Seek and Enter - God Commands You to Enter by the Narrow Gate — Erlo Stegen

We are so grateful to the Lord for allowing us to meet together in this manner. Together with Musu Nkosi Seme, Emmanuel Shongwane and their wives, their brides. I asked from the bridegrooms like Mr. Shongwane, is there a verse that you have on your heart regarding this wedding?

The Narrow Gate and the Way to Life

He said, yes there is. I asked, which one? He said, yes, Matthew 7 verse 34. Verse 13, 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 by it.

Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. I went to Musu Nkosi Seme last night and I asked him if he had a word on his heart. He said, yes there is, and actually it's very close and in close relationship to the verse which I've read for you.

Seeking First the Kingdom of God

Matthew 6, 33. Some know these verses off by heart even if they don't open their Bibles. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Let us pray.

We ask you Lord that your word will be sharp and reach the depths of our hearts. Lord we know that on that great day when we will all stand before you and give account before you that your word will be like lightning.

And we ask that your word will be in that manner today. Amen. I ask the bridegrooms then regarding these verses, are there some particular points of great meaning to you regarding these texts? And then Mr. Songwane said, we go in through a narrow way.

Though narrow is the entrance, God insists, enter thereby. But the broad way is an entrance which is just easy to slip into, to drift into and its end is hell. And the narrow way has few that go thereby.

Those who go on the broad way, they are many. But they go into destruction. And the bridegroom of the Seme said, of importance to him is that each and everyone must seek God's kingdom first. Don't be distracted by anything else, let the first thing be God's kingdom.

I was grateful. I was thankful to hear the bridegrooms speaking in this manner. And I was thankful on behalf of the brides because they are to be grateful to have husbands like this. You are privileged.

Christian Marriage and Godly Spouses

I have heard of some ladies, mothers who have said, we want our daughters to come here through the mission. Because in our places where we live, there are no girls of any value. They are not worth any dowry.

No, they got married. But we didn't get any kettle.

There was no dowry involved. But they said we'd rather that our daughters believe and are Christians here. Now, it's a privilege for them to get such wonderful spouses.

Because not all have got the kettle.

Some men don't have the kettle. Even though they might have the kettle, a live kettle, but they may not have... But it would be good if the kettle are good kettle, not that together with them everything collapses and dies.

Christ's Command to Enter the Kingdom

Let us return to the word of the Lord. These words were spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. He himself. The last day, we all shall stand before him. He commands to get to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, seeking it alone.

He doesn't say, by the way, if you feel like it, if you would like to. He demands that of you. And I do not have the authority to tell a person, do this, do that. I don't have the authority to say, you get married to that one, and that other one, that will be your spouse.

No, only the one who is almighty has that decision and authority. Very often people come inquiring in that direction and asking. And I say, look, I am not your Lord, I am not God. You seek God for yourself and ask him.

Jesus gives his command here to seek first his kingdom. And to enter in by the narrow gate. It is not just a general offer, and I am not in line with those who say God is the supreme gentleman. He doesn't tell you to do it, he begs of you.

No, here he commands and says here, do it. God is seeking no favour from you, he is commanding you. And woe to you if you do not bow to that command. It is not his head that will be hurt, it is yours, and your brains will spill out.

And let me make this absolutely clear to every one of you, no matter what your background is or your country. Whether you are English or Afrikaans or French or African, whatever nation you are from, this is a must, God demands it.

Queen Victoria and the Call to Respond to God

There was once a great queen in England, her name was Queen Victoria. She ruled in England when the empire was huge. And it was said at the time that the sun does not set on the British empire. Why was that the case?

Well, it was literally like that, for they ruled the world and had countries and colonies from hemisphere to hemisphere, and all the sides filled in all over, the sun never went down on the empire. And Queen Victoria answered respectfully.

And she was one who, when she got the opportunity, she would love to go for a walk or stroll through the woods, the forests of England. And she would walk alone, completely alone, with no security. And she would say, I like to walk alone because for me it's an opportunity to pray, to speak to my creator.

One day when she was in the middle of the forest, the clouds gathered and a storm broke out. There was hard rain, now rain is very typical of England, it is a land of much rain and mist in comparison to here in Africa.

It rained as if there were buckets of water. Then she saw a cottage in the forest, she ran to it and knocked on the door. The old lady then opened the door, and when the lady of the cottage asked, what do you need, she said, I need an umbrella.

Then she went back into the cottage and she had a number of umbrellas and she chose the oldest she could find. She said, oh how burdensome it is to have strangers keep on knocking on one's door and asking favors like for an umbrella, now make sure you return this and do it.

And as the queen, the ruler of the greatest empire, walked off, this old lady called after her and said, and don't forget the brolly. The queen turned around and said, thank you very much, may God bless you.

The next day a top ranking military officer arrived, came back with a card and the umbrella. And the queen had written, what is thanking you so much for your kindness, may God bless you, Queen Victoria.

It is said that the lady of that cottage almost fainted, she turned as white as a sheet. What if I had only known, if I would have only known, she was so remorseful and her heart was broken. She said, had I known I would have brought out the very best.

But the queen never came by that cottage again. Today we speak of one who is far greater than Queen Victoria, the king of kings. No one, small or great, will escape standing before him one day. And the Bible explains very clearly how we will see him.

The Glory and Judgment of the King of Kings

John, the old apostle, by this time, when he saw him, who was far greater than Queen Victoria, he didn't nearly faint like that woman of the cottage, he fainted, he fell down. He saw his face, the Lord's face, shining brighter than the sun in all its power.

He saw his eyes as fire, bright fire, flames of fire. He saw the chest garment of gold, which indicates that of a judge. His feet like glowing bronze, straight out of the furnace. If there is boiling hot bronze, even if there is earth on top of it, it cannot be contained for it explodes through it.

His voice sharper than a two edged sword. And his voice like that of thundering waters, many waters. If you go up to Zimbabwe, you'll see that many waters and rivers gather together as they pour thunderously into the Victoria Falls.

If you go up to Zimbabwe, you'll see that many waters and rivers gather together as they pour thunderously into the Victoria Falls. If you go up to Zimbabwe, you'll see that many waters and rivers gather together as they pour thunderously into the Victoria Falls.

If you go up to Zimbabwe, you'll see that many waters and rivers gather together as they pour thunderously into the Victoria Falls.

If only I had known, if only I would have known, and I'm introducing you to this man today. So that you won't say one day, if only I would have known. Know it now, this is the man you're going to face.

You will face this man. People who walk this earth, if they are not touched, and this doesn't penetrate them, they are falling headlong into eternal destruction.

Eternal destruction.

He doesn't ask you a favor, he's not saying if you feel like it, he commands you, he demands it of you, enter into the narrow gate. If you don't heed what he tells you to do, you'll go out of here being the enemy of God.

And you'll be remembered that on this very day, on this very date, you rejected his command. The bridegroom, when he mentioned this verse, he indicated and showed with his fingers how narrow this gate is.

And when he stressed that point, how few there are that find this narrow way. And so this is a demand, this is a command from God that you seek first the kingdom, that it is the priority in your life.

Otherwise, with the things that you might earn, like money, it will turn into fire that burns you in your hands.

This is a demand, this is a command from God that you seek first the kingdom, that it is the priority in your life. Otherwise, with the things that you might earn, like money, it will turn into fire that burns you in your hands.

Repentance, Self-Examination, and the Narrow Way

Just to carry on from the previous one, you may not have expected this as a wedding text, you might say, but this is not what I expect. I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you. I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you. I would be hellish if I wouldn't use this opportunity with such a text to present this truth to you.

God has taken me to task and I am suddenly faced with the reality of my inner being, my haughtiness, my boastfulness, everything that stands up against God.

Jesus does not play around. God has taken me to task and I am suddenly faced with the reality of my inner being, my haughtiness, my boastfulness, everything that stands up against God. God has taken me to task and I am suddenly faced with the reality of my inner being, my haughtiness, my boastfulness, everything that stands up against God.

When we stand before him, we will see. When we stand before him, we will see. When we stand before him, we will see. When we stand before him, we will see. Well, he puts you on the narrow way. I remember when I got married and I was visited by some important dignitaries of Brazil.

Humility and Service in Marriage

When I was married, I said to my wife, when we were visited by these Zulu dignitaries, I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly. I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

I said to my wife, now you go down on your knees and you serve these people properly.

The Warning of Hell and the Urgency of Conversion

If Jesus isn't the very first, that means absolutely the first one. I am so sorry for you. I pity you. I'm so sorry for you, man, when you meet up with your day of judgment, your day of death. I was telling some recently that when we were in Mozambique and Maputo and we were travelling with some others, it was just in this past week I told them about Hill, a preacher who would preach to children and he would gather enormous crowds, 20, 30 ,000 of them.

Someone once asked him, preacher, why is it that you preach with such enthusiasm, with such energy, with such fervour? He said, when I was young at home, we had a very big home, a double storey. I slept in the room below, my sister in the room above me and suddenly it happened one day that I heard a terrible noise above me from my sister's room.

He said, I rushed upstairs and as I burst into the room, I found her there, sitting there. Sitting on her bedside, absolutely spellbound, screaming, her eyes were bulging out. I asked her, sister, what's the matter?

When she continued to show that she wasn't even aware that I was there, I shook her, I said, wake up, sister, what's the matter? She said, brother, I've come from hell. I've seen people burning in hell.

Waiting for it. She said, brother, it is indescribable, the way that the people were screaming in horror. It's as if their eyes were bulging out of their heads. Their faces were a picture of absolute horror.

Faces that were just grotesque and changed and the horror of it, brother, I cannot describe to you. She said to him, they said to me there, go back and tell them what you have seen. She said, brother, then as I looked around, I saw father, our own dad, burning in hell.

She said, our dad was a leader in the church, a preacher at Sunday school, one who was leading in church activities, but there I saw him, brother, burning in hell.

She said, brother, I've come from hell. I've seen people burning in hell.

And he said, it is for that reason that I turned to the Lord. I entered that very moment. I said, I am going into the narrow gate. And he said to them, I've never looked back after that. I have warned continually because hell continues.

The flames do not go out. Thus I preach. Have you entered in? Have you entered in on this day through the narrow gate, into the narrow way? If you refuse, you will reject this command by the Lord and you'll wake up in hell.

If you refuse, you will reject this command by the Lord and you'll wake up in hell.

You husband, how long will you let your wife keep you away from the work of the Lord? And you say, well, I'm serving the Lord in my way, but you have allowed it to sit in your head and you are bound in that way.

And we'll have to see on the day of judgment before the one where John fell down as dead before him. Where you'll give account of every idle word that you've spoken on earth. You'll meet. You'll meet with the one with whom the woman of Samaria met that Samaritan woman spoke to the Lord.

And he answered and told her how many wives, how many husbands she has gone through. And the same would be said of you, husband, even the one who lusts with the eye, the Lord sees it. Let's ask the Lord's blessing.

Prayer for the Newlyweds and Perseverance in Faith

Lord Jesus, hear your children bowing before you. And as they kneel before you with the bride in white dress. Lord, may her spiritual garments be the same. I'm saying it completely unblemished before you.

Lord, may they always seek you first. May they not be anxious like the pagans and asking, what shall we wear? What about tomorrow? But that they will seek you and your kingdom first, Lord. And may your grace Lord Jesus be with them.

And Lord, I don't know what the morrow will bring, but whatever it is, Lord, may they stay true to you, true to each other right to the end. May the love of the Father continue to overflow in their hearts.

And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with them continually till death, or when the trumpet shall sound in the clouds, as you come in the clouds coming from heaven to fetch your church. Amen.