The Narrow Way Is The Only Way (Video) — Shane Idleman

The Broad Road of Cultural Conformity Leads to Destruction

That leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. This is Jesus. So remember, friends, church members, those listening to this later, the broad road to destruction is broad. This is the way of the culture.

And I see so many people say, but Shane, everyone's doing it. If you try this sometime, whatever is a top movie out there, in most cases, don't go watch it. Whatever's the top songs, rap, hip-hop, country.

Country's about getting drunk and leaving your spouse and hopping on a train, and oh, she left me again, I'm on number five. All my exes live in Texas, that's why I reside in Tennessee. And it's just, whatever's popular, run the other direction.

That wasn't supposed to be funny, those songs. So whatever the culture's doing, young adults, you really need to know this. This is what really will sidetrack you in your teens, and as you get older. But all my friends are doing it.

The culture's doing it. Hollywood's, but everybody's doing it, dad. Everybody has a phone, dad. Everybody goes on the internet, mom. Everybody, why can't I? They're on the broad road to destruction. They look like death, they smell like death.

Be careful. That broad road to destruction wants to destroy your testimony and your relationship with the Lord. So don't, if everybody's doing it, go the other direction. I mean, you look at our health epidemic now.

I'm gonna go on a rabbit trail. Everybody's eating junk food. What should you be doing? No, opposite. You're not gonna see on the corner next to Carl's Jr. broccoli stand with hummus, and cut up carrots and bell peppers for eyesight and inflammatory issues, and tomatoes for antioxidant properties, and you're not gonna see any of this.

The culture is hell-bent on destroying whatever they can. So whatever direction they're going, be careful. The broad road is on destruction, and they're all going the same direction. Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Striving to Enter the Narrow Gate

In another passage, Jesus said, strive. Strive to enter that narrow gate. Strive. And that word in the Greek is where we get our word agonized from, agonizo. It's to agonize, and you don't have to work for your salvation, but your flesh hates your salvation.

Your flesh, your carnal mind is at war with God. So you have to fight against the pull of the flesh, the influence of sin, the pull of the world, the influence of the devil, and it's hard to enter that narrow gate, because the human heart is so prideful and so arrogant, they don't think they need God.

So the human heart has to say, I repent. I believe. I'm not all that in a bag of chips. I'm not who I thought I was. I'm not a diva. I'm not a rock star. I'm not the captain of my own ship. I'm not the master of my own destiny.

There is a God who governs the affairs of men, and that's not me. And we bow to that God, and we give our lives to that God, and we repent to that God. That way is narrow. Who wants to do that? That's why I've said before, God will often break, bring you to a low point, and break you, and have you cry out for mercy, because if he keeps you in that state of everything's going good, you will not think you need God.

And I believe that's why Jesus said it's hard for the rich man to enter heaven, because the one thing that will compete with God is wealth, because I can buy what I want, spend what I want, do what I want.

I don't rely on anything. I'm God, because I have this resource. Where the sinner realizes I'm nothing without God. I need him. Paul preaching in Acts, I believe it was Paul, he said, in him I move and breathe, and in my being he's my life.

He's everything. Like your poet said, in him I live and move and have my being. He's everything. Daniel told the king, he said, the very breath you breathe, God owns it. He holds it in his hand, and he owns all your ways.

And you begin to think of that every heartbeat, every gasp for air, everything that we do, God, without him we would be nothing. Can you imagine if God just allowed and gave us over to ourselves? So there is a narrow gate.

It's difficult, because the human heart is so prideful and arrogant. That's just the truth. Arrogance and pride is what's going to damn people to hell. And skip to verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Jesus' Warning About False Profession

Listen, this is the Word of God. This is Jesus Christ himself. Woe be to the church who never reads this passage. I know pastors who will not read this passage. Shane, it's going to upset people. It's not going to hit a felt need.

It's not going to build them up. It's going to be discouraging. This is heavy. People don't go to church to be beat up. They're beat up all the time. No, I think we're encouraged way too much. The self-esteem movement.

Everybody needs to have self-esteem. Don't step on my toes. Don't do anything. Don't you see the culture? You can't offend. Anything offends. You wore that. I'm offended. Your hat's red. I'm offended.

You're wearing this. I'm offended. I'm offended. And we become such a culture that is so weak. Not everyone says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name, and then I will declare them to you. I never knew you.

Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. I would love to send that to every single Christian in America. Just read and meditate upon that. Because Jesus is saying, not all of you who say, I know who Jesus is, not all of you who do spiritual things, not all of you who do things in my name, not all of you are going to enter the kingdom of heaven.

There could come a day where you stand before Christ, but I did this, I spoke here, I talked about you here, I gave to charity, and Jesus will say, depart from me. I don't know you. He knows them intellectually, but he does not have a relationship with them.

So don't continue to allow a prideful, arrogant heart stopping you from receiving the gospel. Break under the power and the weight of the gospel. That song we sang, I was blind, but now I see. Some of you, maybe hearing this later, cannot see spiritually.

You're lost. The only way to set you free is to repent and believe. He says those who practice lawlessness. The word practice means it's a customary, habitual way of doing something. So let me encourage some of you that maybe don't quite understand this.

Practicing Sin Versus Struggling Against Sin

He's saying those who practice sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. Not those who've struggled with it. A struggle looks like a person says, God, I'm struggling in this. I don't like this sin. Ever been there?

Lord, take this away from me. I don't want to deal with this. This isn't right. This isn't according to your word. I want to change. God, would you help me? And you find them on their face before God.

You find them praying, Lord, take this away, and then maybe they fall and they come back. Lord, I hate this. Take it away. I'm struggling. He's talking to the person who says, I don't care what God's word says.

I'm going to do what I want, when I want, how I want, to whoever I want. I'm going to practice sin as an habitual, customary way of my life. And Paul said, do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, someone sleeping around, living together without marriage.

But that's different than the person saying, Shane, I know this isn't right. I stumble sometimes. I end up where I shouldn't. God, I need help. I need accountability. This is not right. God's convicted me.

I need to change my life. Or a couple that's married together or living together. I want to change this. We want to do what's right in the sight of God. See, that's not practicing. They've repented. They want to do what's right.

But it's this person who says, fornicators, nor unbelievers, nor homosexuals. See, different from somebody saying, Shane, I struggle with same-sex attraction. Well, you shouldn't look down on them because we all struggle with something.

The person who struggles with that, you can't get off Xanax. The other person can't get off this. The other person has anger. The other person has suicidal thoughts, all struggling with something. But this person says, I don't like this.

It's not right according to God's will. God, will you help me? They repented. They believe in this person, though, says, I don't care what God's word says. I'm going to flaunt it. I'm going to march around the streets, and I'm going to mock God.

That's a lifestyle. That's something they will practice. And it goes on the list, the different sins. And people say, they get confused. Well, I struggle with that. Right. But it's not, is it a practicing?

Do you say, I don't care what God's word says. I'm going to continue in that. Doesn't matter. So that's what he's saying here. Because these people struggling, they know who Jesus is. They know, God, if you don't hold onto my hand, I'm going to slip.

If you don't anchor me to your foundation, I'm going to not be able to get through life. If you don't hold my family together, God, I know who you are. I have a relationship with the risen son. The risen son has set me free.

And I know him in the fellowship of his suffering. I know him as my beginning and my end, my alpha, my omega. I even know him as my Sabbath rest. Because when I have a relationship with him, I rest from all my wearies.

I cast all my cares upon him. This person says, I know about him. I know about him, didn't I? Didn't we hear about him in Sunday school? But Jesus, when I was 12, I was in a church play. Don't you remember me?

I was your dad, Joseph. I play Joseph, don't you? And see, that's the one thing we cannot change. The only way to stand before God is to accept what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. It doesn't matter what you went to school, what you've done.

Salvation Through Christ Rather Than Good Works

None of that matters. All your good, all your good deeds, if you could pile them as high as to the heavens, it wouldn't matter. God says, they're but filthy rags in my sight. Because most of them are done with wrong motives, let's be honest.

Right? We go do something good. Let's take a picture of it. Look what I did. Help some old lady across the street. See me, everybody? See me? So just knowing about Jesus is not enough. You have to repent and believe.

You have to say, that cross saved me. That cross saved me. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that that cross has saved me and has set me free. Who the son sets free is free indeed. That is the narrow way.

And that's my concern for a lot of the churches in America. People are coming into church. They're singing the songs. Ain't no grave. What was that, Jamie? You know, that song, I can't do what she can do.

Ain't no grave. Hold me down. And we're singing these songs. And but I sang these songs. But do you know him? Or do you know about him? Well, take the test. Are you convicted right now? Are you uneasy right now?

Are you hoping for I end this sermon right now? Do you truly know where you'll spend eternity? Do you truly know when I die, I'm going to be with God? Because we can come into church. It's like a therapy session.

Unbelievers can come to church. I heard about God. They read his word. Feel better. But nothing relieves that condemnation until you repent. Repent is turning. Metanano in the Greek word, it's a turning.

My mindset is on this. I'm turning in my mind. And as a result, my actions are turning. I'm turning away from sin and my sinful lifestyle. I'm turning to God. Doesn't mean this doesn't still knock on the door.

Jane, remember me? I sure do. I sure do. But the cross has set me free. So that's the thing you need to know this morning. Do you truly know him? Is there a relationship built? And the wonderful thing is all you have to say is, no, I don't know you, Lord.

That's very humbling, but very powerful. All you have to say is, no, Lord, I don't know you like that. I don't think I have a relationship with you. God, would you change that today? And that's a prayer that is answered.

Responding to God's Truth and Personal Responsibility

Again, what I said earlier, responsibility is on us. When God gives his truth, here's something you cannot, no matter how loud Washington or Hollywood screams, you will not change the truth. You have to respond to it.

It does not respond to you. You have a responsibility. Where does that word responsibility come from? From the word respond. A person has to respond. God is not going to go, I guess, all right, I'll nudge, or I'll fudge for them, or all right, they got me, twist my arm.

Boy, they sure are hell bent on destroying themselves. I guess I'll, intervene, and he does. He intervenes in the prayers of people, prayers of our parents, prayers of our in-laws, and we need to pray, but ultimately, the responsibility falls back on you.

Do you truly know him? And also, I want to just end with this for believers. You might know him. He is your Savior, and you have the Holy Spirit, but does the Holy Spirit have all of you? That's the Spirit-filled life, when the Holy Spirit has all of you.

The Spirit-Filled Life and the Power of the Holy Spirit

You're broken before God, you're humble, you're doing great things for God, you're praying for people that are sick, they might be healed. You know that's in the Bible. See, we've traded in something very interesting.

What we call normal Christianity is actually boring Christianity, and what is called extreme is biblical Christianity. Jesus said, if you believe on me, as the Scriptures say, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water.

You will cast out demons. You will heal the sick. Uh-oh, you will raise the, you'll raise the dead. Call me, call me out there too extreme, but if I ever, if my, one of my child ever dies in my house, I'm praying that prayer.

I believe that God, in his sovereignty, could resurrect a person. Not anything we do. Why don't we see it, Shane, as much as we should? Well, where's our faith at? There's books I can point you to. There's people I can have you talk to in third world countries on the mission field.

It's not very uncommon for God to raise a boy from the dead, and the whole village comes to repentance and faith in Christ. You either have to take the Bible for what it says, or get out a pair of scissors and begin to remove things.

And that's why many people say, I don't know that abundant life that Christ spoke of. I don't, I haven't prayed for anybody. I, I'm scared to pray. I'm a coward to pray. I haven't seen God move in my heart in a long time.

I, the Bible's kind of boring. It's because you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. The more you're filled, the more this passion will come out. The more you quench and grieve the Holy Spirit, the less of God you'll want.

Those words are pretty strong, aren't they? Quench and grieve. You can quench and grieve God. Let that just sink in. The Holy Spirit residing in us wants to do great things for God. Wants you to submit and surrender.

Wants to guide you. Wants to lead you. Wants to fill you mightily where you just, where you, I, there's people, there's people sometimes they'll walk, they're so full of God's Spirit, people will know.

People filled with the, the demonic realm, they'll know. And they, I don't want anything to do with that person. I don't want to, why, why? Because they're so full of God's Spirit. But you get a carnal Christian to come in, they'll have, they'll go to the movies together.

What's the difference? Because the Holy Spirit is quenched and grieved. The Holy Spirit's grieving, oh God, turn from that sin. Turn to me. And I picture sometimes, I picture like the Holy Spirit, this, this, you know, this triune nature of God.

But he's like, come on, let me loose. Let me loose. You're quenching me, let me loose. Let the hound of heaven loose on sin. Let me loose on your family. Let me loose in your prayer closet. But you've quenched me and grieved me to such a degree I can't move on your behalf.

I will not force you. I'm not a puppet master and you're not a puppet. You have to humble yourself and be filled with the Spirit of God. The same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead resides in you. Do you believe that?

And I picture the Holy Spirit just saying, just let me loose. Just let me loose. And I imagine the Holy Spirit in my life at 15, 16, 17, 18, all my 20s, quenching and grieving the Spirit. I was a Christian.

Do you think I ever led anybody to the Lord? If the truth be told, I was embarrassed to mention I was a Christian. I was embarrassed. I don't want to mention that. I rarely prayed unless something really bad happened.

I needed God to do something. I just imagine 15, 16 years of the Holy Spirit laying dormant saying, I'm waiting. I'm waiting. As soon as you light this fire, as soon as you stop quenching and grieving me, I'm ready.

I'm ready and all hell is going to break loose and we're going to bring Satan to his knees. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. So that's a picture of quenching and grieving. And that's what sin's going to do. And that's what not, you know, God wants you to do something, whether it's give up that or give up this or start giving, get rid of the idol of money and give to something, some charity, get rid of some of your things, some of the things that own you, some of these materialism.

Materialism is killing us. And all of these things are hindering the work of the Holy Spirit. So whatever that is this morning, take it to God. This message is completely different from the first service.

So listen to both. It's just not even, I don't, Randy, can we, let's do both of them and call them different titles. My goodness. But guys, I don't, look at my heart for a minute. I don't say any of this because I'm mad and wanting to tell you off.

Being Filled With the Spirit Amid Depression, Fear, and Cultural Crisis

I yearn for people to be full of the God Spirit. I yearn for that. Oh God. I mean, probably once a week I tell my wife, there's issues going on somewhere, somehow everywhere, right? And I just say, if they were just filled with the Spirit, you'd fix that marriage issue.

If they're just filled with the Spirit, they'd get direction. If they were just filled with God's Spirit, they wouldn't be so depressed and so anxious and so fearful. If they're just full of the Spirit.

And I don't, I don't minimize any of those things. Depression is real. Anxiety is real. Fear is real. But I've noticed they're, they're filling their mind a lot more of the things of the world and what's on the news than they are of the Spirit of God.

Something very interesting this morning. I didn't even think of it until just now. I have an email out to the radio programmer. I think, I don't know, we're airing two or three minute sections, news sections, and we go from powerful worship music and then I hear about a shooting in Illinois.

I don't know if that's, I don't know if that's the direction, a good direction. There's enough junk, there's enough negative press. I think we just should just be focused on being filled with God's Spirit and not being all this fear factor and ill at this.

And Trump's declaring a national emergency and U .S. guards to the borders. And that means the next president can, can declare. And oh, oh no, oh no, we forget who's on the throne. Who in the, who is, who is on the throne?

See, too many people are filled with the world, filled with fear. And I get the emails, Shane, look what's happening. What do you think? What's going to happen? I don't know. Trust in Him. Look to Him.

Persevering in Faith Through Persecution

Listen, there was a time 2 ,000 years ago when you named the name of Christ, they would take your child and hold your child over the lion's den and say, renounce Christ. You could hear the bones breaking.

Watch your spouse be murdered and your family murdered in front of your eyes for believing it still happens in the Middle East today. Look at that picture where they lined up those Coptic Christians before they beheaded them.

We come to America, we think it's a religion of materialism and God's going to bless me. It's actually a religion of death. Be prepared. Are you prepared for the soon coming King? Are you prepared for persecution?

Because you're supposed to stand as a light in darkness.