Matthew chapter seven. The straight gate and the wide
gate. Our Lord gives us or sets before
us a way of salvation and a way of destruction. Our Lord is about to close his
sermon here on the Mount, and he does so with four warnings,
two of which we are going to look at this morning. He tells us to enter in. He says to enter
ye in at the straight gate. This gate is very narrow. It's very restricted. Someone has said to me before
that I was too dogmatic. I'm no more dogmatic than the
scriptures are. I'm no more stricter than the
scriptures are. I know this, I know that the
gospel will never be popular with the
majority. Not the gospel of the grace of
God. Now another gospel will. Paul said that they'll preach
another gospel, another Jesus. But the gospel of the sovereign
grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ will never be popular
with the majority. And you can be sure of this,
whichever way religion is going, when you look at this country
and you see the way that religion is going, you can be sure God
is going the opposite direction. Whichever direction the popular
force is going, whichever direction the majority is going, I guarantee
you God is in the opposite. It's always been that way. It
has always been that way. The scripture says, the natural
man receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. All the popular people are on
the Broadway. They're on Broadway. Now verse 13, again, he speaks
here of this gate, this straight gate. He says, enter. That's
not an invitation. That's a command. That is a command. Enter ye in at the straight gate. Wide is the gate, broad is the
way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat. What is this straight gate he's
speaking of? He says to enter into it. That's a command to enter into
it. This gate is a person. This gate that he's speaking
of is a person. This gate is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only way to God. He says in John 14 6, Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. He is the only access we have
to the Father. He is the only way into God's
presence. The way to God is Jesus Christ. He's not one of the ways, he's
the only way to God. He said, I'm the way. All other
ways lead to death and destruction. Any other way will lead you away
from God. Only Christ, only Christ is the
way to God. His righteousness is the only
righteousness that covers us. saves us from sin. His blood
is the only blood that washes away sin and makes atonement
for the soul. Nothing else does. All the repentance,
all the weeping, all the mourning that I may do over sin does not
put away one sin. I can mourn and weep over my
corruption, over my sinfulness, and it will not and it does not
put away sin. The only thing that puts away
sin is the blood. It's the only thing that washes
away my sins. Repentance is evidence that God
has saved me. Repentance is an evidence, it's
not the cause. Faith is an evidence, it's not the cause. Faith is
not the cause of salvation, it's the evidence of salvation. The
scripture says that faith and repentance are gifts of God.
They are the gift of God. He granted repentance, it says,
to the Gentiles. He granted it to them. It says in Romans 5, 11, and not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received
the atonement. We have atonement for our appeasement,
for our payment for our sins. Now he says to enter in. How
am I to enter in this gate? It's very simple. Well, put it
this way, it's very simply put. It's very simply put. We enter
in by trusting him. That's how we enter in, trusting
the Lord Jesus Christ. Over in John chapter 10, it says,
then said Jesus, unto them again. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I am the door. That's what a gate, the gate
here represents the door. 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. I am the gate. That's it. I am the gate. I'm
the door. By me, through me, in me, If any man enter in, he
shall be saved. And shall go in and out and find
pasture. Now how do I enter the door? Faith. You trust it, you believe
it. That's it. Now listen, don't
stand outside and admire the gate. You know, I've passed by
some houses before that had beautiful doors. I'm like, wow, look at
that. That front door is beautiful.
But I would never know anything about the inside of that house
if I don't go through that door. All I'm doing, don't stand and
admire the door. He tells us here, enter in at
the door, at the gate. Salvation starts with Christ.
Starts with Christ. And as we live in Him, we grow
in grace and knowledge of Him. It is to be joined to Him in
faith, it's to believe Him, it's to love Him. It's to be, yesterday
I married two people here. And at the end of it, these two
became one. These two people became one. And brethren, when we believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, we become one. If you read John
17, A portion of that whole prayer is that they may be one as we
are, Father. That they may be one with us.
That's what salvation is. Being made one again with God
in Christ. Don't just stand outside and
admire the gate. Many did that when he walked
through the streets and he healed and he raised the dead and he
gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. Many admired him. Many admired him, but they never
believed on him. They never believed. Never trusted
him. How do we enter this gate? We
believe on him, we bow to him, we receive him as he's revealed
in the word of God. It says in John 1, 12, but as
many as received him. That's bowing to him. To them
gave he power, right. to become the sons of God, even
to them that what? Believe on his name. That's it. To them that believe on his name.
Now he speaks here of another gate. He warns us. He warns us
of another gate, another door. It's an attractive one. It's
like I said, I've gone by houses and boy, it's a beautiful front
door. But you know, hell could be inside
that door. You know, that door in that house
is tore apart. It's completely tore apart. This gate is a wide gate. It's
a beautiful gate. It's easy gate to go through.
This is an easy gate to go through. There's no restrictions. There's
no restrictions. Every false religion goes through
this broad, wide gate. It accepts everyone. Can't we all just get along?
We're all going to the same place. No, we're not. The scripture
says, the word of God says, except to agree, how can they walk together? Every false way can fit through
this wide gate. We come into this world through
this gate. We do. But not only is the gate broad,
but the way is broad. I mean, everything's on this
way. It's broad. It's broad. Plenty
of room. Plenty of room, no matter what
or who you believe. Come one, come all is the motto. Every lie is on this broad way. The only thing not on this broad
way is the truth. It's not on this broad way. You
won't find it there. You'll not find it there. And this way is as broad as you
want it to be. It's as broad as you want it
to be. It's written in Proverbs 14, 12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death. Everyone on this broad way is
right. They believe they're right. I tell you what's right, this
book is what's right. This book is what's right. It's
what's written in this book is right. It's true, there's no
error in this book. And that tells me I need to be
in this book. And I need to pray and ask God, who's the author
of this book, to reveal to me the truth in this book. Christ
said, I am the way, the truth. And so if God reveals the truth
to me, he's going to reveal a person to me, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, where does this broad way
lead? Where does it lead? Every road leads someplace, you
know. It says to destruction. Everyone on this road believes
they're going to get to heaven somehow. They believe somehow they're
going to get to heaven. Depending on what their brand of religion
is, they believe that somehow they're going to get to heaven,
but they're not. Christ said, I am the way. I'm the way. I'm the only way to the father. There is no other way. There
is no other way. And he says here, many there
be which go in their ad. Many stay on this, on this Broadway
in spite of all the warnings that leads to death. There's
all kind of warnings, but they stay on it. They stay on it. Listen, Luke 13. Oh, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that
are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered
thy children together as a hen does gather her brood under her
wings, and you would not. You wouldn't have. God said in
one place, I called and you refused. I sent prophets to you and you
killed them. In Romans 10, 21, but to Israel,
he said, all day long, I have stretched forth my hands unto
a disobedient and gainsame people. And over in Isaiah 65, 12, therefore
he says, will I number you to the source? You shall all bow
down to the slaughter, because when I called, you did not answer.
When I spake, you did not hear, and you didn't hear because you
didn't want to. No interest, no interest. But
did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delight? Not. Many warnings, Broadway's just an easier way
to travel. It's smooth, it's been traveled by a lot of people.
It's a smooth way. Smooth way. And he says here in verse 14,
because straight is the gate, because of this, because of this
straightness, this narrowness, this only way, there's only one
way to God. Only one way. And because of
this narrowness, straight as the gate narrows the way which
leads unto life, it leadeth unto life. Few there be that find
it. Few there be that, few there
be that find, that come to know and have a saving interest in
Jesus Christ. Few, few. Why are there few who find the
narrow gate and the narrow way? Why is it only a few? Well, first
of all, it's not because it's hidden. Because Paul said this
thing was not done in a corner. The gospel proclaimed has been
proclaimed all over the world. It's been proclaimed all over
the world every day. The problem is not with the narrowness
of it, but with men who love darkness rather than light. But
with men who love the broad way instead of a narrow way, which
is the Lord Jesus Christ. They love every false way instead
of God's way. You see, Jesus Christ is God's
way. He's God's way. And men do not
love, naturally do not love God's way. We love our way naturally. We naturally love our way. We prove it every day. Don't
we want our way every day? We do it in our home. We want
our way every day. We want our way. It comes out
in us, where we work, where we live. It's just natural in us
to have our way. But God's not going to save anybody
in any other way except Christ, His way. And then secondly, The reason so few find it is
because it has to be revealed. The scripture says, who by searching,
who by searching can find out God? Well, if God does not reveal
himself, no one can. God is so high above us, by searching,
unless God is pleased to make himself known to me, I will never
know him. In mercy and in grace, he has
to reveal himself to me You know, the apostle Paul, when he's on
the road to Damascus to slaughter the church, he was putting them
in prison and he was giving consent to their death. And God struck
him down right there on his road to Damascus to do harm to the
church. And Christ made himself known
to Paul right there. And God has to bring us down,
he has to strip us, bring us into the dust, and reveal himself
to us. Paul said, who are you, Lord? Who are you? And the Lord revealed himself.
And then he went to Ananias, and Ananias spoke to him, spoke
the gospel to him, and then those scales that fell off his eyes,
remember he was blinded? Those scales fell off his eyes
and he could see again. I'll tell you what he could really
see for the first time was Jesus Christ. Now Jesus Christ is God
and Jesus Christ is the only way to God and Jesus Christ is
the Savior, the Messiah. He's the fulfilling of the Old
Testament. He's the promised seed. He's it. He's it. That's what he was able to see
for the first time. And this man was so well studied
I mean, we began to comprehend how well studied this man was.
This man missed Christ. All those types and all those
pictures, he completely missed them and he read them every day until the Lord revealed himself.
And then he was able to put it all together. He was able to
understand. Gotta be revealed. Men are spiritually
blind by nature. They cannot see this narrow gate. They can't see the purpose of
it. They cannot see the value of it. They cannot see the glory
of it. It's just too narrow. It's just
too narrow. It does not fit their way of
thinking of God and of themselves. It's too narrow, too dogmatic,
too restrictive, too unpopular to believe on Christ alone. for all my salvation, to hope
in Him alone for everything I need to stand before God. Everything. To say that there is no other
name given under heaven whereby we must be saved is too narrow
for the natural man. To say that there's no other
way is too narrow. Well, that's what God said. I
didn't write it. That's what God said. Christ said, I am the way. Well,
that's God speaking. He's God. The truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except
through me or by me. Now notice where this narrowness
leads to. It leads to life. It leads to
life. It leads to eternal life, the
life of God in the soul. Do you want the life of God?
I want the life of God. I don't want just to live forever.
Everybody's gonna do that. Everybody's gonna do that. I want to know the life of God. Eternal life is to know God and
Jesus Christ whom he sent. Eternal life is a person. Truth
is a person. The way is a person. He says, if anyone wants life,
then enter ye into the straight gate. Look to Christ, believe
on Christ, receive Christ as He's revealed in the Scriptures.
There is no death. There is no death on the narrow
way. Nothing but death and destruction
on the broad way. Any other way leads to death.
Any other way leads to death. And few there be that find it.
No one naturally looks for life and acceptance with God in such
a narrow way. No one does. And the few that
find it have to be taken off the broadway, put on the narrow
way, for they wouldn't find it either. But there are few that find it.
There are few. I know this question has been
asked at different times if there's only gonna be a few
people saved. I think, I believe this. I believe, and I've known,
this is from my experience too, from 62 years. I've met very
few people that believe the gospel of God's grace. Sovereign, pure
grace. I've met very few people. If it's you, where I work, places
I've traveled, I believe, and Ray and I were
talking about this a little bit ago, I have no doubt, and I believe
that heaven will be far more populated than hell. But I believe
that most of that population is going to come from infants,
children, and I believe mentally handicapped. I believe that's
where the greatest population is going to come from. I do. When that child, that baby died,
that he had with Bathsheba, David said, he can't come to me, but
I can go to him. I can go to him. And the Lord said concerning
children, when the disciples tried one time to stop them,
now I think there may be an implication here. He says, suffer the little
children to come to me, forbid them not for such is the kingdom
of heaven. But as far as this is written,
this Bible is written to morally responsible people. And I've met very few adult people
that believe the gospel. I have, very few. That believe
the gospel of the grace of God. That salvation is all of God,
all in Christ, and all of grace. And that's all. Christ is all
in it all. It's not my cooperation with
God. It's not my accepting Jesus as
my personal Savior. It's God Almighty accepting me
in Jesus Christ. God's accepting me in Christ.
Few there be that find me. And then he gives a warning,
and this warning is to those on the narrow way. This is the
warning to those on the narrow way. He says, beware false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves. I said this to you, I believe
it was last week. John said in John 4, 1 John 4, beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try this spirit, whether they are God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world, Try
a man's message. If you're gonna listen to someone
preach on the radio or anywhere else, try that man's message
by the Word of God. Will it stand the Word of God?
That's the test. He says here, they come to you
in sheep's clothing. They speak of righteousness. Now this is
an important point. I want you to get this. They'll
speak of righteousness, but beware that they do not separate that
righteousness from Him who is our righteousness. I do not trust
the righteousness of Christ for my salvation. I trust Jesus Christ,
who is my righteousness, for my salvation. Be careful that
someone's not separating there and telling them we're trusting
in the finished work of Christ. No, we're trusting in Him who
did it. We're trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ who finished
the work of redemption. He said, Father, it's finished. from the cross when he cried,
it's finished. Well, thank God it's finished. But I'm trusting
the one who said that. That's what I'm trusting. That's not splitting hairs. That's
the truth. That's the truth. Be careful that these wolves
come in sheep's clothing. They'll use gospel language but
they'll never really preach Him because they don't know Him.
You can't preach someone you don't know. They'll never preach
His true character. And how are we to know them?
Our Lord said in verse 16, you shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Preaching
produces good or bad, good or bad, good or bad. Listen, a preacher who preaches
the law will produce what? Pharisees. A bunch of self-righteous
Pharisees if he's a law preacher. If a preacher preaches health
and wealth, you know what that's going to produce? A covetous
spirit. You're going to have a congregation
of covetous people. That's what it will produce. But if he preaches grace, and
the Spirit of grace and the Spirit of God is in it, and if he preaches
grace, it is, the Spirit of God's in it, it will produce love,
joy, peace, alongside, it will produce the fruit of the Spirit. And if you'll notice, when you
read that, it doesn't say fruits of the Spirit, it says fruit.
Because where you find one, you find it all. It's all in one.
It's all encompassed in one. It's fruit, singular. He says here, you do not find
grapes on thorn bushes. That's just so simple. Don't
you love the simplicity of our Lord's preaching? You don't find
grapes on thorn bushes. And here's what he's saying,
they're preaching false preaching. Preaching of a lie, no matter
how close it is to the truth, now listen, it never produces
a convert. It never produces a sinner saved. It doesn't do it. It doesn't
do it. You know, it's not like I was
saved under Arminianism and then I just came to learn the truth.
No, you don't. I tell you, when you're saved, when you believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, the one this book presents and reveals,
that's when God saves you. God's not going to honor a lie.
He's not going to do that. You're going to be saved when
you believe the truth. A man is lost until he hears
the gospel of Christ revealed in the scriptures. And God grants him faith and
repentance. Now listen, even so, every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.
Preaching that's of God always honors Christ. It always honors
Christ as all in all in salvation. And through that preaching, sinners
are saved. Good fruit. Good fruit is produced. On the other side, any preaching
that does not honor Christ is all in all and salvation will
not produce one safe center. It won't do it. Because he said
in verse 18, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, and neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Preaching that's
of God will not produce bad fruit. He's telling us here how you
can tell by the fruit that they produce, by the converts. If it's bad preaching, it's going
to produce bad fruit. If it's good preaching the gospel,
it's going to produce converts. Sinners are going to be saved.
God's going to save sinners. He said, My word will not return
unto me void. He won't do it. And every tree, and I won't close.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down. God's gonna cut it down and cast
it into the fire. Sooner or later, now, sooner
or later, God's gonna cut it down. He may let it grow tall
for a while, but you can be sure of this, God's gonna cut it down.
He's gonna cut it down. Wherefore, therefore, by their fruits you shall know. by their message, by their methods,
and what it produces, you shall know that. As our Lord said, and I urge
every one of us, seek to enter into that straight
gate continually, continually, continually. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the way to God and he's, I tell you what, he's the way to God
in the beginning and he's the way to God in the middle and
he's the way to God all at the end. He's the way to God. Okay, Chris.