Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Matthew chapter 7. Matthew 7. I want to read a passage of Scripture
while you hold that place in Matthew 7. We'll be looking at
verses 13 and 14. Let me read you this passage from Ezekiel 3 and verse
17. Ezekiel 3, 17 says, Son of man,
I have made thee a watchman unto
the house of Israel. Hear the word at my mouth, and
give them warning from me." There's a rule for preaching that I just read from Ezekiel
3.17. That's the rule of preaching,
true preaching. And it's here, two things. Hear the Word of the Lord and
tell the people. That's what a preacher does.
He hears what God has to say and he says what God has to say. It's not to be misconstrued,
strained, wrestled, Say what God has to say, because that's
the only thing that the Spirit of God blesses, for the salvation
of God's people, the comfort of God's people, the security
of God's people. What does God have to say? I received an email this past
week from a friend, and not to go into the depth
of it, but over the years I have had conversations back and forth,
email, personally phone, with this friend. And every time, the conversation
always comes around to this thing concerning the gospel of God's
grace as opposed to another gospel. And I feel led of the Lord to
bring this message this morning. stirred my heart based upon that
conversation. The Lord used, I'm sure, used
that conversation, that email, to bring me to this point right
here, to this scripture. Matthew 7, and I'd like to look
at verses 13 and 14. The scripture says, 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 thereat. Because straight is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it. Those words were spoken by our
Lord, Almighty God. And I know that according to
the words of our Lord, on those two verses right here, now here's
the Word of God. This is God's Word. And all I
want to do this morning is I want to say what God has to say. And
I pray, truly, that the Lord bless these words. I know that His Word is not going
to return void. I know it's going to accomplish
the purpose for which it's sent. I've said this before. Listen,
we're going to stand before God. We're going to die. And we're
going to stand before God. And in that day, it is not going to matter what
anybody else had to say, except God Almighty. And everything
else is trash. This is the truth. And I pray
the Lord help me. to set forth these scriptures
aright and the Spirit of God bless them. Bless them to our
hearts. Bless them to our understanding. There are only two doctrines,
two manners of information, two statements
Doctrine is what somebody believes. That's my doctrine. There's only
two doctrines concerning eternal life. One of these doctrines
has come from the heart of man. The other one from the heart
of God. The doctrine of man is purely
his imagination. He just thinks it up out of a
dead, depraved heart. The other is the truth, the doctrine
of God's revelation. And these two verses right here,
there's two gates, there's two ways, there's two companies,
and there's two ends. Now, I'm telling you that everything
we believe is set forth and everything everybody else believes is set
forth in those two verses of Scripture. Now, here's the truth. Two men preaching two different
doctrines can't both be right. Now, you know that. Now somebody
is wrong. Somebody is wrong. Somebody is
telling the truth. Well, you may have two people
telling the lie. But if somebody is telling the
truth, and somebody else is saying something contrary to that, then
they can't be telling the truth too. Here's what the Scripture has
to say. There's two gates. Two gates. Verse 13 says, Enter ye in at
the straight gate. Now that word straight right
there does not mean something that's not crooked. It means
that which is compressed. I was in Chattanooga one time,
years ago. And we'd gone up to a place called
Lookout Mountain. And there was two big rocks that,
I mean, huge, it's just mountain. And there's a path that would
go through, and the rocks weren't really as close as you thought
they were, but compared to the path that led up to it, when
you came to that place, that compressed place. You just felt
as though, I don't know if I can get through there. I haven't
turned sideways to get through. It was a compressed area. That's what the word straight
means. Enter ye in at the straight gate. Now, here is the truth concerning
the straight gate. The straight gate. Our Lord is saying, enter ye
in there. Now you know that He's the door. You know He's the door. You know
that there's no other entrance into the presence of Almighty
God. So therefore we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the
straight gate. He alone is the entrance in regenerating
grace, in keeping grace, and finally into the very presence
of Almighty God. He is the straight gate. He alone is worthy. He alone has pleased the Father.
It is the Father's right, it is Almighty God's right to reveal,
to open the gate, the door into His presence. It's God's right
to do that. Salvation is of the Lord. This gate, this straight gate,
this door is constricted The scripture says, because straight
is the gate. Constricted. Compressed. And
it's compressed to this point. It's according to God's sovereign
choice. God's right. God's will. God's purpose. This is how it's
as narrow as Christ alone. His blood alone. I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy. No wider. No wider. This salvation, the scripture
sets forth, is purchased without money, without price, It is revealed
and it is known by faith alone. It has no print of man's ability
upon it. It is the straight, narrow, compressed
gate of God's absolute righteousness and holiness. There is no entering
in. As we've said before, how good
does a man or woman have to be to enter into the presence of
God? He has to be holy. Perfect. Perfect. No guilt. No sin. He has to possess the righteousness
of God. This gate is the gate by which
a man stands alone, justified before God, being robed, being
found, enclosed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. There
is one way There's one worthy man. There's one accepted righteousness. There is one finished atonement. This is the gate of God's love
and mercy. And blind men can't see it. Proud
men won't have it. But this is God's gate. How do
you get in to the presence of Almighty God? One way. One compressed way. God's choice. God's mercy. God's purpose. God's Christ. Nothing else added
to it. The Lord reveals it. His people
believe it, being given faith. And there is no other way. Enter
ye in at the straight gate. Now, there's another gate. It says, "...wide is the gate," verse 13, "...enter
ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate." Now I know
this. If there is a straight gate and
it is Christ alone, it's God's will alone, it's God's choice
alone, it is sovereign grace alone, No other. It is electing
grace. If there's another gate, and
this first gate is straight, it's compressed, it's narrow,
there's no deviation from it, then the wide gate has got to
be exactly the opposite of the straight gate. Now here's the
gate of man's imagination. It's the gate, it's the way that
seemeth right unto a man. Now here's the wide gate right
here. This gate is broad and has great,
immense entrance possibilities. This gate is entered in, man
thinks, this wide gate. is entered in by whatever a man
thinks he needs to do in order to merit or to earn salvation
into God's presence. It has absolutely nothing to
do with God's sovereignty, God's choice, God's purpose, God's
Christ. It's whatever a man thinks. Now,
I've said this before, it doesn't matter what Congregation believes. If they believe not, the sovereign
saving grace, some can say, well, you can be saved by... You've
got to do this, you've got to be baptized, you've got to have
the Lord's Supper, you've got to walk down the aisle, you've got to
pray through, you've got to come to the mourner's bench, you've
got to be a member of this church, you've got wide as a gate. What do you need to do? What
do you think you need to do? Well, I've got to be better.
I've got to turn over a new leaf. I've got to start going to church.
We're going to start doing church. This gate is portrayed as being
one that is entered into according to man's strength. Man's choice. It says that Almighty God has
mercy upon the man that chooses to accept God's mercy. But man
has the final word. This gate is the gate that adds
man's ability to God's offer. People will say, well, I believe
I'm saved by grace. I believe God graciously offers.
I believe that salvation is a possibility. Men have got to be able to walk
according to God's Word and accept what God has offered in order
to be saved. This gate makes salvation to
be purchased with man's self-righteous works. And Almighty God is a
helpless bystander and will never infringe upon a man's free will.
But I heard that the other day again. That's blasphemy. That's blasphemy. God will never
infringe upon a man's free will. My friend, if Almighty God doesn't
give you a new will, a new heart, you're going to perish. This
wide gate has God's blessing and help upon
those who help themselves. It's open wide to man's best
intentions and excludes absolute holiness as its merit of entrance
into the presence of God. You don't have to be perfect.
You've just got to do the best you can. We're all working for
the same thing. This thing is a big wagon wheel.
Salvation is right in the middle and there's just a lot of spokes.
And I know they come from different directions, but we're all coming
to the same place. Straight is the gate. Or wide
is the gate. Salvation is either by Christ
and Christ alone with no part of your hand on it. God's people
are saved by the grace of God. God tells them about it later.
And they believe Him. And they have no confidence in
their flesh. Or they think that they're saved
by that broad and wide gate. Have you ever noticed how many
different theologies or doctrines or teachings or something? And
this one says you've got to do this, and you've got to do this,
this, and you've got to do this. Somebody is wrong. That can't
be alright. There's two gates. Straight and
wide. Scripture says there's two ways.
Look at the wording. Enter ye in at the straight gate,
for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.
Many there be that go in thereat. Because straight is the gate
and narrow is the way. The way here, it's a road. There's a gate and there's a
road. There's a gate and there's a
way to that gate. Narrow is the way that leadeth
unto life. Well, obviously, according to
the words of our Lord, and doing nothing but staying exactly on
what He has to say. Enter ye in at the straight gate. Narrow is the way. The way that leads to life. That road. Psalm 1 6 says, The
Lord knoweth the way, the road of the righteous. He ordained
it. Almighty God ordained the way
to the gate. Put us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Paul says to the church at Thessalonica
in 2 Thessalonians 2.13, But we are bound to give thanks to
you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth, having predestinated us According to whose will? His
will. His way. His road. The narrow way of God's people
is according to God's electing, redeeming, quickening, keeping
grace. The way to God's salvation, Christ
alone, that narrow way, is one that assures God's elect are
going to be brought to the Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching
of the message, the glorious gospel of free grace. This narrow
way, this way that leads to Him, this road, this way, this way
declares. Now this is the way it is. This
is the narrow way. Man has been ruined by the fall. Now there's a broad way, Gary,
that says man's not really dead. Man's not dead. There's a little
good in all man. And the Scripture says the narrow
way that leads to life eternal, man is dead. God looked. God saw. All dead. Wicked. Every thought, every
imagination of his heart was evil. Continually, this narrow
road, this is narrow, but this is how narrow this road is. All men are dead in trespasses
and sins. And can do nothing to illuminate,
to give themselves life. How does a man give himself life? He's dead! Redeemed by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. How narrow is this way? Here's
how narrow it is. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
lay down my life for the sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep.
All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, regenerated
by the Spirit." There's no two ways about it. God Almighty is
going to have His people in regenerating grace. They will see Him. They
will know Him. They will come. And those that
come to Him, He said, I will in no wise cast out. Psalm 1830
says, as for God, His way is perfect. His way is perfect. Think about that wide way. That
wide way that leads to death and damnation. Oh, the psalmist
says in Psalm 27 and 11, Teach me thy way. Teach me thy way,
O Lord. The way of faith in Christ. Teach me that. Teach me afresh. And lead me in a plain path. because of my enemies. There's
a broad way. Proverbs 14, 12 says, There's
a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death. This way seems right. It seems
right to the carnal heart. Now, I'm going to tell you this.
I can understand this. I can understand how men believe
this. I understand this. I believe
this. God loves everybody. That's not God's way. The Scripture
does not declare that God Almighty loves every man, every woman
with distinguishing, merciful grace and compassion. He doesn't. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. I heard somebody say one time,
there's one example that God Almighty does not love everybody.
He hates the workers of iniquity. And I looked it up just to make
sure I understood. Somebody said, well, it means
that he loved them less. I looked the word up to despise. Someone said, well, I just can't
understand how it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you think. I feel as though it doesn't matter. Christ died for everybody. Everybody's got a lot of good. Broadway doesn't believe that
man is dead. He can see if he will. This Broadway is set forth that
man has the possibility But the Scripture says that man is ruined,
corrupt, corrupted altogether. There was none good. No, not
one. This broad way is the way that
believes that man is his own shepherd. He's his own guide. Just leave it up to me. I'll
figure it out. Give me enough time and I'll know what I'm supposed
to be doing. Jeremiah 10.23 says, Oh Lord,
I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in
man that walketh to direct his steps. That's narrow. That's narrow. The way of the
righteous is one that ever sees more of his frailty. Let me tell
you. We're sitting here alive and we're breathing. We're alive,
physically. Spiritually, we're dead. Spiritually, one or the other.
But physically, we're all sitting here alive right now. And we're
in this way. The way of Christ. The way of
faith. The way of trusting God. And in this way, let me tell
you how narrow it is for the believer. He knows what He is
in Himself. He sees the presence of sin. He needs a fresh anointing of
God's Spirit to teach and to guide, sustain and comfort. And He struggles every day with
that old man. And He ever grieves over His
sin. Somebody said, well, man, is
that the way you live all the time? Yes, it is. Yes, it is. You see Him and you
know, Lord, You are my hope. Lord, You are my salvation. In
Thee do I trust. This broad way is a way that
accepts the hearing of the gospel to be that of convenience. I'll come. We'll be here on Christmas. We'll be here. It's not that
important. I'm telling you, it is important.
The carnal lust of this world's care, wars, strives against that
new man. There's two gates. There's two
ways. That way of that unbeliever. For a believer, they struggle. Your Word is a light unto my
path. Lord, teach me. Lord, Your Word. Lord, You've blessed Your Word.
Lord, You've exalted, You've magnified Your Word above Your
name. We looked at that last week.
But for those that know Him not, we're going through this world
right now. And this life is just... it's no big deal. I've got people
in my family And it is no big deal. It doesn't matter. And I'm thinking, if you're like
me, you're going to leave this world. And it'll matter that
day. Two gates, two ways. There's
two companies. For the broad way, that wide gate, here's what
the Scripture says, verse 13, Wide enter ye in the straight
gate, for wide is the gate, broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat." I'll be
on watching television or something like that, and somebody will
start talking about this Christian country, that America is a Christian
country. And you know, well, it's getting
less and less, they say. But as a general rule, most people
consider themselves to be a Christian. You take a survey or something,
you know. Seventy-three percent consider
themselves to be Christians. Concerning that wide way, that
wide gate, how many people Does the Lord Himself say, well, go in there? Many. Many. Who is that? Who are they? I can tell you this. Everyone
that does not enter in by the straight gate. redeeming, electing, quickening
grace. Everyone left to himself to believe
that whatever a man believes and is sincere, he's okay. Everyone
that will not have Christ as God's Lamb According to the Scriptures,
everyone that refuses to believe God's report of the Lord Jesus
Christ and bases his salvation on his merit, on his work. And for those that enter in through
the straight gate, the narrow way, how many? The Scripture
says, verse 14, the last part, There'll be that find it. These are the words of our Lord.
These are the words of God. I realize that for me, Marvin
Stoniker is going to stand before God. Lord, help me. Lord, teach me. Does it matter? Yes, it matters. Does it matter
what you hear? Yes, it matters. The Scripture
says, Romans 11, 5, a remnant. How many are going to find it?
A remnant according to the election of grace, Romans 9, 29. And as
Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Siboeth had left us a
seed. We had been as Sodom and been
like unto Gomorrah. Men that say, I just don't think. that this thing of election.
You've just narrowed men down so tight that what you're saying
is you just brought this thing down to such a tight thing. You're saying that there is no
other way You're saying that election of God, that redemption,
particular redemption by Christ, that absolute, irresistible grace
by the Spirit of God, you're saying that that's the only way. Is that what you're saying? No,
I'm not saying that. God Almighty said it. These are
God's words. I'm repeating them. I'm just
repeating what he's saying. I'm telling you, it matters. It's a narrow gate. A straight,
compressed gate. There's two ends. There's two
gates, two ways, two companies and two ends. The wide gate,
broad way, the way of man's imagination, the way that makes salvation
to be according to man's will and ability and choice to accept
or reject God's offer of eternal life leads to destruction. But the straight gate, the narrow
way that proclaims salvation to be according to God's will,
God's choice, God's purpose, God's choosing, salvation that
is as straight and narrow as Christ alone. That way, according
to the words of our Lord, according to God's Word, according to the
Lord Jesus Christ, that way leadeth to life. Does it matter what
you hear in closing? Well, verse 15 of Matthew 7 says,
Beware of false prophets. which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." I'm going to
read one last scripture and I'm going to stop. 1 John 4. 1 John 4. 1 John 4, verses 1 to 3. Beloved, believe not every spirit. Now that word spirit right there
means preacher. A spirit here in that text right
there means a preacher. Believe not every spirit, every
preacher. Try the spirits. Try what they are saying, whether
they are of God. Because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. And hereby know ye the Spirit
of God. Here is how you know whether
or not what a man is saying whether that man is from God or whether
he is not. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already
is it in the world. Now let me just tell you what
John said in closing. Everybody believes that Jesus
Christ actually walked on this earth. That's not what he's saying.
We believe that. He did do that. There's no doubt
about that. We believe that. Every man that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, having
come from God, the Lord Jesus Himself, made flesh, and absolutely
accomplished what Almighty God eternally purposed for him to
do. Not that somebody says, I believe
that Jesus Christ came into this world to make salvation possible.
The Scripture does not set forth that. The Scripture sets forth
that Almighty God had, according to His eternal covenant of grace,
a purpose. He chose His people. Christ redeemed
His people. We've read that in the Scriptures.
We've looked at that. The Spirit of God shall call
those people out. Every man that confesses that
is of God. And every man that confesses
not that the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into this world to finish
the work that His Father had given Him to do, is not of God,
they're a false prophet. Now listen, it doesn't matter what man has
to say. Here's the only thing that matters.
God's Word. is the Word that's not going
to return to him empty, void. It will accomplish. It shall
accomplish the purpose for which it's sent. When God's people
hear the Word of God and regenerate in grace, they believe it. And
they trust Him. Leave a man to himself, he'll
hear it, and he'll cast it off. Whose Word matters? Whose Word
matters? Every man that does not preach
sovereign grace is a false prophet. It doesn't matter how cute he
looks, how pretty his sheep's clothing appears. He's a ravening
wolf. The Lord said that. Lord, bless
these words to our hearts. Cause us to hear, for Christ's
sake,