Two gates, two roads, two destinies. Imagine standing at a crossroads.
Before you are two gates. One gate is wide and inviting,
leading to a broad, easy road filled with crowds of people.
The other gate is small and almost hidden, leading to a narrow and
difficult path, traveled by only a few people. Which would you
choose? Jesus spoke about these gates
in Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 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. 1. The wide gate, the broad road,
the fatal destiny. Our Lord's solemn warning here
shatters all illusions of neutrality. Every soul is on one of two roads. The wide gate and broad road
represent the way of the world. This path is easy, accommodating,
and popular. It is a path where we can hold
on to our sins and ignore the demands of Jesus. It allows for
pride, selfishness, ease, indulgence, comfort, compromise, lust, and
worldliness. There are no demands to take
up our cross and follow Jesus, and no requirements to swim against
the tide of sinful culture. It accommodates every fleshly
desire, every prideful ambition, and every worldly philosophy.
There are no boundaries to restrain the lusts of the heart. And tragically,
it is crowded. Many enter through it. Religious
hypocrites walk here. So do those who scoff at truth
and those who presume that they are saved by their infant baptism
or a passing profession of faith, and those who never pause to
consider eternity. This road may glitter with pleasures
and success, but it leads to the blackness of darkness forever. There is a way that seems right
to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs chapter 14,
verse 12. Hell is the dreadful destination
of the broad road, a place of conscious, eternal punishment,
the just wages of sin. What a tragic paradox, a road
that seems so pleasant and right, but ends so wrong. 2. The Narrow Gate, the Narrow Road,
the Glorious Destiny In contrast, Jesus beckons His hearers to
strive to enter through the narrow gate and walk on the narrow road. This path demands something radical.
It calls for repentance, surrender, and unwavering allegiance to
the Lord Jesus. To enter it, we must leave behind
the baggage of sin, pride, and self-importance. The narrow road
isn't crowded because it's so costly. It requires us to reject
the fleeting pleasures of sin and the applause of the world.
To walk the narrow road means choosing holiness over compromise,
obedience over convenience, and truth over comfort. It's a road
marked by discipline, perseverance, and difficulty. It excludes all
self-righteousness, all human merit, all worldly baggage. One must enter stripped of pride,
broken in spirit, and trusting in Christ alone. The road beyond
the gate is narrow. It is the way of holiness, obedience,
self-denial, and cross-bearing. It is not popular. It is not
comfortable. But it is the only path that
leads to life. Glorious, everlasting life in
the presence of God. Few find it, because few are
willing to forsake all to follow Christ. Yet for those who do,
there awaits an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs the
afflictions of the journey. The narrow way ends in heaven.
a place where sin is no more, where Christ is all in all, and
where the redeemed shall dwell with Him forever. Which road
are you on? The end of your path is no mystery.
It is plainly revealed in Scripture. Make every effort to enter through
the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter
and will not be able to. Luke 13, verse 24.