"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"
Are You On The Right Way? (7:13-14)
INTRODUCTION
- Everyone is on a spiritual journey as they travel through life...
- Whether religious or not, we travel a spiritual path
- Every day we make choices that affects the direction in which we
are headed
- Many people think that the paths we can travel are many...
- In one sense that may be true; there are all kinds of religions
- But in another sense there are really only two paths or ways
- In His sermon on the mount, Jesus spoke of these two ways - Mt 7:13-14
- Each with its own beginning, each with its own end
- One way is heavily populated, the other is traveled by few
- Where are you in your spiritual sojourn?
- Are you on the right way?
- Are you heading in the right direction?
[To answer such questions, let's look closely at what Jesus said. Note
first that...]
- THERE ARE TWO GATES
- THE WIDE GATE...
- "for wide is the gate..." - Mt 7:13
- This "gate" represents the beginning to the "way" that leads
to destruction
- It is described as "wide"; evidently it is a gate which:
- Allows many to enter with no sacrifice on their part
- It does not require giving up anything
- One is allowed to bring along whatever "baggage" they
desire
- E.g., materialism
- E.g., prejudice, hatred, an unforgiving spirit
- E.g., believe whatever one wants to believe
- Is therefore chosen by most people
- For there are no restrictions concerning belief and
behavior
- It also opens the way to "the path of least resistance"
- THE NARROW GATE...
- "Enter by the narrow gate.." - Mt 7:13
- This "gate" represents the beginning, or starting point, to
the "way" that leads to life
- Why is it "narrow"? Because it is a gate which:
- Requires self-denial and obedience - cf. Mt 16:24
- Has no room for...
- A consuming desire for earthly goods - Mt 6:19-20
- An unforgiving spirit - Mt 6:14-15
- Self-righteousness - Mt 6:1
-- As Jesus has already stressed in His sermon on the mount
[These two "gates" are only the starting points. Let's now take a
closer look at the fact that...]
- THERE ARE TWO WAYS
- THE BROAD WAY...
- "...broad is the way" - Mt 7:13
- The way that leads to destruction is broad because it allows:
- Any behavior one desires
- No need for reformation or changes in one's "lifestyle"
- Many people love this path
- They think they are "free"
- They believe they are "open-minded"
- They view themselves as "tolerant" of others in this same
way
- THE CONSTRICTED WAY...
- "...difficult is the way" - Mt 7:14 (NKJV)
- "...narrow the road" (NIV)
- "the way is narrow" (NASB)
- "narrow is the way" (KJV)
-- The picture is one of a narrow and difficult path between
two cliffs
- The way that leads to life is "difficult" because it requires:
- A righteousness that exceeds that of many religious people
- Mt 5:20
- A change in our behavior - cf. Mt 5:21-7:12
- Because of its difficulty, many choose not to travel its path
- They think it too "confining"
- They think it is too "narrow-minded"
[As Jesus describes the two gates and the two ways, He also reminds us
that...]
- THERE ARE TWO GROUPS
- THE MANY...
- "There are many who go in by it" - Mt 7:13
- We have seen reasons why this is so:
- The entrance is wide: "Come as you are! No changes
necessary!"
- The way is broad: "Make your own rules! Believe what you
want! Do what you want!"
- This is the way people travel by default; unless they are
actively seeking the narrow path, this is the one they will
travel
- THE FEW...
- "there are few who find it" - Mt 7:14
- As proven true so often in the past, only few will be saved
- E.g., the millions lost in the flood vs. the eight saved on
the ark
- E.g., the hundreds of thousands lost in the wilderness vs.
the two who entered the promised land
-- So Jesus warned on another occasion - Lk 13:23-24
- That it must be "found" suggests effort must extended
- As Jesus said in Lk 13:24: "Strive to enter through the
narrow gate..."
- Even then not all will be saved: "...for many, I say to
you, will seek to enter and will not be able."
-- Not just effort, but the right kind of effort - cf. Mt 5:6;
6:33
[Finally, we note that Jesus tells us that...]
- THERE ARE TWO DESTINATIONS
- DESTRUCTION...
- "...broad is the way that leads to destruction" - Mt 7:13
- Paul wrote of the "everlasting destruction" that is to come
- 2Th 1:7-9
- Upon those who know not God
- Upon those who obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ
- John described it as "a lake of fire" - Re 20:15; 21:8
-- A most sobering thought are these words of Jesus: "...there
are many who go in by it." - Mt 7:13
- LIFE...
- "...difficult is the way which leads to life" - Mt 7:14
- This "life" is the "everlasting life" received at the judgment
- Mt 25:46
- It is the "gift of God", given at the end - Ro 6:22-23
- To those who have been set free from sin - cf. Ro 6:3-7
- To those who became slaves of God and of righteousness
- cf. Ro 6:17-18
- To those who bore the fruit of holiness - cf. Ro 6:20-22
-- Another sobering thought are these words about the way that
leads to this life: "...there are few who find it." - Mt 7:14
CONCLUSION
- So we have seen that Jesus describes:
- Two gates
- Two ways
- Two groups
- Two destinations
- Are there many roads that lead to heaven?
- Many people like to think so
- That all religions lead to heaven
- That it really doesn't matter what you believe or do, as long as
you are sincere
- But according to Jesus...
- There are only two roads (ways)
- One leads to life, i.e., heaven
- The other road, filled with many people with many different
beliefs, leads to destruction!
- Are you on the right way, the only way, that leads to life?
- Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me." - Jn 14:6
- The way that He provides is a narrow one, for He requires that
people keep His commandments - Mt 28:19-20
Will you be among the few, or the many? Let Jesus direct you along the
narrow way that leads to eternal life!