I couldn’t sleep last night. I was very tired. I worked outside in my garden all day Saturday and I was physically tired. I went to bed early. I fell asleep fast. But I woke up just a couple hours later with this sermon and you on my mind. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said we all have a choice to make. Listen to what He said.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow
gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who
choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is
difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Jesus used gates and roads as a metaphor for eternal life and eternal damnation. The narrow gate and difficult road represents the way of life that leads to eternal life in heaven. The narrowness of the gate represents the exclusive nature of the path to eternal life. Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Jesus explicitly said so in John 14:6 - “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So, some will not go to heaven because they either reject Christ or never deliberately choose Him. Jesus said the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult. Living a life that adheres to Jesus' teachings requires self-discipline, sacrifice, and a willingness to go against the prevailing norms and values of society. This path is not the easiest, but it is the one that leads to true life.
Jesus wants everyone to have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. (I want that for you too!) But the reality is: the gate is narrow and the road is difficult and few people ever find it.
Most people choose the wide gate and take the highway to hell. It's the route that seems easiest and most convenient, requiring little to no sacrifice or change. It aligns with our natural desires and the immediate gratification of our wants without considering the long-term consequences.
And besides, it’s the road most people choose. You don’t even have to think about it. You just go along with the crowd. It requires no discipline, no self-examination, no repentance or transformation.
Yeah, it’s easy; it’s convenient; and it offers the false promise of freedom. But it’s a lie! While the gate is wide and the path is easy, it leads to spiritual death, separation from God, and eternal punishment in Hell.
And I woke up last night full of sorrow and concern for the
multitudes of people traveling on the
highway to hell and for the very few who choose the narrow, difficult road to
heaven. I lay in my bed thinking about how I may have failed to
do my part to encourage others to choose the right path–the one that leads to Heaven. I lay there thinking about everyone who would be
sitting in my congregation or watching online the next morning to hear this sermon, as well as everyone who might read it on my blog. And I thought about how so many think you are walking on a path that leads to eternal life in heaven when you are not. Maybe you think you're going to heaven because:
- You were baptized as a baby, (or as an adult), or
- You go to church, or
- Your parents or grandparents were great Christians, or
- You believe God exists, or
- Because you’re a good person, or
- Because you just believe everyone goes to heaven.
Listen to me. No. Don’t listen to me; listen to Jesus. Jesus says it right here in our Scripture. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Most people think it’s so easy. They say: Just be a good person. Go to church if you want to. Be nice. You’ll go to heaven. But Jesus says: “The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
You see, the idea here is, you can have good intentions and still miss the gate to life. You can’t just casually walk through life assuming you’ll stumble through the right gate. No sir. You might still miss it. You may think you went through the right gate but realize too late you chose the wrong one. If you want to be one of the few people who find the gateway to eternal life, you better get serious about it. You better study it so you'll recognize the right gate and the right path when you see it. you better choose wisely.
People get serious about all kinds of things in this life. They’ll work hard to achieve goals like:
- Athletic achievements
- Educational Achievements
- Finding a mate to spend their life with
- Building a successful career,
- Home ownership
- Health and wellness
- Travel and adventure
Perhaps you can think how you have strived for some of
these in your own life.
People plan and save and study and invest themselves in
all kinds of things–some things that are good and important. But the most
important thing, the thing that will literally last for all eternity, so
many people approach carelessly, as if this most important thing just happens
automatically. Few things worth having just happen automatically. You have to be
committed and strive for it.
If you really wanted to be a winning athlete, you would intentionally train to succeed. You might practice daily to get good, maybe workout to grow stronger; you might even change the way you eat to become healthier and fuel your body.
There are things you can do to help you be one of the
few who finds the narrow gate Jesus says leads to eternal life. And I
suggest everyone be dedicated to spiritual training.
- Repent and seek forgiveness - Acknowledge your sins and mistakes, repent, and seek
God's forgiveness. This process of turning away from sin is crucial in
finding the narrow gate. You will never find the gate until you
decide to start looking. And repentance is the the first step.
- Commit to Live for Jesus - Jesus chose you. But you have to choose
Jesus. You have to consciously decide to be His disciple–to apply
Jesus' teachings in your daily life, including loving your neighbor,
forgiving others, practicing humility, and serving those in need.
- Join a faith community - Being part of a church or a spiritual community
provides support, accountability, and encouragement as you strive to live
a life that reflects Jesus' teachings. Worship together. Study
together in a small group. Serve together. Jesus and the original Twelve Disciples worked together as a group. If Jesus and the Twelve needed to be in a group, what makes you think you can do it alone?
- Read the Bible - Regularly
reading and studying the Bible helps you understand God's principles and
Jesus' teachings. This knowledge is foundational to discerning the narrow
path. It’s the only way you are going to know which gate to go
through and which path to follow in life.
- Pray - Prayer is a powerful way to communicate with God, seek His guidance, and express your desire to follow Him. It aligns your heart with God's will. Prayer is the heart of walking on the right path with Jesus.
Some of you are already doing these things.
Some of you need to do better.
Some of you need to take a good hard look at your life and recognize, you’re just blindly walking through life along with everyone else, and you don’t even realize you are traveling on the highway to hell.
You better wake up now, before it’s too late and you find yourself suffering for all eternity!
