Enter By The Narrow Gate 10/02/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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This morning, we're going to take a quick break from our study of Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments, to study a portion of one of my favorite sermons, the

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Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 7, verses 13 to 14.

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The Lord Jesus Christ preached this sermon to His disciples, and its theme is the

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Kingdom of Heaven. The Sermon on the Mount primarily addresses the chief attitudes and the chief actions of those who belong to the

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Kingdom of Heaven. It addresses how Kingdom citizens are to live their lives, and how we are to conduct our affairs as we walk through a very wicked world.

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The Sermon on the Mount is a glorious picture. It's a glorious portrait. It is the

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Lord God's portrait of how life is to be lived in His Kingdom by His subjects.

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In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord God gives us the standard of righteousness to which all men are required to live.

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And this standard is perfection. Matthew 5, 48, you therefore must be perfect as your heavenly

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Father is perfect. The problem with this standard is that no man can attain it.

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There is no one who is righteous. There is no one who does good. There is no one who will be justified in the sight of the

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Lord God. All men are guilty of sin and transgression.

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All men are guilty of immorality and wrongdoing. All men fall drastically short of the perfect and righteous standard that is set forth in the

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Scriptures. Yet herein lies the beauty of this sermon. You see, like the law of God, the

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Sermon on the Mount reveals to us our desperate need for a Savior. It reveals our desperate need for Christ Jesus.

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All men have fallen short of the righteous standard that the Lord God has set.

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And the consequence of our shortfall is death, physical death, spiritual death, eternal darkness, eternal torment, eternal suffering in the consuming fire of the

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Lord God and His righteous burning wrath. This is the end of every man, apart from the

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Lord Jesus Christ. The Sermon on the Mount should drive each one of us to the

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Lord Jesus Christ, who is our only hope, because Jesus Christ was and is the only man who ever attained the high and holy standard of perfection.

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Jesus Christ was and is the only man who has ever perfectly kept the will of God.

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He's the only man who ever has perfectly kept the law of God. Jesus Christ fulfilled the first commandment.

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He placed no other God before the face of the Lord God. He fulfilled the second commandment.

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He did not make nor worship a false image of the Lord God. He perfectly fulfilled the third commandment.

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He did not take the name of the Lord God in vain, but revered and hallowed the name of God.

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Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath day holy. He honored his father and mother. He did not murder, commit adultery or steal.

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He did not bear false witness or covet. He fully obeyed the will of the

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Lord God. And he was perfectly pleasing to the Lord God in all things, in every area of his life.

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He was the perfect and spotless lamb of God, and he is the only means of salvation.

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The Sermon on the Mount directs us and points us to the Lord Jesus Christ to be forgiven, to be redeemed, to be justified and to be reconciled to the

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Lord God. And then the Lord Jesus Christ points us back to the Sermon on the

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Mount as an example of how we are to live. Christians are sent back to the

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Sermon on the Mount to be sanctified and to grow up into every way into him who is the head into Christ.

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The Sermon on the Mount gives us the Lord God's pattern for right living. It gives us the Lord God's pattern for true contentment and happiness.

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It gives us the Lord God's pattern for abundant and prosperous lives. The Sermon on the

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Mount gives us the standards and the objectives that will fulfill God's purpose, plan and pattern for our lives.

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Please turn with me to the Sermon on the Mount. This morning, our passage is Matthew chapter seven, verses 13 through 14.

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Matthew 7, 13 is the final division or the final section of the

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Sermon on the Mount. Beginning in Matthew 5 and continuing to our text this morning, the

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Lord Jesus Christ has laid out for us the mandate of Christian living. He has revealed to us the norms of Christian living, the expected attitudes and the expected actions that must accompany a true citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

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All throughout this sermon, the Lord Jesus Christ has been making a comparison, a comparison between the false standard of righteousness, the righteousness of the scribes and the

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Pharisees with the correct standard of righteousness that is required by the

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Lord God. In Matthew 5, 20, he says, for I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

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At the time of Christ, the scribes and the Pharisees had strayed from a correct interpretation of the law, and they had limited their obedience to the letter of the law alone.

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They had wholly ignored the spirit of the law. They wholly ignored the intent of the law.

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The scribes and the Pharisees failed to realize that the law of God demands inward integrity as well as outward conformity because the law of God is spiritual.

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The law of God deals with our souls as well as our bodies. It deals with our thoughts and our desires, not just our physical actions.

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You have heard it said, do not murder. But I say to you, everyone who is angry will be liable to judgment.

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You have heard it said, do not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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You have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven.

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You see, it's not just the physical action. It's the attitude behind the action. The Lord God is just as concerned with the internal as he is with the external.

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In fact, the Lord God will esteem the external as righteous only if it is representative of what is on the inside of what resides in our hearts.

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In Matthew six, verse one, he further warned, beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.

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For then you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven. Every act of righteousness, giving to the poor, are praying, are fasting.

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All of these things must be done in genuine authenticity. Beware of practicing these things with the motive of being seen by men.

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Beware of practicing these things for your own glory and honor rather than for the glory and honor of the

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Lord God. A righteousness that is practiced within pure motives, a righteousness that is practiced in order to be seen by men is a false and hypocritical righteousness.

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It is in fact unrighteousness. In the remaining verses of Matthew chapter six, the

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Lord Jesus Christ continues this theme by contrasting two different treasures, an earthly temporal treasure with an eternal heavenly treasure.

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He contrasts two different eyes, a bad eye which results in a body full of darkness and a good eye which results in a body full of light.

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He contrasts two different masters, money and God. He contrasts two different behaviors, anxiety and trust.

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All throughout this sermon, the Lord Jesus Christ has been contrasting the way of the unrighteous with the way of the righteous, the way of the temporal with the way of the eternal, the kingdom of man versus the kingdom of heaven.

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And now in Matthew 7, 13, the culmination is reached. In this morning's passage, we have reached the crescendo of this entire sermon.

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After giving us two and a half chapters of doctrinal truth, the Lord Jesus Christ finally arrives at the application.

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In light of all of these things, what are we to do? What must we do?

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A choice must be made. We must choose. Matthew 7, 13 through 14.

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Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction.

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And those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.

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And those who find it are few. Two gates, two ways, two destinations, two travelers.

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In this passage, there are two gates which bring an individual to two different ways, which leads to two different destinations, which are populated by two very different crowds.

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In these two verses, the Lord Jesus Christ is setting before all men a choice.

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The Lord Jesus Christ is setting before each and every one of us here a choice. Which gate will you choose?

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Which way will you choose? Which destiny will you choose? Will you follow the many to destruction?

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Or will you follow the few to life? In these two verses, the

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Lord Jesus Christ is calling upon all men to respond to the message that he has been proclaiming, which is the character of the kingdom, the righteousness of the kingdom, the principles of the kingdom.

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And now, after proclaiming to us these glorious truths, he commands us to enter by the narrow gate.

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In other words, don't just stand there admiring the beauty and the blessings of the kingdom.

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Enter into the kingdom. Enter into eternal life. Beloved, the

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Sermon on the Mount demands a choice be made, a decisive choice, a choice that renders finality, a choice that leads to a fixed eternity, either life in heaven or destruction in hell.

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Beloved, your eternal destiny will be determined by the choices you make in this life, by the life that you live.

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Beloved, your eternal destiny will be determined by what gate you choose to enter, which is why the

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Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us to enter through the narrow gate.

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The term enter means to go out or to come in. It is an aorist imperative which conveys a great sense of urgency, a great sense of importance.

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The term enter is calling for an immediate and effective response. Do not delay, do not procrastinate, do not vacillate, do not hesitate.

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Enter the narrow gate. Enter the narrow gate right now. The urgency and the importance of this command is because there are many, many other different avenues and many, many other different opportunities to be led astray in the wrong direction.

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Matthew 7, turn 13, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many.

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The wide gate is inviting. The wide gate is alluring.

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It is enticing. It is beguiling. The wide gate is spacious and broad and there is plenty of room on it for a diversity of opinions.

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There is plenty of room on it for a diversity of behaviors. All are welcomed through the wide gate.

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All sorts are accepted through the wide gate. The wide gate is inclusive of all.

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No one is turned away. No one is rejected. No one is shunned.

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Everyone is accepted and everyone is tolerated because everyone and everything is permissible.

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Charles Spurgeon remarked, the road is so wide that there may be many independent tracks in it and the drunkard may find his way without ever ruffling the complacency of the hypocrite.

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The mere moralist may pick a clean path all the way while the immoral wretch may wait up to his knees in the mire through the whole road.

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Behold how sinners disagree and yet agree in this that they are opposed to God.

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It is a broad road. On this road, there are no curbs.

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There are no boundaries. There are no rules. There's no regulations. There's no restrictions. There are no requirements.

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A traveler who enters through this gate is seen as the captain of his soul. You can follow your sinful inclinations.

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You can follow your sinful lusts. You can live according to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

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You can live according to your own sinful will. The wide gate indeed leads to an easy, easy way.

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No effort is required. No sacrifice is needed and nothing whatsoever needs to be left behind.

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Traveling this route is easy, effortless, and uncomplicated.

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John MacArthur remarked, all you need to do is profess Jesus or at least be somewhat religious and you are readily accepted in that large and diverse group.

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Sin is tolerated. Truth is moderated and humility is ignored. God's word is praised but not studied and his standards are admired but not followed.

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This way requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and no sacrifice.

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But even though the wide gate will lead you to an easy way, ultimately it will lead you to your destruction.

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Verse 13, the term destruction refers to utter ruin. It refers to complete loss.

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It refers to the destruction which consists of eternal suffering and misery in hell.

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Hell is a place of unquenchable fire. Hell is a place of darkness. Hell is a place of torment.

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The worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Hell is instantaneous and most horrifying of all, it is eternal.

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Hell will never ever end and its affliction and its torment will endure for all eternity.

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Hell is something that all men rightly deserve. By our own sin, by our own unrighteousness, by our disobedience, all men have rightly earned hell.

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Proverbs 14, 12, there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death.

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Hell is the final destination of those who enter the wide gate. Hell is not a place or a state of nothingness.

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It is a place of everlasting torment and eternal death. In hell, the righteous wrath and the justice of the

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Lord God will be satisfied as sinners weep and gnash their teeth in anguish forever and ever.

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Beloved, every other religion follows the same wide path to destruction.

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Every other religion goes through the wide gate and follows along the easy way, but eventually they all end up in the same place, the eternal lake of fire.

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Today this message of the exclusivity of Christ is not only rejected by most, but it is disdained.

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In the world today, it doesn't matter what you believe so long as you are open to what everyone else believes.

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In fact, in terms of religion, you can believe just about anything and be openly accepted by society, but the moment you confess that there is only one way to God, the moment you confess that there is salvation in no one else, the moment you confess that the way to God is extremely narrow, in that moment you will be labeled an intolerant hater.

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Even among professing Christians, the exclusivity of Christ seems to be under constant attack and scrutiny.

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Ever since the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church has viewed the followers of other faiths as anonymous

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Christians. Rob Bell, a professing evangelical pastor in his book,

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Love Wins, speaks of a hopeful universalism. Another popular evangelical author,

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Brian McLaren, wrote in a book, a generous orthodoxy, I don't believe making disciples must be equal, making adherence to the

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Christian religion in response to these unorthodox responses.

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Al Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, remarked, it is the singularity of Christ that saves us.

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If all we need is a teacher of enlightenment, the Buddha will do. If all we need is a collection of gods for every occasion and need and hope, then

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Hinduism will do. If all we need is a tribal deity, then any tribal deity will do.

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If all we need is a lawgiver, Moses will do. If all we need is a set of rules and a way of devotion,

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Muhammad or Joseph Smith will do. If all we need is inspiration and insight into the sovereign self for crying out loud,

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Oprah will do. But if we need a savior, then only the

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Lord Jesus Christ will do. Beloved, the gate is extremely wide and the way is extremely easy that leads to destruction.

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And those who enter by it are many. Many will enter the wide gate.

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Many will follow the easy way and many will find themselves in destruction.

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And you know the reason why many enter the wide gate? Because to the ears of the world, the truth of the

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Lord God is highly disagreeable. The world does not want to hear God's truth because the world is in darkness and the world prefers to stay in darkness, which is why so many choose to travel through the wide gate and follow along the easy path.

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Beloved, every other religion, every other philosophy, every other system concocted by the fallen mind of man will lead you to destruction.

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It will lead you to eternal destruction. There have always been two systems of religion in the world.

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There is the system of human achievement and there is the system of divine accomplishment.

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One is the religion of man's work and the other is the religion of God's grace. One is a religion of the flesh and the other is a religion of faith.

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One focuses on the external while the other focuses on the internal, the heart.

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Doesn't matter if you think you're good enough. It doesn't matter if you say the right words.

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It doesn't matter if you make the right profession or if you do the right things. Christianity is a religion of divine accomplishment.

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Salvation is possible by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Jesus Christ alone.

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Ephesians 2, 4, but God, but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.

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By grace, you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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For by grace, you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God.

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Not a result of works so that no one may boast. Beloved man cannot come to the

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Lord God. Man cannot be reconciled to the Lord God in any of the ways that man himself has devised.

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Rather, man must come to the Lord God on his terms and on his terms alone.

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There may be many different ways to hell, but there is only one way to heaven.

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Many different ways promise entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but all of them fail to deliver except one.

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So the choice is between many different ways or one way.

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The choice is between the wide gate or the narrow. This is why we're commanded

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Matthew 713 to enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many.

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Verse 14 for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few.

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The term narrow literally means to press hard upon or to crowd against or to squeeze or to crush.

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The narrow gate is a restrictive gate. It is less than standard width. It is limited in size.

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It is limited in its extent, amount and scope as the narrow gorge between high rocks.

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Martin Lloyd Jones compared the narrow gate to a subway turnstile, which admits only one person at a time.

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The narrow gate is not nearly as inviting as the wide gate. The narrow gate is not alluring.

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It's not enticing. It's not beguiling, but rather it is constricting. It is binding.

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John Stott remarked, its narrowness is due to something called divine revelation, which restricts pilgrims to the confines of what

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God has revealed in scripture to be true and good. In other words, the width of the narrow gate is determined by the teaching of the scriptures.

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The width of the narrow gate and entrance through the narrow gate is determined by the teaching of scriptures.

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The reason it is narrow is that only those who pass through Christ Jesus may enter.

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John 10 verse 7, Jesus again said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

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All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

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I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

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Faith in the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is what is necessary for salvation.

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There is no other way. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

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The narrow gate is the only way to life. The narrow gate leads to a hard way.

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Great effort is required, sacrifice is needed, and all other things and all other people must be left behind.

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Matthew 16, 24, Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

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For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

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For what will a profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

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For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

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To follow the Lord Jesus Christ, to enter through the narrow gate, to attain life and salvation, you must deny yourself.

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You must lose yourself. You must forfeit your life and take up his cross and unreservedly follow him.

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Like the Lord Jesus Christ, our answer to God the Father must not be, my will be done, but thy will be done, your will be done.

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Beloved, are you committed to this way of life? Does your life reflect these spiritual principles?

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Do these spiritual principles govern and control you in your everyday decisions, in your everyday practice, in your everyday walk?

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Are you faithfully walking along the narrow and hard way? It's no exaggeration that the way is hard.

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Entering the narrow gate is not at all a casual or easy task, which is why those who find it are so few.

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In fact, in the book of Luke, when someone asked the question, will those who are saved be few? The Lord Jesus Christ answered in Luke 13, 24, strive to enter through the narrow door for many will seek to enter and will not be able.

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Strive comes from a Greek word, agonizomai, which is often used to describe two athletes in fierce competition or two adversaries locked in an agonizing brawl.

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And the term in prize, strenuous zeal or intensive struggling, fervent laboring, entrance into the kingdom of heaven, entrance through the narrow gate or the narrow door is a bloody business and many will seek to enter but will not be able.

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Matthew 11, 12, from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violence take it by force.

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In John Bunyan's book, The Pilgrim's Progress, which is an allegory of our spiritual journey through this world,

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Christian, the main character arrives at the interpreter's house and the interpreter shows him many excellent things that will assist him on his journey to the celestial city.

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And one of the things that was shown to Christian was the necessity of tenaciousness and perseverance.

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The kingdom of heaven is not only attained through difficulty, it is attained through toil, through conflict and through suffering.

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Bunyan writes this, then the interpreter took him and led him towards a door of the palace and behold at the door stood a great company of men as desirous to go in but durst not or didn't dare to enter.

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There also sat a man at a little distance from the door at a table side with a book and an ink horn before him to take the names of them that should enter therein.

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He saw also that in the doorway stood many men in armor to keep it being resolved to do to the men that would enter what hurt and mischief they could.

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Now was Christian somewhat in a maze. At last when every man started back for fear of the armed men,

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Christian saw a man of very stout countenance come up. He came up to the man and sat there to write saying, set down my name, sir.

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The witch, when he had done, he saw the man draw his sword, put his helmet on his head and rush towards the door upon the armed men who laid upon him with deadly force.

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But the man not at all discouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So after he had received and given many wounds to those that attempted to keep him out, he cut his way through them all and pressed forward into the palace at which there was a pleasant voice heard from those that were within, even of those that walked upon the top of the palace saying come in, come in, eternal glory thou shalt win.

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So he went in and was closed with such garments as they. Then Christian smiled and he said,

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I think verily I know the meaning of this. Beloved, only those of stout countenance, only those who draw the sword and rush the door and ferociously contend for the faith will be given entrance into the kingdom and receive eternal glory.

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It is acts 1422 through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of heaven.

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The narrow gate and the hard way will lead us into the kingdom of God. The call to salvation and the call of difficulty, suffering and trials go hand in hand.

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It is through unjust suffering that we will experience our great salvation. In other words, in the life of a

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Christian, suffering is not just a detour on the road that leads to everlasting glory.

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Rather, suffering is the road that leads to everlasting glory. Suffering is necessary for us because suffering was necessary for him.

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The Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 129, for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

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Engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now her, I still have.

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As pilgrim Christians, our suffering for the sake of Christ has been granted.

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As exiles, as sojourners, our suffering for the sake of Christ is to be counted as a privilege because Christ suffered for us.

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There are no crown bearers in heaven that were not cross bearers on earth. Charles Spurgeon, J .C.

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Ryle remarked, a religion that costs nothing is worth nothing. A cheap Christianity without a cross will prove in the end a useless

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Christianity without a crown. Beloved difficulty, suffering, trials must precede glory.

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The cross must precede the crown. This is our calling. This is our road to travel because Christ suffered for us.

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There is simply no other way. The narrow gate leads to a hard and difficult way.

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But ultimately, it will lead to life. This choice is nothing new.

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The Lord God has always given man a choice. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses spoke to the

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Israelites, Deuteronomy 30. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.

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I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.

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Therefore, choose life that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your

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God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him. For he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the

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Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. At the end of his life, when

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Joseph was laying down the leadership of a nation, he presented with the Israelites the same choice.

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Joshua 24, now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

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Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the

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Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the

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Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the

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Lord. Even the prophet Jeremiah made this same exhortation. In Jeremiah 21a, he was commanded to say, thus says the

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Lord, behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. And beloved, this same choice is before you today.

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Will you choose life or will you choose death? Will you choose heaven or will you choose hell?

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With the few, will you choose the narrow gate? Or with the many, will you choose the wide gate?

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Which gate, which way, which destiny will you choose? In his poem,

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The Ways, the British poet John Oxenham wrote, to every man there openeth a way and ways and a way.

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And the high soul climbs the highway and the low soul gropes the low. And in between on the misty flats, the rest drift to and fro.

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But to every man there openeth a highway and a low. And every man must decideth the way his soul shall go.

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Enter by the narrow gate. Strive to enter by the narrow gate.

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For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter it are many.

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For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

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Beloved, enter by the narrow gate. Enter into eternal life.

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Enter into a life of meaning and purpose. Enter into a relationship with the

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Lord Jesus Christ, who is your only hope for deliverance, for salvation.

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Repent and place your trust in the finished work of Christ alone. Let's pray.

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Our Father, we thank you for this passage of scripture. Lord, things are very clear.

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You've given all men a choice. We pray, Lord, that we would choose life.

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We thank you for the spirit of God who enables us to make this choice. We thank you for the work in our hearts that you've given us new life, new hearts, and so we can respond in saving faith.

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Lord, you are so very good to us. We pray for those who don't know you.

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We pray for those who are on the wide gate, who have an easy life. We pray, Lord, that they would be convicted of sin.

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We pray that we would be convicted of who they are apart from you. We pray, Lord, that their lives would be miserable so that they might turn and seek you out.

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We pray that the spirit would draw them. We pray that our loved ones, our children, our family members would know you.

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Lord, we pray that as Christians, we would be bold in our proclamation of this truth. The world needs to hear that they are trapped in sin, and they are deserving of hell, and hell is a horrific place.

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Lord, we often don't wanna share that truth with people because it's offensive. But Lord, what's worse than being offensive is people on that wide path, going to destruction.

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And so Lord, we who have the truth, I pray that we would proclaim this truth. Give us boldness, help us to share the truth in love, in grace, in mercy.

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We pray that we would be kind and patient in our words. We look to you, Lord, that you would do a great work in the lives of those around us.

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We pray that you would do a great work in Lemonster, in Massachusetts, in America, in the entire globe.

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We pray that you would raise up men and women who would proclaim this truth. We thank you,

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Lord, for the life that we have in Christ Jesus. We're thankful for our salvation. We're thankful that you accomplished what we could never do.

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Lord, we exalt you and we worship you. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.