we must break from our old nature, which is accustomed to certain habits and ways.  It also involves:

Sorrow
Suffering
Persecution
A different kind of loneliness

Remember, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you” (Matthew 5:11).  We must be ready to be misunderstood and maligned.  Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34b).  We must fight the good fight of faith!

 Those who want to follow Christ must count the cost.  Consider this passage:

 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  (Matthew 8:19-20)

 Jesus was warning this scribe of the cost of being His disciple. Receiving forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ is just the beginning of a life of following Jesus, learning from Him, and being conformed to His character.

 But before you decide that the Christian life is not for you, please consider the end of the road!  The end of the broad way is destruction, but the end of the narrow way is life!

Few Find It

The gospel is honest; it doesn’t promise the absence of problems, or that all problems will be easy to deal with.  Jesus lets you see how hard it is beforehand.  Ultimately, it is a commitment.  You decide, and then act upon the decision.  You must constantly remind yourself of who you are, where you are going, and whom you are trusting!

 “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death” (Romans 6:21).  This is a great question, especially for anyone considering going back to his old life.

Consider those who have made it in this world.  Celebrities, with their good looks, figures, clothes, and money rolling in – does it truly help them?  Those who pursue pleasure get bored with daily activities and empty conversation.

 But then you come to the words of Jesus!  Wow!  There is nothing like the Bible.  This sermon of Jesus cuts to the heart of real life, the real secret of living.  It engages your heart, your mind, your whole soul.  This is something all the idols in the world cannot do!  Yes, narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, but as Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68b).