All right, let's take our Bibles
this morning and turn back to Matthew chapter 7. The Lord continues
in his Sermon on the Mount, and today he deals with a subject
that should absolutely stop all of us in our tracks and cause
us to give serious attention to that of which our Lord has
to say. He's going to be preaching concerning
the road to either heaven or hell. eternal life or eternal
damnation and the thoughts of men concerning this glorious
subject. Now, if there's anything that
I want to hear, that I want to understand, that I want to know,
it's concerning what the Spirit of God has got to say today on
this vital issue. Now, according to the words of
our Lord, There's two messages that's being preached in this
world concerning life after life. One of these messages has its
origin only from Satan itself, being preached by the messengers
of Satan, false prophets who are revealed by our Lord to be
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they're ravening wolves. The
other message that's being declared is from heaven. It's taught by
divine revelation by the Spirit of God through God's messengers
set forth in the preaching of the glorious gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And each of these messages points
to a gate, one referred to in our passage we'll read in a moment
concerning that which is narrow, straight, that which is wide,
open. Rest assured, every person that
is in this world today, every person that's born into this
world has walked or is walking in one of these two ways. And
there's only two. Again, one leads to life eternal,
God Almighty, in glory. The other leads to hell and eternal
separation, damnation. And for myself, I want to know
the difference. I truly desire that the Lord
save me. Now let's hear the truth as it's
set forth from the mouth of the Master Himself. And may we hear,
especially realizing who is speaking. May the Spirit of God give us
ears to hear, eyes to see that we might know and bow to His
revelation. Now let's look at Matthew chapter
7 verse 13. The Lord says, Enter ye in at
the straight gate. Now notice that word straight. It's not the word that talks
about something that's not crooked, but it's talking about that which
is narrow, constricted. That which is only as wide as
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is the door. That's what
He said concerning Himself in John 10 verses 7 to 9. Then said
Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am
the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me
are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture the
thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill, to destroy. I am come
that they, the sheep, might have life and that they might have
it more abundantly. So we realize this straight gate
that is referred to here by our Lord is speaking of himself. He is the only gate, the straight
gate, the narrow gate. I am the way, he said in John
14, 6. I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. So that gate, I realize what
he's saying. That gate is so narrow. that
those who come by that gate, by Him itself, they have nothing
in their possession except faith, faith that's been given from
above, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the faith of God's elect.
There's room for nothing else. There's nothing else there for
them. To try to enter heaven with anything that you think
is going to make your entrance more worthy, more acceptable
by God, your baptism, or your profession, or your decision,
or any other so-called merit, you're entering in through another
gate. You're not coming in by the straight
gate. Why? Well, the scripture declares
in verse 14, because straight is the gate, and narrow is the
way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. That gate, again, is Christ alone. Listen, hear his words. I am
the door. There's no other door to God.
Salvation is by the Lord Jesus Christ and there will be no print
of man's works or worthiness upon it. Titus 3.5 says not by
works of righteousness that we have done But according to His
mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Ghost. What part does man by nature
not understand concerning the Lord's statement, not by works
of righteousness, which we have done? Those who enter here in
this straight gate, this narrow way, They are robed, not in the
filthy rags of man's self-righteousness, but in the glorious righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The robe that has been imputed,
given, bestowed upon, counted to their account, who believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Imputed not because they believed,
but imputed by the power and grace of God and their faith. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ
is the evidence that they have been robed. That straight gate,
narrow way that leadeth unto life is not the way that man
by nature would choose. It's a way in which a man denies
himself. Not unto us, Lord, not unto us,
but unto thy name we give honor. Man, regenerated by the grace
of God, loses the looking to himself for salvation before
God. He takes up his cross. He's resigned
to the fact that it may cost him all to follow after Christ. In fact, it will cost him all.
He denies himself. Those who enter by the straight
gate take sides with God against themselves. They give themselves
no credit, no honor, no praise, no glory. They don't want to
give themselves any honor. They look unto the Lord, unto
You, Lord. Thou hast redeemed us, called
us by Your grace. They consider everything that
they ever trusted in for their salvation or their supposed salvation
to be done. That narrow way, the Lord Jesus
Christ promises, you will be hated of all men for his namesake. They are resigned to the truth
that they will be outcast, even from their own natural family,
that natural family that despises the God that they love, that
despises the gospel that they believe, that despise the people. that believers fellowship with
who are their true family now because they enter by the gate
himself, that narrow way. That gate by which the vast majority
of people is entering in is called the wide gate. wide and broad. It's got many lanes. Lanes created
by man. Lanes created by man's thinking
and man's false delusional heart that has deceived him. And they
say, listen, everybody that's sincere, Everybody who's not
bigoted and narrow-minded as those who seek salvation, they
say only by faith in Christ, can come on their own terms.
It doesn't matter. They say concerning what you
believe, God accepts men, they say, as his children. We're all part of God's family. We're all children of God. God's
got a plan for all mankind. We're all part of His great plan. It's just a big wheel and we're
all connected, even though we say different things. We may
differ on a few minor points, but we're all working for the
same thing, they say. All spokes that come to the same
hub. Same ideas, even though we say
it differently. Oh, but concerning that wide
gate and broad way, the way that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be that go in there at. You know, I noticed that the
Lord never gave an exact number to those that enter in at that
wide gate and broad way, but the word many carries much significance. It encompasses every person that
leaves this world believing that their salvation depended upon
them, that they were the one that cast the final vote for
life with God in heaven. They're secure in their lie. They're secure in that deception
that's been given them by that heart, even though they'll admit,
I know I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect. But I'm as good
as the next fella. And I believe that whenever God
weighs the good that I've done against the bad, I think that
I'm gonna be okay. You know, God is a God of love. Surely God wouldn't put someone
as myself in hell. But the only problem that they
don't understand is this. What is it going to take to enter
into the presence of Almighty God? You're going to have to
be as perfect as God. How can I be perfect in God's
sight? One way. being found in Christ, being
answered for by Christ, having Christ put away my guilt, being
robed in His righteousness, found in Him. One way, the straight
gate, the narrow way. Man by nature is going to look
back to a point in time when some religious experience was
created when a preacher, one that lied to him, One that led
him to the Lord, got him to quote a few verses of Scripture and
pray a prayer. He's going to look back and he's
going to think that in his worldly works of righteousness, God Almighty
saved him at that point. And by that, you know, once saved,
always saved, even though I've not found myself attending any
religious organization lately, but as a child, a man will put
his hope in himself. Oh, but for those by the grace
of God, who have entered in by faith into that straight and
narrow way, those who absolutely find no confidence whatsoever
in their flesh, Those that say and truly believe, there is in
me, that is in my flesh that dwells no good thing. Those who truly by faith believe
the Lord Jesus Christ to be their way, the truth, the life, and
it's only by the grace of God that they are what they are.
They are entering, have entered in the narrow way, the straight
gate. And the scripture says, few, few. there be that find
it. The Scripture declares that there's
a remnant, a small remnant, that Almighty God has everlastingly
loved and chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for them,
the Scripture declares, that the Lord came into this world
to save His people. Save His people. Call His name
Jesus. For he shall save his people. He shall save his people. There's nothing up for debate
concerning the salvation of God's elect. The scripture declares
that he came into the world to save his people, made flesh,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. That's Galatians 4, 4, and 5.
God has adopted a people. Adopted a people. Chose them
for Himself. Named them His own. They're the
ones for whom Christ died. The Lord said, John 10, 15, I
laid down my life for the sheep. And all that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. Have you ever noticed the absolutes
concerning salvation. Scripture set forth the absolute
certainty. Salvation is not up for debate. It's not an iffy thing left up
to man. God Almighty is going to save
His people. They will hear the message of
the gospel. A message blessed by God that
sets forth God's absolute sovereignty and His right to do as He will
in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.
These few, they're the ones that know the one in whom they have
believed and they're persuaded. They're persuaded that He's able. A leper came to the Lord one
day and he said, If you will, you can. You can make me clean. You can make me whole. And the
Lord said, I will. God's people, they hear the truth
of the gospel preached by those that God has called out of darkness
to present, to minister, sent to feed His people with knowledge
and understanding. The Spirit of God, when it pleases
Him, He blesses it. He calls them out of darkness.
And they believe. They know. The one in whom they
have believed. Persuaded, persuaded. He's able
to keep. And you know, all the time, resting
in Him alone. Constantly, continually coming
to Christ. He that cometh to me, cometh
to me. Listen, we don't look back. God's
people don't look back. Sometime in the past, you know. Well, this is where I say, today
is the day of salvation. Today. Are you trusting the Lord
today? These are the ones that are continually
crying unto the Lord to remember them when He enters into His
kingdom. And the way they first came to
the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, that's the way they'll leave
this world. They'll die in the faith. And
they say, as the writer said in Lamentation 340, let us search
and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. That's the life
of a believer. Those that enter in at the wide
gate, let me tell you who they are in closing. They are the
ones that see themselves, in themselves, as being good, righteous,
spiritually well. And those who are entering in
at the straight gate, you know how they see themselves? Wretched,
unworthy, undone, sick, needy, crying unto the Lord. Enter ye
in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereout. Because straight, narrow, constricted
is the gate. Narrow is the way that leadeth
unto life in Christ alone. And few there be that find it. I pray that the Lord be pleased
to bless this message to our heart today. And may we, as God's
people, find comfort, consolation, hope in this glorious declaration
of the way himself. for Christ's sake and our good.