Enter the Narrow Gate	
#L544	The First-Century Gospel Church / Philadelphia	Sun PM Jan 12, 2003

	Jesus told us quite plainly (Matthew 7:13) to, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”  That is a more serious warning than we may at first realize, and it is not to cause undue anxiety, but to bring our attention to the importance of remaining loyal to God and faithful to Christ.
	We should not be concerned with what unbelievers think of us or of our trust in God’s power.  Our only concern is to please God and walk in the light of His full truth.  We do that because we love Him and His Son Jesus, so our desire is to obey them.
	Most people do not want to hear the truth.  Sometimes the truth hurts, but when it comes to God’s truth, we must know it and we must live it.  The greatest danger to humans is not calamities, accidents, or disease, but an eternal lake of flames.  That fate is the worst thing and the greatest danger by far, because it can never be changed once it is experienced...the punishment is never-ending.
	Before expounding on Matthew chapter 7, let us consider what the Apostle Paul prophetically wrote over two thousand years ago.  He said (2 Timothy 4:3-4), “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their 
itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
	That prophetic statement lays the groundwork for this study in Matthew 7.  The Bible says that a time will come, (and it has now arrived), when people will turn from the truth, and accept doctrinal mythology [fairy tales].  It may sound nice, but it is not true.
	After giving the truth to His listeners, Jesus experienced the same rejection we see today.  (John 6:66), “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”  They walked away from the Savior, leaving the twelve disciples standing there with Him.  Jesus gave a message of absolute truth, (as He always did), from divine love in His heart, but they did not want to hear the truth and walked away.  Jesus asked those who remained (67), "You do not want to leave too, do you?"  And what could they say except, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”
	The truth is not always easy to hear, but God’s Word is the absolute truth, and everyone must know it and walk in the light of it, because it is the standard by which to live...there is no other.  (2 Timothy 3:15), “The holy Scriptures...are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  It is in God’s Word where the truth about His salvation plan is found.  (Vs 16), “All Scripture is God‑breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
	God’s Word tells us exactly what Jesus meant when He said, "Enter through the narrow gate.”  The Scriptures will teach us, convict us, and train us to live the true Christian life.  The truth is not always easy to hear, but God’s truth must be known, because the greatest danger to all humans is lurking outside God’s truth.
	(Matthew 7:13-14) "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  It was a command by the Lord Jesus Himself that everyone can be saved, and they can escape that horrible fate...the eternal lake of flames.  It is a choice anyone can make to ‘enter through the narrow gate.’
	There is no such thing as ‘predestination,’ which says that some are ‘predestined’ to perish and some are ‘predestined’ to enter the Kingdom.  God gives everyone a choice to walk the narrow road with the few, or the wide road with the world (to their own destruction).  It is God’s will that everyone enter the narrow gate, however.  (2 Peter 3:9)...”He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
	Jesus is telling us that there are two roads, two gates, two groups of people, and two destinations.  We all have a choice, and He wants us all to enter the ‘narrow gate’ but, unfortunately, only a ‘few’ will enter.  The larger group is heading straight for the Lake of Fire, the worst danger there is to humans, while the smaller group will listen to the truth, repent, turn from their sins, and enter the narrow gate with the Savior to life everlasting.
	If there is an authority on the afterlife, it is Jesus, and He said that the Lake of Fire (where the flames are never quenched) is a real place, and that there is only one way to avoid it...walk through the narrow gate by faith with Him.
	After physical death, Jesus said there are only two destinations possible...Gehenna or Paradise, and He warned that the wicked go to Gehenna.  It is not the annihilation of the wicked, and no suffering, (like the Jehovah witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists say), but a continual agony and torture forever and ever.
	Jesus said in Matthew 25:32-33, “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  (41) "Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
	Not a pleasant thought, but God’s truth from God’s Word.  Everyone must know that eternal fire exists, and it is a real place.  And everyone must also know how to avoid that horrible fate.  But Jesus said, (and He always told the truth) that, ‘Many will enter through the wide gate and the broad road to eternal destruction.’
	Even though the worst danger ever to face human beings is possible to avoid, (through faith in Christ), most will not heed the warning, and the majority will eventually meet that dreadful fate of the wicked.
	Believers are on a battlefield, in enemy territory, because the world is under the control of the evil one.  As we wait for the Lord’s return, we are to be occupied in the Lord’s work, holding steadfast in the faith, and being alert to the devil’s deceit.
	Jesus warned us (Luke 13:24) to "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door...”  ‘It is not an easy road, there are trials and troubles, And many are the dangers we meet,’ (as hymn #414 says).  The NIV and KJS say the gate is ‘narrow,’ while others say ‘small,’ or ‘contracted,’ but Young’s Literal Translation says the road leading to life is ‘compressed.’  The revised Standard uses the word ‘constricted’ which reminds us of a boa constrictor that strangles its victim to death.
	It gives the idea of what the Lord is saying, when He says, "Enter through the narrow gate.”  If we want to be among the few who will enter His Father’s kingdom, then we also want to know about the dangers and pitfalls that surround us today.
	Heaven is a real place for everyone who will believe what Jesus is saying, and who will heed warnings to repent, turn to God, and walk by faith each day until Christ returns.  Jesus said we must endure to the end to be saved, (Matthew 24:13).
	Humans have only experienced a ‘cursed environment’ (since the Fall of Adam), but there is a ‘paradise environment’ for all who will take the warnings seriously, repent of their sins, and give their life to God without compromise.
	Eve replied to God’s question (Genesis 3:13) by saying, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."  So God said to the serpent (14), "Because you have done this, ‘Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!  You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”
	All of the troubles this world has experienced (and they have been horrible), happened because the world is under a curse that began in Genesis 3.  It came about because of disobeying God’s Word, and listening to Satan’s lies.
	In reality this world is a demon-infested, sin-ridden, God-rejecting, rebellious and wicked generation.  That curse of the devil is why the road to Eternal Life is difficult, narrow, constricted, and compressed.
	The road of the world is easy...just go with the flow, and follow the crowd.  Just do what you want and blend in with the world (by your appearance, speech, choices, and lifestyle).  And many enter that wide gate going to eternal destruction in the flames of Gehenna.
	If our faith is no greater than the Pharisees, and if we act or live no different than the world, then we will end at that horrible place of eternal torment.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, “That unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
	If we don’t enter the kingdom of heaven, then the only other place is the kingdom of darkness (prepared for Satan).  It is a serious warning to repent, give our life to God, and to continue in the faith until Christ returns.
	If we live and act like most people, then it only stands to reason that we will end like most people (on the wide road to destruction).  It may seem like we are alone at times (with little support or encouragement), but our encouragement is to come from God and His Word.
	We are engaged in an intense, spiritual war, but we are not to be afraid.  Rather, we should be confident in the Lord.  The Bible says, “He who has the Son has life,” (1 John 5:12).  If we have repented, given our life to God, and accepted His Son Jesus into our heart, then we have spiritual life.  Jesus says, however, we have to endure to the end to be saved, so it is a daily trust in God, and it is a continuing faith in Christ, (by the power of the Holy Spirit).
	All too many (over the years) have walked by faith in Christ, only to have turned away from God in their later years.  King Solomon (in his old age) turned to idolatry and rebellion.  If that happened to him, it could happen to anyone, because Satan is still deceiving (with many more centuries of experience).
	Hosea says (4:6), “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”  So we must not stay in ignorance, but to learn from God’s Word what His will is, and how to live the true Christian life.  The Bible has the answers, but we must heed the warnings, repent of our sins, and turn to God in genuine faith and trust.  (Ephesians 5:15-17), “Be very careful...how you live‑‑not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.”
	We must apply God’s divine principles of truth, hold steadfast in the faith, resist the devil, and endure to the end, so that we can enter the narrow door into God’s kingdom prepared for all who love Him.
	The entire New Testament teaches that there are only two groups of people...believers and unbelievers, sheep and goats, wheat and tares, the saved and lost, the wise and foolish, and those whose names are written in the Book of Life, and those whose names are not written in the Book.
	We are either a child of the Father, or a child of the devil.  We either love the truth or reject the truth.  Jesus said to the religious leaders (John 8:44), “You belong to your father, the devil,” and the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:10), “Filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!’”  We are either one or the other.  Since there are only two groups and two destinations, we must be sure that we are in the right group and on the narrow road (with the few) that leads to God’s eternal kingdom.
	In Luke 13:23 “Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’  He said to them, ‘Strive’ [or Make every effort] to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.’”
	There are many in the world who know about God and have read the story of Jesus, but they will not be able to enter the kingdom.  We are to ‘strive’ and ‘make every effort’ to live God’s truth by the power of the Spirit.  It is not works of the flesh, because everyone is saved by grace, through faith.  It is a trusting, submitting, and enduring faith in Jesus (that enables a person to enter the kingdom).
	We must know that our faith can be destroyed, or cease to exist.  Believers don’t always stay believers.  Jesus said (Luke 8:13) that there are some “Who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.”  They did not endure to the end and didn’t strive to enter the narrow gate, so they became unbelievers.  The word ‘strive’ comes from the Greek word ‘agoni.’  Jesus is saying to ‘agonize’ (so-to-speak) to enter through the narrow door.  It is a continuing faith to the very end.
	The road to life is narrow, hard, and difficult because of false prophets.  A false prophet is a wolf (or a dangerous animal), but they look like a sheep.  They are not tame, friendly, nor harmless, but blood-thirsty, savage wolves.
	Jesus is saying such people (false teachers) will be right there among the sheep, and attempting to destroy people with false doctrine.  Such deceivers make the road to the kingdom difficult, and that is why we have to make every effort to stay on the narrow path.
	The Apostle Peter said in his day (2 Peter 2:1-2), “There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them‑‑bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.”
	If you believe their false teaching, you will not enter the kingdom...it can bring swift destruction.  Being deceived by false teaching will be a common way that many will not enter the kingdom of God.  “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it,” (Matthew 7:13).
	The lie of ‘Once saved always saved’ doctrine says that a one-time profession of faith is all anyone needs, because they can never fall away from the faith.  But that is not what the Bible teaches.  The Apostle Paul, the grace teacher, said, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
	Everyone conducts their life according to what they believe to be true.  If you believe that the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses give correct teaching, you would accept what they say, and live accordingly.  Your life would change and your choices would be different from what they were.
	Whatever teaching we accept, our behavior will change according to the doctrine.  Everyone needs to know the truth according to God’s Word and to live that truth by the power of His Spirit.  Jesus knew that we would meet with false teachers and erroneous doctrines in these closing days, so He said to ‘strive, agonize, and make every effort’ to enter the narrow gate.  Our eternal destiny hinges on what we do with God’s Word and His Son.  By far the greatest danger to mankind, is the never-ending lake of flames, but unfortunately, ‘many are entering that wide gate which leads to destruction,’ (Matt. 7:13).
	Jesus said in Matthew 11:12, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”  It is not a downhill slide, but a difficult road, because of Satan’s deceptions and evil ways to hinder our faith.  ‘Forceful people are holding on to God’s truth,’ Matthew 11 says, because we are to make a forceful effort to remain in the faith.  We can not sit back, relax, and think we are packed up and ready for heaven, (like ‘Once saved, always saved’ teachers say), but we are to be alert to Satan’s deceit, and we are to continue in the faith.
	Romans 11 reveals the goodness and severity of God.  (Vs 19-22), “You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.’  Granted.  But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.  Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.  Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.  Otherwise, you also will be cut off.”
	It is our Christian duty and responsibility to remain loyal to God and faithful to Christ.  We are to judge ourselves, so that we will not be judged with the world.  That is our prayer, (taken from Psalm 139:23 and hymn #262), “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” [Hymn] ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart today.  Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.  See if there be some wicked way in me.  Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.’
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